"Alright then. Elder Huang, I'll keep them entangled. You get away now, and leave some markers for me along the way. I will find you."
After receiving Huang Shang's mental transmission, Ye Yunfei looked at the formidable experts from the Great Netherworld radiating a sinister, cold aura before him. Glancing back, he saw the old wizard and the other elder of the Guardian Faction urging their war drum inside the spatial zone, pounding it relentlessly. He knew that under these circumstances, it was impossible for him to rendezvous with Huang Shang in the short term.
Once he grasped the situation clearly, Ye Yunfei immediately took out a large quantity of Formation Flags and began scattering them in a constant stream.
Currently, both the Great Netherworld experts and the two experts from the Guardian Faction were merely trying to prevent him from charging forward to rescue Huang Shang, to keep the two of them from joining forces. Since that was the case, Ye Yunfei changed his tactics. He intended to tie up these Great Netherworld experts, giving Huang Shang a chance to escape alone.
Whoosh...
More and more Puppet Soul Threads poured out from Ye Yunfei's body. These threads were all transparent, and their auras were so faint they were difficult to detect; only when they attacked would the enemy suddenly become aware of them.
Ye Yunfei placed a large batch of cultivation resources that supplemented Soul Power energy within his soul sea, refining and absorbing them continuously. Both of his Soul Bodies, his dozens of soul power planets, and the Nurturing Soul Tree all simultaneously released vast amounts of Soul Power energy, producing an ever-increasing number of transparent Puppet Soul Threads that he scattered into the surrounding space.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Formations sprang up one after another, beginning to encircle and trap the experts from the Great Netherworld and the two experts from the Guardian Faction.
The transparent Puppet Soul Threads intertwined and crisscrossed each other, forming one transparent net after another that constantly descended towards the Great Netherworld experts.
"Brat, are you a member of the Soul Race?"
The figure in the green robe asked, his voice a mixture of shock and fury.
Right at this moment, a tremendous, violent explosion erupted from the center of the pitch-black river far in the distance. Huang Shang's figure finally broke free from that pitch-black river and surged out.
However, the Huang Shang at this moment appeared somewhat illusory. His originally black, glossy, and robust ghost body had become exceptionally weak, even partially transparent.
The moment Huang Shang burst out of that ink-black river, he didn't even look back. Transforming into a streak of ghostly light, he fled into the distance in an instant.
"That ghost cultivator actually managed to break free from our restraint.
Give chase, do not let him escape!"
Seeing this, the green-robed figure immediately shouted.
The several experts from the Great Netherworld all turned at once, intending to pursue Huang Shang. Capturing him was their primary purpose in coming here.
Witnessing this, Ye Yunfei stamped his foot forcefully. Even more formations were continuously activated, encircling and trapping the space all around.
Then, Ye Yunfei employed the Wind Pearl and the Great Wind Stele to conjure billowing gales and roaring whirlwinds, which he sent sweeping towards the experts from the Great Netherworld.
The myriad invisible nets formed from the interlacing of the transparent Puppet Soul Threads also scattered towards those experts, blocking their path.
The Great Netherworld experts began to grow furious, striking out repeatedly to break through Ye Yunfei's various attacks.
Seeing their chance, the two experts from the Guardian Faction immediately began to beat their drum more rapidly. The sound wave attacks from the war drum surged forward massively, clashing against and blocking the gales and whirlwinds Ye Yunfei had created.
In truth, if that war drum hadn't blocked Ye Yunfei's storm attacks multiple times, the Great Netherworld experts might not have had the opportunity to deal with Huang Shang.
Suddenly, the Great Netherworld experts conjured another broad, pitch-black river of surging energy once more, which rumbled forward to crash against Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei immediately felt his physical body and soul body both plunge into danger. Shocked, he swiftly retreated.
Seizing the opportunity while Ye Yunfei was distracted, the Great Netherworld experts all turned and managed to free themselves from the various restraints Ye Yunfei had laid, fleeing far away in an instant.
Ye Yunfei's figure flashed as he gave chase. However, after a short pursuit deep into the spatial layers, the Great Netherworld experts suddenly scattered and headed off in different directions.
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment, then chose to continue chasing the green-robed figure.
After another moment, the green-robed figure waved his sleeve, producing a black altar. He stepped onto the altar.
With a low boom, before Ye Yunfei could even make his move, the black altar simply vanished, disappearing from sight.
"Master, what do we do?
Once Elder Huang is caught up to by these fellows, he definitely won't be their match. We need to think of a way to catch up and help him."
Hu Miao said anxiously.
"Elder Huang already used a secret art to flee far away earlier. These fellows have been searching for traces of him all this time; so far, they haven't found anything.
Not even them — even I can't tell which direction Elder Huang went."
Hearing Hu Miao's words, Ye Yunfei shook his head and spoke.
Earlier, while chasing, Ye Yunfei had been using his divine pupil located between his eyebrows to divine and track Huang Shang's trail. At the same time, he had used his Mind Reading Art and the divine pupil to read the mental thoughts of those Great Netherworld experts. He discovered that they too had no idea where Huang Shang was now.
"Really? If those fellows don't know where Elder Huang is right now either… Does that mean Elder Huang is already safe, then?"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Hu Miao was somewhat pleasantly surprised.
"What worries me now is whether these Great Netherworld beings possess some special method for tracking a ghost cultivator's trail. If that's the case, then Elder Huang remains in great danger."
Ye Yunfei said with concern.
As he spoke, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power energy and Heart Power energy, coordinating both with his divine pupil to search for both the whereabouts of the green-robed figure he had just chased and any trace of Huang Shang.
From then on, Ye Yunfei continued tracking the green-robed figure and Huang Shang's whereabouts. Sometimes he traveled swiftly through the deep layers of space; sometimes he returned to the external worlds to search. The moment he detected even the slightest aura or trace, he would immediately pursue it.
As for the battle raging within the Guardian Faction's headquarters, Ye Yunfei stopped paying attention. He believed that with the current disparity in strength between the two sides, the Hunyuan Sect should be able to gain the upper hand. After all, over half of the Guardian Faction's Eighth Level Sovereign Gods had already been captured by Ye Yunfei and were currently imprisoned within the Phantom Shadow Pagoda.
The Guardian Faction now only had three Eighth Level Sovereign Gods left, while the Hunyuan Sect had close to ten.
Time passed, and Ye Yunfei had long since left the Guardian Faction's headquarters. He was now in the Fifth Void, continuously tracking and searching for Huang Shang.
Huang Shang had followed Ye Yunfei since back in the Tianxuan Continent, staying by his side ever since. He could truly be considered an important figure who had witnessed Ye Yunfei's growth, and by now, Huang Shang himself had become one of Ye Yunfei's capable assistants. Ye Yunfei naturally did not wish for anything unfortunate to befall him.
In the beginning, Ye Yunfei could still faintly sense some traces and aura left behind by both the green-robed figure and Huang Shang. Gradually, however, he found that he could no longer perceive their trail or aura at all.
"Here… It seems all auras and traces have been severed."
Standing in a remote, desolate part of the Fifth Void, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power and Heart Power energy, sending his perception sweeping outward in all directions. Simultaneously, his divine pupil scrutinized this dead, silent expanse of void space as his hands formed seals, using the Chaotic Heavenly Divination Art to carry out continuous calculations.
And it wasn't just Ye Yunfei; Hun Lao, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, and Hu Miao were also employing the secret arts and techniques they specialized in, trying to capture and divine Huang Shang's aura and whereabouts.
"Elder Huang indeed passed through here, but for some reason, his trail and aura have been wiped clean by a mysterious energy."
No one knew how much time passed when Ye Yunfei suddenly spoke softly.
In the following period, Ye Yunfei continued roaming the Fifth Void, searching everywhere for traces and the aura of Huang Shang — and of course, also tracking the Great Netherworld experts he had encountered earlier. Yet despite spending a great deal of time and traversing many different voids, he found nothing at all.
"Master, do you think it's possible… that Elder Huang has already been captured by those Great Netherworld beings and taken back to their realm?"
Hu Miao suddenly spoke up, addressing Ye Yunfei.
Hearing Hu Miao's words, Ye Yunfei's heart couldn't help but sink. He halted, his face turning somewhat grim.
"Hun Lao, how much do you understand about the Great Netherworld faction?"
After thinking for a moment, Ye Yunfei asked Hun Lao.
"I have been digging through the memories about the Great Netherworld lately, but the Great Netherworld seems to be even more mysterious than the Samsara Sect. Based on various signs, I've deduced a few things. First, the Great Netherworld's history is shorter than that of the Samsara Sect, but there is a sense of it being a 'late-comer surpassing its predecessors.' Ever since its emergence, the Great Netherworld has held the ambition of replacing the Samsara Sect. The Netherworld — as in, Diyu — is said to have been constructed by the Great Netherworld. Or perhaps one could put it this way: Diyu is a very important outpost for the Great Netherworld. Ever since the Samsara Sect declined and its many Samsara Passages were abandoned, many wandering souls seeking reincarnation in the world have had no choice but to turn to Diyu instead.
Moreover, according to current legends, many things within Diyu were actually set up in imitation of the Samsara Passages. There's even a possibility that the decline of the Samsara Sect back then, and the abandonment of so many Samsara Passages, were directly caused by the Great Netherworld's actions."
Hearing Ye Yunfei's question, Hun Lao thought for a bit, then spoke.
"Is Diyu the headquarters of the Great Netherworld?"
Ye Yunfei thought about Hun Lao's words and asked another question.
"I can't say for certain. Diyu could be the headquarters of the Great Netherworld faction, but it's also possible that there is another, distinct region named 'Great Netherworld.'"
Hun Lao replied.
"No matter what, I will find Elder Huang. If he truly has been taken to the Great Netherworld, then I will eventually fight my way right into their headquarters to demand him back."
Ye Yunfei gazed at the vast, mist-shrouded void before him and stated coldly.
"With your current strength, going to the Great Netherworld to demand someone's release is probably… insufficient."
Hun Lao knew Ye Yunfei's character. If he had such an idea, he would act on it sooner or later.
"Indeed. With my current strength, forcibly entering the Great Netherworld wouldn't be enough."
Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement.
"So, I must become stronger. Strong enough to protect the world I wish to protect, and all those by my side."
Ye Yunfei added after a pause.
"Great Netherworld… Just you wait. I will remember this debt."
Ye Yunfei stated icily.
Afterwards, Ye Yunfei separated several Clones from himself, instructing them to continue searching for Huang Shang.
Although they were merely Clones, given Ye Yunfei's current power level, these Clones possessed at the very least the strength of a first- or second-level Sovereign God. As long as they acted discreetly, it was enough to ensure their own safety.
In the time that followed, these Clones began their search, starting from the Fifth Void, focused solely on tracking Huang Shang's trail.