"I'm planning to make a trip back to the Tianxuan Continent."
Ye Yunfei sought out Da Di Daozhang.
For some time now, Da Di Daozhang had remained in the Phantom Tower cultivating.
After Ye Yunfei brought the Houtu Sect's members to Tian Province, he had let Da Di Daozhang out to stay with the sect.
Da Di Daozhang was the Holy Son of the Houtu Sect and was highly likely to be its future leader.
"Alright. You should already know the route back to the Tianxuan Continent.
I hold no particular attachment to the Tianxuan Continent, so I won't be returning with you," Da Di Daozhang said.
"Very well." Ye Yunfei nodded.
Then, Ye Yunfei left the underground caves, returned to the surface, and took out a flying vessel.
Whoosh!
The vessel soared into the sky, shooting toward the depths of the heavens.
This particular vessel was designed specifically for travel through the starry void. Its grade was far higher than that of ordinary flying vessels, and its price was correspondingly much greater.
Ye Yunfei had killed a considerable number of Primordial Soul Realm experts, and the wealth of those experts had largely fallen into his hands.
While sorting through the spatial rings of those Primordial Soul Realm cultivators, Ye Yunfei had discovered several high-grade vessels, which he could now put to good use.
Swoosh!
A short while later, the vessel left the Profound Yellow Star and entered the boundless starry void.
Travel through the starry void was fraught with danger; one could encounter various perils at any moment. Spatial tempests, for instance—large ones contained energy capable of ripping apart a star with ease.
There were also spatial thunderbolts, brewing terrifying, world-annihilating thunder energies. If a martial artist were to come into contact with them, even a Soul Forging Realm expert could be annihilated without a trace in an instant.
Thus, cultivators needed to rely on vessels of sufficiently high grade to navigate the starry void.
However, Ye Yunfei, with his vast experience and knowledge, was intimately familiar with all aspects of void travel. Navigating within a single star cluster was trivial to him; he could travel with ease even across star clusters or engage in void journeys spanning different universes.
One day later.
A broken continent suddenly appeared in the starry void ahead.
The entrance to the Tianxuan Continent was on this broken landmass!
The continent wasn't very large—desolate and dilapidated.
Ye Yunfei controlled his vessel to land upon it.
Originally, a contingent of Ancient Demon Race troops had been stationed here. However, after Ye Yunfei went to the Northern Wastelands, all the Ancient Demon Race forces stationed here had been recalled there to deal with him.
Thus, this desolate landmass was lifeless and silent, with no living beings active upon it.
At a certain location on the continent, a pitch-black spatial rift hung in mid-air, like the gaping maw of a monster perpetually open.
The other end of this spatial rift led to the Tianxuan Continent!
Ye Yunfei's current mastery over spatial energy was untold times greater than before.
He simply strode directly into the spatial rift.
*****
Tianxuan Continent.
The Tianxuan Continent was now peaceful and tranquil.
Having suffered the invasion of the Ancient Demon Race army in the previous period, all the various sects and clans on the continent had incurred fairly serious losses.
Now in a period of calm, the martial artists of the continent, longing for quiet after much movement, focused intently on development, with even the conflicts between sects diminishing significantly.
At the same time, on the Tianxuan Continent now, the Hudao Academy was the most powerful force, the true hegemon of the continent!
The four top-tier powers of Central Province had been eradicated, and Dan Jun, bringing the Dan Pagoda with him, had joined the Hudao Academy, where it became an Alchemy Hall.
No other force on the continent could rival the Hudao Academy anymore.
After Ye Yunfei left, even Gu Chengzhu, the old City Lord of the Guardian City, and Cui Tianguo, along with other veteran Grotto-Heaven Realm experts of the Tianxuan Continent, had brought their followers and joined the Hudao Academy.
Not only that, a large group of veteran Grotto-Heaven Realm experts, even some old masters who had lived in seclusion for extremely long periods, had chosen to join the academy.
Because everyone knew that the Hudao Academy was the most powerful and promising force on the continent!
Joining it brought many benefits!
If nothing else, at the very least, the high-level figures of the academy could obtain access to the most top-tier cultivation resources available on the entire continent.
If specific cultivation resources, herbs, or heavenly treasures were needed, a single command would likely mobilize martial artists across the entire continent to search far and wide!
For those reclusive old masters who needed to undertake long-term closed-door cultivation and had no time to personally search for their required resources, this temptation was immense.
However, as more and more veteran Grotto-Heaven Realm experts joined the academy, internal strife began to plague the Hudao Academy's upper echelons, with factions vying for power and influence.
*****
This day.
Within the meeting hall of the Hudao Academy headquarters.
Xie Changkong, Elder He, Dean Shangguan, Dean Zhou, the six Guardian Elders, as well as Gu Chengzhu, Cui Tianguo, and others were all present.
Additionally, over a dozen imposing Grotto-Heaven Realm experts sat in the hall.
These Grotto-Heaven Realm experts had all joined the Hudao Academy after Ye Yunfei's departure.
Among them, the weakest were at the Seventh Level of the Grotto-Heaven Realm!
There were also those at the Eighth, Ninth, and even Tenth Levels of the Grotto-Heaven Realm!
"Everyone, during this period, I have continually received reports of Ancient Demon Race members appearing in several regions of the Tianxuan Continent, stirring up trouble and hunting our human martial artists.
Our Hudao Academy has the duty to rid the world of demonic influences and protect the Dao. I hope everyone will remain vigilant and take action when necessary to eliminate those Ancient Demon Race members," Xie Changkong, seated in the central high seat of the hall, declared clearly.
"Dean Xie, I investigated this a few days ago. Most of these suddenly appearing Ancient Demon Race members are remnants from the previous war who were not completely killed and have revived.
Their purpose in hunting human martial artists is to drain their blood and essence to replenish their own strength," Gu Chengzhu spoke up.
"The life force of the Ancient Demon Race is too tenacious!
Even if slain, as long as a trace of life force or a remnant soul remains within their corpses, they have the potential to revive in the future.
I suggest our Hudao Academy must dispatch forces to thoroughly exterminate these Ancient Demon Race remnants. Otherwise, these constantly reviving Ancient Demons will forever be a thorn in our side," Elder He said.
"That's right.
I also support sending personnel to deal with those Ancient Demon Race members!" Dean Shangguan nodded.
Several other high-ranking members nodded in agreement.
"Hmph!
They are nothing more than a few miserable remnants of the Ancient Demon Race. Are they worth our Hudao Academy going to all that trouble, making a huge fuss, and specially dispatching forces to exterminate?
I believe this is unnecessary.
Bear in mind, our Hudao Academy is now the most powerful force on the continent, lofty and exalted. We need not involve ourselves personally in every single matter.
The academy only needs to issue an order, commanding all the great clans and major forces across the continent to dispatch their own people to hunt down the Ancient Demon Race. I believe not a single clan or force would dare defy our academy's command!"
At that moment, a green-robed elder suddenly spoke up coldly.
His gaze toward Xie Changkong and the others seemed to carry a hint of disdain.