Shhh!
One beam of divine radiance after another shot upward, weaving together high in the sky to form a killing formation that ground toward Ye Fan, its murderous aura towering into the clouds.
The city walls were ancient, the array formations endless. In this moment they all surfaced at once, branded across the void like divine symbols and ghostly runes — profound, mysterious, and awe-inspiring to the very soul.
Ye Fan drew in a sharp breath. Unfolding his Circulation Word Secret, he rapidly retreated, dodging the devastating strike.
The array formations of this ancient city were terrifying. He estimated that at minimum, a pinnacle grand master had laid them down. They had existed across endless ages — at some point, a figure of sage-lord caliber had presided over this place.
“Activate the array formations! Guard the ancient city! Strike down the vile enemy who dares attack us!” The middle-aged man on the city wall smiled coldly, fixing his gaze on Ye Fan in the sky above and issuing the command.
Swish!
This crumbling city was indeed strange. It could concentrate the power of all divine formations into a single point, making the offensive force incomparably vast. In this moment, everything converged into a razor-sharp beam of divine light — like a heavenly sword slashing outward.
Clang!
A colossal sword radiance a thousand zhang long split the sky in an instant, its power equal to a single strike from a sage-lord level figure. The beam of light blazed and dazzled!
An ordinary person would most likely have met their end there, for the ancient city’s reaction was far too swift — the beam was unleashed in the blink of an eye, nearly impossible to evade.
But Ye Fan was not among the ordinary. He cultivated the Circulation Word Secret of the Nine Secrets, representing the supreme attainment in that domain. He left behind a phantom in place and vanished into thin air.
“You have defied your superiors and committed an unpardonable crime!” Ye Fan moved like a flash of light, swooping downward with a whoosh.
“You’re seeking death! Even a half-step grand master wouldn’t dare storm this city by force!” The middle-aged man smiled coldly, a thread of mockery on his lips, activating all the array formations as he stood motionless on the city wall.
Swish, swish…
The entire ancient city seemed to come alive — like a peerless swordsman — sweeping out one arc of sword radiance after another, each thousands of zhang in length, the divine light slashing apart the churning clouds.
Ye Fan’s eyes brightened. This city was truly remarkable. He did not know what sort of pinnacle figure had left it behind, yet it was a superb place that had gathered the essence of the earth’s veins, converting it into unparalleled offensive power — like a sage-lord doing battle. It gave his heart a jolt, something well worth pondering.
Hundreds upon thousands of beams of light swept out — even a fly would have been reduced to powder. Yet Ye Fan drew ever closer, his strange and uncanny footwork passing through the light curtain like water, breaching it to enter the city.
“You…”
The ancient city walls erupted into chaos. No one could understand how he had done it — walking into an unguarded land, weaving through the array formations to enter the city.
Ye Fan’s sleeves were somewhat tattered. Even executing the Circulation Word Secret and choosing a damaged section of the wall where the formations had gaps, he had still been struck by sword radiance.
Had it not been that his physical body surpassed that of a sage-lord, that single blow just now would have wounded him. This ancient city held tremendous value. Without a new breakthrough in his Circulation Word Secret, he could only barely manage to enter.
Ye Fan said nothing at all. He strode forward with great steps, and the entire main street trembled beneath his passage. Everyone changed color, murderous light flashing in their eyes as they raised their weapons.
“This domain was bestowed upon my elder brother by Grand Tutor Xiao — are you trying to seize it?” the middle-aged man bellowed.
Ye Fan had no patience to bandy words with him. He opened his mouth and released a golden lotus, which transformed into a beam of divine radiance and surged forward, intending to suppress the man.
Swish!
With a great roar, the middle-aged man brought forth a small exquisite pagoda, from which cascaded a shimmer of multi-colored light to meet the attack. But how could it possibly withstand the golden lotus formed from Ye Fan’s innate single qi?
Crack!
The exquisite pagoda was punctured on the spot, reduced to a heap of scrap iron that scattered across the street. The middle-aged man staggered several steps backward, his expression one of utter disbelief.
The innate vital energy of the Sacred Body was invincible — utterly beyond his comprehension. Ye Fan could even slay those at the sixth transformation of Dragon Transformation; there was no need to speak of what he would do to this man.
Smack!
The lotus formed of innate single qi descended and sent the man flying sideways, crashing heavily into the city wall. Bones shattered, tendons snapped — he could no longer rise.
“Don’t kill me!” the middle-aged man screamed in terror, realizing he had provoked a lethal threat — someone absolutely not to be trifled with.
Pff, pff…
Ye Fan pointed in rapid succession, immobilizing the dozens of soldiers all at once so they could not move at all. A cold smile crossed his lips as he said, “And you rabble think you can intimidate me?!”
“Spare us! We meant no offense — it was all the city lord’s orders!” Many of them cried out in pleading terror. Their cultivation levels were all quite low.
“Who dares make trouble in my Hut City?” A stern voice rang out, and from within the city lord’s manor burst forth a terrifying undulation. A beam of divine radiance came flying swiftly.
A flying sword the length of a palm — clear as autumn water, keenly sharp, and radiating cold light in all directions — transformed into a bolt of lightning and slashed toward Ye Fan’s throat.
The trail it carved through the air was a blur, the surrounding void itself twisting from its speed and force — enough to make anyone shudder.
Clang!
Ye Fan caught it with his bare hands, sending out a cascade of brilliant sparks. The flying sword wailed in lamentation as it plunged downward. He caught it between both palms and gave a fierce shake.
Crack!
A secret treasure, forged through a hundred rounds of tempering and consecrated with a master’s lifeblood, was destroyed on the spot — reduced to a scatter of iron filings.
“This… this is a monster. Just what kind of person is this?!” Everyone stood with gaping mouths.
The city lord was at the sixth transformation of Dragon Transformation. The very moment his life-bound flying sword was brought forth, it was destroyed. This young man before them was far too terrifying.
Swish!
A middle-aged man emerged — the lord of Hut City — his face dark as still water. “This is my Xiao Family’s domain. Are you challenging the authority of Grand Tutor Xiao?!”
“From this day forward, this city has changed hands. Don’t tell me you didn’t know — and don’t try to play dumb either. If you do, I’ll make it very clear with my fists,” Ye Fan said, charging forward directly. “You were the ones who wanted to intimidate me, were you? Let me show you — there are some people who cannot be provoked!”
Bang!
His fist unleashed no blaze of radiant light, yet it shattered the void, supremely firm and supremely Yang, its power beyond all compare. Wherever it passed, the void collapsed — terrible beyond measure.
Crack, thud…
Various magical artifacts flew out to stop Ye Fan, but under his fists, all were utterly futile — reduced to fragments and debris, leaving a great heap of ruined copper and scrap iron on the ground.
The middle-aged city lord was completely dumbstruck. Never had he seen such a powerful physical body. He mistook it for a sage-lord level figure before him and completely forgot to draw upon his own formidable spiritual power.
Bang!
Ye Fan moved with incredible speed. In an instant he was right in front of the man, and one punch landed squarely on his chin. Teeth scattered in every direction as he flew backward a hundred zhang like a puppet.
Thud!
The city lord slammed straight into the city wall. His jaw was reduced to shattered fragments, his entire body riddled with bone fractures. He lay there unable to move so much as a muscle, his eyes filled with shock and terror.
“Is that all there is?” Ye Fan shook his head.
Terror gripped everyone. What manner of person was this — how could they possibly deal with him? So young, yet already comparable to the monstrous geniuses of the Qishi Mansion.
They thought of how, just moments ago, they had intended to intimidate him. The color drained from every face until not a trace of blood remained. Many could not stop themselves from trembling.
“It has nothing to do with us — it was all the city lord’s orders…” The dozens of soldiers, their immobilization lifted, all fell to their knees and kowtowed ceaselessly. Every last trace of their earlier ferocity had vanished.
“All of you — stand up and speak,” Ye Fan said, walking over and landing several kicks on the city lord and his brother. He began to interrogate them and extracted a great deal of information.
Afterward, he pressed a finger to the center of each person’s brow, erasing certain related memories. With a physical body as powerful as his, he did not wish for people to deduce anything from it.
“All of you — vanish from Hut City. Don’t let me lay eyes on you again!” Ye Fan roared.
These soldiers were all cultivators and all bore the Xiao family name — over two hundred of them in total. Their strength was limited, however, and every last one of them, including the city lord, was driven out by Ye Fan. As for the city lord and his brother, Ye Fan crippled their cultivation.
Word reached the commoners of the ancient city, and all were greatly startled. This new city lord was quite the character — taking up his post entirely alone, without a single subordinate at his side.
This crumbling little city was not large. At present it housed only a few thousand residents — truly no grander in scale than a small town.
Ye Fan did not want the city to lose all law and order. That very day he recruited some men, reorganized the city’s forces, and established certain rules.
So long as there was normal order, he would not interfere overmuch. He had come here for the Desolate Hut — not to truly be a lord.
Ye Fan strolled through the countryside on foot, making his way to an ancient village. This place was reputed to be the very spot where the ancient Great Emperor had built his hermitage — shrouded in an air of mystery.
A great expanse of ancient scholar trees encircled the village. Every one of them bore the weight of many years — some with bark cracked open, some with hollow trunks — and no one could say how many years they had grown.
The canopy was vast and unbroken, the shade dense and somewhat heavy with a brooding air. The ancient village was small — no more than fifty-odd households — and their ancestors had lived here generation after generation, never once relocating.
When they learned this was their newly arrived lord, young and old alike were filled with apprehension. They hurried forward in a deep bow of respect. Ye Fan bade them rise and gave each person a small piece of silver.
Seeing how he carried himself and how approachable he was, the villagers shed their fear and answered every question he asked, giving him a great deal of information.
“My lord, please do not attempt to comprehend the Dao here under any circumstances. As our ancestors have passed down through the generations, many cultivators have died in this place. No one dares to come here now.”
Common folk residing here experienced no abnormality whatsoever. But whenever a powerful cultivator came to this place to seek enlightenment, disaster would invariably befall them, and they would perish without explanation.
“These ancient scholar trees that surround the village — no one knows how many tens of thousands of years they have grown. They neither grow further nor wither and die. Year after year, nothing about them changes.”
Upon hearing this news, Ye Fan was greatly astonished. According to what the villagers said, these ancient trees had existed since time immemorial and had always been exactly thus — yet neither had they been seen to attain any form of spiritual sentience.
From that point on, Ye Fan paid a visit there every day, wandering about and learning a great deal about the place.
By now, sitting in secluded meditation had yielded little effect for him. These days he walked about outdoors instead — watching clear springs babble, fallen leaves drift, and flowers float down — and found it far easier to gain enlightenment this way.
Half a month passed. Everyone in Hut City came to know that this lord did nothing useful all day, merely wandering the mountains and enjoying the scenery without attending to proper affairs. At least he was kind and generous to people, without airs, and would not punish anyone for any reason.
The villagers of the Desolate Hut had also grown increasingly familiar with him. Many a snot-nosed little child no longer feared him, and liked nothing better than to follow at his heels — for Ye Fan brought sweets every time he came.
“What are you crying about, Er Gouzi’s little snotty kid?” Ye Fan noticed that a child who liked to follow behind him begging for sweets was now bawling with a wide-open mouth, snot and tears streaming in equal measure.
“Uncle Er Gouzi was beaten in the fields — he’s bleeding a lot, and he might not make it — that’s why the snotty kid is upset.”
“His grandfather went to reason with them and was beaten up too — his bones were broken.”
The other children came running over and chattered away all at once, each trying to get the story out first.
“City lord brother, please go take a look! Save them!” a little girl wept.
These villagers were simple and honest folk — their names things like Er Gouzi and Big Rock — meant, they said, to make children easier to raise. They almost never had any conflicts among themselves. How could something this serious have happened? Ye Fan frowned.
“City lord brother, please go save Uncle Er Gouzi! So many of the uncles went to speak up for him — and they’re all bleeding so much!” More children came running back in tears.
Ye Fan was not one to put on airs. He came to this village every day, and many of the children had grown quite close to him, addressing him as casually as they pleased.
“Don’t cry, little snotty kid. I’ll go take a look,” Ye Fan said, striding out of the ancient scholar tree grove and heading into the fields. A group of children followed along behind him.
Several li away in the fields, cries and shouts could be heard. The snotty kid’s father lay on the ground covered in blood, barely breathing more out than in. A white-haired old man sat beside him, his own mouth stained with blood, shaking Er Gouzi and trying to rouse him.
Many villagers stood around, seething but not daring to speak. Not far away, several figures stood with arrogant indifference. A single glance made clear they were cultivators.
In the fields were several exotic beasts. Among them, a dragon horse was eating the crops. The cause of the conflict was immediately apparent. The snotty kid’s father had seen his crops being destroyed and gone forward to reason with them — and had ended up in his current state.
“How could you treat people this way?!” one of the villagers could not help but cry out.
“It just ate a few crops — I already said I’d give you some silver. Don’t make a fuss here. If you startle the dragon horse, your lives won’t be enough to pay for it!” one of the men shot back impatiently.
“Our crops are our lives. You’ve treated us with utter contempt,” many of the villagers said, their resentment plain.
“What a racket,” the man sneered, casting a dismissive look over the crowd.
Ye Fan could see it plainly: the several exotic beasts were of kinds rarely seen in the world — none of them common creatures, all clearly sentient. In motion, they were likely capable of extraordinary speed.
These few people, though dressed in fine clothing, were clearly servants — responsible for caring for these exotic beasts and nothing more. It was easy enough to connect them to the talented geniuses of the Qishi Mansion.
The Qishi Mansion lay within the immortal mountains and was not too far from this place. Their mounts being tended by others and grazed outside was entirely plausible.
Shortly after, a villager confirmed his suspicion. They had indeed come out of the ancient immortal mountains and belonged to the Qishi Mansion. These people had been appearing frequently of late, domineering and insufferable.
“Apologize, compensate for the damages, and then leave this place immediately!” Ye Fan said coldly.
He crouched down, took out a bit of divine spring water and poured it into Er Gouzi’s mouth, then kneaded and pressed along his body, bringing him back to consciousness. He then helped the snotty kid’s grandfather reset his broken bones. The old man, white-haired and frail, shed tears from his clouded eyes, blood at the corner of his mouth — a wretched and pitiable sight.
Ye Fan rose to his feet and said, “I’m speaking to you. Did you hear me?”
“Who are you to think yourself someone important?” one of them sneered. The others greeted his words with the same arrogant contempt.
“Nothing but a pack of lackeys, and you dare to throw your weight around here. Even your masters would be beneath my notice when they arrive!” Ye Fan thundered.
“You… who are you? What gives you the nerve to interfere with us?” Several of them changed color.
“I am the lord of this domain. Within a radius of a hundred li, everything falls under my authority. Whoever enters here must abide by my laws — no exceptions!” Ye Fan said coldly.
“Ha ha ha! A petty little lord dares to speak so grandly! You frightened our exotic beasts — not even ten lives would be enough to pay for that!” one of them burst out laughing.
“Ignorant fools.” Ye Fan struck out with a single palm. Though these men were all skilled fighters, how could they possibly withstand him? Every one of them vomited blood and crumpled to the ground.
“You… how dare you do this to us — do you know who we are?” They put on a fierce front, though their hearts had already caved.
“Just a bunch of lackeys. Get over here and kowtow in apology,” Ye Fan said coldly. “As for that dragon horse — I’m keeping it. It’ll be slaughtered for the villagers to eat. If you don’t accept that, have your masters come find me.”