Chapter 511: Bloodstained Smile
The Primordial Qi Cauldron had appeared, returning to the Sacred Body's hands. Could he keep it? A great storm was likely brewing.
Everyone in the Northern Domain was discussing this topic. Countless hearts were stirred. In the past, Ye Fan had been hunted precisely because of this sacred cauldron.
Now that word was spreading that he had already severed his own cultivation, it made it even easier for people to harbor ulterior motives. The disciples of the various Holy Lands training outside could not remain calm; all were paying close attention.
Even the protection of a Peerless Divine King was not enough. Now everyone could guess that Jiang Taixu was ten or nine parts likely unable to appear in the world again. Even the Jiang Clan themselves had already made this judgment.
Yes, Jiang Taixu had passed into stillness. This was the conclusion everyone had reached. From the moment he sent Little Tingting back to the Jiang Clan, this conclusion was as good as confirmed.
The only thing Ye Fan could still be grateful for was that there was still a being comparable to an ancient sage—the Old Madman. Otherwise, the various Saint Lords might have personally come to kill him.
But this could deter for a time, not forever. Now, many people were eager to try, unable to resist the temptation of the Primordial Qi Cauldron!
The rough embryo of an Extreme Imperial Weapon was a priceless divine object. Even with tens of millions or hundreds of millions of catties of Source, it could not be bought. Even the ancient Great Emperors might not have encountered such a celestial object. No one was unmoved.
Otherwise, why would the First Ruthless Person of antiquity have refined her own body, shaking past and present, forging the Devouring Demon Jar, leaving behind a terrifying record.
"Damn it, some more people have followed us. It's only been a few days, and you've almost become an Immortal Elixir. Everyone wants to take a bite out of you!" the Big Black Dog clicked its tongue.
They had entered a desolate ancient city. Quite a few people were trailing unhurriedly behind them, following them in. There was no need to guess—they were coveting the divine object.
"There's no way around it. The Primordial Qi Cauldron is too rare and precious. And it's so heavy, enough to forge an Extreme Imperial Weapon without worrying about insufficient immortal materials," Jiang Huairen sighed.
These Mother Qi essences were not like the Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Holy Spirit Sword, which was only the size of a fingernail. This was a complete ancestral root, endlessly regenerating, enough to move all powerhouses.
"Chi!"
A sword beam shot through the void, like a falling star crashing into the earth. Its radiance was dazzling, representing destruction and slaughter, enveloping the few of them.
"Bang!"
Ye Fan extended a hand. His golden palm and fingers glowed, tracing the path of the Dao. He extinguished the sword beam into nothingness.
"Someone has finally been unable to hold back and made a move. Let's kill them all!" Liu Kou spoke.
"This is just a probe. Don't act rashly yet," Ye Fan shook his head.
"The sacred objects of the ancient Great Emperors are few and far between. Each one is a peerless immortal treasure. Dragon-Pattern Blackgold, Phoenix Blood Red Gold, Immortal Tear Green Gold—half a tael is hard to find in the entire world. Everyone comes to fight over them. It's understandable," Li Heishui said.
The Primordial Mother Qi Root was precisely such a rare celestial object. Obtaining it meant cutting off the root of this kind of sacred object. It would be hard to encounter again in the future. Its value was incalculable.
The various Holy Lands and supreme great sects were all red-eyed. What did it matter if you were a divine being or a sage? In the blink of an eye, thousands of years would pass, and you would eventually return to dust. Only such sacred objects were real.
Wu Zhongtian had a leopard's head and round eyes, a very imposing man, a typical Northern Domain strongman. At this moment, he raised an eyebrow and said in a deep voice, "This is bad. Half-Step Great Powers have followed us. I recognize that man. He's a very powerful independent cultivator from the Northern Domain!"
"I also saw a few people. Some are great elders from Northern Domain great sects, others are powerful independent cultivators. They're all at the Seventh Transformation of the Dragon Transformation realm!" Liu Kou said.
Some people could no longer restrain themselves, wanting to fish in troubled waters and take a gamble.
"Big Brother, Nannan saw several people. They keep appearing near us, each time different." Little Nannan tugged at Ye Fan's clothes and whispered to him after those people disappeared.
"The Mortal World..." Ye Fan's expression turned grave. He had experienced this once before. The assassins of the ancient divine dynasty hid among the vast sea of people, very hard to distinguish.
He remained expressionless, opening his divine eyes, waiting quietly for those people to appear again.
"One, two..." His heart pounded violently. There were a full eight assassins. They were like ordinary people, showing no depth of cultivation, not even a trace of unusual fluctuation.
If not for his divine eyes being able to see through their other faces, it would be hard to imagine that these seemingly ordinary people were all powerful assassins, holding blood-dripping sharp swords as they walked in the darkness.
"The ancient assassin divine dynasty has finally appeared again. This is not good!" the Big Black Dog muttered.
"Jiang Yichen, that bastard, really has a vicious heart. He leaked the news about the Primordial Qi Cauldron, wanting to use others' hands to get rid of us," Li Heishui said.
"The Mortal World and the Underworld have both come!" Ye Fan felt the pressure. In the end, he confirmed thirteen assassins. These were just the ones he could see. There were several more in hiding that he didn't know about.
"The wind is rising before the storm. The ancient assassin divine dynasty sure knows how to pick their timing. This time, they're probably preparing for a one-hit kill, to seize the cauldron!" Jiang Huairen said.
Others feared the current sages, but these two divine dynasties had no fear. They had even provoked them before. Whenever he thought of this, the Big Black Dog couldn't help but shiver, believing they were probably as powerful as they were in ancient times.
"Little Leaf, are you sure you want to keep going like this?" Li Heishui was starting to have second thoughts. The powerful enemies were gathering more and more. This was a very dangerous sign.
Jiang Huairen and Wu Zhongtian both suggested lying low for a while, not showing themselves like this, or else great disaster would surely come.
"It's fine. Let's walk a bit further. I've already prepared a slaughter formation for them!" A cold smile curled at the corner of Ye Fan's mouth.
"Kid, do you want to exhaust this Emperor to death? A peerless slaughter formation consumes too much essence, energy, and spirit..." The Big Black Dog bared its teeth, indignant.
"You're not thinking of taking them all out in one go, are you? Killing everyone following behind?!" Liu Kou was startled.
"It's just a preliminary idea. I don't know how powerful the slaughter formation Black Emperor sets up will be," Ye Fan smiled.
"Wouldn't that be too ruthless? By walking around like this, how many people will you attract? Do you want to catch them all in one net?" Wu Zhongtian's heart was pounding.
Jiang Huairen laughed instead, saying, "That's exactly how it should be. Those without murderous intent naturally won't lose their lives. If they want to kill Little Leaf, why be polite with them?"
"Right, that's how it should be. If they want to kill, then use the peerless slaughter formation to take them all out!" Li Heishui nodded, deeply agreeing.
"I want to see clearly who is most eager to come and kill me for the cauldron..." Ye Fan smiled.
"I don't know how many heads will fall. But... if they come to kill and seize the cauldron, they can't blame anyone else," Liu Kou laughed.
Relatively speaking, Wu Zhongtian was very straightforward and honest. He sighed, "Your smiles are already stained with blood. Many people are destined to die."
"Big Brother, why are you getting soft-hearted? That's not like you," Jiang Huairen said.
"I was just sighing for a moment. Then let's kill to our hearts' content!" Wu Zhongtian's heroic spirit soared to the heavens.
"Damn it, kid, you have a whim, but do you know how much effort this Emperor has to put in?" The Big Black Dog squinted at Ye Fan, grumbling, very unwilling.
But when it saw Ye Fan take out a sacred fruit and shake it, it immediately perked up, drooling, almost pouncing forward.
Now, the Peerless Divine King had cut away his origin. Even with an Immortal Elixir, there was no turning back. Whether he could survive depended entirely on himself. Therefore, Ye Fan could freely dispose of the remaining divine fruits.
In the end, the Big Black Dog slapped its chest with its big paw, making a "pa pa" sound, guaranteeing to perfectly reproduce the peerless slaughter formation of Emperor Wu Shi.
Of course, it was only a corner. This was all it had mastered. The array patterns of an ancient Great Emperor could not possibly exist intact in the world. But if the part it had could be laid out, it would be enough!
"Big Brother, that gray-haired man is here." Little Nannan wrinkled her delicate little nose and whispered a reminder.
Only after careful observation did Ye Fan discover that Jiang Yichen's uncle had arrived. He wore a mask on his face, hard to see through even with divine eyes unless he concentrated.
"Good, he's here. This time, we'll give him the full treatment!" Liu Kou shouted excitedly upon hearing this.
These past few days, they had been trying to catch Jiang Yichen, but the other party wouldn't leave the Jiang Clan, so they had no way. They hadn't expected another hateful figure to show up. If they didn't suppress him, they would be letting themselves down.
"This guy is actually an expert at the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation realm, preparing to ambush us. Lucky we saw through him, or he would have been a real threat," Li Heishui gritted his teeth.
"Don't act rashly. We can't let the entire peerless slaughter formation go to waste because of one man," Ye Fan said.
Smoke Cloud City was ancient and dilapidated, just like its name. Everything had become smoke and clouds of the past. It had also had a glorious history, even bearing the footprints of ancient Great Emperors.
Unfortunately, everything was in the past now. The grand scene was no more. Only desolation remained. The city's population was sparse, less than forty thousand. It was an ancient city without vitality.
Ye Fan and his group traveled all the way and entered this decaying ancient city, deciding to set up Emperor Wu Shi's ancient slaughter formation here!
"According to ancient records, after the two assassin divine dynasties finish observing their targets in secret, they usually make their move within five days. It's very likely tonight."
With these ancient secrets provided by the Big Black Dog, they could arrange things much more calmly. This time, they had to cut down everyone who came out from the two assassin divine dynasties.
The night was like water, dotted with stars. This night in Smoke Cloud City was very quiet, even a bit gloomy. This ancient city had no vitality at all once it reached deep night.
Ye Fan stood on an ancient platform, gazing at the starry sky. Little Nannan sat beside him, propping up her chin with her hand, yawning slightly, looking listless.
The two of them weren't really watching the stars and moon. They were using their divine eyes to survey the surroundings, observing the people in the shadows.
In just these few days, even more powerful people had followed. Half-Step Great Powers had already appeared, and traces of Holy Sons flickered in and out of sight.
"I never thought the Holy Son of Wanchu would come," Ye Fan muttered to himself. His eyesight was extremely powerful. Even figures at the edge of the sky could be captured clearly by him.
There would surely be slaughter tonight. Many people seemed to have an unspoken agreement, appearing at the same time, closing in.
But those people were very well hidden, far off at the edge of the sky, waiting for an opportunity. They wouldn't strike first.
"Yao Xi has also arrived." Ye Fan's heart stirred. The Holy Maiden of Yaoguang was hidden within a cloud in the void. Except for someone with divine eyes like him, no one else could detect her.
"Holy Son Xiang Yifei of Dayan!" His gaze flickered. He discovered another Holy Son in the shadows. In the past, in Divine City, he had dealings with this man. He hadn't expected him to come too.
"Big Brother, the people from the ancient divine dynasty are here..." Little Nannan yawned slightly, noticing the situation.
Ye Fan nodded, continuing to observe from the ancient platform, wanting to see all the people in the shadows.
"The heir of the Golden Clan, Jin Chixiao, has also come..." Ye Fan's heart tightened. This man was very powerful. It was said that the blood of an ancient king flowed in this clan's veins, and they were not of the human race.
"The Holy Son of Zi Mansion has indeed arrived too!" He saw the trace of another Holy Son, having already guessed that this man would definitely come.
Ye Fan picked up Little Nannan and flew back into the deep courtyard, reuniting with Black Emperor and the others, telling them the positions of those people.
"Too many people have come. There are cultivators from many great sects. Jiang Yichen's uncle brought over a dozen people, and they're the closest."
"The ancient assassin divine dynasties are hiding in the void. They're about to strike!"
They exchanged information, preparing to activate the Wu Shi slaughter formation effectively.
"There are Half-Step Great Powers, and even Holy Sons and Holy Maidens. A formidable lineup," Wu Zhongtian sighed.
Ye Fan pondered for a moment, then said, "Black Emperor, try to wait until everyone is inside before activating the Wu Shi slaughter formation. No matter who it is, as long as they come in, cut them all down!"