On this day, Ye Yunfei arrived at a slope swept by a bleak, crimson gale.
As he looked at the slope enveloped by the scarlet wind, Ye Yunfei's pupils contracted, recognizing it as an exceedingly dangerous deathly peril.
Just as Ye Yunfei halted his steps to size up the slope, a bizarre crimson figure began to twist and undulate into existence atop the incline.
The lower half of the crimson figure was a long serpentine body, writhing and lashing incessantly, while the upper half was that of an old crone.
Each strand of this old crone's hair was a venomous snake as thick as a chopstick, wriggling endlessly, forked tongues flickering in and out, creating a spine-chilling sight.
With malevolent eyes fixed on Ye Yunfei, the old crone let out an eerie, cold cackle.
"What kind of monster is this? It looks utterly revolting," Hu Miao couldn't help but speak out.
"This shouldn't be a living creature but rather an illusion conjured by that deathly peril," Hun Lao interjected.
"Yes, it's merely a phantasm, but it's highly dangerous," Ye Yunfei said, frowning as he observed the freakish old crone.
"Let's just go around. There's no need to engage it. If I were to destroy it, it would mean dismantling the deathly peril itself. But before leaving, I'll contemplate the principles of this peril from a distance," Ye Yunfei stated. He then retreated a good distance, sat down cross-legged, released his Soul Power energy and Mental Force energy, and in conjunction with the Divine Pupil at the center of his brow, began to deduce and comprehend the secrets of the small, crimson-gale-ridden slope.
Continuously contemplating, studying, and deducing one deathly peril or hazardous land after another was part of Ye Yunfei's cultivation method within such major hazardous regions.
As time passed, Ye Yunfei started to gain understanding of the peril before him, his comprehension of the principles behind its formation and the materials used becoming clearer and clearer.
"You damned human, you actually dare to study me!"
Just then, a malicious voice suddenly rang out, and a tempest of bleak, crimson wind came rolling towards him, blotting out the sky.
A figure brimming with baleful aura instantly closed the distance, attacking Ye Yunfei directly.
"Careful! That old crone is attacking you!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm immediately warned.
With a thought, Ye Yunfei activated all the magical tools surrounding him simultaneously. Surging earth energy erupted, hurtling towards the oncoming crone.
Simultaneously, thousands of Earth Dragons surged from beneath Ye Yunfei, converging to form a large-scale Earth Formation that rumbled forward with crushing force.
Yet, to Ye Yunfei's shock, the old crone ignored all his attacks. Her illusory form twisted and contorted, moving at an inconceivable angle to instantly appear right before him, then reached out a hand to grab him.
"How can the power of this peril be so terrifying?" Ye Yunfei was somewhat taken aback.
After his recent study, Ye Yunfei felt he had roughly grasped the principles, structure, and power of that deathly peril. But now he suddenly realized the crone's attack was horrifyingly powerful, far surpassing his estimation.
"Did I misjudge?" Ye Yunfei wondered inwardly.
At the same moment, Ye Yunfei gripped a saber in his left hand and a sword in his right, slashing forward fiercely. Even more Earth Dragons continuously emerged from his surroundings, forming one large-scale Earth Formation after another to block the path ahead.
Booms echoed consecutively as Ye Yunfei instantly unleashed a dense barrage of sword rays and saber gleams. The black long saber in his hand was the Blade Monument of Dark Asura, left behind by the ancient Ancestral Sword Demon, while the long sword was the Celestial Net Sword God's sword. Both were profoundly powerful magical treasures. Combined with Ye Yunfei's mastery in the Dao of the Blade and Dao of the Sword, the unleashed force was enough to confront a Chaos God.
However, Ye Yunfei was shocked to find all his varied attacks were effortlessly avoided by the old crone.
The crone's speed was extreme as she charged relentlessly towards Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei was already retreating with all his might, with large-scale Earth Formations continuously materializing to block his front. Simultaneously, he hurled out numerous formation flags, deploying one Formation after another.
Ever since inheriting Tianmu Shenjun's legacy of Formations, Ye Yunfei had constantly studied and cultivated in the art of Formations, and his skill had grown higher and higher. The Formations he deployed now could effortlessly be used against Senior Sovereign Gods and could even affect Chaos Gods.
Moreover, Ye Yunfei's speed in laying Formations was extremely fast; he could deploy a large batch in an instant.
But Ye Yunfei was astounded to find that despite employing all sorts of techniques, secret arts, and methods, he still couldn't hinder the old crone.
Her footwork was bizarre to the extreme. With mere twists and turns, she dodged all his attacks and even traversed the Earth Formations and Formations he had laid, getting closer and closer.
Ye Yunfei had already pushed his movement speed to its utmost limit, but the old crone was clearly faster. She was on the verge of catching up to him.
"Wrong! You're definitely not a phantasm manifested by an Earth Formation. You are a living creature! Who are you? Why are you hiding in this deathly peril to ambush me?" Ye Yunfei suddenly cried out.
The old crone faltered slightly upon hearing Ye Yunfei's shout, then emitted two heh-heh laughs before abruptly accelerating her charge.
Ye Yunfei waved his sleeve, and a large group of puppets at the Heavenly God rank appeared before him.
These Heavenly God puppets barely had time to stand firm before being sent flying by the billowing crimson gale the old crone brought with her.
Nonetheless, the puppets served a minor purpose, consuming a portion of the energy pressure released by the old crone.
With a thought, Ye Yunfei employed mind-reading techniques, beginning to probe the thoughts of the old crone.
Previously, Ye Yunfei had assumed this crone was merely an illusion projected by the peril, not a real living being, so he hadn't used soul-based martial arts or Mental Force martial arts against her. He hadn't even utilized the Divine Pupil at his brow, relying solely on Geomancy Technique for defense.
But now, Ye Yunfei suddenly realized this was likely a living creature with life force. Thus, he began mobilizing his Soul Power energy, Mental Force energy, and the Divine Pupil to attack the old crone.
"She *is* a living creature!" Ye Yunfei confirmed immediately after employing his soul energy, Mental Force, and Divine Pupil.
"This individual might be a Senior Chaos God. I suspect she's also a Divine Earth Master. Be careful," Hun Lao transmitted to Ye Yunfei as a warning.
"Correct. She is indeed a Senior Chaos God, and a Divine Earth Master at that. She should be from Earth Gate. I don't know why she's suddenly attacking me," Ye Yunfei replied.
As Ye Yunfei retreated desperately, he continuously tossed forward the magical tools gifted to him by Shoudi Laoren. Each erupted with rolling divine radiance.
"Damnation! This little whelp's Soul Power level is so astonishingly high. And the soul-based martial arts he cultivates are incredibly bizarre, capable of affecting my very thoughts! He's also trained in Mental Force martial arts—no wonder that old fool thinks so highly of him. This damned whelp ruined my decades-long scheme, forcing me to hide like a rat. Not killing him won't slake my hatred!" the old crone raged inwardly.
"That crone seems to harbor overwhelming killing intent towards you. Why does she hate you so much?" Hun Lao, also sensing the intense murderous aura, asked.
"She's likely a high-level member of Earth Gate. I don't know why she holds such deep hatred for me. Judging by her aura, I don't think I've ever encountered her before," Ye Yunfei replied, frowning as he continuously sensed the aura of the crone's Soul Body.
"Little bastard, you're dead today!" The old crone shrieked piercingly. The claw she extended rapidly expanded, blotting out the sky and covering a vast swathe of space, instantly appearing right above Ye Yunfei's head.
Terrifying energy pressure emanated from the claw, directly suppressing and sealing the space where Ye Yunfei stood.
Ye Yunfei focused his will, and tens of thousands of Earth Dragons surged forth from the Shadow Tower.
Most of these Earth Dragons were gifts from Shoudi Laoren not long ago—legacies passed down from Earth Gate's ancient times, representing part of their foundational strength.
With a deafening rumble, a dense mass of Earth Dragons formed a colossal Earth Formation around Ye Yunfei. It soared upward, resisting the claw reaching for him.
Gripping saber and sword, Ye Yunfei unleashed one powerful saber gleam after another, an endless stream of attacks slashing at the claw.
Concurrently, he continuously released an increasing number of puppets. Although these puppets were instantly sent flying by the terrifying energy pressure, they still served to slightly deplete the enemy's energy.
Throughout this, Ye Yunfei strained every fiber to deploy soul-based martial arts and Mental Force martial arts, launching incessant attacks on the old crone's Soul Body.
Furthermore, the Divine Pupil at Ye Yunfei's brow suddenly spewed forth a dazzling divine ray that struck the old crone squarely on the forehead, causing her body to shudder slightly.
"What kind of pupil technique is this? Even I can't withstand it," the old crone exclaimed, both alarmed and furious.
The pupil technique legacy left by Tianmu Shenjun was not only for seeing through illusions and deducing past and future but could also be used to attack enemies when necessary. Its method of attack was bizarre, making it difficult to defend against.
"Damnation! Although this whelp is merely a Sovereign God, he possesses so many methods—too troublesome! If this drags on, I might be exposed," the old crone grew anxious. Though she had pushed Ye Yunfei into continuous retreat from the very start of their encounter with little chance to fight back, she hadn't managed to inflict any real injury on him so far.
She had initially assumed she could slay Ye Yunfei swiftly with an ambush but now realized she had underestimated his true strength.
"Damn it all! I must end this battle quickly, or the consequences will be dire," the old crone grew more frantic as the fight dragged on. Her attacks came faster and faster, her overwhelming energy pressure surging towards Ye Yunfei like a vast ocean, nearly suffocating him under its weight.
The pressure on Ye Yunfei grew heavier, and his movements began to slow.
"Not good! This opponent is too strong; you're no match," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help but shout.
"Let's attack together and fight her with everything!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm cried out again.
"No need to worry. Shoudi Laoren has already arrived," Hun Lao suddenly chuckled at that moment.