Chapter 1129: Heaven

The starlight, like falling rain, cascaded upon the woman, making her appear even more ethereal, as if she were poised to ascend to immortality. With a swift movement of her hands, she charged towards the red-haired man, unleashing a thunderous strike.

"Boom!" A celestial radiance erupted. The moment the Taishang Divine Art was unleashed, the area instantly disintegrated. Such combat prowess, stemming from the comprehension of the grand dao of heaven and earth and the use of external artifacts in the Eternal Kingdom, was astonishing.

Qi Meng, whose demeanor was typically as serene as a maiden, now moved with the speed of lightning. Each of her strikes shone with dazzling celestial radiance, demonstrating astonishing physical combat techniques. The Taishang Divine Art she wielded was truly terrifying.

"Hahahaha..." The red-haired man fought wildly, laughing loudly as he engaged. His handsome face bore a hint of ruthlessness. "In the Immortal Feather Star Sea, among our generation, when it comes to physical combat, if I claim to be second, few would dare to call themselves first," he declared. "Qi Meng, if you wish to contend with me, I will personally capture you, heh!"

The two engaged in a fierce battle within the cold vacuum of space. They unleashed a myriad of secret techniques, appearing as two intertwining bolts of lightning, making it impossible to determine a victor for a time.

From a distance, Ye Fan, observing from within an asteroid field, watched everything unfold with a look of astonishment. It was true that there were always greater heights to conquer; the world was never short of powerful individuals, and he had certainly encountered extraordinary figures here.

"In the Eternal Kingdom," he murmured to himself, "many major powers are refining the strongest evolutionary elixirs. Even if few succeed, it's likely there are other potions used to temper the physique, giving rise to many individuals who have transcended to a saintly level."

Qi Meng and the others from the silver holy ship found themselves trapped, encircled by a fleet of warships. The purple-glowing holy-grade spaceship had already positioned itself to prevent their escape.

The two individuals fought fiercely, employing numerous secret treasures. Their star region was home to a civilization where the grand dao and technology converged, naturally giving rise to many formidable weapons.

For a time, light shimmered, divine radiance burst forth, and weapons flew, distorting space and isolating a corner of the cosmos.

"Hmm, truly remarkable," the red-haired man mused, a cold smile on his face and his teeth stark white. "I've never heard of Princess Qi Meng's combat prowess before, but this battle reveals her astonishing talent. As a descendant of the Taishang Immortal Physique, it's clear your quest for the Fated Destiny Rock to refine the strongest elixir is intended to awaken the dormant bloodline within you, isn't it?" His attacks grew even more relentless as he pressed forward.

Qi Meng scoffed softly, saying, "Brahma, do not push your luck too far. Heaven has seized the Fated Destiny Rock of my Immortal Feather lineage, and now you seek to detain us. All of this has already been relayed back to my family. Even if your Grand-ancestor is an ancient saint, he will face boundless wrath. Heaven risks a calamitous downfall!"

Brahma, exuding an unsettling aura, replied, "I know your Immortal Feather family is vast, with deep foundations and ancient saints overseeing it. However, we haven't sought to annihilate you. This time, I propose a marriage alliance with your clan. The divine minerals we both collected, when combined, will be almost sufficient to refine the strongest elixir. Sharing it would be mutually beneficial, wouldn't it? And our descendants are destined to become the most powerful in the Eternal Kingdom!"

He possessed a formidable, imposing presence. Despite his laughter, he inspired awe, and many people cheered alongside him, lending their support.

Qi Meng chose not to say more, knowing that as a woman facing such a man, any words she spoke would put her at a disadvantage.

"Boom!" Both parties deployed their protective battle armor. Unfortunately, Qi Meng's divine armor had fractured in several places when the silver holy ship was breached, drastically reducing its defensive capabilities. Consequently, she was steadily forced to retreat.

"Qi Meng, even with intact divine armor, you are no match for me. As I said, in the Immortal Feather Star Sea, among our peers, who dares to contend with me in physical combat?" Brahma sneered, his offensive intensifying. He was on the verge of capturing Qi Meng alive.

From his position within the asteroid field, Ye Fan observed the entire scene from a distance. Though he couldn't see every detail clearly, he sensed the battle was extraordinary. He had no desire to intervene, as neither side had any direct connection to him. Furthermore, in this unfamiliar land, it was impossible to truly distinguish between good and evil.

"Rumble!" Suddenly, the holy-grade purple ship unleashed a beam of light, capturing Qi Meng of the Immortal Feather family. Purple energy surged, and nebular chains wrapped tightly around her, rendering her unable to move.

"Heaven's raiders, do you truly show no restraint? It was bad enough to seize the Fated Destiny Rock, but now you intend to abduct our princess as well?" A group of people behind them cried out in despair, but having already been taken captive, they were powerless to change anything.

From the purple warship emerged a valiant middle-aged man with flowing red hair. His gaze was sharp as a hawk's, and his presence as formidable as a drawn sword, exuding an imposing aura.

Standing beside him was another red-haired woman, tall and slender, with striking, long legs. She stood partially turned, her full features not entirely visible. She sneered coldly, "Brahma, you have a sacred artifact spaceship at your disposal, yet you insist on engaging in combat personally, chasing after women again? Grand-ancestor specifically told you to behave yourself and not act recklessly."

"Cousin Fan Xian, is that how you speak to your brother?" Brahma cast a lazy glance at her, then fixed his gaze on Qi Meng and walked forward, reaching out to cup her chin. "The immortal pearl, renowned throughout the Eternal Kingdom, has fallen into my hands, haha..." he declared. "We'll be married soon, and from that day forward, Immortal Feather and Heaven will be one family."

The members of the Immortal Feather family cursed in anger, struggling desperately. Qi Meng, bound by the nebular chains, her celestial face first flushed crimson, then turned ashen, yet she could not escape.

"Whoosh!" A crimson light intercepted Brahma's hand. The red-haired middle-aged man who had emerged from the purple spaceship spoke, "Brahma, behave yourself! No reckless actions!"

"Alright, Second Uncle." It was evident that Brahma held significant respect for this shrewd and formidable middle-aged man, not daring to defy him. This was Fan Zhou, a renowned figure in Heaven, who had reigned over this star sea for thousands of years, one of Heaven's celebrated leaders, whose fierce reputation preceded him.

"Don't worry," Fan Zhou said indifferently. "Your Grand-ancestor also desires the reappearance of the Taishang Immortal Physique and will personally arrange the marriage for you. Until then, no one is permitted to mistreat Miss Qi Meng." He then scanned the surroundings and ordered the battlefield to be cleared.

The purple holy-grade spaceship tore through the void, preparing for a spatial jump. Meanwhile, the woman named Fan Xian disembarked and walked towards another warship.

"Cousin, where are you off to?" Brahma asked with a wicked grin. "Are you going to clear your head? Not coming with us?"

"Do you think I'm like you, only interested in chasing women, so distracted by Qi Meng that you forgot about the infiltrators?" Fan Xian retorted. "I'm going to clear them out."

The massive fleet vanished, and the starfield settled into tranquility. A three-hundred-zhang warship, accompanied by four one-hundred-zhang spacecraft, then sped towards the asteroid region.

Ye Fan inwardly cursed, realizing he had been discovered. Although he had used a heaven-deceiving formation for concealment, a faint ripple had escaped when he first entered the area, leading to his detection.

Unwilling to risk any complications, he piloted his spaceship and turned to leave. His vessel was comparatively tiny, merely thirty zhang long, and clearly no match for them.

His ship streaked like lightning, possessing extreme speed, hurtling into the depths of the universe. Unfortunately, it couldn't shake off the pursuers; they rapidly gained ground and were about to overtake him.

"It's just a mineral survey vessel; I wonder which major power it belongs to," a burly, hairy giant of a man requested from within one of the one-hundred-zhang spacecraft, licking his lips with apparent excitement. "Miss, allow me to deal with him."

"Hairy loves a good game of cat and mouse, heh!" a bald man in another spacecraft remarked, his face fierce.

From the main vessel, Fan Xian nodded. "Alright, capture him alive. I wish to meet this individual. If we hadn't detected him entering that asteroid field earlier, he would have been incredibly difficult to locate later. He managed to hide there and evade our search."

"Heh heh, as you command! Kid, here I come! Let me show you Grandpa Hairy's firepower. First, I'll give you a taste of 'Ice and Fire Dual Heavens'; enjoy!" The giant man yelled excitedly, propelling his warship forward. It simultaneously unleashed two beams of light: one a pure technological blast, the other an energy surge woven from dao patterns.

Ye Fan's expression remained indifferent. He skillfully maneuvered his spaceship, darting into the depths of the cosmos, evading wave after wave of attacks.

"This kid's technique is impressive, I like it, haha..." Hairy laughed, resuming his frantic barrage of fire.

Ye Fan was annoyed. He could hear their taunts through the screen; he couldn't recall the last time anyone had dared to mock him in such a way.

"Boom!" He began to counterattack, unleashing all his available firepower. However, his mineral survey vessel was vastly inferior to the warships behind him. After his opponents erected a light barrier, his attacks simply failed to penetrate.

"Miss, let me join in," the bald man said, his eyes gleaming fiercely. "This kid's piloting skills are impressive; he's managed to dodge such fierce attacks. I particularly enjoy live targets like him."

"Very well, just ensure he remains alive," Fan Xian nodded, a flicker of surprise on her exquisite face. She had not anticipated Ye Fan would evade their attacks for such an extended period.

"Kid, I'm coming for you too! I'll give you a thorough workout, so get ready to enjoy yourself!" the bald man roared ferociously. Various divine lights shot forth, including both grand dao order chains and destructive technological weapons, piercing through the void.

"Damn it, those two bastards!" Ye Fan's expression changed. He realized he had been overtaken and was now caught in a pincer attack, bombarded by all kinds of firepower. His survey ship was hit; its energy shield proved useless, having been pierced. The hull was on the verge of exploding.

His piloting skills were almost flawless, but the ship itself was too inadequate. At that point, he could only burst out of the hull and escape into the starry void.

"Kid, try running now!" Several ships closed in, completely encircling him, and Hairy crowed triumphantly.

"Kid, go ahead and scream for help, but it'll be useless even if you scream yourself hoarse!" The bald man's eyes glinted fiercely as he burst into laughter.

These were raiders, constantly living on the edge, their lives always at risk. Therefore, they used various methods to relieve stress, and taunting captives was one such way.

"Baldy!" Ye Fan's eyes flashed with a cold gleam. A golden dao sword flickered from his glabella, cleanly slicing open the bald man's warship with a "whoosh," sending him plummeting out as well.

"Didn't realize he had some tricks!" the bald man called out, though he didn't sound particularly worried. "He has powerful Dao treasures on him; everyone be careful!"

Naturally, in the vacuum of space, they communicated via divine sense transmission. Ye Fan could roughly understand them, having already gained some comprehension of their language.

"Kid, how about we spar a bit with physical combat techniques?" the bald man said fiercely. "You look quite strong."

"Alright," Ye Fan responded, rushing forward. He delivered a light tap with his palm, using very little force, yet the bald man was still sent reeling, his hand nearly splitting open.

Ye Fan surged past, seized the bisected warship, and with a booming sound, hurled it. It slammed into Hairy's spacecraft, instantly deforming its hull, and a cry of pain erupted from within.

"Damn it, this kid has some serious strength; he needs to be taught a lesson!"

While effortlessly hurling a small mountain-sized spaceship in the vacuum of space might not seem extraordinary, if they had known that Ye Fan could just as easily hurl dozens, even hundreds, of actual mountains on a planet with powerful gravity, they would surely not have dared to challenge him to a physical combat duel.

"Kid, we won't bully you; we'll just challenge you to a physical combat duel," Hairy shouted.

Ye Fan's expression remained calm. He still hadn't used his full strength, wary of alerting the red-haired woman and allowing her to escape.

"Bang." He successively engaged the fierce bald man and Hairy, forcing them back. Even when they resorted to secret techniques and artifacts, he maintained the upper hand, occasionally kicking them in sensitive spots, though without applying overwhelming force.

Finally, the main vessel's hatch opened, and a red-haired woman emerged. She wore a shimmering purple short skirt, clearly a secret treasure, which revealed her two fair, slender, and delicate legs. They gleamed alluringly, dazzlingly beautiful; indeed, such long and graceful legs were rarely matched in the world.

"I will duel you," Fan Xian declared. Her face was not yet fully revealed, but one of her fair, graceful legs stepped out first, an incredibly alluring sight.

"You?" Ye Fan sneered coldly, looking into the cabin, curious to see what kind of woman this was.

"That's right, it's me. You don't seem to be from this star region. If you lose, how about you become my attendant?" Fan Xian's voice was magnetic.

"And if you lose?" Ye Fan countered.

"Whatever you wish," Fan Xian replied calmly.

Ye Fan laughed heartily. She actually intended to engage him in a direct physical confrontation, and he had yet to encounter many who could match him.

"Kid, how dare you laugh! You're nowhere near capable of a physical combat duel with Miss Fan!"

"Heh, the bloodline power of the Brahma Combat Physique's descendants is unparalleled. Who can contend with them in physical combat? This kid thinks he's found a great bargain; if he isn't beaten half to death this time, I'll eat my hat."

"Over the years, countless individuals have challenged Miss, and all have returned defeated. Daring to compare physical combat techniques with her is practically suicidal!"

The bald man, Hairy, and the others all burst into laughter, their expressions mocking and their eyes glinting fiercely.

Personnel also emerged from the other two warships and the main vessel, encircling the area. They watched the scene unfold like spectators at a show, their eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Kid, you'd better surrender quickly and reveal your secrets, or you'll certainly be laid up for half a year before recovering."

"You're far from capable. Even if you were holding back just now and only used ten percent of your true combat strength, you still wouldn't stand a chance against Miss Fan."

Ye Fan was speechless. This group clearly believed they had him cornered, yet their confidence also made him abandon his casual demeanor. This woman, after all, was a descendant of the Brahma Combat Physique.

Even before arriving in this star region, he had heard of them: the Primeval Demonic Physique, the Brahma Combat Physique, the Taishang Immortal Physique—all legendary, hailed as the strongest physiques ever to emerge in this region!

Fan Xian's beautiful legs were unparalleled, astonishingly long and exquisite. She stepped out of the hatch, swaying gracefully. Her figure was slender, revealing a fair and supple, delicate waist around her navel. Her upper body was also clad in purple divine clothing, revealing a pair of pristine, lotus-root-like arms that gleamed with a crystalline luster. Her chest was full, seemingly poised to burst forth.

Her long red hair was exceptionally bright and cascaded naturally. Her skin, fair and translucent, complemented her hair, creating a dazzling contrast. Her melon-seed-shaped face featured large, sparkling, and strikingly beautiful eyes. Coupled with her vivid red lips, these features made the woman appear incredibly captivating, both alluring and mysterious.