"I think you should first look to obtain some clones. If you have enough clones, operating within this Void will become much more convenient."
Hun Lao said.
"Good, I will go and find the Guardian Faction now and first gather some clones," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile after hearing Hun Lao's suggestion.
Then, Ye Yunfei left that ordinary world and emerged into the Void outside.
The jade slip from earlier had already recorded a rough overview of the Guardian Faction's situation within this First Void. The true headquarters of the Guardian Faction was located here in the First Void. Aside from the headquarters, the Guardian Faction had Branch Strongholds in most of this Void's world clusters and even individual worlds.
Soon after, Ye Yunfei arrived at a nearby world cluster which housed one of the Guardian Faction's Branch Strongholds.
The Guardian Faction was one of the top major powers within the First Void, and both their headquarters and their Branch Strongholds within this Void were openly known. Therefore, Ye Yunfei quickly located the Guardian Faction's Branch Stronghold within this world cluster.
Ye Yunfei arrived just outside the entryway to a world. This world was the Branch Stronghold, occupying an entire world. A large group of Guardian Faction members was stationed at the entrance, keeping watch.
Ye Yunfei concealed his form, restrained his aura, and stuck a high-level Invisibility Talisman from the Runic Sacred Land onto his body. Then, he moved alongside the Guardian Faction members guarding the entrance.
The strongest among these guards were Heavenly Gods. With their strength, they were utterly incapable of perceiving Ye Yunfei's presence.
A flicker of his will, and Ye Yunfei unleashed the Mind Reading Art. Instantly, bizarre and fantastical ideas and thoughts began to sprout in the minds of a dozen or so Guardian Faction members. They stood motionless, sinking into a dazed, groggy state.
Then, Ye Yunfei activated the Soul Power Constellation Technique, instantly devouring the Soul Bodies of all these Guardian Faction members, thereby acquiring their memories.
Next, Ye Yunfei again used the Mind Reading Art, causing the remaining Guardian Faction members to instantly fall into a confused state. Ye Yunfei then employed Soul Cleansing Art, purifying their Soul Bodies and imprinting them with his own Soul Power mark.
In this way, all these Guardian Faction members became Ye Yunfei's Clones.
From the memories of the devoured Soul Bodies, Ye Yunfei learned the rough strength of this Guardian Faction Branch Stronghold. The strongest inside were just a few Eighth-Grade Sovereign Gods. The fact that even a mere Branch Stronghold had several Eighth-Grade Sovereign Gods overseeing it illustrated how formidable the Guardian Faction's power truly was in the First Void. After all, in the Eighth, Seventh, and Sixth Voids of the past, there hadn't even been any Eighth-Grade Sovereign Gods presiding.
Having taken control of the Guardian Faction members guarding the world's entrance, Ye Yunfei directly walked into the world.
"Who are you? What's your business here?"
No sooner had Ye Yunfei entered the world than a patrol squad approached from the distance. The leader examined Ye Yunfei with a scrutinizing gaze. However, he didn't pay it too much mind, believing that since Ye Yunfei had been able to enter, he must have passed the questioning and inspection by the guards outside. His inquiry was merely a routine formality.
Ye Yunfei's expression remained cold. A flicker of his will, and the Mind Reading Art activated. The entire patrol squad was affected, their minds filled with all sorts of weird and fantastical thoughts, rendering them unable to move as they stood rooted.
Ye Yunfei immediately employed the Soul Power Constellation Technique to devour the Soul Bodies of two or three of them. Then, he used Soul Cleansing Art to purify the Soul Bodies of the rest, imprinting them with his own Soul Power mark, thus turning these patrol members into his Clones.
He devoured those few Soul Bodies specifically to absorb their memories and gain a more thorough understanding of this Branch Stronghold.
After that, Ye Yunfei moved through this Branch Stronghold like a phantom-like apparition.
Whenever he encountered a Guardian Faction member, he would instantly unleash a Soul Power combat technique—either devouring their Soul Body or purifying it with Soul Cleansing Art, converting them into his Clones.
Ye Yunfei's movement speed and technique were simply too fast. Once he started moving, even a Ninth-Grade Sovereign God might not be able to detect him, let alone the fact that there weren't even any Ninth-Grade Sovereign Gods in this Branch Stronghold. The other Guardian Faction members stood even less chance of discovering him.
Coupled with Ye Yunfei's possession of various high-level invisibility secret arts, once he restrained his aura and concealed his form, he was extremely difficult to detect.
Thus, within this Branch Stronghold, Ye Yunfei might as well have been a transparent ghost, moving about freely.
Gradually, Ye Yunfei had either taken control of or devoured the Soul Bodies of more than half the Guardian Faction members in the Branch Stronghold. In the end, only the higher-level Sovereign Gods remained.
"With your current level of Soul Power energy, you could try using the Puppet Soul Threads secret art to control a Fourth-Grade Sovereign God. As for Sovereign Gods of even higher realms, that's harder to say," Hun Lao suggested, after Ye Yunfei had gained control of all the First, Second, and Third-Grade Sovereign Gods in the Branch Stronghold.
"Good. I'll find a Fourth-Grade Sovereign God to try it on right away," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Ye Yunfei had previously been able to control Third-Grade Sovereign Gods using the Puppet Soul Threads secret art, but he hadn't yet attempted it on a Fourth-Grade Sovereign God.
Thus, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power energy, locked onto a Fourth-Grade Sovereign God of the Guardian Faction, and with his movement technique, quietly arrived behind the man.
This Fourth-Grade Sovereign God was in a training square, directing a large group of subordinates as they drilled a combat formation.
A fierce war had already erupted between the Guardian Faction and the Hunyuan Sect, so all Branch Strongholds of the Guardian Faction were intensively drilling their troops, ready to receive orders and join the battle at any moment.
It simply never occurred to this Fourth-Grade Sovereign God that the people he was drilling had already, for the most part, become Ye Yunfei's Clones.
Ye Yunfei employed his movement technique, his speed reaching an extreme limit as he arrived at the edge of the square in an instant. He immediately unleashed the Mind Reading Art.
"What's going on?"
That Fourth-Grade Sovereign God instantly sensed something was wrong. He felt bizarre, fantastical thoughts and ideas sprouting in his mind, his entire person sinking into a dazed torpor.
Then, he discovered that a large number of translucent threads had abruptly appeared within his Soul Sea, emanating a strange Soul Power energy aura as they coiled towards his Soul Body, binding it up in an instant.
These translucent threads came too fast and too abruptly. The Fourth-Grade Sovereign God simply had no time to react.
In truth, given Ye Yunfei's current Soul Power energy level, deploying the Puppet Soul Threads secret art against a Fourth-Grade Sovereign God was effortless.
"What in the world is happening? Someone must be making a move against me!"
This Fourth-Grade Sovereign God knew something was wrong, but the Mind Reading Art Ye Yunfei employed made him want to simply give up all resistance and submit to his fate.
The influence of the Mind Reading Art, powered by Ye Yunfei's current Soul Power level, was simply too strong. For a moment, he didn't even know what he should do.
In that moment of hesitation, a flood of Puppet Soul Threads forcibly drilled deep into his Soul Body.
An unbearable, searing agony instantly assaulted the Fourth-Grade Sovereign God, and he wanted to cry out in pain. However, Ye Yunfei gave him no chance to scream.
With a flash, Ye Yunfei grabbed the Fourth-Grade Sovereign God and teleported him into the Illusory Shadow Pagoda.
Invaded to the depths by a massive number of Puppet Soul Threads, the Fourth-Grade Sovereign God had no power to fight back. He was captured by Ye Yunfei in a single grab and locked away within the Illusory Shadow Pagoda.
The other Guardian Faction members suddenly realized the leader who had been conducting their training had disappeared without a trace.
Ye Yunfei's Clones, of course, knew exactly what had happened. The minority who had not yet become Clones all wore expressions of confusion.
"Did any of you see Leader Lu? Why did Leader Lu vanish all of a sudden? Did something happen? I have a feeling something's not right," someone couldn't help but ask.
Given the perception ability of these ordinary Guardian Faction members, they were utterly incapable of sensing that Leader Lu had been grabbed by someone and confined within a spatial treasure.
"Nonsense! Leader Lu just left temporarily due to urgent business. It's just that Leader Lu departed in too much of a hurry. With your level of strength, you simply couldn't see it," one of Ye Yunfei's Clones stated.
"That's right. I also saw with my own eyes that Leader Lu seemed to have urgent business. He used his movement technique and shot out of the square in a flash. What, you didn't see him? Looks like your perception ability can't compare to mine!" Ye Yunfei's other Clones all chimed in.
Thus, the small remaining portion of Guardian Faction members who weren't Clones had nothing left to doubt.
At this moment, inside the Illusory Shadow Pagoda, Ye Yunfei controlled the Puppet Soul Threads, driving them deep into the depths of Leader Lu's Soul Body, releasing all sorts of profound and mysterious runes, aiming to completely seize control of Leader Lu's Soul Body.
Utterly terrifying agony gripped Leader Lu, forcing him to emit heart-rending screams of pain every single moment. His physical body arched like a boiled prawn, writhing desperately on the ground, contorting into all sorts of bizarre postures.
An unknowable amount of time passed.
"It seems to have succeeded." Ye Yunfei suddenly revealed a pleased expression.
By now, Leader Lu had gradually begun to calm down. Drenched in sweat, he lay limp on the ground, gasping for breath in huge gulps, as if he had just been hauled up from drowning.
However, his gaze had already grown docile. Then, Leader Lu gathered all his remaining strength and struggled to get up.
"I pay my respects to Master," Leader Lu respectfully saluted Ye Yunfei.
"Excellent! Master, you've actually managed to control a Fourth-Grade Sovereign God!" Hu Miao cried out joyfully.
"A Fourth-Grade Sovereign God slave will still be of some use. And if you control more Sovereign God slaves of this level in the future, they can handle many matters on your behalf," Hun Lao added with a smile.
"Take these Divine Pills and refine them. They'll allow your body to recover to its peak condition quickly," Ye Yunfei said, waving a hand to take out a bottle of divine pills and send it floating before Leader Lu.
"Thank you, Master, for gifting these pills," Leader Lu replied with utmost respect, bowing to Ye Yunfei before accepting the bottle and beginning to refine and consume the pills.