“I am.” Ye Fan answered as much.

The young girl had a lovely and delicate appearance, a slender figure, and clear, bright eyes — yet she was clearly emanating a kind of hostility. Having heard his response, she said nothing at all and withdrew back to stand before the divine carriage.

“May I ask your name, little sister?” The young man in the five-colored robes asked with a thoroughly wicked expression.

“Disgusting.” The handmaiden shot him a fierce glare.

“Little girl, mind your words. Be careful or I’ll carry you off later and show you what it means to be a true man of elegance and spirit.” The robed man’s eyes gleamed with a strange, predatory light.

“You asked my name — what do you want?” Ye Fan said.

“Why did you kill the younger brother of the Master of the Eight Scenic Palace?” A woman’s voice came from within the divine carriage — it was like the sound of nature itself, magnetic and deeply pleasing, beautiful enough to intoxicate one to the very bone.

“See? I told you Yi Qingwu was going to make her move against you. After all, she is Yin Tiande’s future Dao companion.” The young man in the five-colored robes chuckled.

His name was Li Tian — a young man radiating a thoroughly wicked air, whose depth of power was unfathomable, and who was Yan Yixi’s junior fellow disciple, having come from the same lineage.

“In truth, I had no wish to intervene — I would have left everything for Yin Tiande to resolve himself. But since I have encountered you here, I am compelled to seek an explanation.”

Yi Qingwu’s voice came like a gentle spring breeze, genuinely soft and beautiful to hear — and yet within it was an unshakeable will, like the light cry of an immortal phoenix.

Ye Fan smiled and gave Li Tian a nod. The wickedly charged fellow had been right — the first beauty was plainly making her intentions known.

“Are you certain you can take me?” He asked.

“Don’t be careless. Yi Qingwu is not only the most beautiful woman in the world — her cultivation is extraordinary as well. Among the most gifted women of heaven, she ranks first!” Yan Yixi warned.

“Which is precisely why I said we need you and I together, brothers, to capture her. Tempering one’s heart alongside the first beauty beats any other form of worldly grinding by miles.” Li Tian said with an upward curl of his lip.

“I am not like you. You cultivate Human Desire; I cultivate Sentiment. Say no more to me.” Yan Yixi refused once again.

Li Tian turned. “Brother Ye, let us join forces. I only want her to serve as my cauldron for one month — after that, this first beauty is yours for life. What do you say?”

Ye Fan noted that Yan Yixi’s junior disciple was thoroughly wicked — there were genuine signs of someone becoming a human demon. He was not joking in the slightest, but speaking in complete seriousness. It was no wonder Yan Yixi had said he had fallen into the demonic path.

“Li Tian — this time you won’t be leaving either. Stay.” Yi Qingwu spoke, her voice still magnetic but now carrying a distinct edge of coldness.

“Intercepted our sound transmission?!” Yan Yixi was startled inwardly. They had been communicating through divine sense transmissions — and this woman had somehow intercepted it.

“Remarkable — is it sheer cultivation power, or does she possess an ancient divine technique that allows her to intercept sound transmissions?” Even Li Tian’s expression faltered momentarily.

“Everyone — make your move. Take them down!” At that moment, Yi Qingwu’s voice deepened and rang out, reverberating across the entire expanse of the bright, moonlit sky.

Twelve streams of divine energy surged into the sky like twelve heaven-reaching swords, like twelve divine mountains touching the clouds — towering and razor-sharp. They surrounded the four directions and swept inward, hacking down upon those in the center.

“The Twelve Celestial Guardian Divine Formation — she actually invited twelve patriarch-level figures to make their move. Yi Qingwu wants to eliminate us all in one go.” Li Tian’s expression turned icy.

“Yan Yixi — you may leave the formation. I’ll allow you to go. But these two cannot be spared.” Yi Qingwu’s gentle voice carried forth.

“Ah, how can I abandon my companions and flee? Are you deliberately making things difficult for me, Immortal Yi?” Yan Yixi sighed.

“Senior brother, why keep talking to her? Seize her, make her my cauldron — and you can have a pure and wholesome discussion of the Dao with her.” Li Tian replied with a sinister, cold laugh.

Some people are evil without concealment — Li Tian was undoubtedly one of them, all but branded with the character for demon on his forehead. He spoke in absolute earnest, without any trace of mockery.

At this moment, twelve streams of Celestial Guardian divine swords swept down. Every single one was terrifyingly powerful, and all carried with them the roaring howl of the divine spirits and demons of the myriad heavens.

One sword — one world!

The sword might unleashed by the Twelve Celestial Guardian Divine Formation was world-shaking and awe-inspiring — each sword cleaved open one entire world, within which earth, fire, wind, and water cycled in rotation.

“Suppressing us with the power of worlds — damnable!” Li Tian cursed. Seeing this scene, he spat out a nine-leafed golden lotus, which accompanied him on either side. A single tremor from it shattered the void and shielded his body.

“They truly intend to cut us down to the last.” Yan Yixi’s face changed as well. A painting of beauties shot up from the crown of his head, rustling loudly as it spread open and wrapped around him protectively.

Ye Fan’s expression also turned grave. Even employing the Movement Art rune to force his way through, he could feel a kind of pressure, his steps slow, no longer as agile as before.

Nevertheless, the Nine Secrets of the Daoist Canon were ultimately supreme divine arts. After a brief adjustment, his speed grew faster and faster, and he rushed forward toward the divine carriage, intending to first capture Yi Qingwu.

Hum!

A divine ring shot out from between his brows — silver-white and gleaming bright, its radiance flickering. It flew forward: it was none other than the Diamond Caster seized from the Eight Scenic Palace.

Suddenly, he sensed danger. The doors of the divine carriage flung open, transforming into a black hole that sought to swallow him whole, while simultaneously attempting to draw in the Diamond Caster.

The handmaiden who had stood beside the carriage had vanished, and the interior of the carriage was completely empty — Yi Qingwu was not inside at all.

“A supreme royal divine weapon!”

Ye Fan was startled — this had been a trap, luring him to throw himself into it. Everything had been premeditated from the start.

His speed was very fast, but his steps were agile; with the Movement Art rune in motion, he swept past the divine carriage at a hair’s breadth.

The Diamond Caster, expanded to the size of a millstone, struck squarely against it, sending a cascade of terrifying sparks — each one capable of destroying an entire mountain.

At the same time, a powerful suction force from the divine carriage sought to devour the precious caster, to seize this supreme royal divine weapon.

Ye Fan gave a light shout. This was a divine artifact capable of evolving into a Sage’s weapon — how could he allow it to be lost? He activated the Weapon Art rune, causing the Diamond Caster to expand rapidly as though it had taken on a life of its own, enveloping the carriage and moving to draw it back in instead.

Swish!

In the end, the divine carriage vanished silently from where it stood. Yi Qingwu had withdrawn it, unwilling to match it in direct conflict — and so the two supreme royal divine weapons each returned to their respective master’s hands.

Boom!

The Twelve Celestial Guardian Divine Formation unleashed its full might — one sword, one world, with wisps of primordial chaos mist billowing out, surging forward to kill.

Li Tian activated the nine-leafed golden lotus, collapsing the small worlds one by one as he forced his way outward. Yan Yixi too unfurled the painting of beauties, transforming it into a divine bridge stretching outward into the distance, attempting to cross over to safety.

Yet this was, after all, a formation of renowned fearsome power. Each time they seemed on the verge of succeeding, they were driven back.

At the same moment, an aura that sent shudders through all three of them radiated outward. A glow of surging brilliance rose up from every direction, as though an eternal divine furnace was blazing in all directions.

“Yi Qingwu, what extraordinary methods you have! Are you truly going to refine us alive right here?!” Li Tian’s expression grew sharp.

Suspended in the void on all sides were ancient altars — one after another — each carved with indecipherable divine patterns that emitted streams of terrifying light, weaving together into an interlocking web.

“Guanghan Celestial Sacrifice!” Yan Yixi’s face changed. This was a horrifying formation pattern — once trapped within it, a person would be refined alive in a ritual sacrifice, with no means of resistance.

By this point, Ye Fan was certain: Yi Qingwu had already identified them even back when they were upstream on the Falling Star River, but had chosen not to act, for she had not yet been completely certain. Now, she had come fully prepared. This was no chance encounter — it had all been carefully arranged, her intent to completely suppress him and leave him not the slightest chance of escape.

“The most beautiful woman in the world is covered in thorns. She’s truly not easy to pick — and she means to deal with us like this. Today might be a great tribulation for us.” Li Tian cursed.

Ye Fan too felt a chill in his heart. This first beauty whose looks could shake heaven and earth — unrivaled in grace, incomparable in all the world — was truly no ordinary figure. The very first time they met, she had already set up a killing formation for him.

Yet he had no fear. Terrifying as the two formations were, they still could not stop him — the Movement Art rune could let him break free.

Ye Fan avoided the heaven-cleaving force, evaded the Celestial Guardian divine swords, and with a speed of inexplicable and uncanny nature transcended the formation’s spatial confinement — shooting out like a bolt of lightning.

Boom!

Purple lightning descended from the sky, a vast sea of thunder crashing down, carrying with it some inexplicable form of divine punishment come to the world, striking down upon the physical form of Ye Fan at the center.

“Retreat quickly — that is the Ancient Tribulation-Summoning Formation! It can draw down heavenly tribulations and cause a person to fail their tribulation, reducing them to ash!” Yan Yixi cried out.

“This little woman is truly terrifying — she came fully prepared. And she has yet to make a single move herself, and already she has shown this many deadly strokes.” The light in Li Tian’s eyes flickered with strange, wicked radiance.

Facing the Tribulation-Summoning Formation, Ye Fan did not retreat. He raised his hand and carved nine ancient characters into the void — drawn from the Daoist scriptures, they could grant his body eternal permanence.

Though he did not fear heavenly tribulation, undergoing a tribulation now would only subject his physical body to punishment — being struck for nothing. Breakthroughs in his current state required comprehension of the Dao, not tribulation.

As his cultivation deepened, his comprehension of the nine ancient characters grew ever more profound. He obscured the aura of his own existence and charged rapidly outward.

Crackle!

He shook his hand and brought forth eighty-one golden great banners — the very ones taken from Lu Ya — and used them to seal off one corner of the Twelve Celestial Guardian Divine Formation, moving to break it open.

“Ah—!” A scream rang out. One patriarch-level figure sustained grievous injuries.

Lu Ya’s precious banners were of astonishing power — otherwise, how could they in years past have caused five peak patriarchs to spray their blood upon those banners and perish within them?

“Excellent!” Li Tian roared with laughter.

A corner of the formation was torn open, and the Twelve Celestial Guardian Divine Formation immediately revealed a weakness. He shook the nine-leafed golden lotus and, like a divine rainbow, shot through. The terrifying cultivation he demonstrated was evident in full — given even the slightest crack, he could break free.

At the same moment, Yan Yixi’s painting of beauties transformed into a rainbow bridge, bearing him directly across to the outside.

The Twelve Celestial Guardian Divine Formation crumbled. These two junior and senior fellow disciples could be spoken of in the same breath as the most terrifying figures of the younger generation alive today — striking with full force, their divine power was world-shaking.

“Ah—!”

At that moment, a scream rang out. Ye Fan, using the Golden Crow clan’s precious banners, had cleaved a patriarch-level figure completely apart — blood dyed the golden banner face red, like a flower blossoming.

He was astonished in his heart. The power of these precious banners was too great — even greater than he had imagined. They housed within them an ancient slaughter formation, like a slumbering celestial demon.

Boom!

At the same time, he brought forth the Diamond Caster, expanding it to the size of a millstone. Silver light gleaming brightly, it struck out a beam of eternal light, crashing into the Tribulation-Summoning Formation while simultaneously shattering the altars suspended in the void.

All the ancient formations were dismantled. The three of them broke free completely, and Ye Fan and Li Tian together charged toward the distant divine carriage, intending to capture Yi Qingwu alive.

The Divine Moon Carriage — crystalline and translucent, wreathed in flower rain — now had its jade curtains parting to either side. A woman who could eclipse the sun and moon and cause the mountains and rivers to lose their color stepped out.

This kind of beauty had no place in the mortal world — it made one feel it was not real. Flawless without a single blemish, she seemed the River Goddess incarnate: her neck graceful and slender, her skin radiant and luminous, her bright eyes glancing with subtle elegance, her bearing magnificent and enchanting.

Her figure was tall and slender, her dark hair lustrous and smooth as satin; at the center of her brow was a brilliant crimson mark, adding to her an endless aura of ineffable spirit.

Facing great enemies, she was smiling — her smile caused the bright moon to lose its light and the stars to retreat. All other things in the world lost their splendor — only she remained resplendently, incomparably beautiful.

“I now have a heart-devil as well. If I cannot capture her and make her my cauldron, I will be unable to attain the Dao.” Li Tian said with a thoroughly wicked expression.

“I’ll give you an opportunity: if you can break out of the Falling Star River Domain, I’ll let you go.” Yi Qingwu spoke, her voice like the gentle cry of a divine phoenix. Though she was the most beautiful woman of the present age, within her dwelled a powerful will and an undefeatable conviction.

“I’ll give you an opportunity as well,” Ye Fan said with a smile. “Come and knead my shoulders, and I’ll grant you the position of a handmaiden.”