“Even so, you need not have killed him! You are far too vicious — could you not simply have refused to enter the formation?” Feng Nainai called out from the shadows, laughing coldly, loudly denouncing Ye Fan and calling upon the various clans to rise together and cut him down.
By this point, Ye Fan had grown even more indifferent. He spoke unhurriedly. “He himself said we were irreconcilable enemies who would fight to the death. Since he was willing to resort to any means to lure me into the formation and kill me, was there any need to deliberate over killing him?”
The meaning was unmistakable — since they were enemies, he would simply kill them. Ye Fan had no interest in prolonged argument. At the same time, he was warning Feng Nainai: persist in being his enemy, and it would end the same way.
“Ahh—!” The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage howled to the heavens, truly seething with rage. The quasi-emperor formation had gone unused, and on top of that they were being mocked and ridiculed like this — how could he endure it? He cried out in denunciation after denunciation. “You conduct yourself with no restraint whatsoever, without any sense of morality or principle! You’ve opened up a killing spree here before the eyes of all — you’re without a shred of decency! Heaven itself will not tolerate this!”
Ye Fan sneered. “Clearly it was you who harbored vile intentions, and yet when I saw through them and killed you for it, you weep with such righteous indignation. Have you no shame? Do you even have a face left to show?”
“Crown Prince Huaizun set up a killing formation — what wrong was there in that? You didn’t dare enter, and yet you committed this vile act. What does that say about your ability!” Feng Nainai called out from the shadows.
“Very well then. By your logic — I, Ye Fan, will also set up an Emperor weapon formation right here, and I invite you to come and break through it. Do you dare?!” Ye Fan drew the immortal sword of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao with a clang. Cold light flashed, formation runes surfaced, and a phantom map of slaughtering the immortals manifested in the void — as though it had become a true domain.
He swept his gaze in all four directions, inviting the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage as well as the hidden shouter to enter the formation and fight him.
“You—!” The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage seethed with shame and fury. His face went red to the neck, his whole body trembling with rage. He jabbed a finger at Ye Fan and cried out: “Fellow Daoists, surely you have all witnessed this! He is far too overbearing — leaving this person alive will sooner or later be a catastrophe for all of us.”
He stirred up the various great heroes, hoping everyone would act together to suppress and execute Ye Fan — the great ancient imperial clans in particular were the targets of his appeals for aid.
“I implore all of you to act! When our clan’s Great Emperor descends upon this star in the future, he will never forget the kindness of those present!” At this moment, the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage had even said something like this, shocking everyone present as he promised glorious future rewards in his determination to have Ye Fan executed.
“What’s the matter — shamed into rage?” Ye Fan remained poised and composed, offering a cool smile. “Now I have set up an Emperor weapon as well — waiting for you to enter the formation. Is that not the same principle? Why do you refuse? Why do you claim that I am being overbearing? If you don’t dare come in, then don’t cry injustice on behalf of Crown Prince Huaizun!”
“Everyone here — if he is not eliminated today, you will regret it in the future. This person is ruthless and vicious by nature, and he will absolutely become an enemy of all clans one day. He must be removed!” Feng Nainai called out from the shadows.
“Indeed! This person is too underhanded. What should have been a fair duel has devolved into this — we implore all of you to uphold justice!” the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage shouted.
Ye Fan sneered. “Clearly it was you who harbored filthy intentions, setting up a quasi-emperor formation to lure me in and slaughter me — and when I exposed it and killed him, you package it and dress it up like this. Do you still have any face left? Why don’t you just fling your shamelessness down on the ground and be done with it? Since you want me dead and you are already my enemies, why not just come at me openly and squarely? The facts are plain to see — all this babbling is no better than erecting a memorial arch in a pleasure district. Is that not laughable?!”
The crowd burst into laughter, and the place dissolved into chaos at once.
Long Ma and the others naturally cheered and hollered without stop.
The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage’s face went ashen. Feng Nainai continued to agitate from the shadows, hoping the ancient imperial clans would act and cut Ye Fan down on the spot.
Shi Zhongxuan’s face carried a faint chill. “Brother Ye, you have gone too far in your conduct,” he said. “Even if Crown Prince Huaizun harbored malicious intent, there was no need to be so extreme — it hardly speaks to our Dao brother’s magnanimity and stature. It makes us ashamed to stand alongside you.”
Naturally, around him were those who could be counted as his companions, and upon hearing this, they looked over toward Ye Fan, each one putting on an expression of disapproval and head-shaking.
Ye Fan swept them with a glance and said directly: “Who do you think you are? You are worthy of standing alongside me? You are nothing but a petty person full of worry and grievance. Even the trash I’ve cut down was more capable than you!”
“You—!” Shi Zhongxuan choked on a mouthful of blood that surged upward, his face flushed crimson, his eyes blazing with sudden ferocity, a cold and deadly light flashing in his pupils.
What manner of person was he? He came from the Sacred Spirit lineage, with imperial blood flowing through his veins. He had always been treated with reverence wherever he went — and yet today he had been treated as utterly invisible, told he was not qualified to stand alongside his peer, publicly humiliated before everyone. It left him on the verge of coughing up blood.
Ye Fan gave him a single glance, then never looked at him again — treating him as he would a blade of grass or a tree.
At that moment, the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage was on the move — heading toward the quasi-emperor killing formation, trying to get inside it. He had already sensed that things were going badly for him.
But Ye Fan had already locked onto him and had been watching the whole time. He moved through the air and directly blocked his path. In his hand, the killing sword blazed with terrifying radiance, its energy piercing the stars.
The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage turned and started to leave — decisively enough. His opponent simply was not giving him any opening. As long as he could enter the formation, he could protect himself at minimum, and potentially even deal with Ye Fan. But now his path was cut off.
“Holy Body of the Human Race — you act with excessive violence! Do you intend to commit wholesale slaughter here before the eyes of all fellow Daoists in the world? To cut down a Great Sage — do you think the entire world has no one to stop you?!” Feng Nainai called out from the shadows.
“Can you alone speak for the entire world? Lurking rat, showing only your tail — I’ll settle accounts with you in a moment!” Ye Fan replied coldly with a single line.
He had cut off the old Golden Crow’s retreat and was advancing step by step toward him. Heaven and earth shook with his every movement. The killing sword in his hand blazed with murderous energy that soared into the sky and rolled outward in surging waves that nothing could stop.
A chill ran through the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage. Things had escalated to this degree — he couldn’t retreat even half a step. His expression was dreadful as he cried out. “What do you intend? Do you wish to throw your might around before all these fellow Daoists?”
“You yourself said you wanted to kill me — are you afraid now? And furthermore — stop placing your own will above the entire world. Who do you think you are? You don’t speak for all fellow Daoists!”
Ye Fan raised his sword and swept it forward, moving to kill the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage.
The clamor fell silent in an instant. Everyone’s blood ran cold. This was reality — all talk was useless. Ye Fan was brandishing an Emperor weapon to kill a Great Sage, and naturally that made everyone around him go pale.
Whoosh!
The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage turned white with shock. He transformed into a streak of golden light like a divine arrow and shot toward the outer domain — fleeing for his life.
Ye Fan took a single step. Heaven and earth shifted, mountains and rivers pivoted — he shot directly toward the stars and vanished from where he had been standing.
“Must the cycle of grievances never end? Fellow Daoists, there has been far too much killing in this world. This old man still says what he has always said — in all things, harmony is most precious.” Huntuo the Great Sage called out from behind them, projecting his voice at full volume.
Many people stumbled where they stood, silently gazing up into the heavens, mourning inwardly for the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage.
“Don’t even think about escaping!” Ye Fan arrived above the vast heavens and cut off the Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage’s path in an instant, draining the color from the other man’s face.
“Do you know that my clan’s Great Emperor is about to descend upon this world? If you act this way, there will be no place left for you anywhere under heaven!” The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage threatened with bluster that barely concealed his terror.
“Who can say what the future holds!” Ye Fan swept his sword forward.
The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage’s scalp went numb. His heart and gall bladder ran cold. He dodged with all his might, but it was useless — Ye Fan was faster than him. At this point, even begging for mercy would accomplish nothing; he knew full well the “fearsome reputation” Ye Fan had earned.
Pff!
A streak of sword light flashed past. The Golden Crow Clan’s Great Sage had only enough time to let out one shrill, wretched scream before blood rained down in torrents — Ye Fan’s sword had carved his head from his body in a single diagonal cut, and then his body was shattered apart piece by piece.
A great rain of blood fell. The crowd below cried out, and everyone scrambled to get away, not daring to be touched by it.
“Alas!” Huntuo gave a light sigh and shook his head.
This outcome left the entire area in dead silence. Only after a long moment did it erupt into a torrent of noise. Another Great Sage had died — in this world, where was there any safety left? The path to immortality hadn’t even opened yet, and important figures were already falling one after another.
Ye Fan descended with his long sword in hand. The last drop of blood fell from the sharp blade, making him look utterly godlike — wherever his gaze swept, very few people dared to meet his eyes.
This was a fearsome reputation carved out through battle and blood. All of the Northern Dipper knew it — and now those from beyond the outer domain truly understood the kind of person Ye Fan was. When it was time to kill, he would never let them go.
At this moment, no one was without apprehension. Even the Saints from beyond the outer domain had finally come to understand Ye Fan’s temperament: when someone deserved to die, he would not spare them.
Ye Fan scanned the crowd, then gripped his killing sword and walked directly forward, making straight for an old woman — his killing intent undisguised. Directly before him was Feng Nainai.
“Fellow Daoist, what is this?!” The people around him were already unnerved. Seeing him heading in this direction, they truly feared he would sweep his sword down and kill everyone in the area.
“To reason things out with her,” Ye Fan said, his long sword pointed directly at Feng Nainai.
“You — why is this? What grievance or enmity exists between you and this old woman?” Feng Nainai was frightened to the bone. She was highly formidable, but once truly faced with the Celestial Venerable Lingbao’s killing sword, she too had not the slightest ability to resist.
“Same thing as before — if you’ve done something, don’t go erecting moral monuments afterward!” Ye Fan gave a cold sneer and exposed her as the one who had been stirring people up from the shadows to act against him.
“You young one… far too arrogant! One day, even if no person deals with you, heaven itself will!” Feng Nainai cursed.
“Who are you? To have such intense hatred for me — could you be an old acquaintance of Qi Tian and the others from the Human Race’s Ancient Road?” Ye Fan smiled coldly. “Well, it doesn’t matter — I have no interest in finding out. I’ll send you on your way!”
This time, he struck her with the flat of his sword — unleashing a torrential gust of wind that sent Feng Nainai flying.
Boom!
Ye Fan followed up immediately, driving his killing sword and forcing Feng Nainai into the formation array that Crown Prince Huaizun had set up. In an instant, the great flags snapped and cracked in the wind, and murderous energy surged into the sky throughout the area.
Ahhh—!
Feng Nainai screamed in horror. In the span of a single breath she was torn apart. Every formation flag cut down a streak of killing light, slicing her into ten thousand pieces. Formidable as a Great Sage was, she could not withstand it.
“Those fellow Daoists on the Ancient Road may not be able to avenge me — but heaven will deal with you!” Feng Nainai uttered a curse, and with those final words, her body and spirit were both destroyed and extinguished.
The crowd was terrified. This formation truly was horrifying — genuinely equivalent to a quasi-emperor striking in person. Even a Great Sage who entered it would be dead in an instant, without even the remotest chance of survival!
Everyone on the scene felt a chill rise from the soles of their feet straight up to the tops of their heads, every single person shaken to their core.
“The Heavenly Dao is without feeling, but humanity has feeling. All living beings are sufferers, nothing more than those crossing through this mortal world in struggle and strife. Among all the ten thousand things, how rare and precious is the single word ‘harmony’ — and yet living beings cannot grasp it.” Huntuo the Great Sage lamented with boundless feeling.
Everyone who heard this, as though warding off ghosts and gods, scattered from his vicinity in an instant, abandoning the area entirely.
Ye Fan turned and looked at Shi Zhongxuan, fixing him with an indifferent stare.
“What do you intend? Do you mean to challenge our clan’s young master using an Emperor weapon?” A middle-aged man stepped forward, his expression grave.
“Challenge? He is not worthy. I merely intend to execute him. On the Ancient Star Road, I killed Sacred Spirits by the score — at least eight if not ten. What does he amount to?” Ye Fan said in a cold voice.
Everyone who heard these words was struck with terror — even Jiang Yifei, the Moon Spirit Princess, and Feng Huang were all shaken!