Chapter 1319: Heavenly Soldiers
He Kun was torn into pieces, becoming a meal for the Golden Lion, Scorpion, Crocodile Dragon, and the others, divided among them, leaving only wisps of blood mist drifting in the air.
The twelve saints blazed with terrifying ferocity, leaving the Wang and Lin clans' people stunned and somewhat unnerved. This group of ancient beasts and foreign races could sweep across an entire domain.
Wang Xi clenched her small fists, shouting and jumping in excitement and agitation. She was a lively, innocent young girl, but she showed a tendency to transform into a violent one.
Regardless, the great calamity of this night had been resolved. The experts of the Wang and Lin clans were all exhilarated and cheered.
Wang Ziwen let out a long breath. He hadn't expected Ye Fan to have such a group of followers. This was truly shocking—they could contend with any major power and dominate an ancient star.
"Between us, I won't bother with formalities. If you hadn't come this time, my family and I would have been in real danger," Wang Ziwen said.
"Thank you, Uncle Ye." Wang Chen also stepped forward, performing a grand bow to express his gratitude.
Lin Ling, along with many of her clan members, expressed their thanks. At this moment, these people were all excited. Repelling the He family and killing several saints in a row was a powerful deterrent.
Only Wang Xi hopped around, completely unguarded, clamoring to join the Twelve Saints and go "brutal" with them in the future, wanting to transform into a little demon.
This gave Wang Ziwen and Lin Ling a headache, unsure how to "tame" this precious daughter.
"Some hostile forces may harbor ill intentions, but now they'll think twice first," an elder said.
"Let them come. I haven't eaten my fill yet," the Black Bear Saint said, standing like a small black mountain, its saintly might spreading.
Ye Fan glared at it, and the giant bear instantly shrank to a foot long. Its fur was as smooth as silk, its big eyes like two black gems, blinking, watery and innocent, with no trace of a ferocious beast's aura.
Except for Wang Xi, who shouted "cute" and wanted to run over and pick it up, everyone else stepped back. This group of ancient beasts was more ferocious than the last; appearances should never be trusted.
The twelve saints all changed their forms, each becoming either mini-sized or harmless-looking, as friendly as could be.
At dawn, the red sun leaped above the horizon. Birds chirped melodiously, and mist lingered over the land, tinged with golden light by the morning glow.
The midnight battle had wiped out the He family entirely, with no one escaping, stirring up waves in the region.
People didn't know what had happened, unaware of the twelve saints or Ye Fan's arrival. They all talked, making those targeting the Lin clan uneasy.
"The He family mobilized with great fanfare, inviting four ancient demons. How did they not even raise a ripple? Were all their forces killed?"
This spread like a ripple, extending into the distance, causing many major powers to feel wary. People had reason to believe that the Lin clan's Saint King, Lin Han, had recovered; otherwise, how could they be so dominant?
This battle had a significant impact, intimidating everyone. No one dared act rashly, which was good news for the Lin clan.
At Lin Han's secluded retreat, many waited with hope, nervous and uneasy, wishing the old man could cross this threshold and successfully pass through this trial.
A few days later, news leaked: Lin Han hadn't recovered. Instead, someone had helped the clan, slaughtering He Kun the Saint King and others.
Hostile forces immediately stirred, learning that no Saint King had been involved in the last battle—just some terrifying beasts acting together.
"Outer-domain cultivators dare to massacre on our 'Heavenly Soldier' ancient star, bloodily cleansing one side. This is utterly reckless! They should be attacked by all!"
"Outer-domain demons have invaded our 'Heavenly Soldier' star, despising everything, killing our kin. We should join hands to encircle and exterminate these thugs!"
One after another, people jumped out, speaking harshly, calling on the star's strong to unite and eliminate Ye Fan and his group, labeling them as dangerous invaders.
Undoubtedly, these jumpers were forces wanting to strike at the Wang and Lin clans, now agitating to rally more people to act.
Because they were truly intimidated. Even if these beasts had no Saint King, their combat power was extremely strong. They had even devoured He Kun, a Saint King—how could that not be alarming?
"How hateful! They clearly wanted to massacre our clan, failed in their attack, and were routed by us. Now they slander and defame us!"
"Uncle Ye traveled from afar to help us through a deadly crisis, yet they call him an invader, wanting to unite to eliminate him. It's infuriating."
Wang Xi and Wang Chen were both indignant.
A wave of disturbance arose outside, but few actually took action. Most watched from the sidelines.
Before a rocky mountain, immortal mist swirled. Inside an ancient cave on the main peak, Lin Han was in seclusion, heavily guarded.
Over the past few months, several groups had tried to breach this place to probe the truth, and two assassination attempts had stirred up bloodshed.
Ye Fan climbed the stone steps to the main peak and entered the ancient cave within the formation. An old man with white hair and beard, his body withered, sat motionless on a stone bed, as if in meditation.
This was Lin Han, who had reached the peak of the Saint King realm, just a step away from becoming a Great Saint. But now, his situation was dire. Chaotic laws entangled him like hellish shackles.
Ye Fan stood at the cave entrance, observing for a while, understanding his condition. He had encountered significant problems in comprehending the Dao. His divine sense was scattered, and he might dissolve into the Dao.
Clearly, Wang Ziwen, Lin Ling, and others knew the old man's state and were deeply worried. He had the potential to become a Great Saint, yet now he could turn to ashes at any moment.
"It's not entirely unsolvable," Ye Fan said after looking.
"What... can my father really be saved?" Lin Ling's voice trembled. She pulled her two children forward, about to kneel and beg Ye Fan to help.
"Stop. Ziwen and I are old friends. What are you doing? If there's a glimmer of hope, I won't stand idly by." Ye Fan quickly stopped her.
"If you can truly save my father-in-law, all problems can be resolved," Wang Ziwen said, also excited.
Ye Fan left the stone cliff, found a quiet place, and began to seclude himself. He took out the Dao Source, shaved off a small piece, and started refining it.
This was a difficult process. The Dao Source didn't recognize him and strongly rejected him. Ye Fan expended great effort, his whole body radiating divine radiance as he tempered it.
At this moment, perhaps only the Dao Source could save Lin Han, who had gone wrong in his cultivation. But Ye Fan feared the Dao Source would also reject Lin Han, which would directly cause his death.
Ye Fan thought that only by shattering the Dao Source, breaking down the many primal laws within it, reorganizing them, and continuously smelting them could it be turned into a cauldron of precious medicine.
Of course, this would greatly damage the Dao Source, losing most of its divine effect. But it had to be done this way. As long as some Dao nature remained, Lin Han could cross the deadly barrier and recover.
It took two days for Ye Fan to emerge from seclusion. He had to be cautious because even a slight mistake could cause this star's future supreme being to perish in both body and spirit.
This was a fist-sized ball of light, sealed by Ye Fan and handed to Wang Ziwen, telling him to inject it directly into Lin Han's body.
The Dao Source's divinity was less than a tenth of its original, but it was enough to save a person from life-and-death calamity.
"Cut from that ball you washed your feet with?" The Dragon Horse's big eyes rolled around incessantly.
"Shut up." Ye Fan didn't dare let it say more, or it would be awkward. When Lin Han recovered, he'd probably be speechless too.
A ball of light entered Lin Han's body. Instantly, the sound of Dao resonance rang out within him. His chaotic Immortal Platform bloomed with treasure light, and his whole being suddenly filled with vitality.
"It's working! My father-in-law's divine sense is awakening. He might recover in a few days!" Wang Ziwen exclaimed in surprise.
Lin Ling wept with joy. The clan members were all thrilled, suppressing their cheers as they left this place, grateful to Ye Fan, too moved to know what to say.
As long as Lin Han didn't die and safely passed this tribulation, he would likely become a Great Saint, overlooking the entire ancient star. Then, nothing would be feared.
"Eliminate the invaders! We must unite to kill those beasts cleanly, not let them run rampant on our star!"
"Killing outer-domain demons is everyone's duty. We should do our utmost to eradicate these sources of calamity!"
Outside, there was a clamor. Several major forces joined hands, constantly agitating, trying to get those uninvolved in this incident to join them in bloodily cleansing Ye Fan, the Lin clan, and others.
These people dared to act because they had tacit approval from peerless experts. It was said that several Saint Kings, old rivals of Lin Han, wanted to prevent him from becoming a Great Saint and uproot the Lin clan.
Wang Xi puffed up with anger, her small face full of indignation. "They're too hateful! They're clearly a bunch of bandits, wanting to get their hands on my family's immortal pill fragments and take this chance to eliminate my grandfather, yet they speak so sanctimoniously."
"Uncle Ye said to ignore them for now. They can't figure out the situation yet and won't act immediately," Wang Chen said.
"The Heavenly Soldier ancient star is very strange..." Ye Fan murmured. He was earnestly sensing the Dao, feeling that this star was truly special.
The Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Scorpion, and others thrived like fish in water, comprehending the Dao here very smoothly. Over time, accumulating day by day, they would gain immense benefits, and their cultivation would certainly surge.
In recent days, Ye Fan had discovered many mysteries. The heaven and earth bore artificially carved Dao imprints, as if they had existed for ten thousand ages, some already blurred.
This shocked him. What kind of powerful being had done this? The more he explored, the more terrifying he found it. These were left by prehistoric supreme beings, suspected to be Emperor marks!
Heaven and earth nurture people, and people can give birth to the Dao; the two interact. This star, named Heavenly Soldier, had flourished until now without decline, greatly due to these artificially carved Dao traces.
Ye Fan sat cross-legged in the sky, his form blurry as if dissolving into the Dao, merging with chaotic mist, capturing those ancient traces.
"Profound and extensive. This doesn't seem to be the work of one person. There are several kinds of ripples, imprinted in this space, becoming immortal marks." Ye Fan marveled.
He felt that choosing to come to this ancient star was truly the right decision. It seemed to hold unknown secrets worth exploring.
"Ye Fan, I've found the various historical records you need." Wang Ziwen appeared, parting the chaotic mist and approaching.
The Heavenly Soldier ancient star was very mysterious. Ye Fan wanted to understand its past. Wang Ziwen took this seriously and delivered various ancient texts in the shortest time.
"There are dozens or even hundreds of legends about this ancient star. The truth is hard for outsiders to uncover. I've studied it seriously in the past, for your reference." Wang Ziwen said.
Ye Fan carefully flipped through them. These were Wang Ziwen's efforts—some from ancient texts, some from inquiries among old tribes, and some from clues unearthed in underground ruins.
"The Heavenly Soldier ancient star, connected to other surrounding stars, shaped like a soldier, hence its name."
"This star is the head of an ancient corpse, transformed into a great star."
"In the wild mountain ranges, an Imperial Weapon lies dormant, sleeping for ten thousand ages, destined to awaken one day."
...
Time was too distant. The origin of the Heavenly Soldier star was no longer known by anyone. Various ancient legends existed. Ye Fan read carefully, deeply shocked.
Because each legend was astonishing, each with some convincing reasoning, making this place increasingly mysterious.
Soon, another ancient anecdote caught his attention. Some ancients speculated that this might be an ancient site where the Ancient Heavenly Court trained and nurtured heavenly soldiers.