Chapter 1440: Reunion
The resplendent cocoon seemed carved from Primordial Immortal Source Stone, translucent and sparkling, with immortal mist swirling, emitting a thousand auspicious rays and ten thousand strands of divine radiance, dazzling and brilliant. Essence energy coiled like dragons, surging into the heavens.
It rested peacefully beside Ye Fan, suspended in midair, flowing with light and color, surging with immortal energy, accompanied by the harmonious resonance of the Dao, like an immortal melody playing.
"Crack"
Dense cracks spread across the cocoon, more and more of them, until finally a piece fell off, releasing an aura of ultimate sanctity and divinity, peaceful and dazzling.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo both shuddered, becoming more cautious, scanning the surroundings to guard against sneak attacks from the young experts present. The person within the cocoon was at a critical moment of transformation and could not be interrupted.
"Pop"
With a soft sound, another fragment fell from the cocoon, and a fragrant, pure aroma wafted out. Auspicious colors and immortal mist blurred the air, divine light obscuring the sun.
This fallen fragment happened to be aligned with the eyes of the person inside the cocoon, which opened at that moment. They were as pure as crystal, bright and translucent, full of spiritual energy.
Anyone who saw them could not help but exclaim in admiration—beautiful!
These eyes possessed a kind of spirituality; the pupils were like flawless black gemstones. Looking at them, one felt close to the Dao, pure and natural—a beauty without any adornment.
"Boom!"
Several people attacked, trying to interrupt this transformation. Among them, the Copper Ant King was also closing in, his entire body copper-colored, exuding a powerful sense of force, as if he could shake down the nine layers of heaven.
The beams of light in Ye Fan's eyes instantly shot out like two sharp swords. At this moment, anyone who dared to cause destruction would be suppressed and killed by his strongest means. Golden flames blazed all over his body.
Ye Fan took a single step, and the entire landscape trembled. Source Art, Battle Saint Art, Weapon Art, and others were all deployed simultaneously. His fists moved like dragons and tigers vying for supremacy, as if heaven and earth themselves were about to collapse.
He transformed into a phantom, charging out at an extreme speed, impossible to guard against—this was the evolution of the Stride Art.
"Puff"
One person was directly blasted apart by him, turning into a cloud of blood mist, both form and spirit annihilated!
This was Ye Fan's most powerful strike, containing all his essence, energy, and spirit. His divine phenomenon, true body, secret techniques, and Dao methods were all displayed, fused into one, and unleashed with violent and ferocious force.
Puff!
He rushed through, and a second person was shattered, bone fragments splattering, blood dripping, staining the void and the mountain ground red.
This sight stunned everyone. They knew that although it was only two strikes, it was comparable to a world-shaking great battle. Ye Fan had poured all his blood essence and the boiling sacred power of his primordial spirit into them.
It wasn't that the two who died were weak, but that what should have been a fierce battle was compressed into a direct collision—life and death decided in one blow!
The Human Sacred Body was willing to pay any price, fighting fiercely on all sides, which made everyone cautious.
All of them retreated, and several directly coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, pressured by an invincible momentum. They were injured even before being struck.
Clearly, they weren't truly fighting. After all, everyone had witnessed the battle between the Sacred Spirit and Ye Fan just now. Those present only wanted to "create complications," stir up trouble, and prevent the person in the cocoon from successfully transforming.
But no one expected Ye Fan's reaction to be so "intense," immediately engaging in life-or-death combat, willing to consume his own foundation to eliminate any enemy who dared to approach.
"I dare any of you to move. If you attack now, I will annihilate your entire clan in the future!" Ye Fan shouted.
"That's right! Whoever dares to move, I'll visit their ancient star domain later and wipe out their whole clan, even crushing the blind little rats!" Pang Bo added viciously, intimidating the crowd.
"If this person is truly an old friend of Brother Ye, there's no harm in waiting a moment." The Divine Clan's Heavenly Maiden Xin Lan said. She didn't want to kill the one who had obtained the Divine Demon Liquid, as this precious liquid contained fragments of the Dao, equivalent to the inheritance of ancient divine demons. If possible, she hoped to win this person over and have them join the Divine Clan.
"Pop"
Another fragment fell from the cocoon, revealing a mouth, crystal clear and translucent, causing everyone's expressions to freeze.
Especially Xin Lan, the Stone Man, the Copper Ant King, and other young supremes—they were all stunned. This was different from what they had expected. With such beautiful eyes, how could there be such a "mouth"?
"Chirp, chirp..."
Soft murmurs came from within the cocoon, along with waves of a refreshing fragrance after rebirth, like a child seeing a loved one, full of joy, rubbing against Ye Fan's side.
Finally, the cocoon shattered completely, all fragments falling away, dazzling and brilliant, like a golden immortal fire burning, illuminating the entire area.
It turned out to be a golden divine bird!
Xin Lan, the Stone Man, and the others were all dumbfounded. They had thought a peerless beauty was emerging, but instead, it was a bird—far from their expectations.
"It really is a bird?!" The Dragon Horse, the Black Bear Saint, and others stared wide-eyed. They too had assumed a woman was about to appear, not expecting an extraordinary divine bird.
Its entire body was resplendent, about three meters long, covered in golden feathers, very bright and beautiful, like a cloud of sunset or a ball of flame, full of spiritual energy. Its form resembled a phoenix but was not multicolored; instead, it was a single, noble gold. Its tail feathers were long, matching its body in length, about three meters, vivid and dazzling.
Its eyes were like black gemstones, and the rest of its body was crystal clear, as if cast from gold. This was a Lightning Phoenix Bird, an extremely rare ancient variant, possibly the only one of its kind in the current era.
It possessed the bloodline of an ancient phoenix. Such an aura needed no explanation; everyone could see that it might approach a divine phoenix in the future. The higher its realm, the more completely its bloodline would awaken.
"I didn't expect you to still remember me after all these years." Ye Fan patted its head, unable to help but sigh.
"This is a divine bird!" The Divine Clan's Heavenly Maiden looked solemn from a distance.
The others fell silent. Such a bloodline was already heaven-defying, and with the Divine Demon Liquid's rebirth, it became even more extraordinary, perhaps approaching the bloodline of the Phoenix Ancestor.
"What does a powerful bloodline matter? On the battlefield, these things mean nothing. If one's strength is insufficient, they will still be killed." The Stone Man said coldly.
"Are you talking about yourself? If you're not convinced, come over here, and I'll blast you apart with one punch again!" Ye Fan taunted, his expression cold, carrying a cruel killing intent.
The Stone Man wanted to retort but couldn't. The actual battle record was clear; speaking further would only bring humiliation.
"Chirp, chirp..." The Lightning Phoenix Bird murmured, rubbing its head against Ye Fan like a child seeing an adult. However, its true strength was not inferior to anyone present; it was very powerful, making everyone cautious.
Ye Fan was not surprised by this, as he knew its origins well. The Lightning Phoenix Bird was rare throughout history; as long as it grew normally, it would inevitably become a Demon Saint. Moreover, this divine bird's starting point was extremely high.
Back then, before it had even hatched, it received gifts from its parents. The old Lightning Phoenix Bird, injured and dissolving into the Dao, had infused all its lifetime Dao foundation into the golden egg, giving it the foundation of a nearly Dao-Severing King.
Of course, this was not its greatest fortune. Another opportunity was truly heaven-defying, unmatched by any demon clan or ancient beast!
That was the Demon God Flower!
What was this? It was a heaven-defying divine plant. For immature demon clan members, nothing was more precious. It could be used to forge an indestructible Dao foundation.
Back then, even Black Emperor had sighed, saying he would borrow another hundred thousand years from heaven to return to his newborn infancy and consume this flower. This showed its preciousness.
The Demon God Flower contained the most primordial Dao power of heaven and earth, possessing the strongest spirituality. It was the supreme sacred object in the eyes of the demon clan and ancient beasts, something they would go mad for.
For mature great demons, it had no great use, but its wondrous effect lay in nurturing young demon spirits, refining their bloodline, spirituality, and bone structure, transforming heaven and earth.
Legend said that both the Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing and the near-ancient Green Emperor had consumed the Demon God Flower. It was a divine immortal herb for building the foundation of peerless bone structure.
There were three most rare flowers in the world: the Demon God Flower, the Dao-Converging Flower, and the Divine Flower.
In the past, the divine crocodiles and vengeful spirits of the ancient Yinghuo Star had appeared in the Big Dipper, involving Liu Yunzhi, Lin Jia, and others. To pursue the truth, Ye Fan had followed the trail to the Feather Transformation Immortal Valley.
The Lightning Phoenix Bird, just out of its shell, had been placed by Ye Fan, Ji Ziyue, and others at the root of the Demon God Flower, absorbing the entire plant's essence. This was a heaven-defying fortune, making Black Emperor, thousands of years old, envious and jealous, claiming he was still young and wanted to experience the flower's divine power.
Back then, the Lightning Phoenix Bird was still a tiny thing, only the size of a fist, covered in fluff. Now, it was so radiant, making Ye Fan sigh at how time flowed like water, passing in a hurry.
"Where is Ziyue? And where is Haoyue?" Ye Fan asked.
"Haoyue is in seclusion. Ziyue might be in danger." The Lightning Phoenix Bird was innocent at heart, its voice youthful. Its big, black gem-like eyes blinked with anxiety.
Recently, many powerful figures had entered the depths of the forbidden zone, and Ji Ziyue and the others were at a critical point in their transformation, forced to keep retreating. However, outsiders had tracked them to obtain the Divine Demon Liquid, almost catching up.
"Chirp, chirp. Hurry and find Ziyue. She came out of seclusion first. With so many enemies, she definitely can't handle them all." The Lightning Phoenix Bird's voice was crisp, carrying a hint of a little girl's softness. It pecked at Ye Fan's clothes with its beak, then led the way.
Ji Ziyue had not waited for her seclusion to truly complete before running out early, sealing her brother and the Lightning Phoenix Bird in different mountain areas to lure the enemies away. Now, no one knew how she was faring.
Ye Fan's heart sank. He followed closely, with Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and the others silent as they rushed forward, knowing the situation was urgent.
"Want to leave? Not so easy!" The Stone Man shouted, and with a boom, he activated a formation, cutting off the path ahead to block their rescue.
"Are you tired of living?!" Ye Fan was furious, his rage boiling over for the first time. Time could not be wasted. This Sacred Spirit was blocking his way at this critical moment, and his malicious intent needed no explanation.
"Everyone, we have already made an enemy of him today. In the future, it will be a fight to the death. What is there to fear? Use all means to stop him." The Stone Man said coldly, deliberately obstructing Ye Fan's path to prevent him from rescuing anyone, leaving him with lifelong regret.
Some were eager to try, while others remained silent.
"Anyone who blocks me dies!" Ye Fan was enraged. His Source Art was heaven-reaching. With a flick of his hand, he threw out dozens of golden formations, and with a rumble, they directly dismantled the killing formation the Stone Man had set up.
Everyone's hearts turned cold, and the Stone Man's expression changed drastically. Without a word, he was the first to flee. He had just advocated for a united front, yet he was also the first to escape.
The others cursed inwardly. This was too despicable. His heart was vicious; to avenge himself, he dragged everyone into the water, yet in the end, he had no backbone.
The Stone Man had only one thought: he didn't want to die. At present, Ye Fan was unstoppable in a direct confrontation, nearly invincible. The Stone Man knew that in a battle of the same level, he would surely die, so he fled.
"Boom!"
Ye Fan's true form shattered the sky. His palm, like a golden millstone, struck out. The light palm hit the Stone Man's back, and with a puff, it crushed everything below his chest into pulp, blood splattering everywhere.
He wanted to pursue, but he feared that too much time would be wasted and Ji Ziyue would be in danger. He turned and left, letting the Lightning Phoenix Bird lead the way.
Mountains and rivers receded behind them as they rapidly approached an ancient land.