The great hand was like a cage, locking down the space in all directions — a secret art, five fingers spread wide, sealing everything within.

Ji Ziyue’s body blazed with radiant light once more. Her hidden treasure was of mysterious power, blocking that enormous hand. The void shuddered and trembled, yet the five fingers ultimately failed to close.

But the other five people encircled them again, pressing them in on all sides as various weapons bore down to suppress them.

“Listen carefully, little brat…” Ji Ziyue transmitted her voice. “Attain the utmost emptiness, hold fast to utter stillness…”

The incantation of the Great Void Art was not particularly long. It was a supreme secret technique — one of the essential and fundamental arts recorded within the Void Ancient Sutra.

Ji Ziyue’s voice was very soft and gentle, like a clear stream flowing into Ye Fan’s heart. He listened carefully, pondering each word, cross-referencing it against the fragmentary version he had previously cultivated.

The Void Ancient Sutra had been created by ancient sages who observed the ten thousand things of the world and captured the eternal unchanging principles of existence — a transcendent classic of immortal craft.

Ye Fan was not unfamiliar with its core principle. Attaining the utmost emptiness, holding fast to utter stillness — this was the very foundation of the Void Ancient Sutra, and he already knew something of it.

The Great Void Art was of unfathomable depth and supreme profundity. Cultivated to its peak, it could allow one to traverse the void itself!

Of course, the so-called traversal of the void had its limits — one could not truly cross infinite distances through empty space, otherwise what use would domain gates serve?

Even great masters standing at the absolute pinnacle, having cultivated the Void Ancient Sutra, were limited in the distances they could cross. In close combat, however, it served as an ultimate killing trump card.

When the Great Void Art was cultivated to its peak, one’s figure became impossible to track — truly appearing and vanishing without a trace like a ghost. Under normal circumstances, it granted an absolute advantage in taking the initiative.

In this dire situation, receiving the incantation of the Great Void Art was an extraordinary gain for Ye Fan.

Though he was gifted, he could not claim to be a prodigy who surpassed all ages — he could not simply read it once and master it completely. After all, this was a secret technique recorded within one of the Eastern Desolation’s most ancient transcendent classics.

The Eastern Desolation had several ancient sutras known as immortal texts, and naturally all of them were abstruse and profound beyond measure. Even a great master could not achieve mastery in a single sitting.

“You don’t need to master it — just let your body dissolve into wisps of smoke and return to the void. I’ll take the lead in a moment and guide us through their suppression!” Ji Ziyue transmitted her voice.

Ji Ziyue’s hidden treasure was indeed powerful, holding back the various attacks — but the hemp-robed man was terrifyingly dangerous. Every time he moved, the void blurred around him, and he seemed to possess the near-ability to fracture space itself. The situation was becoming extremely grim.

Ye Fan combined what he had previously cultivated of the fragmented Great Void Art with the new incantation and activated the technique. His body immediately dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, growing hazy and indistinct, as though merging with the void itself.

“Channel some divine power to me — we’ll activate the Great Void Art together,” Ji Ziyue said softly.

In an instant, the fingers of their joined hands connected. Together they activated the Great Void Art, becoming like a dark mist — hazy, ethereal, and increasingly indistinct.

“I’m about to drive the hidden treasure now. Drawing on its power, we’ll conceal ourselves within the void. Do not lose focus — you must continuously circulate the incantation of the Great Void Art. If you falter, your body may be torn to pieces!” Ji Ziyue warned.

Hum!

Space trembled — a sound like the buzzing of bees — and the two of them vanished into thin air!

Ye Fan was greatly startled. Ji Ziyue’s hidden treasure was truly mysterious, capable of pushing the Great Void Art to its absolute limit and concealing them within the void itself.

In that moment, he felt extraordinarily strange. All around was eternal darkness — boundless and without end. Time seemed to have stopped. There was not a single sound, only absolute vastness and emptiness.

“Don’t lose focus — keep circulating the Great Void Art incantation. If something goes wrong here, not even an immortal manifested in the flesh could save you.”

Without needing Ji Ziyue to remind him, the moment he had let his mind wander the slightest bit, Ye Fan had felt a terrifying tearing sensation — as though his sacred body was about to shatter. He immediately cleared his mind and concentrated, silently circulating the Great Void Art.

After the two vanished, the other five — apart from the hemp-robed man — were startled.

“They’ve escaped through the void — what do we do?”

“The Ji Family’s Great Void Art is truly mysterious. Worthy of being a supreme secret technique.”

In the clearing, only the hemp-robed man remained perfectly calm. “It doesn’t matter. They have not truly mastered it — they’re only relying on a precious artifact to temporarily hide within the void.”

“If they won’t come out, aren’t we powerless to do anything?”

The hemp-robed man spoke coldly, “They cannot sustain it for long. We only need to wait patiently. Everyone spread out and encircle the four directions — the Great Void Art has a limited traversal range. They cannot run far enough!”

And indeed, just as he had calculated, the void was extremely dangerous. No one could remain within it indefinitely.

“Break out — then keep moving. As long as we can escape the encirclement, use the supreme secret technique the old madman passed you and flee into the distance.”

In the next instant, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue reappeared in the world of light — only to find themselves still encircled, still trapped.

“We’re in trouble…” Ji Ziyue furrowed her brow and muttered, “That hemp-robed man knows the Great Void Art well. He is definitely no ordinary person.”

They hid in the void again. Back and forth this went several more times, draining no small amount of divine power.

“This can’t go on — otherwise the beautiful Ji Ziyue is certain to end up trapped like a turtle in a jar.” She murmured under her breath.

If any other cultivator at their current stage had been using the Great Void Art this continuously, their divine power would have long since run dry. Only someone with Ye Fan’s physique remained unaffected — his body was like a bottomless well, yet one that could also gush forth an endless spring.

“Why have you stopped traversing the void?” The hemp-robed man’s voice was ice-cold. Even in mockery he sounded stiff and rigid. “Since you’ve stopped running, I’ll send you both on your way to the afterlife.”

Boom!

In the heavens and earth, the silver pagoda shook — ancient and imposing. Within it, faint wisps of mysterious primal-yellow energy drifted outward.

This was markedly different from before. Now, primordial mother energy was flowing from it!

“This…” Ji Ziyue was greatly startled. “This is a supreme treasure!”

Ye Fan’s expression changed as well. A person capable of tempering a weapon with the primal-yellow energy was no ordinary individual.

The silver ancient pagoda was like a mountain range — pressing down, sealing the sky, threatening to split the earth. A tremendous devouring force circulated within it, seeking to draw both Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue inside.

Ji Ziyue urgently transmitted her voice, “You have a large quantity of ‘primordial mother energy’ within your body. Let it tremble and vibrate to disrupt this silver pagoda — which has only a trace of primal-yellow energy tempered into it. That might be our chance.”

“Understood!” Ye Fan agreed and silently activated the mental cultivation method recorded in the Dao Scripture.

He could not control the primordial mother energy or direct it outward — but causing it to vibrate within his body was something he could manage.

He had once given Ji Ziyue a small portion, yet the great mass of primordial mother energy swirled around the green copper block, ceaselessly regenerating, never diminishing in the slightest.

Within his Sea of Wheels, the cauldron had not yet fully taken form. The primordial mother energy hung misty and diffuse, drifting around the green copper block.

Boom!

Ye Fan strained to his absolute limit and finally made the primordial mother energy shudder. The primordial breath of the creation of heaven and earth began to circulate, and this entire space trembled slightly.

Dong!

The silver pagoda in the sky shuddered as expected — like something sinking into mud — it slowed momentarily, frozen in place for a single instant.

“Go!”

Ji Ziyue erupted in blazing radiance, driving her hidden treasure, and shot forward like a streak of flowing light, finally breaking free of the hemp-robed man’s binding and escaping the silver pagoda’s seal.

The other five, weapons in hand, likewise froze for a moment — powerless to obstruct them as they broke through.

“Give chase — don’t let them escape! Those two have rare treasures that cultivators could only dream of!” The hemp-robed man was not only fearsome in power but sharp in perception — he deduced that it was the primordial mother energy that had disrupted his silver pagoda.

And furthermore, the quantity was no small amount. Otherwise it would not have produced such devastating consequences — causing his silver pagoda to lose control even temporarily.

Of course, he would never imagine it was the primordial source of mother energy itself. Had he known, he would have gone utterly mad.

Even so, he was beyond astonished. Primordial mother energy was a legendary marvel of the highest order — and yet these two actually possessed it in large quantities!

Breaking through the encirclement, Ye Fan activated his footwork technique and shot away like a great rainbow crossing the sky, vanishing in an instant.

Once Ye Fan was given the opportunity, it was impossible to confine him again. The supreme secret technique passed down by the old madman represented nearly the pinnacle of speed — a few flashes, and mountains and rivers were left far behind.

A full hour of frantic flight passed before they stopped to catch their breath for a short while. But even then they did not linger — they chose a direction and continued to flee.

“Exactly who wants to kill you? That hemp-robed man with the silver pagoda clearly had a remarkable background — otherwise how could he have tempered a weapon with the primal-yellow energy?”

“How would I know? Everyone is a suspect right now. Even the Yao Guang Sacred Ground might have made a move. At this point, no sect can be trusted.” Ji Ziyue murmured softly, her large eyes darting back and forth in continuous thought.

Ye Fan said in a low voice, “The hemp-robed man is very difficult to shake off. I suspect they must have a secret tracking method.”

“What worries me most is also that hemp-robed man. He is like a cold wooden puppet — I suspect he is actually a puppet body with someone’s imprint lodged within him.” Ji Ziyue furrowed her brow. “As for that silver pagoda — it only had a small amount of primal-yellow energy. It may have been hastily consecrated by someone.”

“Does that not suggest that someone of extraordinary ability is behind all this?”

“That is the worst-case scenario. If it were truly so, and that person appeared directly, we would have no chance whatsoever.”

Though the Ji Family was powerful — the uncrowned sovereign of this entire region — Ji Ziyue did not dare trust any sect in the surrounding area at this moment. She could only rely on herself and flee in the direction of the Ji Family.

“Little brat — are you thinking of abandoning me and running off on your own?”

“I will escort you somewhere safe before I go.”

“Come back to our clan with me — no one will give you trouble there. I’ve even transmitted the Great Void Art to you. If you quietly slip away, you’ll understand the consequences.” She ground her small, glistening little fangs.

After resting long enough to recover their strength, Ye Fan rose. “Isn’t the Ji Family one of the mightiest forces in the Eastern Desolation? Why haven’t any of the senior figures found you yet?”

“The Southern Region is boundless and vast — just this one territory alone spans dozens of kingdoms. No matter how powerful my Ji Family is, it cannot search every inch of land in every nation — and besides, no one knows which direction I fled in.”

Over the next two days, Ye Fan brought Ji Ziyue — still not yet recovered from her injuries — along a stealthy and concealed path, passing through several nations in succession, hiding and evading, advancing in roundabout routes, brushing with death on multiple occasions when pursuers caught up with them.

It was clear that a formidable hidden force was bent on killing Ji Ziyue — otherwise they would not have mobilized so many people to hunt her down every step of the way.

No matter where they went, those people always managed to find them.

“Little brat, just go on your own — don’t worry about me…” Seeing Ye Fan also badly wounded, Ji Ziyue said this.

“You transmitted the Great Void Art to me. If I just walked away like that, my conscience would not allow it…”

“You already saved my life once with that mysterious spring water — we’re even now. Go quickly.” Ji Ziyue urged him, adding, “I suspect someone within the clan has been conspiring with outsiders. Otherwise, a senior figure would have found me by now.”

…

On the third day, Ye Fan had escorted Ji Ziyue across tens of thousands of li on a winding path. Even with Ye Fan’s exceptionally resilient physique, he was nearly at his limit — and they encountered another pursuit.

“A considerable hidden force is behind all this. The people pursuing us are neither particularly strong nor particularly weak — and afterward they get silenced, so it doesn’t feel too great a loss.” Ji Ziyue formed this analysis.

“That is ruthless indeed.”

“This is nothing…” Ji Ziyue pursed her lips and said nothing more.

At midday on the third day, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue were hunted once again. They escaped with difficulty using the Great Void Art, the old madman’s footwork technique, and the hidden treasures on their bodies.

“The Great Void Art…” From a distance, figures flickered. Someone cried out in shock.

Ji Family members had finally appeared — not senior figures, only a group of young people, but their presence alone was enough to give the pursuers pause, and the hunters quickly retreated.

“Who is that youth with Lady Ziyue? How does he know the Great Void Art? That supreme secret technique isn’t something even we are permitted to learn.”

“Never mind that — hurry and rescue Lady Ziyue!”

Those dozen or so young people rushed forward, placing the pale-faced Ji Ziyue under their protection in the center.

“We pay our respects to Lady Ziyue!” They all bowed together.

Ji Ziyue finally broke into a smile. She knew she was safe now — no more desperate flights for her life.

“Who are you? How do you know the Great Void Art?” Several of the young people nearby fixed their eyes on Ye Fan, their expressions unfriendly. This was the Ji Family’s most closely guarded secret inheritance — even talented junior members from collateral bloodlines like themselves had no chance to learn it.

Ji Ziyue’s beautiful eyes shifted, and a look of displeasure crossed her face. “Don’t be rude. He escorted me back across tens of thousands of li. Without him, I would have already died out there.”

“He…” These people dared not say anything more.

“Can’t you see that his robes are soaked in blood? Bring medicine quickly.” Ji Ziyue’s eyes blazed with light.

At this moment, Ye Fan was indeed gravely wounded. Escorting Ji Ziyue for tens of thousands of li, surviving pursuit after pursuit — his clothes were drenched in blood, half his body stained red.

“I’m fine — no need for medicine. I have delivered you here. Let us part ways now.” Ye Fan turned to leave.

“Don’t go!” Ji Ziyue moved to block him.

The young people around them immediately stepped forward to block Ye Fan’s path.

Ji Ziyue’s expression became displeased. “What do you think you’re doing?!” She swept her gaze over them, then stepped forward and said quietly to Ye Fan, “You’re severely injured. It would be dangerous to leave like this, and those people are still in the area. Come with me.”

Ye Fan found himself in a difficult position. He absolutely could not go to the Ji Family estate — yet setting off alone in his current state was genuinely dangerous. In the end, he could only nod for now, deciding to wait until his injuries had recovered before leaving.

“Lady Ziyue, Elder Jihui is just up ahead.” One of the young people stepped forward to report.

“Good — I’ll go see her.” Ji Ziyue walked side by side with Ye Fan, heading forward.

Some ten li ahead was a small town where Jihui — one of the Ji Family’s most powerful senior figures — had taken up residence. She had brought a number of people to search this area, and had reserved an entire inn for the group.

When Jihui received the news, she came out personally to meet them. She was a white-haired old woman with sharp, imposing eyes that carried a piercing quality. Upon seeing Ji Ziyue safe and unharmed, a trace of a smile crossed her face. With evident fondness, she took Ji Ziyue by the hand, looking her over from head to toe.

“Good, good, good. Just so long as you’ve come back safe.” With that, she took Ji Ziyue by the hand and walked with her toward the inn — entirely overlooking Ye Fan.

“Grandaunt, it was he who saved me.” Ji Ziyue smiled sweetly and gestured to Ye Fan at her side.

“I pay my respects to Senior.” Ye Fan gave a bow.

Jihui nodded. Her warm smile faded, and she said in a measured tone, “Thank you for escorting Ziyue back. You will not have shed that blood in vain — appropriate compensation will be given.”

Ye Fan felt it at once. This old woman appeared to be expressing gratitude, yet her manner was purely perfunctory — not a trace of genuine appreciation. It occurred to him that in all likelihood, those young men from earlier had already reported to her that he had used the Great Void Art.

“Grandaunt, please don’t look so stern. He escorted me back across tens of thousands of li. Just look — he’s covered in blood and badly wounded…” Ji Ziyue was perceptive and had clearly noticed Jihui’s dismissiveness.

“Indeed, no small feat. Young hero, please come inside.” A faint smile crossed Jihui’s face, and she said with a measured tone.

Ji Ziyue transmitted her voice to Ye Fan: “Don’t take it to heart. Transmitting the Great Void Art to you was indeed a serious matter. Once I explain things to her, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Ye Fan nodded without a word.

Ji Ziyue personally came forward, took Ye Fan’s hand, and brought him into the inn.

In that exact moment, Ye Fan noticed the old woman Jihui’s expression darken. Immediately after, her transmitted voice reached him: “Young man, do not walk so close to Ziyue. You must understand — the daughters of the Ji Family are like the divine moon, hanging high in the heavens. You have saved her, and I will compensate you. You will be given a handsome reward. As for anything else… you know what to do.”