Chapter 173: The Bridal Chamber
The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang let out a sharp cry as her ear was caught between white teeth. It wasn't just the pain that distressed her—it was the humiliation. Her divine sense wavered, and the radiance at her brow dimmed slightly.
Ye Fan's divine sense, sharp as a sword, transformed into a golden beam and slashed toward her sea of consciousness, while he forcefully pressed down on her physical body to keep from being thrown off.
*Swish*
Between the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's brows, a diamond-shaped mark emerged like a divine flower breaking through water, shooting out strands of auspicious light that blocked the golden beam.
This stirred something in Ye Fan. The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's divine sense was far stronger than he had anticipated—almost on par with his own.
He concentrated his mind, driving the power of his sea of consciousness. The small golden lake surged and bubbled, constantly pouring out golden force that gathered into swords in the void, charging toward the diamond-shaped mark.
Their limbs were entangled, and they could feel each other's warmth. Below, the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's body was like warm jade—soft and slender, an immortal form that kept bursting with multicolored light, nearly throwing Ye Fan off several times.
Ye Fan held the advantage in divine sense power. Though the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang was formidable, she couldn't match him. The deep, abyss-like golden lake continuously flowed with spiritual energy—at first a trickling stream, then a surging river.
The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's face turned pale, her peerless beauty etched with shock. The diamond mark on her forehead slowly faded as she was gradually suppressed.
At that moment, she decided to take a risk. She slightly withdrew her thoughts, and divine power surged within her body as a deity rushed out from her Dao Palace, preparing to attack Ye Fan.
This momentary distraction left her even more vulnerable on the spiritual battlefield. She nearly let Ye Fan breach her sea of consciousness, her body trembling.
The golden beam pushed forward rapidly. The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's mind shook as she let out a sharp cry. Multicolored light swirled in her sea of consciousness, and the diamond mark blazed anew.
At the same time, the deity that had emerged from her Dao Palace fully materialized, taking a step forward. She was covered in gleaming silver metallic armor, dazzling like a goddess descending to the mortal world.
Her black hair and snow-white skin, set against the silver armor, gave her an indescribable aura—a blend of a demoness's allure and a divine maiden's sanctity. These two contrasting qualities merged, creating different impressions depending on the angle.
She looked identical to the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang, but at this moment, she seemed somewhat dazed. Though her eyes were beautiful, they lacked a certain spark.
Yes, the real Holy Maiden of Yaoguang was locked in battle with Ye Fan, and the deity formed from her Dao Palace had no divine will guiding it, so it stood there motionless.
"Slash!"
The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang let out a sharp cry, taking a desperate gamble. She forcibly split off a thread of divine will to inhabit that deity. In that instant, Ye Fan's divine sense blazed like flames, surging forward and dimming the diamond mark. In a brief moment, he reached the "gate" of her sea of consciousness, about to break in.
At the same time, the deity's black hair flew, her silver armor gleamed, and her peerless face instantly came to life, her eyes brimming with spiritual light. However, her movements remained somewhat stiff, her physical potential not fully awakened.
*Clang*
She drew the divine sword hanging at her slender waist. It shone like autumn water, bright and clear. She raised it high, like a goddess descending to the mortal world, as if to slay demons and vanquish evil, radiating a holy radiance.
*Chi*
This deity swung the sword down, slashing heavily at Ye Fan, aiming to cut him in half.
At the same time, Ye Fan's divine sense finally breached the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's sea of consciousness, sending in specks of light.
Both were resolute. The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang wanted to shatter his physical body, obliterating his form to kill him. Ye Fan aimed to destroy her sea of consciousness, crush her divine sense, and shatter her soul to annihilate her.
*Clang*
The divine sword, blazing with light, descended with bone-chilling cold.
Ye Fan's senses were sharp. He hugged the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang and rolled quickly. The sword strike split the grassy ground with a ten-meter-deep crack. This showed the sword's terrifying power—if it had struck his body, the consequences would have been dire.
He bit down hard on the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's crystal-clear ear, refusing to let go, and they rolled more than ten meters together.
The only saving grace was that this deity moved slowly, with only a thread of divine will guiding her, unable to unleash her full divine power.
"Ah..." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang screamed as her sea of consciousness was breached. The golden beam surged in like a river.
Ye Fan drove his strongest spiritual power, trying to shatter the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's spiritual sense, making the external deity a rootless flower.
This was a sacred sea of consciousness world. Clouds churned, and the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang stood ahead, graceful and poised.
In this mental world, time seemed frozen, imperceptible. The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang feigned calm, saying, "I didn't expect your divine sense to be so powerful..."
Ye Fan had no time to waste—there was still a killing deity outside. He charged straight at her.
"Little Brother Ye, you can't kill me." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's expression turned cold as she quickly retreated, appearing high in the sky of this mental world.
The golden beam shot upward, pressing closer, arriving in an instant.
"My divine sense is my strongest killing move. I didn't expect your sea of consciousness to be even more terrifying than mine." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang spoke as she fled.
Ye Fan didn't answer. His golden divine sense formed a massive hand, slapping out with a *bang*.
*Puff*
The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's immortal form blurred, injured. She moved faster, vanishing into the depths of the mental sea.
*Clang, clang, clang*
The golden beam transformed into hundreds of sword lights, shooting like a meteor shower, trying to shatter the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang.
*Swish*
At that moment, the peerless figure disappeared into the depths of the clouds. At the same time, Ye Fan sensed danger.
Above the mental sea, mist drifted. A massive palace emerged, pressing down on him with overwhelming force, like a starry domain, impossible to resist.
"What's this?" Ye Fan was shocked. She clearly wasn't as powerful in divine sense as he was, so how could she unleash such terrifying force?
The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's light laughter came. She stood within that massive palace, like a fairy from the Jade Pool, surrounded by swirling mist.
"Little Brother Ye, no matter how cunning you are, you'll meet your end here today. Don't worry, I'll bury you properly."
Ye Fan tried his best to retreat, but found he couldn't leave this space. The massive palace had completely sealed it off.
"Why is this?" He was truly astonished. "How does your sea of consciousness have a palace?"
The palace in the sky, like the Guanghan Palace, was shrouded in moonlight, hazy and ethereal, making the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang appear otherworldly and beautiful beyond compare.
"This is a secret treasure I obtained as a child in an abandoned ancient cave within the Yaoguang Holy Land, called the 'Moon Palace.' Its true power is hard to gauge." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's divine sense manifestation was indistinguishable from her real body—skin like snow, cheeks so delicate they seemed ready to burst. "From the moment I got it, it entered my brow. Over more than a decade, it nurtured my divine sense to an extremely powerful state. I never thought that today, meeting you, I'd be suppressed by your divine sense instead. It truly surprises me."
"Moon Palace... fixed in your brow, nurturing your divine sense?" Ye Fan was horrified. This was definitely a treasure.
"So, you die without regret. I'll send Little Brother Ye on his way." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang shone with holy light, but when she smiled, she was utterly enchanting, like a peerless seductress.
The Moon Palace, truly like the Guanghan Palace, let down watery moonlight as it slowly descended. Everything below was about to cease to exist. Ye Fan's divine sense flickered like a candle flame, on the verge of extinction.
"Wait." Ye Fan shouted. "I say, beauty of the Yaoguang Holy Land, I still don't know your name..."
"Yao Xi!" The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang parted her red lips, uttering these two words, but she didn't stop. The massive Moon Palace pressed down heavily.
In this divine sense space, time seemed eternal, making it hard to feel its passage. Ye Fan was shocked—this was likely all caused by the Moon Palace. He strained with all his might to break out.
Outside, the golden lake at his brow dimmed instantly, then transformed into a golden blazing sun that rushed out.
*Clang*
It plunged into Yao Xi's brow, and this divine sense space shook violently.
*Crack*
The sealed space was torn open. Ye Fan's two strands of divine sense merged, avoiding the Moon Palace pressing down from above, and appeared in the distant sky.
The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang frowned. Having failed at the last moment filled her with deep regret.
Ye Fan stopped in the distance, not retreating immediately. He suddenly burst into laughter. "I understand. That Moon Palace can only rise and fall, locking down the nearby area. You can't project it out. No wonder you had to lure me there."
"Even so, what can you do?" Yao Xi sneered, appearing calm and composed. "With my divine sense inhabiting the Moon Palace, you can't touch me."
"True enough." Ye Fan nodded, then laughed loudly. "I'll trap your divine sense here, split off a thread of my own, and go complete the wedding ceremony with you. Let's see if you can stay calm then."
"You..." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang couldn't maintain her composure.
"I'm off." Ye Fan laughed heartily, splitting off a thread of divine will that flew away. "Time for the bridal chamber!"
The Moon Palace was fixed in Yao Xi's brow, with time nearly frozen inside. When Ye Fan rushed out, only an instant had passed in the outside world.
That thread of divine will returned to his brow, and his physical body instantly regained sensation. He was still biting that delicate, beautiful ear, breathing in her orchid-like fragrance.
*Chi*
Not far away, the deity raised her sword and slashed again. Ye Fan leaped up quickly, holding the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang as he retreated. The deity moved slowly but was still a threat.
Now, he had trapped the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's divine sense in her brow, preventing her will from escaping. Though this soft immortal body surged with divine power, it could no longer threaten him.
"Holy Maiden of Yaoguang, if you don't come out, we're about to enter the bridal chamber." Ye Fan laughed.
Though his divine power was sealed, his physical body was still formidable. He ran like the wind, and the deity behind couldn't catch up.
*Bang*
Ye Fan threw a powerful punch at the body in his arms, but it didn't shatter.
A star chart appeared on the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang's skin, like a deity's battle robe, flowing with mysterious light. He was deeply shocked, realizing this woman was far from simple.
*Boom*
The light at Yao Xi's brow blazed. She strained with all her might to break out, terrified that Ye Fan might "act recklessly."
Though her divine will couldn't fully escape, she sensed everything outside. A trace of divine power infused her body, and she immediately screamed, "What are you doing?"
"Measuring you..." Ye Fan laughed.
"Bastard!" Ye Fan held the Holy Maiden of Yaoguang, running at top speed. The deity behind, moving slowly, was soon left behind.
One of his arms wrapped around Yao Xi's slender waist, feeling its suppleness. His other hand roamed randomly as he teased, "Your body is light and graceful, long and lithe, but some parts are surprisingly full..."
"You..." The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang nearly fainted from rage.
"Full where it should be full, slender where it should be slender. Truly admirable. If I threw you into a crowd, I think many men would go mad for you..."
Ye Fan bit her earlobe and said, "If you want to deal with me, be prepared to pay the price."
Yao Xi's jade body shimmered faintly, soft and alluring, with an orchid-like fragrance. Her slender neck was white as jade, glistening. Her hair brushed against Ye Fan's face like a spring breeze.
"Ye Fan, I'll kill you!"
"Two choices: one, let me control your divine sense; two, enter the bridal chamber now." Ye Fan wrapped one arm around her slender waist, his other hand roaming as he laughed. "Decide for yourself."