Chapter 1304: Transformation into Buddha
Like a divine sun hanging in the sky, when Ye Fan flew onto the divine altar, golden radiance burst forth from his entire body, as if a sun were releasing immortal brilliance, with an overwhelming power surging outward.
His left hand formed a seal, causing the stars of the heavens to appear. His right hand clenched into a fist, mastering the cycle of life and death and reincarnation. He resembled an Immortal King overlooking the nine heavens, supremely divine and sacred, dazzling and brilliant.
The Blood Beast let out a roar, and behind it, an endless sea of blood emerged, as if it controlled the Asura World, standing as a sovereign over that realm atop the blood sea, swallowing heaven and earth with its aura.
At this moment, it had not revealed its true form but appeared as a red-haired Daoist, with disheveled hair and eyes like a wild beast's. Its palm transformed into a universe, containing mountains and rivers within, pressing down toward Ye Fan.
Ye Fan's golden fist mastered the cycle of life and death and reincarnation, shattering all obstacles. Even a palm-sized world was no exception, pierced through on the spot.
A sound of shattering came, and a world was destroyed!
There was no denying that the Blood Beast was supremely terrifying. Its palm-world collapsed, causing the void there to cave in and twist, but it itself remained unmoved, using its blood-colored great hand to clash head-on with Ye Fan's golden fist.
With a thunderous boom, a blinding light erupted between them, like countless stars exploding, scattering in all directions like brilliant, eternal fireworks.
This place was the True Phoenix Tower, said to be the remains of a quasi-emperor who failed his tribulation, ancient and indestructible. Otherwise, in any other location, even the stars in the sky would have been shaken down.
The Blood Beast was extremely powerful, a supreme exotic breed among ancient ferocious beasts. Its physical body could contend with gods and demons, and only such a bloodline could withstand Ye Fan's punch without exploding.
This also indirectly proved that the young supremes on the Stellar Ancient Path were not undeserving of their reputations. Otherwise, how could they stand out among the many saints?
Below the divine altar stood thousands of people. They were no ordinary trial-takers; they were the strongest of their respective races in this generation! All were heavenly prodigies and outstanding talents, having risen from among billions of living beings. Yet now, they could only look up at the dozen or so figures on the high platform.
Only one young supreme could emerge from many races, which sufficiently illustrated the point.
Ye Fan's golden fist clashed repeatedly with the Blood Beast's palm. The red-haired Daoist's body trembled, and fierce lightning bolts appeared in the void. Ye Fan charged through, attacking another enemy, quickly switching opponents to strike at the Earth Corpse.
There, yin energy surged to the heavens, and netherworld mist billowed. It was as if the King of Hell had opened the gates of hell and descended upon the mortal world.
"Clank, clank!"
Between the Earth Corpse's fingers, several thick iron chains appeared, pitch-black and gleaming, cold and striking, like fetters binding ferocious beasts in the depths of hell, now serving as its weapon.
It was an ancient corpse that had attained the Dao, once buried in an extreme yin location. Over time, absorbing the ultimate yin energy, it gradually developed intelligence and achieved its current fortune.
Clang!
Ye Fan struck with his bare hand, snapping an iron chain. His golden palm was indestructible, useless even against Saint King-level weapons, all of which would be destroyed.
However, the Earth Corpse's body was unimaginably tough and resilient, truly an indestructible golden body. When Ye Fan formed a seal and struck it, only white marks appeared, without breaking it.
Those who could become young-generation supremes indeed had their reasons; none were ordinary, each possessing unique insights in cultivation.
Clang, clang...
Like hammering iron, Ye Fan's left hand formed a seal, making the stars of the heavens flicker, while his right hand clenched into a fist, radiating ten thousand golden beams, clashing fiercely with the Earth Corpse.
Such power, such dominance, such intensity shocked every young supreme. Indestructible golden body versus indestructible golden body.
Boom!
In the end, Ye Fan alternated strikes with his left palm and right fist, shattering all the iron chains on the Earth Corpse, as if he had broken into hell and destroyed its divine artifacts.
But the Earth Corpse was truly too powerful; it remained unharmed, spewing yin energy from its mouth, vast black mist surging upward, supremely strong and firm.
Everyone below the divine altar was stunned. They far surpassed ordinary trial-takers, being the strongest of their races' younger generation, the most powerful group. Yet at this moment, they deeply felt their own fragility.
If they were to go up, they would probably be punched to pieces, reduced to shattered bones and bloody mud!
At that moment, everyone's heart tightened, and they fell silent. Now it was clear that their choice not to challenge Ye Fan was correct; only those on the divine altar could contend with him.
On the high platform, the Metal-Eating Beast, Sang Gu the descendant of the ancient demon god, the Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Beast, the Copper Ant King, and others were all covered in bloodstains, having just experienced such fierce battles.
Every young supreme who ascended the altar did so by fighting their way up. Except for the Golden Snake Four Lords, even the Divine Clan's Heavenly Maiden Xin Lan, Di Tian, and the Stone Man Sacred Spirit had all bathed in blood.
On the True Phoenix Tower, there were many powerful beings from various ancient domains, belonging to different races. In their own territories, they were invincible, and here, none submitted to another. In a sense, everyone faced the world as an enemy, needing to defeat all others to reach the top of the imperial path.
Ye Fan arrived last. Those below dared not test him, but that didn't include those on the divine altar. They had all fought their way up, risking their lives in bloodshed to become supremes above. Naturally, they couldn't sit idly by and let someone ascend easily.
Ye Fan's reputation among the human race was useless here; he had to pass this test and prove himself through strength to gain recognition from other races. Some on the divine altar naturally hoped he would fall, reducing one competitor.
"Clang!"
Ye Fan's golden fist collided with the Earth Corpse's black fist, splitting heaven and earth, like two divine metals violently striking each other, nearly cracking the eardrums of some.
"What was this guy's past life? How is his physical body so powerful, able to match Ye Zi's flesh? This defies logic." Pang Bo revealed a grave expression.
The Earth Corpse was too strong, causing Di Tian, the Divine Clan's Heavenly Maiden, and the Golden Snake Four Lords to change color. Such an invincible physique at this realm was rare throughout history.
Ye Fan went without saying. The Blood Beast was also understandable, being one of the oldest bloodlines. In ancient times, this race could contend with gods and demons, supremely powerful.
But the Earth Corpse was too bizarre. Many speculated that its past life must have had an extraordinary identity; otherwise, how could it be like this?!
Ye Fan's gaze was cold and sharp, fully displaying the true meaning of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. His fist split heaven and earth, mastering life and death, dominating reincarnation, with several ancient universes revolving.
The Earth Corpse was sent flying horizontally, but it did not explode. Instead, its entire body emitted immeasurable Buddha light, and the sound of sutra chanting came from within.
It appeared solemn and dignified, like an accomplished monk. The sound of chanting was unending, resounding through heaven and earth, as if all the Bodhisattvas and ancient Buddhas were blessing and protecting it.
Seeing this terrifying scene, everyone was stunned, then their hair stood on end, their bodies icy cold, and a shiver ran down their spines.
Was its past life a supreme great Buddha?
Clearly, Ye Fan's punch was too domineering, nearly injuring its origin, triggering the ancient divine power dormant within it to surge forth.
"Amitabha!"
The ancient chanting rose and fell, like heavenly principles and divine sounds, deafening, making every soul tremble, unable to bear it.
"Its origin is too great!" Everyone was shocked. Ancient patterns appeared behind the Earth Corpse, showing that in ancient times, it had worshiped an ancient Buddha, with imperial aura flowing, shaking the myriad heavens.
The Earth Corpse's past life had served Amitabha, either as an accomplished monk or a disciple of Amitabha. This was simply astonishing!
Everyone was petrified, completely awestruck.
Immeasurable Buddha light radiated from the Earth Corpse's body, shining with immortal brilliance. But then, a mutation occurred. The sacred suddenly transformed; all auspicious light turned pitch black in an instant, becoming corpse energy.
The chanting of the Bodhisattvas and ancient Buddhas all changed. The Earth Corpse converted it into death energy, its entire body cold and dark. The sacred radiance turned into black light, engulfing it.
It resembled a mendicant, its hair all fallen off, revealing bald spots on its head, but its entire body was pitch black, without a trace of a Buddha's peace, having completely become a great demon.
"Where is rebirth? Where is the past? A life lived, death leaves emptiness. Amitabha, one last chant: I am I, hard to seek reincarnation." Its body, cracked by Ye Fan, was fully healed under the nourishment of black light, and its indestructible body advanced further, pitch-black and gleaming!
The Earth Corpse stepped back, bowing to Ye Fan, and said, "Even if two identical flowers bloom in the world, they only share the form. When you look at this flower, it is most brilliant. Thank you!"
Everyone's hair stood on end. This was truly an ancient monk from the era of Amitabha. His corpse had been preserved in the earth's veins, and now, having awakened, his battle with Ye Fan had stirred the Buddha light within him, causing a complete transformation: turning from Buddha to demon, becoming even stronger.
The Earth Corpse retreated, returning to its place on the divine altar.
With a thunderous boom, Ye Fan clashed with the Blood Beast. This ancient beast was forced to reveal its true form, blood-red all over, as if cast from red gold, with huge scales clanging loudly. It resembled a winged dragon, but on closer look, it was like a giant bat with scales, its true body thousands of feet long, now reduced to one foot, charging and attacking with supreme, heaven-defying magical power.
In the end, it also retreated, transforming back into the red-haired Daoist on the divine altar. It had only wanted to make things difficult for Ye Fan, not wanting him to ascend smoothly. If it could kill him in one blow, that would be best, but if it required a life-and-death battle, no one was willing to go all the way, especially with over a dozen young supremes watching covetously.
"Ye Zi, did you use up to eighty percent of your power?" Pang Bo asked secretly, using this to gauge the strength of these people.
Ye Fan replied, "They are also holding back. They won't fight to the death here; they'll clash on the Stellar Ancient Path when they meet, settling life and death and reincarnation."
On the divine altar, Sang Gu, the descendant of the ancient demon god, stood up. His black hair was thick, like a waterfall, reaching his waist, and his eyes sparkled like stars. He had bloodstains on him, clearly having fought his way up. Now he rose and said, "For me to acknowledge you, just take one palm strike from me."
Just standing there, he made the stars of the heavens tremble, supremely powerful and great. He was the pure-blooded descendant of the ancient demon god, appearing only once in tens of thousands of years.
Everyone's heart pounded. This was a true descendant of the ancient demon god, his body as hard as divine iron, his magical power vast as an ocean, the most terrifying.
"There's no need. I have fought him before," said Xin Lan, the Divine Clan's Heavenly Maiden. Her entire body glowed, divine blood rumbling within her, releasing immortal power, as if she stood high in the nine heavens.
In terms of bloodline alone, the descendants of the ancient demon god and the gods were close relatives, though they had separated at some unknown time, both being the most powerful races.
Sang Gu, the descendant of the ancient demon god, nodded with authority upon hearing this. "Good," he said, ultimately not making a move.
"We all fought our way up. For me to acknowledge you, just show something impressive in terms of power," the Copper Ant King spoke.
It revealed its true form, about the height of a person, copper-colored, a divine ant. This race was born with divine strength, and anyone who understood them would be terrified!
And it reigned supreme on a star domain's ancient path, a young supreme of that domain. Its peerless divine strength could no longer be described as merely astonishing. With a thunderous boom, its seemingly unremarkable body nearly cracked the True Phoenix Tower just by stepping forward.
To think that even the most terrifying heavenly tribulations could not destroy this parasol tree.
Ye Fan extended a golden great hand, causing heaven and earth to rumble, blocking the copper-colored palm it had manifested. At that moment, the stars of the heavens trembled.
Both possessed supreme divine strength, able to pluck the sun and moon with a raise of their hands, making everyone change color, even the Golden Snake Four Lords were no exception!
"You pass," the Copper Ant King said, stepping back.
The Golden Snake Four Lords were each indifferent and cold. They were the cream of the crop, and with the four supremes combined, who could oppose them?
At this moment, they said nothing, which was also a form of acknowledgment, recognizing Ye Fan's supreme divine strength.
No one tested him further. Ye Fan had contended with several young supremes alone, facing them in their areas of expertise with such dominance, his strength was beyond doubt.
Ye Fan ascended the divine altar, looking down from above, proclaiming the rise of another supreme. His status was recognized by the strongest dozen or so, placing him on par with them, and he was revered by the many heroes below!
There was no denying that none were undeserving of their reputations; they were all truly powerful. The Divine Clan, the Sacred Blood—which of them did not make one tremble? Killing any one of them would require paying a bloody and painful price. Whether demon gods or sacred spirits... they were chilling!
At this moment, no one dared to challenge them.
Pang Bo stepped forward, also ascending this lofty divine altar, standing side by side with Ye Fan, immediately drawing several cold snorts.
Those below watched in silence, not daring to provoke them casually, but those above had no such concerns. Someone let out a cold, sinister laugh, murderous intent clear.
"Aren't there a bit too many people on this platform? Not everyone can stand here; not everyone can enter the Mythical Ancient Path!"
Ye Fan heard this, fixed his gaze on the speaker, and said coldly, "That's right, there are a bit too many. How about I kill one and let Pang Bo take his place!"
Then, his gaze swept over several people, fixing on the Blood Beast, the ancient ferocious beast that had first provoked and fought him.
"I'll handle it myself!" Pang Bo spoke up, stepping forward boldly and pointing, ready to attack and challenge.
"Forget it, time is short. Let's exchange early and gather the ten strongest ancient bloodlines. I can't wait for the Tree of Life," said Sang Gu, the very dominant descendant of the ancient demon god, stopping further battles. Clearly, his words carried weight.
"Relatively speaking, I'm more interested in the nine-layered coffin from the Mythical Era. I heard there are several beings sitting on it, advancing together on the ancient path," said the Golden Snake Third Lord.
This made Ye Fan's heart shake violently. There were beings sitting on that Great Emperor's coffin? A great wave surged in his heart.
"Does anyone want to compete with us for the nine-layered coffin from the Mythical Era?" the Golden Snake Second Lord said, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he swept his gaze over everyone.
He was powerful and self-assured, having bathed a domain in blood, making all the heroes bristle. Even the dozen or so young supremes were wary of him.
"I'm also very interested in the Tree of Life," the Golden Snake First Lord suddenly spoke. He had been silent with closed eyes until now, but at this moment, two supremely sharp golden beams shot from his eyes, making everyone involuntarily shudder.
The dozen or so young supremes, each believing only in themselves, naturally would not back down, all letting out cold snorts in succession.
"See you on the Mythical Ancient Path," Ye Fan said coldly.
"Indeed, there will be a battle then!" everyone spoke in turn.
There are still over twenty hours until the double monthly ticket period ends. I call upon all great emperors to descend with power. I need your help to cast the final monthly tickets. How could the path to immortality be complete without you? Thank you.
(End of this chapter)