Chapter 278: Purple Copper War Vessel
Cloud Marsh Prefecture lived up to its name—a spring every hundred paces, a river every ten li, with great marshes everywhere and misty water vapors everywhere.
In the distance, a sound tore through the sky and carried over.
A purple silhouette, like a patch of purple cloud, rushed over swiftly. It was heavy and massive, roughly the size of a small mountain peak.
As it passed through the clouds, one could clearly see it was a massive war vessel, its purple metallic luster gleaming, appearing heavy and solid.
"It's the Demon Clan's Purple Copper War Vessel!" Tu Fei's face darkened. He sensed something very wrong—this was the type of vessel deployed only when exterminating enemies.
"Three vessels, three whole vessels!" Tu Fei was startled again.
From front to back, three Purple Copper War Vessels burst through the clouds, transforming into three beams of purple light as they charged over at extreme speed, their heavy oppressive pressure closing in.
"What level of figure can command such war vessels?" Ye Fan asked. Clearly, they were coming for him.
"Hard to say. Any Demon Clan member with sufficient backing can possess them," Tu Fei replied.
"No need to guess. It's them..." Ye Fan looked toward the horizon.
Standing on the first Purple Copper War Vessel was a white-robed man who appeared quite ethereal—it was the young Demon Clan expert White Phoenix.
"He's brought quite a few helpers."
There were many Demon Clan members on the vessel, clearly no weaklings. Demonic energy surged to the heavens, totaling seventy to eighty people.
"Woo..."
The second copper vessel also rushed over quickly. The figure standing at the prow came into view, a golden Daoist robe fluttering in the wind—it was Golden Feather, who had also brought many helpers.
"Woo..."
On the third Purple Copper War Vessel, Bitter Bamboo stood motionless in his green robe, with a large number of experts behind him on the deck.
The three geniuses from the Demon Clan's small world—White Phoenix, Golden Feather, and Bitter Bamboo—had joined forces to pursue them. Their target was clearly Ye Fan.
"What is the meaning of this?" Tu Fei shouted. His grandfather was the Seventh Great Bandit, so his status was extraordinary, and he feared no Demon Clan.
"We have no ill intentions toward Young Master Tu. We merely have some words to discuss with Young Brother Ye," White Phoenix transmitted.
Ye Fan's expression was calm as he asked, "What do you wish to say?"
"After you left, a secret treasure of our Demon Clan went missing. Therefore, we must take you back," White Phoenix replied.
"In that case, wouldn't I also be suspect?" Tu Fei asked.
"This has nothing to do with Young Master Tu. We only sensed the secret treasure's aura on him," Golden Feather said, standing at the vessel's prow, his Daoist robe gleaming.
"What a joke. What secret treasure did you lose? You're just after the Mother Qi of All Things on me," Ye Fan sneered coldly.
Bitter Bamboo, clad in his green robe, spoke calmly: "There is indeed the aura of our Demon Clan's secret treasure on you. We will give you justice—escort you back and let the elders handle it fairly."
Ye Fan's heart tightened. He thought of those old demons whose lifespans were nearly exhausted. He said gravely, "You can't even name what secret treasure it is, yet you have the nerve to slander me?"
"The Great Luo Star Disk is on you. We must take you back today," White Phoenix shouted.
"You were too reckless in our Demon Clan's pure land. You destroyed the palace temporarily given to you by Princess Yan, shattered Fairy Qin Yao's cave dwelling, and stole a secret treasure before leaving. We have no choice but to apprehend you," Golden Feather said coldly.
"Talking is useless. Attack! Take him!" Bitter Bamboo roared.
Beams of colorful light shot out from the three war vessels, interweaving into a net covering heaven and earth, descending toward Ye Fan.
"Clearly it's murder for treasure—you want his Primordial Mother Qi Root—yet you dress it up so nobly. Aren't you three ashamed?" Tu Fei shouted.
The net woven from spiritual energy descended. Ye Fan transformed into a shadowy figure, slipping through in the narrowest of gaps, unbound.
"Might as well just seize all three war vessels," Black Emperor said, holding several large banners inscribed with profound Dao patterns. He had even trapped an old demon at the Undying Hall.
"Let's go quickly!" Ye Fan transmitted. "It's very likely those old demons with dwindling lifespans are directing them to act."
He had caught the flavor from Bitter Bamboo's words earlier—taking him back to be 'fairly' handled by the elders was definitely not a good omen.
"Swoosh"
The big black dog, utterly lacking in loyalty, set up his jade boat and fled wildly, charging into the distance without looking back, afraid that an old demon might be on the war vessels.
"Tu Big Mouth, you should leave too."
"What about you?"
"They can't catch me," Ye Fan said, then charged off in another direction.
Tu Fei dared not linger either, fleeing with all his might, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. Although his grandfather was the Seventh Great Bandit, that wasn't enough to intimidate the entire Northern Domain. If some old demon popped up and silenced him here, it would be too late.
Clearly, White Phoenix, Golden Feather, and Bitter Bamboo had no desire to conflict with Tu Fei, nor did they plan to pursue the big black dog. They all charged in one direction, locking onto Ye Fan.
"Ye Fan, you can't escape. Even if your footwork is miraculous, comparable to the Heavenly Roc's extreme speed, you can't shake off the Purple Copper War Vessel," White Phoenix said, his killing intent boundless, no longer concealing it.
Golden Feather and Bitter Bamboo also ordered their vessels driven forward, pursuing relentlessly. The three massive objects pierced clouds and mist, firmly locking onto Ye Fan.
Ye Fan's current speed was unmatched in the Dao Palace Secret Realm, but he couldn't shake the Purple Copper War Vessels. The distance between them never widened.
"You've really mobilized a lot of people just to kill me and take my treasure," Ye Fan mocked.
"Remember, we're not after your Primordial Mother Qi Root. You stole our secret treasure first, so we have no choice but to take you," White Phoenix replied.
"Why be so hypocritical? There's no outsider here. Isn't it tiring to talk with a mask on?" Ye Fan sneered.
Golden Feather said coldly, "If that's how you want to understand it, we won't say more. Today, we will capture you."
"You three remember this: today you want to kill me for my treasure, but one day I'll return the favor," Ye Fan said coldly.
"What future do you have? Your life is forever stuck at the Dao Palace Secret Realm. Besides, do you think you can escape today?" Bitter Bamboo said flatly.
Ye Fan said nothing more. He summoned his cauldron, shrinking it to one meter tall and suspending it above his head. Strands of Mysterious Yellow Qi cascaded down, protecting his body.
Throughout this escape, he hadn't sensed the auras of those old demons, which let him breathe a sigh of relief. Things weren't as bad as he had imagined.
When White Phoenix, Golden Feather, and Bitter Bamboo saw the Primordial Mother Qi Root with their own eyes, their expressions grew excited. This cauldron was indeed what they were after.
"You stole our clan's secret treasure and are doomed to die. Your cauldron... we'll keep it safe for you," White Phoenix said.
"What a hypocrite you are! Even at this point, you still speak so nobly!" Ye Fan mocked.
Relatively speaking, Golden Feather was more direct. His killing intent was fully exposed as he said coldly, "I don't want to say much to a dead man. Hand over your cauldron!"
He opened his mouth and spat out a golden beam that slashed forward, like a golden lightning bolt tearing through the sky, reaching extreme speed.
"Swish"
Ye Fan dodged to the side as the golden light struck the void. He didn't want to clash head-on, since his opponent was at the fifth level of Dao Palace, a full three realms above him.
Without changing his expression, he began to circulate the Nine Secrets. Of course, he wasn't planning to engage in a great battle—he wanted to increase his speed tenfold.
"Golden Wing Little Peng King was too arrogant, insisting on fighting you at the same level. How ridiculous," Bitter Bamboo transmitted flatly. "We won't be like that. You're just a waste physique—directly erasing you is enough!"
"This also proves that you can never match Golden Wing Little Peng King. All you can do is shamelessly join forces to hunt me down."
As Ye Fan spoke, he successfully triggered the All Secret among the Nine Secrets, instantly increasing his speed tenfold. And at that moment, an idea struck him.
The three Purple Copper War Vessels were advancing side by side, very close to each other. If one capsized, the other two would likely suffer as well. Acting on a whim, he reversed direction and charged back. The Li Fire Divine Furnace appeared in his hand, its lid opening as black flames blazed fiercely.
His speed was already terrifying—even flying treasures like the Purple Copper War Vessel could barely keep up. Now, with a tenfold increase, it reached a level that shocked Dao Palace Secret Realm cultivators.
White Phoenix, Golden Feather, Bitter Bamboo, and everyone else on the three vessels all attacked, trying to crush him. But Ye Fan was too fast. He evaded all attacks and unleashed the Li Fire Divine Furnace, sending torrents of black flames surging down.
The people on the vessels could retreat, but the three war vessels couldn't change direction in time. The middle one was instantly engulfed in flames.
The flames taken from the Setting Sun Ridge were scorching hot—even treasures couldn't withstand them. So far, only the Demon Emperor Nine Slashes' Form Extinction could extinguish them.
"Boom"
The middle Purple Copper War Vessel shattered instantly. When such a large treasure suffered a destructive attack, the energy it released was heart-stopping.
Blinding light and tsunami-like energy waves swept in all directions, engulfing this stretch of the sky.
"Bang," "Bang"
The other two vessels running parallel to it were severely affected. Though they didn't explode, the violent energy punched through their hulls, creating many large holes.
These two Purple Copper War Vessels nearly disintegrated, crashing down from the sky. Clearly, they could no longer fly and were essentially destroyed.
Ye Fan hadn't expected such terrifying consequences. It had been nothing more than a risky strike, yet all three Purple Copper War Vessels had been taken out.
Most importantly, sixty to seventy Demon Clan cultivators on the middle vessel were utterly obliterated. Only White Phoenix escaped, though he was severely wounded, coughing up blood continuously.
There were also some casualties on the other two vessels. Bitter Bamboo had one arm broken by the impact, and he could no longer maintain his calm demeanor.
Among the three experts, only Golden Feather was completely unharmed. He led the remaining ninety-plus cultivators in attacking Ye Fan.
White Phoenix ground his teeth and shouted, "Surround him! Don't let him escape!"
Bitter Bamboo's face was ashen. Just moments ago, he had spoken of easily erasing the waste of the Primordial Saint Body, yet in the blink of an eye, he had lost an arm.
The destruction of three valuable war vessels enraged the Demon Clan cultivators. They roared and charged forward.
Ye Fan used the Mother Qi of All Things to protect himself and quickly broke through. He had no intention of stopping to fight head-on, because the black flames in the Li Fire Divine Furnace had run dry.
"Hahaha..." Ye Fan laughed loudly. "You wanted to kill me, but instead you buried three war vessels and broke your own bones. How ridiculous!"
The three experts had led so many people in pursuit, yet a single counterattack had destroyed three war vessels, leaving their faces extremely ugly.
White Phoenix, Golden Feather, and Bitter Bamboo said nothing, their faces ashen as they continued the chase. But Ye Fan was too fast—without the war vessels, they couldn't catch up.
"Ye Fan, do you dare to fight?"
"How can you say such things with a straight face? It's like me asking if you dare to smash your head against a hen," Ye Fan said, his words rather unkind. The three were so furious they wanted to tear him apart, but unfortunately, they couldn't catch him.
Ye Fan couldn't stop. Being in Cloud Marsh Prefecture was very dangerous. This place wasn't far from Azure Flood Dragon King's small world. If some old demon jumped out, there would be no suspense.
He couldn't afford any delay. He had to escape Cloud Marsh Prefecture in the shortest possible time.
"Thank you, three geniuses, for seeing me off a thousand li. But all good things must come to an end. Please go back. Don't forget to bring bigger war vessels next time—I enjoy watching the brilliant light of fireworks."
White Phoenix, Golden Feather, and Bitter Bamboo's faces were as dark as water, but they could only watch helplessly as Ye Fan disappeared.
Six days later, Ye Fan arrived within the borders of Beautiful Prefecture. As its name suggested, this prefecture was picturesque, vastly different from the desolate scenes elsewhere in the Northern Domain.
Beautiful Prefecture was not far from the Northern Domain's Holy City. At extreme speed, it would take about half a month to reach it.
This oasis spanned about five to six thousand li. Its central city, named Beautiful City, was exceptionally beautiful and quite famous throughout the Northern Domain. The city was filled with gardens and wondrous scenery, breathtakingly lovely.
Ye Fan had just entered Beautiful City when his heart stirred. He saw a familiar figure—Ji Ziyue.