"Three seniors, you need not stand up for these two traitors. Once you learn what they have done, you may find yourselves wishing to kill them on the spot."
Ye Yunfei glanced at the three presiding elders and spoke plainly.
"Ye Yunfei, regardless of circumstances, release them first. Attacking two elders without proof is unacceptable," one of the presiding elders said.
"Senior, you will soon learn that what I say is true," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Let's do it," one presiding elder declared.
The three presiding elders steeled themselves, raised their longswords, and attacked Ye Yunfei simultaneously.
With a thought from Ye Yunfei, a thick, towering sword radiance surged from within him, enlarging as it boomed toward the three elders.
"Such terrifying sword technique!" The three presiding elders wore shocked expressions, lifting their swords together to block.
Clang! All three were forced back a step.
"How is this possible? The three of us joining forces couldn't even withstand a single move of his?" they exclaimed in combined shock and anger.
Meanwhile, Elder Yan continued to scream in agony. Countless Puppet Soul Threads bored into the depths of his Soul Body, forcefully attempting to seize control.
His Soul Body trembled on the verge of explosion—if it detonated, his life would be extinguished.
"Elder Lu, save me, quickly! Ye Yunfei truly intends to kill me!" Yan Jie cried out, scared out of his wits and unable to endure the immense pain of his Soul Body's imminent destruction. He screamed desperately for help.
"Ye Yunfei, this is the Sword Realm! You dare kill a swordsman of our realm? Consider the grave consequences carefully. If you truly kill Elder Yan, you will never again be recognized by our Sword Realm, and you will become our enemy!" Elder Lu, already suppressed and sealed by Ye Yunfei, unable to move, could only shout furiously, powerless to act.
"And you all—have you betrayed the Sword Realm and defected to the Hunyuan Sect, siding with Ye Yunfei?" Elder Lu's gaze swept over the surrounding Sovereign Gods as he demanded angrily.
"Liu Qing, have you truly betrayed me for the Hunyuan Sect? Don't you know the consequences of treachery?" His eyes then fell on Liu Qing, his tone icy.
But all the surrounding Sovereign Gods were Ye Yunfei's slaves. Without his command, they remained motionless and silent.
Standing encircling the scene, Ye Yunfei's slaves watched Elder Lu and Elder Yan with cold sneers. In their minds, any who dared offend their master deserved whatever came to them. Ye Yunfei's enemies were their enemies.
"Have all of you truly betrayed the Sword Realm? Did the Hunyuan Sect offer immense benefits? How shameful! As heirs of the Sword Realm, to betray it and join another force!" The three presiding elders looked at the stationary Sovereign Gods in shock and rage.
"Whether I'm recognized by the Sword Realm is not for a traitor like you to decide," Ye Yunfei said, his gaze icy as he looked at Elder Lu.
"Ye Yunfei, spare me! Don't kill me…" Elder Yan finally broke. Dense Puppet Soul Threads drilled into the depths of his Soul Body, releasing swarms of strange symbols that nearly saturated every inch of it, inflicting unbearable agony.
He felt his Soul Body was about to explode, and the force was terrifying—it would instantly shatter his soul to dust, meaning his utter demise.
Confronting true death, Elder Yan finally crumbled.
"Speak. When did you betray the Sword Realm? What was your true purpose in returning? What harm have you done to the Sword Realm recently?" Ye Yunfei asked calmly.
"I…" Elder Yan hesitated upon hearing the questions.
"It doesn't matter if you don't say. I already know everything you traitors have done. Speaking will lessen your suffering. If you remain silent, I have several potent soul-targeting tortures for you to experience one by one before you are wiped from existence. Rest assured—I guarantee your Soul Body will be utterly annihilated, leaving not a single fragment behind," Ye Yunfei said, watching the shrieking elder with detached coldness.
"I'll talk! Withdraw your soul force technique immediately! I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" After enduring cruel torment, Elder Yan's spirit broke, and he pleaded amid screams.
The Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art inflicted immense suffering during the process of seizing control.
"Very well, speak," Ye Yunfei said. With a thought, the Puppet Soul Threads deep within Elder Yan's Soul Body instantly calmed, and the terrifying pain began to recede.
Elder Yan's previously struggling Soul Body relaxed in an instant. He gasped heavily, appearing utterly feeble.
"Speak. My patience is limited," Ye Yunfei said coldly, his words saturated with killing intent.
"I'll talk," Elder Yan replied, shuddering at Ye Yunfei's icy tone.
"It's true. I have betrayed the Sword Realm. My purpose in returning was to cooperate with Elder Lu in sabotaging the Sword Realm. Recently, Elder Lu and I devised means to summon a large batch of Sword Realm heirs back." Elder Yan began.
"Elder Yan, what nonsense are you spouting?" Elder Lu's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and he immediately shouted.
"Elder Lu, Ye Yunfei must have long known about our affairs. He came here specifically for us. He is too powerful; we are surely no match. I don't wish to struggle pointlessly and endure that dreadful pain any longer." Elder Yan sighed.
"Yan Jie, I have no idea what you're babbling! I am no traitor. Don't slander me without evidence. I know you are forced to say this because you can't bear Ye Yunfei's torture of your Soul Body. Such coerced words are invalid!" Elder Lu raged.
"Elder Lu, it's useless. Don't you see? Even your trusted aide Liu Qing has defected to Ye Yunfei. Liu Qing must have confessed everything. There's no need for us to hide anything further." Elder Yan shook his head and sighed in response.
"The true purpose of Elder Lu and me returning to the Sword Realm and summoning so many heirs back was not to rebuild, but to seize opportunities to kill them one by one, eliminating as many as possible. Moreover, once we investigated which outside forces the Sword Realm had nurtured and developed, we would immediately report to the Blade Realm, having them send people to exterminate those forces. In short, our main goal was to act against the Sword Realm," Elder Yan continued.
"Elder Yan, is what you say true?" The three presiding elders were both shocked and furious upon hearing this.
"Of course what Yan Jie says is untrue! Can't you see he's under Ye Yunfei's coercion and torture? His words are no longer his own!" Elder Lu quickly interjected.
"What proof do you have for your claims?" Ye Yunfei asked. He had already calmed all the Puppet Soul Threads within Yan Jie's soul, so Yan Jie no longer felt the pain. However, he could sense those dreadful threads still coiled deep within his Soul Body, reminding him Ye Yunfei could end him with a single thought. He dared not delay.
"I have proof! I possess a Blade Realm identity token, several treasure blades awarded by a Blade Realm elder, and I've secretly cultivated Blade Realm saber techniques." Yan Jie answered promptly.
As he spoke, a domineering energy erupted from within him. Immediately, phantom images of long sabers materialized, swirling around his body.
"Indeed, it's Blade Dao Energy!" The three other presiding elders paled in shock.
With a hum, a token shot out from Yan Jie's body. It was golden, shaped like a small saber, and radiated dense Blade Dao Energy.
"It really is a Blade Realm identity token!" The three presiding elders exclaimed involuntarily.
"Elder Yan, have you truly betrayed the Sword Realm and joined the Blade Realm?" one presiding elder demanded angrily.
"Three seniors, is it not yet clear to you?" Ye Yunfei said mildly.
"Lu An also possesses a Blade Realm identity token," Liu Qing, standing nearby, suddenly spoke.
"Liu Qing, how dare you betray me!" Elder Lu's face instantly darkened.
"Issuing such threats when death is at hand is laughable," Ye Yunfei chuckled coldly. With a wave of his hand, he extracted all items from Elder Lu's person.
Ye Yunfei scanned them with his perception, then pointed. The contents of one spatial ring were spilled out, and a golden, saber-shaped token appeared before everyone's eyes.
"This is also a Blade Realm token!" The three presiding elders reacted with shocked expressions.
Ye Yunfei pointed again, extracting several treasure sabers from another spatial ring. They gleamed with domineering saber radiance.
"Elder Lu, have you truly betrayed our Sword Realm and joined the Blade Realm?" The three presiding elders looked at Lu An with disbelief.
Not long ago, Lu An had been elected by all as the Sword Realm's Grand Elder—the highest status within their realm.
The three elders struggled to believe Lu An had defected.
"Three seniors, are you still unwilling to accept the truth?" Ye Yunfei glanced at them and asked calmly.
"Ye Yunfei, what exactly is going on? My mind is in turmoil now. Elder Lu is our Grand Elder, holding the highest status in the Sword Realm. All along, he has devoted much effort to rebuilding our realm, as we have witnessed. How could he possibly be a traitor? I find it very hard to believe," one presiding elder spoke up.