Chapter 1258: The Sword Shakes Humanity's First City
The twelfth member of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders, his half-severed head filled with unwillingness and endless terror, was thus beheaded, falling toward the cold street.
Then, his corpse toppled into a pool of blood, which gushed forth, staining the avenue a vivid red—a sight that jolted the senses.
"Neigh—"
The Purple Qilin Beast roared; its master had fallen, blood splattering everywhere. It struggled violently in the first moment, its massive hooves stamping toward Ye Fan.
"Pfft"
Purple blood flew as Ye Fan cleaved its head off with a single sword stroke, the white bone stubs gruesome. The enormous corpse crashed onto the bluestone ground, blood forming a small river.
"Ah…"
The other Divine Riders were shocked, roaring in fury as various artifacts descended together, like a shower of meteorites falling from beyond the realm—powerful and intimidating, their radiance blazing.
No one had expected such a thing to happen: killing seed-level experts openly in the street, without restraint. This was unprecedented, an act of utter lawlessness!
"Kill him! Don't let him escape!" the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders bellowed.
With a hum, Ye Fan vibrated his sword, causing the entire heaven and earth to tremble, interfering with the laws of the Dao, extinguishing all dozens of secret techniques hurtling toward him.
At the same time, the black iron sword in his hand traced a bizarre arc, elusive as an antelope hanging its horns, drawing all the descending artifacts toward the high heavens.
Boom!
The artifacts shattered the sky; not a single one landed. They destroyed the heavens for hundreds of miles, causing the countless stars to shake.
This was the Weapon Art. Ye Fan executed it with the might of his sword stroke, rendering all the artifacts sacrificed by the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders ineffective.
From leaving the small tavern to this unrestrained slaughter, everything was accomplished in an instant. Ye Fan was as swift as a human-shaped lightning bolt, unstoppable by anyone.
When stillness fell, Ye Fan stood on one side of the street, his blood-dripping iron sword in hand, while the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders stood on the other. There was a brief silence.
But then came a deafening uproar. The city was in complete turmoil. Never had they seen such audacity; it was shocking.
"Am I seeing this right? He killed seed-level experts in the street, cleaving two of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders with one sword stroke each?!"
"A drop of blood splashed onto my face. Who is this person, daring to strike like this? Truly reckless."
"The Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders have hit an iron wall. Being killed in the street—could there be a greater humiliation? This man's courage is immense, breaking the precedent of Humanity's First City in years!"
It was as if a meteor had struck the city, stirring up a massive wave. Many could hardly believe it; it was too exaggerated.
"Kill!"
Only a moment of calm passed before some of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders, trembling with rage, went all out to slay Ye Fan. Various immortal lights soared.
This heaven and earth became like a great cauldron, boiling with worldly laws. The place turned into a battlefield of purgatory as they surrounded Ye Fan, attacking with endless divine light that drowned the long street.
If not for the ancient forbidden formations within the city, not just this street but the entire city would have shattered into ashes.
"Killing you ten thousand times won't ease the hatred in my heart! I'll extract your soul, seal it forever on the Nine Nether Dead Star, and make you suffer the torments of hell!"
Someone shouted, eyes bloodshot. Killing Ye Fan wasn't enough to vent their fury; only the cruelest methods of torturing cultivators would suffice.
Ye Fan possessed extreme speed, moving like a fleeting light, weaving through various artifacts, countering countless wondrous techniques, fighting like a madman.
That iron sword was not a Saint Artifact, but in his hands, it unleashed earth-shattering power, clanging as its sword light tore through heaven and earth.
A cold snort came from the second-in-command of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders. He had been watching coldly from the sidelines, now seated on an Azure Dragon, a square-sky halberd appearing in his hand—its weight unknown but in the tens of millions of catties!
He was clad in azure-gold armor, and his mount, the Azure Dragon, was covered in dark green scales. They were as one, like a demon god descending to the mortal world, striking downward with the halberd.
This great halberd weighed tens of millions of catties, a true legendary Saint Artifact. Its azure shaft and gleaming blade cleaved through the sky, emitting a terrifying howl.
Vague figures, like a host of gods and demons roaring, followed the halberd, piercing through the cosmos, shattering all obstacles—boundless and terrifying!
In the distance, everyone's face changed. The second-in-command of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders was too powerful, exceeding expectations, capable of slaying saints.
The seven or eight Divine Riders currently attacking all trembled. Only they knew how terrifying the leaders in the top ranks were, far surpassing them.
The tenth-ranked Divine Rider shouted, "You'll die a hundred times and still not atone for your blood crime! Spend your pitiful, lowly remaining life repenting on the Nine Nether Dead Star!"
He roared savagely, his killing intent surging, coordinating with the descending halberd to strike at Ye Fan's Immortal Platform forehead bone.
The others also howled, giving their all, unleashing techniques and artifacts like a meteor swarm—powerful and terrifying—all converging on Ye Fan.
Crack!
The street emitted a shattering sound; even some of the ancient prohibitions were damaged, making everyone pale. Just how terrifying was this halberd?
At this moment, eight people attacked Ye Fan from eight directions, plunging him into a life-and-death crisis!
In everyone's eyes, with the halberd's descent, Ye Fan could not possibly defend. Yet in that instant, he blocked the blade with his bare hand.
Clang!
A resonant sound echoed through the entire city. Many who heard it felt their souls tremble, then blood spilled from their mouths. The killing power of this strike was evident.
"What? Impossible! How did he block a strike with his hand? Who is this, possessing such a powerful physical body?"
Everyone was stunned, unable to believe it. Ye Fan hadn't used his iron sword to block, knowing it would shatter against a Saint Artifact. Instead, he flicked his left hand against the halberd's blade, yet no blood splattered.
"That halberd strike could slay a saint, and he… blocked it!"
Dao patterns flickered beneath Ye Fan's feet. He was like a dream, pushing the Stride Art to its limit, evading the attacks of the others. Various artifacts and techniques brushed past him. It was like dancing on a mountain of blades, strolling at the gates of hell, revealing a kind of grace and ease amid the deadly crisis.
He broke out of the encirclement of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders. To achieve this in that instant was truly extraordinary; none of the heroes present thought they could match.
"Repent on the Nine Nether Dead Star…" The tenth-ranked member of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders' words were cut off as his ferocious, cruel expression froze.
Because an iron sword, in the span of a hair's breadth, pierced through layers of light barriers, broke through all defenses, and struck his body.
"Pfft"
A sword through the brain!
The black iron sword entered through his forehead bone and exited through the back of his head, blood dripping from the blade, stained with white brain matter—a gruesome sight.
No one expected Ye Fan's attack to be so peerlessly sharp!
It wasn't some wondrous technique but a common sword move—simple and direct, excelling in speed, rivaling lightning, breaking all laws.
At this moment, Ye Fan was like an Asura, his black hair loose, his body tall and strong, his eyes sharper than cold lightning.
"Crack"
With a forceful twist of the black iron sword, he pried off the tenth member's skullcap, sending blood spurting high.
With extreme unwillingness, the tenth member's gaze dimmed as he fell backward into a pool of blood, dead on the spot, crimson blood flowing.
Everyone was stunned. How powerful was this man? Amid the siege, he seized the only opportunity to nail a Divine Rider with a single sword stroke—truly breathtakingly brilliant!
"Stand back!"
The second-in-command of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders shouted lowly. He would personally act. The square-sky halberd gleamed with cold metallic luster, cleaving down as if to split heaven and earth.
The top-ranked Divine Riders were clearly many times stronger than those behind them, their magical power reaching the heavens. Even their mounts were Saint Beasts, showing their combat prowess.
"Hum"
But at that moment, another terrifying figure acted personally, even faster than the azure-gold-armored second-in-command.
It was the leader of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders, Gu Ling. He had been watching coldly until now, finally making his move. Holding a purple war spear, he thrust it forward in an instant.
Boom!
It was as if heaven and earth were collapsing! The power of this spear strike was immense. As the purple spear shot out, it was like a purple sun exploding, flames and light surging everywhere, filling everything with purple. Many experts were terrified; some were forced to bleed from their seven orifices by this aura!
This was a dazzling spear strike!
It possessed an undying vitality, radiant with light. The stars of the heavens seemed to tremble, about to fall. The entire ancient city seemed on the verge of disintegrating, shaking violently.
An exceptionally stunning spear strike. The leader of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders, bare-chested, his thick black hair loose, his bronze skin gleaming under the brilliant light of the purple war spear, appeared even more wild, like a resurrected deity!
"Kill…"
The other Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders roared. Their leader had personally acted; what enemy could not be slain? They all followed him in the assault.
Ye Fan's gaze turned cold. He swung his iron sword, plain and unadorned, yet majestic, meeting the purple war spear head-on.
Dark and hazy, like a black heavenly river falling, Ye Fan wielded a mortal weapon to clash with a Saint Artifact, colliding with the purple war spear.
Others showed strange expressions. The Divine Riders' gazes were utterly cruel; they knew such an iron sword could not withstand it.
Sure enough, the expected shattering sound came. The black iron sword shattered into pieces on the spot!
Yet they burst like fireworks, flying in all directions like a meteor shower. Each fragment was deadly.
Ye Fan executed the Weapon Art, guiding dozens or hundreds of fragments to attack all the Divine Riders. The howling was ear-splitting, utterly terrifying!
"Pfft," "Pfft"…
Blood light flashed, and muffled groans sounded. Except for the top five Divine Riders, the others' bodies burst with blood blossoms. They retreated uncontrollably, wounded by the sword.
This was shocking. Surrounded by the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders, Ye Fan repeatedly wounded his foes, astonishing everyone.
In the distance, Yu Xian and Mu Guanghan's beautiful eyes blinked as they focused intently. Tuoba Yu, Ku Toutuo, Ouye Mo, and others also appeared.
"Stop!" A group of powerful iron-armored experts arrived, surging forward like a steel flood.
The city's soldiers had arrived, each once a powerful expert on the trial ancient path, all extraordinary and formidable.
Their leader was the same soldier commander who had clashed with Ye Fan before and appeared at the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders' residence. He shouted coldly, "Anyone who commits violence in Humanity's First City will be killed without mercy!"
Clearly, he was targeting Ye Fan's Dao Body. His blood energy surged as he pointed a bronze war halberd in that direction.
The moment he finished speaking, Ye Fan's Dao Body soared into the sky. The Stride Art's speed rivaled lightning, and he unleashed a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering supreme divine fist.
Pfft!
His fist and his body passed straight through the body of the eleventh member of the Heaven-Desolate Thirteen Riders!
A fist that dominated heaven and earth, unstoppable, fast and fierce. Blood energy was like an ocean, surging to the extreme. Ye Fan shattered this man with one punch, charging through the blood mist and shattered bones.
Everyone was stunned. Even with the city's soldiers arriving, he acted as if he hadn't heard, striking sharply—truly overbearing.
Only one person remained calm: Ye Fan's true body, close to the battlefield on the long street, raised a cup of wine in a toast to his Dao Body, then drained it in one gulp.
Seeing this, many changed color!