# Chapter 620: Harvesting Divine Medicine in the Mortal World
The lake was vast, with misty waters spanning countless thousands of acres, its end nowhere in sight.
Around it, ancient trees twisted like dragons, some taller than mountains, with lush vegetation and fragrant spiritual herbs thriving in abundance. Many massive old vines were terrifyingly thick, winding from one mountain peak to another.
Ye Fan felt uncertain, wondering if this was the true Immortal Transformation Pool. That cracked stone tablet looked quite ancient, measured in tens of thousands of years, its inscriptions like blades and dragons.
Within the endless mountain ranges, such a vast lake existed—thousands of acres of emerald waves, boundless and shoreless, like a great sea.
Over the years, people had discovered many Immortal Transformation Pools throughout the million-li Qinling Mountains. Some were as small as a well, while others stretched for thousands of acres, making it impossible to know which was genuine.
The Immortal Transformation Pool had many legends. In ancient times, immortals had risen here on rosy clouds, and later it was said the Green Emperor was born within it, naturally drawing the world's attention.
This great lake gathered spiritual essence, with lake and sky merging together. Water mist shrouded the area, azure lotuses shimmering within, emerald green like sunset clouds. Strange beasts emerged from the water, their scales and horns gleaming.
From the lake's depths came thunderous roars, like mountain floods and ocean tides, as if connected to the primordial sounds of creation, their momentum vast and overwhelming.
Ye Fan skimmed across the lake's surface, advancing dozens of li before finally witnessing a terrifying scene. The sky was filled with lightning and blood-red light, completely drowning the area above the great lake.
"Dozens of people undergoing tribulation…" His expression froze. Within the endless sea of blood-red lightning stood over thirty figures, an extremely eerie sight.
What shocked him even more was the intensity of this heavenly tribulation—terrifyingly powerful, many times greater than Yan Yunluan's lightning tribulation, and not much smaller than what he himself had experienced.
"What kind of people are these?!" Ye Fan's heart trembled. In this dreadful great tribulation, every bolt of lightning shattered the void.
This heavenly tribulation was brutal, mostly composed of blood-red lightning like a sea of blood, with chaotic light flowing through it from time to time.
Yin Extreme True Tribulation, Yang Extreme True Tribulation, Earth Fire Wind Water Great Tribulation, Undying Phoenix Tribulation… Thunderstorms raged in the sky, various tribulations appearing within the blood-red lightning sea, causing the void to tremble.
"What powerful heavenly punishment! This is clearly meant to annihilate, not wanting the tribulation-crosser to succeed!" Ye Fan's heart grew cold. This nearly matched the tribulations he had endured.
And one had to understand that his physique was nearly indestructible—among the younger generation, his physical strength was unmatched in the world, allowing him to withstand such heavenly punishment. What kind of people were here breaking through?
Ye Fan observed carefully. Within the boundless lightning sea were thirty-two figures, buried by blinding light, all resisting the great heavenly tribulation.
"Why so many people?"
The lightning was fierce and dazzling, those figures as if within the sun itself, too bright to look at directly or see clearly. Ye Fan focused, his eyes shining with divine light, and made out some of their features.
In that moment, he drew in a cold breath. The people he saw were too strange—their clothing and appearances varied greatly, men and women, young and old, belonging to different dynasties and eras.
"What are these people, a group of vengeful ghosts undergoing tribulation?!"
The thirty-plus figures were each bizarre. There was an old Daoist in tattered robes, as if just unearthed, carrying a decaying aura. There was an imperial lord wearing a rusted dragon crown, as if just crawled from an ancient tomb. There was a heavenly maiden in divine silkworm silk robes, though her garments were nearly rotted. There was also an arhat in a tattered kasaya, his withered body like cast gold.
It was said that many ancient tombs lay beneath the Qinling Mountains. Could a group of ancient experts have become corpses, simultaneously crawling from their graves to undergo tribulation?
No matter how one looked at it, these people couldn't possibly belong to the same era. Their decayed clothing was nearly disintegrated, like a group of living fossils just unearthed.
"How bizarre…" Ye Fan was uncertain. What he witnessed was somewhat unbelievable.
He could see over a dozen people; the rest were deep within the lightning sea, only blurry silhouettes visible. Their clothing was in styles from tens of thousands of years ago.
He even saw an ancient imperial lord whose purple-gold crown matched records from fifty thousand years ago—so ancient it made one dizzy.
At the lightning sea's center, the other dozen or so figures were blurry but wore modern clothing. One was dressed like a prince of an immortal divine dynasty.
"Spanning tens of thousands of years, from modern times to ancient eras—how did these people come together, and all undergo tribulation together? It nearly matches the great tribulation I experienced."
In such violent and terrifying lightning, these people's clothes shouldn't have survived. Ye Fan activated his Source Heaven Divine Eye, carefully probing through the void, looking directly at the origin, and finally saw through the illusion.
"Manifested from original essence energy, not true bodies!"
Ye Fan was startled, two cold beams shooting from his eyes. He began searching for the thirty-third person—one must exist, with all others being controlled by them.
"Ancient imperial lords, divine monks, old Daoists, and contemporary divine dynasty princes, heavenly maidens… What a grand scheme!"
Finally, he found the thirty-third person at the lightning sea's very center. Their state was wondrous—completely merged into the void, a black vase hovering above their crown.
"As expected, a cultivator of the Devouring Demon Art, having devoured so many people…"
Ye Fan's heart grew cold. The Qinling Mountains held many ancient tombs. This person had found so many undying ancient corpses, taking just a bit of essence from each—enough to shock the world.
Moreover, they had killed many contemporary heroes, seizing their essence. This was an unimaginably powerful enemy; no wonder the heavenly tribulation was so terrifying.
"Hua Yunfei, I've found you again!" Ye Fan stood in the distance, his expression cold. After so long in the Qinling Mountains, he had finally discovered this fearsome opponent.
Within the lightning sea, Hua Yunfei merged with heaven and earth, as always. Even facing heavenly tribulation, he appeared ethereal and otherworldly, like a banished immortal.
Ten thousand heavenly tribulations struck down, and he resisted with all his might. The vase above his head devoured lightning, mysterious and unfathomable. This was a man who would make women jealous—jade-like in bearing, excessively handsome, transcendent and refined, like an immortal reborn.
"Dragon Transformation Eighth Variation's heavenly punishment!" Ye Fan drew in a cold breath. The other's cultivation speed was frightening.
Two days ago, he had undergone terrible punishment to advance to the Fifth Variation—already fast progress. He hadn't expected the other to match such terrifying speed.
Back then, in the Eastern Wasteland's Southern Domain, he had fought Hua Yunfei. At that time, Ye Fan was at the Four Extremes Secret Realm's second level, while Hua Yunfei was at Dragon Transformation First Variation—three minor realms apart.
Now, a few years later, Ye Fan had advanced rapidly, singing all the way to Dragon Transformation Fifth Variation. He was at his peak, having encountered great fortune these past years.
Yet Hua Yunfei was no less impressive, still three minor realms ahead, his speed equally astonishing.
Ye Fan had many opportunities in recent years, soaring upward. It was hard for others to match his speed, but Hua Yunfei had done it, advancing a thousand li daily!
Terrifying Dragon Transformation Eighth Variation, and the heavenly tribulation he experienced was not much weaker than Ye Fan's—truly shocking.
The Devouring Demon Art was indeed fearsome. The entire world was its cauldron; any strong person could have their essence devoured to strengthen oneself. With such methods, it was impossible not to soar.
This art violated heaven's harmony, so every advancement brought devastating heavenly punishment. Heaven wished to reduce him to ashes, creating an endless lightning sea nearly matching the Sacred Body's.
"Killing all the way down, even heaven oppresses him so. Cultivating this demonic art, as long as one doesn't die, it's hard not to become powerful!" Ye Fan sighed softly.
Attaining the Dao through this method was too terrifying. The path was inevitably filled with countless dangers, nine deaths and one life. Only those who astonished the world had hope of survival.
No wonder some predicted that if Hua Yunfei didn't die, he would roam the world in ten years, wreaking havoc across the Five Domains. Based on his current progress, this would absolutely come true!
In just three years, Hua Yunfei had obtained the essence of thirty-two experts—eleven ancient strange corpses and twenty-one contemporary heroes.
Now, Hua Yunfei was undergoing tribulation. The essence of those he devoured overflowed, manifesting as true bodies, undergoing tribulation together.
"Such a powerful heavenly tribulation, yet he can withstand it, successfully breaking through. It's nearing its end!"
Ye Fan did not enter the lightning tribulation. He had just broken through himself; even if he rushed in now, drawing his own heavenly punishment, he would only suffer lightning strikes for nothing, unable to advance another level.
Moreover, since Hua Yunfei could withstand this punishment, even if Ye Fan drew a stronger lightning sea, it likely wouldn't kill him.
"At this rate, no one will be able to deal with him in the future. When he obtains the essence of various physiques, he will surely become invincible under heaven!"
In this era, various heroes and kings of the world were like immortal medicines. Hua Yunfei cultivating this heavenly art was like harvesting divine medicine in the mortal world!
Ye Fan stepped across the lake surface, walking step by step into the void, advancing toward the dissipating lightning sea. Since they had met, a life-and-death battle was unavoidable.
*Crackle*
When the final bolt of lightning disappeared, all essence returned to Hua Yunfei's body. The imperial lord in tattered dragon robes, the heavenly maiden in dust-covered garments—all vanished.
Ye Fan stood tall and heroic, his black hair thick, his eyes clear and bright. He swung the God-Slaying Whip, collapsing the heavens, striking like wielding a river of stars, like an ancient sacred spirit reborn.
*Clang*
Hua Yunfei held a phoenix-winged halberd, blocking directly. A terrifying sound like a tsunami erupted, causing the lake below to boil and distant mountains to split apart.
The two met, and just their first strike created an extremely dreadful scene!
"Brother Ye, we meet again." Hua Yunfei had already changed into blue robes, elegant and noble, with a peaceful smile.
"Yes, life is full of unexpected encounters."
"Actually, we could sit down and talk. It doesn't have to be a life-and-death battle." Hua Yunfei's robes fluttered, ethereal as an immortal.
"Haven't you always wanted to devour my Sacred Body's essence?" Ye Fan walked forward step by step.
"Times have changed. We've both become enemies of the world. Why not join forces? There's no need to fight to the death."
Ye Fan smiled, saying, "Join you to kill people and seize their essence, only for you to eventually devour me? I've always admired the Ruthless Great Emperor's ancient scripture. Let me witness your various unparalleled sacred arts!"
"Brother Ye, this is no longer three years ago. I have no restraints now, fighting with all my might. It's hard to say who lives and who dies." Hua Yunfei said calmly.