Ye Yunfei had long been prepared.
The moment Gan Qingyang and those Remnant Souls broke out of the Gengjin Sword Formation, tens of thousands of Earth Dragons immediately surged over, providing cover for Gan Qingyang and the souls.
Following Ye Yunfei's guidance, Gan Qingyang and the Remnant Souls quickly merged into the massive Earth Dragons.
"Elder Gan, attacking the Divine Sword Sect from within while we face external enemies—this act of yours is nothing less than treason!" Mo Chenzi's face darkened drastically as he saw Gan Qingyang successfully escape with the Remnant Souls, his voice loud and accusing.
"Hahaha! Treason? It is you, a pack of traitorous curs who deceived your masters and betrayed the Ancestor's legacy, who dare speak to me of treason? When you revealed your murderous intent towards me earlier, any remaining bond I held with you, the true traitors of the Divine Sword Sect, was utterly severed. From this moment on, my sole mission is to root out you true betrayers from our Divine Sword Sect and uphold our orthodox tradition!" By now, Gan Qingyang had been brought to Ye Yunfei's side by an Earth Dragon, manifesting his form. He gazed at the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters, his voice ringing clearly.
"All sword cultivators of the Divine Sword Sect, hear me! Our founding Ancestor left a final edict: the Divine Sword Sect's sacred duty is to guard the safety of the Sword Realm Continent. For our founder was, in truth, a successor of the Tianluo Sword God, creator of this Sword Realm! Of course, our founder was not the only one. Many other sword sect founders across this continent were also successors of the Tianluo Sword God. Thus, though there are many different sword sects on the Sword Realm Continent, we are all successors of the same creator, the Tianluo Sword God. We are all family. The actions of that apostate Zhou Duantian are a betrayal of our founding Ancestor's legacy. Do you all intend to continue following him down this path of evil?" Gan Qingyang's voice echoed powerfully.
The Remnant Souls who had followed Gan Qingyang had all escaped as well, appearing one after another behind him.
Upon hearing Gan Qingyang's words, silence fell over the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters. This was especially true for the sect's upper echelons—many among them had heard the rumor that their founder was indeed a successor of the Tianluo Sword God.
Tracing the origins back, Zhou Duantian's actions over these years were indeed a blatant violation of the founder's edict.
"If you continue to follow that apostate Zhou Duantian, allying yourselves with those scoundrels of the Blade Realm, then from this moment on, you too are the true traitors of the Divine Sword Sect!" Gan Qingyang's gaze swept across the members within the headquarters as he declared.
"Do not listen to Gan Qingyang's sophistry! The truth is, with the Divine Sword Sect under attack from outsiders, Gan Qingyang fled the battlefield and betrayed us! He is the traitor, deserving death by all! I hereby declare: from now on, Gan Qingyang and all Remnant Souls who fled with him are traitors to our Divine Sword Sect. Should any of you encounter them hereafter, it is your duty to exterminate them, scattering their souls to the winds!" Mo Chenzi took a step forward, raising the longsword in his hand to point accusingly at Gan Qingyang in the distance, his voice booming.
Mo Chenzi was worried that Gan Qingyang's words might shake the resolve of the Divine Sword Sect members regarding their continued allegiance to Zhou Duantian.
"What Elder Mo says reflects my will as well. From this moment forward, Gan Qingyang and those Remnant Souls who follow him are traitors to our Divine Sword Sect," Zhou Duantian also spoke slowly.
"Very well. Since you have all chosen to follow Zhou Duantian, I, Gan Qingyang, hereby sever all ties with you. From now on, I shall execute the edict of our founding Ancestor, striving with all my might to purge the traitors from the Divine Sword Sect and work toward the restoration of our orthodox legacy," Gan Qingyang proclaimed.
"We will follow Elder Gan and strive to restore the orthodox legacy of our Divine Sword Sect!" The Remnant Souls behind Gan Qingyang chorused in unison.
"That is the authentic Divine Sword Sect I recognize. Elder Gan, rest assured, our Heavenly Sword Sect will spare no effort to aid you!" Sword Elder announced loudly.
"Our Azure Dragon Sword Sect will also support the orthodox Divine Sword Sect!"
"Our Shijian Manor will stand with the orthodox Divine Sword Sect!"
One after another, elders from various sword sects voiced their support.
"Does this mean our Divine Sword Sect now has another branch?" thought many members within the headquarters, their hearts conflicted upon seeing this scene.
"Now, let us formally expel the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters from the Sword Realm Continent!" Shoudi Laoren said to Ye Yunfei.
"Agreed!" Ye Yunfei nodded, then stamped his foot, activating the power of the Realm-Stabilizing Dragon Vein Formation once more.
A flood of stone men, water men, fire men, alongside four Sacred Beasts and a tall, towering yellow giant, charged simultaneously toward the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters.
Sect-after-sect Foundational Treasures, empowered by the Earth Veins, whistled through the air like a torrential downpour, bombarding the headquarters now suspended high in the sky.
Shoudi Laoren stamped his foot as well, a multitude of Earth Dragons swirling around him as he soared into the air alongside them. He did not use the power of the Realm-Stabilizing Dragon Vein Formation, but rather the Earth Dragons he had collected long ago to do battle.
Under his command, vast numbers of Earth Dragons assembled into a massive earth formation. Earthly energy and the power of earth laws existing in the surrounding void converged endlessly towards Shoudi Laoren's position, pouring into the massive formation.
With a deafening crash, the large formation conjured by Shoudi Laoren shot skyward, slamming violently into the Divine Sword Sect's Gengjin Sword Formation.
"Everyone, let us join forces and drive the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters out of the Sword Realm Continent!" Simultaneously, every Remnant Soul on the Sword Realm Continent roared.
Even phantom images of sword cultivators who had truly perished long ago roared alongside them. In that ancient battle, countless sword cultivators of the Sword Realm Continent had fallen. Even those whose bodies and souls had been utterly annihilated left remnants of their will upon this continent where they had once grown and fought. Now, the will of every sword cultivator manifested, releasing their energy. A trickle becomes a stream; together, they assaulted the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters and the Gengjin Sword Formation.
At this moment, the entire Sword Realm Continent, along with every sword cultivator who had ever existed upon it, joined forces to attack the Divine Sword Sect Headquarters.
The headquarters could not withstand it. Under the relentless assault of these terrifying attacks, it was forced ever higher, drifting further and further away from the Sword Realm Continent.
Only Gan Qingyang and the Divine Sword Sect Remnant Souls who followed him did not take action. They stood there, watching their headquarters grow more distant, their expressions complex.
As members of the Divine Sword Sect, they naturally did not wish to see their headquarters expelled. Yet they also understood they were powerless to stop what was happening, for they knew all too well the grave harm the Divine Sword Sect's actions had inflicted upon the Sword Realm Continent, and understood the depth of hatred the Remnant Souls from the various sword sects held for their sect.
"Truly, it is our Divine Sword Sect that wronged the Sword Realm Continent. This is our retribution," Gan Qingyang said with a sigh, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the headquarters, battered by countless attacks, drift further into the boundless void, slowly shaking his head.
"Damn it all!" Zhou Duantian, several Elder Elders, and the other sect elders stood within the headquarters, watching the Sword Realm Continent recede further into the distance. Their faces were twisted in fury, eyes blazing with boundless rage.
But they were powerless to stop it.
"Hahaha... Zhou Duantian, never expected this day, did you? But this is only the beginning! I, Shoudi Laoren, still have many debts to settle with you all. As for you, old dog Mo, the torment you inflicted upon me all these years, I remember every detail. I swear, one day I will repay it to you in full!" Shoudi Laoren looked at the headquarters now banished into the void and couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh, his voice ringing out clearly.
In this battle, Shoudi Laoren's role had been pivotal. It was he who transferred control of the Realm-Stabilizing Dragon Vein Formation to Ye Yunfei and personally instructed him on how to wield it in combat. Moreover, during the fight, Shoudi Laoren held his ground single-handedly, personally slaughtering many high-ranking members of the Divine Sword Sect. Without him, Ye Yunfei and the remaining Remnant Souls of the other sword sects on the Sword Realm Continent would have been no match for the Divine Sword Sect.
"I think you are getting a little carried away with your triumph. Let me tell you the truth: the army of our Blade Realm is on its way!" Just then, a Chaos God from the Blade Realm suddenly spoke, his voice loud and clear.
His words reached the ears of every person present.
"Truly? Your Blade Realm army is coming?" Hearing this, Mo Chenzi couldn't help but feel elated.
"Of course it's true. I just received a transmission from an elder of our Blade Realm. Our army is en route and should arrive before long," another Blade Realm Chaos God beside him added.
"Once your Blade Realm army arrives, we will have the strength to counterattack. Just wait. The Divine Sword Sect is the sole master of the Sword Realm Continent. No one can drive us out!" Zhou Duantian declared.
"If it were just the Divine Sword Sect alone, perhaps we could manage. But with a Blade Realm army added to the mix... that's hard to say," Sword Elder said from within his headquarters, his expression grave.
"The Blade Realm was once considered equal in reputation to your Sword Realm. Their overall strength is indeed formidable. Moreover, the Sword Realm Continent is now in a greatly weakened state, likely not possessing even one-tenth of its peak era power. In such a state, resisting the Blade Realm is indeed a difficult prospect. However, this is the Sword Realm Continent; we hold the advantage of familiar terrain. We can mount a defense, though a successful one is hardly guaranteed. Victory over the enemy, however, is almost impossible," Shoudi Laoren interjected.
By now, many elders from the other sword sects were gathered in the Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters. Hearing Sword Elder's and Shoudi Laoren's words, their hearts grew heavy.
"Indeed, all we can do is rely on the Sword Realm Continent for defense. I expect the Blade Realm army will arrive soon. Let us all prepare to face the enemy," Sword Elder said with a sigh.