Chapter 1671: A Behemoth Goes to War
The universe is boundless, excessively vast, with endless star systems separated by immense distances. Compared to it, life is scarce and utterly insignificant. Darkness and cold are the eternal themes.
In such a vast cosmos, the transmission of information suffers severe delays. Unless one experiences it personally or is present at the scene, it is impossible to hear of events instantly.
Only those whose lives or major interests are at stake would rush back to their sects in the first moment to announce earth-shattering news.
At this moment, squad after squad of soldiers were marching, emerging from a Star Gate. Their armor gleamed, forged from copper essence. Some carried war halberds, others bore battle halberds, all shining with cold light. They had come from afar, stepping into this star domain.
This was a powerful army, clearly an elite force. Every soldier was formidable, having crossed domains to campaign here, all exuding a chilling killing intent.
Their numbers were astonishing—fully one hundred thousand troops. Under the watchful eyes of some commanders, they emerged in an orderly, disciplined manner, about to launch a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering assault.
Under this overwhelming aura of powerful beings, all things trembled. The cold gleam of armor and the killing intent of weapons combined to dim the stars and make the sun and moon quake.
At the forefront, riding a rare white Qilin steed, sat an otherworldly young man. Beside him stood a large banner, flapping loudly with the fluctuations of divine power, stirring up heavenly winds that caused many meteors to shake and nearly shatter.
On the banner were engraved two large characters: Divine Court!
These two words were extremely conspicuous, emitting a startling aura, like a man-eating fierce beast transformed into runes solidified on the banner’s surface.
As the banner unfurled, it rumbled like thunder, resembling war drums, shaking people’s hearts and minds. There were also sounds of dragon roars and phoenix cries, sending chills down one’s spine.
“Kill! Slaughter every last member of the Heavenly Court!”
The young man on the white Qilin steed appeared very handsome, even somewhat enchanting, beautiful to an excessive degree. However, he lacked some heroic spirit, being overly feminine.
He waved his hand lightly. The army behind him charged like tigers and wolves toward the blue star ahead, like a torrent of steel, shaking the universe and causing the stars to tremble wildly.
The second son of the Divine Court’s Imperial Lord had arrived, leading one hundred thousand troops to annihilate the various divisions of the Heavenly Court. Now he was charging straight for an ancient pass, intending to sweep through everything, completely seize it, and remove this thorn in his side.
The divine army surged like a tide, blotting out the sky and covering the earth, drowning this great star. Cold light shone on iron armor, and chilling energy pierced the heavens, turning this place into a scene of carnage.
Puff!
Blood splashed high. An elderly cultivator, with confusion and unwillingness, fell into a pool of blood. His white-haired head was stained with fresh red blood.
“Grandfather!”
A young girl let out a heart-wrenching scream. Seeing this scene, she rushed over.
With a chi sound, a cyan sword light flashed. Her innocent face, her tearful, youthful visage, instantly froze. A head flew up, and the headless body of the young girl fell to the ground.
The divine army was too powerful. The cultivators on this star could not withstand them. This was a pack of wolves and tigers, extremely fierce. As they swept through, sword energy slashed horizontally, cutting down every living being in their path.
One hundred thousand troops charged into this water-blue star, killing thoroughly. In the purple copper mines and the divine iron mountain ranges, those still mining had no chance to escape; all were slaughtered.
Blood dyed the lands they passed through. This was a terrible massacre, hardly a campaign. It was completely unequal, with no fairness whatsoever.
Many of the dead had faces filled with confusion, not knowing what was happening. This place had already been abandoned by the Heavenly Court. They were unrelated people, just trying to make a living. Why were they being killed?
“Reporting to the Young Master! Only a small part of the Heavenly Court’s forces were here. We killed only a few hundred. The rest were mostly rogue cultivators from this star.”
Blood was flowing. A commander strode over. His silver battle armor gleamed with a metallic cold light but was stained with blood droplets, looking terrifying, like a demon god.
On the white Qilin beast, Xuan Yi was peerlessly handsome. His white clothes were whiter than snow, spotless and dust-free. He revealed a smile, like a demonic prodigy. He did not look as young as he appeared, but his bearing was just that outstanding.
A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. “What of it? On to the next place. All territories ruled by the Heavenly Court will become our lands. Move to the next!”
A massive Star Gate opened, and the one hundred thousand troops entered in an orderly fashion. These were the elite of the elite, a battle-hardened army, the first legion that had conquered territories for the Divine Court in the past.
Cold light flashed. This divine army arrived at another star domain, landing on another great star teeming with life. They descended, blotting out the sky, stirring up waves of blood energy and gale winds.
“Who are you? Why are you breaking into our home?” A still-young teenager roared in grief and indignation. Uncle Li was dead, Uncle Wang was killed, and Grandpa Zhang was also split in two by a sword. This group, with armor covering the sky, like wolves and tigers, killed everyone they saw, blood splattering the mines.
With a puff, his face filled with unwillingness, he fell into a pool of blood. No one paid him any attention. A single sword strike came, and he became a corpse.
“You are all bad people! Boohoo… give me back my brother’s life!” A little boy cried loudly, stumbling as he ran over.
Puff!
A commander swept his iron sword across. The little boy’s head flew more than ten meters high, the fear on his small face frozen there, blood splattering out.
“The Heavenly Court’s forces are pitifully few. Only eight hundred rogue cultivators who refused to leave to make a living remained. We did not engage their troops, let alone a whole division.”
A great commander personally reported.
On the snow-white Qilin beast, Xuan Yi was transcendent, even his fingers were crystal clear and fair. He said coldly, “Then suppress and kill them. Move to the next place. Their traces will all be erased!”
This was a terrible fuse!
When he gave the order, he had no idea how terrible the consequences would be. Later generations would call this period’s bloodshed the “Second Son’s Calamity,” the beginning of a true bloodbath.
The universe was too vast. Deep in the distant starry river, Ye Fan’s battle had just ended. Only those who had appeared on that battlefield knew about it. Most people were still unaware.
When the second son of the Divine Court’s Imperial Lord set out, he did not know that a battle shaking the universe had taken place deep in the distant star domain. Some time ago, the Dragon Maiden, Divine Nether, and Golden Heavenly Maiden had all struck fiercely, either shattering the Heavenly Court’s stars, breaking its ancient planets, or opening bloody slaughters in the territories ruled by the Heavenly Court, stirring up boundless storms. Seeing this, he had also chosen to act.
Recently, his divine art had reached great accomplishment, even rejuvenating his body and appearance, reaching a peak state of himself. His confidence swelled, and he was extremely arrogant.
At this moment, news of the events in the starry sky was spreading rapidly, spreading to other ancient domains. More and more people were receiving the news, causing a great uproar. But Xuan Yi and his group were still unaware.
One star, two stars… a total of four stars were attacked. Not many people were killed—not tens of thousands—because the relevant people had already retreated. But the bloodshed was very cruel, very decisive, very tragic.
“Young Master, bad news! News has come from the starry sky…” Just as they were about to head to the fifth star, a Holy Knight rode a savage beast through the Star Gate, his face pale, panicked to the extreme, coming quickly to deliver the message.
“What are you panicking about?” Xuan Yi’s face was calm, showing displeasure. He was very steady and composed, in white clothes, with an outstanding temperament.
“The Sacred Body… Ye Fan… he has appeared!” The newcomer’s voice trembled, stammering as he spoke.
“Oh, he’s out again? Can he really defy the heavens and solve his own problems?” Xuan Yi said with a faint, cold smile, very calm and collected, extremely composed.
“He… killed Divine Nether, killed the Golden Heavenly Maiden, killed the Dragon Maiden!” The Holy Knight said it all in one breath, as if spitting out a great mountain from his heart, letting out a difficult sigh of relief.
“What?!” Xuan Yi’s expression changed. His handsome face was filled with disbelief. All three ancient imperial princes and princesses were dead? This was like a cosmic Big Bang, shocking to the core.
How could this be? Wasn’t he forever unable to touch that realm, sealed by the residual marks of Stone Emperor, Lord of the Divine Ruins, and others? How was he now so powerful?
“Is it really true?” Xuan Yi’s brows shot up.
“It is true. That battle has just ended. In a few days, the entire universe will know.” The Holy Knight replied, urging Xuan Yi to retreat.
“What are you panicking about? This matter had my father’s approval. Even if he has broken through, what of it? Before a Dao-Achieving Candidate, he is still insignificant, nothing at all.” Xuan Yi forced himself to stay calm, putting on a dignified demeanor, but it made his beautiful face look somewhat ferocious.
“Boom!”
Another Star Gate opened, and another Holy Knight rushed out, shouting: “Young Master, retreat quickly! The Heavenly Emperor Ye is coming! An urgent message from the Divine Court tells you to leave this star domain immediately!”
“What Heavenly Emperor Ye? Who conferred that title? What does he amount to? Even my father dares not use that name. What is he!” Xuan Yi flew into a rage on the spot.
“It is… what the various powerful lords are calling him. Young Master, please leave quickly. He is coming back.” The newcomer was drenched in sweat.
“Fine, we will retreat for now. Since the Divine Court has ordered it, I must obey.” Xuan Yi said, finding a way to save face. Then, the one hundred thousand troops quickly passed through the Star Gate, leaving this star domain.
Ye Fan had risen, returning against the heavens!
This news caused an uproar across the heavens. The information that he had killed three ancient imperial princes and princesses in a single battle swept through the starry sky like a tidal wave, shaking the boundless universe.
Everyone was stunned, shocked beyond words. This was practically a myth. Those were the bloodlines of the ancient emperors, yet he had suppressed and killed them with a wave of his hand.
“The Imperial Lord’s second son?” Ye Fan’s gaze flickered. He had just returned to the Heavenly Court’s headquarters when he received news that displeased him. Black Emperor, Hua Hua, and the others immediately exploded.
“Damn it, is he tired of living? He wants to bloodbath my Heavenly Court? Does he really think being the second son of the Divine Court’s Lord lets him do whatever he wants? Kill him! We must kill him!”
“He must have gotten the Imperial Lord’s approval. Otherwise, how would he dare?”
This time, not many people died on the four stars—nearly ten thousand cultivators fell, mostly rogue cultivators who refused to leave. But this still left the Heavenly Court’s internal forces with a stifled breath, a fire of anger. Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, and the Human Demon had just returned, only to have someone try to bloodbath their backyard. How could they tolerate it?
“What does the Imperial Lord matter? Let Little Nannan hold the fort here. Let’s go kill the Imperial Lord’s second son now!” the Human Demon said domineeringly.
Ye Fan’s gaze shifted, his eyes shooting out beams of light. “Alright.”
No sooner said than done. The next moment, Ye Fan vanished. Seeing this, the others decisively opened a Star Gate and pursued him.
Xuan Yi had already led his troops back, retreating into the territory ruled by the Divine Court, entering a mighty fortress. Then he took his time, not believing anyone would dare offend his father’s authority and cause trouble here.
The Undying Heavenly Queen was incredibly powerful, but she should also be wary of his father. Even rumors outside said that the one who could match the Heavenly Queen was his father, showing how terrifyingly powerful the Imperial Lord was considered to be.
However, just as they were returning leisurely, this mighty fortress collapsed. A figure like a god or demon penetrated deep into the Divine Court’s heartland, striking down from above.
Ye Fan had arrived, descending from the heavens. He reached down, grabbing for this Divine Court’s divine son.
“You…”
The second son of the Divine Court screamed. He had not expected that at this moment, someone would dare to penetrate so deep, almost to his father’s Imperial Emperor Palace. How could they be so bold?
In recent years, his strength had advanced, only a hair’s breadth away from the Quasi-Emperor realm. The large banner beside him was a Quasi-Emperor supreme treasure bestowed by the Imperial Lord, capable of protecting his life. But now it was useless. Ye Fan grabbed him, fixing him in midair, staring at him coldly.
The banner unfurled. It was a supreme treasure. The banner’s surface erupted with terrifying light, tens of thousands of thunderbolts sweeping toward Ye Fan’s entire body.
However, with a flash of blazing light, Ye Fan’s divine power was boundless. He was completely unharmed. In the end, he even drew this power into his body to explore its secrets, unable to harm him in the slightest.
The white Qilin raised its head and roared to the sky, standing on its hind legs, also erupting with light. But then the Big Black Dog descended from the heavens, immediately straddling it, pressing it down. “From now on, you are this Emperor’s mount.”
It glanced sideways at Xuan Yi, sneering: “Riding a white horse, do you think you’re a holy heavenly god? You might also be this Emperor. Wearing white clothes, I think you want to wear mourning clothes, don’t you?”
“Release the Young Master!” Many people shouted. The elite troops all charged forward.
The Human Demon opened his great hand, blotting out the sky. In an instant, sand and stones flew, covering this place. He grabbed tens of thousands of people in one go, suppressing them all.
“Do you know…” Xuan Yi’s voice was fierce but his heart was weak. He no longer had any composure, nor that graceful bearing and transcendent temperament. Now he was very afraid.
Ye Fan held him up, like grabbing a little chick.
Puff!
Before he could finish speaking, Ye Fan crushed his physical body. Then he grabbed his primordial spirit and sealed it inside the large banner, grinding it in a hellish torture.
“Ah…” Xuan Yi let out a miserable, long howl inside, in extreme agony.
The Divine Court was about to go to war with the Heavenly Court!
On this day, the news shot to the heavens. The four poles of the universe shook three times, trembled three times. Everyone was shocked.
How could this be? Were the two behemoths finally about to have their decisive battle?
“You killed my son, acting without restraint. Do you want me to annihilate all of you?!” After more than three hundred years, the Dark Calamity having ended, the Imperial Lord, who had been silent all this time, finally emerged and issued his majestic voice.
“If you kill one person of my Heavenly Court, I will kill one of your sons. Try me if you dare!” On this day, Ye Fan’s words also shook the universe, his tone resolute, a powerful counterattack.
Explaining the reason for the late update. These past few days have been truly miserable. I’m attending an author meeting in Hangzhou. Those with saved drafts are naturally happy, able to play to their heart’s content. I have no saved drafts. These past few days, I’ve been stuck in the hotel writing, and when they call me out, I’m just thinking about how to get back to write. It’s driving me crazy. Today, an editor invited me to dinner in the evening. I really couldn’t refuse, but I ended up coming back very late. I could only bury my head and write until now. Please forgive me, everyone. I’m actually in a tough spot here. I’ll only have one chapter today. It’s too late. Please forgive me. (To be continued…)