But these members of the patrol squads soon stopped moving, their expressions turning vacant and dazed. They were all subsequently captured by Ye Yunfei and imprisoned within the Illusory Shadow Tower.
To Ye Yunfei, the strength of these patrol members was utterly insignificant. Even their Soul Bodies were of little use to him, so he did not devour them. The reason he captured them was to hand them over to Huang Shang in the future. During the earlier battles, Huang Shang's ghost legions and corpse armies had been decimated by an expert from the Great Netherworld. If Huang Shang ever wished to rebuild those armies, he would need an enormous number of corpses and Soul Bodies.
After that, Ye Yunfei barged straight into this Supervisor's Camp Branch Stronghold.
The strongest individuals in this Branch Stronghold were merely three or four Lesser Sovereign Gods. Its overall strength was pitifully weak in Ye Yunfei's eyes. With a single move, Ye Yunfei gained control of those three or four Lesser Sovereign Gods. Then, employing the Soul Purification Technique, he purified the Soul Bodies of all the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods in the stronghold and imprinted them with his own Soul Power mark.
Thus, every Heavenly God in this branch stronghold became Ye Yunfei's avatar.
"Master, are you planning to turn most of the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods in this void into your avatars?" Hu Miao asked.
"I do have that intention," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"If I can subdue a sufficient number of Heavenly Gods, I can assemble them into a Heavenly God Army. It should prove useful," Ye Yunfei added.
By this time, Ye Yunfei had already completely secured his control over this Guardian Faction Branch Stronghold.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei continuously entered one Guardian Faction Branch Stronghold after another. He purified the Soul Bodies of every Heavenly God inside these outposts and imprinted them with his Soul Power, transforming all of them into his avatars.
With Ye Yunfei's current power, he could fearlessly battle even an Eighth Level Sovereign God. Thus, dealing with the members within these branch strongholds was exceedingly simple.
Moreover, beside Ye Yunfei were three Eighth Level Sovereign Gods, twenty Seventh Level Sovereign Gods, and over four hundred other Great and Lesser Sovereign Gods of various cultivation levels. When combined, these Sovereign Gods formed a truly terrifying fighting force.
Gradually, more and more Guardian Faction Branch Strongholds in the Fourth Void fell under Ye Yunfei's control. The troops stationed within these outposts all became forces Ye Yunfei could command at will.
Having subdued so many Guardian Faction branch strongholds, Ye Yunfei now felt like a fish in water within this void.
"Master, so far the number of Guardian Faction Branch Strongholds we've taken over in this void amounts to roughly over two-thirds," Hu Miao reported excitedly.
"Two-thirds isn't enough. I intend to control the vast majority, if not all, of the Guardian Faction's branch strongholds. When the time comes, I will have an ace up my sleeve on the battlefield," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
During this period, both the Guardian Faction and the Hunyuan Sect had been mobilizing troops within the Fourth Void. A full-scale war could erupt at any moment.
When that happened, the Guardian Faction personnel from these branch strongholds would undoubtedly be mustered to become the Faction's main fighting force on the battlefield. This was precisely the primary reason Ye Yunfei sought to control so many of their outposts.
"Young Master Ye, I've just received news that creatures from the Great Netherworld have been spotted in a certain world within the Fourth Void," Elder Song's voice suddenly transmitted to Ye Yunfei one day, just as he had finished securing another Guardian Faction Branch Stronghold and was resting there temporarily. "Reports say those creatures are assaulting a Reincarnation Passage. It's said the passage had long been abandoned, but not long ago, individuals claiming to be descendants of the Reincarnation Sect were seen entering and exiting it. Shortly after, the Great Netherworld forces attacked."
Elder Song had just received a transmission from a Hunyuan Sect scout. Knowing Ye Yunfei was keenly interested in any news regarding the Great Netherworld, he immediately informed him.
"We leave immediately!" Ye Yunfei said without hesitation upon hearing the news, immediately setting off for that world.
Soon, Ye Yunfei entered the world where the Great Netherworld creatures had been sighted. It was a rather ordinary, even unremarkable world.
"It is indeed the Great Netherworld!" Upon entering, Ye Yunfei immediately sensed waves of extremely Yin-cold energy. His gaze instantly fixed on a particular location within the world, where he saw a group of beings shrouded in billowing black mist. A cold smile appeared on his lips. The aura emanating from these creatures was unmistakably pure Great Netherworld energy.
Concealing his aura and form, Ye Yunfei employed his movement technique and instantly arrived near these Great Netherworld members.
It was the central region of a vast mountain range. Deep within a valley enshrouded by white mist was an entrance exuding a dense aura of Samsara.
Ye Yunfei recognized it instantly as the entrance to a Reincarnation Passage. At the moment, the valley was tightly encircled by Great Netherworld forces.
"This place belongs to our Reincarnation Sect! You of the Great Netherworld bully others intolerably, coming to our doorstep to seize our territory!" an angry voice boomed from within the passage, causing the dense white mist in the valley to churn violently.
"Your Reincarnation Sect perished long ago, and its territories vanished with it. Your sect holds no land now. Our Great Netherworld has taken a liking to this world. From this moment on, this is Great Netherworld territory. Therefore, you remnants of the Reincarnation Sect, roll as far away from here as you can. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite. I will give you this chance: leave this passage immediately, or our forces will charge in and cleanse it," a blurry figure shrouded in churning black frigid mist stood in the valley, its gaze fixed on the deep valley entrance, speaking slowly.
"Since ancient times, Reincarnation Passages have been the territory of our Reincarnation Sect! You creatures of the Great Netherworld, get lost now, or don't blame us for being impolite! Do not think our Reincarnation Sect is easy to push around! When our sect presided over the cycle of Samsara and cosmic order in the world, the Great Netherworld didn't even know where it was! I never imagined you would dare to bully us like this!" an outraged voice rang out from the passage.
"Then there's nothing more to be said. Take action! Destroy this Reincarnation Passage completely!" The figure cloaked in the dark mist replied, its voice turning icy cold.
Following its order, the Great Netherworld members surrounding the valley began moving, charging towards the deep valley entrance. Every one of them radiated sinister, chilling mists. Immense waves of black fog spread across the sky, beginning to disperse the valley's white mist.
"Fight then! Did you really think we, the Reincarnation Sect, fear you Great Netherworld creatures?" Another furious voice erupted from within the Reincarnation Passage deep in the valley, and then a group of figures surged out from the entrance.
"Truly all Reincarnation Heirs," Ye Yunfei glanced at the beings who emerged. Sensing the dense aura of Samsara energy emanating from each one's body, he couldn't help but think inwardly.
Ye Yunfei had previously practiced Samsara energy, and though it was not particularly powerful in his hands, he was very familiar with it.
"Where is Qingluo right now? These are all Reincarnation Sect people. Perhaps they might know Su Qingluo's current whereabouts," Ye Yunfei thought upon seeing them.
But first, he looked at the Great Netherworld forces, long having felt overwhelming killing intent towards them. Without hesitation, he flashed forward, striding towards them.
"You Great Netherworld creatures bully others intolerably! Young Master here hates pricks like you the most. Get over here and meet your doom!" At that moment, a loud shout came from the deep valley entrance, and everyone saw a relatively young man in white robes charging out of the opening. He headed straight for one of the Great Netherworld members and immediately launched an attack.
"Qin Yuanyu! It's actually him!" Ye Yunfei instantly recognized the young man in white who had just emerged; it was Qin Yuanyu, whom he had known from long ago.
By now, forces from both sides had already begun fighting. The Great Netherworld side had greater numbers, while the Reincarnation Sect forces were comparatively fewer. However, every Reincarnation Sect member possessed considerable strength. Employing various techniques of their sect's heritage, they refused to retreat half a step, instead advancing collectively.
"He's actually already a Third Level Sovereign God! His breakthrough speed is truly astonishing!" Ye Yunfei discovered that Qin Yuanyu had now reached the level of a Third Level Sovereign God.
The reason for Ye Yunfei's own rapid realm advancement was due to countless fortunate encounters, extensive trials, and real combat. Of course, even more importantly, his own talent and mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary beings.
"The Reincarnation Sect is an ancient and mysterious organization with an immensely long lineage. These days, they are likely attempting to re-enter the world, and thus would definitely employ all means to cultivate their younger disciples. For any major force, its younger heirs represent its true hope. With the Reincarnation Sect's accumulated reserves gathered over such an immense span of time, rapidly elevating the cultivation and power of these younger disciples shouldn't be too difficult," Hun Lao transmitted mentally to Ye Yunfei.
"Indeed. The Reincarnation Sect has been passed down for an incalculable period. Their accumulated resources are not something ordinary forces can compare with," Ye Yunfei nodded.
By this time, Ye Yunfei had already walked into the valley. The battle between the Great Netherworld and Reincarnation Sect forces had grown fierce.
Qin Yuanyu was actually fighting two against one, battling two Third Level Sovereign Gods simultaneously. He pressed his advantage fiercely, attacking relentlessly.
"Impressive skills, Brother Qin," Ye Yunfei appeared instantly beside Qin Yuanyu and spoke.
As he spoke, Ye Yunfei activated his Mind Reading Art, immediately beginning to interfere with one of the Third Level Sovereign God's thoughts.
"You..." Qin Yuanyu was fully engaged with his two opponents, right in the midst of furious combat, when he suddenly heard someone call his name from beside him. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, causing him to freeze momentarily. He turned his head to look.
"It's you! Brother Ye!" Qin Yuanyu immediately recognized Ye Yunfei, his face instantly lighting up with wild joy.