Chapter 680: The Nine Secrets Decide Victory and Defeat
Ye Fan was also stunned. He had only spoken casually, and yet this silent gourd actually stirred. That beam of light was too fast—even the Northern Emperor couldn't dodge it.
The head rolled off, struck repeatedly by the sword light, turning into a white paste stained with traces of blood. It was unrecognizable, a miserable sight.
In Ye Fan's hand, at the mouth of the gourd, an ancient universe appeared—minute and detailed, with deep star domains. The flying sword light that had emerged was its manifestation, and now it had returned.
"Let's see how you revive!" Ye Fan shouted. The head was a vital point of the human body, where the primordial spirit resided. If it were shattered, the divine consciousness would turn to ash. This was spirit annihilation, more thorough than mere physical death.
Of course, he was still uneasy. After all, the Northern Emperor's reputation was immense—known throughout the Five Domains, with strength that defied heaven. He didn't want any accidents.
Immediately, he activated the black gourd, unleashing endless great flames that surged forward to completely incinerate Wang Teng's remains into ash.
An elder of the Wang Clan went mad, unable to bear it any longer, and attacked Ye Fan.
In the distance, Red Dragon Daoist snorted coldly. The True Dragon Eight Techniques struck out, and with a single finger, he broke through the elder's forbidden technique, blocking him ahead.
"Pop"
Suddenly, an unusual sound rang out in the air. The Northern Emperor's head, which had become paste, rapidly healed. His body reformed and shot backward like an arrow, evading the sacred flames.
He was enveloped in a golden divine radiance, bathed in holy light like a phoenix reborn from flames, giving off an aura of sacred inviolability.
"How is this possible? His head was shattered—how can he still be alive? Could it be that his primordial spirit escaped first?"
"This defies all reason. No matter how powerful someone is, once their primordial spirit is destroyed, they cease to exist, erased from the world. I clearly saw his divine consciousness shatter just now."
Everyone found it unbelievable, struggling to accept what had happened.
Only Ye Fan's heart jolted. He instantly thought of one possibility: a Great Emperor's sacred relic must have saved Wang Teng's life—it had to be the Chaotic Ancient Emperor Talisman!
Sure enough, in the distance, within Wang Teng's brow, a walnut-sized divine talisman flickered brightly, rising like a morning sun, breathing in essence, full of life's vitality.
"The Chaotic Ancient Emperor Talisman!"
Finally, a living fossil exclaimed, identifying the fragmented treasure.
Earlier, Wang Chong had possessed a piece. Though broken, it could preserve his life and allow him to regenerate.
Wang Teng dared to give that treasure away because he had another piece to protect himself. Now it had finally revealed itself.
"The Chaotic Ancient Emperor was exceptionally talented. This divine talisman he inscribed defies creation, possessing inconceivable power. Even a severed primordial spirit can be revived—truly beyond belief!"
Eyes flickered with strange light among the crowd. Such a treasure attached to one's body was like having an extra life, breaking even a death sentence. It was deeply enviable.
"Truly incredible. What kind of enemy did the Northern Plains' sole Chaotic Ancient Emperor face, that even the divine talisman was cracked? One can only imagine the difficulty of that battle."
A living fossil pondered this, unable to suppress his shock, his mind racing with thoughts. Unless one entered the seven great forbidden zones like the Primordial Ancient Mine, what existence could trouble a human Great Emperor?!
"Treasure, please turn around!" Ye Fan recited the so-called incantation again.
However, this time the black gourd had no reaction. Even the ancient universe at the gourd's mouth sank back inside.
"Treasure, please kill!"
"Treasure, please behead!"
"Treasure, please chop him!"
...
"Treasure, screw you!"
Ye Fan shouted repeatedly, but it was useless. He was so angry he almost smashed the black gourd. This thing was nothing like the legends he'd heard—it definitely wasn't the same item.
The crowd in the distance: "..."
On the other side, Wang Teng used the Chaotic Ancient Emperor Talisman to reshape his origin. Standing in the void, he stared coldly, somewhat confused.
His true combat power feared no one under heaven. As long as the Battle Victory Buddha, the Old Madman, and the Peerless Divine King didn't intervene, he could dominate the world, nearly matching living fossils.
Yet today, he had suffered repeated calamities. Ye Fan used every means to kill him, and the fury in his heart was indescribable. The path of an emperor allowed no loss—it forbade defeat!
Once damaged by someone, that enemy must be killed. Otherwise, he could never cross that mental hurdle. An emperor must be invincible.
"Nine Secrets—the Before Character Secret!" Wang Teng chanted inwardly. He would unleash the Nine Secrets to kill his enemy, obtained in the Eastern Wasteland, to be used against his great foe from the Eastern Wasteland!
Nine-colored divine rays shot from his body, especially from his brow, like a golden sun shining high, casting down ten thousand strands of light that enveloped him.
Ye Fan immediately sensed it—this was a homologous aura. The other party possessed a secret art similar to his own inheritance—the Nine Secrets!
Wang Teng's left eye was like a true dragon, his right eye like an immortal phoenix, about to transform into the Dao. The strands radiating from his brow twisted space, forming a special domain that spread in all directions.
Ye Fan's heart pounded. He stepped with the Stride Art, retreating quickly, and shouted at the black gourd again, but it was useless.
Silently, Ye Fan was ambushed. The twisted domain occupied half the sky, covering him beneath it. This was an invisible killing intent—untouchable, yet the murderous aura pierced to the bone.
In the distance, Zi Tiandu's eyes flickered with strange light, staring unblinkingly at the black gourd, muttering: "In the ancient era, it unleashed terrifying might. In such battles, it wasn't destroyed—only partially damaged!"
His sister, the purple-eyed girl, also showed a strange expression, staring at the black gourd, asking in the ancient language: "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"No mistake. It matches the records in the ancient divine texts. Truly it. I never thought it could survive that great battle!" Zi Tiandu said, the purple light in his eyes growing stronger as he fixed his gaze on the black gourd.
On the battlefield, Ye Fan activated the sacred flames within the black gourd to counter the twisted domain, trying to burn everything away.
"This is..." He was shocked. The domain remained, coexisting with the sacred flames, unextinguished by fire. It was pervasive, reaching right before him.
"Clang"
His entire body glowed. Using the Battle Saint Art, he manifested the Golden Taiji Circle, colliding with the domain, creating ripples.
Then, he shuddered violently. His primordial spirit was attacked, making his body tremble. This wasn't an ordinary attack—it targeted one's divine consciousness, penetrating the void, ignoring physical defenses, acting through an invisible domain!
Fortunately, his Golden Taiji Circle was indestructible, blocking the lethal strike. Otherwise, he might have been killed in one blow!
"It's the Nine Secrets—the Before Character Secret!" Ye Fan's heart shook. He had long heard of this secret and yearned for it, never expecting it to be on Wang Teng.
The Before Character Secret cultivates the primordial spirit, making divine consciousness immortal. It can even affect the physical body, expanding divinity—unparalleled!
"No wonder his primordial spirit is so strong, and his body endured the fire tribulation for so long." Ye Fan suddenly understood the reason.
Of course, the true power of the Before Character Secret wasn't limited to this. Besides cultivating the primordial spirit and possessing immortal divinity, at higher levels, it could even foresee everything in advance.
"Before" was named for this reason. The sea of consciousness in the human body is the most mysterious, containing endless immortal energy. Once developed to a certain level, one could foresee everything, knowing it in advance.
In other words, once the sea of consciousness was tapped, endless secret treasures would open. The Before Character Secret was the art that cultivated it, allowing everything to happen one step ahead.
Wang Teng was now using the Before Character Secret to emit a sea of consciousness domain—formless, traceless, a primordial spirit severing the Dao!
Ye Fan was on alert. He observed carefully and found that the sacred flames couldn't destroy the domain energy, but the twisted "domain" perceived everything in advance and evaded, making it seem ineffective.
"Trying to sever my primordial spirit!" He was shocked but also grateful that this secret was extremely hard to master. The Northern Emperor had only scratched the surface, far from foreseeing everything. Otherwise, there would be no fight.
But it was enough. The Before Character Secret made Wang Teng's primordial spirit exceptionally strong, always sensing half a step ahead, possessing an immortal divinity, giving him an edge in battle.
As Ye Fan used the Battle Saint Art, he countered with the Golden Taiji Circle, then activated the Weapon Art, sending the black gourd flying, spitting flames at Wang Teng.
The so-called sensing half a step ahead and calculating everything had a prerequisite—it only worked within controllable limits. Now, as the black gourd came with destructive force, Wang Teng's expression changed.
The Weapon Art was unparalleled, the world's best technique for controlling weapons. The black gourd broke through the void, almost entering Wang Teng's body, and the raging flames were beyond description.
He retreated instantly and unleashed the Chaotic Heaven Secret Art, trying to send the black gourd into the boundless abyss of dimensions, severing its connection with Ye Fan.
This was indeed a good strategy. Exiling the black gourd would cut off one of Ye Fan's arms, reducing his attack power. However, the Weapon Art was unmatched, and Ye Fan's weapon control was divine.
The Northern Emperor couldn't sever the connection with the Chaotic Heaven Secret Art, couldn't exile the black gourd, and was nearly burned to ashes. Moreover, the black gourd began to suppress his "domain," pouring down flames. Even with advance perception, he couldn't avoid it all.
The mighty Northern Emperor had no solution against the sacred flames of the ninth layer of the Fire Domain. Unless he retreated, he couldn't withstand it.
"Chaotic Ancient Saint Art!" Wang Teng roared, finally displaying the supreme secret art of the Northern Plains' sole ancient emperor. In that moment, past and present became chaotic.
He unleashed an incredibly terrifying divine technique, disrupting time and space, splitting the space around Ye Fan into many "blocks." Each block's time was discontinuous, creating chaos.
"Before Character Secret—Strip the Primordial Spirit, Eternal Imprisonment in the Void, Chaotic Ancient Binding!"
At the same time, the Before Character Secret was used again, combined with the Chaotic Ancient Saint Art. Its terror exceeded imagination, shocking even several living fossils.
In the discontinuous time and specific void, Ye Fan found his primordial spirit in one domain, while his physical body and the black gourd were in another, as if existing in different times.
"How do we break this technique?" Fifth Great Bandit Wu Dao was horrified.
"No solution. Only overwhelming force can break through!" Red Dragon Daoist said gravely.
In the distance, other sect masters also changed color. If they were in his place, they might have been killed by Wang Teng. They truly couldn't think of a way to counter it.
"The secret arts of ancient great emperors are truly terrifying. Not yet fully mastered, just entering the hall, and already creating such an unsolvable situation!"
The Wang Clan members showed joy. The surviving youths were elated, and Wang Chengkun sneered coldly.
Ji Ziyue, Pang Bo, Li Heishui, and others were deeply worried. The Holy Maiden of Yao Chi watched closely. The Southern Demon and Qi Huoshui were also moved, drawing everyone's attention.
"Sacred Body, what can you use to fight me? A gap is a gap. External methods won't amount to anything!" Wang Teng roared, his black hair standing on end. His primordial spirit materialized, appearing in the same time-space as Ye Fan's divine consciousness, attacking forward.
Ye Fan calmed his heart. The Dao Scripture, Western Emperor Scripture, Eternal Universe Scripture, Supreme Emperor Scripture, and Sun True Scripture—five ancient scriptures—sounded together, producing the divine sound of the Great Dao in this chaotic time-space.
His body was crystalline, like a seven-colored glazed divine lamp. The five scriptures moved in unison, then he activated the Weapon Art, unleashing the world's best weapon control technique!
"Buzz"
The ancient bronze coffin trembled, flying straight over, breaking through the restraints, entering this void. The golden figure in Ye Fan's sea of consciousness pushed hard, emitting a deafening sound. The bronze coffin rose, spinning.
"Smack"
"Ah..."
The Northern Emperor screamed. The bronze coffin struck his primordial spirit solidly, shattering it instantly.
"Trying to escape? No way!" Ye Fan shouted, using the Weapon Art to drive the bronze coffin, striking again.
"Pfft"
The Northern Emperor's incomparably powerful divine consciousness scattered in an instant. The golden figure in Ye Fan's sea of consciousness reached out a hand, "Bang," grabbing the Chaotic Ancient Emperor Talisman.
"Let's see what you use to revive!" Ye Fan broke through this strange time-space in an instant, his divine consciousness re-entering his physical body. Then, with one step, he swung the bronze coffin down.
"Pfft"
Wang Teng's physical body also turned to mud, splattering everywhere, utterly ruined.
Everyone knew the Northern Emperor had no hope of survival. He had a body full of great divine abilities but couldn't unleash them, completely suppressed!
All the bloody mud splattered onto the golden ancient war chariot, staining it red, extremely bloody, with some broken bones, sending chills down spines.
Truly, this golden ancient war chariot was a sacred relic, surviving the fire tribulation, preserved intact.
"Teng'er!"
Wang Chengkun's heart nearly shattered. He almost fainted, charging forward with the clan elder to strike at Ye Fan and seize the war chariot.
Ye Fan didn't stop. He activated the black gourd, driving flames to burn, trying to destroy the ancient chariot and completely refine everything of Wang Teng's.
Now, whoever blocked him would die. He was determined to annihilate his enemy completely. Even if a god came, he would fight, mercilessly driving the sacred flames at several great powers.
"Stop!" Ji Family Eighth Ancestor shouted, his eyes shooting divine light, staring coldly.
Ye Fan ignored him, acting on his own, charging forward, flooding the area with flames.
"Insolent! How dare you cause trouble in the Ji Family!" Ji Family Eighth Ancestor scolded coldly.
Suddenly, Ye Fan felt a tremendous crisis. He stepped with the Stride Art, teleporting thousands of zhang away in a flash.
A strand of sacred light fell from the sky. The place where he had stood instantly collapsed, silently annihilating. An extreme Dao pressure surged.
The Void Mirror, the clan's foundation, hung eternally in the void. Within the family, important figures could draw upon a trace of imperial might to protect the immortal Ji Family.
"Ji Family Eighth, you've gone too far!" Red Dragon Daoist stood up abruptly.
In the distance, the monkey shouted, holding his black gold great club, walking over, saying, "If you use power to oppress, I don't mind summoning a Primordial King!"
"Ji the Eighth, you don't distinguish right from wrong, favoring the Wang Clan, using an extreme imperial weapon to kill me. I demand an explanation!" Ye Fan was truly enraged.
Everyone was shocked. The Ji Family possessed the Void Imperial Weapon, suspended in the eternal unknown, ready to unleash extreme imperial might at any time. Yet Ye Fan dared to question and face it like this.