Chapter 575: Meeting Heavenly Tribulation Again
A golden rainbow shot forth, its tail light stretching a hundred zhang. Yan Yunluan let out a great roar, spitting out a mouthful of innate essence that transformed into a sharp blade, shattering it.
He stood among the stone forest, staring coldly at Ye Fan. Having nearly been shot last time, and now being rebuked again, his heart burned with frustration, yet he knew the Ten Thousand Wound Bow countered him.
"Still not leaving? You have no chance. Ten breaths have passed—I'll send you on your way!" Ye Fan drew the bow and fired again. This arrow was filled with boundless essence, a divine rainbow piercing heaven and earth, wind and thunder roaring as it shot forth.
Yan Yunluan's expression shifted. He opened his mouth and spat out a bronze lamp. The wick spewed divine fire, repeatedly colliding with the divine rainbow, dissolving it.
"Ye Zhe Tian, I will come to kill you!" He turned and fled, unwilling to face him in battle.
"Why wait for another day? Let's settle this today." Ye Fan was truly determined to kill him this time. With no one around to interfere, he intended to use the All Secret to fire arrows in rapid succession.
Yan Yunluan's heart was filled with unbearable humiliation. For the first time in his life, he was being pressed like this, and not because his combat strength was inferior. Without a word, he soared into the sky. He had no desire to become a living target again—his injuries from last time had yet to fully heal.
"Yan Yunluan, weren't you just so arrogant? Why are you fleeing now?" Liu Kou called out from behind.
"Yan the Invincible, aren't you supposed to be unstoppable? Why run in panic? Fight a real battle!" Li Heishui also taunted, his pent-up frustration finally released.
Ye Fan gave chase relentlessly, firing arrow after arrow. Golden light filled the sky, and from a distance, it was dazzling, like fireworks blooming—beautiful to behold.
Yet wherever this brilliance passed, lives could easily be extinguished, forcing even a prodigy to such a state.
"Ye Zhe Tian, fine. You rely on a secret treasure to hunt me now. In a few days, I will break through and come to take your head!" Yan Yunluan swore fiercely. Once he advanced another realm, he would be among the strongest of the younger generation. Even if Ye Fan had the Ten Thousand Wound Bow, he would no longer fear him.
"Still talking tough when death is at hand!" Ye Fan was determined to eliminate him. He began to trigger the All Secret, preparing to fire a volley of arrows. He didn't believe that after a hundred divine arrows in succession, he couldn't kill his opponent.
Many along the way witnessed this scene, all utterly shocked. It had happened once before, and now it was happening again.
"Yan Yunluan is being hunted again!"
That word "again" made Yan Yunluan's body tremble. How could he bear it? A figure of his stature, with few peers to match him, even able to kill older experts without hesitation, was being chased twice by a youth.
"That person is Ye Zhe Tian, the little lord?" Many found it hard to believe.
"Yan Yunluan, don't run! As a prodigy claiming invincibility, why flee without a fight?" Liu Kou shouted from behind, as they too followed.
"Unbelievable. Yan Yunluan is being hunted by that person again. He's met his nemesis."
Along the way, exclamations of astonishment continued. The word "again" turned Yan Yunluan's face ashen. For the first time, he felt such rage, so sensitive to that word.
Soon, they charged into a range of snowy peaks. The place was extremely high, with peaks piercing the clouds. Below, mountains were green and valleys verdant, full of life, while the summits were covered in white snow.
Yan Yunluan was truly furious. Being chased like a dog with no way to fight back, his heart burned with resolve, but he hadn't broken through yet.
"Brother Yan, what's wrong? Why are you fleeing in panic?" On the snowy summit, white mist swirled. A man in white merged with the snowscape, blending with heaven and earth. If he hadn't spoken, no one would have noticed him.
"Brother Chu." Yan Yunluan stopped, standing together with the white-clad man, no longer fleeing.
Chu Tian, with a robust build, stood two heads taller than the medium-sized Yan Yunluan. His white robes fluttered in the wind as he stood amid the snowstorm, merging with the snowy mountain.
His skin was as white as snow, but his eyes were full of spirit, shining like two divine lamps. His black hair danced with the wind and snow, like an ice god.
"It's him, a Dragon Transformation Fifth Transformation expert!"
Behind, Li Heishui, Liu Kou, and others had pursued them here. Seeing this person, their expressions changed.
Ye Fan learned that on the first day the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion opened, a Dragon Transformation Fifth Transformation expert had fought his way in, undefeated by anyone. That was this man.
Someone like this, having reached Dragon Transformation Fifth Transformation, could absolutely kill a Ninth Transformation expert. At just over twenty years old, with such cultivation, he was terrifying.
Yan Yunluan regained his composure, standing side by side with Chu Tian on the snowy peak, staring coldly at Ye Fan. With two great experts joining forces, no one of the younger generation could stand against them.
They had no doubt about this. Even if Ye Fan held the Ten Thousand Wound Bow, if it came to a death battle, he would only be slain. Such was their confidence.
Many from behind had arrived at this place. Everyone was shocked. With two prominent figures standing together, anyone would wisely retreat. Yet Ye Fan was pulling the bowstring.
The All Secret was triggered, increasing his power tenfold. The Ten Thousand Wound Bow awakened like a dormant dragon, emitting an incredibly terrifying aura. Light blazed, and the shockwave triggered a massive avalanche.
"Swish!"
A divine rainbow shot forth, aimed directly at Yan Yunluan's brow. He opened his mouth and spat out a bronze lamp. The wick spewed flames, attacking the divine arrow from the side to weaken its force.
At the same time, Chu Tian made his move. With a raise of his hand, he froze the void. Mysterious ice spread, encasing the divine arrow within, as boundless divine power surged in.
"Boom!"
The divine arrow shattered, turning into essence that scattered across heaven and earth. Divine light raged, severing the snowy peak, which crashed into the deep valley below.
Li Heishui rushed over. He could see that with these two joining forces, no one of the younger generation could likely stand against them. He feared Ye Fan might suffer and be killed.
"Stop. Both of you are called prodigies. Joining forces like this hardly seems fair, does it?"
In the distance, the crowd watched. Two prodigies standing together naturally drew attention. Everyone was anticipating what would happen.
Yan Yunluan's face darkened. "Fine. Since you say that, I won't make things difficult for him. In five days, I'll go to his lord's manor to settle this and cut him down with my halberd!"
"Why wait five days? Come now, and I'll kill you in front of everyone!" Ye Fan sneered coldly.
"Brother, relying on a secret treasure means nothing. There are countless divine artifacts in the world. The Ten Thousand Wound Bow is not unbreakable. A cultivator must rely on himself." Chu Tian said calmly. His meaning was clear: Yan Yunluan wasn't outmatched, just disadvantaged by his weapon.
"Then let's call it a day." Liu Kou stepped forward. He too didn't want to see two prodigies join forces. If they both attacked, no one would survive.
"Brother, let him go for now." Li Heishui stepped in, blocking Ye Fan from acting.
With two prodigies here, even though Ye Fan had the Ten Thousand Wound Bow and other means, he hadn't yet entered the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. He felt uncertain.
The crowd dispersed, and the conflict was resolved. But people were even more eager. In five days, there would be a great battle—prodigy versus Ye Zhe Tian, sure to be a clash of dragons and tigers.
"Brother, thank you for your help." In a secluded spot, Li Heishui and Liu Kou expressed their gratitude.
Ye Fan smiled, then walked over and patted their shoulders. "Don't stand on ceremony with me."
The two were stunned, then both cried out in surprise, punching him hard in excitement.
"You're finally here. Those prodigies in the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion are all freaks. We were counting on you to knock them all down."
"It would be a shame if you weren't here. Lucky you didn't stay holed up in the Eastern Wasteland."
"Speaking of which, Little Leaf, you need to raise your cultivation quickly. Otherwise, you really can't handle them. There's a girl from the Western Desert that many agree will become a Bodhisattva in the future."
"A prodigy from Central Province killed a King Body with just one slap. You must have heard of that."
"From the Northern Plains, there's a youth who calls himself the Wolf God. Everyone avoids him. His combat power is terrifying. He even caught a primeval creature and made it his servant."
Clearly, these two were shaken. After seeing the geniuses from the five domains, they felt deeply discouraged.
Ye Fan said, "Many people achieve greatness later in life. In ancient times, half the sages were mediocre in their youth. It's all about potential in the later stages."
"That's true, but you don't need to comfort us like that." Li Heishui nodded with a smile.
"Have you seen Pang Bo?" Ye Fan asked. He had come to Central Province to find his old friend.
The two shook their heads. Many people had gone into seclusion upon entering the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, and half hadn't even been seen. This time, they had entered the Immortal Mansion World in batches.
Ye Fan returned with them to the stone forest, arriving at the small blue lake. They climbed the ethereal stone mountain, and their minds immediately grew calm.
"This place is extraordinary!"
Though they could sense something unusual, they couldn't find the secret. They all sat cross-legged on the stone mountain, facing the small lake in meditation.
The lake was deep blue, the mountain ethereal. For several days, their minds were empty and clear, easily entering the Dao realm. They almost comprehended the Dao here.
"I know! This is the place where an ancient sage dissolved into the Dao!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise, making this deduction.
When an ancient sage died, their flesh and blood were immortal, never decaying, able to last forever. But some, unwilling to leave their physical forms behind, chose to dissolve themselves.
Such a place was called a "Dao Dissolution Site." Divine essence was contained within, imprinting the true meaning of the Dao. If discovered and cultivated in, one could easily achieve enlightenment and enter the Dao realm.
"In the past, an ancient sage dissolved into the Dao here, returning to heaven and earth and nature." Liu Kou clicked his tongue, deeply shaken.
In the distance, within the endless mountain ranges, strange beasts gathered in groups, appearing frequently. Over these days, they had been assembling at an alarming rate, causing many cultivators to meet with misfortune.
"Let's go. The barbaric beast king uprising is about to begin. Don't let us get trapped here."
In the end, they left the Immortal Mansion World. Ye Fan changed his appearance and exited through the entrance controlled by the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, unnoticed by anyone.
Ye Fan didn't leave. Instead, he wandered around the purple mist-shrouded immortal mountains, then chose a spot to cultivate silently for a few days. He was feeling the pulse of these immortal mountains, trying to discover anything unusual.
A few days later, he returned to Lu City. As soon as he arrived, he saw many people looking at him strangely, as if they wanted to say something.
"What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Lord, a few days ago, a man named Yan Yunluan came. He said he wanted to kill you. Many from the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion came to watch the excitement, but you weren't here."
"They speculated that you didn't dare to face him and had already fled in panic. They said a lot of unpleasant things."
"He actually came?" Ye Fan didn't pay much attention to this. He had stayed a few extra days in the immortal veins, so he had naturally missed it.
"Some said that if you dared to show your face, Yan Yunluan would definitely come to take your head, unless you wanted to be a coward forever."
Ye Fan went to the desolate hut. The people of the ancient village also said that Yan Yunluan had come looking for him, wanting a life-or-death duel.
Soon, news of Ye Fan's return spread. When the people of the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion heard, Yan Yunluan appeared that very day, along with many others.
A crowd of no less than two or three hundred people, all young experts who had entered the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, including beautiful young women and bald-headed young monks, all kinds of people.
Many had heard that this little lord had hunted Yan Yunluan and wanted to see what methods he had.
The elites of the five domains were all proud sons and daughters of heaven, each with a lofty spirit, yet they were eager to witness this battle.
"Where is the Qi County Princess?" someone shouted, glaring at Ye Fan.
She had disappeared for a while, nowhere to be found, unable to be rescued. Now that he appeared, it naturally drew some people to surround him.
"Release the princess!" A dozen or so people were eager to make a move.
Ye Fan smiled. With a flash of light in his hand, he released Qi Huoshui from the vase. This peerless beauty clawed at him, lunging forward.
"How dare you seal me for so many days! I'll fight you to the death!"
Unfortunately, her restraints hadn't been removed, so she couldn't harm Ye Fan in the slightest.
"Someone's here to rescue you. Don't act fierce with me." Ye Fan gave her a flick on the forehead.
In the distance, many saw this and were stunned, nearly petrified. They thought he was too bold, daring to touch this hot pepper from the Southern Ridge. Wasn't he afraid of causing big trouble?
Qi Huoshui saw the people around her, turned, and ran toward them, trying to escape. Ye Fan didn't stop her.
At that moment, Yan Yunluan appeared, his expression cold, devoid of any emotion. "I'll let you use the Ten Thousand Wound Bow to shoot me. Today, I won't lift a finger to suppress you!"
"Such big talk." Ye Fan sneered.
Others were also astonished, wondering why he was so arrogant, daring to say such things. How could he kill Ye Fan without lifting a finger?
Yan Yunluan paced, coming to a stop not far from Ye Fan, a cold smile on his face. "I'll send you on your way!"
"Boom!"
Ten thousand bolts of lightning descended from the sky, instantly engulfing both him and Ye Fan.
At that moment, everyone was terrified. This was heavenly tribulation! Many heavenly daughters lost their color, and countless holy son-level figures were shaken.
Heavenly tribulation!
Yan Yunluan was crossing his tribulation while using the power of heaven and earth to suppress Ye Fan. Everyone understood his plan.
In this world, few of this age could attract heavenly tribulation. Those who could were inevitably prodigies, with few rivals.
While others were horrified, Ye Fan smiled. Trying to use heavenly tribulation to strike him dead—what a miscalculation. He thought perhaps he should summon an even greater tribulation for this prodigy and see who ended up being struck dead.