Chapter 917: The Banished Immortal Falls
Strands of black light descended one after another. The Devouring Demon Jar appeared not far away. Old Blind Man and Duan De had returned and were jointly offering up this weapon, protecting Ye Fan.
The Devouring Demon Jar was forged from the flesh, blood, and bones of the Ruthless Great Emperor. It was profound and mysterious, more enigmatic than any other Imperial weapon. Though it appeared ancient and natural, it possessed an unfathomable, immortal might!
Seeing it, one could imagine that stunning woman who had looked down upon the ages. What kind of great boldness did she possess, to forge even her own body into a weapon?
On the jar’s lid was a ghost-face imprint, as if crying yet also laughing, somewhat playful yet also sorrowful, bearing tear stains yet also carrying sunlight. A single glance at it would be unforgettable forever.
The unparalleled aura of an ancient Great Emperor seemed to cross the ages, intimidating all. It looked down upon the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. In that moment, all things fell silent. All living beings wanted to kneel and prostrate themselves, trembling with fear.
An eerie silence prevailed until the Imperial might faded, and everything returned to normal. Ye Fan spoke coldly toward the outside of this ancestral temple: “I knew you would come to kill me. Do you dare to face me in a direct battle?”
The Monkey, Duan De, and Dongfang Ye’s pursuit of the Celestial Prince was merely a pretense; they had not truly gone far. Ye Fan had anticipated that someone would strike with an Imperial weapon and had made arrangements.
The Imperial weapon intimidated everyone. Other cultivators fled far away, not a single one daring to approach this hall. Because even touching a wisp of Imperial might would instantly turn their bones to ash, without any doubt.
A profound silence fell. No one responded to Ye Fan. The wisp of Imperial might that had suddenly appeared had vanished, as if it had never existed.
“Tap,” “Tap”…
In the empty hall, footsteps echoed, making it seem even more secluded. The Monkey, Duan De, and Old Blind Man closed in together, intending to kill Hua Yunfei here.
“The demonic body must finally shed itself, becoming nourishment for the divine fetus. I am unwilling…” Hua Yunfei muttered to himself, letting out a soft sigh. He looked at Ye Fan and said, “I have no other requests. I want to unleash myself and fight you one last time.”
“Swoosh”
A flash of blue light. Hua Yunfei used some wondrous technique, disappearing from before their eyes and charging into the hall that the Big Black Dog had discovered. The others all pursued him inside.
“Woof”
The Big Black Dog pounced immediately, its large claws swiping, instantly creating several spatial rifts. However, Hua Yunfei pressed his hand against a starry sky diagram on the stone wall, and divine light blazed forth.
The stone wall softened, becoming like a swamp. He charged forward, plunging into it and vanishing from this hall.
“These are all small-scale teleportation arrays!” Black Emperor said.
Ye Fan was the first to pursue. The teleportation array in this place was of great significance. Who knew what secret lands lay beyond?
A flash of light, and they arrived on a vast, open platform. It was utterly silent, with nothing but boundless space all around, no one in sight. This looked very much like a martial arena.
Below, figures were bustling, and ancient temples stood in clusters. They had actually come to a place in midair—a “War Island” suspended in the sky, used in ancient times for duels among experts of the ancestral temple.
“They’re up there!”
Below, people spotted the two, all showing strange expressions as they looked up.
Everyone had come to seek treasures and didn’t want to waste time. No one had expected such a one-on-one duel, which naturally drew everyone’s attention.
At the entrance to the small world, more people were pouring in, all witnessing this astonishing scene. The Human Clan’s Sacred Body battling the inheritor of the Ruthless Great Emperor—this was a world-shaking showdown.
“Damn it, we can’t get in. This is an ancient ‘War Island.’ They’ve sealed themselves in. Unless one of them dies, outsiders simply can’t enter.” The Big Black Dog bared its teeth in frustration. It had tried to charge into the stone wall earlier and ended up with a huge bump on its head, like a giant tumor.
“They can’t get in. No one will disturb us, no one will interfere. Let us have our final duel of this life!” Hua Yunfei’s voice was low.
This battle would not stop until one enemy died. For them, it truly was the final battle. Only one person could survive. Two heroes could not coexist.
Below, Duan De and Old Blind Man were also looking up at the sky, about to activate the Devouring Demon Jar to shatter the light curtain covering the War Island and join the fight.
“Don’t interfere. I’ll handle this final battle myself!” Ye Fan said. He secretly sent a voice transmission to Pang Bo and the others, telling them to continue searching for the secrets of crossing the star domains.
A brutal battle, a life-and-death duel. The fierce aura swept across the entire War Island. From time to time, strands of world-shaking killing intent pierced through the light curtain, leaving onlookers stunned.
Hua Yunfei had truly entered the zone. He cast aside everything, like a lone wolf at the end of the world, carrying a sense of sorrow, unleashing his full power to walk the final stretch of his journey.
“Pfft”
Blood splattered from both of them, flying over ten meters. A true death match had no room for embellishment—only the most ruthless techniques.
Ye Fan’s eyes were incomparably cold. In a life-and-death duel, showing mercy was equivalent to cutting one’s own life short. Moreover, the other party’s actions left no room for leniency. He had no choice but to kill this enemy in this battle.
Soaring Immortal Art!
Myriad Transformations Sacred Art!
One Thought, One Bloom, Sovereign Over Realm!
Hua Yunfei’s aura had completely changed, vastly different from before. His killing intent surged to the heavens. His ethereal, divine charm receded. His hair flew wildly, and his eyes became sharp and fierce.
The Banished Immortal had transformed into a god of slaughter!
His aura was extremely powerful. Blood light burst from his body. With a roar, the entire small world shook. Clusters of ancient temples trembled, as divine principles pierced through the War Island and spread outward.
Ye Fan had never imagined that the usually delicate and elegant Hua Yunfei could be so terrifying when enraged, with no resemblance to his former self.
At this moment, Hua Yunfei seemed to have fallen into a demonic state, reincarnated as an Asura. Boundless killing intent filled the air. His hair was disheveled, his battle intent high. His eyes grew more and more dazzling, like two divine lamps. He fought with wild abandon.
“Pfft”
Soaring Immortal force took a large gush of blood from Ye Fan’s abdomen. At the same time, five-colored light flickered around Hua Yunfei. The five spirits within his body all rushed out, launching a simultaneous killing strike.
Ye Fan roared. Meeting strength with greater strength, he unleashed the “Om” character sound, shattering the five spirits of Hua Yunfei’s Dao Palace. The Six Paths Reincarnation Fist blasted forward. Six ancient universes revolved, tearing off one of Hua Yunfei’s arms.
Golden battle blood boiled. Meeting madness with greater madness, Ye Fan shattered one of Hua Yunfei’s arms with a single punch, charging forward bravely. This was a clash of the strong, a confrontation of the brave on a narrow path.
Since the battle began, three thousand exchanges had already passed. It was extremely perilous. Hua Yunfei paid no price, exhausting boundless origins—some from kings, some from ancient sages, all sources taken from others.
Since Ye Fan had embarked on the path of cultivation, he had experienced many dangers. Battles lasting three thousand exchanges were rare. Enemies who could push him this far and make him pay such a price were hard to find.
Ye Fan had gained the upper hand. His killing power grew more and more astonishing. Even though Hua Yunfei had devoured many people’s origins, he was still severely wounded. Over a dozen pieces of his flesh and bones were shattered.
Suddenly, black divine chains shot out, silently wrapping around Ye Fan, draining his divine power, essence, and origin. It was terrifying and boundless.
This was the true meaning of the Devouring Demon Art. It was usually only used when killing an enemy. With Hua Yunfei’s current cultivation, he could not freely use this kind of attack against a rival who was still fighting fiercely.
However, he had cultivated a secret technique from the forbidden chapter—the Heaven-Slashing Dao!
Once this technique was mastered, his combat power increased significantly. It could be combined with the original Devouring Demon Art, making him all-powerful and boosting his battle strength.
The Heaven-Slashing Dao, daring to bear such a name, was naturally terrifying beyond measure. It was the art of slashing the heavens, comprehensively enhancing attack power, control power, and soul power, making a person terrifying to the extreme.
Countless rays of colored light flew out, forming thousands upon thousands of immortal blades. Some were dragon-shaped, some phoenix-shaped. They disturbed heaven and earth, slashing at everything they touched, killing everything they encountered!
The battle had reached this point, and Ye Fan had also gone berserk. Golden blood flowed. His hair was disheveled. Various secret techniques emerged in succession, countering this never-before-seen art. The two fought until their blood boiled.
The Immortal King Overlooking the Nine Heavens, holding a single lotus, standing on a golden sea of suffering, carrying the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers on his back. Ye Fan displayed his divine phenomenon, opening wide and closing hard, resisting the immortal blades and launching attacks.
Ye Fan’s main body was even more domineering. With the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist in his right hand, nothing could stop him. His body moved with the Battle Character Art, every part capable of attacking. His left hand occasionally struck with the incomplete Wu Shi secret technique, returning everything to its origin.
Hua Yunfei suffered greatly. Even though he had unleashed a new forbidden secret technique, he was nearly split apart. Many fragments of bone flew out. His body barely managed to reform in the distance.
“Ah…”
Hua Yunfei let out a great roar. Most of his life force was consumed. His body was nearly becoming light-like. Endless potential was forced out at no cost, also causing Ye Fan’s golden blood to splatter, making him pay a corresponding price.
He unleashed several secret techniques simultaneously. It was not a simple superposition. Each technique was closely linked, transforming and promoting each other, increasing their power several times over. For Ye Fan, this was a catastrophic outcome.
When a person fights for their life, the potential they display is boundless. Hua Yunfei’s body was nearly dissolving. Combining all his secret techniques, he almost split Ye Fan in two!
“Behold my supreme secret technique!” Ye Fan was also enraged. Having suffered such injuries, his crown was nearly torn open. He fully activated his secret technique.
The first move was the Wu Shi Art, returning everything to its original state, to its origin. Ye Fan fully activated this single technique, nearly causing Hua Yunfei to suffer a great calamity.
“The Ruthless Person’s secret techniques are stunning across the ages. Even Emperor Wu Shi is no match!” Hua Yunfei roared. His black hair stood on end. The Devouring Demon Art turned, and a Great Dao Vase flickered between his brows. The incomplete Wu Shi secret technique became ineffective!
“Sacrifice my divine form, evolve the true Great Emperor art!” Hua Yunfei cried out. Ten thousand rays of light shot from his brow. His body burned. Soaring Immortal force flew out from the vase imprint on his brow, transforming into a Banished Immortal.
Then, the Heaven-Slashing Dao was also raised. Various rays of light burst forth. Dragon-shaped and phoenix-shaped figures revolved around the Banished Immortal, becoming his weapons, like a layer of immortal clothing draped over him.
“One Thought, One Bloom…” Hua Yunfei murmured. Blood seeped from his main body. He held nothing back, unleashing all the secret techniques from the forbidden chapter.
White petals danced, surrounding him. Each petal was stained with blood, making this War Island incomparably desolate and beautiful. They fluttered and scattered down from the sky.
The power of the Myriad Transformations Sacred Art also merged into the various lights, connecting with Hua Yunfei as one. He walked forward through the void on the snow-white petals, launching his ultimate strike!
Ye Fan had also moved long ago. His entire body vanished, transforming into the Golden Taiji Circle. This was his divine form. In heaven and earth, too few people could cultivate their own “divine form.”
Using his divine form to execute various wondrous techniques, his magical power surged sharply. He was submerged in Dao light. The Six Paths Reincarnation, the Nine Secrets, and the incomplete Wu Shi technique all emerged together, countering the Ruthless Great Emperor’s flawless secret method!
Below, everyone stopped fighting. No one sought treasures anymore. All were captivated by the battle above. People knew that life and death would be decided in this ultimate strike!
“Boom!”
Boundless Dao light bloomed. Everyone closed their eyes, even those who had severed the Dao were no exception. No one could see clearly. This kind of duel was too terrifying, beyond imagination.
The War Island shattered. This small world was pierced through. Yet there was no sound. Terrifying energy shot out wildly for an instant, then quickly converged, all concentrating on that single point.
The two had become entangled!
No one knew what had happened, who lived and who died. It was eerily strange!
That was a “pole point,” so dazzling that no one could look directly at it. It was thousands of times brighter than the sun. The surrounding void turned into black holes. Chaotic energy surged.
It was like the creation of heaven and earth. That place shattered and reformed, cycling endlessly.
At this moment, all the various forces were stunned. No one dared to approach. They could only watch from afar, waiting for the place to return to calm.
No one knew how much time had passed. The light dimmed. Ye Fan, covered in golden blood, walked out of the light cluster step by step, leaving bloody footprints in the void.
Within the “pole point,” the light blazed brightly. Another figure walked out. He wore a water-blue immortal robe that rustled in the wind. He was transcendent and refined, untouched by worldly dust, like a true immortal, indescribably ethereal.
A rain of petals drifted down, glittering and translucent, falling into the small world. Hua Yunfei, more agile and beautiful than a woman, had skin as white as snow. Every strand of his black hair shimmered lightly.
His entire body seemed composed of light. Every inch of his flesh and blood emitted immortal radiance. At this moment, he was like a Banished Immortal. Yet tears suddenly rolled down his face, carrying a trace of sorrow. He said, “It’s finally over… The Taixuan Star Peak that gave birth to me and raised me, I cannot let you stand atop this ancient star. I… ultimately could not break free from the shackles of fate.”
His body was turning into light. Patches of light rain flew from his body. The Banished Immortal form grew fainter and fainter. He landed beside the ancient cave in this small world.
That was the entrance connecting to the deepest part of the Central Province’s ancestral vein. He used the power of this earth vein to keep his light body from dispersing for a while. He sat down cross-legged, took out an ancient zither, and began to play, “ding-ding-dong-dong.”
The zither’s sound was moving, painting a beautiful scene: under the bright moonlight, a clear spring flowed over rocks, passing through the roots of pine forests, incomparably harmonious and peaceful.
The entire battlefield, the entire small world, fell silent. Everyone looked toward the ancient cave, staring at Hua Yunfei, who was like a Banished Immortal, watching as patches of light rain flew from his body, as he himself slowly dimmed.
“A pitiful life, a future without choice… All of this… is finally over. If I cannot break free, then let me scatter with the wind.” Hua Yunfei murmured. His body grew even dimmer. The light rain continued to dissipate.
“Hua Yunfei!” Ye Fan shouted.
This ethereal, otherworldly man continued to play the zither as he looked up at him. He transmitted his thoughts: “The Ruthless Person’s lineage is beyond your imagination. I am merely a pitiful abandoned piece.”
“From the beginning, the demonic body has always been used to complete the divine fetus. Just as… the Devouring Demon Art completes the Imperishable Heaven Art.”
“I did not want to walk this path. If I could choose, I would only wish to be a happy zither boy.”
“When I was five years old, they found me. I still remember the inheritor of my Imperishable Heaven Art. He was the same age as me. Even at that young age, his entire body was glowing.”
“I knew that even if I spoke out, the Taixuan Star Peak would not be enough to withstand their annihilation.”
Scene after scene appeared in Ye Fan’s mind. He saw two young children and a mysterious Dao Protector.
One child, his entire body glowing, looked intelligent and sacred, like a son of the gods. The other child was surely Hua Yunfei. He looked delicate and adorable, more pitiable than a little girl. He held an ancient zither, timid and fearful, constantly retreating.
“One is me. The other, you should have guessed long ago. A long time ago, I said you only guessed half right—you guessed that I was the abandoned piece.” Hua Yunfei smiled. His body grew more and more blurred. Patches of light rain rose up.
“I rarely kill truly good people. Most of the origins I took came from ancient tombs I excavated. Those I killed all had sins. Pursuing you, Ji Ziyue, and others was merely being manipulated by fate. There was an invisible hand in the shadows…” He paused, then murmured to himself, “You don’t have to believe me.”
Hua Yunfei smiled. There was loneliness and unwillingness, and also a trace of sorrow. He looked into the distance, as if trying to pierce through time and space, to take one last look at the distant Taixuan Star Peak.
“Every secret technique I know, he knows. The Imperishable Heaven Art surpasses the Devouring Demon Art. The greater my achievement, the stronger he becomes. I… a mere tailor who sews clothes for others.”
“My Dao Protector is also his Dao Protector. I am merely a chess piece. Who is truly being completed? The choice was made from the beginning. My fate was sealed when I was a child. All my unwillingness, all my efforts, ultimately came to nothing.”
Ye Fan said nothing. He listened quietly, his gaze calm. He looked at him, then at his own blood-stained hands.
“They say the Ruthless Person’s lineage is unparalleled through the ages. That is indeed true. Even Holy Lands have become the soil where it takes root, drawing nourishment from them. How terrifying is that? Just as the Imperishable Heaven Art was born from the Devouring Demon Art, this lineage is reborn within the aging Holy Lands, transforming into a divine fetus!”
Ye Fan was shocked. This was indeed beyond his imagination!
“I am a pitiful fish. Over the years, I have leaped up again and again. Each time, I thought I had escaped that river, leaping into the air, rushing toward another river of my own life. But each time, a great hand grabbed me and threw me back into that unchanging current, always flowing in one direction.”
“If I could choose, I would only wish to be a child on the Taixuan Star Peak. Those were my happiest days.” Hua Yunfei was melancholy. His face was filled with loneliness. Finally, he gave a desolate smile, heartbreakingly so.
The zither’s notes lingered. Endless pure and beautiful flowers bloomed. White petals danced in the air like rain, surrounding him, burying him, entombing him.
He was so transcendent, so otherworldly. Patch after patch of light rain rose from his body. He slowly faded, gradually extinguished. His life had reached its end.
“The Taixuan Star Peak that gave birth to me and raised me… I have failed. I have been defeated by fate. I cannot break the shackles. It’s a pity I can no longer look upon you. Father, mother, senior and junior brothers… I did not betray Taixuan. Yunfei had no choice. May Taixuan prosper and protect all its disciples! I am going…”
He gazed toward the Taixuan Star Peak in the Southern Domain. Crystal tears fell. The last patch of light rain dissipated, falling into the ancient cave of the ancestral vein. Hua Yunfei vanished completely, gone forever!