Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, a large number of ancient formations manifested around the periphery of that secret realm, emanating powerful formation might as they resisted Chihu Daozun's descending palm.
Chihu Daozun gave a cold smirk. The blade dao energy on his hand instantly intensified, and all the ancient formations blocking his way in front exploded one after another, like so many bursting bubbles.
Then, Chihu Daozun's large hand extended deep into the secret realm hidden within the Dream Sword Gate headquarters.
At this moment, the remaining Remnant Souls of the Dream Sword Gate all wore expressions of utter despair.
This Chihu Daozun was simply too powerful for them; they possessed not a shred of power to resist.
Just then.
"I will now teleport you away."
A voice suddenly sounded in the ears of these Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls.
"Who are you?"
Upon hearing the voice, the Remnant Souls felt both shock and a flicker of hope. One of the Elders asked aloud.
"I am Ye Yunfei of the Heavenly Sword Sect."
The voice replied.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei was deep underground in the World Beneath, seated cross-legged before a gigantic Dragon Cauldron.
So far, Ye Yunfei had successfully taken control of six Dragon Cauldrons, leaving only the final three remaining.
Although Ye Yunfei had been occupied the entire time refining and mastering cauldron after cauldron, he had nonetheless seen everything happening on the Sword Realm Continent with perfect clarity.
When Ye Yunfei saw the remaining Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls on the verge of being wiped out, he could no longer hold back and decided to intervene. He immediately sent a voice transmission.
"It's Young Master Ye!"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Remnant Souls of the Dream Sword Gate wore expressions of pleasant surprise.
During this period, Ye Yunfei's status as the inheritor of the Heavenly Sword Gate, and especially his position as the senior brother, had long spread far and wide.
Therefore, the moment these Remnant Souls heard it was Ye Yunfei, their hearts were immediately set at ease.
After all, Sword Elder was now the leader of the Sword Alliance, and the Dream Sword Gate was a member of that Alliance. They were effectively comrades.
At this moment, Chihu Daozun's great hand had already penetrated deep into the secret realm. It emanated terrifying blade dao energy, forcefully suppressing and sealing everything within.
The Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls discovered their soul bodies couldn't move even a fraction.
Right then, the ground of this secret realm suddenly began to tremble violently. Mighty earth energy surged skyward, transforming into one yellow dragon after another, pouncing toward Chihu Daozun's great hand.
Simultaneously, powerful teleportation energies erupted, enveloping the Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls and forcibly dragging them deep underground.
In the blink of an eye, all the Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls vanished.
Boom!
After smashing all the yellow dragons, Chihu Daozun's massive hand slapped down on the secret realm's ground. But all the Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls were already gone.
"Where did those rats escape to?"
Chihu Daozun was slightly surprised to find he could no longer sense the auras or location of the Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls.
With his perception capabilities, he should have been able to instantly envelop the entire Sword Realm Continent.
However, Ye Yunfei had already used the Earth Formation of the World Beneath to conceal and protect the Remnant Souls, rendering them imperceptible to Chihu Daozun.
"Who could have guessed the Dream Sword Gate headquarters harbored such an escape method."
Mo Chenzi had also been observing the events unfolding at the Dream Sword Gate headquarters. When he saw the Remnant Souls suddenly vanish into thin air, he couldn't help but frown and mutter softly.
He assumed this was a hidden arrangement left by the Dream Sword Gate ancients, specifically designed for escape.
"Consider yourselves quick. If I encounter you again in the future, I will scatter each and every one of you to the winds!"
After perceiving for a moment longer but still failing to detect any trace of the Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls, Chihu Daozun grew impatient and spoke coldly.
Then, with one palm strike, he sent the Dream Sword Gate headquarters cratering deep into the earth. The entire headquarters became a ground chasm in the shape of a giant handprint.
"Chihu Daozun! You annihilated our Dream Sword Gate in the past, and today you've destroyed our headquarters! This sea of blood and deep hatred, we will repay it one day!"
At this moment, deep within a certain earth vein in the depths of the World Beneath, the Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls watched as their headquarters was flattened into an abyss by a single palm. Their eyes nearly burst from their sockets, burning rage filled the skies, and they gnashed their teeth in fury.
However, these Remnant Souls understood in their hearts that they absolutely could not act on any reckless impulses now.
"Elders, my apologies. It was my earlier lack of control that brought such great disaster upon our Dream Sword Gate."
The blue-robed young man addressed as "Young Master" thought of how his momentary impulse had caused such immense loss—the headquarters flattened into a chasm, and Elder Hong's Remnant Soul along with those of the ten Dream Guards utterly scattered—and felt boundless guilt. He spoke these words.
"Young Master, I understand your feelings. But you were not wrong. The fault lies with our Dream Sword Gate for being too weak."
An Elder spoke up to console him.
"In truth, what are the rights and wrongs of this world? Power is the only true principle. Our Dream Sword Gate's weakness is the original sin."
Another Elder nearby said softly.
"Everyone, there's no need for this. Endure for now. Soon, all the Sword Sect forces on our Sword Realm Continent will unite to deal with the Divine Sword Sect and the Blade Realm together. That will be the true moment for vengeful reckoning."
Just then, Ye Yunfei's voice once again sounded in the ears of these Remnant Souls.
"We thank Young Master Ye for his aid. Our Dream Sword Gate owes Young Master Ye a debt of gratitude."
Hearing Ye Yunfei's voice, an Elder of the Dream Sword Gate hurriedly expressed their thanks.
"There's no need for such formality, Seniors. I am the inheritor of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and likewise an inheritor of the Sword Realm. We are all comrades; helping each other is only natural."
Ye Yunfei declared.
Then, Ye Yunfei focused his attention on refining and mastering the remaining Dragon Cauldrons.
At this time, Chihu Daozun had already led the blade cultivators to the sky above the Divine Sword Sect's headquarters.
Mo Chenzi led the Divine Sword Sect members in ceremoniously welcoming these blade cultivators into the headquarters. The meeting proceeded with apparent joy.
Across the Sword Realm Continent, countless gazes filled with fury turned toward the location of the Divine Sword Sect headquarters.
A rolling tide of anger filled the skies above the continent, but no more Remnant Souls made any rash moves. The fate of the Dream Sword Gate just now served as the starkest example.
The Divine Sword Sect alone possessed the power to suppress the entire Sword Realm Continent. Combined with the Blade Realm, their overall strength was terrifyingly formidable.
Not long after, Mo Chenzi led Chihu Daozun and the other Blade Realm powerhouses deep into the heart of the Sword Realm Continent, arriving before that very layer of Barrier at the center of the earth.
"Let me have a try!"
With a wave of his hand, a long-handled great blade appeared in Chihu Daozun's grip. He clasped it with both hands, raised it high overhead. Boundless, overbearing blade dao energy surged wildly within him as he swung the blade in a mighty cleave toward the Barrier ahead.
"Let's join in too."
The other Blade Realm powerhouses who had come also stepped forward to take action.
"Elder Mo, with these Blade Realm powerhouses assisting, we are sure to greatly speed up the process of breaching this Barrier."
The Elders of the Divine Sword Sect were rather excited. One of them sent a voice transmission.
Mo Chenzi's gaze, however, drifted toward the location where Shoudi Laoren was imprisoned.
"Why do I keep feeling this unease in my heart? That Earth Formation seems to be undergoing some subtle changes. Am I just being overly suspicious, or has some unforeseen event truly occurred?"
An inexplicable thread of disquiet rose in Mo Chenzi's heart.
All those years ago, he had obtained the nine Formation Flags from Shoudi Laoren, gaining the ability to control that Earth Formation. Until now, he had always been able to operate the formation smoothly.
But during this period, he had suddenly begun to feel this unease, as if the Earth Formation was undergoing some subtle, undetectable transformation.
"No. I'll go interrogate that old dog Shoudi Laoren again, see if he's pulling some trickery. That old creature has been imprisoned for so long; the hatred in his heart must be deep. If he disregards the consequences and sabotages the Earth Formation, it will definitely affect our Divine Sword Sect's plans and delay our progress in breaching that Barrier."
Having thought this far, Mo Chenzi immediately turned and left.
Soon after, he once again arrived at the underground hall where Shoudi Laoren was imprisoned.
Shoudi Laoren sat cross-legged before the thick pillar, unmoving. His body was pierced through by numerous pitch-black iron chains. He did not even lift an eyelid at Mo Chenzi's arrival.
"Shoudi Laoren, I'll give you one more chance. Confess honestly—has any unexpected change occurred with the Earth Formation? Have you tampered with it in any way?"
Mo Chenzi fixed Shoudi Laoren with a sharp gaze as he spoke.
"The nine Formation Flags controlling that Earth Formation are all in your possession. I am imprisoned here, unable to take half a step away. How could I possibly tamper with anything? You overestimate me. If I possessed such ability, I would have interfered long ago. Would I have waited until today?"
Shoudi Laoren kept his eyes tightly shut, not even glancing at Mo Chenzi. His reply was faint and flat.
"Good. So it seems you refuse to admit your fault until you see the coffin. I'll give you one final chance. Confess honestly, or else in the days to come, every single moment, you will taste the extremes of torment, a fate worse than death."
Seeing Shoudi Laoren's unyielding attitude, Mo Chenzi's face darkened as he spoke coldly.
Yet Shoudi Laoren remained impassive, eyes closed, showing no reaction.
Through these years, he had endured Mo Chenzi's torture far too many times; he had grown numb to it.
Moreover, Ye Yunfei was now on the verge of fully taking control of that Earth Formation. Once Ye Yunfei mastered the formation, he, Shoudi Laoren, would have the confidence to escape Mo Chenzi's grasp.
Once freed, returning to the embrace of the earth, it would be like a tiger returning to its mountain wilds, a dragon re-entering the sea. He would no longer need to fear Mo Chenzi.
"Very well. You have successfully worn down my patience."
Seeing that Shoudi Laoren wouldn't even grant him a direct look, Mo Chenzi's heart boiled with towering rage.
Furthermore, he couldn't shake the feeling that Shoudi Laoren had been eerily calm in his presence lately, which was another source of his growing suspicion.
In the next instant, thirteen long needles as black as ink materialized in front of Mo Chenzi. Each needle emanated a sinister aura of Soul Power.
"This is a set of treasures I purchased from a great lord of the Yin World, specially designed to deal with Soul Bodies. Once this set of treasures enters your Soul Body, they will remain there forever, causing your Soul Body to experience the ultimate coldness and piercing pain every single moment. From now on, your Soul Body will not know a single instant of comfort."
Mo Chenzi grinned malevolently as he gazed at the thirteen long needles radiating their Yin-cold and strange energies before him.