Chapter 784: One Man Overawes Ten Directions
A great demon walked into this garden, bowed with respect, his face bearing an expression of reverence. Some sect masters and living fossils here had prepared a banquet and invited Ye Fan and the others to attend.
By now, even the sect masters of the world had to treat Ye Fan with courtesy and caution, afraid of provoking this god of slaughter. If he dared to chop down even the ancient royal clans, what else wouldn't he do?
Wu Fei, one of the Four Heavenly Maidens, was also invited to play an ancient melody. She was a rare flower at such occasions and could add much luster to the banquet.
As for Chen Yuan, Liu Yunjie, Kong Linghua, Xie Siyuan, and others, they were not so fortunate. Several other pearls of the Southern Ridge also found it difficult to receive such an honor to enter.
This was a Winter Snow Garden. Goose-feather snowflakes flew wildly. To see such a scene in the Southern Ridge, where spring reigned year-round, was naturally the work of human effort.
Plum blossoms bloomed from bitter cold, defying the wind with proud blossoms. Pure white snow covered the ground, and a cold air rushed to meet them. Several pavilions contained jade tables laden with rare delicacies and fine wines.
Those who could take their seats here were either great demons of the Southern Ridge or human sect master-level figures. Otherwise, there was simply no place.
Over a decade later, Ye Fan's status was vastly different. Some people here had seen him at the Jade Pool Flat Peach Gathering in earlier years, when he appeared as a demon lord of the Southern Ridge. Back then, he could only watch from afar.
Now, however, he sat as an equal, prompting a surge of emotion. In the past, many had hunted him; now, they all retreated, and few dared to face him directly.
"Living in chaotic times, to witness the rise of the Human Sacred Body is a great fortune. Thinking back to ancient times, whenever a Great Accomplishment Saint Body emerged, it was to pacify chaos, calm the world, and secure the realm. Our generation looks up to them with reverence and admiration."
"Yes, in the ancient lands, dark turmoil erupted several times. Each time, a Human Great Accomplishment Saint Body was born amid chaos, turning the tide, restoring peace to the world, fighting until their sacred blood ran dry, wrapped in horsehide for burial—heroic spirit overwhelming the ages!"
Someone sighed, as if speaking from the heart, their tone tinged with sorrow.
Speaking of ancient battles, everyone couldn't help but shudder. Every battle was a river of blood and mountains of bones. Even Great Accomplishment Saint Bodies had fallen in battle, showing just how brutal it was.
Ye Fan remained silent. In that era, the Forbidden Zones of Life stirred, and deities from beyond the domain invaded. It was truly a time of calamity. Yet it was also then that Great Emperors were born, attaining the Dao in the mortal world and quelling all chaos.
Now, it was an unprecedented great era. The sleeping Ten Thousand Primeval Clans would awaken. If they stirred up beings from several Forbidden Zones of Life, just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle.
Ye Fan would never forget: the Great Accomplishment Saint Body's blood stained the mountain walls. In his later years, he was killed on Sacred Cliff, his blood dyeing the entire giant mountain red.
Such brutality, such enemies, such battles were unimaginable. Even the Human Great Accomplishment Saint Body could only fade away in sorrow, buried in the earth, burying a lifetime of invincibility but ultimately ending in defeat and desolation.
The ancient battles were horrifyingly fierce, recorded in many ancient texts. The Great Accomplishment Saint Body's old friends and relatives all died in battle. He couldn't even protect them fully, only able to feed them his sacred blood to help extend their lives.
"Has that era come again?" Ye Fan murmured. Now, it might be even worse. The Forbidden Zones were unsettled, deities appeared, and it could be many times more complicated.
He didn't know if such brutal battles would occur in the future, or if he could protect those around him.
"This is a great era unseen in ten thousand ages. Once the ancient kings all emerge, will there be any space left for us to survive?" someone said pessimistically.
For a long time, the world had been in constant conflict. For a very long period, humanity had been at a disadvantage.
Honestly, it was probably only in the era of Emperor Wu Shi that humanity truly became strong and fearless, suppressing all directions in the true sense and becoming the protagonists of the world.
"At the end of the immortal path, who stands as the peak? At the sight of Wu Shi, the Dao becomes empty." This wasn't just a casual saying. It was because he swept away everything—dark turmoil, supreme existences—anyone daring to emerge was all suppressed and killed!
He was invincible, without any doubt, making all heavens tremble. All sources of chaos lay dormant. In his era, no great calamity emerged.
The ancient Great Emperors had all passed, returning to the yellow earth. Now, another terrifying chaotic era had arrived, and everyone was uneasy.
These sect masters and living fossils recalled the sages, reminisced about the past, and thought of the Great Emperors. If one still existed in the world, there would be no worry. But the present was different.
Wu Fei, one of the Four Heavenly Maidens of the Southern Ridge, played the zither nearby. The melody carried a hint of sadness, recalling the ancient sages, deeply moving people's hearts.
People admired the snow and plum blossoms, drank from their cups, and discussed the past and present. Whether sincere or not, everyone seemed touched.
"Thank you all for the banquet. Unfortunately, someone won't let me drink freely, so I can't continue." Ye Fan drank his last cup of wine and placed the jade cup on the stone table.
"Why do you say that, Brother Ye?" an old sect master asked. By now, even figures over two thousand years old treated him as an equal.
"Never mind. You all continue drinking. I'll perform a sword dance to liven things up. Don't let the mood be ruined!" Ye Fan stood up.
"Has someone come?" Yan Yixi asked secretly.
"Yes, they came quickly. Before I could go out to intercept them, people from the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty have already arrived." Ye Fan transmitted his voice, telling him and Li Tian to hold the Divine Maiden Furnace tightly and be careful to protect themselves.
"Who will lend me a sword?" Ye Fan rose to his full height and walked into the snow-covered garden, standing among the plum blossoms.
"To witness the Human Sacred Body's sword dance is truly a great fortune. This old man has a war sword." An ancient demon sent out a long sword.
"Clang!"
In an instant, the long sword was drawn. A divine rainbow flashed, and with a splat, blood splattered. It split open a void in the distance, and a man's head flew up, blood streaming.
"This is..." Everyone was shocked. To let someone get this close without detection was truly terrifying.
This was a middle-aged man, definitely at the Immortal Platform Second Heaven level. The most terrifying thing was his concealment technique, which was chilling.
"Chi!"
A streak of light shot across the sky. Ye Fan struck again with his sword, stabbing into the void. With a splat, blood spurted, piercing through someone's forehead, nailing him alive and pulling him out.
"How can this be?!" Everyone felt a chill. Within a few dozen zhang, someone was hiding—this was an absolutely dangerous signal.
"Chi!"
At that moment, two beams of light, more dazzling than comets, shot out from the void, slashing at Ye Fan. Two figures charged out.
Ye Fan was unafraid, as if he had anticipated it. He struck first, his left fist smashing out, shattering an old assassin along with his sword into pieces. His right hand lifted the sword, cleaving another in two.
"Everyone, there's nothing to fear. This is just a minor trick. With a single Illusion-Breaking Art, they become completely visible." Ye Fan said, then recited a secret technique aloud, originating from the ancient art of the Heavenly Court.
"Retreat!"
A voice came from the void. In an instant, over twenty people rushed out of the snow garden, fleeing in all directions. So many assassins had come, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"The divine son of the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty, isn't he supposed to be able to kill all kings? I've been waiting. Why doesn't he dare to show himself?" Ye Fan shouted, holding the blood-dripping divine sword as he pursued. His speed was too fast—almost killing one every ten steps, blood everywhere.
This small world fell into chaos again. Everyone was stunned. The Human Sacred Body was too fierce. They had always heard of the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty's people assassinating others, but now he was counter-killing them, leaving a trail of blood.
"If your divine son doesn't show up, none of you will leave today!" Ye Fan roared.
He pursued all the way. When he reached the exit of the small world, only two of the over twenty remained. But even escaping was useless. Above Vermilion Bird City, Ye Fan cut them in half at the waist. No one escaped.
"Hum!"
The void suddenly trembled. Right above Vermilion Bird City, nine killing swords emerged simultaneously, stabbing toward a central point. At the same time, they set up an ancient killing formation, intending to refine Ye Fan within it.
These were nine old men, all exuding murderous aura and chilling intent. They had definitely crawled out of piles of corpses, having killed countless people.
Nine terrifying old assassins struck together!
"Your divine son is too cautious. Doesn't he want to kill me? Yet he doesn't dare to show himself. What 'attaining the Dao through killing'—I think it's 'attaining the Dao through hiding,'" Ye Fan mocked. But his gaze was cold. He opened his mouth and spat out the king-level divine weapon, the Vajra Ring. The Magnetic Mountain also rose from behind his head.
He stepped on the Stride Art and instantly rushed out of the killing formation. Few formations could trap him now.
"Hum!"
The Vajra Ring was a king-level divine weapon, capable of splitting mountains and tearing the sky. Anything hit by it would shatter. Ye Fan activated this treasure, instantly causing an old assassin to meet his end.
"Go! Many of our secret arts are useless against him. He can see through our tricks!" someone shouted.
"Too late. None of you will leave today!" Ye Fan pursued.
The people of the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty were terrified. Their secret arts were useless, and they couldn't hide at all. This wasn't assassination—it was a direct confrontation.
Above Vermilion Bird City, countless cultivators looked up. They saw Ye Fan activating various weapons—the Vajra Ring, Magnetic Mountain, God-Slaying Whip, the black king-level war chariot, the Primordial Qi Cauldron, and more—all bursting with light, slaughtering in all directions.
This was a massacre. He alone killed in all directions, his war sword dripping blood. The Primordial Qi Cauldron and others smashed down in large swaths, shattering the void.
There were many assassins, all hidden, hard for others to detect. But before Ye Fan, they were completely exposed. People constantly saw him killing blood blossoms out of the void.
"He understands the secret arts of our Assassin Divine Dynasty."
"Should we act?"
"The two behind him likely carry ancient sacred weapons. I sense a terrifying aura."
"It seems we can't act this time."
In the distant sky, a man and a woman spoke softly, blending with heaven and earth, invisible to all. Only a trace of aura that would make even living fossils shudder spread, like undying gods of slaughter reincarnated. They were the divine son and divine daughter of the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty.
On the other side, a golden ancient war chariot tore through the sky. When it saw Ye Fan slaughtering in all directions from afar, it suddenly stopped.
Wang Teng, with disheveled hair and radiant light all over his body, stood on the golden war chariot, motionless, not advancing another step.
In the north, Hua Yunfei, who had mastered the Devouring Demon Art, wore a blue robe, like a banished immortal descending to the world, indescribably ethereal and transcendent.
Not far away, Li Xiaoman, dressed in white, sat cross-legged in the void. Three hundred and sixty-five golden vortices surrounded her body, each with a deity seated within.
She suddenly opened her eyes and said, "The symbiotic deity senses it. There must be a Human Great Saint-level artifact nearby."
In a more distant void, a blurry, towering figure stood alone, saying, "The Human Sacred Body, I came specially from the Northern Domain for you. To kill Zi Tian, you're worth my action."
At the same time, Ye Fan seemed to sense something. He swept his gaze across the four directions and said, "Since you're all here, why don't you dare to come out and fight?"
The long sky was silent. No one answered. Many great enemies stood in the void, none approaching.