“What, this is the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone!?” Behind them, Huotan’s three remaining disciples all cried out in shock, their faces losing all color, turning snow-white.
All around, lush vegetation and ancient herbs covered the ground, yet it was utterly still — no insect chirping, no bird calls, no beast roars, like a land of death.
Ancient trees soared into the heavens, branches spreading wide. Through the dappled tree shadows, nine sacred mountains could be seen not far from here, possessing a demonic quality that devoured one’s life essence.
“No!” One of Huotan’s disciples cried out in terror, knowing this time was likely the end, with no path to survival.
What kind of place was this? One could enter but never leave!
In ancient times, this forbidden zone hadn’t existed — it had formed during the Ancient Wasteland era. When the Ancient Clans revived, they immediately understood its danger.
Many Ancient Clan experts had once come here seeking the Nine Wonders Undying Medicine, only to all die with regret. Even Saints had failed, barely escaping, but suffering tremendous loss of lifespan.
What kind of place could make even a Saint suffer such losses? Yet now, Ye Fan was actually using the ancient Emperor’s chessboard formation pattern to charge straight into this place — did he not value his own life? Was he trying to perish together with them?
“Master, let’s leave quickly!” This was no time to fight to the death — the three disciples wished they had wings to flee instantly.
In this place, their cultivation power had completely vanished. Aside from their still-formidable physical bodies, they were no different from mortals, their faces pale to the extreme.
Huotan’s expression was grim, saying nothing, turning to leave. He had no wish to linger here, because every moment was draining his life away.
“Today, you have no way out — not one of you is leaving!”
Ye Fan’s speed was astonishing, his physical body robust — even without relying on cultivation, he possessed terrifying combat power, transforming into a streak of pale gold light to block their path.
“Hum!”
A spear thrust forward, distorting the void — this was pure physical strength, the dark golden spear tearing through heaven and earth, emitting a flash of dark light.
Huotan’s expression changed. In this place, his strength was severely limited, having lost the Saint’s power to look down upon all living beings, finding it extremely difficult to circulate his own cultivation.
“Boom!”
He forced himself to move, barely shaking out threads of radiance wrapped around his fist, emitting wisps of divine energy to block the spear from the front.
The two collided, divine light scattering, a clanging sound ringing out. His fingers gleamed like crystal, containing power capable of splitting the heavens within their translucent luster.
“Clang!”
Huotan’s palm, crystalline and translucent, dodged the sharp spear tip, striking sideways at the spear shaft, then sliding down the black shaft like a fish, aiming to sever Ye Fan’s fingers to seize his weapon.
Ye Fan stepped sideways, holding the spear in his left hand, blocking with his right fist, golden light gleaming on his knuckles as he forced Huotan back, then gripped the spear with both hands, using it like a great staff, sweeping horizontally.
A sharp, piercing cry rang out, air currents exploding, the void compressed into blurriness, Huotan retreating rapidly.
“Ah…”
A miserable scream sounded as one of Huotan’s disciples was struck by the black spear shaft, bones snapping, flesh and blood splattering, white bone fragments visible as his body flew away like a falling leaf, life extinguished.
“You…”
Veins bulged on Huotan’s forehead, his entire body radiating crystalline light, but it changed nothing — in this restricted zone, he couldn’t unleash a roar that would shake mountains and rivers.
Ye Fan’s brow furrowed slightly. Cultivators who attained Sainthood truly transcended the human category — even within this restricted zone, still able to mobilize some power, defying common logic.
What kind of place was this? A life-forbidden zone! Ever since the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin struck the abyss decades ago and “the Wasteland” gradually revived, the forbidden zone had grown increasingly terrifying.
Whether mortal or Dao-Severing cultivator, regardless of cultivation level, once inside, all cultivation would be stripped away, treating everyone equally.
He still clearly remembered the outcome when the ancient Hua Dynasty’s peerless old Emperor, with life running short, wore the golden battle armor of an ancient sage and carried a battle sword on his back to charge into the forbidden zone in hopes of extending his life. Barely inside for long, he directly turned to ash, leaving only a golden divine robe rushing out — nothing but desolation remained.
A Saint transcended all living beings, beyond ordinary calculation. Though Huotan’s cultivation hadn’t completely dried up, combined with his Saint-level physical body, he still had fighting strength.
“Swish!”
Huotan charged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow — every second’s delay meant one more point of danger, unwilling to pause even for an instant, wanting to break through.
Ye Fan attacked with his spear, each swing capable of tearing apart the vast sky, terrifying Huotan’s remaining two disciples, their hearts trembling — no longer showing their earlier arrogance, not daring to breathe loudly.
Huotan was, after all, a generation’s Saint. Even unable to use cultivation power, his combat experience remained extremely rich. He advanced with a bow stance, striking with open-hand techniques, dodging the spear’s edge, engaging in close-range combat, attacking Ye Fan’s vital points.
Ye Fan remained calm and composed. On his body was a layer of stone armor, made from Source Divine Stone Skin, refined using the Forbidden Immortal Six Seals source technique, forming Source Heaven Divine Robes.
Every movement he made was extraordinarily composed — even with the erosion of time, he would surely persist longer than Huotan. He wouldn’t be the first to fall.
“Clang!”
Ye Fan’s dark golden spear thrust out streaks of divine radiance, never leaving Huotan’s vital points, carving wound after wound of blood across his body.
The two fought fiercely, Huotan’s fingers containing divine radiance, his palm translucent and dazzling, gushing forth wisps of divine brilliance, wanting to forcibly shake out Saint power to destroy Ye Fan.
This was a threat — even if his Saint power hadn’t dried up, though only in wisps and threads, it was still extremely terrifying.
“Master, you must kill him!” The other two didn’t dare speak, only silently praying, while simultaneously shifting their feet, retreating toward the distance, wanting to flee.
“Hah!”
Suddenly, a streak of dark light shot forward — the dark golden spear left Ye Fan’s grip, flying through the air. One of Huotan’s disciples spat blood from his mouth, pierced through, flying off over a hundred zhang away, nailed to the ground.
At the same time, Ye Fan left the battlefield, moving like a pale gold flood dragon crossing over, retrieving the spear once more.
Seeing this, Huotan’s remaining disciple felt cold from head to toe, no longer daring to move a single step — this was a killing god, and the fierce killing intent made his legs go weak, nearly collapsing to his knees.
Moreover, he was rapidly aging — originally in the prime of his youth, wrinkles now piled up on his face; before long, he would die of old age.
“Master… save me!”
Seeing this, Huotan couldn’t help but let out a long howl. Having become a Saint, yet threatened for his life by what he considered an ant in his eyes — this was a great humiliation and shame, and he fought back desperately!
“Clang clang!”
Sparks flew in all directions as the two clashed again fiercely, the dark golden spear resonating with his fist like lightning intertwining.
“Ants can’t bite a giant dragon to death — I’ve attained Saint status, how could I possibly be bullied by an ant like you?” Huotan’s face turned ashen, killing intent fully revealed, the sacred light seeping from his palm growing slightly denser.
Ye Fan showed no fear, fighting on with his spear, the dark golden spear flashing with cold, dark metallic luster, his body slender yet powerful, black hair scattered down to his waist, his eyes clear and radiant, his entire being restrained yet possessing a transcendent quality.
“Hum!”
The two clashed again in a violent strike, Ye Fan’s spear striking Huotan’s shoulder. He stumbled, a patch of blood appearing, letting out an angry roar.
“Following the way of heaven and earth, the Dao follows nature — the power of heaven and earth manifests, suppress him for me!” Huotan roared.
“Rumble!”
He truly borrowed a wisp of Great Dao divine might, like heaven’s dome pressing down, sacred power looming, vast and unstoppable.
However, it lasted only a moment before the Dao marks in the sky shattered, turning into scattered light and vanishing, unable to press down.
Ye Fan’s expression remained indifferent — he had already anticipated this result, otherwise why would he have chosen this place as the battlefield? It was the only place capable of suppressing a Saint.
“How long can you hold on?” Ye Fan stared at Huotan’s wrinkled body, saying coldly.
“If I can’t hold on, you won’t be able to withstand the Wasteland’s power either — you’ll surely perish here, becoming nothing but a mound of yellow earth!” Huotan said coldly, not believing Ye Fan would truly perish together with him.
Another clash, and Huotan finally could no longer sustain circulating his blood energy — his entire body dimmed, wrinkles deepening, his body staggering. Since the battle began, he had lost at least over a thousand years of lifespan.
In the distance, purple light flashed. Huotan was overjoyed, abandoning Ye Fan, rushing over quickly.
On the ground lay a purple-gold lotus with over twenty thousand years of medicinal age, its entire body glowing with purple light, standing two feet tall, its fragrance intoxicating. Huotan grabbed it and devoured it ravenously — his life essence severely depleted, and precious ancient medicines could be seen everywhere on the ground, excellent items for replenishing life potential.
Ye Fan made no move to stop him, calmly retrieving a jade bottle instead, gulping down its contents — this was divine liquid taken from the Immortal-Ascension Pool, remarkably effective at replenishing life essence.
“You…”
Huotan was shocked, immediately rushing over upon seeing this, trying to snatch the jade bottle, because continuing like this would surely exhaust him to death.
Ye Fan put away the jade bottle, continuing to battle him fiercely, full of vigor, blood energy surging forth, his attacks growing increasingly fierce.
“Puff!”
Huotan grew desperate, actually using his body to absorb Ye Fan’s spear thrust, letting it pierce through his chest and abdomen, spitting a mouthful of blood toward Ye Fan.
Ye Fan shook forcefully, and the dark golden spear pulled through Huotan’s chest and abdomen, flying out, not falling into the enemy’s hands.
He retreated, though he had lost his dark golden spear, his expression remained calm, showing no fear whatsoever, his fists glowing with crystalline light, faint lightning flickering within — that was his blood boiling.
“Kill!”
The two charged at each other, fighting to the death, physical bodies clashing, launching their final life-or-death struggle.
Hundreds upon hundreds of exchanges — a streak of golden shadow entangled with a streak of purple light, blood occasionally splattering. Ye Fan, fighting with his Dao-Severing body against a Saint-level ancient king — if word of this spread, it would surely shock the world.
In the blink of an eye, half a quarter-hour had passed since entering the life-forbidden zone. Ye Fan finally showed a trace of worry — he couldn’t delay any longer, there was no time to stalemate.
From this moment on, his offense grew even fiercer, black hair scattered loose, golden fists striking like rolling thunder, like bolts of lightning intertwining, striking Huotan’s body, blood surging, bones cracking repeatedly.
“Ah…”
Huotan cried out, one arm twisted and grabbed. His close-combat skills couldn’t match Ye Fan’s various techniques derived from the Fighting Saint Dharma, placing him at a disadvantage, his arm bone breaking.
“Kill!”
With a sharp cry, Ye Fan’s fingers struck hundreds of times in rapid succession, then with a forceful yank, Huotan’s left arm was severed, blood spurting, gushing forth, white bone fragments visible.
“Ah…”
Huotan screamed, never having imagined such a day would come — having become a Saint, yet forcibly having an arm torn off by a Dao-Severing cultivator, suffering such a heavy blow.
Ye Fan retreated quickly, avoiding the bloody splash, having forcibly torn off the Saint’s arm, tossing it forcefully to the ground, staining the grass red.
Huotan, like a wounded beast, his eyes bloodshot, though having lost one arm, was still extremely dangerous, transforming into a streak of purple light to pounce and kill Ye Fan.
Another life-or-death battle unfolded!
Ye Fan kept himself calm, avoiding the brunt of the attack, striking at weak points, his body like a flood dragon, leaping and bounding, sometimes like a great roc spreading its wings, sometimes like a true dragon emerging from the sea, unleashing both fists, thunder rumbling, lightning flashing — pure physical strength displayed to this degree within the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone could be considered defying heaven itself.
“Bang!”
Ye Fan unleashed a Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist strike, no golden light scattering, but containing invincible fist intent, striking Huotan’s chest bone, producing the sound of breaking bones, his entire chest caving inward, causing him to cough up mouthfuls of blood.
The situation was hopeless! Huotan knew he was in grave danger, unable to turn the tide, powerless to recover.
“I am an Ancient Saint, you wish to slaughter a Saint — becoming renowned throughout the world, impossible! I won’t let you have your way — at the very least, I’ll drag you down to death with me!” Huotan roared furiously.
He could imagine what kind of upheaval it would cause once Ye Fan slaughtered him — surely becoming immortalized in cultivation history! And he, as the loser, would highlight this young man’s achievements, becoming a pitiable footnote, also recorded in history as a shameful contrast.
One would become renowned throughout the ages, the other would become a stepping stone, serving as a negative example — just thinking about it made his blood energy unstable, his body ready to explode.
“Hah!”
His forehead flashed with light — he was actually forcibly using his powerful spiritual consciousness, a purple figure about to burst forth from his forehead bone.
“Ah…”
Huotan screamed, his primordial spirit having just emerged, already showing cracks. The purple figure let out a shrill, miserable cry, but still flew toward Ye Fan — this was perhaps his only means of eliminating Ye Fan.
Ye Fan acted decisively, drawing from behind a wooden staff resembling a sword or mace, ancient and unadorned, holding it with both hands, chopping directly at his primordial spirit.
“Puff!”
The purple figure couldn’t dodge, instantly struck and shattered by a third, letting out a miserable cry, its entire body shattering, retreating back into the flesh body’s forehead bone.
How could Ye Fan let such an opportunity pass? Holding the God-Slaying Whip, he covered a dozen zhang in a single step, arriving close by. With a puff, he struck it against Huotan’s forehead bone, nearly shattering his head, large cracks appearing.
One had to admit, a Saint’s physical body was truly formidable — an ordinary person would have long since become ash!
Huotan suffered severe injury, his body staggering, retreating at extreme speed, yet Ye Fan’s Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist arrived again, sending him flying hundreds of zhang away, and before he even landed, was caught up to once more.
“Puff!”
Ye Fan grabbed his remaining right arm and twisted forcefully — with a crack, the bone snapped, blood gushing forth. Huotan completely lost any possibility of turning the tide, his right arm also torn off.
Slaughtering a Saint!
It was about to happen — no one could stop it now. Ye Fan discarded the bloody arm, raised his leg high, spun around, then kicked forcefully out.
“Puff!”
Huotan screamed, his spinal bone breaking, the upper half of his body nearly rotted through, flesh and blood flying everywhere as he flew hundreds of zhang away, unable to move at all.
The Wasteland’s power surged violently — his flesh withering, no longer able to resist, unable to struggle.
Ye Fan picked up the dark golden spear, and with a puff, pierced through his body, lifting him up, while his left hand held the God-Slaying Whip, striking at his forehead bone.
“Bang!”
Blood rain flew in all directions as Huotan’s primordial spirit was shaken out, more than half of it shattered off in the blow. Within the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone, the purple figure, losing its flesh body’s protection, was almost about to dry up and die immediately.
“Slaughtering a Saint happens today!” Ye Fan said coldly.
He couldn’t linger in this place. Carrying Huotan on his shoulder, he rushed quickly toward the edge of the restricted zone, destroying his physical body’s vitality and grinding down his primordial spirit along the way, fearing backlash.
Before long, the edge of the restricted zone came into view. Ye Fan stopped, his right hand shaking the dark golden spear, and Huotan’s body instantly showed dense, spiderweb-like cracks!
As for his primordial spirit, that purple figure, it too was nearly ground away under the God-Slaying Whip, only a faint glimmer of light remaining.
Huotan laughed bitterly, his lifetime’s cultivation entirely destroyed — even if he could escape, he was finished. His primordial spirit, the most precious thing, was about to be extinguished, now only the size of a bean grain!
“Human race Sacred Body, do you truly think you can slaughter a Saint? Come die together with me!” At this moment, he completely let go — he was going to perish anyway, what was there left to fear?
His primordial spirit merged back into his physical body, his entire body beginning to glow, actually about to disintegrate, burning with a Saint’s flesh and blood, wanting to grind Ye Fan to death alongside him.
At this moment, Ye Fan made only a few movements: throwing the dark golden spear out, tossing the God-Slaying Whip out of the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone, and even, without hesitation, cutting open his own body, retrieving the All-Things Mother Qi Cauldron, also throwing it toward outside the restricted zone.
Then, with no more concerns, he charged at Huotan, golden blood flowing throughout his body, his fists emitting dazzling light!
“Boom!”
With one punch he blasted open Huotan’s body, letting sacred blood splatter onto himself. His body suffered terrible injury as a result, but he didn’t care at all.
“Useless — today you’ll die with me, turning to disaster ash together!” Huotan laughed madly, his primordial spirit fire about to extinguish, determined to drag Ye Fan down to death with him.
“Kill!”
Ye Fan roared loudly, one cry shaking mountains and rivers, his entire body covered in sacred blood, punch after punch striking out, golden lightning intertwining between his fists!
This was a savage, overwhelming force, actually beating a Saint until his body shattered apart, flesh and blood scattered everywhere, white bone fragments stained with blood scattered about.
“What good does this do — you can’t change the outcome, I’ll drag you down to death with me!” All the flesh and blood squirmed, radiating terrifying power, blazing and burning, engulfing Ye Fan.
Ye Fan’s expression remained cold. Slaughtering the Saint was right before him — even with danger imminent, at this moment he remained incredibly composed, only uttering two words: “Pitiful!”
“I am pitiful, but you’re no better off either — this is the sacred fire of life cultivation. Even if you escape the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone, it will burn away your form and spirit. Die together with me!” Huotan shouted madly.
“Pitiful — even now you still don’t understand. You go die yourself!” Ye Fan struck out with one punch, golden lightning intertwining, making all the flesh and blood burn even more violently, rushing in all directions.
At this moment, Ye Fan’s hair turned white as snow, his countenance aged, standing in the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone, letting time erode him, letting the sacred fire cling to him, standing alone in the mortal world, his expression peaceful and calm, his body slowly fading.
“You… what’s going on?!” Huotan finally noticed something abnormal, shocked and furious, crying out.
“One Qi Transforms into Three Purities, equivalent to a true body — as for my true self, why would I go down into the abyss with you…” Ye Fan’s figure grew fainter, his expression calm, utterly peaceful.
“That’s…” Huotan roared furiously, looking toward the distance.
Outside the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone, another Ye Fan stood calmly, having retrieved the All-Things Mother Qi Cauldron, God-Slaying Whip, and dark golden spear, standing alone in the mortal world, purple robes fluttering, black hair scattered, eyes deep and profound, quietly watching this place.
“Ah… I’m not reconciled!” Huotan cried out, hatred burning wildly, yet powerless to turn the tide!