Chapter 1161: In High Demand
Ye Fan blocked the azure heavenly hand, preventing himself from being swept away, and in a short time could actually contend as an equal, leaving a group of people dumbfounded.
Even a sage in person could do nothing to him!
The war faction of the Qi Clan finally realized what kind of bitter cultivator they had provoked. This fellow was frighteningly formidable, daring to wrestle with a sage, fearless of heaven and earth, capable of fighting!
Of course, Ye Fan was on the defensive. No matter what techniques he unleashed, he was barely managing to protect himself. Yet even this was enough to shock the world. Inside the warships, people were petrified.
Whether it was the leaders of the Fan Clan or the leaders of the Qi Clan, all were present. Fan Zhou's eyes flickered with an eerie light, while Qi Shen furrowed his brow and sighed.
Peerless beauties like Fan Xian and Qi Meng were also there, standing in the main control room of the mothership, stunned, their eyes shimmering with extraordinary brilliance. This was too astonishing.
"How did he cultivate to reach such a realm? Can even an ancient sage do nothing to him?"
"A bitter cultivator excavates his own inner treasure, his practice defying heaven. Reaching this step is truly terrifying!"
The sage of the Qi Clan, with his white brows, approached from afar, no longer fighting with a great hand but appearing in person.
To protect himself, Ye Fan began to fight desperately. He propped up a golden circle, piloting the ancient sacred mech to evolve a Taiji diagram, battling this sage.
"Ha ha ha..." On the other side, the old ghost of Paradise laughed, as unpleasant as a night owl. This was divine sense power, capable of piercing any spaceship.
The people of the Qi Clan were horrified and retreated, fearing that this ancestor of plunderers would strike at them.
"Qi Yaoguang, you truly have skill, fighting for so long with a Dao Severer without deciding victory or defeat," the old ghost of Paradise taunted, his figure indistinct in the darkness.
"Fan Yuntong, if you think yourself superior, you can come and try," Qi Yaoguang said. His azure robe rustled, his sage-level fluctuations were astonishing, and the star domain trembled under his divine sense.
"Why should I try? I have no enmity with this young Daoist. I came specifically to receive him. Your provocations are useless," Fan Yuntong said.
In truth, he had also struck at Ye Fan initially, but only tested one blow. When he failed to sweep him away, he stopped.
"Clang, clang..."
Behind Ye Fan, five-colored divine radiance rotated, five swords turning, emitting boundless pressure, comparable to the movement of sun, moon, and stars. All techniques were inviolable, even cutting back the attacks of the sage Qi Yaoguang.
Fan Yuntong watched all this, both shocked and regretful. This was the divine seed of their Paradise, which no one had comprehended for so many years, yet it had become Ye Fan's.
As for the ancient sage Qi Yaoguang, he was expressionless. Having fought for so long, though he always held the upper hand, he could never finish the battle, leaving him quite unsettled.
He was a sage, a peerless powerhouse even within the Eternal Kingdom, a being who could truly look down on all ants in the world. Yet now, he could not achieve success. It was truly inexcusable.
Boom!
Ye Fan unleashed his divine phenomena. Though it was a simple fusion, a blurry mess rather than a complete integration, its power was still astonishing. It sent Qi Yaoguang flying with a strange cry, tumbling head over heels.
This star domain instantly collapsed. Chaotic qi surged like mountains and seas, turning into a dark cloud that swept outward, terrifying and shocking.
He had sent a sage flying!
In the star domain, people inside the various ships were dumbfounded. Everyone knew that after this battle, Ye Fan's value had increased even more! Perhaps the most powerful ancient forces of the Eternal Main Star would extend olive branches to him.
"Alright, I admit you can contend with a sage. I'll have to use heavy hands," Qi Yaoguang said, his face burning. This was truly uncomfortable, and he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Sister Meng, your clan's ancestor was almost beaten down by a Dao Severer kid. His face was red and blood surged just now. He must be feeling terrible," Fan Xian teased inside the mothership, her seductive manner transmitting the scene to Qi Meng's main control room.
Qi Meng blinked her big eyes and said, "What are you so happy about? He defected from your Paradise, killing all the way. I recall your clan suffered heavy losses, everyone hopping mad. I heard you even smashed your favorite Nine-Colored Divine Glass Lamp."
Boom!
A shocking change occurred in the battlefield. Qi Yaoguang followed through on his words, unleashing a heaven-shaking might. Sun, moon, stars, and rivers all trembled because of him.
He donned a layer of azure battle armor, and his aura instantly multiplied many times over, affecting the pulsation of this star domain. The terrifying aura was earth-shattering.
Sage King Armor!
This divine garment was not very large, about half a zhang tall, perfectly covering his body.
Many exclaimed. It surpassed ancient sacred mechs, being a king-grade among them, elevating a sage's strength to a brand-new realm.
Just as a half-sage piloting an ancient sacred mech could unleash sage-level might, when a true sage entered a suitable war tool, they could also cross ranks, their combat power soaring.
Buzz!
A piercing hum rang out. The universe shattered. Qi Yaoguang became invincible, reaching out an azure great hand to grab forward. It was like the sound of the heavenly dao, breaking open the star domain.
Ye Fan fled swiftly, turning into a streak of light darting into the depths of the universe. He knew it would be hard to contend unless he took another step up!
However, the azure great hand broke through the universe, omnipotent, spreading out, terrifying and boundless. It enveloped even a small planet beside Ye Fan and crushed it with one grab!
Plucking stars and catching the moon was no legend; this was real. Reaching this step, he was a king among sages, an absolute..." Ye Fan said.
"Not long ago, there were some misunderstandings. The hospitality was lacking; please forgive us," Fan Zhou said, wanting to invite him back, promising to treat him as an honored guest.
Ye Fan sneered inwardly, his face expressionless. How could he possibly return to the Fan Clan? There was nothing to say.
"Brother Ye, I know you have a grudge against us, but please rest assured, no unpleasantness will occur again. I swear here and now: if I harm you, may I be struck by lightning and die in my tribulation!"
Fan Zhou swore a poisonous oath on the spot, stunning many. This was serious; he was willing to go to such lengths.
Then, though Fan Zhou didn't say it outright, his hint was clear: he hoped Ye Fan would marry into the Fan Clan, almost mentioning Fan Xian's name.
Many were dumbfounded. What was going on? The Fan Clan valued this bitter cultivator so much? The change was too fast.
"Fan Xian, your uncle is selling you off!" Qi Meng blinked her big eyes and said.
Fan Xian, peerlessly beautiful, her fair legs crossed, was also startled in the main control room. Then she waved her jade hand and smashed the screen showing her conversation with Qi Meng, causing black smoke to rise.
On the other side, the sage Qi Yaoguang's mind shook. He opened his heavenly eye, staring at Ye Fan in the distance, then looked at the old ghost opposite him, and exclaimed, "Is he the first-generation Indestructible Golden Body? No wonder... you suddenly acted like this!"
The two were conversing in secret code. Others didn't know, but they could see their expressions, all showing strange looks.
Qi Yaoguang secretly transmitted a message to Qi Kun, telling him to step in, as his status was too high to personally recruit.
Qi Kun was shaken by the news, then braced himself to recruit Ye Fan, even making a promise: he could refine a fourth-stage evolution liquid and would give Ye Fan a share.
"What happened? Why did both clans change their minds and act like this?" Everyone was puzzled.
"Sister Meng, judging by your clan's attitude, they probably won't sell you off but give you away directly," Fan Xian said with a sly smile.
Just then, Fan Zhou suddenly took out an ancient mirror and showed it to Ye Fan, saying, "I wonder if this young Daoist recognizes this object?"
Ye Fan remained expressionless, but his mind was in turmoil. Wasn't this the Void Mirror? No, to be precise, it was a replica of the Ji Family's imperial weapon, a king-grade artifact.
"This was left by a stunningly talented bitter cultivator a few years ago. He said that if anyone recognized it, they would likely be from his homeland," Fan Zhou said unhurriedly, watching Ye Fan's expression.
Was this left by Ji Haoyue, or was it Ji Ziyue's weapon? Though Ye Fan's face was calm, his heart was very unsettled.
In the distance, Fan Yuntong smiled. He had been watching, sensing a flicker of Ye Fan's divine sense. Though faint, it revealed his emotions.
Ye Fan cursed inwardly. Sages were indeed not to be trifled with. With a slight lapse, he was seen through, revealing his deep connection to this ancient mirror.
"Brother Ye, how about we find a quiet place to talk?" Fan Zhou said, receiving a hint from his ancestor. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was indeed related to that stunning bitter cultivator from a few years ago.
Qi Yaoguang's expression changed. Fan Yuntong showed a faint smile, put away his black Sage King Armor, and stopped preparing to fight, saying, "There's no need for us to fight. Let the young Daoist choose for himself."
"Brother Ye, I hear you're a bitter cultivator from beyond. Perhaps you come from the same place as our ancestors. Over a hundred thousand years ago, they embarked on a trial path, eventually stopping here and settling down. Could we speak privately?"
Divine sense fluctuations came from the distant sky. Several groups of people arrived. Though not ancient sages, they made the Fan Clan and Qi Clan wary, for they were from the superpowers of the Eternal Main Star, openly poaching.
"You've been hard to find. We invite you to become one of us—a god!" A figure flew in from the distant sky, making even the two ancient sages present change color, for this organization was too terrifying.
Ye Fan's ability to contend with a sage had truly shaken these people who had followed him down. Now they appeared one after another, warmly and eagerly recruiting him.
Twenty-three hours left. I ask for the last monthly tickets of May. Thank you, brothers and sisters... (To be continued.)
Chapter 1162: The Golden Body Next Generation Plan
The Immortal Feather Qi Clan pursued Ye Fan, drawing a group of people to follow him down. Now they appeared one after another, truly surprising Ye Fan. He did not look at "God" nor pay attention to the Cao Clan's hateful gaze, but instead looked at another group.
"Your ancestors embarked on the strongest trial path and eventually settled here?"
This was an earth-shattering piece of news. He vaguely remembered the old sage of the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion mentioning that over such a long span of years, most who set foot on this path died in the outer domains, while a few stopped halfway.
Now, meeting such a group, how could he not be shocked? He stared at them without blinking.
Others showed strange expressions. This was the Nether King lineage of the Eternal Main Star, a massive force with terrifying old monsters in charge, unprovokable, an ancient aristocratic clan that could rival the Cao Clan.
"Our ancestors' dying wish was to return to their homeland, but they never fulfilled it..." The Nether King lineage people said, extending an unmistakable olive branch.
Ye Fan did not delve deeply with them, only learning a preliminary secret: the Big Dipper Ancient Star Domain was special, a place even ancient great emperors sought. It seemed that aside from original teleportation platforms like the Five-Colored Altar, it was hard to find or enter from outside.
"We've explored for many years without finding the way back, unable to determine coordinates."
According to their speculation, entering that star domain might only be possible by chance, with no way to calculate it, as if shrouded in extremely mysterious mist.
Ye Fan was tempted. He really wanted to go with the Nether King clan. There were many things he wanted to know—about the road ahead, about the past hundred thousand years, about the Eternal Main Star—but in the end, he dismissed the idea. He needed to be cautious.
After so many years, the Nether King clan had surely been assimilated, evident from their reliance on motherships and warships.
Ye Fan turned back and saw the ancient mirror in Fan Zhou's hand. He sighed inwardly. He had to make this trip. It involved Little Moon. Even if it was a dragon's pool or tiger's den, he had to charge in.
Of course, he wasn't too worried. If pushed to the brink, he could still fight desperately and hope to escape.
He turned around and looked at "God," tactfully indicating that he might consider joining, but he needed to go to the Fan Clan first to handle some matters and needed time.
Then he politely thanked the Nether King clan, saying he would visit when things were settled.
All of this was just leveraging power. If these two organizations were interested in him, they would pressure Paradise, making them wary and afraid to act.
In fact, the Fan Clan also didn't want to go too far, because a living first-generation Indestructible Golden Body was far more valuable than a corpse.
Only the Cao Clan glared with fire in their eyes, but they dared not approach. Now that Ye Fan was the target of recruitment by all sides, they would gain nothing by attacking in the outer domain.
The Qi Clan explained and tried every effort, but could not get Ye Fan to leave with them. At best, they only eased the relationship, leaving them somewhat disappointed.
But there was no help for it. Qi Yun'en had repaid kindness with enmity first, and the war faction had pursued him later. It was truly excessive and dishonorable.
A tense standoff and great battle thus came to an end. The smoke of gunpowder dissipated, the tension was gone, and everyone saw harmony.
Ye Fan was about to head to Paradise. "God" and the Nether King clan both made their voices heard—not threats, but potential warnings: if the Fan Clan dared to harm him, it would incur their wrath.
Even the sage Fan Yuntong was extremely wary of the organization "God," as there had been more than one incident of sage-slaying by its members.
Ye Fan had originally been the target of pursuit, but now he was seen as one of the strongest physiques. All sides were willing to pay any price to have him join them. He had become a hot commodity. The drastic change left people sighing.
Paradise was merely a small world opened by an ancient sage, merged with a small planet, evolving into a pure land. It was not a true life-source star.
Arriving here again was vastly different from last time. Ye Fan was now a honored guest, not a guest elder who had to serve the clan. He was treated with respect.
However, many greeted him through gritted teeth, inwardly wanting to skin him alive. His last rampage here, killing in all directions, had displeased many clan members.
But now, times had changed. Even Fan Zhou was polite to him, not condescending. Even a peerless beauty like Fan Xian had to greet him with a smile. What they thought inside was anyone's guess.
"That kid destroyed several of our ancient sacred war tools and stole our divine five-colored secret power seed, yet now he's treated as an honored guest. Damn it!"
Some were indignant and wanted to cause trouble, but the experts secretly watching immediately suppressed them, telling them not to stir up trouble.
Undoubtedly, this left many feeling stifled. They wanted to swarm and boil Ye Fan alive but couldn't, only able to glare.
"What? Miss Fan Xian might marry him? This can't be real. It must be an illusion!"
"I want to kill that kid! What has he done to deserve marrying our clan's fairy?"
When this news spread, many young people couldn't sit still. The plunderers of Paradise weren't all named Fan, and Fan Xian was their dream goddess.
"Suppress!"
For such unrest, Fan Zhou only said these two words. Now that they wanted to recruit Ye Fan, they naturally couldn't let some impulsive young people ruin the great matter.
Ye Fan had come here for one reason: to inquire about the secret of the ancient mirror—who had left it and what words were spoken.
"Eight years ago, a stunning bitter cultivator came to our star domain. He fought a mysterious creature in the universe and was severely wounded..."
Ye Fan's eyes gleamed. From Fan Zhou's account, he was certain it was Ji Haoyue. When he saw the portrait, he was even more convinced.
"Unfortunately, that stunning cultivator didn't stay long. When I arrived, he had already disappeared..."
Ji Haoyue had brought a divine mineral from the stars, leaving a small portion to trade for an ancient sacred mech with the clan. He had been very cautious. Originally, he had agreed to stay and join Paradise, but he vanished in an instant.
Fan Zhou looked a bit embarrassed and didn't elaborate, but it seemed Ji Haoyue's wariness of them was not without reason.
"What words did he leave?" Ye Fan asked.
"They are all engraved on this ancient mirror," Fan Zhou said, showing sincerity by handing over the Void Mirror replica. On the back of the mirror were a few lines of small characters, indeed Ji Haoyue's handwriting.
"I was severely wounded on the road ahead and retreated here to recover."
"The Eternal Main Star is not to be missed. It is mysterious and vast. Evolution liquid can accelerate realm advancement, worth staying for a time."
"Beware of the members of 'God.' They are not limited to this star domain."