"If Young Master Ye truly crafted these Divine Pills for us, his alchemy skills are simply extraordinary!"
Elder Dongfang exclaimed in admiration.
"Based on my deductions, it's highly likely those Divine Pills were indeed refined by Young Master Ye,"
Fashi remarked.
At this moment, within the headquarters of the Hunyuan Sect, tribulation after tribulation was still relentlessly occurring, the roar of thunder echoing ceaselessly.
One Deity after another was breaking through. The sect headquarters had never been this bustling. The excited cries of the Deities who had successfully broken through filled the entire complex.
Meanwhile, inside a quiet chamber, Ye Yunfei was simultaneously cultivating various cultivation methods and secret arts while refining pills.
Unknowingly, half a year passed. On a certain day half a year later, a group of uninvited guests suddenly arrived outside the Hunyuan Sect headquarters. A dozen or so beings landed in the distance before the sect grounds, each radiating intense Sword Dao energy.
"Who are you? This is the headquarters of the Hunyuan Sect. Unauthorized entry is forbidden!"
Immediately, some patrol squads from the Hunyuan Sect rushed forward to question the arrivals.
"We are here to find Ye Yunfei. Kindly inform him that we hail from the Sword Realm,"
the leader of the group spoke up.
"What? From the Sword Realm? And they're here for Young Master Ye?"
The patrol members, hearing that these individuals were looking for Ye Yunfei, dared not slight them. They immediately sent sound transmissions back inside the headquarters.
Soon after, the message reached Ye Yunfei.
"From the Sword Realm?"
Upon receiving the message, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but pause. He had been to the Sword Realm before and knew it was now a deserted ruin. How could beings from the Sword Realm come looking for him?
"What on earth is going on?"
Ye Yunfei immediately relayed this news to the Soul Force imprint of Sword Elder within his longsword.
"I don't know the specifics," Sword Elder's voice emanated from the sword. "Back then, our Sword Realm was invaded by powerful enemies and suffered heavy casualties. However, in the end, a portion of our members managed to escape. Those who fled wandered the outside world, cautiously developing and growing stronger, establishing the legacy of our Sword Realm in many different voids and world clusters. So, although the Sword Realm appears to have been destroyed on the surface, in truth, many of our forces are still hidden throughout the various voids. Perhaps they have returned to the Sword Realm and are sending people to find you?"
Sword Elder sounded somewhat surprised by Ye Yunfei's words, offering a guess.
"The exact situation... you'll need to go out and meet them to find out. After all, I am only a Soul Force imprint. All these years I have remained within this sword, completely unaware of the new developments and changes in the Sword Realm." Sword Elder added.
"Very well, I'll go out and meet them now,"
Ye Yunfei considered for a moment and nodded.
Then, Ye Yunfei exited his cultivation cave-dwelling. With a flicker of his figure, he arrived in the void outside the Hunyuan Sect headquarters.
"These are indeed sword cultivators, and the Sword Dao legacies they cultivate are genuine to our Sword Realm,"
Sword Elder's Soul Force imprint spoke up immediately upon seeing the beings.
Even though he was only a Soul Force imprint, his knowledge and discernment were still present.
"Are you Ye Yunfei?"
When the dozen-plus beings, their bodies radiating billowing sword-light, saw Ye Yunfei, their gazes immediately focused on him. The leader, a man dressed in flowing white robes, stood upon a longsword. His figure was slender and tall, the majestic aura of the boundless sword-light around him enhancing his heroic appearance.
"Correct. I am Ye Yunfei. May I inquire the purpose of your visit?"
Ye Yunfei released his own Soul Force energy to sense these beings, while simultaneously activating Mind Reading Art to begin reading their thoughts and intentions.
Quickly, Ye Yunfei discovered that these beings seemed rather unfriendly towards him, so his tone towards them also carried a trace of distance.
After cultivating Mind Reading Art, few beings could feign deception before Ye Yunfei.
"Good. You are a scion of our Sword Realm, and we are also scions of the Sword Realm. We are all kin. We returned to the Sword Realm not long ago and, after discussion, have decided to rebuild it. The reason we sought you out is to have you return to the Sword Realm with us and join us in its reconstruction."
The leader, the white-robed man, stared at Ye Yunfei as he spoke, his gaze sharp as a sword.
The other men also released their Soul Force energy to sense Ye Yunfei.
"So that's the case. Rebuilding the Sword Realm is a good thing. However, the Blade Realm currently fixes covetous eyes on our Sword Realm. Once the Blade Realm learns of our intent to rebuild, they will undoubtedly come to interfere. With the current strength of our Sword Realm, it seems unrealistic to resist the Blade Realm. May I ask if the esteemed gentlemen have considered this issue?" Ye Yunfei inquired.
"There is no need for you to worry about that. We have already devised a countermeasure. Although the Blade Realm is strong, our Sword Realm also possesses its own foundations. We have no reason to fear the Blade Realm. If the Blade Realm dares to interfere with our Sword Realm's reconstruction, we will simply go to war with them," another man beside the white-robed man declared.
"Go to war with the Blade Realm? I'm afraid with the Sword Realm's current strength, conditions are not yet ripe for such a war, are they?" Hearing the man's words, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but frown, his expression turning serious.
"There is no need for you to concern yourself with this. You are a scion of our Sword Realm; you have the obligation to return and contribute to its reconstruction. Make your preparations. We must hasten the rebuilding of the Sword Realm. For our Sword Realm, this is currently the paramount matter. We absolutely cannot delay any further," the white-robed man addressed Ye Yunfei.
"These fellows have completely overestimated their own capabilities," Hun Lao couldn't help but speak up. "With the Sword Realm's current level of strength, to go to war with the Blade Realm would be nothing short of courting destruction. Their decision to rebuild the Sword Realm at such a time is bound to attract the attention of the Blade Realm. It's practically inviting trouble for the Sword Realm."
"These fellows are causing pure chaos! If rebuilding the Sword Realm were such a simple matter, would I need to wait for them to act? I would have started the process long ago. For years, the Blade Realm has kept a covetous eye on our Sword Realm, seeking to locate our hidden forces across the outside world and eradicate them completely—to pluck them out by the roots. By gathering the Sword Realm's scattered scions at this juncture, aren't these fellows deliberately exposing our legacy, giving the Blade Realm the very opportunity they seek to eliminate the sparks of our Sword Realm's heritage we have painstakingly fostered over these years? This is sheer folly!" Sword Elder, who had heard Ye Yunfei's conversation with these beings, erupted in fury.
"I believe they are doing it intentionally," Ye Yunfei said, his gaze towards the group of beings turning cold.
Through persistent use of Mind Reading Art, Ye Yunfei had been reading the thoughts of these dozen-plus beings and discovered that they harbored hostility towards him, and had come specifically to deal with him.
"The situation is not right," Ye Yunfei transmitted to Sword Elder via sound transmission. "Their purpose in seeking me out isn't to summon me back to the Sword Realm. It seems they came deliberately to find trouble with me, to target me."
"But the Sword Dao they cultivate is the genuine Sword Realm inheritance... Could it be these fellows have already betrayed our cause?" Sword Elder asked, momentarily stunned by Ye Yunfei's words.
"Correct. It's possible they have already turned traitor," Ye Yunfei nodded, voicing the suspicion.
"Ye Yunfei, let's go. No more hesitation. As a scion of our Sword Realm, rebuilding the Sword Realm is an inescapable duty for you." Seeing that Ye Yunfei still showed no intention of setting off, the group of beings grew somewhat impatient and urged him.
"Very well, I shall go with you now to the Sword Realm," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and nodded, agreeing.
He wanted to see precisely how these dozen beings intended to deal with him and so decided to follow them and observe.
Ye Yunfei was confident that, with his current strength, these dozen beings before him posed no threat he couldn't handle.
This was confidence born of genuine skill.
"Excellent! We shall set off immediately," The white-robed leader, seeing Ye Yunfei agree, couldn't help but reveal an expression of delight.
"Well done, Ye Yunfei! You truly live up to being a scion of our Sword Realm! Let us depart at once!" another being beside him addressed Ye Yunfei. Then, the dozen-plus beings, their bodies blazing with sword-light, simultaneously rose into the air and headed towards the distant void.
Ye Yunfei also employed his movement technique, following these beings at a steady, unhurried pace.
"The Sword Dao cultivation level of these fellows is quite commendable. They are all genuine sword cultivators. Yet, their purpose in coming here was specifically to target you. What could be the reason? Could they truly all be turncoats?" Hun Lao said, perceiving the dense Sword Dao energy radiating from the beings.
"By following them, we will likely soon discover what kind of deceit they have brewing," Ye Yunfei remarked coldly, watching the dozen sword-light clad beings ahead.
By now, Ye Yunfei had already locked onto this group. If a fight broke out, he was confident he could resolve them in a short time. Although their Sword Dao level was quite good, Ye Yunfei himself was a highly skilled sword cultivator. Moreover, he possessed the longsword specially forged for him by Sword Elder, which still contained an imprint of the elder's Soul Power. Even relying solely on Sword Dao, Ye Yunfei believed he could face these dozen fellows. Besides, swordsmanship was not even his strongest forte at present.
Meanwhile, via sound transmission, the white-robed leader in front communicated with the others, "Quickly, take this lad surnamed Ye to the designated location, then we will make our move against him."
"During this period, we have lured and slain many Sword Realm scions. Counting this fellow, the number should exceed two hundred. This round of action has already severely weakened the Sword Realm's strength. The Sword Realm's future attempts at reconstruction will not be so easy," another being transmitted with a cold laugh.
As the dozen beings led the way, taking Ye Yunfei through the misty void, they maintained a grim silence throughout the journey, with none attempting to converse with Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei followed behind, hands clasped behind his back, a trace of cold mockery on his face. He continuously used Mind Reading Art to plumb the thoughts of these beings, sensing their murderous intent towards him growing more palpable.
"It seems the purpose of these fellows luring me out is to surround and kill me when I am alone," Ye Yunfei said to Hun Lao.
"Could this be a scheme of the Blade Realm? Wouldn't these sword cultivators before us be ones cultivated by the Blade Realm?" Hun Lao couldn't help but speculate.
"It's hard to say," interjected Jin Jiao Long Can. "Those fellows from the Blade Realm are not only domineering but also exceedingly cruel and cunning, capable of concocting any number of malicious schemes. Is it perhaps because the Blade Realm knows the Sword Realm is secretly developing its strength, and thus devised this method to find and eliminate Sword Realm scions like you, one by one?"
"I will soon learn the truth of it. Their Soul Bodies doubtless hold the answers within," Ye Yunfei said icily, his gaze falling upon the dozen beings ahead.