Chapter 735: Blood-Stained Glory
Heaven and earth fell silent, all things frozen like a painting, becoming an eternal tableau, every single thing motionless, as if time itself had stopped.
Only a golden miniature figure, embracing a cauldron, moved, illuminating the heavens, becoming the sole focus of this world, radiating an immortal divine radiance.
The Yin-Yang Divine Son crumbled like a sandcastle when the tide rushed in, rapidly disintegrating and dissipating, as if he had never existed.
Ye Fan's golden primordial spirit, merely three inches tall, flowed with golden light, like an undying deity, embracing a cauldron, solemn and dignified.
With a single strike that killed the Yin-Yang Divine Son, he transformed into a rainbow and flew back, then stepped into Ye Fan's brow, sitting on the Immortal Platform, holding a small cauldron in his arms.
At this moment, strands of divine radiance flowed from Ye Fan's brow, cascading down, making him appear pure and majestic, standing there like a god.
His entire body emitted light, every inch of flesh crystalline and flawless, all pores open, circulating Dao-natured essence, like a seven-colored liuli divine lamp.
Only now, as Ye Fan's primordial spirit re-entered his physical body, blooming with immortal divine radiance, did everyone awaken from the eternal stillness.
Illusion, or misperception? That was everyone's question—had heaven and earth truly been frozen, with only a primordial spirit and a cauldron moving?
Otherwise, how could the Yin-Yang Divine Son have failed to resist, his crown shattered, erased from the world?
The primordial spirit merged with the Dao, transforming into a startling rainbow, embracing the cauldron to instantly kill the Yin-Yang Divine Son—all of this was too fast, surpassing people's perception, plunging the North Sea into deathly silence.
Everyone felt a lingering fear; even the bodies of living fossil-level figures turned cold. Such a Ye Fan was truly terrifying—who could oppose him?
What kind of technique was that? That was the question in everyone's minds on the sea surface. The blazing divine light just now had not only destroyed the Yin-Yang Divine Son but also chilled the hearts of all who witnessed it.
"Buzz"
In the sky, the ancient saint's skull descended, pressing down toward Ye Fan's physical body. Its seven apertures emitted wailing sounds, spewing forth radiant light that shot into the sky.
Those were strands of an ancient saint's aura, an irresistible might, causing the void of ten thousand ages to collapse.
"Swoosh"
Ye Fan withdrew his divine phenomenon, stepping with the Stride Art. His purple robes fluttered, ethereal like a banished immortal, flying tens of thousands of zhang away, dodging this strike.
At the same time, with undivided focus, he activated the Weapon Art, causing an unusual fluctuation in heaven and earth, severing some celestial trajectory.
"Thud"
The skull, black as an abyss, trembled violently. It broke free from its mysterious trajectory, deviating from its original path, its seven apertures gradually dimming.
Ye Fan had executed a decapitation strike, killing the Yin-Yang Divine Son first. Without subsequent divine power to support it, and with no lingering primordial spirit to connect with the skull, its path to revival was cut off.
Now, Ye Fan used the Weapon Art to interfere, causing it to fall from the Dao's trajectory. Its power sharply decreased, and it began to sink into slumber.
After all, this was just a saint's skull. Countless ages had passed, its essence long since depleted. It could not truly possess the saint's former power, only its invincible aura.
Although supreme Dao patterns had been carved onto it, which could have evolved into a saint weapon to recreate the saint's might, it ultimately fell short, missing that one step.
One step—cross it, and the ancient saint's invincible divine power could be revived. Fail to cross it, and though it surpassed other king-level divine weapons, it still had traces to follow and could be dismantled.
The skull dimmed, its seven apertures no longer spewing divine energy. Without the Yin-Yang Divine Son's control and lacking subsequent divine power, it began to sink, its inner deity falling into slumber.
"Clang"
Ye Fan activated the Weapon Art, and the skull transformed into a streak of dark light, disappearing into his sleeve. He held it in his palm, making it his trophy.
At this moment, the North Sea shook. Everyone was nearly suffocating. Many eyes burned with intense desire, but not a single person dared to charge forward.
This was a saint's skull! Its material was absolutely top-notch, only one step away from evolving into a legendary saint weapon. Whoever could refine it and help it advance would surely achieve unity between man and weapon, unleashing maximum power.
This was a great fortune!
Many wanted to seize it, but intimidated by Ye Fan's recent display of power, no one dared to act, let alone take a single step forward.
The skull flowed with dark light, crystalline like ink jade, emitting a dreamlike radiance in Ye Fan's palm, spilling a dark golden luster.
The Dao patterns on it were extremely complex. Ye Fan observed carefully and discovered a vast number of restrictions, all placed by the Yin-Yang Sect. Erasing them and claiming it entirely would likely be difficult.
Now was not the time to refine this saint's skull. With a flash of dark light, he calmly put it away, vanishing from his palm.
"Clang"
In the sky, the gleaming Vajra Ring, under Ye Fan's Weapon Art, transformed into the size of a millstone. Its king-level divine power shocked the nine heavens and ten lands, like a silver divine moon hanging in the sky.
It traversed the North Sea, drawing a brilliant silver arc, striking toward the nine eerie Netherworld Bamboos, emitting a terrifying fluctuation that boiled the entire North Sea!
The nine Netherworld Bamboos had indeed become demonic. Though they were bamboo, not humanoid, they let out shrill cries and fled into the North Sea.
Moreover, each stalk was shrouded in black mist, with a saint's pressure surging upward, shattering all obstacles.
Truly heaven-defying evil beings! What had the Yin-Yang Sect cultivated? If not eradicated early, they would surely become a great calamity in the future! This was the shocking realization of everyone.
Nourished by a saint's corpse energy, supplemented by Yin-Yang sacred power, and planted in Netherworld soil—this was a painstaking effort, making them genuine demonic bamboos.
"Bang"
The Vajra Ring struck the Netherworld Bamboos but failed to destroy them. The saint's corpse energy was overwhelming, terrifyingly powerful, nearly corrupting the precious ring. In the distance, people were horrified. These ten Netherworld Bamboos were indeed heaven-defying. This Vajra Ring could shatter other king-level divine weapons because it was extraordinary, yet now it failed to achieve its goal.
Ye Fan was also shocked. He decisively offered up the skull, instantly flooding the sky with dark light. The North Sea's waters nearly evaporated, and a rumbling saintly might descended from the heavens.
The skull purified all the remaining saint's corpse energy. The Vajra Ring, like a silver moon crossing the sky, struck down, raising ten thousand waves!
The nine Netherworld Bamboos screamed miserably, all snapped and broken, transforming into nine pools of foul blood scattered across the ocean, thus perishing.
"Fortunately, they hadn't yet matured. Otherwise, these nine Netherworld Bamboos could truly defy heaven. If not destroyed, they would have become a great calamity." Many couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong"
In the distant sky, a peerless beauty played a zither. The melodious music poured like water waves, crystalline light illuminating the sky, like a poetic scene, with a fresh, icy breath wafting in the beautiful melody.
The second most beautiful woman of the era, Moon Poem Princess of the Ziwei Divine Dynasty, plucked her ten jade fingers, producing heart-stirring notes. Like ten thousand flowers blooming, each petal translucent and fragrant, filling the heavens, fluttering down.
She had said earlier that she would observe the battle and play a war song for the several peerless young talents. Now the battle had ended, and the song was finished.
The zither music faded. Three heavenly prodigies had met their end, blood staining the sky, drawing the curtain. Only Ye Fan stood alone on the field, the sole victor.
After a brief silence, the ocean erupted, clamor rising to the heavens. This battle had a tremendous impact. Three divine son-level figures, each dominating their own domain, had fallen, becoming stepping stones for the young man surnamed Ye on his path to the supreme Dao.
Nine-Headed Jiao King, Red Sun, Yin-Yang Divine Son—which of them was not a peerless figure dominating their region, stunningly talented, unmatched in valor? Yet now, on a single day, they were all slain by the same person!
Ye Fan's achievement was extremely glorious. How many years had it been since something like this happened? Cutting down three aspirants to the path of a Great Emperor in a single day was enough to shake the world.
One could imagine that in a few days, when the news reached the mainland, it would trigger a great earthquake, shocking the entire world!
The cave dwelling of Black Turtle Elder was extremely lively. Everyone had returned, and Ye Fan was surrounded by many cultivators like stars encircling the moon.
After this battle, people sensed that a star of an emperor was about to rise. Yin Tiande now had a rival in the world!
Three-Lack Daoist could likely no longer remain aloof from the world. Lu Ya would surely break out of his death seclusion to face this fearsome enemy of the Golden Crow Clan.
"Brother Ye, truly heaven-gifted, cutting down three great enemies in a single day who had oppressed the younger generation, making us regard you as a divine being." The younger generation praised and admired.
"Youthful invincibility, a broad path ahead, limitless future achievements, the Dao is attainable!" Many elder sect leader-level figures also spoke.
Although Black Turtle Elder's birthday banquet had ended, the place became even livelier. Before the white jade tables, people raised cups of immortal brew, and many major forces tried to win over Ye Fan.
After this battle, Ye Fan's status had skyrocketed, leading many to sense that this youth's rise was unstoppable.
"Brother Ye, later come with me to the North Sea Dragon Palace. My ancestor has many treasures. I'll make sure he gives you a suitable king-level divine weapon," said Black Dragon King.
Everyone was shocked. Black Dragon Ancestor was an old flood dragon who had lived for three thousand seven hundred years, with cultivation so high it was terrifying, his depth unfathomable.
Beside them, a beautiful woman approached, swaying gracefully. Someone recognized her as being from an eternal great sect of the North Sea—Sea God Island. She smiled and said, "Brother Ye, your combat power is truly astonishing. Since you're in the North Sea, you must visit Sea God Island."
Black Turtle Elder, like Black Dragon Ancestor, was one of the most powerful ancient demons of the North Sea. His cave dwelling was naturally one of the top major forces. One of his disciples also invited Ye Fan to stay long-term.
The impact of this battle was immense. Many people openly and unashamedly flattered and courted him. Ye Fan was surrounded at the center, unable to move.
The great sects of the mainland, because they shared a domain with the Golden Crow Clan and the Yin-Yang Sect, couldn't be too obvious in their courtship, but they all hinted or secretly tried to win over Ye Fan.
Naturally, there were also major forces and experts with good relations with the Yin-Yang and Golden Crow clans, sighing and mourning on the sidelines.
"Not long ago, I saw the Nine-Headed Jiao King roaming the North Sea, suppressing various regional overlords into silence. And now... alas!"
"The Yin-Yang Divine Son, a true heavenly prodigy, just days ago single-handedly suppressed a great sect, silencing all directions with no one daring to fight. Now he is buried at sea."
Three geniuses, full of vigor, with few rivals in the world, in the prime of their youth, had all fallen together, making people witness the bloody horror and ruthless cruelty of the imperial path.
This made people sigh in regret. The fall of geniuses, the defeat of dazzling prodigies, all contributed to the rise of a young man surnamed Ye. Stepping over the bones of many kings, this was a blood-stained path to becoming a Great Emperor, littered with blood and white bones along the way.
At this moment, even the Human King Hall, Guanghan Palace, Longevity Temple, Ziwei Divine Dynasty, and other immortal inheritances secretly extended olive branches to Ye Fan, showing just how great the impact and effect of this battle were!
"This child is the descendant of the Human Clan's Sacred Emperor? So young and already brimming with divine essence, showing early promise, truly worthy of the continuation of the Human Emperor's bloodline."
The Moon Poem Princess of the Ziwei Divine Dynasty approached. Her black hair was as smooth as silk, her skin snow-white and crystalline. She had a pair of phoenix eyes brimming with spiritual energy, slightly slanted upward, possessing endless beauty and charm.