Chapter 481: Encounter
Ye Fan and his companions walked out of the great mountains and arrived in the outside world, causing an immediate sensation. Fourteen days had already passed, yet he was still alive.
"Isn't that the Sacred Body? The divine physician said he had less than half a month of life left, but he actually appeared again!"
"Could it be that he really severed his own cultivation and became an ordinary mortal? This is interesting. I wonder if those people will come to kill him?"
The Eastern Wasteland was vast and boundless, with primitive territories stretching millions of li without a trace of human habitation. Human settlements were relatively concentrated, with ordinary towns connected to form prosperous regions.
In the central region, ten ancient cities served as ten different centers, surrounded by densely packed areas where large numbers of humans and demons gathered.
After Ye Fan and the others emerged, before even entering a major city, they sparked heated discussions in an ordinary ancient city.
"No need to guess—he definitely severed his own cultivation. He's a cripple now. Who wants to step up and test his current level?"
Ye Fan's group was too strange. The big black dog and Little Nannan couldn't help but attract attention. Even those who had never seen them before could guess who they were.
"Who is that disheveled middle-aged man? His messy hair covers his face—he's too unkempt." Someone stared at Old Madman, not regarding him as an expert at all.
Everyone was paying attention, all of them discussing. The news that the Sacred Body was still alive and might have severed his cultivation spread like wildfire.
Soon after, Ye Fan and his group arrived at Youyue Ancient City, one of the ten famous cities in the central Eastern Wasteland and the closest to the Tianshui ruins.
In the center of this region, there were many supreme great sects and ancient demon aristocratic families, scattered among the surrounding famous mountains and great rivers.
Finally, someone couldn't hold back and wanted to test Ye Fan's condition. Several young men approached from the opposite direction, all wearing smiles.
"Isn't this Brother Ye, the Sacred Body? I heard you're unwell. How are you now?" One of them casually patted Ye Fan on the shoulder.
"Who are you? Do I know you?" Ye Fan asked.
"We're just some scattered cultivators. How would Brother Ye recognize us?" The man laughed heartily.
"You're disciples of the Zi Mansion, aren't you?" Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. Even the Holy Son of Zi Mansion wouldn't dare pat his shoulder so casually. These disciples really treated him like a cripple who had severed his cultivation.
"How do you know?" Their hearts jumped, and they felt somewhat uneasy.
"From the purple light in your eyes, you must be disciples of the holy land that cultivates 'Purple Qi from the East,'" Ye Fan said with a smile.
They relaxed and continued asking, "Brother Ye survived a great calamity. Have you recovered now?"
"My cultivation is half-crippled. I can barely survive," Ye Fan said.
"Is that so? That's not good news…" One of them smiled, applying a bit more force as he patted Ye Fan's shoulder.
"Are you tired of living?" Li Heishui grabbed his arm directly and threw him out with a bang.
"You… what do you mean?!" The Zi Mansion disciple immediately turned hostile, shouting angrily.
"I should be asking you that! Are you only daring to be so rude because you think Ye Fan's cultivation is half-crippled?" Li Heishui said coldly.
"The Holy Son of Zi Mansion is our senior brother, and we are disciples of the holy land. Are we not worthy of associating with Brother Ye?" One of them sneered.
"Is Brother Ye not of the same generation as us? Do we need to look up to him?" Another mocked. Now that they knew Ye Fan had severed his cultivation, they no longer cared.
"Half a month ago, even your Holy Son wouldn't dare be so rude. If Ye Fan were at his peak, would you dare come and test him so boldly?" Li Heishui scolded.
"Is the Sacred Body really so deified?" Someone sneered, a look of contempt on his face.
Another muttered in an almost inaudible voice, "A phoenix without feathers is worse than a chicken. He's already like this—does he think he still has any authority?"
"You talk too much. You just think Ye Fan is half-crippled, right? I'll take you on!" Black Emperor shouted. "Are the junior brothers of the Zi Mansion Holy Son so impressive? Come at me all at once!"
The Holy Maiden of Zi Mansion had once been suppressed by Ye Fan, and rumors that the Innate Sacred Body Dao Fetus might appear had enraged the Holy Son of Zi Mansion. Under normal circumstances, the Holy Maiden was meant to marry the Holy Son, so his junior brothers naturally wanted to vent for him.
Thus, these people were hostile. Youyue Ancient City was very close to the Zi Mansion Holy Land, so they had rushed over immediately.
"What an arrogant dog. Skin it alive! Wasn't it always barking before? Today, the Sacred Body is crippled—let's see what it has to rely on now!"
The Zi Mansion disciples were not weak in cultivation. Sneering repeatedly, they advanced together, intending to make an example of the big black dog in front of Ye Fan.
Without saying much, the big black dog directly offered up a mess of things, trapping them on the spot. Starlight stones, divine blood soil, and other items shone brightly, sealing the sky.
"Ignorant juniors! Do you think being junior brothers of the Zi Mansion Holy Son allows you to act recklessly? This emperor will teach you a lesson!"
"Dead dog, what can you do to us?" they shouted.
But soon, their expressions changed. The surroundings transformed, everything became hazy, and they were all trapped.
"Ah…" Soon, screams came from within the array patterns. The Zi Mansion disciples were all taken down.
Li Heishui said nothing, rushed in, dragged them out, and started stomping on them with his big feet.
"Ah…" The Zi Mansion disciples, their bodies sealed, could only watch as those two big feet trampled them repeatedly, screaming without end.
"How dare you treat us like this? Do you know…"
"Know your head! People like you, this emperor wouldn't even bother keeping as human pets. Beating you up is an honor." The big black dog shouted, charging over and clawing at them, breaking several bones each time.
Everyone in Youyue Ancient City was stunned. These were Zi Mansion disciples, yet they were being beaten like this. These people were truly ferocious.
Wasn't the Sacred Body crippled? The people around him were still so fierce—it was truly speechless. Many muttered to themselves.
"Ah…" The Zi Mansion disciples screamed. They had never suffered such a loss before.
"This emperor will send you to the Western Desert to become monks and temper your tempers!" After beating them thoroughly, the big black dog activated the chessboard array patterns. With a flash of light, the disciples were sent away.
Everyone's heart pounded. Was the dog telling the truth or not? Sending them to the Western Desert? That was too exaggerated!
"Dammit, the array patterns were too strange. They all ended up in the Northern Plains." The big black dog was extremely annoyed, clearly having done something unreliable again.
Many cultivators around didn't believe it, thinking it was bragging. Only Old Madman's hollow eyes flickered with a gleam as he stared at it for a few moments.
"You've gone too far!"
Just then, a cold voice came. A man in purple stood up from a nearby teahouse and strode over.
"The Holy Son of Zi Mansion!" someone exclaimed.
Additionally, a fair-skinned man approached. It was Zhao Fa from the Ziwei Sect, looking quite refined, with a meaningful smile.
"Brother Ye, it's been over half a month. I heard this place is closest to where the divine physician Wang lives in seclusion, so I waited here specifically for you to appear, wanting to buy that holy sword."
Zhao Fa was calm and composed, walking over together with the Holy Son of Zi Mansion, his face full of smiles, seemingly genuinely happy.
Ye Fan also smiled. This man was definitely not a good person. At the Wind Clan banquet, Little Nannan had overheard him talking to someone about plotting to seize the holy sword and kill him.
"I don't want to sell it yet. I'm planning to exchange it for a sacred medicine," Ye Fan directly refused.
Zhao Fa immediately showed displeasure. "Brother Ye, do you still need the holy sword now? Since you've severed your cultivation, you should sell it."
"What do you mean?" Li Heishui demanded.
The Holy Son of Zi Mansion said nothing, his gaze very cold as he stood to the side, scanning the group.
Zhao Fa snapped open his folding fan with a "pa," calm and composed, sneering coldly. "I want to buy the holy sword for Brother Ye's own good. Otherwise, it will likely bring disaster."
"Are you threatening us?" Ye Fan asked, without any trace of anger.
"Not at all. Am I that kind of person? I'm just reminding Brother Ye that others might try to snatch it. It's better to sell it to me early." Zhao Fa's smile was deep.
He seemed to remember something, his eyes shining with divine light. "Your Qilin divine medicine seed should still be around, right? Why not sell it to us as well? I and Brother Holy Son of Zi Mansion plan to buy it together."
"The Qilin divine medicine seed was eaten by me. The holy sword is not for sale. If you have nothing else, go away." Ye Fan said flatly, utterly disgusted with this man.
The other party really was bullying him for being "crippled," starting to threaten him to seize his treasures. It was truly hateful.
Zhao Fa's expression instantly turned cold. With a "pa," he closed his fan, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Aren't you being too aggressive? Where did you send my junior brothers?" The Holy Son of Zi Mansion suddenly spoke, his expression cold, staring at the big black dog.
"Sent them to the Northern Plains. Do you want to join them for a reunion? Going to the Western Desert is also a good choice—you can become a monk." The big black dog teased, looking at him sideways without any fear.
"Brother Ye, you're in big trouble and don't even know it, do you?" Zhao Fa said with a cold smile on his face.
"Do you want to make a move on me?" Ye Fan smiled, looking carefree.
Zhao Fa tapped his palm with his fan. "Am I that kind of person? I want to tell you that people from the Central Province's Yin Yang Sect have arrived. Do you know what that means?"
Ye Fan's expression shifted. He had killed the Holy Maiden of Yin Yang, an irreconcilable enmity that they wouldn't just let go.
The Yin Yang Sect was a supreme great sect of the Central Province. They hadn't retaliated immediately, mainly because pressure from the various holy lands had forced them to retreat. After plundering talented young children from various sects in the Eastern Wasteland, they had incurred great anger and couldn't stay.
Now, had they come again?
"Rumor has it that they arrived in the central Eastern Wasteland ten days ago. The Holy Son of Yin Yang came carrying the Yin Yang Sword, intending to use that terrifying secret treasure to cut off your head." Zhao Fa chuckled darkly. "At that time, he didn't even know you were going to sever your cultivation. Now it seems he won't even need the Yin Yang Sword."
Then he continued, "They are a supreme great sect of the Central Province and aren't too afraid of the Peerless Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland. Besides, the Divine King's life or death is unknown. I've also heard that to ensure they kill you without fail and establish the Yin Yang Sect's prestige, they dispatched several Supreme Elders with little life left, determined to take your head. Among them are Half-Step Great Powers and even true Great Powers who dominate the world."
"The Yin Yang Sect sent Great Power-level figures to kill me?" Ye Fan's heart jumped, but he quickly calmed down, stroking his chin and laughing.
Now, with Old Madman by his side, he feared nothing. Even if the supreme sect leader of the Central Province came to kill him, they would surely never return!
"Brother Ye, if you sell the holy sword and the divine medicine seed, I am willing to provide you with a path to survival." Zhao Fa said leisurely, unhurriedly. "At the very least, I can let you live for a long time."
"I said the holy sword is not for sale, and the divine medicine seed was eaten by me," Ye Fan said coldly.
"Brother Ye, you really don't appreciate kindness. I, Zhao, have a sincere heart, but you refuse to accept it!" Zhao Fa's face darkened.
"I don't want to sell. Are you trying to force a sale?" Ye Fan stared at him.
"Brother Ye, think it over carefully!" Zhao Fa sneered coldly, then patted his shoulder, releasing a hint of hidden force.
It was a clever, concealed force that wouldn't take effect immediately but would later cause him to spit blood and suffer severe injury. He clearly intended to make Ye Fan suffer a great loss.
"Take your hand away!" Ye Fan's face darkened.
Beside them, the Holy Son of Zi Mansion watched coldly, making no move to intervene or help.
Zhao Fa's expression stiffened. "Brother Ye, your words are too harsh!"
With that, he gently released another trace of hidden force, transmitting it through his palm into Ye Fan's body.
"Get lost!" Ye Fan's expression turned icy, his eyes fixed on him.
"You're telling me to get lost?" Zhao Fa's expression turned frigid, his hand freezing in place.
Others were also shocked. The divine physician had said that the Sacred Body could only survive by severing his cultivation, and he had admitted it himself. No one expected him to still be so aggressive.
Many didn't know about Zhao Fa's hidden force, so they were naturally shaken, thinking Ye Fan was just strongly disliking this person.
"You really don't know what's good for you. Brother Ye, don't regret this!" Zhao Fa sneered, lightly patting him again.
"Forcing me to sell my treasures is good intentions? Sending hidden force into my body to worsen my injuries is also good intentions?!" Ye Fan's expression was cold. His golden hand suddenly swung out.
"Slap!"
The crisp sound of the slap was extremely loud. Zhao Fa spat blood, six or seven teeth flying out, his entire body sent flying, crashing into the corner of a nearby wall.
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted, all showing shock. Hadn't the Sacred Body severed his cultivation? How could he slap Zhao Fa flying with one blow?
"You…" Zhao Fa trembled all over with rage, jumping up instantly.
But at that moment, Ye Fan turned into a golden light, stepping with Tianshui's footwork, and in an instant, he was upon him. His golden palm swung again.
"Slap!"
Zhao Fa spat blood from his mouth, three more teeth flying out, his body sent flying again, crashing into the wall.