Chapter 1679: Peerless Expert
Shooting down a Forbidden Zone Young Lord with a single arrow—what a brutal result!
What else could everyone feel but terror? This wasn't the first time Ye Fan had slain an Imperial bloodline; was this the sixth, or the seventh?
A terrifying record, a bloodstained path, a glorious past—all leading to a road beneath Ye Fan's feet that made people tremble in awe, with many forced to look up to him.
Ye Fan held a longbow in his hand. It was pitch-black all over, yet it flowed with metallic luster and texture. This was a divine root that had grown in the Reincarnation Sea, refined into a bow, once inscribed with the Dao of an Imperial Lord.
Now, in front of everyone, Ye Fan directly refined it, because the Reincarnation Lord's phantom spirit had been devoured by the Azure Lotus. He re-forged this bow, turning it into a great killing weapon in his hands.
He picked up a few golden arrows, adding them to the several previously collected by the cauldron, totaling twelve. Each one was dazzlingly bright, sharp and intimidating.
Everyone's expression changed. The sight of him shooting down the Reincarnation Lord's offspring with a single arrow had left a deep impression on everyone. This was an absolutely domineering attack power—whoever the arrow pointed at would pale.
"Chi!"
Ye Fan suddenly drew the bow and shot toward the depths of a Chaotic Mountain. Two figures soared up from there, crushing many condensed stars. One figure was blurry, while the other was An Pu.
With a clang, An Pu wielded a large black halberd, striking the golden arrow. Sparks flew, and his entire body trembled. A flash of blood burst forth—the arrow's peerless sharpness grazed his arm after passing by his halberd, leaving it dripping with blood.
In truth, it wasn't a direct graze; a killing aura had torn his flesh, causing blood to flow.
Ye Fan stood unmoving on a mountain peak, like a demon lord overlooking the world. He bent the bow again and nocked another arrow, with eleven golden arrows left to shoot.
Swish!
The blurry figure vanished, disappearing into the silent void, while An Pu flickered into the mountainous terrain, tearing open the void to hide.
"Boom!"
However, Ye Fan's next arrow was even more terrifying and fearsome. When released, it was like a golden mountain crashing down, not like an arrow at all. It shattered that stretch of sky, broke through the Chaotic Mountain, and forcibly flushed An Pu out.
"Brother Ye, I originally didn't want to fight you yet. I didn't expect you to insist on starting now." An Pu no longer fled. After dodging that arrow, he stood in the void.
He had a sickly beauty, his face still as pale as ever, as if he rarely saw sunlight, languid and weak. This was a unique style, different from the other Ancient Imperial Princes' aggressiveness.
Ye Fan looked at him, a ripple stirring in his heart. This was a figure to reckon with. Back at his wedding, An Pu had stopped Shen Ming, owing him a favor.
But a battle between them was inevitable. Immortal Mountain wanted to destroy the Ji Family and kill him, making them lifelong mortal enemies.
"We have no choice but to fight!" Ye Fan only uttered these four words.
"It seems I'm no match for you right now." An Pu sighed, speaking the truth. These words, coming from the mouth of a Forbidden Zone Lord's offspring, carried immense weight and had an extraordinary effect.
The outside crowd stirred in chaos. This was an admission from a supreme bloodline, and such an acknowledgment made Ye Fan's battle aura seem many times more terrifying.
He was truly a killer of Ancient Imperial Princes, recognized by all.
The cauldron above Ye Fan's head rose and fell, his eyes devoid of any ripple. He recalled An Pu's words from years past, saying that the opening of the Immortal Path would mark the beginning of the greatest turmoil in history.
At that time, few understood the meaning of those words. But afterward, they were verified one by one.
He slowly drew the bowstring, nocked the third arrow, his expression indifferent as he looked at An Pu.
An Pu, with his pale, bloodless complexion, raised his head and said, "This battle has finally arrived."
An Pu knew that a life-or-death struggle between them was inevitable. Almost all Forbidden Zones of Life were Ye Fan's enemies. As long as his strength was sufficient, he would kill them all—there was no avoiding it.
However, he truly wasn't prepared yet. How to counter the Human Clan's Sacred Body was no longer just one person's problem; it plagued the bloodlines of multiple Imperial Lords.
Chi!
Ye Fan fired the third arrow. Golden light exploded like thunder, tearing through the void. Even crossing star domains was useless; the target was already locked.
An Pu let out a long roar. Though he looked sickly, when he swung his large halberd, it split heaven and earth, cleaving through chaos with terrifying might.
Clanging sounds rang out endlessly. The halberd clashed repeatedly with the arrow, deflecting it, which slid off to the side, its luster dimmed.
However, when the fourth arrow was fired, An Pu's expression changed. The halberd in his hand trembled violently, suffering a devastating impact. This arrow contained the Sacred Body's full essence and energy, terrifying beyond measure.
Even someone as strong as An Pu felt his arm go numb, blood seeping from his tiger's mouth. His eyes burst with divine light, and instead of retreating, he charged toward Ye Fan.
"Young Master, go! You're no match for him now. He's in a special state, standing at the pinnacle of the forbidden domain, just like the old master in his youth!"
At that moment, a blurry figure appeared, blocking An Pu's path and urging him to retreat quickly, intending to take his place and face Ye Fan.
Boom!
Ye Fan fired the fourth arrow. The area erupted, as if all the world's essence had been drained. The blurry figure roared, but it couldn't change much.
An Pu charged forward, his halberd clashing fiercely, but one of his calves was pierced through, exploding into a mist of blood in the sky.
"Young Master, go!" The blurry figure quickly materialized, shedding its concealment. It turned out to be a headless knight, massive in form.
"It's him!"
Many gasped, recognizing its origin.
Back then, when this death knight emerged, its aura shook the heavens. It was Shi Huang's servant, once intimidating all heroes from Immortal Mountain, shocking the mortal world.
The Immortal Path had shattered, crushing many people's dreams. The headless knight survived, hiding in Immortal Mountain, and now it had emerged again.
"Good, you survived. Today, there will be a reckoning!" Ye Fan said coldly. This figure had been famous in ancient times. Shi Huang had launched too many upheavals, and this knight had led armies on campaigns, slaughtering countless, making it truly terrifying.
"Hum!"
The headless knight moved its hands, creating a chaotic rift. An Pu was swept into it, and even Ye Fan's arrow couldn't sever this path of escape.
The headless knight used the most terrifying power and laws of its life, opening a passage for its young master, allowing him to return and escape this place.
An Pu's pale lips opened and closed, but in the end, he said nothing, vanishing into the chaotic rift.
Ye Fan walked forward step by step, showing no anger, cold and calm. Killing one more or one less person meant nothing to him.
The key point was that he had locked onto An Pu, leaving a trace of his aura within him. No matter where he went in the future, he could hunt him down.
"The headless knight that once looked down on the world..." he murmured. Standing at a different height, the enemies he faced were naturally different.
In the past, when this figure emerged from Immortal Mountain, who could oppose him? Who dared to clash? Even a servant of an Imperial Lord was a Quasi-Emperor.
Now, everything had changed. Ye Fan could already look down on the world. There weren't many left who could fight him, and a battle began.
The death knight from Immortal Mountain was even stronger than An Pu now, able to withstand Ye Fan's arrows, but in the end, it was no match.
When the twelfth arrow was fired, it let out a furious roar. Its lower body was blown apart, stones and flesh flying everywhere.
It howled with its divine sense, going berserk, and tried the same trick again. But this time, the chaotic rift was useless. Ye Fan wouldn't let it succeed twice after seeing it once.
A supreme law fixed that spot, preventing chaos from opening!
With a hum, the Primordial Qi Cauldron rose and descended, suppressing it. This powerful figure finally couldn't hold on, turning into ashes, leaving behind a blurry imprint on the cauldron's wall, barely forming a living being's image.
In this world, who could still stop Ye Fan's steps? This was the question on everyone's mind.
But Ye Fan himself was very calm. That old sigh still seemed to echo in his ears. It couldn't have been an illusion; there was a peerless figure here.
He walked steadily toward the monkey. Kun Tian Divine General was still there, unafraid of his arrival.
"Hmm, my lord's offspring was forced to death by you. It's a pity he didn't grow up. Nothing more to say—two lives for one."
His figure finally became clear, revealing black profound gold armor. He stood there like a demon god, streams of runes flowing around him, exuding an Imperial might.
He knew Ye Fan was formidable, knew the monkey had half a divine iron staff, yet he still didn't retreat, intending to strike at both of them, shocking many.
But at this moment, some understood—he held a supreme formation diagram!
Could it be... left behind by Immortal Emperor?
"In the battle of yesteryear, the Empress still won't give up? Still wants to take this place? But I'm not dead yet. Shall we fight another round?" Suddenly, an aged voice rang out in the high heavens.
"Old fellow, you really aren't dead!" Kun Tian Divine General spoke grimly, baring a mouthful of white teeth, his black profound gold armor flowing with dark light.
He shook his hand, releasing dozens of large banners, exuding an Ancient Emperor's might, shaking the entire region.
Suddenly, a blade fell from the sky, its cold light startling the ages. With a splash, it severed all the banner formations before they could fully form!
This slash shook past and present. The snow-white blade light stunned everyone. Even Great Sages trembled, almost kneeling, their bodies shaking like sieves.
"Chi"
In the void, a flash of phoenix blood appeared. A passage opened and closed, sweeping Kun Tian Divine General away, vanishing in an instant.
One slash destroyed the formation and forced Kun Tian Divine General, who had once followed Immortal Emperor, to flee, seemingly aided by the Empress's divine power to escape. This might intimidated everyone.
"Dang..."
The lingering bell sound echoed through the ages. The chaotic mist dispersed, all the mountains began to move, and all the lightning and thunder retreated.
In the sky, a vast celestial palace appeared, majestic and solemn, grand and imposing, and some found it familiar.
"Ancient Heavenly Court!"
"It's the palace complex of the Heavenly Court!"
Many exclaimed.
"When will the chaos end? I wish to pacify the eight wastelands, restore order, and end all bloodshed." From the central Heavenly Emperor's palace, an aged voice came, filled with authority.
Chapter 1680: Relics of the Ancient Heavenly Court
The majestic celestial palace, the magnificent immortal towers, sat atop white clouds, steaming with radiance, breathtakingly grand. Everyone was stunned. The final mysterious world had long been occupied by someone, and people had lost the meaning of competing!
This battlefield fell silent. Only that authoritative voice echoed in the sky, as if an Ancient Great Emperor had come back to life, once again ruling the world.
Chaotic Mountain after Chaotic Mountain shifted aside, rumbling as they stood at the edge of heaven and earth. Those lightning bolts transformed into a golden forbidden sea, surging mightily.
Nine suns slanted westward. The towers and pavilions were dyed sacred by golden and red light under the setting sun, the tiles flowing with auspicious radiance.
The golden forbidden sea below churned, occasionally erupting with thunder, as if heaven was angered, capable of evolving into heavenly tribulation, shaking people's hearts.
The great bell tolled leisurely, vibrating through the ages.
"It's the Heavenly Court, no mistake. I didn't think it was completely destroyed, sitting here!" After who knows how long, an elder sighed.
Many were stunned, not knowing what to say, but their hearts were already churning with waves. How could this be? Was this the person who had once clashed with the Immortal Empress?
Black Emperor stared at that palace complex, especially at a missing corner, and said, "It really is the Heavenly Court. Look, the Southern Heavenly Gate is gone, fallen into the Divine Ruins!"
In fact, it wasn't the only one to notice. Many powerful figures made significant discoveries. Someone pointed out that this style matched certain ancient domain ruins.
"See that? That's the Dragon Transformation Pool, half collapsed. The other half is on our ancient star."
"Hmm, the Ten Thousand Demon Pagoda is also broken. There's a remnant there that can connect with this place."
People marveled. This was indeed the former site of the Heavenly Court. Though not complete, it could be corroborated with known ancient relics.
Pang Bo stared ahead, also showing a strange expression. He sighed, "So that's it. The alchemy and artifact-forging tower area is half destroyed, with half fallen outside the Ancient Forbidden Land."
He thought of that celestial palace complex on the Big Dipper, with the same style. And they could find connecting points, belonging to the former Ancient Heavenly Court, making people emotional.
Ye Fan's heart also shook. Some of his classmates had disappeared there, never seen again, and he didn't know where they were now.
With a loud crash, a huge white jade staircase descended from among those palaces, spreading all the way to people's feet, spanning the golden thunder sea below.
Some palaces rumbled, emitting boundless divine sounds, making this place even more solemn and dignified. Everyone's breath caught.
The vast celestial palace was too empty. No heavenly soldiers, no heavenly generals, no maids or attendants. It was cold and desolate, but a kind of solemnity and pressure emanated.
"Ha ha..."
A bold laugh rang out. On the white jade steps appeared a big man, full of beard stubble, looking rough and imposing.
On the Black Pearl, Li Tian and Yan Yixi immediately widened their eyes and opened their mouths. It was that bearded man again. Had he taken over this place? No, the voice wasn't old.
The bearded man was a Quasi-Emperor, already confirmed. Clearly, when they first met in the Ziwei Star Domain, he was wandering the mortal world.
With a full beard, the big man looked dignified, but when his eyes moved and saw Li Tian and the others, that fleeting hint of lechery didn't escape their notice.
This gave the two brothers goosebumps. This master was playing in the mortal world; he was definitely not some rigid, virtuous senior.
Next, at the broken Southern Heavenly Gate, another old man appeared, with yellow teeth, some missing, leading a tiger-headed, tiger-brained child out.
"It's him!"
Pang Bo and the others were startled. They had sensed it earlier. When they looked back, they found this old man and child paying attention to their ship. They knew then that he was a peerless expert.
Now, as the old man appeared, it caused a stir. Though he looked rustic, he must be a peerless expert, or how could he reside in the celestial palace?
"Is he the one who fought the Immortal Empress?"
"How strong is he, to end blood and chaos and pacify the universe?"
Everyone looked up. This old man was very mysterious. Was that brilliant blade light his doing? But that fierceness didn't match his current demeanor.
"Don't look at me, old and useless. I'm just a handyman, passing by with my grandson." The wretched old man showed his yellow teeth, looking strange no matter how you saw it.
He carried a broken wooden bucket, walked down the white jade steps, came to the golden thunder sea, and with a bang, scooped up a bucket of golden liquid, chaotic energy surging.
The crowd was shocked. This was the Chaotic Thunder God Sea, liquid formed from golden lightning, and he was drawing it like water.
Many estimated that a Great Sage touching those golden thunder elements would turn to ash, and even a Quasi-Emperor wouldn't fare well in such a dense environment.
The wretched old man was calm, leading his grandson, and climbed the steps again, pouring the bucket of golden thunder element concentrate under a withered ancient tree.
Many were startled, all staring at that withered ancient tree, not blinking.
Was this the legendary immortal tree? It was said that when Emperor Venerable died and the Heavenly Court collapsed, a supreme divine tree's life force dried up, never reviving. Was this it?
According to legend, Emperor Venerable extended the Longevity Heavenly Venerable's peak Imperial life by two thousand years by refining a great pill. One of the main ingredients came from this tree's fruit, combined with Emperor Venerable's supreme divine art to create a heaven-defying great pill.
That wasn't just two thousand ordinary years, but true peak "Imperial life." And at that time, other methods had been exhausted by the Longevity Heavenly Venerable—all ancient medicines, divine marrow, etc., he had consumed them all, and they were useless. Ordinary years couldn't compare to those two thousand Imperial years!
"Is this old fellow watering the immortal tree with golden lightning liquid, hoping to revive it?"
Everyone's eyes lit up. The Heavenly Court ruins really had good stuff! This ancient tree was still in the world. Many had guessed it was even more effective than other Immortal Elixirs.
It didn't shade the sky, only one person tall, but its branches were gnarled and strong, as if it had taken hundreds of thousands of years to grow to this state. The trunk was cracked, with no sign of life.
"It looks a bit like a person..."
Many were surprised. This tree was very special, close to human form, but it seemed to have been crippled, now twisted.
"This tree is a treasure! Even if dead, digging it up and carving divine patterns on it would make a great killing weapon. Maybe holding it could help one comprehend the Dao, with no less effect." Black Emperor's eyes gleamed.
Many were swallowing saliva. Everyone knew this was a supreme immortal medicine tree. Even withered, it must have some effect.
"Boom!"
The central celestial palace's doors opened. No one knew when, but a figure stood there, as if it had existed since ancient times, ethereal and elusive, yet exuding an intangible authority.
"Everyone, please enter." He spoke to all.
Many were surprised, sensing a sharpness. He seemed like a fragment of heavenly Dao order taking form, standing there as a person, puzzling.
This person was very special!
"He is a weapon spirit." Someone whispered, guessing he was the divine spirit within a supreme weapon!
The current master of the celestial palace must be incredibly strong, to have such a divine artifact following him. Was that brilliant blade light just now from this weapon spirit?
"Let's go, go in and take a look!"
Everyone was curious. Many bold ones naturally wanted to explore the legendary celestial palace and see for themselves.
When one led, others followed. The crowd surged, vast and mighty. They believed that with the master's strength, killing them would be easy, so there was no need for tricks like inviting them in to trap them.
Ye Fan, Holy Prince, Pang Bo, Black Emperor, and others gathered and also entered this palace complex to see what kind of person this was.
As the crowd surged, as soon as they approached, people sensed a Daoist atmosphere. This place was indeed extraordinary, with the Dao resonating!
Inside the central celestial palace, every huge pillar was carved with Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Kunpeng, etc. These weren't decorations but Dao imprints.
They could see some small dragons flying out of the pillars, flashing with green light, and a few Vermilion Birds breaking free, spitting fire in the void, drawing crimson flames.
"This was where Emperor Venerable once resided. Truly extraordinary!" Everyone thought.
People were awed, avoiding these strange totemic shadows, afraid of triggering any mishap.
"No harm. This is an opportunity. If someone can merge with them, they can obtain their Dao and inheritance." An aged voice came from the center of the celestial palace.
Everyone was stunned, then shock appeared in their eyes. Was this left by Emperor Venerable? How heaven-defying! That was a supreme Dao fruit!
With a soft chirp, the little one raised by Ji Ziyue, golden in color, a fire phoenix, collided with a phantom phoenix, emitting blazing light. The two merged, the Dao resonating!
It was real! Everyone was dumbfounded, then went wild, all wanting to merge with those imprints.
Unfortunately, this was an unattainable opportunity. Even if they bumped into them, those phantoms would immediately disappear, not truly entering their bodies, leaving them helpless.
This place was a world of its own. No matter how many entered, the hall could accommodate them. White mist spread at everyone's feet, as if walking on clouds.
Many looked forward, wanting to see what kind of person was there.
In the center of the hall, there was no luxury or extravagance. Only a simple Yin-Yang fish Dao platform, shrouded in chaotic energy, with an old Daoist sitting cross-legged on it, melting into the void.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo were greatly shaken. They opened their mouths but couldn't speak. They saw two familiar figures, unseen for hundreds of years.
Behind the old Daoist stood a man and a woman, standing calmly, clearly former Dao children, now grown up.
The man was refined, wearing a purple-gold Dao crown and a moon-white Dao robe, indescribably ethereal, with great presence.
The woman was lively, ethereal and empty, like a banished immortal, standing quietly.
"Zhou Yi!"
"Lin Jia!"
Ye Fan and Pang Bo never expected to see their former classmates in the Ancient Heavenly Court. This result shocked them. After hundreds of years apart, they appeared here.
The chaotic energy dispersed. On the broken Yin-Yang fish Dao platform, the old Daoist revealed his true form. His face was gaunt, his Dao robe old, his appearance and temperament unremarkable, looking very ordinary.
"It's him!"
"It's actually him!"
Ye Fan and Pang Bo were even more shocked this time, their expressions changing.