This young man appeared to be only about twelve or thirteen years old, his expression dripping with venom and hatred, his gaze cold and still as a poisonous serpent’s as he stared at everyone present.
A powerful figure with the surname Liu? Ye Fan turned it over in his mind but could not place the name. The road he had traveled was one of unending battle — especially during the chaos of the Holy Spirit War, fighting and bleeding for twenty years straight, with soul fragments and bones flying everywhere. How could he be expected to remember every single person?
“You cannot even remember? Killing my uncle left not even the faintest impression on you. You truly are a butcher — a man who kills without hesitation or remorse.” The young man cried out with poisonous resentment.
“An obscure, nameless figure — not the sort to etch themselves into my memory.” Ye Fan replied.
“You—!” The young man trembled with fury. The person he had thought about and grieved over for so long did not even warrant a place in the other’s mind — did not even register as a concern. It was a devastating blow to his pride.
“Holy Body, you are truly arrogant.” One of the two law-enforcers snapped sharply, silver armor flowing with light across his body — clear and brilliant as the full moon pouring forth its white radiance.
Ye Fan fixed his gaze on him, feeling a faint sense of recognition. When he looked more carefully at the Grand Radiance Silver Essence battle robe the man wore, something shifted in his expression. A memory surfaced.
“Could it be Liu Ye — that law-enforcer of despicable character who turned out to be a fraud?”
At the second city of the human race’s Ancient Road, a law-enforcer by the name of Liu Ye had once appeared — cold and cruel — who had tried to use his authority to have Ye Fan shackled and executed on the spot.
At the time, everyone had been stunned, Ye Fan included. But the truth soon came out — Liu Ye was a fraud. He was nothing more than a nephew of a genuine law-enforcer, wearing his uncle’s battle robe to lord over others and behave with reckless arrogance.
In the end, though someone had tried to protect him, Liu Ye was still run through by Ye Fan’s icy war lance, pinned to a flagstone floor, his blood spreading across the ground in a widening pool.
It was that very battle which had first made Ye Fan’s name known on the human race’s Ancient Road.
“You are Liu Ye’s family?”
“That is correct!”
So many years had passed since that affair. Ye Fan had assumed the matter was long buried and forgotten — that as law-enforcers, they would never do anything so outrageous as this. Yet here was the result: this clan, utterly shameless and domineering, had come to eliminate him.
All these years, had it not been that he was perpetually walking the Golden Ancient Domain — in places ordinary cultivators could never reach — he would likely have faced their revenge long ago.
“Young man, you acted too ruthlessly. Even if Ye’er was in the wrong, there was no need to take his life. This disaster is entirely of your own making.” One of the law-enforcers said.
“You are his uncle?” Ye Fan asked.
“That is correct.” Liu Mingde nodded. Back then, Liu Ye had put on his battle robe and gone to the second city of the human race — only to fall there, shedding his blood across the starry sky, leaving him with a wound that had never healed.
Ye Fan rebuked him scathingly: “As a law-enforcer on the Starry Sky Ancient Road, do you have even a single shred of conscience or self-awareness left? Shielding your own kin, knowingly breaking the law you swore to uphold, acting without restraint or shame, cold-blooded and tyrannical — do you even deserve to call yourself a law-enforcer? Strip off that uniform and that skin of yours — what is underneath is filth disgusting enough to turn anyone’s stomach!”
Liu Mingde’s expression turned dark and overcast in an instant. Though the spectators were watching from a distance and might not have caught every word of the rebuke, his face still turned grimly ominous.
“A nest of vipers and rats — every manner of ghoul and demon has shown up. This pack of them has clearly thrown all shame out the window.” Pang Bo jabbed contemptuously.
It was evident that several factions had formed an alliance, joining forces without restraint to surround and kill Ye Fan here. Reason was pointless — there was nothing left to say.
Clap. Clap…
Someone began clapping slowly as they walked in from the distance with measured ease, entering the cluster of jade pavilions and gem-studded towers. His face bore a look of cold detachment mingled with mockery as he said: “Well said — a righteous young man indeed. What a pity. In an age like this, people like that generally do not live very well.”
He was a young man of tall and slender build, with a face as smooth and radiant as fine jade — handsome and martial in bearing. He wore golden armor and had his hair bound up in a purple-gold crown, cutting an imposing and towering figure, with eyes that were sharp and keenly discerning.
“Little uncle, kill him quickly — avenge Uncle Liu Ye!” The young man with the venom-filled gaze shouted. In truth, his real age was quite different from what his appearance suggested.
The young powerhouse wearing the purple-gold crown said lightly: “Rest easy. Not a single one of them will get away. Every last one will go down with him.”
His words were calm — his voice was not especially loud — but they carried a pressure within them, along with a faint but unmistakable sense of soaring confidence.
Pang Bo, Ji Haoyue, and the others watched him with cold eyes, sensing a dangerous aura radiating from this person. It seemed to belong not to the realm of Saint King, but to that of a Great Sage!
“He is Liu Feng — gone missing for over a hundred years, and now this man of heaven-defying talent has returned!”
“Is it truly him? This is an extraordinary rising talent whose abilities left even many of the older generation dumbfounded. It is said he went out to train and seek out great teachers — and he has been gone for over a hundred years.”
In the distance, some of the city’s long-time residents had recognized the identity of the young man, and they were deeply shaken. He was the Liu Family’s most promising powerhouse.
At this moment, Liu Feng allowed his aura to flow outward naturally, letting the majesty of a Great Sage wash over everything. Instantly, every single person felt as though they had been plunged into a pit of ice — shivering to the bone.
Throughout the city, many people exclaimed in astonishment. The Liu Family was indeed a force of enormous depth and power — one of the mightiest clans on the human race’s Ancient Road. Decades ago, the clan’s founding patriarch had passed into stillness, stripping them of the title of Ancient Road Guardian. But not long after, Liu Feng had now returned, taking his place among the ranks of Great Sages — and in an instant, the family had risen back to the summit.
Liu Feng had cultivated for less than three hundred years and had already become a Great Sage. Exceptional by any measure, anywhere. His powerful return now was like a vast and magnificent divine mountain rearing up from the earth, shaking all hearts.
“The Liu Family is truly remarkable — another Great Sage has risen, and one so young at that. Their strength on the human race’s Ancient Road has grown tremendously!”
Many people exclaimed in acknowledgment, for it was an undeniable truth. Liu Feng was not yet three hundred years old — compared to a Great Sage, whose lifespan typically stretched to six or seven thousand years, he was startlingly young. He had barely taken his first steps.
“After all these years, it is finally time to act.” The young man with the resentment-filled gaze said in a cold, thin voice.
The Liu Family had maintained a surface calm all these years, primarily because the great elder who had been their pillar of strength had passed away, and they had not dared to overstep. There was also the fact that Ye Fan’s whereabouts had always been nearly impossible to pin down — he was perpetually moving through the Golden Ancient Domain and the Mythological Ancient Territory, places beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.
“Truly a lot of effort to honor us — three Great Sages have come.” Long Ma showed his teeth in what was meant to be a grin but looked more wretched than a grimace.
“To properly see you off, a certain degree of solemnity is only fitting.” The law-enforcer Liu Mingde laughed coldly, his composure absolute and unshakeable. Three Great Sages standing together — who could possibly stand against that?
In truth, even a single Great Sage was capable of sweeping through an entire star region. With three powerhouses gathered here today, they could have obliterated dozens — even hundreds — of ancient and supremely powerful races.
These people were being extremely careful. This was nothing less than an absolute, guaranteed kill.
Ji Haoyue showed no sign of amusement. She called out sharply and sternly: “Do you still consider yourselves law-enforcers of the human race? Have you any sense of shame left? Biased enforcement is bad enough — but colluding with a foreign race to slaughter the human race’s elite trial participants? You are utterly without conscience!”
“Your words are slanderous. Your conduct on the Ancient Road has been a string of wicked deeds, and today you have gone even further — attempting to turn against and kill law-enforcers, driven by jealousy and a desire to secretly harm our Liu Family’s newly risen young Great Sage. For these crimes, the sentence is death without pardon!” Liu Mingde spoke with a cold, sinister voice, his gaze as venomous as a serpent’s. “There is no foreign race here. Furthermore, the living will always be worth more than the dead. Is one young Great Sage of our clan worth less than a few corpses? I believe that even if someone holds us accountable in the future, they will understand this logic well enough.”
“You are truly filthy — utterly without shame.” Even the most silent and reserved among them — the Ancient Golden Peng — had reached the end of its patience. Unable to contain itself any longer, it spread its wings, golden feathers blazing with brilliant light, surging forward and ready to launch itself into a killing strike.
Liu Feng’s chainmail shimmered like golden scales catching the light. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, powerful and heroic, threads of razor-sharp light shooting out from his eyes as he released the terrible pressure of a Great Sage’s aura.
As a Great Sage who was not yet three hundred years old, he possessed more than enough grounds for confidence — to look down upon all directions and stand apart from the heroes of his generation.
“Since three Great Sages have come, why go through such a degrading performance? Would it not be simpler to just strike directly?” Ye Fan said, his gaze sweeping all directions as he looked for other enemies hidden in the shadows.
Liu Feng was entirely unbothered, waving a hand with casual ease. “I don’t want you to die quickly and cleanly. The only way this is satisfying is to make sure you are thoroughly condemned first, and then we strike.”
“Who would believe those charges — only someone with a broken mind.” Long Ma fumed.
Liu Feng gave a cold, indifferent shake of his head, the purple-gold crown at his brow trembling slightly. “The satisfaction lies precisely in turning the impossible into the possible. It is a challenge — letting you die branded as criminals, buried under these accusations. How wonderfully gratifying.”
“In your dreams!”
“In this murky world, nothing is truly impossible. With enough power, anything can be done. I am going to throw this filth at you, and you will carry it to your graves without ever clearing your names — that is what I intend to make stick.” Liu Feng said calmly.
“To hell with that — who exactly do you think you are?” The Black Bear Sage erupted with rage.
“I am Liu Feng — a Great Sage. I can handle you all any way I please.” Liu Feng turned to face him with an unhurried, composed gaze.
Those offhand, casual words radiated a kind of supreme dominance that filled people with fury and indignation — yet no one could deny it. He was a fearsome Great Sage, and an extremely difficult one to deal with.
Just then, another figure approached from the distance — a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe, a large gourd strapped to his back, his gaze cold and still. He stopped some way off.
This person was extremely powerful. There was something familiar about him to Ye Fan, and after a moment he placed it — this cultivator bore a strong resemblance to Qi Tian, one of the human race’s Guardians of the Dao. He was very likely Qi Tian’s offspring.
Ye Fan’s heart sank. If this person was here, it could only mean one thing — Qi Tian himself was likely not far away.
Just as Pang Bo had said earlier — every ghost and demon was surfacing today. Everyone nursing a grudge had converged at once. This was meant to be a grand, final explosion — the settling of every last score on the human race’s Ancient Road.
Because these people knew. They knew that Ye Fan was about to leave this road — that once he did, there would be no further opportunity. His world would only grow broader and more vast from here.
Ye Fan had been silent for some time, his gaze sweeping all ten directions. The Origin Heaven’s Eye opened wide, sending out threads of golden light that poured into every corner of the human race’s final checkpoint, leaving nothing unseen. When he had finished, he had a complete picture of everything.
“I believe I have seen clearly enough. Since you have all come — then let us begin. Who dares to fight me?” His voice was calm.
Everyone froze. No one had expected that Ye Fan would be this bold, openly issuing a challenge in the presence of several Great Sages.
A moment ago, his divine eyes had blazed with light as he swept his gaze in all directions. Everyone had understood what he was doing — but none of them had paid it much mind.
The ash-gray-haired, ash-gray-eyed foreign race Great Sage laughed coldly. “An ant trying to shake a great tree? Even as the human race’s Holy Body — what do you think you can accomplish, challenging several Great Sages? You do not know when to quit.”
Liu Mingde sighed, then said: “I am reflecting on whether I have truly gone too far this time — summoning this many Great Sages just to deal with you. It really is making quite a mountain out of a molehill.”
Three Great Sages advanced together. Each one was a terrifying, overwhelming force. Their combined pressure set the entire ancient city trembling, as though three demonic gods had descended upon the earth.
Pang Bo, Ji Haoyue, and the others were all shaken. These were three unconquerable powerhouses — moving forward side by side. For someone at the level of Saint King, this was an absolute death sentence.
Ye Fan did not say a word. He walked forward alone, gesturing for Ji Ziyue and the others to fall back and watch.
Liu Feng smiled. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for Wang Tianyu and the ash-gray Great Sage to stop, then said: “They have all said the Holy Body is something remarkable. Let me be the one to end his life today.”
Liu Mingde transmitted a message from behind — something that sounded like an objection.
But Liu Feng’s expression remained perfectly at ease, unconcerned by any of it. He gave a casual wave toward Ye Fan. “Let me see how many moves you can last against me.”
Ye Fan smiled as well — a wide, gleaming white smile, dazzlingly bright. “You are certain you want to face me alone?”
That remark struck Liu Feng like a slap, and his expression instantly darkened. With his pride and self-confidence — a Great Sage before the age of three hundred, looking down upon all the world — how could those words possibly sit well?
Not to mention he had already intended to step forward. Even if he had not, those words alone would have made a one-on-one fight inevitable. Liu Feng’s expression turned cold and flat. “Make your move.”
Boom!
In the next instant, Ye Fan transformed into a vast, boundless golden ocean — his unrivaled fist force erupting outward with lightning and thunder, shaking the entire world!
In a blink, he was already right in front of Liu Feng. A thunderous crash exploded between them as the two collided in a violent, shattering impact.