Chapter 407: Moonlit Breakthrough
Moonlight flowed like water, cascading down, hazy and gentle, peaceful and serene.
In the Heavenly Gate, silence had long since settled. On the bed carved from white jade, An Miaoyi’s starry eyes opened. Her jade-like body lay stretched out, crystalline and fair. Her hair was disheveled, delicate and weak.
“You should go.” She extended a lotus-root arm, snow-white and tender, lazily waking the one beside her pillow.
Ye Fan was calm, yet ripples stirred within his heart. Still, he smiled, his white teeth gleaming, looking very bright.
“In such a hurry to drive me away?”
“If anyone finds out you spent the night at the Miaoyu Nunnery, will the Wind Clan agree? They’ll likely cause you trouble. Wind Phoenix is no ordinary woman; she won’t tolerate it.”
An Miaoyi’s voice was quiet, very pleasant, but utterly unruffled. Her beauty was nearly ethereal, pure and otherworldly, like a banished immortal descended to the mortal realm. Her icy skin and jade bones, her snow-white, smooth body, emitted a faint radiance.
“The Wind Clan… they haven’t betrothed me yet. If I fail in my breakthrough, they’ll discard me like worn-out sandals,” Ye Fan said self-deprecatingly.
An Miaoyi gently massaged his temples. “I believe you can succeed. In the future, you will once again display the unparalleled grace of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body.”
“The world is unpredictable. Now, everyone is watching. Many cultivators are waiting, focusing their gazes from all directions, and yet I might very well fail,” Ye Fan said casually, as if talking about something unrelated to himself.
“If I end in obscurity, I wonder what those who are now courting me, befriending me, and feasting me will think? I imagine all human warmth will turn to cold indifference,” Ye Fan said, picking up a strand of her jet-black, glossy hair and twirling it around his fingertip.
“Do you truly lack confidence?” An Miaoyi looked at him quietly. Her beautiful eyes were as deep as a starry sky, her face peerlessly stunning, breathtaking.
“Relying solely on Source, I likely can’t enter the Four Extremes Secret Realm,” Ye Fan said calmly. Then he turned to look at her and smiled. “If I fail, what will you do?”
“Go now, little man. Don’t overthink. You should leave.” An Miaoyi didn’t answer. Her radiant, beautiful body shimmered faintly as she gently pushed Ye Fan to get up.
“I feel like the roles are reversed. You’re very carefree, constantly driving me away, not caring at all,” Ye Fan laughed.
“Having once possessed, why worry about eternity? If you become a Great Accomplishment Saint Body in the future, it will be enough for you to protect my path.”
“You’re quite open-minded,” Ye Fan said, lightly twirling her hair around his fingertip.
“Don’t think it will be easy. By then, you might find yourself at odds with the entire world,” An Miaoyi chuckled softly.
“That serious?” Ye Fan was surprised, then stared intently at her peerless face. “What if I really fail in my breakthrough?”
A striking light flashed in An Miaoyi’s eyes. “If that happens, I will sink into the depths of the mortal world until one day I become a Great Emperor. Then I will slaughter everyone connected to me, washing away all the honor and disgrace of my life.”
“There’s no need for that, is there?” Ye Fan looked at her, stunned.
An Miaoyi chuckled softly, stroking his cheek. “So, little man, for Miaoyi’s sake, you must succeed in your breakthrough. You wouldn’t bear to see me fall into the mortal world, would you?”
“Then you need to have faith in me. If I don’t succeed on the night of the full moon, there will still be another chance…” Ye Fan hinted at something.
An Miaoyi shook her head, her beautiful eyes hazy, her sexy red lips vivid. She raised a jade finger and placed it on his lips, stopping him from continuing. “Youth fades quickly, beauty ages fast. Miaoyi truly cannot wait.”
Then, her long hair fell across Ye Fan’s face. She looked down at him, sweetly smiling. “Little man can only succeed, not fail. Otherwise, Miaoyi will be the first to kill you, you know.”
“If I fail, you’ll kill me?” Ye Fan wrapped his arms around her slender, smooth waist, staring at her blankly.
“Yes. Don’t let Miaoyi down, okay?” Her smile was very sweet, her body shimmering crystalline under the moonlight, every curve flawless.
“Then let me kill you first,” Ye Fan said, pulling her into his arms. He turned over, pressing down on her perfect, ivory-white, crystalline body.
“Little man… get up… you should go,” An Miaoyi resisted.
On the white jade bed, endless intimacy unfolded, with soft moans and lingering passion.
At dawn, Ye Fan left, walking through the ancient streets of the Divine City. He thought carefully, considering every possibility, then gazed toward the distant horizon.
If he failed, would his courtyard still be bustling? Would people still eagerly court him? Once the splendor faded, there would surely be nothing but boundless coldness and indifference.
Ye Fan didn’t return to his residence. Instead, he wandered through the Divine City until noon, when the Divine King summoned him, and he went back.
“The world’s attention is a curse, not a blessing for you!” The White-Robed Divine King greeted him with this warning.
Ye Fan paused, then nodded. He had already thoroughly considered the various implications and had long harbored hidden worries. Drawing the world’s attention would likely lead to a great disaster.
Many would not want a Great Accomplishment Saint Body to appear. If there were signs of it, nipping it in the bud would be the best choice. The day he succeeded in his breakthrough might be the day he fell, bathed in blood.
Even the Peerless Divine King, powerful as he was, could not protect him forever. He himself might not have long to live.
“Divine King, do you have any advice?” Ye Fan asked.
“Now, the whole world knows you are the Saint Body. You can delay for a while, but not forever. Tonight, when the moon is full, I will hold the Eternal Universe Saint Furnace to protect you,” the Divine King said with a frown.
Things had already reached this point; there was no way to avoid it. If he didn’t break through today but postponed it to another day, it wouldn’t change anything.
“At odds with the entire world—is this the fate of those on the path to becoming a Great Emperor?” the Divine King murmured to himself, then looked at Ye Fan. “Unless you fail this time, this world will not know peace.”
As the red sun set in the west, the entire Divine City felt oppressive. Too many powerful figures from the Central Province and the Eastern Wasteland had arrived, all quietly waiting for the full moon to rise.
“The Red Dragon Daoist has returned!”
Many were startled. The news spread instantly. People noticed that his companions included the infamous Peacock King and the fourth great bandit of the Northern Domain, the Green Flood Dragon King.
Three top-tier experts entered the city together, bringing Ye Fan seven hundred thousand jin of Source. This shocked everyone; no one expected them to show such favor to Ye Fan.
At dusk, Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace, sent Ye Fan fifty thousand jin of Source. Soon after, Great Xia Prince Xia Yiming appeared and also sent fifty thousand jin.
As the evening glow faded, many young leaders from major powers sent varying amounts of Source. By the Dragon Transformation Pool, divine light shot into the sky, and spiritual energy filled the air.
Night fell, and the world slowly darkened. A divine moon emerged, not yet very bright, casting soft radiance.
The atmosphere in the Divine City became unbearably oppressive, suffocating. It was utterly still. After nightfall, the entire giant city fell silent.
It was as if the world had lost all sound. There was no wind, no movement. It felt like a dead city, devoid of life, with no voices to be heard.
A deathly silence. All cultivators waited. Around the Dragon Transformation Pool, a dense crowd stretched endlessly, impossible to see the end.
In the sky, figures were faintly visible. The best positions were reserved for the great figures; no one dared to compete for them.
Time flowed. The divine moon hung high, like a divine disc fixed in the sky, bathing the ancient city in a pure light, as if white mist were rising.
“He’s coming! He’s appeared!” Someone exclaimed, and everyone turned to look in one direction.
Ye Fan arrived, walking under the moonlight. That night, he wore a white robe, elegant and ethereal, his steps unhurried as he trod through the void.
His black hair danced lightly in the night breeze. His clear eyes were as pure as spring water. Like a banished immortal descending to the world, bathed in moonlight, his white robe spotless, he landed before the Dragon Transformation Pool.
“This is the Primordial Saint Body? Just a youth, no more than fifteen or sixteen.”
“Setting aside his physique, being able to enter the Four Extremes Secret Realm at this age is quite a talent.”
“Such a clean-cut youth, his physical body comparable to a savage dragon? I just can’t see it…”
Many were seeing Ye Fan for the first time. They were full of curiosity about the Primordial Saint Body and murmured among themselves.
The oppressive atmosphere in the Divine City finally eased slightly, no longer so suffocating. People began to talk, voices rising, breaking the deathly silence.
“Where is the Divine King? Why hasn’t he appeared?”
The Peerless Divine King had not shown himself; his unparalleled presence was nowhere to be seen. Many cultivators were puzzled, looking around.
“No need to search. The Saint Body’s breakthrough won’t be peaceful. The White-Robed Divine King is likely hidden in the shadows, ready to act at any moment,” someone speculated.
Before the Dragon Transformation Pool, Ye Fan stood upright. His white robe fluttered, as if he were about to ascend to immortality. Under the moonlight, he seemed transcendent and otherworldly.
In the Dragon Transformation Pool, divine Source and variant Source emitted dazzling light, almost turning the pool into a celestial pond. The spiritual energy was so dense it seemed ready to liquefy and flow.
If the pool hadn’t been sealed, the divine radiance would have pierced the heavens, dimming the stars and the moon.
Suddenly, three figures stepped forward, surrounding the Dragon Transformation Pool. The handsome Peacock King, the stalwart Green Flood Dragon King, and the spirited Red Dragon Daoist took positions on three sides, clearly there to protect Ye Fan.
Then, members of the Wind Clan appeared. Four elders surrounded the celestial pool from the four cardinal directions, guarding him during his breakthrough.
Ye Fan looked up at the divine moon. His clean-cut face was very calm. Then he swept his gaze over everyone. He knew these people came from all over the world, all watching his every move.
He saw the Holy Son Yao Guang, shrouded in holy light; the arrogant Golden Wing Little Peng King; the prideful Xia Jiuyou…
These people were destined to be his natural enemies. Even before entering the Four Extremes Secret Realm, he had foreseen the future, envisioning a scene of many kings rising and endless battles.
The stunningly beautiful Yao Xi, the Divine King Physique of the Ji Family, the Innate Dao Fetus of the Zi Mansion… All the holy sons and holy maidens, each figure, each face, watched in silence.
Then, Ye Fan’s gaze fell on the peerlessly elegant An Miaoyi. Her long hair flew wildly, her white robe was like snow, her immortal skin and jade body, her eyes like autumn water, as she quietly watched him.
Ye Fan swept his gaze over everyone, then withdrew it. With a rustle, he flicked his sleeve, and a pile of divine Source blocks fell.
From afar, everyone gasped. The Saint Body himself had so much Source, shocking those from the Central Province!
Only those in the Divine City knew that Ye Fan’s Source Art was astonishing, and he had reaped great rewards, especially from his earth-shattering gamble with the Source Art Aristocratic Clan, gaining a massive amount of Source.
All the divine Source was thrown into the Dragon Transformation Pool. Ye Fan stepped in with one stride, ready to begin his breakthrough!
A phoenix cry shook the heavens!
At the horizon, nine phoenix-like divine birds spread their wings and soared, pulling a divine chariot. Divine light bloomed, auspicious rays shot out, piercing the clouds as they arrived overhead.
At the same time, nine golden divine lions galloped through the air, pulling an ancient war chariot. They crushed across the sky with a rumble, like thousands of troops and horses charging.
…
The sacred lords of the Eastern Wasteland appeared one after another, riding in chariots, descending in person to witness the Saint Body’s breakthrough.
“Roar…”
Dragon cries resounded through heaven and earth. More great figures appeared. Nine azure dragons spanned the sky, vast as mountain ranges, arriving in an instant.
An old man appeared in the sky. He wore a dragon robe and a dragon crown, radiating boundless light, mighty and divine, like a Heavenly Emperor reborn. A true ancestral dragon head materialized on his crown.
“Could it be the Great Xia Imperial Lord in person?” Many were shocked, wondering if it was the peerless imperial lord of the Central Province.
From other directions, terrifying fluctuations also came. Top experts from the four immortal imperial dynasties of the Central Province appeared one after another to observe the ceremony.
Then, more people arrived. The Hundred Schools of Thought from the Central Province appeared, lining the high sky. Each was immensely powerful, making others tremble.
“Boom!”
At that moment, the seal on the Dragon Transformation Pool was undone. Divine radiance shattered the clouds, piercing the heavens. The world blazed brightly, blinding to the eyes.
The Dragon Transformation Pool seemed like a peerless spiritual land from the dawn of creation. Divine radiance in ten thousand forms, auspicious rays in a thousand strands, five colors interwoven, seven hues entwined, utterly sacred.
Ye Fan sat cross-legged in the celestial pool. His entire being seethed with vitality, his blood energy surging into the sky, forming a dragon-shaped pillar of qi that pierced the night, like a peerless divine sword cutting through heaven and earth.
Everyone was horrified. Was this the Primordial Saint Body? Still only in the Dao Palace Secret Realm, yet his physical blood energy was so vigorous, as if a true dragon were awakening!
All the holy sons and holy maidens changed color. If such a person succeeded in his breakthrough, he would be an incredibly fearsome enemy!
At odds with the entire world—Ye Fan felt endless killing intent surging toward him from all directions.