Ye Yunfei's spirits lifted upon hearing this. He immediately followed Shoudi Laoren as they departed from this underground realm, emerged onto the surface, and raced across the earth towards a distant location.
"Master, your clone has already finished refining and absorbing the essence of that Third Elder's bloodline," Hu Miao suddenly sent a Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei.
Far off in a certain location, a tall figure enveloped in a bloody mist was stealthily moving. It was Ye Yunfei's Blood Clan clone.
When the Third Elder's physical body had exploded earlier, Ye Yunfei had set his sights on the essence of his bloodline. He had quietly released his Blood Clan clone to refine and absorb the bloodline essence left behind by the Third Elder.
The Third Elder had been an Advanced Chaos God, and the bloodline essence he left behind was of a very high grade. Of course, Ye Yunfei wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
He hadn't missed the other Earth Gate Chaos Gods who had perished in this battle either.
In fact, Shoudi Laoren had been fully aware of Ye Yunfei's actions.
As the Gate Master, any commotion on this continent was hard for him to miss. Yet, he hadn't stopped Ye Yunfei.
Those traitorous Earth Gate higher-ups had caused him to suffer such prolonged torment deep within the heart of the Sword Realm continent. Shoudi Laoren would gladly have personally obliterated their physical bodies and Soul Bodies completely. Seeing Ye Yunfei take action, he was only too happy to let it happen.
At that moment, a furious roar echoed from the distant land.
Ye Yunfei saw the white-haired old man who had rebelled alongside the Third Elder completely surrounded by a dozen Earth Gate higher-ups, locked in a fierce battle.
That white-haired old man possessed formidable strength, for he was one of the Earth Gate's Supreme Elders.
However, looming above his head was a giant yellow net emanating terrifying energy pressure. This was none other than the Heaven-Trapping Earth-Sealing Net, which had long ago tightly sealed the sky and earth of that entire region.
With the aid of the net, the other Earth Gate higher-ups had him surrounded.
Moreover, the old man was now covered in blood, clearly having sustained severe injuries.
"You are a Supreme Elder of our Earth Gate, your seniority even surpassing my own. Your duty should have been to safeguard the inheritance and development of our Earth Gate, to represent our interests. Yet you, along with the Third Elder, for a pitiful amount of personal gain, caused the deaths of so many fellow disciples. Squabbling with me for power is a trivial matter; but murdering our brethren and colluding with outside enemies—that is your greatest crime. Now, face your judgment," Shoudi Laoren strode forward, his face full of authority, his voice reverberating between heaven and earth.
"Nan Gongshi, the victor becomes the king, the loser becomes the bandit. You can say whatever you like now. I only regret not having those fellows from the Divine Sword Sect kill you sooner back then. If I had ensured your annihilation deep within the heart of the Sword Realm continent, this disaster today would never have come to pass," the white-haired elder snarled, his face twisted and dripping with venom, his body a mess of blood.
"So it's true! The Supreme Elder really did betray our Earth Gate alongside the Third Elder back in ancient times, colluding with outside forces to harm the Gate Master," the other higher-ups were both shocked and furious upon hearing his words.
Earlier, some among them had still held some residual fondness for their former comrade when besieging him, reluctant to strike with deadly force. But after hearing these words, knowing he had colluded with the Blade Realm and the Divine Sword Sect to act against the Gate Master since ancient times—this was the unforgivable crime of betraying the sect. In the Earth Gate's rules, the Gate Master represented one of its highest interests. Colluding with enemies to harm the Gate Master was an undeniable act of betrayal. No one could exonerate him.
"Do you all hear this? Act now! Our Earth Gate has its rules. This sect, passed down through such a long stretch of history, must not have its rules broken while in our hands. If he must die, then he dies," Shoudi Laoren's face darkened, his voice turning icy cold upon hearing the white-haired elder's words. He pointed a finger.
A deafening roar erupted as the massive yellow net high in the sky erupted with radiant divine light. Torrential earth energy from across the continent surged forth like a tidal wave, pouring ceaselessly into the net.
With another roar, the net descended with ferocious momentum.
The white-haired elder, shocked, tried to employ some technique to evade, but the other Earth Gate higher-ups surrounding him each attacked with full force, sealing off all possible escape routes. He had no chance to flee.
With a violent crash, the yellow net smashed fiercely into the elder's body.
His physical form exploded on the spot, shattering into pieces.
Panicking, the white-haired elder wanted to reconstitute his body, but Shoudi Laoren pointed his finger again. The terrifying energy pressure radiating from the yellow net suppressed all the fragmented remains of flesh and bone, giving him no opportunity to reassemble.
"Young Master Ye, get ready. Devour this fellow's Soul Body," Shoudi Laoren sent a Sound Transmission.
As he spoke, Shoudi Laoren had already released a small yellow needle—the Moha Needle.
"Nan Gongshi, you wait. As long as I survive, I will make you pay for today," the white-haired elder shot a venomous glare at Shoudi Laoren, then began activating a secret technique, trying to make his Soul Body escape this space. Knowing it would be nearly impossible to reform his physical body, he had to give it up.
"You have no chance to flee," Shoudi Laoren let out a cold laugh.
As soon as his words fell, a flash of yellow light streaked past, striking the white-haired elder's Soul Body.
"Ah!" The elder screamed in agony as his Soul Body was instantly pierced, leaving a gaping, bloody hole.
"The Moha Needle!" the elder cried out in a wretched voice.
"Indeed. It is the Moha Needle. With this needle here, do you still think you can escape?" Shoudi Laoren laughed coldly, pointing his finger. Another flash of yellow light shot out, striking the elder's Soul Body once more.
This time, the Soul Body of the white-haired elder exploded outright. After reforming, it transformed into a streak of light and fled towards one particular direction.
"Young Master Ye, it's time," Shoudi Laoren transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
Following Shoudi Laoren's prior guidance, Ye Yunfei had long been lying in ambush in that exact direction.
The next moment, Ye Yunfei appeared directly, unleashing various attacks against the white-haired elder's Soul Body. Sixty Soul Force Planets, radiating tangible murderous aura, encircled the Soul Body completely and swarmed forward, beginning to gnaw at it.
"You little bastard, get away from me!" Seeing himself surrounded by sixty massive Soul Force Planets, and feeling them gnawing at his Soul Body, the white-haired elder was scared out of his wits and roared in fury. A veritable ocean of Soul Force Energy poured forth in an attempt to blast away Ye Yunfei's Soul Force Planets.
However, Ye Yunfei had just devoured the Third Elder's Soul Body, experiencing a significant leap in the quality of his Soul Power and his own Soul Body. Furthermore, the white-haired elder's Soul Body had been struck twice consecutively by the Moha Needle and was severely injured. Therefore, although the elder managed to blast away more than half of the Soul Force Planets, a portion still clung stubbornly to his Soul Body, desperately devouring it.
"Ah! You little bastard, you deserve death!" Within moments, a small part of his Soul Body had been devoured. Experiencing excruciating pain, the elder screamed miserably.
Shoudi Laoren pointed again. The giant yellow net descended from on high, directly enveloping both the white-haired elder's Soul Body and Ye Yunfei's sixty Soul Force Planets.
"Everyone, leave the rest to me," Shoudi Laoren's gaze swept over the other Earth Gate higher-ups. The white-haired elder had suffered fatal injuries and was now trapped by the Heaven-Trapping Earth-Sealing Net. There was absolutely no possibility of escape, so there was no need for the others to continue the assault.
Not wanting them to witness Ye Yunfei devouring the elder's Soul Body firsthand, Shoudi Laoren sent them away.
"Gate Master, rest assured. We all understand. These traitors today got exactly what they deserved. We will show them no mercy. They betrayed our Earth Gate back in ancient times. That they are only now facing judgment today is already lenient. The Earth Gate has its rules. Since they chose betrayal, paying the price today is their due," one of the higher-ups declared loudly.
"Exactly! Gate Master, rest assured, we all support your actions today," the others chimed in one after another.
"Everyone, thank you for your understanding and support. Be assured, from now on, I will lead the Earth Gate's continued growth and expansion alongside all of you. I once presided over the Earth Gate for so many years back then. You all should know my character. Enough words for now. Today, our sect has been purged of traitors. From this moment on, the Earth Gate is united in heart and mind. If anyone dares betray us, harms our interests, or injures our fellow disciples hereafter, do not blame me for being merciless," Shoudi Laoren's gaze slowly swept over the assembled higher-ups as he spoke solemnly.
He then instructed all the Earth Gate higher-ups to leave and organize forces to begin cleaning up the battlefield. Fierce battles had erupted in many locations across the continent earlier, causing significant damage. Upon his order, Earth Gate members commenced clearing the battlefield.
Meanwhile, within the space sealed by the giant yellow net, Ye Yunfei was controlling his sixty Soul Force Planets, continuing to devour the white-haired elder's Soul Body. Suppressed by the net and grievously wounded, the elder's Soul Body had little strength left to resist. His roars, bellows, and screams eventually ceased as Ye Yunfei completely consumed him.
"Senior, I need to go into seclusion for a while," Ye Yunfei sent a Sound Transmission to Shoudi Laoren after devouring the white-haired elder's Soul Body.
Having devoured the Soul Bodies of two Advanced Chaos Gods consecutively, Ye Yunfei felt his Soul Sea brimming with boundless, terrifying Soul Force Energy. This energy roiled violently within his Sea, showing signs of erupting. Under such circumstances, seclusion was imperative. He needed to truly make this newly acquired Soul Force Energy and the essence of their Soul Bodies his own; otherwise, it could harm his Soul Sea and Soul Body. The sheer quantity of Soul Power obtained from refining and absorbing the two Advanced Chaos Gods' Soul Bodies so suddenly was overwhelmingly massive, even for Ye Yunfei.
"Very well. Go and cultivate in seclusion, Young Master Ye," Shoudi Laoren nodded.
With the Earth Gate's traitors now completely purged, Shoudi Laoren had truly reclaimed his authority over the sect. What came next was the real beginning of his leadership, and he had many internal affairs to attend to.
Ye Yunfei immediately found a secluded spot on the land, set up a Small World Formations space, entered it, and then went into the Shadowless Tower to begin his closed-door cultivation.
His first task was patiently taking the time to digest the massive Soul Force Energy from the two Advanced Chaos Gods.
Within Ye Yunfei's Soul Sea, his two Soul Bodies, the Nourishing Soul Tree, and the sixty Soul Force Planets all shone brilliantly, radiating dazzling soul light.