Chapter 156: The Slaying
Bang!
Ye Fan shot into the sky, swinging his golden fist. With a heavy strike, he smashed down, shattering nearly all of Ji Ren’s chest bones.
However, this old steward was unfathomably deep and possessed an incredibly powerful life force. There was still no sign of death; instead, he let out low, guttural roars and howls.
Ye Fan followed up by descending, using the Eight-Step Cicada Chase at extreme speed. Each step landed on Ji Ren’s body, and with every impact, a crisp “crack” rang out.
After eight steps, Ji Ren’s bones were fractured in dozens of places, and his form was nearly deformed. At the same time, he crashed to the ground.
Ye Fan delivered one final, heavy punch. Ji Ren flew back like a stone, hitting the ground like a dead dog.
The methods were almost brutal, but Ye Fan felt no pity. In this world of the strong preying on the weak, if he didn’t strike ruthlessly, he would be the one killed.
Ji Hui was determined to destroy him. This old steward had come to carry out the execution, remaining calm and unperturbed throughout. His attitude toward killing Ye Fan was cold and indifferent, without a trace of guilt. Therefore, Ye Fan naturally felt no emotional turmoil. He killed without hesitation.
“Ah…” Ji Ren roared, still not dead.
Ye Fan’s heart tightened. His opponent was too powerful. If it were an ordinary cultivator, their life force would have already been severed.
He couldn’t discern the other’s cultivation level—it was too deep and unfathomable. Not wanting any accidents, Ye Fan directly summoned the Golden Book.
The carrier of the Dao Scripture, that page of golden paper, transformed into a dazzling beam of golden light, shooting forward. It was brilliant and sharp, blurring the void as if tearing it apart.
This page of the Dao Scripture, though not a true weapon, was tougher than the Jiang Family elder’s Purple Copper Bagua Mirror and could be submerged in the Sea of Suffering.
The Purple Copper Bagua Mirror, the Heavenly Net Umbrella, and the Jade Purification Vase, however, could not; they were blocked above the Sea of Suffering by the Green Copper Block. In a sense, this golden page was not a weapon, yet it surpassed one.
“Chi!” The golden blade was extremely dazzling. The thin sheet of golden paper rivaled the sharpest weapons as it sliced through.
“Puff!”
Ji Ren’s head was severed. Blood spurted from the cavity like a crimson fountain, spraying two meters high. The head flew several meters away.
In the cruel world of cultivators, once a conflict began, it was either kill or be killed. There was no room for mercy. Ye Fan sighed.
But then he was shocked to discover that the headless body was still writhing, and the severed head was still trembling.
Even in this state, Ji Ren was still alive. This sent chills down Ye Fan’s spine. He summoned the Golden Book again. If such a terrifying figure managed to recover, the mere thought was horrifying.
“Puff!”
The Golden Book plunged into Ji Ren’s Wheel Sea, directly severing his divine power source and shattering that secret realm. No matter how strong his opponent was, Ye Fan no longer feared him.
“Chi!”
Ye Fan didn’t stop there. He sent the Golden Book flying toward the trembling head in the distance. As long as he destroyed it, he believed Ji Ren could no longer cause any trouble.
“Hum!”
But then, something astonishing happened. From amidst Ji Ren’s nearly bald hair, a burst of five-colored radiance surged forth, blocking the Golden Book.
It was a powerful divine force that sealed the space, keeping the Golden Book at bay.
In the brilliant five-colored light, a slender bone hairpin emitted a hazy aura. It was this hairpin that vibrated with mysterious power, flowing toward Ji Ren’s head.
At the same time, the bone hairpin shattered, and a beam of light shot out. The silhouette of Ji Hui materialized, demanding, “What happened?”
Ye Fan’s scalp tingled. Though he wished he could kill this old hag on the spot, he understood the gap between them. A Ji Family elder was like a giant to him.
“It’s you…” Ji Hui’s silhouette was extremely shocked. “How could Ji Ren be defeated by you? He’s at a life-and-death crisis! The bone hairpin I gave him before he left has shattered… How is this possible?!”
The old woman of the Ji Family, a renowned elder, was filled with disbelief. This was too unexpected for her, like hearing that a lion had been bitten to death by an ant.
Ye Fan quickly calmed down. Without a word, he directly summoned the Golden Book and slashed at Ji Hui. He knew this wasn’t the real Ji Hui, only a wisp of her imprint. He had to destroy it quickly, or the severed head might revive.
“This is too shocking… It defies all logic!” Ji Hui was still in shock. The Golden Book swept through, cutting her apart.
But Ji Hui was unharmed. She quickly reformed, sneering coldly, “Boy, you’re still too green. You can’t even distinguish a spiritual imprint. With your strength, you can’t destroy me.” As she spoke, she shouted, “Ji Ren, wake up now!”
“Chi!”
From Ye Fan’s brow, the golden little lake reappeared. A small golden sword flew out, fully formed from his powerful divine sense, and instantly slashed at Ji Hui.
Knowing her state, Ye Fan felt relieved. Using his powerful divine sense to destroy a spiritual imprint was the most suitable method.
“Ah…” Ji Hui’s phantom raged in fury, darting left and right. Everything exceeded her expectations. Ye Fan’s divine sense was so powerful, completely mismatched with his cultivation level.
“Sizzle!”
Like a red-hot iron plunged into snow, melting a large area, Ji Hui’s imprint instantly blurred and was nearly destroyed.
Facing the real Ji Hui, Ye Fan had no chance. After all, he had only been cultivating for a little over three years. But this was only Ji Hui’s imprint, not her true body, so he went all out.
“You old hag! I can’t kill your true body, but I can still destroy your spiritual imprint!”
Ye Fan was filled with disgust for this vicious old woman. She repaid kindness with enmity and wanted him utterly annihilated. Now, she was the perfect outlet for his anger.
“You…” Ji Hui was enraged by the insult, but she also realized the terror of his divine sense. She shot upward, trying to escape.
Ye Fan couldn’t give her the chance. If this wisp of imprint returned to her true body, he would be in for a world of suffering. She would torture him in every possible way.
“Old hag, aren’t you fond of hunting?” Ye Fan charged forward, shouting, “Today, I’ll show you what hunting looks like!”
“Puff!”
From the golden little lake, his divine sense materialized and instantly shattered Ji Hui’s arm.
“Puff!”
The divine sense heavenly sword slashed down, cutting off Ji Hui’s head.
“Boy, how dare you insult me…”
“Your grandfather’s! You wanted to kill me…” Ye Fan rushed forward, swinging his golden palm, and slapped directly, saying, “Let me touch your dog head!”
“Smack!”
The golden palm struck Ji Hui’s head. She was instantly dispersed but quickly reformed. Aside from divine sense attacks, other forces could hardly erase her.
“You…” Ji Hui was furious. When had a Ji Family elder ever suffered such humiliation?
“Chi!”
From Ye Fan’s brow, the golden divine sense shot out again, piercing through Ji Hui’s head. Then, divine light radiated in all directions, engulfing the area.
He had no time to waste. First, he didn’t want any accidents. Second, there was still a half-dead Ji Ren below to deal with.
This wisp of Ji Hui’s imprint let out an unwilling roar, shattered on the spot, melted like snowflakes, and completely disappeared from the world.
Ye Fan swooped down, summoned the Golden Book, and slashed at Ji Ren again.
At this moment, the severed head, nourished by the mysterious light, had calmed down. Its eyes opened, regaining consciousness. Its gaze was as cold and sharp as a blade, shooting toward Ye Fan.
“You old bastard, you sure have a tough life…”
Ye Fan urged the golden Dao Scripture forward to kill. The surroundings were sealed; only by destroying the enemy ahead could he leave this place.
The divine power contained in Ji Hui’s imprint was all transferred to Ji Ren, fully awakening him. The head immediately flew up, dodging into the distance.
“Chi!”
Ye Fan wasn’t afraid of him causing trouble. Instead of chasing the head, he attacked the headless body.
But then, something astonishing happened. From the body with all its bones broken, five figures suddenly emerged, standing side by side, guarding the flesh.
The first figure, clad in black iron armor, held a massive scythe. Except for the gleaming blade, the whole thing was pitch black. This figure stood there like a god of death.
The second figure, covered in blood-red armor, was as vivid as burning flames, holding a blood-colored long blade that shimmered with an enchanting glow.
The third figure, in green armor that sparkled like azure dragon scales, gripped a wolf-fang great club, exuding a heavy, oppressive aura.
These five figures were like five evil gods, radiating demonic energy, each with a mysterious power flowing within them.
“Dao Palace Secret Realm!” Ye Fan suddenly understood, drawing a sharp breath.
It was said that cultivators in the Dao Palace Secret Realm could cultivate five divine spirits, with various unpredictable abilities. Once mastered, strange things could happen. Though he had shattered Ji Ren’s Wheel Sea, his Dao Palace remained intact, and these five evil gods had leaped out.
His only relief was that the head couldn’t rejoin the body, so it couldn’t control these five divine spirits well.
“The Dao Palace Secret Realm is truly mysterious. This manifestation is just the tip of the iceberg,” Ye Fan muttered to himself.
With no retreat, he could only advance. Ye Fan summoned the Golden Book, activated the Dao Scripture’s profound methods, and mobilized the Mother Qi of All Things within him, preparing for a bloody battle.
“Chi!”
But to his surprise, the five evil gods weren’t as powerful as he imagined. A flash of golden light severed one of their arms.
From afar, Ji Ren’s furious roar came, filled with despair and unwillingness.
“Haha…” Ye Fan laughed loudly. “I understand! Your head can’t return, so they can’t unleash their full power. What is there to fear!”
Ye Fan charged forward, swinging his golden fist. “Bang!” He shattered one evil god, which dissipated into a brilliant glow.
Ji Ren roared. Though he had no body, his divine sense roar was even more terrifying.
“Shua!” The world dimmed. A massive purple net appeared in the sky, descending to envelop everything.
“Grand Heavenly Net!” Ye Fan was startled. This was the net that had trapped him, preventing his escape.
Unexpectedly, the Grand Heavenly Net didn’t come for him. Instead, it wrapped around the head and shot into the distance. The remaining four evil gods transformed into four beams of light, also trying to ascend.
“This old immortal…” Ye Fan rushed over, using his full power to completely destroy the body. He then executed a remnant of the Void Great Hand Seal, striking at the sky.
“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”
A massive black hand covered the heavens, shattering all four evil gods. Without any delay, he chased after Ji Ren’s head.
Without a body, the head’s divine power was limited. Both the Wheel Sea and Dao Palace Secret Realms had been destroyed. Ji Ren had no strength left, and even the Grand Heavenly Net couldn’t protect him. His speed gradually slowed.
Ye Fan, having cultivated the Old Madman’s supreme secret technique, caught up in an instant. He knew he absolutely couldn’t let Ji Ren escape, or the consequences would be endless.
“Old immortal, without your divine power source and your five divine spirits, how can you keep running?”
Ye Fan secretly rejoiced that he had severed the head first. If it had been connected to the body, he wouldn’t have had a single chance.
But it wasn’t just luck. Everything was of his own making. Successfully attacking the other’s divine sense had sealed this outcome.
“Bang!”
Ye Fan swung his large hand, slapping forward. Purple light flashed as the Grand Heavenly Net neutralized his attack, temporarily protecting the head.
Unfortunately, a head was still a head. Its divine power was limited. As it kept flying, its energy was nearly exhausted. It could no longer provide power for the Grand Heavenly Net, rendering it useless.
Though the treasure was powerful, it required divine power to activate and control. Without it, it was ineffective.
“Old fellow, thanks for the treasure!”
“Bang!”
With his final strike, Ye Fan shattered Ji Ren’s head. The purple net fluttered down, and he caught it in his hands.
“Truly a valuable treasure!”
He sensed Ji Hui’s aura on it. It must have been bestowed by the Ji Family elder, Ji Hui. It seemed woven from starlight, sparkling and translucent.
“Encompassing heaven and earth, truly a spiritual object!”
Ye Fan felt it was far more powerful than the destroyed Purple Copper Bagua Mirror and Heavenly Net Umbrella. Dao patterns were faintly visible on it, extremely profound, as if it could net the sun, moon, and stars.
He didn’t linger. After erasing all traces of the battle, he sped away like the wind and lightning. For now, he needed to lie low. If the Ji Family elder found out, she would surely be furious and wouldn’t let him go.