Chapter 157: Fame Spreads Across the Southern Domain
Ye Fan knew he had stirred up a catastrophic disaster. The Southern Domain was extremely dangerous for him. The Ji Family was immensely vast, with a long heritage, profound foundations, and countless experts. They would never let him off so easily.
This time, he had killed the old steward Ji Ren and destroyed Ji Hui's imprint, but instead of solving the problem, it would provoke an even fiercer reaction from the Ji Family. Hide! Now there was only this one word, no other choice.
The Grand Void Art was one of the essential essences of the Void Ancient Scripture. The Ji Family absolutely could not tolerate its leakage. Even if the Saint Lord of Yaoguang had obtained it, the Ji Family would find a way to retrieve it, let alone a minor cultivator like Ye Fan. Over the past few days, he had heard many news, each incident shaking the Southern Domain.
The battle between Peacock King and Nangong Zheng had concluded. That mountain range was scorched and barren, reduced to a wasteland. But who was actually stronger? The outside world did not know. When people arrived, the two great powers had long since vanished.
The Saint Lord of Yaoguang and the Saint Lord of the Ji Family had joined forces, searching the entire Southern Domain for the Peacock King, vowing to kill him, stirring up massive waves. But for now, they could not find any trace.
The Bronze Immortal Hall appeared faintly, sealed by Mysterious Yellow, about to sink beneath the Eastern Wasteland's earth. But so far, no peerless expert had ventured deep inside. The major figures had concerns and were making final preparations.
It was said that the Ji Family's Divine Physique, Ji Haoyue, was severely injured, nearly killed, and his whereabouts were now unknown. Many people were secretly searching for him.
The only survivor of the long-lost Tianxuan Holy Land—the old madman—had formed a cocoon and fallen asleep at Grand Mystery. Many experts guarded him, but when he broke out of the cocoon, no one noticed, and he mysteriously vanished, horrifying everyone. The entire Southern Domain was seething with undercurrents. All major forces were dispatching experts, probing everywhere.
Ye Fan smiled bitterly. Currently, the two most dangerous people in the Southern Domain were Ji Haoyue and himself. Ji Haoyue's Divine Physique had just taken shape, making him a decent expert. As long as he didn't encounter the Peacock King, he still had a chance to survive. But Ye Fan's Sacred Body was not yet complete. If discovered, he would be in extreme danger. The Eastern Wasteland's Southern Domain was far from peaceful, and a shocking major event could happen at any moment.
"Ji Family, passed down since the Primordial Era, if you want to hunt me down to the last, don't blame me for being rude. I'll spread the Grand Void Art across the world. I don't believe you dare to slaughter the endless population of the Southern Domain!" Ye Fan's expression was cold, ready to fight to the death.
Because, in the past two days, he had clearly sensed the atmosphere turning wrong. The Ji Family's eminent elders were searching for Ji Haoyue, but even more young experts had been dispatched, frantically searching, as if they wanted to dig three feet into the ground.
Of course, that was only the worst-case scenario. The Southern Domain was vast beyond measure. Ye Fan didn't believe that if he found a remote corner to hide in, he could still be discovered.
These past few days, he had been moving stealthily through the wilderness, changing locations again and again, afraid he hadn't completely shaken off pursuit. This kind of fugitive life was miserable, constantly on alert, terrified of being found by the Ji Family.
It wasn't until the seventh day that Ye Fan stopped. He didn't know where he was. He entered a deep mountain range where ancient trees blocked out the sun. He decided to lie low here quietly, wait for the storm to completely die down, and then leave the Southern Domain far behind. The outside world was too dangerous; he could only temporarily go into hiding.
Ye Fan prepared to cultivate in peace, aiming to reach the Other Shore realm as soon as possible. Currently, above his Sea of Suffering, a divine vein stretched across the sky, crystalline like a rainbow, about to pierce through to the outside of the Wheel Sea.
With the Heavenly Vein formed and the Divine Bridge spanning across, reaching the Other Shore realm was only a matter of time. What he needed now was accumulation.
He had a piece of pure "Source" in his hand, as big as a fist, flowing with light and color. But Ye Fan didn't plan to use it now; he would save it for when he charged into the Other Shore realm.
A piece of Source this large contained unimaginable life essence. In the past, it would have been enough to elevate him by one realm.
But as Old Man Wu Qingfeng had said, cultivation becomes harder the further you go, requiring ten times the cost of the early stages. This piece of Source could help him break through. If he refined it when he reached the peak of the Divine Bridge, it would surely allow him to advance to the Other Shore realm in one go.
In the following days, Ye Fan began to comprehend the various techniques he had cultivated. The Wheel Sea volume of the *Dao Scripture* was his foundation, the source of his path of cultivation.
This technique had no secret arts, no killing moves; it was entirely about tapping into potential. Although it lacked secret arts like the Grand Void Art, it was revered as the strongest chapter for cultivating the Wheel Sea, and for good reason—it emphasized the foundation!
Now, on that golden page, most of the characters had disappeared, leaving only a few. Many star-like ancient characters had been completely erased.
Vaguely, this matched Ye Fan's realm. The vanished characters were the parts he had fully cultivated. He guessed that once he reached perfection in the Other Shore realm, this volume of the *Dao Scripture* would have no more characters left.
Apart from the golden book, the three supreme secret arts he mastered were one of the Nine Secrets, the old madman's footwork, and the Grand Void Art. In their respective fields, no other technique could surpass them.
For several days, Ye Fan continuously pondered these three secret arts. He had too few techniques, and these were his life-saving trump cards for now.
The cauldron was still not formed; it needed time to temper. But it could be imagined that with the Mother Qi of All Things gathered within, once the cauldron was complete, it would be unstoppable.
Ye Fan didn't want to add a name to the cauldron. He felt that the single word "cauldron" was enough to represent everything. Names like Mysterious Yellow Cauldron or Mother Qi Cauldron were not as clear as that one word.
Ye Fan drank quite a bit of divine spring water, cultivating in stillness, gaining many insights. The Heavenly Vein above the Wheel Sea had grown a bit longer, and the day when it would lead to the mysterious Other Shore was not far off.
On the ninth day, Ye Fan held the Bodhi seed in his hand. His mind was empty and ethereal. His body was like a *liuli* (glazed) divine lamp, spotless and crystalline, transparent. He was in a *qimiao* (wondrous) state.
At that moment, he merged with the mountain rocks, blended with the grass and trees, coexisted with the deep mountains. His mind was calm, listening to the breathing of the plants, feeling the pulse of the deep mountains.
He seemed to merge with heaven, earth, and all things. His divine consciousness took form, like a wisp of clear wind, like a patch of cloud, traveling through the deep mountains. His soul seemed to have left his body.
If a major figure were here, they would be shocked. Powerful cultivators at later stages relied on enlightenment to raise their realms. Once they entered that level, even heavenly materials and earthly treasures were hard to use.
Ye Fan's realm was not high, but being able to immerse himself in the Dao rhythm of heaven and earth like this, remaining ethereal for a long time, was truly rare.
Suddenly, Ye Fan's heart sensed an omen. Merged with all things, his divine consciousness, wandering through the deep mountains, detected a dangerous aura. Almost instantly, he saw the Ji Family's eminent elder, Ji Hui! In a flash, his divine consciousness returned. With a whoosh, he opened his eyes and stood up among the grass and trees.
"This old undying hag, how did she find me..."
Ye Fan turned into a wisp of light smoke, darting through the mountain forest, rushing far away.
"This kid's spiritual sense is so sharp, it's really strange." Ji Hui muttered to herself, then waved her hand behind her, saying, "Send word. Surround him from all sides. Don't let him escape!"
Ye Fan had prepared for this. He had carved many Dao patterns here, recorded in an ancient beast-skin book. He couldn't fully understand them, only copying them like a cat tracing a tiger. Now, they finally came in handy. He rushed out, but the surrounding people were blocked.
"Petty tricks!"
Ji Hui snorted coldly. With a wave of her hand, boom! The mountain ahead split apart, rocks flew everywhere, and the area carved with Dao patterns was erased by her divine power.
Behind him, the sky was filled with densely packed figures. To track Ye Fan and retrieve the Grand Void Art, they had mobilized a large number of cultivators.
Ji Hui was not the only top-tier expert. For a minor cultivator like Ye Fan, several eminent elders of equal status to Ji Hui had come. The Grand Void Art absolutely could not be leaked!
Ye Fan rushed out dozens of li, but was shocked. His proud speed could not shake off the few old people. Their strength was there, so their speed was naturally terrifying.
"Young man, today you have no path to heaven and no door to earth. You can never escape again!" The old woman Ji Hui's voice was cold as she transmitted from behind.
"How did you find me?" Ye Fan asked, puzzled.
"Do you think my spiritual imprint can be erased so easily?" Ji Hui's expression was not good. For someone as strong as her to have her spiritual imprint erased by a youth was a disgrace. She said coldly, "Even if Ziyue gave you a spirit-connecting jade, it's not absolutely untraceable. You were bold enough to even take away my Grand Net of Heaven!"
Ye Fan sighed. He had repeatedly refined the Grand Net of Heaven, erasing all traces from it. The net threads were now crystal clear like jade, unstained by dust, untainted by divine consciousness, yet they were still found. The eminent elders of the Primordial Aristocratic Clan were truly unfathomable, beyond ordinary reasoning!
Ye Fan was like flowing light, like electric lightning. Mountains and rivers rapidly receded behind him, but he still couldn't shake off Ji Hui and the other three. The distance between them was slowly closing.
Now, he was truly at the end of his rope, with no way out. Ye Fan thought, he could only gamble. He rushed out of the mountains, heading toward densely populated areas.
This was a powerful kingdom in the Southern Domain. Its capital had a population of no less than a million. The city was enormous, bustling with endless streams of people.
Ye Fan rushed to the sky above this unknown capital, stopped, turned around, and transmitted his voice to the four with his divine consciousness, shouting, "Take one more step forward, and I'll spread the secrets of the Grand Void Art throughout this capital, letting a million people know. Then I'll rush to the next great city, announce it to the world, and make the Grand Void Art no longer a secret. I don't believe you dare to slaughter the entire Southern Domain clean!"
The old woman Ji Hui's face changed color. The other three eminent elders also stopped in their tracks. If the Grand Void Art became known to everyone, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Your Ji Family wants to keep it secret, right? I'll make the entire Southern Domain know. Since I have no way out, I might as well benefit all the cultivators of the world."
Ji Hui's face was as dark as water. The other three were also furious. They felt that the youth opposite them was really troublesome. They wished they could slap him to death.
Ye Fan coldly looked at them, then directly shouted, "Scram! Get lost right now!"
The Ji Family, passed down since the Primordial Era, was so transcendent that no one dared to insult them. Yet a minor cultivator dared to do so! The Ji Family's several eminent elders, especially Ji Hui, had faces ashen, veins bulging on their foreheads, but they still held back.
Just then, other Ji Family cultivators caught up, mostly young people. The sky was densely packed with figures.
"And all of you, scram too!" Ye Fan transmitted loudly. Having been hunted for so long, he was already filled with anger. Now, he had nothing to fear. The *sipo lianpi* (tearing apart all pretense) had already happened.
If he couldn't escape, he would fight to the death!
His voice rumbled like heavenly thunder, clearly heard throughout the entire great city. Below, there were no shortage of cultivators, all showing shock.
"Aren't those the Ji Family's experts? Someone dares to speak to them like that? Truly remarkable, comparable to the Peacock King!"
"Who is that youth? He dares to tell the Ji Family's eminent elders to scram, and they're all stunned, not daring to step forward. Could he be another great power?"
Ye Fan had been unknown in this region, but from this day on, he was destined to be known by everyone.
Daring to challenge the authority of a Primordial Aristocratic Clan, facing down many Ji Family experts alone, forming a standoff—it was truly astonishing.
"Didn't you hear what I said? All of you, scram! Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences. You know what will happen!"
When a person no longer fears life or death, nothing is frightening, nothing matters.
The Ji Family's several eminent elders had veins bulging on their foreheads, black mist swirling around them, their eyes terrifying. Cultivators from the Ji Family had never been treated like this.
"Kill him!"
"Several ancestors, why won't you let us pass?"
The Ji Family's younger disciples' eyes were nearly splitting with rage. Their hair stood on end. Wherever they went, they were treated as proud sons. Today, being humiliated like this by a youth was unbearable.
For the first time, Ye Fan gained fame among the younger generation, but in this way. Clearly, he would become the public enemy of the Ji Family's younger generation.
"Ye Fan..." Ji Hui slowly spoke, trying to keep her voice calm, "Do you know what you're doing?"
"Shut up, you old hag. I have nothing to say to you. Mention my name again, and everything will be irreparable!" Ye Fan had completely given up.
Now, if he couldn't intimidate these people, he wouldn't have a shred of hope for survival.
Ji Hui's chest heaved violently. The veins on her neck were clearly visible, thick like vines, twitching and trembling.
She couldn't remember how many years it had been since someone dared to speak to her like this. Even as strong as she was, having lived for so long, it was hard to swallow this anger.
"Ancestor, what are you waiting for? Kill him!"
"Let us pass and kill him!"
The Ji Family's younger generation could no longer bear it, each radiating murderous intent.
"I'll say this one last time. All of you, scram immediately. I'll give you ten breaths!" Ye Fan swept his gaze across the front.
The Ji Family's younger generation let out long howls, venting their fury.
Below, the cultivators in the great city were all stunned.
Clearly, Ye Fan would become famous across the Southern Domain, the public enemy of the younger generation of the Primordial Aristocratic Clan.
"Hahaha..." Just then, someone laughed loudly.
A figure arrived in the blink of an eye, incredibly fast, as if he had been standing in the sky above the great city all along, rather than appearing suddenly.
This was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, strikingly handsome, with soft hair, clear eyes, and an otherworldly aura, as fresh as a flower tree piled with snow. It was the Peacock King.
"Well said. Ji Family people, did you hear that? Why haven't you scrammed yet!" The Peacock King looked down on the Southern Domain, invincible, a figure standing at the pinnacle.
His appearance made everyone change color. Many trembled in fear. After all, the Peacock King had once shattered a Ji Family eminent elder with a single roar, his power unfathomable!
The Peacock King walked over and patted Ye Fan on the shoulder. He looked as refined as a lotus, without any of the imposing aura of a great power.
The crowd was astonished. What was the relationship between Ye Fan and the Peacock King? Could Ye Fan have a significant background?!