"Regardless, that entity just now fled into the territory of the Divine Sword Sect. This Divine Sword Sect is suspicious and definitely worth investigating," Ye Yunfei said, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Hmm, we indeed must investigate it. It was only just now that I began to suspect that the Divine Sword Sect might have Remnant Souls lingering. If the members of the Divine Sword Sect were traitors, the harm would be immense. The overall strength of the Divine Sword Sect was formidable, and within the Sword Realm Continent, they possessed an immensely strong summoning power," Sword Elder's tone grew solemn.
"Venerable Ancestor, I too suspect the Divine Sword Sect. Moreover, this matter is no small matter. Even if the Divine Sword Sect harbors the slightest hint of suspicion, I must investigate it thoroughly. If the Divine Sword Sect truly has Remnant Souls lingering, then these souls have lurked for years, possessing profound strength and intimate knowledge of the Sword Realm's circumstances, all while colluding with the Blade Realm. If we cannot eliminate them swiftly, it will inevitably bring a great calamity to the Sword Realm," Ye Yunfei's voice turned grave.
"Indeed. This matter naturally must be investigated clearly," Sword Elder replied.
"My Remnant Soul is still in secluded cultivation within the sword tomb at the old site of the Tianjian Sect. Given the current complex situation, I must quickly contact that secluded Remnant Soul and urge it to accelerate its emergence. Once my Remnant Soul emerges, I will be able to mobilize various relationships and methods across this Sword Realm Continent to investigate the Divine Sword Sect's situation and confirm the identity of that entity just now," Sword Elder said.
"Let's go. We shall return to Tianjian Sect's headquarters for now," Sword Elder said to Ye Yunfei.
Thus, Ye Yunfei, carrying Sword Elder's Soul Power imprint, soared into the sky, heading in the direction of Tianjian Sect's headquarters.
After a short while, they arrived back within Tianjian Sect's headquarters.
The headquarters of Tianjian Sect was also a ruin, a desolate and dead expanse stretching as far as the eye could see.
Sword Elder walked to a specific location, closed his eyes, and sword light erupted brilliantly from all around him. A dense wave of Soul Power fluctuation emanated from his body, transmitting forward.
"My secluded Remnant Soul has already received my message. It will completely emerge within three days at most. Once it does, we will delve into investigating this matter and clarify the current situation of the Divine Sword Sect," Sword Elder said slowly, after a moment, opening his eyes.
"Excellent!" A trace of pleasant surprise flashed in Ye Yunfei's eyes. If Sword Elder's Remnant Soul could emerge soon, matters would surely become much easier to handle.
"Venerable Ancestor, I shall go find Lu An again," Ye Yunfei said after thinking for a moment.
Previously, Ye Yunfei had intended to devour Lu An's Soul Body, but the appearance of that dark golden light point had caused Ye Yunfei to pursue it continuously, delaying the devouring of Lu An's Soul Body.
"Alright. I shall wait here for my Remnant Soul," Sword Elder nodded, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.
Ye Yunfei left Tianjian Sect's headquarters. Soon after, he returned to Lu An's side. With a thought, he activated the Soul Force Star Method and began devouring Lu An's Soul Body.
"This fellow indeed maintained contact with a Remnant Soul on the Sword Realm Continent! Unfortunately, Lu An only knew that the Remnant Soul was from the Sword Realm Continent and possessed formidable strength. He did not know the specific identity of that Remnant Soul, had never seen its true face, and had only heard its aged voice and received a dark golden Soul Power imprint."
After devouring Lu An's Soul Body, Ye Yunfei immediately learned this.
"This Lu An had been to the Blade Realm Continent several times. His true identity was already that of a member of the Blade Realm. Furthermore, the sect and power he belonged to had also fully defected to the Blade Realm, effectively becoming a branch stronghold of the Blade Realm. When time permits, I need to visit that power to thoroughly uproot this hidden danger!" A cold sneer appeared on Ye Yunfei's face.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei returned to the main hall where the presiding elders had gathered earlier.
The three presiding elders—Elder Wu, Elder Zheng, and Elder Qin—also immediately arrived in the main hall.
All of Ye Yunfei's Sovereign God slaves also assembled in the hall, their expressions respectful as they stood beside Ye Yunfei like servants.
Witnessing this, the three presiding elders were extremely shocked, but they did not inquire.
They surmised that Ye Yunfei had likely used some method to control those Sovereign Gods.
Earlier, Lu An and Yan Jie had confirmed that all these Sovereign God slaves of Ye Yunfei were traitors, so of course, the three presiding elders would not speak on behalf of these slaves.
"Three Elders, I discovered a Remnant Soul within Lu An's Soul Sea. Later, that Remnant Soul fled into the headquarters of an ancient sect called the Divine Sword Sect. I suspect that Remnant Soul might also be a traitor, colluding with the Blade Realm," Ye Yunfei glanced at the three presiding elders and spoke straightforwardly, his tone serious.
"Now, immediately dispatch people to completely surround the headquarters of that Divine Sword Sect, set up tight defenses, and permit nothing to enter or leave. I suspect that the Divine Sword Sect might very well be the internal traitors who colluded with external enemies, leading to the fall of the Sword Realm back then. Moreover, within the Divine Sword Sect's headquarters, there are likely Remnant Souls left behind from ancient times of the Divine Sword Sect hiding inside," Ye Yunfei continued.
"What? The Divine Sword Sect, one of the three great sects of the ancient Sword Realm Continent, might be the traitors?" Hearing this, the three presiding elders were all astounded, disbelief evident on their faces.
The three of them were all Sixth Layer Sovereign Gods with decent strength. They also possessed some understanding of the various sects of the ancient Sword Realm Continent and were well aware of the Divine Sword Sect's former glory. It was truly hard for them to believe that such a superpower could be the traitors who betrayed the Sword Realm.
"Young Master Ye, is this truly the case? The Divine Sword Sect were traitors? That was a superpower of the ancient Sword Realm Continent, rivaling Tianjian Sect in its day. How could they commit such betrayal against the Sword Realm?" Elder Zheng couldn't help but ask, his voice filled with deep astonishment and gravity.
"It's a possibility," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"The Remnant Soul that fled from Lu An's Soul Sea just now had an unusual aura, its sword style remarkably similar to that of the Divine Sword Sect back then. It has now escaped into the ancient mountain gate ruins of the Divine Sword Sect. Moreover, Lu An's memories indicate that the Blade Realm's contact points within the Sword Realm seem to be secretly connected to this Divine Sword Sect," Ye Yunfei added with a nod.
"From now on, we shall continue to strengthen the blockade between the Sword Realm and the external void, preventing more Sword Realm successors from returning. We must also prevent Blade Realm members from infiltrating and thwart any attempt by the Divine Sword Sect's Remnant Souls to escape.
Immediately dispatch people to surround the mountain gate ruins of the Divine Sword Sect. Once any abnormalities are detected, inform me at once. However, do not recklessly barge into the ruins of the Divine Sword Sect's ancient mountain gate to avoid triggering the ancient restrictions within and causing unnecessary casualties," Ye Yunfei instructed further.
"Alright, we will definitely do as instructed," the three presiding elders nodded simultaneously.
All three understood that Ye Yunfei's strength far surpassed theirs. Moreover, his orders were methodical and convincing, so they instinctively began following Ye Yunfei's commands.
One must recall that not long ago, Ye Yunfei had led the Hunyuan Sect's army in numerous campaigns. Even Ninth Layer Sovereign Gods willingly followed Ye Yunfei's orders, let alone three Sixth Layer Sovereign Gods.
After making all necessary arrangements, Ye Yunfei temporarily closed his eyes to meditate quietly within the main hall.
Time passed slowly. Unconsciously, a day went by.
"Young Master Ye, there's sudden activity within the Divine Sword Sect ruins! A dark golden sword ray suddenly slashed out, killing five of our Sword Realm successors!"
Just as Ye Yunfei continued his deep meditation, a hurried voice transmission suddenly sounded. It was from Elder Zheng.
"It must be that fellow from before!" Ye Yunfei's expression turned icy. He immediately stood up. With a flash, he disappeared from the main hall, speeding towards the Divine Sword Sect ruins in the northern part of the Sword Realm.
"It seems that bastard can no longer restrain himself," Ye Yunfei's face was frosty.
"Young Master Ye, a few individuals attempted to stealthily infiltrate the Sword Realm, but they were discovered by our defensive personnel. However, we failed to capture them alive; they were cut down by our people's chaotic sword strikes when they resisted, leaving behind only a Blade Realm token," right then, Ye Yunfei received another voice transmission, this time from Elder Wu.
"So the Blade Realm's people are indeed trying to enter the Sword Realm," Ye Yunfei mused inwardly upon hearing this.
Soon, Ye Yunfei arrived at the outskirts of the Divine Sword Sect ruins. By then, Elder Zheng and Elder Qin had already led their forces and set up layer upon layer of blockade formations around the ruins' periphery. Countless sword lights swirled, sealing off the entire ruins completely.
Within the ruins, the Yin Qi grew denser. Waves of dark golden sword energy fluctuations constantly emanated from within, faintly mixed with a cold, aged snort, brimming with disdain and killing intent.
On the nearby ground lay five corpses, hacked to pieces—all were Sword Realm successors.
"Young Master Ye, you've arrived!" Seeing Ye Yunfei approach, Elder Zheng and Elder Qin immediately stepped forward to greet him.
Ye Yunfei's gaze turned towards the ruins before him. He simultaneously utilized Soul Power energy, Heart Force energy, and the divine pupil in his glabella to sense and observe the situation inside.
"Young Master Ye, a golden sword ray slashed out earlier, killing five of our people, and then there was no further movement. It seems the other party was warning us to leave," Elder Zheng reported.
Looking at the five mutilated corpses, a fierce anger flashed across Ye Yunfei's face.
*Boom!*
Sword energy erupted wildly around Ye Yunfei. A brilliant sword light shot out, slashing towards the ruins.
Immediately, numerous restrictions materialized within the ruins, blocking the sword strike from Ye Yunfei.
"Truly worthy of being the headquarters of an ancient super-sect of the Sword Realm Continent. Even after such a long passage of time, the defensive power of the restrictions within the headquarters remains formidable," Ye Yunfei remarked coldly.
"Little beast, if you don't wish to die, get lost!" Right then, a cold, aged voice suddenly rang out from within the ruins, piercing through the restrictions and echoing in the void.
As the voice faded, the dark golden sword energy fluctuations within the ruins instantly surged dramatically. Numerous dark golden sword patterns appeared on the layers of restrictions. A formidable pressure swept forth, causing many Sword Realm successors surrounding the ruins' exterior to tremble uncontrollably, their expressions filled with fear.
"Hiding, skulking rat! Since you dare show yourself and spout threats, why don't you roll out for a fight! If I'm not mistaken, you should be a Remnant Soul left behind by some old relic from the ancient Divine Sword Sect.
Moreover, back then, your Divine Sword Sect most likely already betrayed the Sword Realm, colluding with the Blade Realm, acting as inside agents during the invasion, which led to the downfall of the Sword Realm.
Hmph! The Sword Realm will settle this score with your Divine Sword Sect!" Ye Yunfei's eyes sharpened. Sword light blossomed around him as he resisted the pressure from the sword energy. He berated icily.
"Little beast, your fur hasn't even fully grown, yet you dare spout nonsense and make wild conjectures here. With your measly status, you are unqualified to speak of the Sword Realm's affairs from back then, let alone judge right from wrong," the aged voice replied coldly.
"Old relic, you're nothing but a traitor. What right do you have to stand on seniority and put on airs? If your Divine Sword Sect truly had backbone back then, you wouldn't have colluded with external enemies and betrayed the Sword Realm. Now, you can only hide within the ruins, clinging to a wretched existence!
If you don't roll out immediately, I'll charge in, dig up your Divine Sword Sect headquarters three feet deep, erase it from this land, strip its name, and then scatter your old relic's ashes and grind your bones to dust!" Ye Yunfei declared coldly.
"Little brat, don't be so arrogant!" The voice from within the ruins couldn't help but fly into a rage upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
"Once this old man recovers his strength, I will definitely grind your little beast's bones to dust!" the voice raged, clearly provoked greatly by Ye Yunfei.
However, after speaking, the dark golden sword energy fluctuations within the ruins gradually receded, and the restrictions also returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Two Elders, I will set up some formations here to ensure everyone's safety," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and said to the two presiding elders.
Then, Ye Yunfei began laying out formations around these ruins.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei had set up a large number of formations.
"Two Elders, everyone will be safe as long as they do not cross beyond the boundaries of the formations I've set. If the situation becomes truly dire, have everyone utilize those several major teleportation formations to evacuate," Ye Yunfei instructed the two presiding elders. He then transmitted all the information regarding the formations he had laid out to the two elders and gave them a batch of formation flags to control those formations.