Chapter 167: The Storm (Part 2)
The cauldron, enlarged to a foot in height, pressed down with crushing force. The Ji Family elder had no way to evade, as if he had collided with it himself. "Bang!" The cauldron forged from Primordial Mother Qi Root—just how heavy was it? Truly difficult to estimate. Even a figure as formidable as the Ji Family elder, who had cultivated to the third secret realm, could not bear its weight. His right shoulder collapsed on the spot. "Pfft!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, like a scarecrow struck by a ten-thousand-jin hammer, tumbling backward and crashing into a stalagmite over ten meters tall. "Great-Uncle!" The Ji Family elder's face was filled with terror as he stared at the corpse not far away. He could hardly believe it, his voice trembling: "It's you... Ye Fan!" Ye Fan had no time to respond. The second strike came. The cauldron, though plain and unadorned, was vast and majestic. As it pressed down, the ground beneath began to shake. This time, the Ji Family elder was prepared. He transformed into a streak of light and shot away, dodging the blow.
"You little bastard... you're still alive?!" The Ji Family elder's face was a mix of rage and shock. He had never imagined he would see Ye Fan in the sixth layer of the Fire Domain. Half a year had passed. No one believed he could have survived. Everyone thought he had long since turned to ashes, with not a shred of hope for survival. "I'm full of vitality—how could I possibly die? Even if your Ji Family is wiped out, I'd still be alive," Ye Fan said as he controlled the cauldron, fleeing straight toward the seventh layer of the Fire Domain.
Having failed to kill his opponent in two strikes, he retreated decisively. After all, his foe had cultivated to the third secret realm, with a depth and power far beyond what Ye Fan could match. "You didn't die before, but today I'll send you on your way!" The Ji Family elder soared into the air, chasing after Ye Fan. By now, his right shoulder was completely deformed, collapsed into bloody pulp. Even with his vigorous life force, he couldn't regenerate the shoulder instantly. "Worry about yourself first. Don't die in the Fire Domain," Ye Fan said. His speed was incredible. Having reached the Other Shore realm, he stepped with a mysterious footwork, swift as a shooting star. "Ye, you little thief! You stole our Ji Family's Grand Void Art and still think you can live in this world? What a delusion!" The Ji Family elder's face darkened, his killing intent soaring as he pursued relentlessly.
"Go screw your ancestors! You repay kindness with enmity and still put on this act, as if you're the ones wronged..." Ye Fan gritted his teeth. "When I have the strength, I'll tear your Ji Family apart and give you a real grievance to bear." "People a hundred times stronger than you wouldn't dare say such things. As for you... even if you cultivate for a thousand years, it will all come to nothing." The Ji Family elder's face showed grief and anger. "How did my great-uncle die?!" A major figure of the clan had died here—this was a monumental event. "He couldn't think straight and slit his own throat!" Ye Fan mocked. In this hostile situation, he had no intention of explaining.
"How did he really die?!" The Ji Family elder calmed down and realized it couldn't possibly be Ye Fan's doing. How formidable was a Ji Family major figure? Unless the Peacock King himself had come, how could he have been silently slain? "Go ask him yourself in a moment." "Boy, when I catch you, I'll pull your tendons, skin you alive, and search your soul directly." The Ji Family elder's body trembled. A major figure had died here, and so inexplicably—it filled him with fury. Ahead, five-colored cloud flames blazed, radiating intense heat. Ye Fan flashed and vanished, charging inside.
The Ji Family elder was dumbfounded. He stopped in his tracks, not daring to follow. Though he wore a flame-repelling colored robe, it couldn't withstand the flames of the seventh layer. "You... how did you do it?" Thinking of how Ye Fan feared neither the purple flames of the sixth layer nor the colored cloud flames of the seventh, he was utterly astonished, unable to speak for a long time. "You old codger, why don't you follow me in? Don't you have that flame-repelling treasure robe?" Ye Fan, speaking without any strain, smiled and said, "I challenge you to three hundred rounds of battle here. Do you dare accept?" "Hmph!" The Ji Family elder, without changing his expression, suddenly unleashed a silver spear the length of a chopstick, aiming to pierce through and kill Ye Fan. "Crack!"
But the silver spear, as soon as it flew out, began to tremble. Cracks appeared on its surface, then it shattered inch by inch, consumed by the purple flames. "Your flame-repelling treasure robe is nothing special. I thought it was something miraculous." Ye Fan's smile grew wider as he slowly walked back. "This place is called 'Purple Qi from the East.' This Fire Domain truly lives up to its reputation..." The Ji Family elder showed a look of shock. "Chi!" He raised his left hand, and a faint light bloomed in his palm. Then a bolt of lightning shot out, charging toward Ye Fan. "Sizzle!" Though the lightning was violent, it was still dissolved by the purple flames, slowly vanishing ahead.
Seeing this, Ye Fan was completely reassured. He took out the Jade Purification Vase, took a gulp, and quickly restored his divine power. Then he strode boldly out of the seventh layer of the Fire Domain. "I thought your flame-repelling treasure robe was something amazing. It's nothing." He had no more worries now. No matter how powerful his opponent's divine power, it was useless—it couldn't be unleashed. Meanwhile, his own physical body was comparable to a precious blade, he had a strong divine sense, and a cauldron that feared no flames. Combined, he had no fear of his foe.
Seeing Ye Fan dare to come out, the Ji Family elder's heart stirred. If the boy was so bold, he must have a trump card. The elder didn't dare be careless and slowly retreated. "Too late, old man. It seems you can't send me on my way. Instead, I can send you down to reunite with that old fossil!" Ye Fan stood at a distance, not charging forward. He offered up the Golden Book, and a beam of light like a blazing sun instantly tore through the purple void.
The pages recording the Dao Scripture were not weapons, but they surpassed weapons. The flames here couldn't burn them. Transformed into golden light, they were indestructible and extremely sharp. "Such a powerful spiritual object—are you giving me a treasure?" The Ji Family elder was startled, then showed delight. He didn't even possess a weapon of this level. Yet this mere youth carried such a rare treasure. "If you can take it, it's yours!" Ye Fan laughed loudly.
"Chi!" The Golden Book grazed past him, nearly striking him. The Ji Family elder said nothing. His palm fingers trembled as he continuously struck the Golden Book, trying to knock it down and claim it. Ye Fan silently assessed: his opponent's physical body was indeed formidable. Having cultivated three secret realms, he had undergone a complete transformation. But compared to Ye Fan, he was still somewhat lacking. Seeing this, Ye Fan's confidence grew.
At that moment, the Ji Family elder sneered. He used the Grand Void Art, turning into a wisp of black smoke, and lunged forward in an instant. His voice was icy: "You little brat, you're too cocky! In close combat, let's see how you escape!" He was confident that at this distance, Ye Fan couldn't escape and would surely die. Ye Fan had only offered the Golden Book as a test. He had anticipated the elder would attack, and he was waiting for this moment of close-quarters battle.
He didn't retreat. His golden fist met the elder's only remaining left palm, heavy and fierce, like a ten-thousand-jin hammer smashing down. "Bang!"
The Ji Family elder felt as if struck by lightning. His face was full of disbelief, followed by extreme pain. "Crack!"
He clearly heard his left hand bones break, completely deformed. His entire arm went numb, and his body flew backward like a thrown stone. "You..." He was very decisive. Without any hesitation, he used the Grand Void Art, intending to flee far away. At this moment, he deeply understood the meaning of the word "uncanny." A mere youth, with cultivation far inferior to his own, was so bizarre, making him suffer repeated heavy losses.
Unfortunately, Ye Fan was prepared. He didn't give the elder a chance. The cauldron was already offered up, expanding to a meter in height, pressing down. The sky trembled slightly, and the purple flames seemed to evaporate, leaving a vacuum there. The Grand Void Art failed!
The Ji Family elder was pinned by the cauldron above his head. His body creaked and groaned, every joint trembling. The immense pressure was unbearable. "Crack!"
His raised left arm shattered first, turning into a mist of blood. Then cracks appeared on his skull. His face twisted in agony, and he stammered, "What... what cauldron is this?" "A cauldron forged from Primordial Mother Qi Root," Ye Fan answered from not far away. "What?!" His expression shifted, shock evident. "A single strand of Mysterious Yellow can crush a mountain ridge... and this much..."
A single strand of Primordial Mother Qi could indeed crush a mountain ridge. But after being forged into a cauldron, Ye Fan couldn't yet unleash that power. If he had enough divine power, even without inscribing profound Dao patterns on it, this cauldron would let him dominate the world. Piercing the sky, sinking the earth, drying up rivers—all would be within reach. Unfortunately, the Primordial Mother Qi cauldron had returned to simplicity, completely restrained. It was merely incredibly heavy, without displaying its true terror.
"Crack!"
The Ji Family elder couldn't bear it. More bones split, his face turning deathly pale. The cauldron forged from Primordial Mother Qi Root was truly too terrifying. Ye Fan wasn't having an easy time either. The cauldron was like a bottomless pit, endlessly draining his divine power, hard to satisfy. Especially now, when it was pinning down such a powerful opponent, the required divine power was immense. In just a few moments, he had already drunk five mouthfuls of divine spring water, or he wouldn't have been able to hold on. "Old bastard, it's time for you to hit the road!"
Ye Fan gritted his teeth. While channeling divine power, he stepped through the void. His heavy footsteps seemed to make the space itself collapse. "Bang!"
He finally reached close range. His right leg swung sideways, kicking with force. The Ji Family elder spat out a mouthful of blood, his chest bones caving in as he was sent flying. "Boom!"
The meter-tall cauldron slowly pressed down. The Ji Family elder had no strength left to resist. His entire body shattered, turning into dust on the spot. In the end, nothing remained. Only a trace of blood mist was instantly evaporated by the purple flames. The flame-repelling treasure robe turned to ashes, not a shred left behind.
Ye Fan grew even more fond of this cauldron. Plain and unadorned, yet immensely powerful. Once a cultivator of the third secret realm was pinned down, they would suffer a great loss. The only drawback was the enormous consumption of divine power, truly unbearable. Moreover, it couldn't be shown to others. If anyone learned this cauldron was forged from Primordial Mother Qi Root, it would cause an uproar.
Ye Fan wanted to stay in the sixth layer of the Fire Domain, waiting for Ji Hui to come in and investigate, then kill him. But he didn't act impulsively. What he needed to do now was lie low for a while. The Ji Family major figure had been killed by the Crow Daoist, which would inevitably bring a storm. The Fire Domain would be anything but peaceful. He had to withdraw first.
The Peacock King had killed a Ji Family Supreme Elder, provoking the Ji Family Saint Lord and the Yaoguang Saint Lord to join forces and strike deep into the Qixia Mountain Range. Now another major figure had fallen. This storm would likely grow even fiercer. With two major figures lost in succession, the Ji Family had to assert their authority, or how could they save face?! Ye Fan quietly departed from another direction, leaving the Fire Domain, and waited for a great storm to break.
Sure enough, that very day, the Ji Family Saint Lord led many powerful figures in person. Savage beasts roared, trampling across the sky with a thunderous rumble, their howls shaking the heavens. Outside the Fire Domain, figures were densely packed everywhere, iron cavalry everywhere. The entire Fire Domain was in an uproar.
Brothers, let the storm come more fiercely! Let your monthly tickets fly! Aim true and smash them toward Zhe Tian! Seeing all the big shots roaring, we can't let Zhe Tian fall behind. Monthly tickets, come on strong!