Ye Fan knew this was just an excuse. The Yao Guang Holy Maiden had no intention of acting immediately, and whether she would actually help him escape remained very much in question. Her motives were certainly not pure — most likely she was simply interested in his constitution and the cauldron.
The great banner in the sky grew ever more terrifying, black in a way that seeped into the bones, blotting out the clouds and sky, blocking out the sun.
Ye Fan hastily brought forth his cauldron, suspending it above his head to shield himself.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
The black banner snapped and billowed loudly. Black fog churned, dark clouds surged, and a tremendous pressure descended like quicksilver flooding across the ground. Ye Fan felt his entire body on the verge of splitting apart. Had he not brought forth the cauldron a step ahead, he would surely have met with disaster by now.
Because Ye Fan had burned the Ji Family’s great figure to death with the True Fire of the Five Elements, Ji Haiyue harbored a wariness toward him and did not dare to go all out.
“Hmph!”
Ji Haiyue let out a cold snort. He was unwilling to take the risk — if his opponent still had the True Fire of the Five Elements and burned away his banner, that would be an irreparable loss.
In this moment, his expression grew solemn. Behind him, a vast expanse of white appeared — endless ice and snow manifested in the void, and a bone-chilling cold air rushed out like blades.
“A divine phenomenon!”
Ye Fan’s heart seized. The Ji Family was indeed formidable — yet another member of their younger generation had cultivated a divine phenomenon.
Boundless white snow stretched to the sky, endlessly vast and distant, a world of snow without limit. Freezing wind howled forth, and Ji Haiyue stood within a world of ice and snow, like a deity of ice.
“Snow Dancing Across the World!” Ji Haiyue bellowed. The divine phenomenon he had condensed carried an immeasurable and mighty power, pressing forward.
Across the entire region, great goose-feather snowflakes fell in droves, blanketing everything in white without boundary.
Each snowflake was as large as a palm, radiating cold brilliance, each one crystalline and gleaming — sharp as blades and swords — sweeping toward Ye Fan in a great tide.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sky resounded with the metallic clamor of countless ringing strikes. Ten million snow-blades danced and whirled, as though set to shred the heavens, completely engulfing the area.
Ye Fan’s heart turned cold within him. The cauldron above his head rapidly enlarged, the primal qi of all creation flowing through it, sheltering him beneath.
“Without the True Fire of the Five Elements, do you think a cultivator of the mere Wheel Sea Secret Realm can block me?!” Ji Haiyue’s expression was cold as he stood aloft in the sky, like a god emerged from the age of ice. He bellowed: “Glacial River, Sealing the Heavens!”
From the world of ice and snow behind him, an endless torrent of white mist erupted, crashing toward Ye Fan like a tidal surge.
Boom, boom, boom!
The grassland quaked. Every plant withered and crumbled with terrifying speed, and even the rocks could not be spared — they froze through in an instant, then shattered and collapsed.
The fearsome extreme cold obliterated everything that stood in its path. Nothing could intercept it.
Massive cracks split through the grassland, spreading outward into the distance in a terrifying display. Everything with a physical form that dared to obstruct was reduced to fine powder.
Ice sealed all. Cold froze all. A world of snow replaced the once-flourishing vitality.
“Beauty of the Yao Guang Holy Land — if not now, when will you act?” Ye Fan transmitted in secret.
An intoxicating sweet laugh came in reply: “Little Brother Ye, hold on — I’m still preparing.”
Ye Fan understood clearly — his counterpart had absolutely no intention of acting. Everything she said was an excuse.
Boom, boom, boom!
The vast white mist surged forward like an ocean, terrifying as a tidal wave, and everything around Ye Fan was instantly reduced to ash and smoke.
Crack!
In the blink of an eye, Ye Fan was engulfed by the endless white mist. In a single instant, he was sealed within ice — a cold, hard, frozen sculpture appearing there.
Crystalline and shining, an enormous block of ice had sealed him inside!
The cauldron drifted up and down, unaffected, hovering above the ice sculpture.
“Even a renowned elder who has cultivated to the Third Secret Realm, once sealed in ice, can only meet with bitter defeat and have no hope of continuing to live.”
“What right does someone like him have to contend with Brother Haiyue? Without the True Fire of the Five Elements, he is nothing!”
Several people behind Ji Haiyue stepped forward, surrounding the enormous block of ice to observe.
“This little beast was arrogant for a time, but in the end he still cannot escape death. Lamentable — truly lamentable. For those several of our Ji Family’s senior members to have been burned alive by him… it was truly not worth it!”
“Brother Haiyue’s ice and snow divine phenomenon is indeed of divine and immeasurable might — with just one move, he has slain his enemy. I wonder if the soul-searching technique can still extract that supreme movement method.”
“His soul has not yet been extinguished — I know what I’m doing,” Ji Haiyue said. As he spoke, he extended his large hand, reaching out toward the cauldron — but he suddenly changed his expression, rapidly stepping backward and calling out: “Fall back!”
“Boom!”
The enormous block of ice suddenly shattered. Cold air ran rampant. Ye Fan burst through the ice and emerged. Making no superfluous movements, he directly shook the cauldron above his head.
“Crack!”
Three members of the Ji Family died instantly, crushed into fine powder by the cauldron’s might. Only a wisp of blood mist drifted and scattered in the air.
Ye Fan felt a deep regret. He had deliberately allowed himself to be frozen, intending to lure everyone close before using the cauldron — refined from the primal qi of all creation — to shake all of them to death. He had not anticipated that Ji Haiyue would be so keenly perceptive, detecting the anomaly in an instant and calling everyone back. In the end, he killed only three.
“This young man is truly despicable — exactly as Ancestor Huigu of the Ji Family said…”
All ten-odd people turned their faces dark, gnashing their teeth inwardly. In what should have been a sure victory, they had let their opponent kill three of their number. It was a humiliation.
“Your constitution truly is special — you actually withstood my ice and snow divine phenomenon,” Ji Haiyue said, his expression calm, without excessive emotional fluctuation.
“Didn’t Ji Haoyue tell you? I can even block his divine body’s phenomenon — to say nothing of your ice and snow divine phenomenon,” Ye Fan said, and what he said was not false. His body was extraordinarily special; when facing divine phenomena, it automatically circulated a strange power to counter external phenomena, as though it refused to be desecrated.
He drew a green branch from his jade vase — a leaf-stem from the parent plant of the sacred fruit. Now that the divine spring was running low, he had begun consuming the sacred tree’s leaf buds to replenish his divine power.
Each time he activated the cauldron, it consumed vast amounts of divine power. Without these, he would find it very difficult to hold out.
Ji Haiyue’s expression darkened immediately: “Are you saying that no divine phenomenon can touch you? Then let me try!”
“Boom!”
Within that vast world of ice and snow, vibrant life suddenly appeared — a jade tree, twisted and gnarled as an ancient dragon, burst forth in an instant, freezing everyone in place.
In this moment, time seemed to stop. There was no white snow, no ice mountains — only a jade tree. Yet it had locked down all the space in this area.
“Hiss!”
In the blink of an eye, it rushed toward Ye Fan’s Wheel Sea, about to break in!
This sudden development shocked even Ye Fan. This divine phenomenon was truly strange and unpredictable — after the ice and snow had reached their extreme, it could actually seal space. He had never heard of anything like it.
Suddenly, within Ye Fan’s Wheel Sea, the azure lotus trembled lightly. Mist curled around it as though some mysterious power was surging forth.
“Crack!”
The jade tree that had locked down the space shattered right in front of Ye Fan, dissolving into scattered fragments of radiant light that disappeared without a trace.
Ji Haiyue’s body shuddered violently and he involuntarily stepped back. Within his ice-and-snow world, the jade tree resurfaced — though now it was dimmer than before.
“How is this possible?” His face was filled with utter disbelief: “Can your constitution truly innately counter all kinds of divine phenomena?!”
The others regained their freedom at this moment. Wave after wave of shock passed through their hearts. Just then, they had been frozen in place and had felt wave after wave of terrifying power.
“How truly astonishing. The Ancient Sacred Body — you make me more and more intrigued.” The Yao Guang Holy Maiden’s pleasant voice drifted into Ye Fan’s ear once more.
Ji Haiyue’s expression turned glacial: “Then I will annihilate you with my true strength!”
Though he was only in his mid-twenties, his power was comparable to that of a renowned elder. His absolute combat strength was sufficient to destroy Ye Fan. To be locked in such a stalemate with a cultivator of the Other Shore realm made him feel that his dignity had been thoroughly disgraced.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
The black banner unfurled and snapped in the wind, blotting out the sky, pressing down to crush Ye Fan.
“Boom!”
The ground shattered in an instant. Ye Fan truly could not block this absolute suppressive pressure. With the cauldron shielding him, he plunged downward into the great fissures of the earth.
The banner snapped and billowed — each time it shook, the earth shattered once more. In almost an instant, Ye Fan was crushed dozens of meters down into the earth.
Had he not possessed this cauldron, refined from the primal qi of all creation, he would have long since been reduced to nothing. Resisting such might would have been impossible.
Different realms were separated by a heavenly gulf. Facing a powerhouse who had cultivated three secret realms, his divine power was utterly negligible.
Ye Fan kept stuffing the sacred tree’s tender buds into his mouth, replenishing his divine power, using the primal qi source root to resist. Without these two things, he would immediately be obliterated — body and soul.
“Beauty of the Yao Guang Holy Land, if not now, when will you act? Do you want to carry my corpse back with you?” Ye Fan transmitted secretly.
The soft, gentle voice of the Yao Guang Holy Maiden came in reply: “No hurry — I can see that Little Brother Ye can still hold out. I need a bit more time to prepare.”
“Your grandfather’s…!” Ye Fan wanted to hurl precisely those four words as a curse, but at the last moment he pivoted, converting them into different words altogether: “I say, my darling wife — if you don’t act soon, your husband is going to ride a crane to the western heavens, and there’ll be no going to the Yao Guang Holy Land to propose marriage.”
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden showed no anger. Her voice carried a magnetic warmth, profoundly enticing: “Hold on just a moment more — Elder Sister will come to save you…”
“Clang!”
At this moment, Ji Haiyue’s expression went cold. He raised his right hand high and then cleaved it downward. From within his right arm, a massive ice sword erupted forth, splitting the earth directly and pressing down toward Ye Fan.
“Crack!”
Every bone in Ye Fan’s body shook and rattled. Though the cauldron had blocked it all, the pressure was immense — even his powerful physical body was on the verge of shattering.
There was indeed still some True Fire of the Five Elements within the cauldron. Ye Fan desperately wanted to bring it out right then and there, but he kept in mind that he would still need to deal with the Yao Guang Holy Maiden afterward — and so he did not act rashly.
“Yao Guang Holy Maiden, if you don’t act now, I’ll hand this cauldron over to the Ji Family.” After transmitting that, Ye Fan roared aloud: “Ji Haiyue — I’m giving you the primal qi source root of all creation!”
“Boom!”
At this very moment, heaven and earth seemed to be torn asunder. A surge of immense divine power suddenly broke in from outside, completely shattering the Dao patterns Ji Haiyue had laid down and restoring clarity to everything.
A figure composed entirely of brilliant light appeared — wielding a great sword, slashing in every direction. The Ji Family’s disciples fell like scarecrows, completely unable to resist. One sword stroke per person — one after another, clouds of blood mist bloomed in the sky.
It no longer resembled a long sword at all; it was more like the hammer of a thunder god, seemingly heavy as ten thousand jun. Each blow that fell reduced one person to dust. No treasure could withstand it — all shattered and collapsed.
In nearly an instant, all ten-odd Ji Family disciples were obliterated — body and soul — and not a single one escaped.
Ji Haiyue’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He could not rescue them in time — it had been too fast. By the time he could rush over, it was already over.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
He gripped the great banner in hand, shaking it violently. Immediately, wind and thunder filled the sky, clouds rose and fell, and the very ground trembled.
Ji Haiyue erupted in fury and charged forward, engaging that figure of brilliant light in pitched combat.
Techniques like the Void Handprint and the Great Void Arts were unleashed all at once, nearly cracking this stretch of heaven and earth apart.
Ye Fan’s heart turned grave. A powerhouse who had cultivated to the Third Secret Realm was truly fearsome. A sense of urgency took hold of him — he had to become stronger.
Though there were only about ten such young people in this entire region, they still exerted an enormous pressure on him.
At this moment, the “great momentum” gathered from the earth’s veins had been broken apart, and could no longer stop Ye Fan from leaving. His feet executed the mysterious movement technique, and he vanished into the horizon in an instant — within no great span of time, he had burst through to more than a hundred li away.
“Little Brother Ye, you have no conscience at all — I’m fighting someone to save you, and you just run away without a thought for me.” The Yao Guang Holy Maiden’s voice was sweet and rich as she appeared in the distant sky, blocking his path.
She was like a sacred lotus just beginning to bloom — her complexion crystalline, her black hair floating freely, each strand light as a feather. Her eyes shone like black gemstones; her delicate brows curved gently, and a single slight furrow held countless expressions.
Her sashes fluttered, her long skirt danced, tracing the graceful rises and dips of her breathtaking figure — supple and full of elegance, a devilish physique that could entrance all living beings.
Yet that very same physique flickered with a sacred, pure radiance — utterly alluring and beautiful in a way that commanded the senses, yet enveloped in such a halo. Half angel, half enchantress — she gave rise to a sense of delusion.
“I simply didn’t want to be a burden to you, so I took a step ahead. But you’ve caught up with me anyway, haven’t you?” At these words, a suspicion rose in Ye Fan’s heart: “That shadow just now was…”
“A deity housed within my Dao Palace. How about it — after displaying that grand, sweeping swordsmanship, do you think it was convincing enough to fool Ji Haiyue?”
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden smiled sweetly. Her jade countenance wore not a touch of powder or rouge, yet her beauty surpassed that of flowers — making it clear to anyone what it meant to have ten thousand forms of charm, what it meant for a single smile to topple a city. Her matchless beauty was profoundly bewitching.
Just at that moment, a divine radiance shot through the distant sky — its brilliance contained and refined, its form clearly visible. It bore a striking resemblance to the Yao Guang Holy Maiden, yet this figure was clad in armor: silver-bright, gleaming cold metal, the chilly luster of the metalwork making her even more beautiful, lending her a wholly different kind of aura.
“Hiss!”
The deity merged into her chest and abdomen, leaving only rippling waves of divine power behind — its fragrant trace gone without a trace.
Having shaken off Ji Haiyue only to be intercepted by the Yao Guang Holy Maiden, Ye Fan felt things had become even more troublesome. This woman was extraordinary — she would be very difficult to deal with.
“What method do you have to help me escape the Ji Family? Right now there are hundreds of powerful cultivators on this great grassland searching for me.”
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden smiled with every grace, her beautiful eyes glinting: “Come with me — I guarantee you’ll be out of danger.”
Ye Fan furrowed his brow. He had no desire to go to the Yao Guang Holy Land — yet this peerlessly beautiful woman was immensely powerful, and escaping her would likely prove difficult.
“Little Brother Ye, rest assured — it’s not going to the Yao Guang Holy Land. I’m being dispatched to the Northern Region, and we can travel together when the time comes.” Her lips were lustrous red, sensually captivating, carrying a trace of a smile: “Let’s leave this grassland first.”
Ye Fan said nothing further and followed behind her. They came to a desolate stretch of land with a collection of crumbling, ruined halls.
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden stepped lightly inside, then beckoned to Ye Fan: “The domain gate here — I’ve repaired it. It can transmit us tens of thousands of li away, letting us shake off the Ji Family quickly.”
“Not going to the Yao Guang Holy Land?”
“I won’t deceive you — absolutely not.”
Ye Fan carefully examined the Dao patterns. The direction truly was not toward the Yao Guang Holy Land. With no better option available, and in order to escape the Ji Family, he decided to take the risk — and stepped onto the jade platform.
When the source energy was placed in, brilliant radiance erupted skyward, and a powerful surge of energy spread outward.
The domain gate opened. The void split apart. The two stepped inside. However, they kept some distance between each other — each was wary of the other, and neither wanted to get too close.
Before long, the endless darkness disappeared and light appeared ahead. They crossed the void without incident and arrived in a paradise fragrant with flowers and birdsong.
A stream babbled softly along its course; plants and trees gave off a sweet fragrance; the mountains were clear and the waters beautiful; graceful pavilions were dotted among the scenery, serene and natural.
“This is a private residence of mine. It’s a full thirty thousand li from the region we just left — you can set your mind at ease.”
Set his mind at ease — hardly! Ye Fan thought to himself. He surveyed the surroundings, ready to flee at any moment. He felt the Yao Guang Holy Maiden was going to be very difficult to deal with.
“Little Brother Ye, I have shown you sufficient sincerity. There’s no need to guard against me at every turn.” The Yao Guang Holy Maiden smoothed her hair gracefully, smiling with warmth: “I don’t want your primal qi source root of all creation — I only wish to observe your Ancient Sacred Body, to see what makes it so extraordinary.”
Ye Fan had never considered her some merciful bodhisattva come to rescue the suffering. Though she was called a Holy Maiden, her conduct was more like a demoness — and sure enough, she was now moving against him.
Still, it was far better than being surrounded and killed by the Ji Family on the grassland. He still had a chance now, and who would triumph remained very uncertain.
“My constitution is quite poor — I’m presently known as a ‘crippled body.’ What is there worth seeing?” Ye Fan had no intention of letting her examine his body.
“Little Brother Ye, you are too modest. The Ancient Sacred Body holds a great secret. Through countless ages, though it seemed incapable of cultivation, the holy lands never gave up searching for it — whoever they discovered possessing it, they would draw into their ranks.” The Yao Guang Holy Maiden smiled beguilingly: “I won’t hand you over to the holy land for them to study — I only wish to see for myself what the mystery is.”
Ye Fan gazed at that breathtakingly beautiful and crystalline face: “And if I refuse?”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to put Little Brother Ye to sleep — let you slumber comfortably while I take a careful look on my own.” The Yao Guang Holy Maiden’s hair floated freely. Her slender, graceful neck was snow-white and supple — profoundly captivating.
“You’ve laid Dao patterns in this area, concentrating the great momentum of the mountains and rivers, wanting to seal me here?” Ye Fan surveyed the beautiful scenery around him.
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden’s eyelashes trembled lightly. She cast a sideways glance at him, her gaze utterly soul-stealing: “Don’t think so ill of me — how could I possibly treat Little Brother Ye like that?”
Ye Fan was about to bring out the cauldron to shield himself and then flee — he had no desire to keep entangling himself with this beguiling Holy Maiden.
“You…” At that very moment, he was greatly startled. His divine power within had grown sluggish and was struggling to circulate properly, making it impossible to bring out the cauldron. He cried out: “What did you do?!”
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden let out a laugh like a silver bell: “It seems that Little Brother Ye just now harbored killing intent toward me — and tried to circulate his divine power. You must have sensed the change within yourself.”
Ye Fan stared at her without a word.
“When you and Ji Haiyue were fighting, I accidentally scattered a little ‘Immortal-Sealing Powder.’ It was refined by one of the Yao Guang’s Supreme Elders over several decades. They say that if the dosage is sufficient, it can seal even the divine power of a great expert until it runs completely dry.” The Yao Guang Holy Maiden smiled lightly: “I did this because I did not want any unpleasantness between Little Brother Ye and myself. If we were to come to blows, I might accidentally kill you — and wouldn’t that be terribly dull?”
“Fine. You’re ruthless.” Ye Fan began walking slowly forward.
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden smiled sweetly: “I know Little Brother Ye’s physical body is powerful — comparable to a supreme treasure. Don’t waste your energy. Don’t come too close to me, now.”
Her full, rounded proportions, slender waist, ample bosom, graceful neck, and transcendent jade countenance were impossible to look away from. She swayed her jade figure as she retreated with light, lotus-flower steps — smiling all the more softly and beguilingly.
Ye Fan’s teeth itched with hatred. He estimated the distance — she truly was quite far away. This Yao Guang Holy Maiden was being far too cautious.
In this very moment, he concentrated his spirit. The golden lake at his mind’s center trembled, and his divine sense instantly materialized, surging forward in an attack.
“Ah… you…”
The Yao Guang Holy Maiden cried out. Her peerlessly beautiful face showed an expression of pain, and she swayed on the verge of falling.
Ye Fan charged forward rapidly, his powerful divine sense attacking without cease. He moved with the speed of wind and lightning and arrived before her in an instant, pouncing forward like a tiger, knocking the Yao Guang Holy Maiden down onto the fragrant grass.
Yet the Yao Guang Holy Maiden had only cried out once at the very beginning and showed no further signs of mental weakness. From between her brows, divine radiance also erupted — brilliant and resplendent beyond measure.
In this moment, she snapped her eyes open and fixed her gaze on Ye Fan. At the same time, a terrifying surge of divine power pulsed from her soft jade body.
Though her sea of consciousness had not been struck, she could not divide her attention — Ye Fan’s divine sense power was too terrifying, nearly suppressing her completely.
Ye Fan felt he could barely hold down this exquisitely formed body. The supple, heavenly physique contained an oceanic divine power that pulsed and surged, about to send him flying.
His divine sense assault continued without pause. The golden lake at the center of his brow shone like a blazing sun, and at the same time he launched a mind-assault technique — biting down sharply with his mouth.
A heart-stirring fragrance drifted to him. He had bitten the Yao Guang Holy Maiden’s ear and refused to let go.
“You…”
As expected, the Yao Guang Holy Maiden was overwhelmed with shame and fury. The divine radiance shooting from between her brows began to waver and ripple. Meanwhile, Ye Fan drove his divine sense power surging forward with full force.