Chapter 1626: After the Battle
The first battle had concluded. The Overlord departed in dejection, and a generation's supreme Fire Spirit had fallen. This outcome was undoubtedly sensational. Ye Fan's three disciples had risen in this great era, looking down upon the eight desolate realms!
Three figures, shrouded by divine halos, stood side by side, like war gods walking out from the ancient era, manifesting in this generation, finding no equal in the mortal world.
The surroundings were silent. People held their breath. Ye Fan's disciples had already reached such a level, having grown up. How could his old rivals bear this? If they fought again, who would they face?
At this moment, no one targeted them. Although there were still peerless experts in the Emperor Pass watching coldly from afar, not yet truly arriving, it was believed that this battle would surely shake them deeply.
The crowd dispersed, and the place returned to tranquility.
However, some who wished to follow Ye Fan did not go far. They lingered nearby, waiting, hoping for an opportunity.
"Master, who are these three losers?"
In front of the thatched hut, Huahua tilted his head. His bald head was as shiny as if waxed. He squinted at Mo Wentian, Tuoba Mo, and Yi Ming, a look of frivolity on his face.
"Baldie, who are you calling a loser?!" Tuoba Mo immediately grew furious. Being forcefully suppressed by Ye Fan and taken as a laborer was bad enough, but now he was being looked down upon by a bald head.
"Kid, are you asking for a beating? How dare you judge Buddha Brother? Don't you know who you are? Go pour me a cup of tea and don't forget your place." Huahua plopped down onto a wooden stump and ordered Tuoba Mo around.
"Bald head, you speak arrogantly. Do you dare to fight me?!" Tuoba Mo's anger surged straight to his crown, and he strode forward aggressively.
"Fight if you want to fight. Who's afraid of who?" Huahua stood up and slapped a palm over.
"Bang"
There was no suspense. Tuoba Mo was sent flying, falling into the dust. He had been severely injured by Ye Fan, his five secret realms all broken, making recovery extremely difficult.
"Monk, if you have the guts, let me recover. I'll beat you until you don't even recognize Amitabha!" Tuoba Mo was filled with hatred.
He was a demon-like figure, rampaging through this world without restraint, always acting as he pleased. But now, he felt nothing but frustration.
"Who do you think you are? Any random cat or dog wants to challenge me? If I had to respond to all of them, I'd be annoyed to death." Huahua sneered coldly.
On the way here, he had already heard about these three, especially learning that this demon-like man had once said his master Ye Fan was old and not worth a fight. Naturally, he remembered that.
When a monk retaliates, it is never a simple matter.
"Kid, I heard you're quite arrogant, wanting to fight my junior brother Yang Xi to prove that Yao Guang is stronger than my master? I also heard you said that three hundred years later, there would be no more Human Sacred Body Ye Fan in the world, that he was already dead. Truly malicious." Huahua then fixed his gaze on Mo Wentian.
Mo Wentian snorted coldly but did not respond.
Huahua smiled and said, "Well, I see you have quite the spiritual root. You should be a member of my Buddhist sect. Today, I, this poor monk, will guide you to your place."
"You... what do you want to do?" Mo Wentian's hair stood on end. He sensed something terrible was about to happen and stared at him warily.
However, what resistance could he offer now? He was directly restrained by Huahua, who then took out a shiny razor, unhurriedly pressed down on his head, and began to shave.
"Stop!" Mo Wentian shouted, his face turning green. How could this monk be so eccentric and wicked, wanting to deal with him like this?
"Benefactor, go ahead and shout. Shouting until your throat breaks won't help." Huahua wore a lecherous grin as he swung the razor, the gleaming blade dancing like countless paper scraps falling.
Mo Wentian roared wildly, but his head was held down, unable to move. He only felt his long black hair falling in droves, a cool breeze hitting his head, and he trembled with rage.
"Benefactor, you have achieved great enlightenment. Your three thousand worldly worries are gone." Huahua sheathed the razor, looking like a peerless blade master, twirling it a few more times and striking a cool pose.
Mo Wentian's face was green and blue. He wished he could stomp on Huahua's bald head. Finally, he couldn't help but let out a long roar, but no black hair flew wildly—only a bald head remained.
Huahua stepped back, put away the razor, and assumed the demeanor of an enlightened monk. He clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha. Good, good. Benefactor, from now on, you are with me, with the Buddha. With a single thought, flowers bloom. Master above."
He muttered mystically, driving Mo Wentian mad enough to bite someone. This bald head was too wicked.
"Oh, by the way, weren't you just cursing 'baldie'? Were you talking about him?" Huahua asked Tuoba Mo, then pointed at Mo Wentian.
Both parties had faces ashen, fire shooting from their eyes as they glared fiercely at him.
"That's not right." Huahua corrected, then walked toward Tuoba Mo and said, "The Buddha says all beings are equal. How can you discriminate against Benefactor Mo? You are with him, the same kind of people."
Swish, swish, swish!
Cold light flashed, and the blade danced. Tuoba Mo also became bald, his skull gleaming. One could clearly see the veins bulging on his scalp. He trembled all over and lunged at Huahua. But it was futile; he was slapped to the ground with a single palm.
"Don't... don't come near!" Yi Ming shouted.
"I hate pretty boys the most. All that ethereal temperament is nothing compared to the common masses. Come, Buddha Brother will give you a gift and let you return to simplicity."
Bang!
Huahua swung his old fist, giving Yi Ming a black eye. "How dare you insult my master? Even if your own master came, it wouldn't be enough!"
When Ye Fan, Yang Xi, and Ye Tong walked over, Huahua had already finished. Three bald heads stood in place, the three victims trembling all over, too angry to speak.
"Senior Brother, that's not right. They are people of status after all. How could you do this?" Yang Xi scolded, then pulled them up one by one and said, "Come with me."
People have different temperaments and methods. Yang Xi took the three, who were now filled with hatred, to... have a one-on-one fight. He was a battle maniac.
"Junior Brother, you're quite ruthless. Their secret realms are all shattered. Don't accidentally slap them to death!" Huahua warned.
"It's fine. Don't you have the Nirvana Heart Sutra? Let them recover temporarily. I'll be careful!" Yang Xi said.
In the following days, earth-shaking sounds and the furious roars of the three came from afar. The battle maniac was stretching his muscles.
Inside the Emperor Pass, the atmosphere was somewhat strange. The Fire Spirit was dead, the Overlord was defeated. People had been discussing these events for days, their hearts unsettled.
Ye Fan had come back to life, reappearing in the world after three hundred years. This news was almost confirmed, shaking the Sole True Path and stunning everyone.
Now, everyone was pondering: if Ye Fan truly recovered his cultivation, what kind of combat power would he have? This was a question every aspirant on the Imperial Path needed to seriously consider. In the future, they might ultimately have to face him—perhaps a heavenly moat blocking everyone!
"I didn't misjudge that day. It really was him." Western Bodhisattva Jue Youqing sighed. They had once explored the Central Province Immortal Mansion World together and had some friendship.
Golden Cicada, in white robes and ethereal, nodded and said, "He is a powerful man. But anyone who wants to tread the Imperial Path must pass his test."
That day, Yin Tiande stood on an ancient tower in the Emperor Pass, gazing into the distance. He was sensing the Emperor Venerable's Immortal Scripture, unaffected by the outside atmosphere. Only after a long time did he open his eyes and silently look toward a light gate, which would lead directly to the Soaring Immortal Battlefield!
On his body, purple qi surged into the sky, rolling for thirty thousand li, like a deity about to depart. He felt unfathomable, his eyes capable of annihilating endless starry skies.
"I have captured it—the Emperor Venerable's scripture. Wait a little longer. I will soon come to meet you." This was his whisper.
"What? Master, you actually sensed the Emperor Venerable's Immortal Scripture? This is truly... heaven-defying!" A female disciple was shocked, then showed a joyful expression, almost screaming.
In another direction, there was an ancient Dao platform, engraved with the mottling of time. It should have been absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, nourished by the power of sun, moon, and stars, making it most brilliant. But now, the platform was pitch black. A Great Dao Vase floated there, turning into a black hole, devouring all the essence from the universe.
Below, a man sat cross-legged, motionless, immersed in the deepest state of enlightenment, like a celestial god sealed in time.
Finally, he moved. In an instant, he opened his mouth and inhaled. The Great Dao Vase transformed into countless runes, entering his mouth, black symbols imprinted into his flesh and blood.
Then, his entire body suddenly emitted light, instantly dispelling the darkness. His whole aura changed dramatically. A divine halo enveloped him. Every inch of his skin glowed crystal clear, even his hair took on a golden luster, like the Son of the Sun God.
At this moment, he was filled with a long-lived aura, an indestructible divine charm, like an Immortal King who had endured countless ages awakening from dust and returning to the present.
This was a completely different temperament. Within his body, two great celestial arts rapidly completed a transformation, making his physique terrifyingly powerful, flowing with the most mysterious radiance.
He possessed the power of the Divine Clan, the aura of the Sacred Spirit, the blood force of the Devouring Heaven Beast, the Dao marks of the Primordial Demon... On this single person, the auras of many powerful physiques from the universe converged, causing chills.
Now, these origins had been refined into one, fused into a single furnace, achieving one person—Yao Guang!
"After so many years, I have always looked forward to a battle with you. I never thought you would be so heaven-defying as to return. My blood is boiling. I hope you won't disappoint me." Yao Guang muttered to himself.
"Master, you don't have time to leave now. The Emperor Venerable's Immortal Scripture is the most urgent matter. Didn't the guardian of the Emperor Pass say this is a critical step?" His other disciple, Li Qingzhou, walked over and stood below the ancient Dao platform.
...
Inside the Emperor Pass, the Great Might Sacred Spirit, Nine Calamities Daoist, Di Tian, the Great Demon King Gu Huang, and certain ancient emperor bloodlines had arrived, each reacting differently.
To become a Great Emperor, one must have a sufficiently solid imperial body. Being stronger than the Sacred Body might become the ultimate test for the strongest in this era, who would become emperor.
Everyone thought this might be the greatest trial sent by heaven—the revival of the Human Clan's strongest physique, the Sacred Body, to block their path.
One person was special: Zhang Bairen. He had been strolling through the ancient streets, not participating in anything, seemingly detached from the world.
At the Soaring Immortal Battlefield, Ye Fan spent a few days with his three disciples, listening to them talk about many old friends. His old acquaintances were safe, and the Heavenly Court was growing stronger, which comforted him greatly.
On the thatched hut, a few days ago, a gecko had fallen and broken its tail, but now it had partially regrown, causing Ye Fan to stare off into space for a while.
In the distance, a large python coiled around a boulder, shedding its skin, struggling to break free from the old skin. Soon, its body gleamed with golden scales, and a horn grew on its head. It was about to transform into a flood dragon, crawling into the distance, even stronger.
"Master, they are all comprehending the Emperor Venerable's Immortal Scripture, including the descendants of ancient emperors. Aren't you going? I heard the scripture contains unparalleled secrets!" Yang Xi said.
"Not for now. Let your master be still for a while and think about my own path." Ye Fan sat cross-legged in front of the thatched hut, watching flowers bloom and fall, watching dead trees sprout new life, watching wild grass push out shoots. He became completely tranquil.