Although the combat prowess of these three Earth Dragons could not match that of a Primordial Soul Realm expert, Ye Yunfei could utilize them to cultivate many of the secret arts and methods recorded within the study of Geomancy.
What was more important, according to the records of Geomancy, Earth Dragons could constantly be upgraded and have their strength improved!
'With five Earth Dragons, I have already found three. Why not take this opportunity to search for the other two?' This thought suddenly surfaced in Ye Yunfei's mind.
Saying so, he took action immediately!
'Splitting into three groups increases the odds.' Ye Yunfei ordered the three Earth Dragons to head in three separate directions, while he accompanied one of them.
Ye Yunfei had left Soul Power imprints on each of these three Earth Dragons, allowing them to exchange information across great distances.
Thus, the three Earth Dragons tunneled beneath the earth of Mu Prefecture, searching everywhere.
Diligence pays off. Finally, two days later, Ye Yunfei suddenly received a response from one of the Earth Dragons.
It had discovered another Earth Dragon!
Ye Yunfei immediately rushed to the location.
Half a day later, at the edge of Mu Prefecture beneath a dense stretch of forest within a cave, Ye Yunfei laid eyes upon the fourth Earth Dragon!
Overjoyed, Ye Yunfei led his three Earth Dragons to swarm and surround the fourth one.
After the better part of an hour, Ye Yunfei successfully subdued this Earth Dragon!
'If I can find the last one, then I'll be able to gather all five Earth Dragons!' Ye Yunfei felt a surge of excitement.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei split into four groups, ordering the four Earth Dragons to search in different directions.
Long ago, the five Earth Dragons had been imprisoned together in the cave beneath the Earth Pagoda at the Houtu Sect headquarters for an exceedingly long period, becoming intimately familiar with each other's presence.
Therefore, as long as they were within a certain range, these five Earth Dragons could sense one another.
This time, the search lasted a full four to five days.
Finally, one of the Earth Dragons relayed good news back to Ye Yunfei—the fifth Earth Dragon had been found!
The location of this fifth Earth Dragon was no longer within the boundaries of Mu Prefecture, but in an adjoining prefecture called Yuan Province!
In a natural limestone cave deep beneath a desolate mountainous wilderness in Yuan Province, Ye Yunfei found the fifth Earth Dragon.
Ye Yunfei immediately charged forward with his four Earth Dragons.
To his surprise, the strength of this fifth Earth Dragon was exceptionally formidable.
It seemed to have undergone a breakthrough, possessing combat power far superior to the four Earth Dragons Ye Yunfei controlled!
At the very least, it was equivalent to the mid-stage Primordial Soul Realm strength of a human!
Moreover, this Earth Dragon's ability to communicate with and utilize earth energy was frighteningly potent.
Once the battle commenced, earth energy from several hundred miles around converged in a mighty torrent, bolstering this Earth Dragon's body and enhancing its aura to an astonishing degree.
In the beginning, Ye Yunfei hadn't anticipated the Earth Dragon's power to be so terrifying. Caught off guard, he was forced into a succession of retreats, fleeing with his four Earth Dragons in disarray.
Then, Ye Yunfei emerged above ground, dashed to over a dozen cities, and purchased a large batch of resources containing earth-attribute energy and materials for setting up formations.
He secretly returned to the vicinity of the cave where the fifth Earth Dragon resided, stealthily setting up numerous formations and various restrictions specifically designed to deal with Earth Dragons.
Furthermore, using a method recorded in the study of Geomancy, Ye Yunfei completely severed the flow of earth energy throughout the entire region. This way, during the battle, that Earth Dragon would be unable to draw upon the surrounding earth energy.
After these preparations, Ye Yunfei once again led his four Earth Dragons into the limestone cave housing the fifth Earth Dragon, initiating a fierce battle.
After fighting for a short while, Ye Yunfei found a way to lure the fifth Earth Dragon out of the cave.
Once outside, the various formations and restrictions Ye Yunfei had set up beforehand began to take effect.
This great battle lasted an entire day.
In the region above ground, the earth continuously cracked open, dust surged into the sky, and gloom blotted out the sun.
After a day, the Earth Dragon finally began to weaken.
Because Ye Yunfei had preemptively severed the earth energy in the area, it had no means to replenish its energy, and the combat strength it could display grew weaker and weaker.
The Dragon Locking Formation, the Dragon Binding Chains, the Dragon Suppression Nails—Ye Yunfei's various pre-arranged methods encircled and pressed down upon the Earth Dragon.
In the end, the Earth Dragon crouched prone on the spot, devoid of any remaining strength to resist.
Ye Yunfei immediately rushed forward and began the process of subduing it.
After another long half day of back-and-forth, Ye Yunfei finally succeeded in imprinting a Soul Power mark upon the skull of this fifth Earth Dragon.
The fifth Earth Dragon had finally also been subdued by Ye Yunfei!
'The combat power of this fellow is truly fearsome. In an underground environment, I estimate even a late-stage Primordial Soul Realm expert would struggle to defeat it! Fortunately, I preemptively severed all the earth energy in this region, preventing it from replenishing its earth energy during the battle. Otherwise, subduing it would have been extremely difficult!' After subduing the Earth Dragon, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
'The five Earth Dragons imprisoned beneath the Earth Pagoda by the Houtu Sect's Founding Patriarch have all been found!' Ye Yunfei felt somewhat stirred.
He was particularly satisfied with the strength of the last Earth Dragon.
Possessing five Earth Dragons, Ye Yunfei was confident that his future achievements in the study of Geomancy would reach even greater heights!
Geomancy was a profound and abstruse field of study. Although Ye Yunfei's current level surpassed that of the Houtu Sect Leader, as the Sect Leader had said, the Geomancy techniques possessed by the Houtu Sect were actually quite rudimentary.
Those truly advanced, truly formidable Geomancy secret arts and techniques were never left behind by the Founding Patriarch.
Not long after establishing the Houtu Sect, the Founding Patriarch had disappeared without a trace!
Based on some final words and ancient texts left behind by the patriarch, successive Houtu Sect Leaders and elders had speculated that the Founding Patriarch was not from the Xuanhuang Star Domain at all, but hailed from beyond the star domain.
It was highly likely that the Founding Patriarch had merely been passing through the Xuanhuang Star Domain by chance, establishing the Houtu Sect on a whim.
Moreover, the various Geomancy methods he left behind were also of a very basic nature.
After subduing the fifth Earth Dragon, Ye Yunfei entered the Phantom Tower and had a detailed discussion with the Sect Leader, learning much about the history of the Houtu Sect's Founding Patriarch.
Next, Ye Yunfei rode upon the recently subdued Earth Dragon, making his way back towards Tian Province.
The travel speed of this Earth Dragon underground far surpassed that of the other four!
Within just a few hours, Ye Yunfei returned to the underground cave in Tian Province where the Tang Clan members were living in seclusion.
Ye Yunfei settled the members of the Houtu Sect in several nearby large caverns.
The members of the Houtu Sect all cultivated earth-attribute techniques and were adept at earth-escape methods. For them, living underground held no difference from living on the surface!
Very quickly, the Houtu Sect members became completely familiar with and acclimated to this subterranean region.
'It's about time I returned to the Tianxuan Continent for a visit. I wonder how they are doing.' Ye Yunfei gazed towards the direction of the Tianxuan Continent and murmured to himself.