Chapter 1697: Eighteen Layers of Hell
Yinghuo, an eerie demon star—this was Ye Fan's most genuine feeling. Here, he had a deeply engraved memory: half of his classmates had perished in this place.
Recalling the experiences of that year, it felt as if it were only yesterday.
How many past events could be relived? The little moments, bit by bit, had faded with the passage of time. Some people would never be seen again. He still remembered those pale faces, those helpless eyes, desperate to survive.
Ye Fan stood silently. It was in this very place that several good brothers had fallen, one after another, into pools of blood. He had pulled hard, but they could no longer rise; he could not hold back their lives.
Time was like a river, flowing slowly, washing away many things and carrying away many emotions.
The Nine Dragons Coffin, its destination unknown, had left them adrift, never to return to the past. The trajectory of their lives had thus changed, and the years gone by had become memories.
Experiences of life and death, tragic songs of blood and fire—few had survived to the present, only a handful remained, recounting fragments of old memories.
The wind began to rise. The ancient star of Yinghuo was a deep red, covered in hard sand grains. The dry, vast Gobi Desert held no trace of life; no familiar people or objects could be seen.
All had been buried.
Ye Fan took a step. Now, with a single thought, he could make stars sink and fall. Planets meant nothing to him; his divine sense could cover this entire place.
Here, he felt an immense pressure. Yinghuo was definitely extraordinary and could not be judged by common sense. Anyone who, relying on their supreme power, recklessly tried to refine this star region would only hit a wall.
Deep beneath Yinghuo's surface, there was truly great terror. Any rash action would inevitably invite a bloody catastrophe—this was Ye Fan's first instinctive reaction, and he couldn't help but frown.
Too much was buried here, recording a heavy and terrifying history. It had once involved a battle at the imperial level, sealed away in the passage of time, yet it had not dissipated to this day.
Ye Fan withdrew his attention from the planet's core and walked across the surface. The once-great Great Thunderclap Monastery and other structures no longer existed; even the remnants had almost vanished.
Relying on his powerful divine sense, he located the foundation of the Great Thunderclap Monastery. The Crocodile Ancestor was long gone, but the dungeon still exuded a chilling, yin energy.
Back then, Shakyamuni had set up the Eighteen Layers of Hell, suppressing eighteen great powers of the universe. Bloodthirsty beings like the Crocodile Ancestor, and even the divine thought of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body—which of them were easy to deal with?
This was the Yin-Yang Prison, divided into upper and lower layers, mutually restraining and supplementing each other—a brilliant design. It used the forces of heaven and earth to suppress two great demon kings for two thousand years.
Ye Fan revisited this old place, naturally wanting to see it clearly. In the past, his cultivation was weak, and many things were difficult for him to fully understand.
"These wall carvings indeed have deeper meaning. Are they hinting at the terrors beneath Yinghuo? Desolate beasts as soldiers, Qiongqi and Kunpeng as generals, leading to a deep burial ground."
Ye Fan understood. Shakyamuni had also wanted to explore the world beneath Yinghuo's sea eye, but he had failed. He lacked something, falling short at the final step, and could only choose to strengthen the seal, preventing the demons inside from breaking out.
Ye Fan lightly brushed his hand, and the dust was swept away. A massive stone pillar creaked, shedding a layer of stone powder. Nine stars shone brightly, gleaming into view.
"The star coordinates of the Eighteen Layers of Hell..." Ye Fan was surprised. There was indeed hidden mystery within.
This was the power of a Quasi-Emperor at the sixth heaven—seeing through the finest details, nothing could escape his perception. Every bit of clue was reflected in his mind. These were the secrets carved by Shakyamuni.
The other eight stars were like this one, each with upper and lower Yin-Yang prisons, located across eight ancient domains.
Ye Fan understood. He walked back to the surface, then observed Yinghuo for two days. He did not act rashly but instead crossed the starry universe to seek out the other layers of hell.
At Ye Fan's current level, he could go anywhere in this world. Even a demon domain sealed by a Quasi-Emperor of the past could be entered with ease.
Perhaps he could gain more insights, allowing him to explore the deep secrets beneath Yinghuo more safely.
His speed was incredibly fast. Though he traversed endless starry skies, time seemed to freeze in an instant.
He arrived at the first stop. Here, he could sense no life force; desolation was the theme. Ye Fan murmured, "Could this be the old land once visited by the ninety-nine dragon mountains?"
He carefully explored and found that this place had once been a source of life, but it had completely dried up. All spiritual energy had vanished, taken by a mysterious force. Moreover, there were remnants on the ground—traces where dragon veins had once rested.
Yinghuo was also such a region, while Earth was the final stop, surviving without being destroyed.
A broken stele stood here, unknown how many years it had been since anyone had visited. There were no other traces.
"Demon-Sealing Stele."
Three ancient characters were carved on the broken stele. Ye Fan searched the entire ancient star and only found this place to be unusual, confirming it was the location of the prison.
He pulled up the stone stele, and immediately, waves of demonic energy surged forth, erupting like a volcano, with smoke and clouds spreading, blotting out the sky and covering the sun.
This was indeed a dungeon. A world-shaking great demon was sealed within the first layer, letting out an excited and terrifying roar: "Dao friend outside, please lend me a hand! I will repay you handsomely."
"State your name," Ye Fan said calmly.
"Great Xia Dragon Sparrow!" The roar shook heaven and earth, carrying a sense of boldness and pride.
Ye Fan was taken aback. Wasn't Long Yuxuan's ancestor the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow? A generation of demon god, who once commanded the winds and rains in ancient China, dominating an era.
Could it be him, suppressed here?
Ye Fan inquired. Inside, there was a moment of silence, then a burst of rage: "I only stayed there for a time, seeking an immortal treasure but failing, and was instead suppressed on Yinghuo. Are you threatening me? Leaving some of my bloodline there means nothing; it cannot restrain me."
Ye Fan smiled. He tore open the seal, and from an ancient well, a Dragon Sparrow shot up, flapping its wings to strike the sky, then dove downward with a wild and domineering aura.
"I saved you, and you still want to harm me?"
Ye Fan's expression was calm. He raised his hand and struck. With a thunderous boom, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow spat blood, its body drenched in gore, golden divine feathers scattering, a look of shock on its face.
In its time, it had been a generation of demon god, at the peak of the Great Saint realm. Though Shakyamuni had stripped away most of its cultivation and suppressed it here, it had not wasted the years. It had recovered and was waiting for the day of its release.
It never expected that this person was so terrifying, so young, no less formidable than that bald man from back then—truly too fearsome.
"I only wanted to test your strength. I mean you no harm," the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow explained, filled with great fear inside. This was no longer its era, and such a terrifying figure had appeared again.
"Bang!"
Ye Fan struck down with his hand once more. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow's soul nearly fled in terror as it shot back into the sky, but a golden hand grabbed it, and it could not escape.
"Please show mercy!" it couldn't help but shout.
"Consider this a lesson. There are many in this world who can subdue you. Do not rely on your strength to kill without reason." Ye Fan released it, but not before making its body bleed and breaking many of its bones.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was awed and said no more.
Ye Fan opened another layer of the prison, but it was empty. The person inside had passed away in meditation centuries ago, leaving only a skeleton, unable to withstand the erosion of time.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow wanted to leave, but Ye Fan forcibly kept it by his side. Its divine abilities were great, and its actions were extreme; if displeased, it might strike and kill. That was why it had been suppressed.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was helpless. This young man was too powerful; it could not escape and had to follow.
"The reason we were suppressed and still kept alive," it said honestly, "is partly because that bald man was merciful, and partly because we all know some secrets of the divine star Yinghuo, which might still be valuable to later generations. But this 'waiting for the fated one' situation is truly infuriating."
Ye Fan nodded and headed to the next location. This time, he released two creatures: a silver serpent and a hundred-legged celestial insect.
These were two great fiends. The moment they were freed, they attacked, but Ye Fan struck them down with one hand, beating them into submission until they dared not act wild again.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow sighed. "These two were also earth-shaking figures in their time. If not for Shakyamuni suppressing them, they might have stepped into the Quasi-Emperor realm. And now they've been thoroughly beaten."
"Shut up! Who doesn't know you were also a great fiend back then? Now you've turned into a well-behaved bird!" the hundred-legged celestial insect retorted.
Thus, Ye Fan broke through seven stars in succession, releasing a total of twelve ancient beings, all extremely powerful. He had no patience for these demonic fiends; if they dared to cause trouble, he simply fought them.
This method proved effective. Ye Fan subdued all these great evils, making them obedient, and they were forced to follow by his side.
He did not imprison them. A Quasi-Emperor at the sixth heaven was enough to intimidate them. Any great fiend before such a strong being could only crouch low; resistance meant only death.
When they reached the final star, someone challenged Ye Fan. This was the only Quasi-Emperor among them, also the most powerful and fearsome figure of that time.
This person had been stripped of his cultivation, but through two thousand years of bitter practice, he had restored his divine abilities and even nearly advanced further. He was a Quasi-Emperor at the third heaven, yet he had never managed to break free.
When Ye Fan broke open this last prison, he indeed expended some effort.
This was an ancient bird, its fiery red feathers bright and beautiful, transformed into a Daoist robe worn on its body. It immediately engaged Ye Fan in battle, knowing that if it did not fight, it would be subdued and unable to escape.
"If your temperaments were peaceful, I would not keep you by my side and would let you go. Since I have freed you, I must be responsible for other living beings and cannot allow you to leave and cause chaos."
Ye Fan struck at it, still very simply. He flicked his sleeve, drawing it inside. No matter its great divine abilities, it could not fly out of this universe.
"This old rooster once called itself the Mountain Phoenix, with its bloodline awakened. Among the demon clan of the world, it found no equal. It was undefeated in its life until it met the bald man, and now it has encountered another great setback."
"The old rooster is in big trouble. Proud and arrogant, it always meets the strongest, who outshine it."
The other demons murmured, some gloating, having suffered under it before and enjoying its humiliation.
"Ah..."
The ancient mountain bird roared, its phoenix blood boiling. Its Daoist robe shattered, transforming into a hundred thousand divine feathers that shot at Ye Fan, trying to break free from his sleeve.
"The old rooster is fighting for its life, shedding its feathers in battle! Truly furious, holding nothing back, now completely bare!"
Ye Fan was amused. This mountain chicken that had become a Daoist was indeed fierce. He raised his hand and pressed down, forcing it to revert to its original form—a featherless rooster.
With a gap of three heavens, and Ye Fan being so dominant, this ancient demon had no capital to resist. Though extremely powerful, it was far from a match.
"I submit!"
In the end, the old mountain chicken yielded, revealing its origins. It was indeed a rooster that had attained the Dao in an immortal cave, cultivating a set of supreme divine abilities.
It hated being called a mountain chicken or rooster spirit, styling itself as the Mountain Phoenix.
Ye Fan naturally did not humiliate it and kindly explained the purpose of seeking them out.
The group of fourteen returned to the star of Yinghuo. These people had all come for the immortal treasure back then and knew some secrets. Together, their knowledge greatly aided the exploration.
In truth, although these thirteen great demons were initially unwilling, once they arrived here, their moods calmed considerably. They too wanted to see the supreme treasure and great secrets of Yinghuo Star.
"Everyone, since we have chosen the same path, let us explore this together," Ye Fan said.
He felt a surge of emotion. Back then, the Eighteen Layers of Hell were merely a legend to him. He never imagined that one day he would personally break them, releasing thirteen living ancient beings.
Time flew by, like a dream.