Chapter 1208: Stopping War Through Battle

Chapter 1209: Stopping Aggression with War

"Akabane is dead, his body shattered by the Human Saint Body. His blood splattered across the barren land, leveling nine peaks. Not even a wisp of his spirit escaped!"

Akabane, a powerful figure of the Blood Lightning Race, lay dead in the wilderness, his body and spirit destroyed on a battlefield tens of thousands of miles from his clan's ancestral land. This was shocking.

"For such an ancient saint with extraordinary cultivation to meet such an end is truly regrettable. The Human Saint Body is simply too powerful."

This was a huge sensation. Ye Fan, having first slain Silver Moon and then Akabane, shocked the world within days, drawing global attention. All the sages were watching. Had it been an ordinary person, it might have been unremarkable, but this was a venerable Ancestral King, high above and ruling over a region, who was utterly annihilated by Ye Fan's golden fists!

"Is the rise of the Human Saint Body unstoppable?" some sneered. "He dares to act so boldly, without fear, even as everyone in the world searches for him." This severely challenged their dignity. Such a powerful counter-attack not only killed Akabane but also, in effect, slapped these people in the face. Although Ye Fan had not spoken, his actions were a clear challenge to them: "If you dare to come for me, I will slay you!" This was a sharp counterattack, so oppressive that it left people breathless. The fall of an Ancestral King was a momentous event that no one would take lightly.

On this day, the entire world was in an uproar. People everywhere — above and below, on the ancient star, and in the outer domain battlefields — were discussing it.

"I never imagined that such a figure would emerge from our human race," some exclaimed. "We can finally hold our heads high, actively slaying ancient Ancestral Kings – how exhilarating!"

"Haha... good!" others cheered. "I've been waiting for this for so many years. We've been suppressed for too long, and finally, this moment has arrived. He killed well; it would be even better if he slew a few more!"

"These archaic beings are too overbearing," some said. "They've lorded over us for so many years, and now an Ancestral King has been killed... it's truly gratifying!"

The human race was naturally overjoyed and exhilarated. For so many years, even with Gai Jiuyou presiding, the White-Clothed Divine King deterring, and Wei Yi offering support, the human race had still been in a disadvantaged position. In the past two years, the ancient races had been wary of easy provocation and unwilling to start wars, yet they still maintained a dominant position. Situations like today were rare.

The Purple Mansion Holy Land, known as the ancient resting place of immortals, was shrouded in steaming purple qi. Ten thousand mountains stretched across it like dragons raising their heads, making it exceptionally mysterious. An old woman stood before an ancient stone statue. She bowed reverently, then stood up and said, "The Human Saint Body is stronger than I imagined. If a true Innate Holy Body Dao Embryo were to come into the world, would they display even more astonishing abilities?" She turned in the hall, looking towards a distant mountain peak. There, immortal mist swirled, hazy and mystical. A purple-clad girl, pure white and crystalline all over, sat cross-legged on a dao platform. Her black hair cascaded, shining like a mirror. With icy skin and jade bones, she radiated an ethereal purity. Her beautiful eyes were closed, long eyelashes trembling lightly, like a banished immortal maiden.

"Zixia, are you willing..." the old woman began from the peak, but she was interrupted halfway through her sentence by the girl.

"I am not willing!" The girl, like an elf or a fairy, opened her beautiful eyes, radiating astonishing brilliance.

"He killed another Ancestral King. His courage is indeed significant!" Inside the ancient cave, mist billowed and firelight spilled forth. Fire Qilin stood at the cave entrance, his eyes seemingly piercing through the void as he stared into the distance. Fire Lin'er, tall and slender, with bright eyes and white teeth, her red lips slightly parted, said, "To break the curse by his own strength and reach this stage is extraordinary. Even if he cannot prove the Dao, a Great Accomplished Saint Body can still look down on the world."

"If he is not the protagonist of heaven and earth, he cannot prove the Dao, and will ultimately meet a desolate end," Fire Qilin said, then, as if remembering something, his eyes flashed with a cold light. "Whether he can achieve Great Accomplishment also depends on whether he can reach that stage. Our clan's Qilin Undying Medicine is still in his hands. I will retrieve it!"

The upheaval caused by the slaying of the Ancestral King swept across the land, astonishing all regions, and people everywhere were discussing it. Among these reactions, the ancient races were the most enraged. This was the "junior" they had tried to eliminate years ago, who had now grown to this extent. The sages from outside the domain also watched with interest. Their interest in Ye Fan was solely due to the Green Cauldron; what they urgently wanted now was to obtain this item, and they were actively searching for it.

"Fellow Daoist Akabane has always been kind and gentle," some declared. "Who would have thought he would meet such an end? The Human Saint Body is too extreme. I will go and take his head to avenge my old friend!" Naturally, some were enraged and couldn't help but curse loudly, saying Ye Fan was too cruel to strike at a saint, and that it would be against heavenly principles not to execute him. Ye Fan merely chuckled at this. Others had already raised their butcher knives; could he be expected to show mercy? For him, not killing Akabane would have been against heavenly principles.

"Just think how free and easy Fellow Daoist Akabane was in ancient times, with astonishing grace, never arrogant about his talents, and very considerate to his peers," someone appealed. "Yet he died like this. Do any of you feel pain in your hearts? Are your swords humming? Are you willing to avenge him?" No one expected that this storm would truly gather. Some took the lead, others echoed, believing Ye Fan was unforgivably evil and should be immediately eliminated, otherwise, he would become a major calamity.

"For those who wish to kill me, and for those who wish to seize my cauldron, I am the great disaster on your path to immortality!" Ye Fan appeared, making a high-profile declaration in the Divine City. This was a naked provocation, openly challenging the ancient saints. This appearance shocked the area into silence for a long time. No one expected him to dare to appear, especially not in the Northern Region's foremost Divine City.

"Is he insane? His courage is so immense, you could cut off a piece of it and it would be enough to smash an elephant to death!"

"He actually appeared and challenged the sages?" The crowd was in an uproar, everyone shouting in disbelief.

After Ye Fan made his declaration, a domain gate appeared, and he retreated immediately, not wanting to linger. Several divine lights flew over, shattering that part of the void, hoping to force him out. Furthermore, two vague figures tore through the void and pursued him directly, locking onto his form, intent on killing him. These two chased him to the Central Plains, then rushed to the Western Desert, and finally charged out of the domain. However, the figure ahead slowly dissolved, turning into a wisp of clear qi.

"He must be killed!" Some great figures among the ancient races were truly enraged. Accustomed to their high and mighty positions, how could they tolerate such provocation? In their eyes, Ye Fan had struck them a blow and then returned to stomp on the wound. The sages from outside the domain merely sneered. Seizing the cauldron was their objective, and they cared nothing for the conflicts between the ancient races and humans; they would act as soon as their target appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Akabane, you died with grievances," an Ancestral King of the ancient races declared. "I will surely take the Saint Body's head and offer it as a sacrifice before your tomb, so you may rest in peace!" However, unfortunately, he did not get such a chance. The very next day, Ye Fan sought him out.

In the past few days, Ye Fan, through his connections with the Saint Prince and some archaic royal families, learned a lot of information and came directly to kill.

"You want to kill my spirit and take my head? Very well. I am here today. Come and try!"

On this dark night, the moonlight was dim, and the stars were hidden among the clouds. It was truly a dark, windy night, a perfect time for a drunken sword-wielder to kill. This ancient mountain range was the ancestral land of the Archaic Hun Tian Royal Family. Within it, ancient Saint Kings resided, and there were even beings that had not yet broken free from divine sources. The Hun Tian Clan was among the ten strongest royal families, terrifying and awe-inspiring. During the period they ruled the archaic era, the world submitted to them. This Ancestral King was named Tulu. He never imagined that Ye Fan would dare to approach their clan, which was filled with masters and had peerless ancient kings presiding; even royal families dared not easily provoke them.

Now Ye Fan had arrived, just outside their ancestral land, blocking his path. That figure, like a god or a demon, radiated an aura like a wild beast, making Tulu's hair stand on end in terror. Was this still a half-saint? Tulu actually felt as if he was facing a Divine Sovereign! That figure was tall and well-built, standing silently without speaking, yet possessing an imposing aura of peerless dominance.

"It's really you... Human Saint Body!" Tulu shouted. He was too powerful. Just a half-saint, yet he dared to lord over the ancestral land of their most ancient clan. Did he truly not regard the sleeping peerless Ancestral Kings? However, the next moment he was terrified, because his voice did not carry out. Instead, the stars shifted, and in an instant, he was on another battlefield, no longer in the ancestral land.

"This is..." Tulu's expression changed. His back felt a chilling dread, as if thorns were pricking his spine.

"Star Shift, one of the Heavenly Court's supreme secret arts!" Ye Fan said indifferently, with snow-white teeth and waist-length black hair, like a demon lord descended upon the world. Over the years, he had cultivated hundreds of scriptures and delved into various secret arts. He had naturally not overlooked the divine skin he brought back from the Undying Mountain, and many great killing arts were imprinted into his soul. In the past, his strength was insufficient, so he couldn't unleash them. Now he could fight a saint, and some complex secret arts requiring cultivation support could finally be displayed. Of course, this doesn't mean that secret arts requiring high cultivation are necessarily the top-tier ones in the world; this is merely a prerequisite and doesn't represent anything else.

Star Shift, as the name suggests, implies the passage of time and the change of things. In fact, it encompasses not only temporal shifts but also dramatic spatial transformations. It emphasizes the concept of "change." It can instantly carry enemies far away into an unfamiliar space-time battlefield. At its ultimate level, one might truly see ten thousand years in a glance, or turn back to find themselves already on the other side of the starry sky. Ye Fan had not yet reached such a divine realm; he merely brought his opponent with him through a domain gate, arriving a million miles away. This was the terrifying aspect of the Heavenly Court's killing secret art, impossible to guard against. Even though it hadn't been cultivated to perfection, it was enough to intercept and kill a saint in a clan's ancestral land!

This was a great battle, lasting half an hour. Ye Fan repeatedly practiced, unleashing all his secret arts to temper himself, consolidate his realm, and seek an opportunity to become a saint. Finally, the Monkey could no longer stand it. He swept his staff, smashing Tulu to pieces, with blood and bones splattering everywhere! Ye Fan acted at the crucial moment, plucking off Tulu's head, slaying his primordial spirit, and leaving behind the skull.

"Brother Akabane, your death is truly regrettable," someone lamented at his tomb. "After that day we parted, we can no longer meet. But rest assured, Fellow Daoist Tulu has organized forces, and we will surely avenge you." Before Akabane's cenotaph, several important figures stood together, verbally denouncing Ye Fan, and placed many offerings on the altar for the commemoration.

"Why hasn't Fellow Daoist Tulu arrived yet?" they wondered, looking surprised. Tulu of the Hun Tian Clan was the organizer; how could he still not be here?

"He's unwell; I've brought him," came a voice. In the high heavens, a domain gate opened, and a tall, slender figure appeared. Ye Fan shook his hand and threw down a bloody head. It crashed, shattering the stone table laden with offerings, leaving it covered in bloodstains.

"What?! That's... Tulu!"

"Fellow Daoist Tulu is dead!"

These people exclaimed in shock, and one after another, they furiously charged towards the sky. However, that figure was merely a wisp of clear qi, slowly dissipating into the void. On this day, everyone in the world was astonished and dumbfounded. Ye Fan's audacity was immense to actually do such a thing!

"To take a head and send it for commemoration—the Human Saint Body is too insane to actually do such a thing!" some declared. "He's too overbearing; he'll probably die young!"

"Even if he rushes into the cosmos, the various royal families will likely pursue him," others commented. "This is truly sharp and terrifying; his counterattack is too powerful."

In less than half a day, all regions were in an uproar. Ye Fan was powerful and tyrannical, embarking on a fearless massacre of Ancestral Kings.

"Hahaha... how satisfying! Our human race finally has an extraordinary young man!" Some were furious, while others were naturally exhilarated, and the world was in a commotion.

"If you dare to strike, I dare to kill. What if it's a saint's blood? To stop war with war, to stop aggression with aggression!" This was Ye Fan's resonant voice, spreading throughout the world.