Chapter 1229: Escalation
In the dark universe, severed arms floated, shattered spaceships lay strewn about, along with bloodstained heads and broken weapons—a scene of utter chaos.
A battle had just concluded. Peerless experts from both sides clashed, both suffering heavy losses as they retreated in blood, with some saints even losing their lives.
Luan Feng the Saint, known as the Heavenly King, was a dazzling expert who had risen over the past millennium. After an evenly matched battle with Nine Phoenix King, he temporarily withdrew to the Eternal Main Star.
The ancient clans fell silent. They had underestimated this star domain. Without a Great Sage or an Extreme Imperial Ancient Emperor Weapon, continuing the fight would be unpredictable.
"I'm truly unwilling to retreat like this. Though we seized some Evolution Liquid, we also lost several Ancestral Kings. The cost is too great, and the gain doesn't justify the loss," a Hun Tian clan Ancestral King said coldly.
Nine Phoenix King was in seclusion healing his wounds. The other ancient kings gathered to deliberate seriously. This ancient star likely harbored a Great Sage, perhaps even divine battle armor left behind by ancient gods—a genuine threat.
"Let go of the idea of sweeping this entire star domain. First, we need to understand the situation more thoroughly before making a decision," an elder Ancestral King said cautiously.
From that day on, both sides fell into a stalemate. The ancient clans no longer easily entered that massive life-bearing ancient star, instead lingering in outer space.
Occasionally, they would change identities and sneak in, traveling to various places to seek opportunities.
However, Eternal's technological civilization was extraordinary. With gene imprint recognition technology and the like, ordinary disguises could not fool their all-seeing divine eyes.
The Saint Beasts were too powerful. The entire star domain had monitoring systems in countless corners. Sometimes, an Ancestral King would be locked onto the moment they descended, sparking conflict.
This was a protracted standoff. The ancient clans grew increasingly uneasy as they learned that besides Luan Feng, who was on the verge of becoming a Great Sage, this world might have a true peerless Great Sage.
What unsettled them most was the existence of ancient divine armor, comparable to their Extreme Imperial Ancient Emperor Weapons—a heavy blow.
"Lately, when we travel in outer space to survey divine mines in the depths of the cosmos, we always encounter Saint Beasts. Our lives are under grave threat."
"Please, Great Sage, take action! Let Luan Feng and other peerless experts continue their campaign to completely drive these ferocious birds and beasts out of the Eternal Star Domain. Our peaceful lives are being disrupted."
The ancient clans were hardly benevolent. Though they had kept a low profile these days, they were still active, causing numerous bloody incidents. The people of the Eternal Star Domain repeatedly petitioned for local peerless experts to act.
"I truly want to annihilate an entire domain of theirs, crush their sense of superiority once and for all, and reduce them to eternal slaves!"
An Ancestral King spoke with a livid expression, his tone icy cold, his gaze frigid. As a proud Ancestral King, he felt deeply stifled here, reduced to being called a "ferocious bird or beast" by others.
He recalled how glorious they were in the Big Dipper, where humans feared them and none dared to provoke them. Now, they were hunted and denounced daily, yet they dared not act rashly.
"It takes a villain to deal with a villain. Neither side is a good lot. I hope they keep fighting," Ye Fan said with a cold laugh.
Recently, he had been quite comfortable. Having thoroughly assessed both sides' strength, he believed that without reinforcements from a Great Sage in the Big Dipper, these ancient kings could not conquer the Eternal Star Domain and might even be completely wiped out.
Half a month of standoff, covert warfare, and slaughter made the ancient clans increasingly wary, while the people of the Eternal Main Star grew more emboldened.
"Kill these Saint Beasts! Wipe them out completely! Let them linger in outer space as a menace—they've caused us too much trouble!"
"They are a vast and precious bounty. Their flesh, blood, skin, and bones are all divine materials. Brave warriors, take up your weapons, go kill them, and bring them back for research!"
The people of the Eternal Star Domain were a proud race. Their glorious history, brilliant civilization, and profound heritage had always made them look down on the rest of the universe.
Now, their fighting spirit was high. They refused to allow these so-called ferocious birds and alien beasts to dominate space. Driven by this sense of superiority, various mercenary groups mobilized.
Many powerful organizations began issuing bounty missions, encouraging peerless experts to venture into outer space to hunt Saint Beasts.
"The Lanto Family has issued a bounty: a rare Purple Cloud Crystal ancient mine, capable of forging a Saint-level mothership, in exchange for a bottle of Saint Beast blood. That's a truly grand gesture."
"I've heard that Luan Feng the Heavenly King's senior disciple has already accepted the mission. He secretly went to outer space, severely wounded an Ancestral King, retrieved a bottle of deep blue blood, and claimed the ancient mine."
"Heavens! That's enviable. After extensive refining, that Purple Cloud Crystal mine could even forge a Saint King-level armor—it's one of the rarest materials."
People discussed it endlessly, full of envy and longing. Most could only watch, unable to hunt Saint Beasts like peerless figures.
"Ah, the Heavenly Fire Mercenary Corps has dispatched a large fleet of cosmic warships. That's an incredibly powerful organization, fond of colonizing natives."
However, the Heavenly Fire Mercenary Corps returned in defeat. Many warships were destroyed, and they only managed to collect a few drops of saint blood, obtained by chance when they pierced an Ancestral King's arm, causing a few drops to spill.
Many failed, but there were too many people. As long as one had a cosmic mothership, they could attempt an ambush.
"Major news! The Cao Family has issued a sky-high bounty. Whoever hunts a complete Saint Beast will receive ten jin of Thousand Illusion Star River Divine Sand. Incredible!"
This news caused a sensation. Thousand Illusion Star River Divine Sand was extremely rare, extracted from cosmic star rivers, and could be used to forge Great Sage-level war tools.
The Eternal Main Star was in an uproar. Many wanted to obtain it, and figures like Luan Feng, who were on the verge of entering the Great Sage realm, paid even more attention.
Finally, Mi Luo the Heavenly King made his move. He had been in seclusion for centuries, a peerless expert just half a step away from becoming a Great Sage. This time, he struck with overwhelming force.
A fierce battle erupted in outer space. Mi Luo was incredibly ruthless, killing an Ancestral King and preserving his massive body intact. He delivered it to the Cao Family and obtained what he needed.
This was a critical period. Various battles broke out frequently, and the ancient clans retaliated fiercely. Most of those who went to outer space to hunt were slaughtered by them.
In particular, a strong expert from the Shi Wang clan, ranked first among the ten great ancient royal clans, launched a surprise attack, sinking an immortal holy land.
The conflict between both sides reached a boiling point.
Despite the bloodshed, it did not stop the Eternal Main Star's mercenary corps and the many warriors who, driven by sky-high bounties, would stop at nothing to hunt Saint Beasts—even blowing up planets!
"I've had enough! I want to bathe this star domain in blood and exterminate this entire race!" an Ancestral King roared in fury.
In recent days, waves of warriors had entered space, both strong and weak, all clamoring to hunt Saint Beasts, infuriating the proud ancient kings.
"So many have died, and they still don't learn. They keep coming one after another. When will this end? I can't hold back anymore. Seeing ants threaten to bite a lion to death—I want to crush them all into dust!"
"Calm down. The Eternal Main Star truly has experts. Haven't you noticed? Another Mi Luo the Heavenly King has appeared, wanting to hunt us."
The ancient clans were enraged and exasperated, but the warriors of the Eternal Star Domain only grew more numerous, piloting warships and setting various traps to hunt Saint Beasts.
During this time, a Dao Cutter spent a fortune to purchase a forbidden artifact from an auction house. He buried it on a small planet. When an Ancestral King landed there, he accidentally triggered it, causing the entire planet to explode. The Ancestral King was drenched in blood and fled wounded.
This person collected enough blood and inadvertently became a model, sparking a storm. It was almost as if the entire population was hunting Saint Beasts.
Many young people set grand ambitions to accomplish "great deeds," each plotting and calculating. Though most never returned, it did not stop the fervor.
The unlucky ancient clans were furious, some trembling with rage, veins bulging. They carried out bloody revenge, which provoked Luan Feng, Mi Luo, and other experts into another full-scale confrontation.
Ye Fan sneered when he heard about it. Behind the scenes, he fanned the flames, constantly escalating the conflict. The lucky young man who had blown up a small planet and nearly killed an Ancestral King was, of course, him. He had done it to set an example for others.
His leisurely days did not last long. The ancient clans sold him out, loudly proclaiming that they had come for the Indestructible Golden Body and wanted to capture this public enemy!
The Eternal Star Domain erupted. The Cao Family, the Fan Clan, and others who held deep grudges against him were naturally furious. The Never-Setting Sun Royal Clan, the Cang Hai Clan, the Lanto Family, the Zhao Family, and the other twelve immortal inheritances that had once campaigned against the Big Dipper also gnashed their teeth.
It was precisely the Demon God and Ye Fan who had tricked them, causing them to misjudge the strength of the natives there. As a result, their vanguard forces were slaughtered by the Saint Beasts, suffering heavy losses.
"What? The Indestructible Golden Body is back? Dig three feet into the ground to find him! Skin him alive!"
"Activate the gene imprint sensors! Search heaven and earth to catch him! If we don't kill him, heaven and earth won't tolerate it!"
The Eternal Main Star fell into chaos. Forces from all sides mobilized together, searching for Ye Fan, trying to discover his whereabouts.
Ye Fan was grateful. The Heaven-Deceiving Array of Emperor Wu Shi was incredibly useful. It concealed all life imprint traits, making even the sensors that could detect ancient kings useless against him.
He suspected that Emperor Wu Shi might have encountered trouble when he entered this place back then, which was why he had put special thought into creating this array.
The ancient clans sneered, their killing intent palpable. Even they were often detected and could not completely evade the sensors. They believed Ye Fan would soon reveal himself.
"We're just waiting for him to show up. Then we'll cut him into pieces!"
"The Green Copper Cauldron is ours, and his corpse must be brought back to the Big Dipper. He has offended all the clans. Even if he flees to the end of the universe, he will be slain!"
Ye Fan's true form remained hidden. He was calm and began another operation.
"Warriors, what are you waiting for? Go to outer space and hunt the Saint Beasts! Conquer them! Use them as mounts! We will become holy knights!"
Ye Fan no longer played the role of the lucky young man from last time. This time, he wanted to demonstrate real strength, rallying a large group of people.
He piloted an ancient sacred war machine, leading the crowd to set up one spatial trap after another in outer space. Then, he went alone to lure the Saint Beasts.
Others could not do it, but when no one was watching, he did not need to hide his strength—he could slay ancient saints!
Thus, he launched a series of attacks, beating an Ancestral King to the brink of death, then teleporting him into a spatial trap, triggering a massive explosion.
"We've slain a saint! We... actually slew a saint!"
A group of hot-blooded warriors shouted, finding that the Ancestral King's forehead had been shattered by the forbidden artifact, blood spraying as he fell in the cold universe.
"Ah, his Immortal Platform was shattered. Otherwise, we could have captured him alive and become Saint Beast Knights!"
A group sighed, but they were still overjoyed. They carefully divided the Saint Beast in outer space and returned separately to the Eternal Main Star.
This was undoubtedly sensational. A group of warriors had slain a Saint Beast. Though their strength was lacking, they had defied the odds and succeeded, returning fully loaded.
Without a doubt, this set another example, inspiring a wave of hot-blooded experts. Though their strength was mediocre, their ambitions were grand, and they charged into outer space one after another, sparking a storm.
The ancient clans were truly enraged. Some Ancestral Kings trembled with fury, wanting to kill everyone and shatter this ancient star.