Chapter 1263: Bloodstained Battlefield Ends

The Dragon Horse was first dumbfounded, then furious. “You’re really using it to wash your feet, you prodigal! May lightning strike you down!”

“It’s just the Source of Dao, what is it? My path doesn’t need its approval,” Ye Fan said, washing his feet on a bluestone while admiring the lake’s beauty. Immortal light spilled forth, and the light mass struggled violently, as if boiling, but it could not escape. Ye Fan felt utterly relaxed as he soaked his feet, his pores opening wide.

“How does it feel?” The Dragon Horse swallowed hard, utterly at a loss for words.

“It’s really comfortable!” Ye Fan replied, smiling. He knew the Source of Dao had great uses, but this immortal sacred object did not acknowledge him.

“You should try it too,” Ye Fan offered.

“Never mind for now. This... this is too insane. Others would worship it like a patriarch, but you’re using it to wash your feet!” The Dragon Horse, having lost all temper, then asked what he would do next.

Two days later, Ye Fan took action, beginning to contend for territory in this ancient battlefield. He had heard that there were several more strands of the Source of Dao. What should have been a single entity had split into multiple strands, scattered across various ancient battlefields, and was now being sought after.

Half a month later, after over a hundred bloody battles and employing the unique supreme Source Arts unparalleled anywhere, Ye Fan acquired another strand of the Source of Dao.

In a verdant valley, birds chirped sweetly. Ye Fan speared a great demon to death and entered the valley to rest and recuperate once more. The valley was rich with vegetation, giant trees reached to the sky, and several clear springs made it a very pleasant place.

“Ye Fan!”

From an ancient cave in the mountain wall emerged a young man, slender and refined, who was none other than Rui Wei, with traces of blood on his body. After entering this battlefield, he had endured several bloody conflicts, then went into hiding, as his primary goal was to move his clansmen from the depths of the starry sky to an ancient life-bearing planet.

“I heard that the second leader of the Thirteen Riders of the Heavenly Emperor wants to deal with you. He’s recruiting people, looking for the strongest seeded individuals to join forces and kill you,” Rui Wei informed him. This ancient land was incredibly vast, divided into several major regions. During these past days, Ye Fan had been fighting in the central region. Similarly, news of the Source of Dao had also come from the western, southern, and northern regions, but he hadn't yet had time to go there.

In this region, Ye Fan was paramount; the trial-takers were awed by him and dared not challenge him. Tuoba Yu, Mu Guanghan, Kutoutuo, Ouye Mo, and others also dominated their respective areas, but had not yet engaged him in combat. The Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland were also similar, dominating one ancient battlefield each, searching for the Source of Dao. None could rival them, but upon hearing that Ye Fan was in this area, they seemed poised to make a move.

“Their second leader is a ruthless and unscrupulous individual. He’ll stop at nothing to kill you and might even enlist extremely powerful figures.”

Ye Fan nodded in understanding, expressing his gratitude. He had been looking for these individuals himself and unexpectedly received news about them.

After two days of rest, he set off again, crossing one wild ridge after another until he reached another vibrant ancient land. Unfortunately, the Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland had already departed from this region. However, Ye Fan did exchange glances with Ouye Mo across a mountain range for a moment. Rui Wei had told him that this person was incredibly powerful, having swept through the western region, striking down three ancient saints with his black-gold demonic halberd, which had shaken the entire western wilderness. Ouye Mo watched him from dozens of miles away, then finally carried his great halberd, capable of collapsing skies and rivers, and disappeared beyond the horizon.

Afterwards, Ye Fan entered the southern region's battlefield. Major and minor battles were constant, and war raged everywhere. In recent days, the Divine Nation, Demonic Nation, and others had gone mad, solely for the Source of Dao. Ye Fan’s arrival caused an uproar. He had swept through the central region, and now his presence in another area made many powerful figures apprehensive.

“Are you the trial-taker who obtained the Source of Dao? I’ve heard that heaven and earth do not acknowledge you. Could you hand it over? I’ll give you some compensation,” a young man riding a sacred beast asked.

Ye Fan shook his head, saying nothing.

Boom!

Suddenly, a terrifying attack arrived. The man launched his assault, conjuring a massive, dazzling net that spread across the sky, intending to capture and kill him. This was a sacred artifact, seemingly woven from starlight, each strand terrifyingly immense, with starlight surging as if ancient stars revolved within.

“Be careful, that’s the Crown Prince of the Spirit Nation; he has already become a Saint and has set up a peerless ancient array here.” Yu Xian, unseen for days, sent a secret telepathic message, her voice as sweet as a celestial melody. Her graceful figure was briefly glimpsed flitting through the mountains before disappearing.

Ye Fan snorted coldly. Sitting on the Dragon Horse, he did not evade, allowing the large net to descend. Then, with a fierce tear, he ripped it apart, shaking the very heavens and earth. The sacred artifact's threads, woven like a galaxy, were naturally terrifying, yet Ye Fan tore them open, as if immense ancient stars were shattering. The starlight shattered, the sacred artifact was destroyed, and the area was nearly annihilated, flattening many mountain ranges.

“Kill him!” The Spirit Race Crown Prince let out a ferocious sneer. The ancient array here had already revived, its dazzling light engulfing Ye Fan. At the same time, three ancient saints from the Spirit Nation secretly attacked Ye Fan, who was at the center of the formation. Everyone gasped in cold air, none daring to intervene upon seeing this. The Spirit Race Crown Prince’s face was chillingly stern, and he, along with his sacred mount, launched their attacks.

This was a cataclysmic battle. The formation could not trap Ye Fan; he possessed the "All-Encompassing Movement Secret Art," which allowed him to ascend to the Nine Heavens or descend into the Nine Hells, making sacred formations powerless against him. However, it was a grueling battle. The Spirit Race army and their experts continuously arrived as reinforcements. Ye Fan, alone on his horse, fought until the sun and moon lost their light and the mountains and rivers paled.

Blood splattered, turning this ancient land crimson, with countless corpses. Ye Fan, like a demonic god, unleashed a massacre, disregarding his own injuries, pursuing the Spirit Race Crown Prince for a hundred thousand li before finally hurling the black spear in his hand.

Whoosh…

The black divine spear streaked across the heavens and earth, emitting tendrils of dark light, like an awakened demonic lord, shattering the sky. Behind it, a wave of chaotic energy surged, collapsing this battlefield.

“Ah…”

The Spirit Race Crown Prince shrieked, a horrifying sound. His back was pierced by the cold spearhead, which then plunged into the head of his sacred mount. Blood spurted. The long spear pierced through them both, carrying them several li before impaling them on a mountain peak. With a crash, dust soared to the sky, and the great mountain turned to ash. The Spirit Race Crown Prince and his sacred mount were pinned to the earth, their life force completely extinguished. Ye Fan’s killing intent emanated through the spear, annihilating all their life force and shattering their souls.

Blood gushed on the ground. The enormous sacred beast and the Spirit Race Crown Prince were nailed to death here, a shocking sight that sent tremors through the hearts of the cultivators who had followed. In this campaign, the Spirit Race Crown Prince had brought several ancient saints from his nation, mobilized a large number of warriors, and set up a peerless killing array. Yet, he failed to kill Ye Fan, who instead broke through and pinned him to death.

The southern region was thrown into an uproar. The Spirit Race gathered its armies, and ancient saints emerged together, beginning to besiege Ye Fan. This was a bloody battle that affected the entire ancient land. Ye Fan fought across tens of thousands of li for several days, killing countless foes. Only when the Spirit Race King Lord appeared did he temporarily retreat. He delved deep underground, using his profound Source Arts to discover the traces of the Source of Dao and seized the third strand.

This battle solidified Ye Fan’s fearsome reputation. Both trial-takers and the natives of this ancient land trembled at the mention of his name. Every time he arrived in an ancient land, he would trigger widespread fear, and powerful figures would retreat. Among the trial-takers, apart from a few like Kutoutuo, Mu Guanghan, and Ouye Mo, probably no one dared to contend with him. Of course, these past days had also been difficult for Ye Fan. He had attracted the pursuit of several Saint Kings, making it impossible for him to search for the Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland and others. It was a blood-soaked period; for two full months, Ye Fan killed countless enemies, truly having carved his way out of a pile of corpses.

Dong…

A lingering bell chimed, echoing across several ancient battlefields. The young powerhouses from the ancient starry sky road let out a sigh of relief, signifying the end of the trial here. This was a blood-soaked battlefield; countless individuals had fallen over these two months, like a nightmare. It was truly difficult to survive. Although the trial-takers were about to depart, some battles had not yet ended.

The Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland, Commander Guan Cheng, and several ancient saints among the natives joined forces. They discovered a strand of the Source of Dao and began chanting ancient scriptures together. This place was bathed in countless rays of Dao light and myriad threads of divine mist, as if the illusory form of an ancient Great Emperor had been summoned and was sitting there expounding scriptures. The Source of Dao was drawn upward, seemingly responding, resonating with the chanting. If this continued, it might truly be acquired by someone.

Just at this critical moment, Ye Fan arrived, alone on his horse, holding a long spear, and swept his gaze over them with indifference, making all their hearts skip a beat. Ye Fan stood on a hill, began to draw his bow and nock an arrow. Around him, lightning flashed and thunder roared, diverse phenomena appeared, and blood qi surged monstrously.

Everyone was enraged. They stood up, their eyes glinting with cold light, and collectively charged at him.

Swish!

Ye Fan drew his bow, and with a single arrow, shattered the sky. He had triggered the Eight Prohibitions, unleashing an arrow of peerless power and stunning brilliance!

“Ah…”

The fourth of the Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland was blasted into pieces by the shot, bone fragments and flesh splattering everywhere. Those watching from afar turned pale with shock at the sight.

“That arrow was terrifying!”

“How infuriating! He ruined it at the last moment, otherwise the Source of Dao might have chosen us.” These individuals roared, their hearts filled with frustration. They attacked Ye Fan with full force, fighting for their lives.

Ye Fan shot down a formidable enemy, then, riding the Dragon Horse, plunged directly underground to pursue the Source of Dao. The group on the surface went mad, chasing after him, but how could they compare to Ye Fan, who was proficient in Source Arts? They were soon left far behind.

Dong…

The ancient bell tolled, urging the trial-takers to depart. A colossal altar appeared in the void, casting down brilliant light. It traversed the sky, appearing in each ancient battlefield in turn, and trial-takers soared up, preparing for their journey.

Ye Fan finally succeeded, using the Six Immortal Sealing Prohibitions to seize the fourth strand of the Source of Dao, suppressing it within the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron, and burst out from underground. Awaiting him were several ancient saints. He had no choice but to fight a bloody battle, eventually fighting his way onto the five-colored altar, only then escaping the natives.

However, the battle did not cease upon reaching the altar. Gu Ling, the leader of the Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland, finally displayed his peerless, wild combat prowess, clashing fiercely with Ye Fan. In addition, the second leader and Commander Guan Cheng also made their moves. With a final flash of light, they all vanished. The battle did not stop in the dark passage; these individuals continued to fight fiercely, directly breaking into a magnificent and majestic Human Race Holy City.