Chapter 1637: Body as a Dao Furnace
Yu Mo wanted to shout, but could not make a sound. His body was completely immobile, and he could only scream wildly in his heart.
People were unaware of this. They only saw Ye Fan being struck in the chest by Yu Mo’s palm, and they all felt a sense of sorrow for him. Had the glorious era of the Sacred Body truly passed? After just one exchange, he was hit like this, evoking a desolate feeling of a hero in his twilight years.
“What a pity. That battle three hundred years ago ruined a heaven-defying genius. Originally, he was radiant and glorious, capable of challenging the ancient Great Emperors and attacking the Supremes in the Forbidden Zones of Life. But now he has fallen to this state. His days of dominating the world are gone forever.”
Many people sighed. This was a helpless and bitter ending. A peerless talent who should have been invincible in his era had grown so old and slow. Time was merciless, cutting away too much.
The people from the Divine Court wore cold smiles. They were delighted to see this scene. Yu Mo had struck the Sacred Body Ye Fan, who had once shaken an entire era, with a single palm as soon as he stepped forward. This was a great humiliation. Even if they didn’t kill him, it was only a matter of time before they pulled him down from his pedestal.
Everyone’s emotions were complicated. Ye Fan had lost too quickly—just one move. Many were indignant and wanted to rush forward to rescue him, unable to bear seeing him humiliated.
“People of the Divine Court, aren’t you going too far? After striking that palm, why do you keep humiliating him by refusing to lift it?”
A hot-tempered person couldn’t hold back and shouted loudly, striding forward with great steps, ready to act.
Over the past three hundred years, the rise of a new generation had inevitably produced many heroes and strong individuals. Many had grown up hearing the legends of Ye Fan and naturally held him in high esteem.
In an instant, dozens or even hundreds of people were about to move. The Divine Punishment City was by no means lacking in experts. It was a lawless zone, yet surprisingly prosperous, often visited by Great Sages to exchange divine objects and ancient scriptures.
“Divine Court, you go too far! Have you forgotten what the Sacred Body did back then? Three hundred years have passed. It’s already remarkable that he survived. You don’t acknowledge his deeds and still humiliate him like this. It’s too much!”
The leaders, several of whom were hot-tempered, included one wielding a great axe that cleaved through the void as he attacked forward.
The Divine Court side immediately sent out a line of people. Among them, a middle-aged man holding a war halberd blocked the path. He was also a Great Commander of the Divine Court, named Yu Lan. With a mocking face, he sneered, “What are you all trying to do? This battle was agreed upon by the Sacred Body Ye Fan himself. Besides, Yu Mo once said that if Brother Ye couldn’t handle it or couldn’t bear it, he could just call out, and this battle would stop immediately.”
Everyone’s faces changed drastically. Such words were hateful. There was no trace of respect or sincerity in them. Such an attitude made people want to slap him on the spot.
A group of people immediately charged forward, various magical artifacts flying as they attacked together. However, the opponents were extremely powerful. They were strong individuals who ruled over domains for the Divine Court, revered as masters and ancestors, far surpassing these people.
Amid the sounds of weapons shattering, the first group to charge forward was all repelled, and the leaders coughed up blood, suffering severe injuries that nearly harmed their vital foundations.
“You go too far! Humiliating the Sacred Body Ye Fan like this—can you live with your conscience? Since you’re so powerful, why didn’t you show up to fight when he battled the Supremes in the Forbidden Zones back then? Where were you then? Now that his body is failing, you dare to jump out. Aren’t you ashamed?” Many people shouted in anger.
“Don’t say that. This is just a normal sparring match. Commander Yu Mo won’t kill him. Besides, don’t you all think you’re going too far? Brother Ye Dao did have some achievements back then, but you can’t put him on a pedestal like this. That’s not respecting him; it’s harming him. We just want everyone to clearly realize that he… is only a human, nothing more.”
On the opposite side, the Great Commander named Yu Lan stepped forward, a faint smile on his face, blocking everyone’s path.
The adopted daughter of the Divine Court Lord, You Ruo, had a pure and ethereal face. She remained calm and said nothing, but not stopping this was itself an attitude.
“Eh, something’s wrong!”
The oldest commander of the Divine Court finally sensed something amiss. Yu Mo’s palm had been pressed against Ye Fan’s chest for far too long. Even if he intended to humiliate him, it shouldn’t have been like this.
At that moment, some people also noticed the anomaly. Yu Mo’s expression was very strange, shifting from initial mockery to a pale pallor. The change was abrupt, as if he had seen a ghost.
Suddenly, the youngest Great Commander of the Divine Court, Yu Mo, coughed up blood. His body shook violently, then swayed. Everyone heard the sound of bones cracking. He collapsed like a pile of mud.
“Yu Mo!”
“Commander!”
The Divine Court side exclaimed in shock, their faces changing. The incident was sudden. Yu Mo had clearly struck Ye Fan, yet in the end, he was the one who fell.
A group of people rushed forward quickly, especially several Great Sages who activated their magical artifacts. Many weapons attacked Ye Fan together, showing no mercy.
Around them, many were indignant. The Divine Court had just blocked others from disturbing the duel, but now they themselves directly intervened—such a double standard.
“I am here. Don’t you think you’re going too far?” Black Emperor said coldly. A Dao diagram flew out, shrouding the void in mist, demonstrating its power.
But after thinking it over, he didn’t stop them, a strange look in his eyes.
“Yu Mo, what’s wrong with you?” Those people shouted.
Yu Mo’s body went limp, nearly kneeling. He was unwilling, but couldn’t control his body. He collapsed there, a posture that was extremely embarrassing. Just moments ago, he had been arrogant, looking around at the strong of the heavens, but now he was prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet.
“I… seem to have been defeated by myself. My own Dao fragments pierced me,” he said with difficulty.
A stream of magical artifacts flew over, landing on Ye Fan. He finally acted. His palm fingers were crystalline, striking each one. Cracking sounds rang out endlessly.
No one knew what had happened. Ye Fan’s palm fingers clashed with those weapons. The Dao marks within the weapons surged out, all striking into his body, causing him to shake violently.
But the weapons themselves all cracked!
Yu Mo’s face was pale. He lay prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet, as if facing a supreme king. He felt humiliated. He had spoken grand words, but now he was in this posture, wishing he could dash his head against the ground and die.
The third strongest of the younger generation in three hundred years—though only according to the Divine Court’s external claims—still demonstrated his heaven-defying talent and unparalleled cultivation aptitude. But even with such a divine halo, he could only kneel at the feet of the weakened Sacred Body.
Everyone was stunned. Just moments ago, they had been worried for Ye Fan, sighing over his twilight years and feeling desolate. Now, this scene unfolded. Many were petrified, then burst into loud cheers.
“Kill!”
The middle-aged Great Commander Yu Lan led over a dozen top experts in an attack. They didn’t dare engage in physical combat, ignoring the cracked weapons, and directly unleashed various Dao techniques at Ye Fan.
Divine light obscured the sun, and Dao techniques soared to the heavens. What happened next was astonishing. Ye Fan’s body trembled slightly from the strikes, but he remained standing firm. He didn’t retaliate, his expression cold as he swept his gaze over the crowd.
This was terrifying!
“My Dao fragments!”
The middle-aged Great Commander Yu Lan cried out in shock. He felt his entire body become empty, as if he had turned into a mortal in an instant, falling from the ninth heaven into hell.
The others also turned pale, even worse than him, unable to speak a word. They felt an immense emptiness, as if all their cultivation and spiritual energy had been drained, leaving only a shell.
This was a stripping away. The fragments of their Dao techniques entered the opponent’s body.
Cracking sounds came from within Ye Fan’s body. The fierce attacks of many Great Sages had their Dao fragments stripped away, tempering his flesh. His body was like a furnace, and the enemies’ Dao fragments were the fire, refining his own techniques and Dao.
At the same time, the imprints of these people’s Dao origin were left as traces, scanned by his mind.
For ten years, he had been comprehending the Dao, observing the great trends of heaven and earth, experiencing the power of time’s blade. He saw himself as a furnace of heaven and earth, smelting all techniques and Dao, tempering himself. The furnace nurtured a hundred scriptures and ten thousand methods.
His techniques and Dao had not disappeared. They were always there, and his cultivation was growing, but they were sealed within his flesh, unable to be used.
He needed a process of nirvana. A phoenix must bathe in fire to be reborn. He needed to bathe in ten thousand Daos, using the power of a hundred scriptures to forge himself and be reborn.
Three hundred years ago, Ye Fan had fought fiercely against the Supremes in the Forbidden Zones of Life, suffering tribulations that could affect his entire life. He was indeed half-crippled. Without a miracle, he would be stuck here forever.
Such severe suppression was like putting him in an unbreakable cage of order. However, everything has two sides. From another perspective, this was also a kind of tempering and opportunity. The harder the suppression, the more violent the rebound. Once he broke free from the cage, he might be like a dragon returning to the heavens, shaking the thirty heavens with a single roar!
Over three hundred years, he had not wasted time. During the process of reshaping his body, he was in a daze, but his flesh was engaged in a great battle with the imprints of the Supremes’ laws. Like a divine sword sharpened for three hundred years, it had reached the ultimate sharpness. This was why, even without cultivation, his body had become increasingly terrifying—it was forged in battle against the residual traces of the Supremes’ Dao.
Moreover, although he was unconscious, his subconscious had never slept. It was in a special state. In his mind, there were several great enemies: the Wheel of Reincarnation Lord, the Light and Dark Supreme, the Stone Emperor, the Divine Ruins Lord, and the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme.
Over three hundred years ago, he had faced these people and fought them. During the process of his flesh’s reconstruction, his subconscious had been constantly opposing them, deducing and replaying the battle scenes from that day. This included not only his battles with the enemies but also the decisive battles between Emperor Void, Eternal Universe Emperor, and the Supremes.
This was the most precious treasure in the cultivation world. Over the past ten years, he had comprehended the Dao, studied techniques, wandered the mortal world, and traveled with Ji Ziyue through famous mountains and great rivers, awakening his potential. The subconscious of over three hundred years had revived, perceived by him, driving him mad with Dao comprehension, nearly dissolving into the Dao.
His experiences were too profound. No battle in the world could compare to fighting the Supremes. He had gone through this, which was both unfortunate and fortunate. Surviving this life-and-death calamity, he had, in a sense, died once and barely lived. If he could integrate these things, it would surpass a bloody, continuous war.
The images of the battles with the Supremes, along with their laws and order patterns, still had traces in his body. His origin was still fighting against these things, which was one of the main reasons he had lost all his Dao technique fragments.
There were too many things inside him, but he no longer needed to worry. What he needed now was to trample all techniques and Daos under his feet, making himself supreme over everything.
Now, he was the furnace of heaven and earth, needing the fire of ten thousand Daos to temper himself, hoping for a phoenix nirvana to create a new body.
Self as the furnace, drawing in the fire of ten thousand Dao sources, forging flesh and tempering the primordial spirit—this was only the beginning.
“Ah…”
Yu Lan screamed, but couldn’t change reality. His Dao fragments inexplicably rushed into the opponent’s body. He didn’t know what was happening, and moments later, they surged back.
“Crack!”
These dozen people all shook violently, their bones breaking and tendons snapping. Their primordial spirits were also shattered, suffering severe injuries.
Without exception, all of them collapsed to the ground, prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet like piles of mud, unable to move.
This scene was shocking. In the Divine Punishment City, whether it was Ye Fan’s side, the Divine Court’s side, or neutral observers, everyone was petrified.
The Great Commanders of the Divine Court, who ruled over domains, were definitely the strongest among the Great Sages, walking arrogantly. Yet before the legendary half-crippled Sacred Body Ye Fan, they were so pathetic!
Those who had been arrogant just moments ago were now half-kneeling there, struggling to get up. Each one was drenched in sweat, their bodies convulsing and trembling.
“What happened? Is the Sacred Body Ye Fan about to rise again?!”
“There’s still no Dao fluctuation in his body. He can’t even use order divine chains. But what was that strange phenomenon just now? What technique and Dao is this?”
“I seem to see the Sacred Body returning to his peak once more, a new era of glory about to begin!”
Many whispered. The cultivators leaning toward Ye Fan were all excited, their faces showing exhilaration. They clenched their fists in anticipation.
The strong from the Divine Court, on the other hand, had green faces. The row of people prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet was too glaring. Among them were their commanders and protectors, kneeling there in humiliation.
“Sigh, in this world today, those with real ability are humble and silent, while those without ability bark all day. What are you looking at? I’m talking about you. Don’t glare. If you really had skill, you wouldn’t be kneeling here!” Black Emperor’s mouth was always venomous, and of course, he wouldn’t miss this chance to attack them.
“You…”
The prodigy Yu Mo’s face turned red, almost bleeding. Yu Lan and the others were also going crazy. What they had experienced today was a great humiliation.
“Weren’t you all quite impressive, each ruling over a sea of stars? How did you end up kneeling here?” Black Emperor continued to strike, ruthlessly reopening their wounds. “Waste is waste. Three hundred years ago, when facing the Supremes in the Forbidden Zones of Life, you were cowardly, each fleeing for your lives, not daring to come out. Three hundred years later, seeing the one who fought the Supremes barely return alive, you act like you’ve been injected with chicken blood, scrambling to rush forward, thinking that defeating a crippled Sacred Body would make you famous across the universe? Pah! A bunch of wastes, still defeated, never amounting to anything!”
In the Divine Punishment City, many people joined in the uproar, shouting in delight. Black Emperor had thoroughly humiliated these people, making everyone feel it was deserved, with no sympathy at all.
The Divine Court crowd wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Circumstances were against them, and they had brought this fate upon themselves.
At this moment, some areas inside Ye Fan’s body lit up, like faint candle flames flickering in the darkness, swaying with the hope of light. Those parts of his flesh became brilliant and crystalline, shining brightly, beginning to radiate splendor.
“Fight!” Someone from the Divine Court roared, commanding the infinite army in outer space, preparing to charge over and unleash an apocalypse here.
Ye Fan stood on the back of the Blood Crow, soaring into the sky. He needed ten thousand kinds of Dao fire to nurture in the furnace of his body, tempering his flesh and primordial spirit, to rebuild himself! (To be continued…)