Chapter 1031: Reunion with Old Friends
More than ten years had passed, and Black Emperor was now like a small mountain, dozens of zhang tall, his body thick and sturdy, terrifyingly mighty, his blood energy surging, his jet-black fur glossy like satin.
"Ao hou!"
He let out a roar, as deafening as muffled thunder. The moment he moved, a fierce wind kicked up, sending stones and sand flying.
Ye Fan had already dismounted, knowing this big dog had no good intentions. He was blatantly provoking the Dragon Horse, not welcoming him first but immediately starting a fight.
"What luck, today I can get some hybrid Dragon Horse meat to chew on!" the big black dog shouted arrogantly.
The Dragon Horse was no pushover either, very direct. It leaped into the void, reared up on its hind legs, raised its great hooves high, and stomped down toward the big black dog's face.
"I'll stomp a face full of pockmarks on you!"
When these two met, it was like needle against thread. Neither was a good sort, and both wanted to strike first and knock the other down.
"Boom"
Black Emperor opened his bloody maw. Now his body was like a small black mountain, his scarlet tongue several zhang long, his teeth like door planks and broadswords, trying to swallow the Dragon Horse in one gulp.
Zhang Qingyang felt dizzy. This dog was too terrifying, trying to devour a Dao-cutting demon king right away. The aura made his heart pound.
Ye Fan was startled. More than ten years had passed, and Black Emperor's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Opening his mouth to evolve a universe, ordinary Dao-cutters couldn't escape and would be drawn in.
The Dragon Horse was very straightforward, not using any magical power. Just as the bloody maw was about to swallow it, it kicked back hard, and rolling black qi surged from behind.
The big black dog almost vomited his gall bladder. He reared up, stirring up a demonic wind, teleporting eight hundred zhang away, lying on a mountain peak with veins bulging on his forehead.
Neither of these two was any good. The Dragon Horse directly used its "Horse Fart Divine Art," lightly and casually, a stench that shattered Black Emperor's momentum of swallowing heaven and earth.
"Damn it!" The big black dog flew into a rage. He dove from the mountain peak into a large lake below, frantically rinsing his mouth, nearly choked to death. He never expected to meet such a top-tier opponent, equal to himself.
Even the Divine Knight's mouth twitched, holding back laughter, while Ye Fan laughed unrestrainedly, roaring with mirth.
Black Emperor was furious. He turned into a black streak of light and charged over, shouting "horse flatterer," spitting out a sheet of lightning from his mouth, attacking wildly as if mad. But Ye Fan noticed that this dead dog's eyes gleamed with sharp light, clearly calm inside, not as irritable as he seemed.
"Old man transforms into three emperors!" Black Emperor shouted. He had heard Ye Fan talk about Yin Tiande's matter and knew of this wondrous technique.
The Dragon Horse knew it even better, having seen Ye Fan use it himself, so his heart jumped, and he became extra cautious.
"Rumble"
In that instant, dog shadows filled everywhere, tens of thousands of black dogs flooding heaven and earth, all barking.
The Dragon Horse was dumbfounded. He had been preoccupied, always thinking about the "One Qi Transforms into Three Purities" technique, never expecting this big dog to transform into tens of thousands.
At that moment, all the dogs reared up on their hind legs, each wearing a pair of flowery shorts. Instead of attacking, they all spat at him, as despicable as could be.
The Dragon Horse's temper exploded. This was too much. This dog was repaying him in kind, deliberately disgusting him.
"You little colt, you're too green!" Tens of thousands of Black Emperors shouted together, then after spitting, they charged forward.
"Bang"
The Dragon Horse lost his composure. He was hit with a flurry of punches from the big black dog, his eye blackened, and he was sent flying. He knew he had been tricked. It wasn't "One Qi Transforms into Three Purities" at all; he had just fallen into an illusion formation.
"I'm not done with you!" The Dragon Horse snorted white steam from his nostrils, digging the ground with his hooves in the distance, fiercely swishing his tail.
Ye Fan was speechless. This was truly a perfect pair, evenly matched, neither of them good-natured. When they met, they would definitely create "brilliant sparks."
Sure enough, after a brief adjustment, they came together again, one flashing hooves, the other extending claws, fiercely grappling.
They were born enemies, as if they had grudges from a past life, fighting the moment they met.
"Stop!" Ye Fan called out, forcefully intervening, using a black long spear to separate them.
In the distance, shouts also came. Many figures flew over, thinking a great enemy had invaded. Many experts from Heavenly Village rushed over.
The fight naturally couldn't continue. Black Emperor leaped toward Ye Fan, his body like a small mountain yet incredibly agile, his lantern-like eyes wide and round.
Long Yuxuan, as a demon clan member, felt it most deeply. His very bones trembled. This big black dog was definitely a demon sovereign. The blood in his body rumbled like thunder, terrifying beyond measure.
Black Emperor's eyes blazed like torches, spitting out flames, with excitement and terrifying wildness. His several-zhang-long paw reached forward.
"Dead dog, is this how you welcome me?" Ye Fan was also a bit emotional, smiling as he extended a golden great hand to meet him.
"Kid, you're still alive, ao hou!" Now Black Emperor was overwhelmingly domineering, his body huge, the sound of blood rushing through his blood vessels rumbling.
Their greeting was very special. With a heavy strike, rocks rolled, the ground cracked, grass and trees broke, and the mountains shook.
"Coming back is fine, but you didn't need to bring your own game. This meat horse is hard to stew tender," Black Emperor said casually.
Not far away, the Dragon Horse's eyes glared again, raising his hooves to start another fight, but he didn't get the chance. Many figures landed on the scene, surrounding them.
"Ye Fan!"
Everyone was almost petrified, all stunned, never expecting to see him again, unable to believe the scene.
"Master, is it really you?" Tongtong shouted.
"Ye Fan... how did you come back?" Exclamations rose one after another, and then the mountain area boiled over as a group of people rushed up.
Yan Yixi, Li Tian, Dongfang Ye, and others were all there, excitement in their eyes, brilliance in their gazes, laughing heartily as they came forward to pound him.
"Everyone, go easy. Although my body is not bad, I can't withstand a group beating," Ye Fan also laughed.
More than ten years had passed. Seeing these people again felt really good. They patted his shoulders, pounded his chest, filled with laughter, everyone very emotional.
"Dead dog, what have you been eating all these years to grow so big? Trying to crush me?" Ye Fan said.
The big black dog was several hundred times bigger than before. After a round of barking, he shamelessly asked for gifts, saying, "Crossing the universe, you should at least give me a big gift when you come back."
"Master, was that mysterious person holding the black war spear you?" Ye Tong suddenly said, his eyes full of excitement.
Dongfang Ye also came to his senses. His disheveled hair made him look like a wild man. He laughed heartily, "I was wondering at the time, did a second Sacred Body appear? Turns out it was Brother Ye!" He had lived in the primeval forests for years, his instincts sharp.
"Today, we'll get dead drunk. Go find all the old friends and have a hearty drink," Li Tian laughed.
Ye Fan's sudden appearance made everyone almost unable to believe it. It was an unexpected joy. They never thought they would meet again.
"Brother Ye, you've been away for so many years. We've missed you terribly," Yao Yuekong said, his purple qi surging. His congenital deficiency had long been made up, and now as the master of Heavenly Demon Palace, he shook the Eastern Wasteland.
"Let's head inside," Yan Yixi said with a smile. Over the years, he had become even more ethereal, his white robes elegant, his demeanor dashing.
As Ye Fan walked, he introduced the Divine Knight, the Dragon Horse, and Zhang Qingyang to everyone. During this time, many people came out to greet them.
The pitiful Wang Shu and Er Lengzi were in tatters, calling themselves the Silver Blood Twin Emperors, but they underwent Black Emperor's hellish training every day. Seeing Ye Fan, they were especially excited, almost crying.
Heavenly Village had rolling hills, many low mountains, and few high peaks, but all were full of spiritual energy, perfect for seclusion and cultivation.
"Divine Son..." In the distance, a young girl ran over, graceful and slender, with a tall figure, her snow-white long dress swaying, like a fairy walking on water.
She was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, with bright eyes and white teeth, skin like snow, hair like a waterfall, very beautiful, lively and active, like a lark fluttering over.
"Is this... Little Que'er?" Ye Fan was surprised.
Her delicate face blushed, and she nodded vigorously, saying, "It's me."
Ye Fan sighed with emotion. Fourteen years had passed. That little one who used to toddle around, sucking a pacifier, with big bright eyes and a cute demeanor, had grown up.
Beside him, Long Yuxuan was embarrassed. In the past, he was also called "Little Que," a title of honor in the Dragon Sparrow Clan. Ye Fan told him there was another "Little Que'er" here, so he changed back to his original name.
When they arrived in front of Heavenly Village, under an old locust tree, an old man waited with a group of people, a smile on his face. One of his eye sockets was empty, as deep as a cosmic black hole.
"Sage!" The Divine Knight showed a strange expression. The Dragon Horse shuddered and became much more docile.
Ye Fan had already expected this result. The old assassin leader Qi Luo would inevitably become a sage, but seeing it in person was another feeling, making his heart completely settle.
Over the years, no matter how complicated and terrifying the world had become, with such a killing sage in charge, his old friends probably wouldn't be in too bad a situation.
"Today, we'll get dead drunk. Go invite people and drink to our hearts' content."
"Right, Li Heishui and Wu Zhongtian are learning the Dao from the Northern Domain's number one great bandit, that sage. Notify them quickly."
"Does anyone know where the Holy Prince is in seclusion? Invite him too."
People were laughing and talking, asking Ye Fan about his experiences over the years, how he came back, and also telling him about their own situations.
Li Tian said, "That bastard Duan De is the easiest to find. He's been in cahoots with Black Emperor all these years. Just let Black Emperor go out and shout that there's a big deal, and he'll come running with a grin."
"Woof, we're familiar, but if you slander me again, I'll get angry!" The big black dog bared his teeth. By now, his body had shrunk, similar in size to the Dragon Horse.
Li Heishui was the first to arrive, his spirits high. The moment he saw Ye Fan, he laughed heartily, his eyes even a bit moist, remembering their days gambling on source stones in Divine City and the life-and-death battles they fought across the world.
Soon after, the monkey appeared, with a thunder-beak mouth and fiery golden eyes, his golden fur shining, his blood energy surging. Without a doubt, his combat power was astonishing!
"Brother Monkey, why do you have internal injuries?" Ye Fan asked.
"It's nothing, a small matter. I'll deal with them later. Today, you're back, and I'm too happy. We'll drink until we're drunk," the monkey waved his hand.
"How can it be a small matter? All these years, that Celestial Prince, Huang Xudao, Huo Qizi, and their group have been too overbearing. Now that Ye Fan is back, he and the Holy Prince can join forces and sweep them away!"
Everyone seemed very excited and also a bit angry, all clenching their fists.
"That's right. They've been suppressing us all this time. I've held this anger for over ten years. I was planning to wait until little Tongtong grew up, maybe another ten years, to vent it. Now that Ye Fan is back, what are we afraid of!"
"Yes, when the time comes, we'll all go together and kill them!" The crowd was stirred up, clearly holding a grudge.