Chapter 1618: Storms Rise Again
The Immortal Battlefield was far from peaceful. Large numbers of people were mobilizing, belonging to different camps, yet all sharing the same goal at this moment—to find Ye Fan.
Lush vegetation grew thickly. One after another, strange beasts roared. In a hilly region, a squad of people passed through with a murderous aura. The chilling intent was so intense that leaves withered and fell from the trees, as if swept by an autumn blade.
They were clad in metal armor that gleamed with a cold, icy light, like a group of heavenly soldiers descending to the mortal world. Each possessed combat power at the Great Saint level, no less formidable than the elite forces of the ancient Heavenly Court from days past.
"That man who made the Overlord suffer defeat—what makes him so different? Three hundred years have passed. Many things have changed; it's no longer the same as before!"
A person spoke coldly, their iron armor clanking. These individuals appeared ruthless, exuding a powerful aura, all of them experts.
They came from the same camp, following the same master. They were taciturn, like gods or demons breaking free from hellish chains, extremely cold and ruthless.
They were followers of the Overlord. Some hailed from the Overlord Body Ancestral Star, while others had encountered Hun Zhan in the star domains and subsequently followed behind him.
In years past, Ye Fan had fought countless battles, sweeping across the Ancient Human Path with overwhelming force, undefeated all the way. But his battle against the Overlord was undoubtedly one of the most arduous. In that fight, his blood splattered across the starry sky, and he suffered severe injuries. Throughout his entire life, few battles had been as perilous as that one, where he fought until his saint blood gushed wildly.
Although the Overlord lost that battle, it was hardly a disgrace; he was merely a step behind. Moreover, Ye Fan had triggered the Divine Seal during that encounter; otherwise, the Overlord might still have had a chance.
In truth, the Overlord was an absolute supreme powerhouse among his generation. Yet many only remembered his defeat, overlooking the deeper circumstances of that battle, which involved the realm of the Divine Seal.
He was a ferocious man who had been severely underestimated. In the struggle for supremacy on the Imperial Path, he possessed immense potential and qualification. With sufficient opportunities, becoming the supreme ruler of the world was not out of the question.
In another domain, on an open expanse of land, a group of powerful figures gathered. Black mist churned there, as if a host of world-dominating demon kings had descended upon the mortal realm. Their numbers were already over twenty, surpassing any other camp at present.
Wherever they passed, birds took flight and beasts fled. All living creatures were terrified, for the aura of death was too dense. The leader was a Death Knight, clad in black armor, surrounded by swirling netherworld mist.
"The Underworld is the final destination of all souls. How could it lack the Sacred Body..."
A cold, faint voice sounded, like the sigh of the God of Death. It made one's hair stand on end, filled with the deathly intent of the undead, as if transmitted from the netherworld.
They came from the Underworld. Only a few leaders possessed their own consciousness; the other Death Knights were powerful war tools, summoned forth, lacking independent awareness.
Of course, the contender for the Imperial Path from the Underworld had not appeared personally. These were merely a few of his followers. He was currently engaged in conflict and covert struggles within the Great Emperor Pass and had not yet descended to this place.
Before a magnificent waterfall, a man stood bare-chested. His bronze body was exceptionally robust, bursting with explosive power, and his eyes gleamed with a wild radiance.
"Three hundred years have passed. Times have changed. Human Sacred Body, you have grown old!"
With a roar, the great waterfall reversed direction, flowing backward. A waterfall thousands of feet high reversed course at a single shout—this was utterly astonishing.
This was not the result of magical power, but merely a terrifying sonic wave, combined with his ocean-like blood energy surging upward. It shook the myriad mountains and valleys, causing many peaks to crack.
This was a representative figure among the later experts, one of the strongest to emerge in the past three hundred years. His name was Tuoba Mo. His words and actions were like those of a demon, bound by no taboos, extremely domineering.
In the past, he had killed many old Great Saints, bloodily purged immortal holy lands, and acted with ruthless cruelty.
At this moment, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. His thick black hair cascaded over his bronze body, giving him a demonic quality.
Before a thatched hut, a young man in green robes sat cross-legged beneath an ancient tree. An old sword lay horizontally across his knees. He appeared transcendent, possessing an aura of detachment from the world.
"They say you met with an accident. Since that's the case, there's no need to inform my master. Sacred Body Ye Fan, you caused my master regret for three hundred years. Back then, he searched for you everywhere but could not find you to cut you down with a single sword. Today, I will fight on my master's behalf and bring this grudge to an end."
He was Yin Tiande's foremost disciple, named Yi Ming. He was highly accomplished in array patterns and even more astonishing in combat power, extremely powerful. He had once single-handedly swept through several ancient paths.
Hum!
The ancient sword on his knees hummed softly. Without the support of dao principles or magical power, it still shot into the sky like a bolt of lightning, piercing the clouds and splitting the heavens, terrifying in the extreme.
"Is it really him? To survive a bloody battle against a Supreme Being is practically a miracle!"
"Wrong. From now on, there is no more 'him' in this world. That is merely a demonic aberration, nothing more. Just kill him and be done with it!"
The Immortal Battlefield was vast, with magnificent landscapes stretching endlessly. The region Ye Fan had passed through was thrown into turmoil, a great upheaval beginning.
"Three hundred years later, the Sacred Body Ye Fan no longer exists in this world. Anyone daring to appear under his name will be killed without mercy!"
Wind howled and beasts roared. The mountains and rivers were filled with a murderous atmosphere. Large groups of people were on the move, their killing intent blotting out the sun, making this battlefield tremble.
All the powerful figures emerged, advancing in one direction. Many were on high alert, as if preparing to besiege a world-dominating demon lord!
Despite various rumors that the man's body had suffered a major problem—otherwise, why would he only appear now?—the name from the past was too illustrious. Some of his enemies still dared not be careless, remaining extremely cautious.
These were people hostile to Ye Fan, either due to past grievances or because his existence blocked the path of certain individuals, necessitating his forceful removal.
However, on the surface, no one dared to openly declare that they wanted to kill the Sacred Body Ye Fan. Instead, they all raised the banner of fighting for Senior Ye's honor and glory.
No one dared to defy the prevailing trend. If they acted recklessly and without restraint, they would inevitably be drowned in the world's spittle in the future. Even if they survived, they would be infamous for many years.
This group was exactly this cold-blooded. In the current era, they dared to step forward, sharpening their blades, acting in unison. Yet some among them were also afraid, their hearts pounding, hoping to destroy him through a group assault.
Of course, there were also many who harbored a pilgrim's heart, seeking to follow in Ye Fan's footsteps. They were both excited and anxious.
The Immortal Battlefield was vast. This was merely a disturbance in the outer regions, not yet reaching the deepest parts of the battlefield. Only the area where Ye Fan had appeared was in turmoil.
Over the next two days, Ye Fan sensed an unusual atmosphere. He made the Blood Crow descend to the ground, turned around, and retraced his steps.
"You should leave," Ye Fan said to the Blood Crow, no longer using it as a mount.
"I won't leave. I didn't know it was you before, and I was disrespectful. But now..." The Blood Crow refused to go.
Ye Fan shook his head. Staying by his side would be dangerous. Although he had lost his magical power, he still possessed a strong intuition and had sensed the unusual movements of the past two days.
The Blood Crow Great Saint refused to leave, willing to become his follower. His attitude was very firm.
Ye Fan glanced at him, said nothing more, and strode off into the mountains and rivers. There were forests and silver waterfalls. The Blood Crow spread its wings, but even from the sky, it was difficult to spot his figure.
A day later, Ye Fan formally encountered a large group of people on an open plain.
Without a word, over twenty riders charged toward him from the opposite side. The entire earth trembled, cracking open with large fissures. It was a squad of Death Knights.
They carried a dense aura of death, as if crossing through time and space from the netherworld. The thunderous hoofbeats exploded like claps of thunder, officially breaking the day's strange atmosphere, turning a silent understanding into a bloody calamity.
The Underworld forces arrived first, seeking to take Ye Fan away. Only the leading few had their own consciousness, but the other Death Warriors also possessed Great Saint bodies, all being ancient warriors who had died in battle.
Black mist surged skyward, carrying ill omens and the aura of the undead, drowning the entire open battlefield. Wind and thunder rose together, transforming into the furious roar of fate.
"You have already died. At the end of reincarnation, you will find eternity. The Underworld is your destination!" the leading knight shouted.
Ye Fan stood there, as steady as a rock. When the over twenty riders reached him, and the one-zhang-long black great halberd was about to fall upon his head, he finally acted.
"Dang!"
With a light sound, the great halberd in the hands of the foremost knight exploded directly. Black divine iron fragments flew in all directions, wounding many of those behind.
Ye Fan was expressionless. He charged through in one swift motion, his movements incredibly fast. With one punch, he destroyed a Great Saint artifact and began a massacre.
These Death Knights were very powerful. In life, they had been extraordinary figures, renowned in their domains, all with great backgrounds. After death, they fell into the Underworld, becoming ghost soldiers and ghost generals, war tools with bronze bones and iron sinews, possessing indestructible bodies.
Unfortunately, they encountered Ye Fan. His physique was even more formidable. Like a phantom, he moved left and right, incredibly fast, his hands surpassing the might of supreme saint weapons.
After a quarter of an hour, Ye Fan punched through the head of the leading knight. With unmatched divine might, he killed them one after another. No blood splattered, only bodies shattered, all beaten into bone fragments and bloody mist.
Ye Fan stood silently in place for a while, then continued on his way. He was simply dressed, in clothes given to him by the youth Bai Ye, now resembling an ascetic.
"I have heard that you impersonated the human hero, the Sacred Body Ye Fan. The senior's fame and glory must not be tarnished. Today, I will nail you to a bleeding cross!"
Another encounter. This time, there were even more people. Many camps had gathered together, blocking this ancient battlefield, surrounding it completely.
The leader was a middle-aged man holding a spear. His voice and expression were fierce. He sat astride a Green Qilin Beast, his great spear two zhang long, making him appear extremely imposing.
He was a peak Great Saint, one of the nominal disciples taken in by the Lord of the Divine Court, though without an actual master-disciple relationship. He had also left his name on the Crystal Tablet and had come to this place.
He and his group were followers of the Imperial Lord's son. However, the person they were guarding was currently within the Great Emperor Pass and had not appeared here.
At this moment, his great spear pointed at Ye Fan's brow. He signaled to those around him, a cruel look in his eyes, preparing to charge.
Whether in the past or the present, Ye Fan would never tolerate someone pointing a Great Saint weapon at his Immortal Platform. Even facing so many people, all Great Saints, he still responded forcefully.
He left an afterimage in place, then struck amidst the ten thousand troops. His movements were incredibly fast and as fierce as thunder. With one palm, he shattered the great spear.
Everyone exclaimed in shock. These were all Great Saints from many camps. Ye Fan's attack was swift and fierce, making everyone's heart pound.
The nominal disciple of the Divine Court Lord roared, struggling to resist, but it was futile. Ye Fan used a lethal strike. His palm was like a heavenly stele, cleaving straight down.
The great spear had already shattered, and this palm strike did not stop. With a "噗" sound, it smashed through the opponent's raised fists, then cleaved into his head.
There was no suspense. The Great Saint's head shattered like a watermelon, blood splattering everywhere. Ye Fan did not stop. He followed through, and the Green Qilin Beast that had been biting at him was also turned into a pool of flesh and blood.
In that instant, the entire valley fell silent. With just one palm strike, Ye Fan shattered a great spear, smashed a Great Saint's head, and killed an ancient rare species, the Green Qilin Beast.
This place became deathly still.
In the distance, some had a black Great Dao Vase floating above their heads, some were bare-chested, some had domineering blood flowing within their bodies... At this moment, all gazes turned into blazing divine light.