Chapter 129: Marriage Alliance

"How can this be?" Ji Ziyue's beautiful eyes shimmered, her rosy lips slightly parted, and her face was filled with disbelief. She couldn't understand why the Xuanhuang Qi had appeared on those fists.

At this moment, merely looking at Ye Fan's golden fists gave one a powerful feeling, as if they were indestructible. The Mother Qi of All Things seemed to have melted onto them.

"Xuanhuang is the Mother Qi born from the union of heaven and earth, a sacred material for refining 'artifacts'," Ji Ziyue said, a strange glint in her large eyes. "How did it attach to your fists? How did you do that?"

Ye Fan loosened his golden fists, and the Xuanhuang Mother Qi instantly vanished, flowing back into his Bitter Sea and coiling around the green copper block. He was also surprised, fearing he might turn to dust. He simply couldn't bear the immense weight of this Mother Qi; even a wisp was enough to crush a mountain range.

Just now, a wisp had appeared on each of his fists, making his heart pound. Fortunately, the green copper suppressed the Mother Qi, and no accidents occurred.

The green copper lay in his Wheel Sea, with the Xuanhuang Mother Qi attached to it. This meant his body had become a vessel, and operating the Wheel Sea could very likely draw out the Xuanhuang essence.

This made him feel uneasy. Without the green copper block to suppress it, he was constantly in danger of turning to dust. Such an amount of Mother Qi could pulverize him countless times over.

However, danger always coexists with opportunity. Though unsettling, if used well, this was tantamount to an indestructible sharp weapon!

How terrifying would a fist be if it manifested a wisp of Xuanhuang essence? No matter how many artifacts you possess, no matter how endless your divine abilities, I will pierce through them with a single punch!

Ye Fan considered whether he could truly merge the Xuanhuang Mother Qi with his own body. But upon closer thought, it seemed too difficult; he probably couldn't achieve it at present.

True Xuanhuang was incredibly difficult to refine. While top cultivators used it to forge artifacts, it was almost unheard of for anyone to use it for body tempering, as it was far too dangerous.

"A path is made by walking it; everything can be done slowly..." He was not eager for quick success, knowing he had plenty of time to explore.

"Your body is very special..." Ji Ziyue, sharp and perceptive, sensed something.

"What did you see?" At this moment, Ye Fan had reverted to his true, simple self, with a sunny smile and an innocent look, just like a boy of about fourteen.

"Just now, your flesh was crystalline, like a radiant glass lamp, flawless and pure, surpassing even spiritual treasures. It shouldn't have been like that..."

When Ye Fan underwent his third metamorphosis just now, his precious body shone with brilliance, and his flesh was nearly transparent. This entire transformation process had astonished Ji Ziyue.

After cultivators reach the Other Shore realm, they undergo a different kind of rebirth, continuously changing their blood, cleansing their bones, and completing a transformation akin to a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

However, according to Ji Ziyue, that kind of rebirth through blood and bone refinement was vastly inferior to Ye Fan's transformation!

"Your sublimation is very unusual; it defies common sense." Her eyelashes fluttered as she scrutinized Ye Fan, an expression of shock and uncertainty on her face.

As Ji Ziyue described it, if the bodily transformation upon reaching the Other Shore realm was like a worm becoming a butterfly, then Ye Fan's rebirth could be called a worm transforming into a phoenix.

"Even if you tempered your body with the sacred blood of a Great Demon Emperor, it shouldn't be like this. This transformation is comparable to the complete metamorphosis of ancient mighty figures."

Ji Ziyue grew more and more astonished, continuously speculating. She murmured to herself, "For ordinary cultivators, no matter how extraordinary their physical transformation, it can't even compare to one-tenth of yours. Could it be... you also possess a Divine Body?!"

Ye Fan did not respond. He had long known that his complete metamorphosis was even more miraculous than the blood and bone refinement experienced upon reaching the Other Shore realm.

After all, he had consumed divine medicine and the sacred blood of a Demon Emperor. Once his Desolate Ancient Sacred Body transformed, it was naturally extraordinary.

"Compared to yours, the transformations of other cultivators barely count as a true metamorphosis," Ji Ziyue said, her large, spirited eyes gleaming with a strange light. "Do you really possess a Divine Body, just like my brother?!"

"Don't compare me to him. Sooner or later, I'll give him a good beating."

"You..." Ji Ziyue was displeased, wrinkling her nose. "I'm just afraid you'll run away when Brother Haoyue appears."

"I don't want to bother with him for now," Ye Fan said indifferently. "When I achieve cultivation success, I'll definitely beat him into a pig's head."

"Hmph!"

Ji Ziyue let out a soft snort, her large eyes glancing sideways. Of course, she was unhappy with him speaking of her brother like that. She muttered, "You won't be able to beat my brother even if you cultivate for another hundred years."

"Isn't it just a unique phenomenon – 'Bright Moon Rising from the Sea'?" Ye Fan retorted. "When the time comes, I'll pluck his moon and plant flowers and cultivate grass in his azure sea."

"My brother's Divine Body has just formed, and he's almost invincible among the younger generation in the Eastern Wasteland," Ji Ziyue scoffed. "With you now, you haven't even touched the threshold of the Dao Palace Secret Realm, yet you want to be his enemy, truly..."

Ye Fan wasn't genuinely competitive; he was just teasing her playfully. He pinched Ji Ziyue's delicate nose and said, "Just wait and see. If I don't give that proud moon a good beating, I'll be letting my fists down."

"You're the one who'll be beaten!" Ji Ziyue was furious. She opened her small mouth, revealing her glistening teeth, and lunged to bite his finger.

"Like a little puppy, biting me..." Ye Fan chuckled softly. "What's so great about a Divine Body? His sister isn't she still my captive?"

Although he said this, Ye Fan truly had a headache. The Ji Family was renowned throughout the Eastern Wasteland, a transcendent major power. If they knew Ji Ziyue was in his hands, he didn't even need to imagine what would happen.

"How should I deal with her?"

He couldn't kill her, nor could he release her. Ji Ziyue knew many of his secrets, such as the green copper block, which absolutely could not be revealed.

"Why is the heart of the Great Demon Emperor on you?"

"What's the deal with that green copper block?"

"Your physique is so unique; your metamorphosis is similar to my brother's. Are you really a Divine Body?"

For days, Ji Ziyue had relentlessly questioned him, but Ye Fan couldn't possibly tell her.

During his secluded cultivation here, Ye Fan had gone out once to gather information about the outside world.

What he found incredibly strange was that after drifting in the underground river for a month, he still hadn't left the Wei Kingdom; he had merely traveled from its western to its eastern part.

In this area, there was a super-powerful sect called Taixuan. It covered a vast territory, and all the endless immortal mountains in the east belonged to it. Within its continuous mountain range, there were no fewer than one hundred and eight main peaks, each representing a unique lineage of teachings. Every lineage was far superior to smaller sects like Lingxu Cave Heaven.

In this vast region, apart from the Ji Family and the Sacred Land of Yaoguang, no other sect could firmly suppress a super-powerful faction of this scale.

The Eastern Wasteland was boundless, with countless kingdoms.

In the past, during its peak, the Taixuan Sect's strength ranked among the top hundred in the Eastern Wasteland, making it a true behemoth. Especially in this region, it was extremely famous; few sects in the surrounding dozens or hundreds of kingdoms could rival it.

"A super-powerful sect..." Ye Fan didn't want to get involved with them.

Furthermore, what he heard most about was news concerning Ji Haoyue.

The emergence of the Ji Family's Divine Body had shaken the Eastern Wasteland, signaling that the Ji Family would be extremely prosperous for the next few millennia. It was a common consensus that Divine Bodies could live for thousands of years without issue.

Ji Haoyue had risen powerfully, continuously attacking the demon race, already challenging the lairs of several great demons, sweeping all before him.

In the past two months, in terms of sheer prominence, no one could compare to him; his aura was dazzling!

Many super-powerful sects were speculating why the Ji Family was making such a big commotion.

Ye Fan had a strong intuition that Ji Ziyue was not simple. Otherwise, she absolutely could not have survived under Yan Ruyu's Golden Lotus anomaly. The Ji Family must attach great importance to her.

Yet, during this period, there was no news of Ji Ziyue's disappearance, as if it had been deliberately concealed.

Ye Fan secretly mused that the Ji Family most likely believed Ji Ziyue had accidentally fallen into the hands of the demon race, which was why they were waging war everywhere. This thought sent cold sweat trickling down his back.

In these extraordinary times, Ye Fan's best option was to live in seclusion. If it were discovered that he had taken Ji Ziyue, it would undoubtedly lead to enormous trouble.

A few days later, Ye Fan began to forge an "artifact." The cauldron had long since shattered into formlessness, merging with the Xuanhuang Qi, and could now be reforged.

This was an extremely difficult process. The Mother Qi of All Things was extraordinary, and attempting to give it form after merging it with a cauldron was almost as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Ye Fan chose to forge the cauldron on the green copper block, shaping it on its fractured surface. What was incredible was that he managed to form the rough outline of the cauldron within half a month!

The green copper block was mysterious and unfathomable; refining Xuanhuang on it was not as difficult as he had anticipated.

Once the small Xuanhuang cauldron took shape, it appeared ancient and natural, with an innate Dao charm, truly extraordinary. At first glance, one could hardly look away.

However, as soon as it left the green copper block, the small cauldron instantly transformed back into the Xuanhuang Qi, decomposing in a flash. This left Ye Fan feeling quite helpless.

Heaven and earth combine, mutually generating and growing, overflowing with the essence of the world, all things blending into a unified wave, with the quintessence of heaven and earth permeating – this is Xuanhuang.

The Mother Qi of All Things was extremely difficult to stabilize into a fixed form; truly forming a cauldron from it was incredibly challenging!

But this also meant that once successful, he would obtain an unparalleled "artifact."

After this period of cultivation paused, Ye Fan thought of the Ji Family again and felt a headache coming on.

He leaned against an ancient tree, a blade of grass in his mouth, watching Ji Ziyue nearby. "Little girl," he said, "how about I find you a husband?"

"Go to hell!" Ji Ziyue snapped, glaring at him with her large eyes.

"Why so agitated? You'll get married eventually. I promise to find you a good match," Ye Fan said, still chewing on the grass stem. "Then, we'll be family, and I won't go looking for trouble with your brother anymore."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Ji Ziyue puffed out her cheeks, refusing to look him in the eye.

"After much thought," Ye Fan declared shamelessly, muttering to himself, "to prevent me from accidentally slaughtering your brother in the future, the only path left is a marriage alliance. Speaking of which, your Ji Family can be considered a prominent household, so a marriage alliance with your family wouldn't be a disadvantage for us."

"I've never met such a rogue!" Ji Ziyue's jade-like cheeks puffed up, and she yearned to bite Ye Fan.

Ji Haoyue, with his Divine Body, had emerged like a brilliant comet, far beyond what the current Ye Fan could compare to. The Ji Family was immensely powerful and transcendent in the Eastern Wasteland, yet Ye Fan spoke as if marrying her would somehow be advantageous for the Ji Family.

"The match I found for you is quite extraordinary," Ye Fan continued. "He inherited the legacy of a great demon expert. His name is Pang Bo, and he's definitely worthy of you."

"You marry him yourself then!" Ji Ziyue turned her head away, pouting and muttering curses under her breath. "I wish you a hundred years of happiness with a demon! May you give birth to a little demon then—no, a half-human, half-demon!"

"You've got quite a venomous tongue, little girl," Ye Fan said with an amused chuckle, tossing away the grass stem from his mouth. "Since you don't want to marry a demon, I'll reluctantly just 'digest' you myself then."

Ji Ziyue's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I actually really want to tell you a secret."

"What secret?" Ye Fan asked lazily, leaning against the ancient tree.

"Secrets aren't for six ears, come closer..."

Ye Fan stepped closer. "If it's a secret about ancient scriptures, I'm very eager to listen."

"The secret is... I want to bite you!" Ji Ziyue completely flared up, lunging to bite Ye Fan's ear. She was already exasperated.

"Don't be so fierce," Ye Fan said, lifting her chin with a smile. "Actually, a marriage alliance is for your own good. I want to restore your freedom, otherwise, keeping you trapped by my side every day makes me uneasy."

"You're just afraid my family and my brother will come looking for you, aren't you?" Ji Ziyue's red lips glistened, and her small canine teeth sparkled. She really wanted to bite Ye Fan, feeling it would be the only way to vent her frustration.

"Such a headache... Let me think," Ye Fan murmured, lightly rubbing his temples.