# Chapter 1597: The Strength That Should Be Exerted
The former glory… has all come to an end!
Now the Big Dipper was deathly still, with bloodstains everywhere, corpses scattered in mountains and seas—this was the most tragic scene of the apocalypse.
The ancient land of life had shattered into pieces. So much… so much… no longer existed, never to return, eternally obliterated, leaving no trace to be found.
Along the way, Ye Fan had witnessed countless blood and bones. Standing outside Sacred Cliff, he clenched his fists. In this dark turmoil, human life was truly cheaper than grass, filling him with grief and rage.
Behind him stood Black Emperor, who had come to decipher the array patterns. Having him along was the safest way to enter Sacred Cliff. There was also Little Nannan, who possessed peculiar abilities and always manifested at critical moments.
"Big brother…" The little girl's large eyes brimmed with tears. Everything she had seen along the way filled her eyes with crystal clarity. This human tragedy was an unbearable weight for a child.
"Someone!" Ye Fan's hair stood on end. He immediately summoned the Green Copper Cauldron, which emitted a shimmering precious light, enveloping the area.
For him to be so solemn meant extremely dangerous fluctuations had appeared—a powerful figure approaching with hostile intent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have directly deployed the Immortal Cauldron.
"Heh! Quite sharp instincts." At the edge of Sacred Cliff, a hazy mass of light appeared, and a tall figure manifested, bringing an ocean-like pressure that arrived instantly.
Terrifying aura, powerful energy fluctuations, and grim killing intent indicated this was a supreme powerhouse, like an ancient heavenly dragon looking down upon ants.
That arrogance, that transcendent and invincible posture was somewhat glaring. He made no effort to conceal his edge. Imperial aura spread everywhere, extremely terrifying.
This was a Quasi-Emperor. Ye Fan hadn't expected that after such a great calamity, such a fearsome figure would still be here, bearing clear hostility and killing intent toward him.
"Are you the Sacred Body Ye Fan?" he asked indifferently.
"Yes. And who are you?" Ye Fan's eyes flickered as he asked solemnly.
"Deputy Sect Master of the Divine Court—Yuhua Tian." His expression was cold. Mist swirled around him, chaotic force surged, and powerful aura pressed forward, shaking the soul.
If it were an ordinary Great Sage, they would have shattered instantly, turning into bloody mist and crushed bones. This was the immense pressure from a Quasi-Emperor, absolutely capable of crushing any "ant."
The Green Copper Cauldron glowed, clanging as it emitted powerful fluctuations. Immortal radiance scattered down, protecting Ye Fan and keeping him unmoved. But his heart was unsettled—he hadn't expected to meet this person here and now.
The Divine Court's Emperor Lord had once issued a decree summoning him to an audience. He had refused and even severed the arrogant messenger's Dao foundation, causing him to fall from the Great Sage realm—naturally creating enmity.
Later, this Deputy Sect Master drafted another decree with pressing words, ordering him to go to the Divine Court to confess his crimes, or they would slaughter him for billions of miles until he died.
This was truly unexpected. In this dark turmoil, experts from all sides were like startled birds, fleeing for their lives. Yet here, at the source of the dark turmoil—the Big Dipper—he encountered Divine Court Deputy Sect Master Yuhua Tian.
To be precise, he was about to leave this place.
Clearly, Deputy Sect Master Yuhua Tian was very bold. While powerful figures everywhere were extremely terrified, he was quite cunning. He had quietly arrived at the blood-soaked land where turmoil had occurred, staying near the lairs of the various Supremes.
This indeed took courage, one had to admit. For now, the Big Dipper was still relatively safe. With many Supremes not returning, this seemingly most dangerous place was actually the most peaceful pure land.
Now, he was about to leave because he estimated that many Supremes would soon return. He couldn't stay long—only avoid disaster temporarily.
"This old thing is slicker than a fried dough stick," Black Emperor muttered inwardly, cursing. Encountering a Quasi-Emperor here with such strong hostility was not good.
If they could ascend Sacred Cliff and obtain what they needed, then they wouldn't fear him. But now, the situation was unfavorable.
"What are you doing here?" Yuhua Tian asked grimly, his killing intent undisguised. He was about to make his move.
Ye Fan's expression was calm. "The dark turmoil has arrived. I want to do my part."
"You? Hahaha!"
Yuhua Tian laughed uproariously, chaotic qi spreading around him. Then his laughter abruptly stopped, and he said contemptuously, "A mere ant like you dares to boast? What can you possibly do?!"
"Even an ant can do its part. I may not be strong enough, but I want to make my voice heard. Even if I die in battle, it will prove that I once fought back!" Ye Fan replied coldly.
"What use is that? An ant can only die in vain, inviting ridicule. Haha…" Yuhua Tian laughed, his face full of mockery.
"At least I made my voice heard, using my roar and my actions to resist. If everyone in the world were like you, like the Overlord Body, then there truly would be no hope at all," Ye Fan said coldly.
The smile on Yuhua Tian's face grew even wider, but his voice turned grim. "Even if you had ten thousand lives and charged in, you wouldn't raise a single ripple. Utterly ridiculous!"
"I am not strong. You are strong enough, and the Divine Court Lord behind you is even stronger. He is about to attain the Dao and has the ability to fight ancient Supremes. If you could persuade him to come, at least he could make a Supreme bleed!"
"Why should we? Why should we fight?" Yuhua Tian's expression turned cold.
"I believe that immensely powerful beings are not limited to just the two of you. If none of you yield, if all of you go to aid Emperor Void, to lend him a hand, perhaps the battle situation could change. The roar of billions of ants can make heaven and earth tremble. But if everyone remains silent, that will be the tragedy of all living beings!" By this point, Ye Fan's face was expressionless. Though he already knew the outcome, he still said these words.
"Hahaha…" Yuhua Tian couldn't help but laugh, then his expression turned grim. "If you want to die, go ahead yourself. No, I'll just send you on your way directly, sparing you the agony of losing your essence, blood, and soul. For defying the Divine Court, you are guilty without pardon. Today, I will eliminate you to uphold the law!"
Black Emperor's expression was ugly. He had seen people who made his black heart leap with rage, but never like this, making his blood boil. When the dark times came, not doing one's part was understandable—people had different thoughts. But to be so despicable, to mock someone who wanted to contribute, and then directly obstruct and kill them—this was truly unforgivable.
"Scram!" The big black dog roared, directly deploying several killing arrays. Originally, he had prepared them for Ye Fan to take on the road. Though their effect would be minimal, it was a token of intent.
"Boom!"
A true Quasi-Emperor was on another level. Yuhua Tian was immeasurably stronger than the old Teng Snake—how could he be killed so easily? He took one step, and heaven and earth shattered, blocking the arrays. They didn't fall, and he wasn't trapped within.
"Usually, you point fingers and lord over all living beings, but when you're actually needed, you're worse than dog shit!" Ye Fan cursed directly.
Black Emperor ground his teeth but said nothing.
The Divine Court Deputy Sect Master's expression was cold. "Saying anything is useless. All I know is that you're about to die. I'll take your head now and offer it as a blood sacrifice to the Divine Court. This is the result of disobeying the divine decree!"
"Someone like you wants to rule the universe and rebuild the ancient Heavenly Court? What a delusion. Shameless and despicable—you make me look down on you!" Ye Fan said contemptuously.
Yuhua Tian stepped forward, ready to kill Ye Fan. His gaze fixed on the Green Copper Cauldron, the greed deep in his eyes burning like a scorching sun, blazing and pressing.
"Big brother…" Little Nannan clutched Ye Fan's clothes, poking her little head out from behind him to look forward, extremely worried. Then she ran in front of him, stretching out her small arms to protect him, and shouted angrily, "Don't you dare hurt big brother!"
"Nannan, don't worry. Shameless people have no face, but we have feet. He can't do anything to us." Ye Fan picked her up and was about to enter Sacred Cliff with Black Emperor.
Yuhua Tian was about to make his move, but suddenly shuddered. Staring at Little Nannan, the more he looked, the more horrified he became. Goosebumps rose all over his body. When he extended his divine sense, it felt like he had fallen into an endless dark abyss. He couldn't help but cry out and stagger backward in shock.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ye Fan and Black Emperor's figures flickered as they directly entered the Sacred Cliff region. Following the array diagram Black Emperor held, they advanced step by step toward that blood-stained old ground.
"This way…" In fact, Black Emperor didn't even need to take out the array diagram. As soon as they entered deeply, Little Nannan's eyes sparkled brilliantly. She extended her small, fair hand to point the way forward, just like when they had ventured into the Immortal Mountain years ago. She seemed to have "awakened" once again, able to see through all Dao patterns.
Outside the forbidden zone, Yuhua Tian stared at their retreating figures, his eyes a mix of coldness and confusion. A cold light flashed, but he didn't leave—he waited outside.
He believed that Ye Fan wouldn't come here for no reason. He had long heard that the "Nine Secrets" might be here, along with immortal treasures. A grim expression appeared on his face as he waited outside.
That little girl had made him shudder. He had seen some real "scenes," but he believed that if he launched a sudden attack, killing Ye Fan would be no problem.
"I'm just guessing. I can't be sure it's here. I only heard the Great Emperor mention it once, but I didn't understand at the time," Black Emperor said.
The Great Emperor he referred to was naturally Wu Shi.
"Doggy, you must remember carefully. Big brother knows he's going to die but still wants to fight with his life. I don't want anything to happen to him. You have to think of a way," Little Nannan said seriously, moisture in her eyes.
Finally, they ascended the main peak. Along the way, they encountered several ancient figures standing on the mountain, their bodies submerged in mist.
"All extremely powerful figures. They came here through nine deaths, comprehended the Dao, but time waits for no one. In the end, they all sat in meditation and passed away…"
In fact, these were the lucky ones. More people died along the way. Only a few, by fortune, managed to reach this place.
Throughout this journey, they were cautious and careful. Finally, they climbed onto the peak cliff and arrived at this place once again.
Ye Fan opened that giant coffin. Two corpses lay inside, with blood and evil energy present. The scene was tragic. One of them was the Lord of the Heavenly Court, an overwhelmingly powerful figure. But his death was gruesome—he had been strangled alive by the Great Accomplishment Saint Body, who was covered in green fur all over!
Ye Fan had come for the Great Accomplishment Saint Body's corpse, as well as for what Emperor Wu Shi had inscribed. He wanted to search carefully. According to Black Emperor, Wu Shi should have left something behind back then.
This corpse was truly eerie and terrifying. In a daze, its eyes seemed to open, revealing a cold gleam.
However, this wasn't a real scene—just a kind of evil aura.
Now, after endless years had passed, it was very quiet here. There was nothing else.
Ye Fan used the Green Copper Cauldron to suppress it, stabilizing it. Even in its damaged state, it was equivalent to an Imperial Artifact. It was Emperor Venerable's immortal ascension artifact, capable of suppressing evil and dispelling malevolence—naturally no problem.
"Even though you're already a Great Sage, incomparable to before, you can't inhabit this body for too long. Otherwise, without the Supremes even making a move, you'll be in danger yourself. When that time comes, even if a god comes, they won't be able to save you," Black Emperor warned gravely, his expression extremely serious.
He couldn't get close. Only Ye Fan could approach the immensely powerful Great Accomplishment Saint Body, because they shared the same lineage. Ye Fan activated the method for re-cultivating the Sacred Body secret realm, allowing him to touch it.
If it were anyone else, there would be no way at all. They absolutely couldn't touch the corpse, let alone inhabit it.
"Unfortunately, too much of his blood has flowed, staining Sacred Cliff red. He's not at his peak form. Otherwise, even you wouldn't be able to get close," Black Emperor said with complex emotions.
Ye Fan nodded. Regrettably, they didn't find anything left by Wu Shi in this place. There was nothing.
"I know—it might be there!" Black Emperor's eyes gleamed with a dark light. "Even though doing so would be disrespectful to Emperor Wu Shi, there's no other choice."
"Then don't delay. Let's go immediately!" Ye Fan urged.
"Kid, you need to understand. Even with your heaven-reaching cultivation, walking this path means certain death. Even wielding what Emperor Wu Shi left behind to face the battle won't change your fate and outcome. You will lose your life."
"I've already decided. I only want to exert the strength I should. I will fight, and I will have no regrets!" Ye Fan said resolutely and decisively.
The dark turmoil had arrived. There was no pure land left in the world. He would use his blood and soul to interpret this era's unyielding spirit—that he had once existed, that he had once fought!
Just as they were about to leave the Sacred Cliff region, Little Nannan extended her small finger, pointing ahead. "That bad person is hiding outside."