Tao Yirong pointed with his finger, and a thick sword radiance instantly took shape, slashing toward Ye Yunfei.
"So this fellow is a clone," Hun Lao mused, sensing the power of Tao Yirong's strike before immediately sending a warning to Ye Yunfei via Sound Transmission. "Even though it's just a clone, it possesses strength equivalent to that of a Ninth Layer Sovereign God. I estimate his swordsmanship is also quite formidable. Be careful."
"His Soul Power clone alone has the power of a Ninth Layer Sovereign God. Does that mean his main body must be a Chaos Deity?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help but exclaim. "Since his main body is a Chaos Deity, his clone must definitely possess the knowledge, insights into techniques and laws, and combat experience of one as well. That's truly terrifying."
As he faced the thick sword radiance slashing toward him, Ye Yunfei instantly sensed an aura of danger. He swung his own longsword, and the heavy sword light suffusing the space around his body converged, fusing with the sword in his hand. Instantly, the blade became incomparably heavy, and a thick, earthy-yellow sword radiance manifested in the air.
This was the sword path primarily focused on heaviness and mass that Ye Yunfei had recently comprehended.
The resulting earthy-yellow sword radiance was as heavy as mountain peaks, emanating a vast, oppressive aura that caused the surrounding space to visibly depress.
"This brat has actually cultivated his swordsmanship to this level," Tao Yirong thought, his face turning slightly ugly as he sensed the power of Ye Yunfei's technique.
Clang! Their attacks collided with a deafening crash. Instantly, wind and clouds churned in the sky, and the heavens and earth changed color. The surrounding peaks crumbled one after another, and the ground was torn open with gigantic fissures. The energy shockwave generated by the clash of their sword intents possessed apocalyptic destructive power.
Ye Yunfei felt boundless, terrifying energy surging toward him. He was forced back dozens of steps in succession, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Countless cracks appeared on the surface of his body and within his internal organs and five viscera, as if he were a human-shaped sculpture about to shatter.
"As expected of an elder from the Divine Sword Sect," Ye Yunfei thought, his heart filled with shock and a secret admiration. "Even with only a clone present, a single strike has wounded me. Such ancient sword sects that have inherited legacies over vast spans of time truly cannot be underestimated." Although he had succeeded in cultivating two sword paths, he was still far from being a match for this Divine Sword Sect elder.
"This kid, at such a young age, can actually withstand a direct strike from me!" While Ye Yunfei was feeling shocked, Tao Yirong was even more astounded. He had originally believed that, given his clone's strength, a single sword strike would be enough to cleave Ye Yunfei in half. Instead, he had merely forced Ye Yunfei back dozens of steps, making it somewhat hard to believe.
"This kid possesses such strength at a young age. He must not be allowed to live. We must kill him. If he survives and continues to grow, he will undoubtedly become a great threat to our Divine Sword Sect." A darker, more potent killing intent flashed in Tao Yirong's eyes. Grip tightening on his sword, he took a step forward, preparing to attack again.
"Young man, get out of here quickly! Let us hold him off!" The few remaining souls of the Taiyi Sword Sect who were watching cried out in alarm when they saw Tao Yirong attack Ye Yunfei. They knew Ye Yunfei was now the Tianjian Sect's most valued junior. Moreover, he had come to aid them, so they absolutely did not want something to happen to him in front of them.
"Tao Yirong, do you think our Tianjian Sect has no one left?" At that moment, the thick beam of sword light that had blasted out from the Tianjian Sect headquarters finally arrived above Ye Yunfei's head, slicing down toward Tao Yirong with a deafening roar.
"Damn it! If my main body were here, a single finger would be enough to crush this brat to death!" Glaring up at the thick sword radiance roaring down toward him, Tao Yirong frowned. He knew the Sword Elder had mobilized the Tianjian Sect headquarters' reserves. The power of this sword strike was nothing trivial. It was not something his clone could withstand.
"Everyone, retreat immediately!" Tao Yirong unwillingly shouted. He knew the opportunity to kill Ye Yunfei and the Taiyi Sword Sect's remaining souls had slipped from his grasp.
"Not only have we failed to eliminate them, we've actually exposed our Divine Sword Sect! The Divine Sword Sect will face enormous pressure from here on." With a wave of his hand, he led the Hidden Sword Guards in a hasty retreat.
Ahhh… Agonizing shrieks erupted as the sword light descending from high above instantly pulverized over half of the Hidden Sword Guards on the spot.
Ye Yunfei's will stirred, and he simultaneously unleashed Mind Reading, Heart Sword, and Soul Artifact techniques, targeting four or five of the remaining Hidden Sword Guards. His current level of Soul Power energy far surpassed that of a typical Ninth Layer Sovereign God, and the power of his Mind Reading and other Soul Power martial skills was formidable.
The four or five Hidden Sword Guards targeted by Ye Yunfei immediately felt immense interference assail their Soul Bodies. Strange thoughts and ideas swarmed their minds. Inexplicably, they found themselves wanting to stand completely still.
Ye Yunfei swung his longsword. A gigantic, earthy-yellow sword radiance materialized in the void, covered with countless shimmering, illusory mountain peaks piled one upon another. It exuded a vast aura that seemed to suppress heaven and earth, carrying surging sword path energy. With a single blow, it shredded the four or five Hidden Sword Guards; their bodies shattered into pieces, their souls dispersed and forms utterly destroyed.
"Listen well, you scoundrels of the Divine Sword Sect! From this moment onward, our Azure Dragon Sword Sect and your Divine Sword Sect are irreconcilable." Just as Ye Yunfei struck down those Hidden Sword Guards, a gigantic, resplendent figure appeared high in the sky above the eastern region of the Sword Realm Continent. His voice, infused with power, rolled out across the entire continent, producing surging echoes.
"Hear this, Divine Sword Sect! The Remnant Souls of two of our Proving Sword Manor's elders were harmed by your Divine Sword Sect. This debt, we of the Proving Sword Manor will settle with your sect!
Right after the gigantic figure in the eastern region finished speaking, another figure appeared in the southern region's sky. With an angry glare directed toward the Divine Sword Sect headquarters, he roared sternly, and his furious words spread in rolling waves across the continent.
"Divine Sword Sect! You shameful traitors! Our Baili Clan and your Divine Sword Sect are now mortal enemies!" At that same moment, a sonorous voice rang out from another region of the continent.
Following this, five or six other sword sects and families sent out seniors who declared their positions, addressing the Divine Sword Sect headquarters from afar.
"It seems the Divine Sword Sect truly was the turncoat in that ancient battle of our Sword Realm! It was the Divine Sword Sect who colluded with the Blade Realm and brought in the Blade Realm's army to invade our Sword Realm, leading to the destruction of our Sword Realm Continent! They brought about the downfall of so many of the sword sects and families of this land. This is an ocean of blood-deep enmity!"
In that moment, angry roars rose one after another from across the entire continent.
Only now did many of the factions and families on the Sword Realm Continent finally realize the Sword Elder's accusation that the Divine Sword Sect had been the turncoat was most likely true!
"Divine Sword Sect, you shameful traitors! You are the criminals of the Sword Realm Continent!"
"Divine Sword Sect, from this moment forward, you are the sworn enemy of all upon the Sword Realm Continent. Anyone can and should seek to punish you!"
"Everyone, let us ally from now on to deal with the Divine Sword Sect! We must avenge the hundreds of millions of innocent lives lost in that fateful ancient war!"
… Across the Sword Realm Continent, angry voices rose and fell in waves. Countless furious gazes were directed toward the Divine Sword Sect headquarters. Fury seethed across the entire continent; sword light soared toward the heavens.
"Damn it! If I had known this, I wouldn't have acted prematurely. Now we've completely exposed ourselves." At this time, deep within the Divine Sword Sect headquarters, Mo Chenzi's face was extremely ugly. "From here on, those remnants souls across the continent will certainly unite to confront our Divine Sword Sect."
Not long ago, he had dispatched large numbers of Hidden Sword Guards to ambush the Remnant Souls leaving the Tianjian Sect headquarters. He had originally believed that, with the aid of the massive subterranean Earth Formation, combined with several arrays purchased from the Great Netherworld and a batch of artifacts specifically designed to suppress Remnant Souls, they would swiftly eliminate all of them. But now the situation had taken this unexpected turn.
Although some Remnant Souls had been killed by the Hidden Sword Guards, many more had successfully returned to their own sect headquarters.
Aside from Mo Chenzi, the expressions of the other Divine Sword Sect seniors were equally grim. They knew that although the other sword sects on this Sword Realm Continent were all left with only Remnant Souls, each sect preserved, to a greater or lesser degree, some ancient reserves and foundation treasures. Once those sects united against the Divine Sword Sect, they could indeed bring significant pressure to bear.
"Given how things stand, there's no need for our Divine Sword Sect to hide any longer." Suddenly, a tall, gaunt elder spoke slowly. "Since we're already exposed, it is time for our Divine Sword Sect to reveal our true strength. Although those other sects have preserved some of their heritage, when you get down to it, they are merely wandering ghosts and wild spirits. Most of our Divine Sword Sect's members are still alive. Therefore, we have nothing to fear."
"That's right. Given the circumstances, there's no need for our Divine Sword Sect to hold back." Another elder nodded in agreement. "We suffered minimal losses during that ancient war, and after developing for so many years since, our Divine Sword Sect is now undoubtedly the most powerful existence on this Sword Realm Continent. Why should we fear a bunch of wandering ghosts?"
"The two elders speak correctly." Mo Chenzi joined in. "Since that's the case, then from now on, our Divine Sword Sect will bares its true fangs, allowing those wandering ghosts and wild spirits to witness our sect's actual might. Also, we must consult with those fellows from the Blade Realm. We need to accelerate our progress and break through that barrier. Once we break that barrier and obtain what we seek, our Divine Sword Sect's power will inevitably surge dramatically. At that point, we'll have even less reason to fear the mere specters haunting this continent." He understood matters had progressed to a point where there was no further need for the Divine Sword Sect to conceal its true capabilities.
"Elders, I concur with your assessment." Just as Mo Chenzi and the Divine Sword Sect elders were discussing, a deep voice suddenly echoed from a certain location deep within the headquarters, clearly reaching their ears.
"The Sect Master!" Upon hearing this voice, the Divine Sword Sect elders' spirits greatly rallied, expressions of pleasant surprise blooming on their faces.
"The Sect Master has been secluded in cultivation for an exceedingly long time. It seems he is about to leave seclusion," one elder said excitedly. "Even in antiquity, the Sect Master was counted among the strongest in this Sword Realm Continent. After undergoing such prolonged seclusion and cultivation, his strength must have climbed to the next level."
"From this moment forward, our Divine Sword Sect will no longer hold back! We will immediately restore our headquarters to its original state, and we shall take control of this Sword Realm Continent, becoming the sole master of this land!" Mo Chenzi's gaze shifted toward the area outside the Divine Sword Sect headquarters as he spoke each word clearly and deliberately.