Chapter 96: The Greatest Regret in Life
Ye Fan's heart was extremely calm, having adjusted himself to his optimal state, ready to unleash a fierce strike at any moment. The golden book shimmered with a strange radiance within his Sea of Suffering.
Elder Han, believing himself favored by heaven, was overwhelmed with excitement. Trembling, he extended his right hand, grasped the cauldron lid, and lifted it with force. In his imagination, a furnace of supreme-grade precious pills was about to appear, surely dazzling with brilliance and radiating divine splendor.
Indeed, golden light pierced the eyes, exceptionally resplendent, so blinding that one could not keep their eyes open, flying toward Elder Han in an instant. At first, he thought the precious pills had become sentient, charging out of the medicine cauldron on their own, but in that instant, his soul fled in terror, feeling as if he had been cast down from heaven directly into hell.
Where were any precious pills? It was clearly a piece of dazzling divine iron, swiftly slashing toward his neck. Moreover, seated cross-legged within the bronze medicine cauldron was a youth with delicate features, completely unharmed, not refined into pills at all, staring at him without blinking.
"Not good!" Elder Han was drenched in cold sweat, screaming in terror, trying to fly backward, but everything was already too late. The golden light arrived like lightning, and with a "puff," it sliced open his throat.
Blood gushed forth. The searing pain made Elder Han's mind grow dizzy, his vision darkening. He fell backward on the spot, heavily crashing into a pool of blood.
The golden page was sharper than divine iron, instantly cutting through Elder Han's neck, leaving only a layer of aged skin still attached. Blood bubbled up like a spring!
However, Elder Han was, after all, a powerful cultivator. Though he appeared decrepit and on the verge of death at any moment, his body contained immense strength. Even with his neck severed, he did not die immediately. He extended his right hand to press against his head, trying to reattach it.
At the same time, his Sea of Suffering flickered with green light, blooming with dazzling radiance. A divine spring surged forth, providing him with powerful vitality. Simultaneously, several green wooden swords shot out, flying toward Ye Fan.
Ye Fan's heart tightened. Between different cultivation realms, there was truly an insurmountable chasm like a heavenly moat! If he had not been cautious and patient, unleashing this fierce strike at the final moment, he would have had no hope of killing Elder Han.
He moved as nimbly as a hunting leopard, leaping up and hiding behind the bronze cauldron, controlling the dazzling golden book to slash forward.
Elder Han, after all, had suffered a severe wound, his life hanging in the balance. The several green wooden swords were still brilliant when they first shot out, their sword energy fierce, green light radiating in all directions, but soon their glow dimmed. The green wooden swords wobbled, about to fall.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The golden page was sharper than divine iron. Its brilliant divine radiance was as dazzling as a blazing sun, as if it were burning. In an instant, it intercepted the green wooden swords, spinning and slashing through them with a series of clanging sounds, cutting them all apart!
Ye Fan dared not be careless in the slightest. The golden book transformed into a divine rainbow, like a bright moon cutting through the dark sky, erupting with a terrifying wave of energy as it charged toward Elder Han's abdomen.
Amid the dazzling brilliance, blood splattered. With a "puff," Elder Han's Sea of Suffering instantly shattered. His body was sent flying on the spot, heavily crashing into the stone chamber wall, leaving a blood-red human-shaped imprint before slowly sliding down to the base of the wall.
Golden rays of light, thousands of auspicious colors—the golden book turned into a brilliant beam, rushing back into Ye Fan's body.
Elder Han had not yet completely died. He pressed his right arm firmly against his head, preventing it from rolling off his neck. One could imagine how terrifying a cultivator beyond the Sea of Suffering realm was—not something an ordinary person could deal with.
Ye Fan secretly wiped away cold sweat. If he had not silently endured for seven days without making a move, he would never have been able to kill Elder Han.
At this moment, Elder Han's eyes blazed with fury. He could not accept this reality! He had not seen any supreme-grade precious pills; instead, he had awaited the sickle of death. This was almost unbelievable to him, plummeting from heaven to hell in an instant. This agonizing feeling drove him mad.
"Uh... ah... gurgle..." Elder Han's severed throat bled, and blood also seeped from the corners of his mouth. He could hardly speak, his eyes wide open, staring fixedly at Ye Fan.
"Wh... why..." Finally, Elder Han managed to force out some unclear words. It seemed he could not swallow that final breath, unwilling to die so ignominiously.
"Did you really take me for a monkey?" Ye Fan was not careless, looking at Elder Han very calmly. "Too bad, you're not Tai Shang."
Blood spilled from Elder Han's wound. He spoke with difficulty, "You... I... regret it so much..."
"Puff"
He coughed up blood in great mouthfuls, his eyes filled with unwillingness and despair. A tremendous resentment churned in his heart. Everything had seemed so perfect, but the final result was so cruel that even in death, he could not accept it.
"Did you really think I was a soft persimmon, to be squeezed however you pleased? You actually tried to refine me into a divine medicine. A vicious and ruthless person like you deserves this kind of end." Ye Fan stood not far away, striking mercilessly with his words. "You died not at all unjustly. I endured for seven days and seven nights, unleashing this killing blow only at the final moment. Be a good person in your next life; otherwise, you still won't come to a good end."
Elder Han was enraged to the point of madness. His neck was nearly severed, but he still refused to take that final breath. Blood continuously sprayed from his mouth as he ground his teeth and spoke indistinctly, "I... won't accept... you... deserve to die..."
Ye Fan glanced at Elder Han, then opened several nearby medicine cabinets. A fragrant aroma assailed his nose. He took out all the more than ten rare spiritual herbs, none inferior to the Phoenix Divine Grass.
"Old bastard, I can see you were very industrious, toiling hard your whole life like an old ox, gathering so many rare spiritual herbs that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine. Truly admirable. Here, I can only say: thank you, I'll gladly accept them!"
"You..." Elder Han was so enraged he coughed up blood in great mouthfuls, his eyes shooting flames. If he could move, he would have swallowed Ye Fan alive.
"Don't worry, I won't let your hard work go to waste. I'll make good use of these rare heavenly treasures and earthly treasures, striving to break into the Life Spring realm within two years."
"You... motherf*cker!" These three words coming from Elder Han's mouth were surprising, but they truthfully expressed his greatest fury.
"Stay calm and composed when facing trouble. Opportunities always favor those who are prepared..." A faint smile played at the corners of Ye Fan's mouth as he taunted, "The ancients did not deceive me!"
When he heard the words "The ancients did not deceive me," Elder Han completely lost his mind. Blood gushed from his mouth like a mountain spring as he spat out his final words, "The ancients... I... hate..."
Elder Han was literally enraged to death. His right hand went limp and fell away, and his head rolled off with a thud, dying a violent death. His eyes were wide open, refusing to close in death.
"Be reborn into a good family in your next life..." Ye Fan spoke the exact same words Elder Han had used. One could imagine that while both said these words, their moods were identical, but the outcomes were vastly different.
If Elder Han could know this underground, he would surely spit out another three liters of blood and struggle to crawl back up.
Ye Fan strode to a corner of the stone chamber, picked up his Bodhi seed from the stone table, and tucked it into his bosom.
This miraculous Bodhi seed could help one comprehend the Dao, its value incalculable. If word got out, all the experts of the Eastern Wasteland would surely come to seize it. Moreover, it could be predicted that the more powerful the figure, the more they would value this mysterious seed, because the further one progressed in cultivation, the more difficult it became. Every moment of insight and awakening was an unimaginably great opportunity.
Ye Fan's cultivation level was still low now; he could hardly understand such things. He did not know how difficult "Dao comprehension" was for cultivators in the later stages. At that point, no heavenly treasures, earthly treasures, or divine medicines would be of any use. True peak-level experts needed "enlightenment" to break through.
"Shrouding the Heavens" will be released on December 1st. Tonight at midnight will be the last push for the weekly click rankings. The second chapter will be updated then. I hope online readers can come and support us.