Ye Fan arrived on horseback with spear leveled, coming to a stop before the Yan clan’s manor. It was an ancient complex of buildings — weathered with the passage of vast ages, emanating the weight of deep history. Preserved since antiquity to the present day, its presence was magnificent and sweeping.
All around it stood ancient trees, their gnarled branches as powerful as coiling dragons, blotting out the sky and shading the earth in lush green, making the place feel secluded and otherworldly.
Yu Xian and Rui Wei naturally came along as well, standing together and gazing at this grand, ancient compound — it covered a vast area, like a small city unto itself.
“Ye Fan, brother, let’s call this off. The way things are escalating, it won’t end well. Even the guidance official is wary — there’s no way we can afford to provoke them.” Rui Wei murmured, urging him quietly.
“What’s there to fear? On the ancient star road, everything must be justified. If they dare to act recklessly, we don’t have to follow any rules either.” Yu Xian shot him a sideways glance.
Ye Fan knew that Yu Xian had no small amount of backing. According to what the little handmaiden Ling’er of the celestial poem fairy had said, on the road ahead there was a peerless figure of a generation who was connected to her — one not to be trifled with.
“I only happened to pass by last night and glimpsed them by chance. It’s possible I was mistaken.” Rui Wei explained.
“Mistaken about what? They clearly showed themselves on purpose, letting you see them, so you’d tell Ye Fan about it. That’s naked provocation.” Yu Xian’s voice rang clear.
The bluestone pavement had sections worn uneven, polished into different heights in the center and along the sides by years upon years of footsteps — a testament to the passage of time.
Before the manor stood a pair of magnificent stone qilin, their red double doors flung wide open. What lay within was fully visible. A servant noticed the three of them lingering outside and turned to walk back inside.
“We definitely can’t storm our way in. Let’s find somewhere to sit and have a drink — maybe they’ll come out on their own in a moment.” Rui Wei said, unwilling to stir up trouble, afraid of causing a major incident.
“That works too.” Ye Fan nodded, not wanting to drag the two of them into things. Besides, he hadn’t yet laid eyes on those foreign race members himself.
Not far off were tea houses, wine shops, and the like. They found a small shop to sit in, ordered three bowls of medicinal herb porridge and some sea serpent jerky — all the food in this city was prepared for cultivators.
On the ancient star road, there was almost no mundane grain or ordinary food — it was either medicinal herbs or rare, exotic beasts, each carrying a dense concentration of heaven and earth’s essence.
By now, Ye Fan had overturned the sacred city in a single battle, cutting down even the Grand Commander. Many people recognized him, and seeing him, none could help but feel a profound sense of awe.
His appearance naturally drew many eyes. People watched closely, uncertain why he had come here, and the perceptive among them quickly sensed that this place was most likely about to become the center of a great storm.
The red sun had risen in the east, already high in the sky. More and more people filled the streets. Several servants of the Yan clan were peeking out from before the Yan family gates, looking in this direction.
Ye Fan rose from his seat. Without mounting his horse, he walked over in great strides. The patrons in the tea houses and wine shops immediately began murmuring amongst themselves, and many stood up to follow.
On the street, whether original residents of the city or trial contestants, all gave way to Ye Fan. A single battle had established his authority — someone who dared to kill a city’s Grand Commander was a domineering ruler not to be provoked.
His name had shaken the Human Race’s Second Sacred City. One could readily imagine: if he continued down this road, he would in all likelihood leave behind an immortal legend.
With reverence in their hearts, people stepped aside one after another. Ye Fan walked straight to the gates of the Yan clan manor. Ahead lay several dozen steps of white jade, solemn and grand in appearance. Dozens of stone beast-tethering posts stood along the sides.
Many followed behind, while the open ground before the manor cleared of everyone — aside from Ye Fan’s party of three, no one drew near.
“What does he intend? Is he actually going to force his way into the Yan clan manor? This is where the former Grand Commander Yan Yu resides in his old age. Even the guidance official extends him courtesy in ordinary times.”
“Could it be those foreign race members are inside the Yan clan manor?”
Many showed strange expressions. This was a place of great importance. Yan Chifeng’s great-great-grandfather was the former Grand Commander — still alive, though his remaining lifespan was nearly spent and he was on the verge of passing away. No one dared to offend him.
“Who are you people? What do you want, loitering in front of our Yan manor?” A servant stood at the top of the white jade steps, looking down as he spoke. “Idle passersby are not permitted to linger here.”
On hearing those words, the crowd was shaken — and many felt a surge of anger. Even granted the boldest of courage, a servant had no right to say such a thing. This was clearly someone pulling the strings from behind.
“The three of you — leave immediately. You are blocking the road.” That servant pointed directly at them.
The trial contestants who had walked the ancient star road — which one of them was an “idle passerby”? This could only be described as an insult, especially coming from a servant.
Not only did the three standing in front — Ye Fan, Yu Xian, and Rui Wei — change expression, but the others nearby were indignant as well, finding it deeply jarring. The Yan family’s conduct was outrageously audacious — even if it was deliberate provocation, it was far too high-handed.
Yu Xian’s beautiful eyes flashed with cold light, and she was about to strike — but at that very moment, Ye Fan spotted a figure in the courtyard through the open red doors. It was one of the foreign races who had surrounded and attacked him in the primordial training ground. That person glanced outward with a trace of cold mockery.
Ye Fan walked forward in broad strides, ascending the white jade steps — heading toward the manor.
“Stop right there! How does an idle passerby dare to barge into our Yan clan manor? Stop at once!” The servant called out loudly.
The entire street had gone silent. After the battle yesterday, who would dare speak to Ye Fan like this? Every person held him in deep reverence — not even the guidance official, the foremost figure in the city, could conduct himself in such a manner.
This was nothing but a servant — yet he dared to speak this way. The Yan family was being far too domineering, no matter how one looked at it. And everyone understood: this was deliberate provocation, intended to goad Ye Fan into making a move. The Yan clan was absolutely a tiger’s den and a dragon’s pool right now!
Ye Fan climbed the dozens of steps, cold and expressionless, and walked forward. Rui Wei rushed up and seized one of his arms: “Why lower yourself to a servant’s level? We can’t go into the Yan clan manor — this is a trap to lure you in.”
Yu Xian also rushed up, gnashing her teeth in indignation: “Infuriating — let me deal with it!” She moved lightly as an immortal, graceful and willowy, making straight for the servant.
Ye Fan reached out a hand and caught her. Then with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger, he walked directly to the steps, looked down from above at the servant — making the man’s legs nearly give out beneath him.
“All of you… get out of here. No one is to cause trouble at the Yan clan manor. The consequences will be on your own heads!” The servant’s bravado collapsed into hollow bluster.
Crack!
Ye Fan swung a palm and shattered the man on the spot. Shards of bone and flesh splattered in every direction. After all these years — having cut down saints while at the Immortal Three stage of Dao Severing — this was nothing at all to him now, let alone the present moment. None could stop him.
“Ye Fan, brother — stay calm. Don’t be rash. They must have a supreme powerhouse presiding over them. They’re unafraid for a reason — they’re waiting for you to come to them.”
Boom!
What followed was a single action from Ye Fan: holding the long black-gold spear in one hand, ice-cold and thick, he thrust it forward — and with a thunderous boom, he lifted the entire magnificent gateway into the air and shattered it to pieces in the sky.
He had pierced through and obliterated the Yan clan’s grand gatehouse, which spanned dozens of zhang, and let the dust drift and settle — expressing with direct action his resolve against the Yan clan of the Human Race’s Second Sacred City.
Ye Fan stood tall and upright before the Yan clan manor, his black hair loose and flowing. Then he turned sharply to face the gathered powerful figures on the street. From his eyes shot two arcs of cold light as he spoke in a deep voice: “Everyone — we are all powerful figures who have set foot on the ancient star road. We are rulers of our respective domains. We each carry within us an indomitable conviction. And yet, look at what we have been met with here. Even a mere servant dares to act this arrogantly, shaming and humiliating us. How can this be tolerated? They did not insult only me — they insulted every one of us trial contestants. Was that behavior just now aimed solely at me? It was aimed at all of you! Do you still carry an undefeatable heart? Can you bear such humiliation?!”
His words rang out and echoed across the entire street: “Six foreign race members entered the primordial training ground without restraint, surrounding and attacking trial contestants — and someone deliberately let them in. And yet even now, they remain free and unpunished! They have not been held accountable. And today they continue to walk free! We need an explanation! Otherwise, who can guarantee that the next time someone enters a trial ground, they won’t be ambushed and killed in secret? Look at what the Yan clan has done — openly sheltering foreign races, undermining the fairness of the ancient star road, violating the laws, trampling on the rules! Everyone here has seen what they just did: they are provoking us, belittling the dignity of trial contestants — this is intolerable! Is there anyone who dares to storm inside with me? Let us overturn the Yan clan and wash away this disgrace!”
Ye Fan bellowed, the black long spear in his hand glinting with cold metallic light, slanting upward toward the southern sky. His bearing swallowed mountains and rivers, his might surging like an ocean tide.
“We have been treated unjustly — surrounded and attacked by foreign races in the trial ground. There must be an explanation. Otherwise, the road ahead will bring more people to violate the rules, and I trust the enforcers of the ancient road: if they arrive, they will certainly stand with us! Today, an explanation must be had! Let me be the first to strike — let me storm the Yan clan! Let us cut down this injustice! Someone must stand up!”
Ye Fan declared, striding forward in great steps toward the interior of the compound. The long spear in his hand rang and resonated with a sharp, clear tone as arcs of brilliance tore open the heavens and earth.
“He’s right — we need an explanation. If the rules are broken like this, and if every trial ground were to operate the same way, sooner or later we’ll die without even knowing how we died!”
“We demand justice! Allowing foreign races into the primordial training ground, and in the end giving no account whatsoever — letting them walk free — while even now they’ve been taken into the Yan clan manor. This is the former Grand Commander’s estate. What does this mean? Nothing can be settled without a clear explanation!”
Cries rose from many trial contestants as they poured in behind him. When all was said and done, it was Grand Commander Yu Han who had gone too far — as a protector of the law, he had worked to harm cultivators, filling every person with cold dread, fearing this could happen again in the future.
This was not for Ye Fan’s sake — it was for their own future safety. They had to add their voices, even if most of them would not make an actual move, and they followed in anyway.
And even more people were simply there for the spectacle, shouting and crying out, while the original residents of the city added to the uproar. Those who resented the Yan clan were truly many — the Yan family had long been overbearing and high-handed, and public indignation had been building for a long time.
“Storm them! Get a straight answer. Why does the Yan clan have this much audacity — sheltering foreign races, allowing the unjust killing of trial contestants? They need to answer for this!”
“I want to ask the Yan clan — who gave you the authority? Even your servants dare to act this arrogantly, shaming and humiliating us. What do you think you’re doing?!”
The area erupted in complete chaos. No one was actually making a move — only Ye Fan advanced in front, alone. But the crowd behind was shouting, and whether they were making noise for the spectacle or urging him on, the momentum was enormous.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Ye Fan bellowed, his gaze catching two foreign race powerhouses in an instant. These two had deliberately shown themselves — it was intended as provocation to draw Ye Fan in, to lure him to charge inside. But what they had not anticipated was the turn of events: a crowd, stirred up by Ye Fan, poured into the great compound.
The two tore open the void and turned to flee.
“Whooooo…”
A strange, howling sound tore through the air. Ye Fan shook his hand and hurled the black long spear — a streak of dark light pierced through the heavens. With a wet sound, it drove straight through one of them. A rain of blood poured down, and the spear pinned the man against a towering archway in front of them — drenched, dripping red!
At the same time, Ye Fan bent his bow. A white bone arrow was loosed — and with a wet sound, it shot the second man through and killed him in an instant. A piercing scream rang out as the man exploded in the sky, a rain of blood and shattered bone scattering down.
“Today, Ye Fan is here to demand an explanation from the Yan clan!” Ye Fan bellowed, his black hair sweeping in the wind.
“Who dares cause trouble in the Yan clan’s territory?!” A voice of imposing authority rang out.