# Chapter 1095: Challenging a Saint
Huo Tan becoming a saint... marked the rise of another generation... heralding the true arrival of the great era, and everyone felt a sense of urgency.
After Huo Tan became an Ancestral King, he did not say much. He simply emerged from seclusion and came directly to this place to seek out Ye Fan. What he wanted to do went without saying.
His body was a full head taller than ordinary people. The light from his pitch-black eyes was cold and merciless as it swept through the crowd, like a drawn blade, causing people's skin to ache.
This was the will of a saint. If his gaze focused on one spot, ordinary cultivators would surely explode, blood flowing profusely, losing their lives.
Within the Ten Thousand Mountains, birds and beasts were wailing, prostrating on the ground in terror, fearing the saint's might from the depths of their souls.
Ye Fan, Duan De, and the others silently retreated at the first opportunity, not approaching. This person had ill intentions, and they did not want to clash immediately—after all, he was a saint!
"This twenty-three really knows how to put on airs," the Dragon Horse said, two streams of smoke shooting from its nostrils as it commented using some vulgar terms from Earth.
"Now he comes to show off his power. When he was a Half-Saint, why didn't he dare to come and swagger? Otherwise, this Emperor would have sent him to the Western Paradise with a single formation platform," the Big Black Dog said.
Huo Tan had finally become a saint. No one here could deal with him; he had surpassed the category of ordinary humans. Even if Ye Fan were heaven-defying, he was no match.
"Don't mind him. We'll wait for our opportunity. I must enter that great tomb!" Ye Fan said. An inexplicable call was making him increasingly restless.
Huo Tan descended, and the atmosphere on this high ground instantly became extremely tense. People dared not even speak loudly, especially the humans, who were all very uneasy.
"Where is the Human Clan's Sacred Body? I heard you are unmatched under heaven. Why don't you dare to appear, cowering in some corner?" After Huo Tan became a saint, he naturally had some followers. These people sneered on the high ground, harboring dark intentions.
"Since Ancestral King Huo Tan is here, the Human Clan's Sacred Body had best retreat and never appear again. Otherwise, he'll only become a pile of bone fragments on the ground," someone laughed loudly.
Some people were unrestrained, standing on the high ground and provoking wantonly, trying to stir up some trouble.
Huo Tan sat cross-legged on the high ground, eyes closed, motionless. At his level, he naturally would not speak much, as it would be beneath his status.
The great tomb was about to open. He closed his eyes to rest, waiting for the best moment, wanting to be the first saint to enter the tomb, obtain rare treasures, and further consolidate his saintly position.
"Twenty-three, just keep pretending. Sooner or later, this lord will trample you to death with one hoof!" The Dragon Horse was indignant and unconvinced. With Huo Tan's arrival, they were forced to stay far away from the high ground, only able to watch through crystal formation platforms.
In the following days, no one dared approach the entrance of the great tomb. There, clouds of multicolored light sprayed forth, various immortal radiances swirling around. Only Huo Tan withstood the pressure, sitting cross-legged at the very front.
With him here, no one dared to step forward, unable to contend with him. They could only watch passively, feeling deeply helpless.
"Ancestral King Jin Tan is here. You'd better retreat as far as possible..." the people behind him sneered coldly.
"Boom!"
On the fifth day, a violent tremor shook the sky crater. Countless strands of Dao marks surged upward, filled with a heart-stirring power that swept across all directions.
"So fragrant. There seems to be an immortal medicine down there..." Many people were moved and looked forward.
Amidst the multicolored light and the awe-inspiring aura of an ancient Great Emperor, wisps of fragrance drifted over—very faint, but unforgettable once smelled.
Huo Tan turned his head coldly. The ancient clans were fine and suffered no impact, but some human sect masters had their minds violently shaken and coughed up large mouthfuls of blood.
It was merely a sweep of his gaze, yet the pressure was unbearable. One by one, old sect masters turned pale and stumbled backward.
Everyone's hearts turned cold. If one was not a saint, they were indeed worse than dirt. A single cold glance from Huo Tan was more than they could bear!
People's hearts were completely chilled. How could they still compete? A saint harbored hostility and clearly did not intend to let humans approach. If not for their fear of a few old human saints, he would likely have already begun a massacre.
"Rumble!"
On the eighth day after Huo Tan's arrival, the great tomb collapsed again. Various divine radiances boiled over, turning into waves that surged upward. The sky crater had expanded many times over.
"It's ready. We can probably enter now!" Duan De said.
On that same day, Huo Tan sensed something. He walked around the giant pit for half a day, as if he had made up his mind, and was finally about to act.
"What can we do? If nothing unexpected happens, this place is the tomb of a human Great Emperor. How can we allow an ancient clan saint to enter first?"
"But who can stop him? There's no way to block him."
All the human powerhouses felt helpless. At present, only Huo Tan among the saints had arrived, making him truly invincible. People were angry but dared not speak.
"I'll go down and take a look. You guard this place well," Huo Tan said, his voice deep and low as he swept his gaze over his few followers.
The center of this high ground was a sky crater, radiating outward with cracks spreading everywhere. The mountainous terrain was ruined.
Huo Tan hesitated slightly, then leaped in, disappearing into the bottomless sky crater, heading toward the ancient mausoleum of the ancient Great Emperor.
He was also compelled by necessity. Time was precious. If other veteran saints arrived, even with his heaven-gifted talent, it would be useless. He had to take risks, wanting to get there first.
"This Daoist can guarantee that he has gone deep inside and won't be able to come up for a short while. Moreover, there is no second Ancestral King in this area," Duan De said, his eyes flickering.
This fellow had a mysterious background. Even now, Black Emperor, who had once followed Emperor Wu Shi, had not seen through him. His life-preserving methods could be called top-notch. Since he said so, it was most likely correct.
Ye Fan nodded and began to walk. The Stride Art had already been activated—one step, one illusion—as he appeared on the high ground.
These past days, Ye Fan had already learned from the ancient clans what kind of person Huo Tan was. He had once said that his ancestors, in the ancient times, had feasted on human saints, and he too wanted to taste the precious blood of the Human Clan's Sacred Body.
"You came for me. My realm is insufficient, and I am no match for you, but that does not mean I fear you," Ye Fan murmured to himself, standing before the sky crater.
As soon as he appeared, it immediately caused a commotion. The ancient Ancestral King had just disappeared, and the Human Clan's Sacred Body had arrived—truly audacious beyond measure.
"You..."
Beside the sky crater, Huo Tan's several followers all changed color, sensing that something terrible was about to happen. The ancient king was below, yet he dared to approach right before their eyes.
"What were you saying just now?" Ye Fan revealed a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.
These people retreated, their hearts pounding. They had not expected Ye Fan to have such courage—to come straight at them, intending to eliminate them.
Just now, they had sarcastically said Ye Fan could only cower in a corner, humiliating him to the utmost, trying to force him to appear. And now, he had truly come to kill.
"Run!"
They were not saints and could not possibly fight this person. Going up against him meant certain death, so they turned and fled.
One of them, disregarding the danger within the sky crater, leaped in, preferring that to facing the Human Clan's Sacred Body.
"Clang!"
However, Ye Fan did not give him the chance. Activating the Weapon Art, he reversed control of the divine sword in the man's hand, turning it back. With a "pfft," the sharp blade crossed his own neck, blood splattering.
This result stunned everyone. In their eyes, he had gone mad—using the gleaming divine sword to cut off his own head, which rolled to the ground with a thud.
"Pfft!"
The divine sword split vertically, cleaving his head in two. His primordial spirit perished, and he died horribly.
"Scatter and flee!"
The others' faces were ashen. Just now, with Huo Tan backing them, they feared nothing. Now they were like stray dogs, panicked and unable to find peace.
How could Ye Fan allow them to escape? The Stride Art beneath his feet shifted, various Dao patterns emerging. He turned into a bolt of lightning, blocking one person's path, and punched forward. With a "bang," this ancient clan member exploded, blood and bone fragments flying everywhere.
"Chi!"
Without pausing for a moment, he transformed into a blazing light, charging in another direction. Golden blood energy surged to the heavens. As he uttered the An character heavenly sound, the other two shattered inch by inch, turning into blood that stained the sky red.
Clanging sounds rang out incessantly. Ye Fan unfolded a world belonging to the Golden Divine Treasury. Various golden divine radiances flowed—ancient bells, Dao swords, sacred pagodas—countless and immeasurable, all rising and falling. With a shake from him, they scattered like rain of light.
This was a kingdom of weapons, all golden, dazzling and brilliant. They transformed into streaks of blazing light, sweeping in all directions. The remaining few screamed as they were chopped into bloody mud.
Ye Fan struck fiercely. In that brief moment, he killed all of Huo Tan the saint's followers, not letting a single one escape.
All around, people exclaimed in shock, but no one dared to stop him. Even the ancient clans were the same, cowed by him.
"What audacity! Truly fearless. Huo Tan just went down into the ancient tomb, and he immediately wiped out his subordinates cleanly, unafraid to make an enemy of a saint."
"So aggressive, killing them all. Huo Tan will probably be furious. This is a blatant slap in the face. He just became a saint, and someone comes to step on him, greatly damaging his dignity."
Even many ancient clan elders were dumbfounded, feeling creeped out. The Human Clan's Sacred Body was not to be trifled with. Was there anything he dared not do?
He had chased the golden clan's heavenly maiden until she was running naked, and now he was challenging Huo Tan. He truly did not care about anything!
Ye Fan swaggered away, not staying long, leaving behind a trail of blood and some severed limbs—a shocking sight.
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, a dull sound came from beneath the great tomb. It shook violently, and Huo Tan rushed out in a sorry state, his hair disheveled, covered in blood, swaying unsteadily.
No one knew what he had encountered. His skin was split open, broken bones protruding from the flesh, blood and filth covering his body. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily.
At the entrance of the great tomb, immortal clouds had surged for a time before finally stopping. The divine radiance of the Great Emperor once again withdrew inward.
Huo Tan looked back, let out a long breath, but then saw the corpses of his followers and immediately exploded.
"Who killed them?!"
"It was the Human Clan's Sacred Body," someone answered.
"Is that so? I came for him, intending to make him my blood sacrifice. I never expected him to actively provoke me. This time, even the Battle Victory Buddha has no reason to protect him. If I kill him, no one can say anything!" Huo Tan's face was extremely cold. He did not mourn for his followers but instead laughed grimly.
"Twenty-three, just keep swaggering. Sooner or later, I'll slaughter you!" the Dragon Horse said.
In fact, this was also Ye Fan's inner thought. He very much wanted to make Huo Tan bleed on this very spot, to let a saint fall!
"Bang!"
The great tomb collapsed again, its aura even more intense. Duan De raised an eyebrow and said, "I think we can enter the tomb now."
"I understand. I finally know what is in the great tomb!" Ye Fan's heart pounded violently. This time, he felt it clearly. Something inside his body was resonating in response.
Back then, also in the Southern Domain, he had gone through life-and-death trials to enter and obtain a celestial opportunity. Now, unexpectedly, he encountered it again here!
"Perhaps, from this, I can also draw a conclusion, clarifying who is in the great tomb..." (To be continued)