# Chapter 1238: Qilin’s Sorrow
Dao Yi’s expression stiffened. He had never expected a third imperial weapon to appear, one that would overturn the battle situation. Was everything really going to fall apart at the final moment?
“Dao brother, I truly am unwell and have no choice but to act this way. Lend me the Ancient Tree of Life, and I’ll turn around and leave. I’ll return it next time.” Ye Fan’s face was full of sincerity.
Dao Yi revealed a trace of worry. He didn’t want to submit and tried to stall for time, but Ye Fan gave him no chance. Holding the Green Cauldron, he pressed downward, immediately threatening the ancient emperor formation diagram.
Seeing this, Yan Qi spoke while continuing to fight: “Dao friend, help this old man escape, and you will be richly rewarded. From now on, the Fire Qilin Cave and you will become eternal friends.”
“Senior, don’t panic. I’m coming to save you.” Ye Fan pressed the Green Cauldron down again. A hazy, clear radiance was intimidating, but he was very measured and didn’t get involved. “My abilities are meager, and I have no wondrous techniques. How about Senior first pass me a divine art from the ancient emperor’s secret chapter to break through this formation?”
Yan Qi secretly hated this. He had already lowered his posture, yet this reckless man was still taking advantage of the situation to extort him, applying pressure.
Huo Qizi’s eyes blazed with murderous intent, dancing like two flames, but Ye Fan directly ignored him, not even glancing his way.
“Dao brother, I have a hidden injury and urgently need a divine medicine. If you won’t help me, then forget it. I don’t want to live anymore. Let this ancient emperor formation bury my body.”
Ye Fan grew fierce. The Green Cauldron shimmered with auspicious light, surging with abundant life essence. It dropped several dozen zhang, grinding away many ancient emperor Dao-mark symbols.
These were divine energies extended by the formation diagram. Though they didn’t harm the formation’s main body, if this continued, the Green Cauldron would truly collide with the formation.
Dao Yi lost his smile. For the first time in his life, he was being threatened like this. He sighed inwardly, regretting that he had provoked this person at the final juncture, actually summoning an ancient emperor weapon!
“Ah…”
A scream rang out. Another sage had fallen, this one from the Huntian Clan, a member of the ten great primeval royal clans with heaven-reaching magical power.
“Dao friend, I’ll teach you a divine art called Qilin Slash, capable of killing all gods. Listen well!” Yan Qi couldn’t hold back any longer. The ancient sages by his side were all worth protecting, and losing them like this was truly lamentable.
“Good, I’m all ears.” Ye Fan smiled.
“Wait!” Dao Yi spoke, making a choice. A tender branch appeared in his hand, about a foot long.
At the same time, Yan Qi transmitted a divine thought, conveying a secret art that entered Ye Fan’s ear.
Ye Fan sneered inwardly. Did Yan Qi really think he could be fooled? This secret art was extraordinary, but it had a flaw—a conclusion he had quickly deduced using the Battle Saint Art.
Dao Yi acted decisively. Green light flashed, and the branch shot into the sky, appearing in Ye Fan’s palm. A string of tender branches, as if cast from emerald jade, glittered translucently, spraying light and radiating color.
At the same time, Great Sage Yan Qi held his divine staff and followed the trajectory of the branch, charging toward the sky, trying to escape through this path.
But his opponent was also a great sage, unstoppably divine, entangling him and striking him back. Clearly, he couldn’t escape.
“Dao brother, you’re being too stingy. You have a Tree of Life, yet you only cut such a small branch for me. It can only heal external injuries, not my Dao wound.” Ye Fan sighed.
“Brother Ye, one must learn to be content.” Dao Yi showed displeasure. “I only have a single branch, not the true Tree of Life. It was lost deep in the universe.”
“Alas, then my injury is hard to cure. But who wants to die? Dao brother, give me a slightly thicker branch.” Ye Fan said.
Dao Yi was frustrated. For the first time in his life, he wanted to beat someone!
This Indestructible Golden Body was really asking for a beating, especially seeing how serious and sincere he looked. He really wanted to slap him flying.
Dao Yi had set up this trap to kill Great Sage Yan Qi and absolutely could not fail. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable. If Yan Qi escaped, the revenge in the future would be devastating.
He was a bit annoyed. How had he stirred up such a troublemaker at the final moment? He looked at Ye Fan with a dark face, his previously brilliant smile nowhere to be seen.
“Ah…”
Another scream. Another ancient clan sage fell, cut in two by the formation diagram, staining the blue sky with blood.
Yan Qi grew frantic: “Dao friend, why aren’t you keeping your promise? I’ve already taught you the divine art.”
Ye Fan’s eyes were cold as he stared at him: “I dare not learn your divine art. I’m afraid I’ll dissolve into the Dao.”
“Fine, then this old man will teach you another art, foolproof. This is the ultimate divine art from the ancient emperor’s secret chapter!” Yan Qi shouted. He was secretly shocked that Ye Fan was so terrifying, having deduced the “hidden flaw” in the previous art in such a short time.
Dao Yi spoke, his divine voice rolling like thunder: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll keep Huo Qizi as a hostage and send Yan Qi to kill you, costing you your life?”
“I dare to act this way because I have a way to protect myself. And if you do that, everything you’ve done will be wasted. I think a clan’s great sage wouldn’t be stupid enough to still be threatened by you after gaining freedom.” Ye Fan smiled faintly.
“What if I come to fight you?” Dao Yi became extremely fierce, his sage might overwhelming, stirring up ten thousand layers of waves that reached into the universe.
Inside the formation, Huo Qizi’s face changed. He clenched his fists, torch-like light shooting from his eyes.
“Feel free to try!” Ye Fan was very aggressive, divine light exploding from him. “I need a battle with a powerful sage!”
“What you need is a powerful sage, not an ancient imperial prince who has become a sage!” Dao Yi’s eyes were deep, staring into his true heart.
Ye Fan smiled, weighing the Green Copper Cauldron in his hand, then suddenly slammed it down. It made the entire formation diagram shake violently—it might actually be able to split it open!
“Good, Dao friend, help me escape, and the Fire Qilin Cave will richly reward you. On the path to immortality, we’ll travel together!” Yan Qi said.
Huo Qizi bit his lip until blood seeped out, saying nothing. Today was a humiliation for him. He would rather die fighting than beg for mercy. He glared at Great Sage Yan Qi.
“Fine, I’ll lend you a section of the Tree of Life. Take it and heal your injury.” Once Dao Yi made a decision, he didn’t drag things out. He broke off a branch, about a third of the whole, and tossed it out.
Ye Fan activated the Weapon Art, trapping it in his palm. Holding it, his whole body felt comfortable, wrapped in a powerful life force.
“Good, Dao brother acts decisively, which is refreshing. Farewell here. The green mountains remain, the waters flow forever. I look forward to meeting again another day.” Ye Fan said.
Listening to his bandit-like speech, like a mountain brigand among mortals, Dao Yi’s face darkened: “Better we meet less often.”
Ye Fan waved and walked toward the spaceship, as if about to leave on it. But suddenly, his entire figure disappeared, merging into the Green Cauldron, and he drove it toward the formation diagram.
“You…” Dao Yi’s face changed.
“Good, Dao friend truly has heart. We both come from the Big Dipper and should naturally support each other!” Yan Qi laughed.
However, he was soon stunned. The Green Copper Cauldron skimmed past the formation diagram without crashing into it. It tore through the void above the planet and vanished in an instant.
Dao Yi nodded, seeming to understand, and did not stop him in this process.
“What is this…” The two or three ancient sages still beside Yan Qi despaired.
During this process, a large net appeared in the distance, enveloping Ye Fan’s cosmic mothership, covering even that stretch of starry sky.
If Ye Fan had left from that direction, he would have walked right into the trap and been captured. No one expected him to go the opposite way, skirting the ancient emperor formation to escape.
It was a brilliant large net, as if forged from countless stars, flashing with divine radiance. Each strand was like a river of stars, netting half the universe.
“These juniors nowadays are all slippery as eels, so hard to catch.” In the void, an old man sighed and dejectedly withdrew his net. It was the old mercenary Huo Bai.
He didn’t reveal his true form, hiding in the shadows. After watching for a moment, he went far away, sighing: “Alas, who would have thought he had the Immortal Cauldron. I missed it.”
Ye Fan needed a battle, but not here. Two great sages were present, each holding extreme imperial weapons. There was also the ancient emperor formation diagram. Trapped here, he would surely perish.
Moreover, the divine organization had suffered a great loss here and would likely not let it go, counterattacking at any moment. This place was not suitable for staying.
“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I thought I was the oriole, but I didn’t expect an old mercenary. That damned old thing is actually a tough customer.” Ye Fan cursed.
“Ah…” With the fall of the sage from the Shi Wang Clan, only Huo Qizi remained beside Great Sage Yan Qi on the blood-soaked ancient star. Everyone else was dead.
“This old man will fight you to the death!” Yan Qi roared, burning his life force, blood-sacrificing the Qilin Staff.
At this moment, the blue divine light could be seen from an immeasurable distance, many times more brilliant than a star. It streaked across the sky, illuminating eternity.
The Blue Gold Divine Staff cut through the universe, tearing open a corner of the incomplete ancient emperor formation diagram. Yan Qi carried Huo Qizi, charging into the sky. Half his body was burned away, his primordial spirit cracked—he had paid an irredeemable price!
“You cannot leave.” Dao Yi said softly, standing in place, but the formation diagram became even more terrifying, divine light sweeping across the universe, breaking everything.
And the great sage wearing the Daoyan Immortal Cloth followed like a shadow, locking onto Yan Qi, not giving him a chance to escape.
Immortal mist rolled, killing intent boiled, drowning Yan Qi. The ancient emperor formation diagram was unmatched, needing no activation, sealing the heavens on its own.
“Prince, I will send you away even if it costs me my life!” Yan Qi was covered in blood. Only his head was still intact; the rest of his body was all blood, nearly melted.
“Yan Qi!” Huo Qizi shouted.
“This time, I will become the sinner of the Fire Qilin Cave. Because I cannot send away the Qilin Staff, I can only send away the Prince. I need this divine staff to hold them back, otherwise they will catch up to you.” Yan Qi coughed up blood heavily, his eyes dim.
Yan Qi spat a mouthful of essence blood, then roared in fury. The divine staff fully awakened, but the Daoyan Divine Cloth did the same, not weaker than him, suppressing him!
At the same time, the formation diagram locked onto him, severing his divine soul, killing his primordial spirit.
“Yan Qi, leave! Take the Qilin Staff and escape!” Huo Qizi shouted.
Yan Qi didn’t speak. His entire body grew brighter and brighter, outshining many stars, releasing immortal power. His body rapidly disintegrated, the great sage’s essence blood completely evaporated.
Only his head remained, merging with the Qilin Staff. His eyes were lifeless as he drove the weapon, splitting open a corner of the formation diagram, shaking open a void passage, and sending Huo Qizi in.
“Prince, you must survive. In the future, with your bloodline, you will at least become a generation of quasi-emperor. My achievement ends here. The Qilin Staff will fall into their hands, but no one can seal it forever. An imperial weapon cannot be humiliated. At most, they will use the Daoyan Divine Cloth and the formation diagram to suppress it for a few decades. Eventually, it will fly away on its own. The deity within an extreme weapon cannot be destroyed, unless Dao Yi becomes a great emperor.”
“Prince, take care. I can no longer protect your path. Prince, learn from others’ strengths. People like Dao Yi are truly terrifying—they can live long…” Yan Qi’s voice grew faint.
Huo Qizi screamed in pain, but entering the dark void, he could see nothing, hear nothing, and left that battlefield.
Yan Qi’s torso became bloody mud, his head also cracked, his eyes dim. Yet he still merged with the Qilin Staff, standing guard there…
Tears blurred Huo Qizi’s eyes. Just moments ago, he had been dissatisfied with Yan Qi, angry at his compromise, hating him for bowing his head to Dao Yi and Ye Fan. But in the end, everything was to save him, not for his own survival.
“Ah…” Huo Qizi fell from the void, landing on a dead star. He grabbed his own hair, knelt on the ground, and let out a heart-wrenching roar.
“I will grow strong. I will not stop at quasi-emperor!” He roared in grief, like a wounded beast, weeping alone in solitude.