Chapter 1281: Kill Without Mercy
The Great Commander wore a purple-gold crown on his head, carried a Dragon-Serpent Scissors on his back, and held a golden great banner in his hand. His entire being radiated a sea of battle qi, surging and spreading outward.
He pointed at Ye Fan and said coldly, "You use your techniques to evolve and reveal so-called truths, deceiving all the heroes. This is despicable and lowly—such tricks cannot stand on the stage. Capture you, and they will be broken immediately."
"Do you think everyone under heaven can be fooled? It's already this obvious, yet you still make excuses, trying to cover up the truth with more lies. Shameless!" Ye Fan rebuked.
To the people in the city, this was like a thunderclap shaking the world. As the Great Commander, he was one of the few with the greatest authority in the ancient city aside from the Guide Envoy. Who would dare defy him on ordinary days?
"Capture this beast and clear our names!" the remaining soldiers shouted. One by one, they regripped their weapons, their blood qi rolling, ready to fight to the death.
They had no retreat. Only by killing Ye Fan could they have a chance to turn things around; otherwise, today's matter could not end peacefully.
"Living to such a shameless level is a kind of realm in itself. Don't you feel guilty saying these things? Truly, every one of you has a wolf's heart and a dog's lungs!" Ye Fan said coldly, pointing his long spear forward.
"You slander our innocence, and relying on your extraordinary techniques, you evolve a so-called strand of divine thought to deceive the heroes. Only by killing your true body and examining your primordial spirit can our grievances be washed away. What are you all waiting for? Kill!"
A group charged forward to attack, but this time they dared not clash head-on. They set up an ancient formation, with the Great Commander as the vanguard, fighting at the front.
"Boom!"
A golden great banner unfurled, its saintly might overwhelming. The banner surface covered the sky, containing sun, moon, stars, and rivers within, like a real cosmic void pressing down.
This was a golden saintly banner. The materials used would make even a Great Sage envious—it was forged from River of Stars Divine Sand. Back then, the Great Commander Yu Han had wanted to exchange ten thousand catties of such divine materials for the Dao Source.
Such things were hard to gather. Though the cosmic star rivers were endless, one would have to travel through countless star domains to collect even a tael of divine sand. This was something condensed from starlight.
The golden saintly banner rustled loudly, but it wasn't made entirely of this substance; other materials were mixed in. Strands of aura leaked out, weighing billions of jun, pressing down as if the entire ancient city was about to collapse.
Ye Fan smiled coldly, raising one arm to the sky and reaching out with his bare hand toward the great banner, unafraid of the overwhelming star river power. His hand covered the sky.
All the saintly qi was shaken apart, reversing and surging back into the banner. Inside was a vast star domain, a boundless world.
Within it, various auspicious vapors flourished, and tens of thousands of rays of multicolored light shone like beams of soaring immortals, dazzling the eyes.
"Void Seal!" the Great Commander shouted.
Inside the banner was a starry world. Since it was forged from River of Stars Divine Sand, it naturally evolved such wonders, forming its own world to trap Ye Fan within the banner.
However, no matter how many divine abilities or myriad Dao techniques you used, Ye Fan simply threw a punch. All the countless spells and endless Dao arts were useless, continuously shattering.
The so-called seal could only freeze the world within the banner, but it couldn't truly immobilize Ye Fan. He was like a human-shaped savage dragon emerging, unstoppable.
The Great Commander was startled. He let out a light shout and violently shook the great banner, causing even more terrifying scenes to unfold.
"Boom!"
Within the golden banner surface, ancient stars appeared, then rushed out, slowly rotating, pressing down on Ye Fan from above with a rumbling sound.
The crowd was horrified. In that instant, countless ancient stars filled the sky, vast and immense, so close they seemed within reach.
A tremendous oppressive force weighed on people's hearts, impossible to resist. This was the might of the ancient stars erupting from the golden great banner!
Crack!
A sound of shattering came as Ye Fan swung his fist, smashing all the ancient stars to pieces. They exploded in the void, causing the entire golden banner to tremble as if it were about to disintegrate.
The Great Commander Yu Han's face changed. He had investigated thoroughly and knew that before entering the Ancient Dao Arena, Ye Fan was only a Half-Saint. How could he be so powerful now?
He was certain that no one had undergone tribulation in the arena this time, because he controlled a Dao Mirror born from this space that could sense the situation inside. The opponent should not have broken through, yet now he was this terrifying.
A fierce collision occurred. The golden great banner flashed with lightning and thunder, actually dropping ten thousand star rivers, vast as waterfalls, majestic as the ancient nine heavens, shaking everyone's blood qi and nearly drowning this place.
This was a heavenly phenomenon, shocking to the mind.
Yet even such a saintly banner could not extinguish that great hand. One could clearly see star rivers shattering before Ye Fan's palm, turning into brilliant starlight.
With a tearing sound, Ye Fan tore off half the banner with one hand. All the heavenly phenomena vanished, and calm returned.
The Great Commander's face alternated between pale and green. He held a tattered banner in his hand—Ye Fan had torn away most of it with his bare hands. This was unimaginable.
"A group of shameless scoundrels. I'll send you all on your way one by one," Ye Fan said coldly. His eyes blazed with divine light, and in an instant, he activated the Weapon Art. The great banner in the Great Commander's hand reversed, nearly injuring him with its own force.
"Clang," "Zheng"...
Behind the Great Commander, the soldiers who had set up the ancient killing formation all felt their hearts tremble. Their own weapons reversed, clanging and ringing sharply.
With a splat, screams came. One soldier's bronze sword cut off his own head, and his primordial spirit was also severed.
Another soldier had an ancient tower suspended above him, which fell and crushed him into a mess of broken bones and bloody mud.
"Dong!"
A great bell boomed. An old soldier who had become a saint many years ago had a bell suspended above his head, ringing softly. The bell waves shook several nearby men into bloody mist, killing them instantly.
Ye Fan's killing intent surged. In almost an instant, he slaughtered all these soldiers cleanly, leaving only two alive. They were forcibly taken by the Great Commander as he retreated.
But they only died a moment later. Ye Fan let out a light shout, using a Dao Roar. The two men in the Great Commander's hands turned into two clumps of mud, their bones and flesh dissolving simultaneously.
"You act violently in the human race's sacred city. Aren't you afraid the enforcers on the ancient path will descend and slay you?" the Great Commander Yu Han shouted.
"When you sent these soldiers into the Ancient Dao Arena to kill me and plunder the Dao Source, why weren't you afraid?" Ye Fan asked.
"Please, Guide Envoy, take action and suppress this beast!" the Great Commander called out loudly, his voice so powerful that the city walls hummed with resonance.
At this moment, the people were filled with shock. Ye Fan had killed people in the street, slaughtering all the dozen or so soldiers guarding the city, and had pushed the Great Commander to this point.
But people were also astonished. Matters had reached this stage, yet the Guide Envoy still hadn't appeared, forcing the Great Commander to directly call out and request action.
"Great Commander Yu Han became an ancient saint two thousand four hundred years ago. Who would have thought he'd fail today? It was said he might have stepped into the rank of Immortal Five Saint King—could that be false?"
Some discussed, all of them visibly moved.
"I swear on my honor, what I say is not false. The Great Commander has nearly reached the Immortal Five Saint King realm. Even if he hasn't fully entered, one foot is already in."
The crowd was shaken. How powerful was Ye Fan's combat strength, to fight a Great Commander of this level and force him back? Truly terrifying beyond measure!
"Murder has happened! The cultivator named Ye Fan has rebelled! Everyone, join together and kill him! Ask the Guide Envoy to take action and suppress him!" someone shouted from the shadows, trying to incite the crowd.
Ye Fan's cold eyes flashed like lightning. He suddenly turned his head, piercing through layers of human walls. In his gaze, ancient suns, moons, and stars rose and fell, deep and boundless, instantly seeing through everything.
Six figures stood together, side by side, hidden among the crowd. But how could they evade Ye Fan's current spiritual perception? They were Di Tian's six subordinates.
These six were not of the human race. They had gone deep into the Ancient Dao Arena to surround and kill Ye Fan, trying to seize his Dao Source. Each was arrogant and spoke wildly, claiming he could not attain the Dao and should follow Di Tian. Now they were stirring up chaos.
A cold snort came, striking everyone's hearts. The Guide Envoy had emerged from seclusion. With so many calling out, it would be unreasonable for him not to appear.
However, from his slow movement, it was clear he was dissatisfied with the Great Commander and the others. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sat by and watched a dozen soldiers be killed.
Ye Fan's expression shifted. The Guide Envoy was indeed powerful—definitely at the peak of Immortal Five, at the summit of the Saint King rank, about to step into the Immortal Six Great Sage rank, on par with figures like Nine Phoenix King and Qilin Heavenly King from the Big Dipper.
"Wait for the Guide Envoy to arrive, and see how you can still act fierce," the Great Commander Yu Han said, feigning calm. He flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
"Did I say you could go?" Ye Fan said, taking a step forward to block his path.
The crowd was astonished. The Guide Envoy was about to appear, yet he still dared to act this way—truly audacious beyond measure! A dragon's roar came as the Dragon-Serpent Scissors on the Great Commander Yu Han's back flew out, transforming into a blazing immortal light. A true dragon and a flood dragon crossed together, snipping toward him.
Ye Fan reached out. With a bang, he directly caught the dazzling Dao Scissors, trying to subdue it. But the artifact spirit within the weapon resisted. He exerted force with both hands, and with a crack, he snapped this saintly weapon in two, unable to harm his flesh in the slightest.
Everyone was stunned. How terrifying a physical body must be to create such a scene?!
Then, a flash came from Ye Fan's brow. A small cauldron flew out, rapidly enlarging, dropping strands of Mother Qi. Stars shifted, and in an instant, it was above the Great Commander's head.
He had summoned the cauldron not to block the Dragon-Serpent Scissors, but to suppress and kill the enemy, fearing an accident where Yu Han might escape.
Rumble!
Heaven and earth split apart. From the Primordial Qi Cauldron, ten thousand star rivers descended, along with billions of strands of Mother Qi. Inside was a cosmic sea of stars, with a Vermilion Bird striking across three thousand worlds and a Chaos deity roaring. In an instant, Yu Han was drawn inside.
Within the cauldron, the star sea churned. With a light shake, it then inverted. The cauldron mouth faced down, and a clump of ash drifted out. The Great Commander Yu Han had died, becoming a pile of dust!
"The Great Commander Yu Han, even if not yet a Saint King, was nearly there, and he died just like that? How powerful must this cultivator named Ye Fan be?"
Everyone felt their scalps go numb. No need to say more—from today onward, everyone knew that among this batch of trial-takers in the city, most likely no one could contend with Ye Fan.
The Primordial Qi Cauldron flew back, Mother Qi hanging down, ten thousand spirits appearing, star rivers flowing, shielding Ye Fan below. He rose into the air, stepping through the void, and headed straight in one direction.
There, six figures were present. All changed color, not wanting to be discovered. They tried to cross the void in an instant. At the same time, Green Poem Fairy appeared, trying to block Ye Fan's path.
"Boom!"
The Primordial Qi Cauldron flew out, crashing forward. The void collapsed greatly. Two of them were shaken out, their bodies covered in blood and flesh. The falling Mother Qi crushed their bones and tendons inch by inch. With a great cry, they turned into two clouds of bloody mist.