As mentioned before, these humanoid creatures didn't have high intelligence and were probably created to protect the altar. They were extremely strong and hard to deal with.
Although they took orders from the high priest, Ye Xuan still had that strange heart on him, which also carried information from the altar. Now that the high priest had ordered them to attack Ye Xuan, this was the reason why they had stopped.
After understanding the logic behind this, Ye Xuan was no longer in a hurry and only sped up the speed of his incantation.
At this moment, the high priest's condition on the altar was not good. His body seemed to have been melted by something, and he quickly shrank by more than half. His human form could not be seen at all. Most of his life force had been absorbed by the altar.