Chapter 1320: Ten Thousand Heavenly Soldiers

The broken bronze cauldron within Ye Fan glowed, its green radiance making his body appear translucent and crystal clear—a rare sight, as the ancient cauldron had revived on its own.

"Seize the stone tablet!" His heart pounded. He knew it had to be connected to the massive stele inscribed with "Heavenly Soldiers," deducing it was an ancient artifact left by the Heavenly Court.

"Kill!" Battle cries echoed to the heavens as the Twelve Sages swept forward like an iron torrent, wreaking havoc. They were a group of "demons," crushing everything in their path.

"Enemy attack! Stop them!" At the Gu Family's mountain gate, figures soared into the air, attempting to block the invaders, as various magic treasures flew.

This was a powerful family, possessing incredibly deep and formidable foundations, a colossal clan that had withstood the test of time and boasted a long heritage.

However, those at the mountain gate were no match at all. Figures flying into the air fell in swathes, as if crops being harvested. Blood mist enveloped the area, and the stench of gore permeated the air.

The defense collapsed almost instantly. The Golden Lion charged through, opening its mouth and inhaling, seemingly swallowing heaven and earth as it drew dozens, even hundreds, of people into its maw, turning them into blood sacrifices amidst a golden glow.

"Who dares trespass on the Gu Family's sacred grounds?" With a furious roar, the Sages were alerted and activated the defensive grand array. The entire mountainous region shimmered with intricate patterns, and brilliant light shot into the sky, temporarily halting the advance of the Twelve Sages.

The clan had a glorious past, once overlooking the entire ancient planet and ruling countless territories. Now, however, it showed a slight decline, as no Great Sage had emerged for over a dozen generations.

Nevertheless, the arrays laid down by their ancestors were not to be underestimated. The mountain gate itself was guarded by a Sage King Array, veiled in chaotic mist and emitting ten thousand sword beams, completely blocking the path forward.

Ye Fan and his companions halted, choosing not to force their way through, as their main objective was the stone tablet, not to truly assault the family.

One beautiful peak after another stood tall, shrouded in flowing white mist, making the path ahead appear like an immortal's dwelling. Waterfalls cascaded down like white silks, magnificent and ethereal.

Picturesque mountains rose together, imbued with spiritual energy, and the scent of herbs filled the air. Ancient buildings dotted each peak. Deep within the Gu Family's domain, a majestic, sprawling city floated, wreathed in ribbons of cloud and mist.

The Gu Family occupied an immense area, with exotic flowers blooming across vast stretches, and precious spiritual herbs carpeting the ground. Various rare and unusual beasts roamed, making it an excellent and rare land for cultivation.

Large swaths of array patterns emerged, weaving into intricate laws that protected the beautiful mountains and ancient architectural complexes, making it impossible to cross even half a step beyond the forbidden boundary.

In front of the mountain gate stood a colossal divine monument, its surface mottled with ancient marks, indicating its immense age. It was a very special ancient artifact.

In the past, many major powers had battled over it, but time had eroded people's expectations for it. No one had been able to gain anything from it, so now it was merely regarded as an ancient relic.

The ancient stele was a hundred zhang tall, incredibly massive and imposing, yet it was unfortunately only used to adorn the family's entrance, serving no other purpose.

Ye Fan had come precisely for it. He took action personally, his entire body radiating immense Saint power as he charged directly towards the ancient stele, plunging into the Sage King array and extending a large hand to directly pull out the monument.

"How dare you!"

Many people inside the mountain gate cried out. Although the stele served no great purpose, it concerned the Gu Family's prestige; if it were plucked away, it would imply their incompetence.

An Ancient Sage made a move, personally attacking!

Dozens, even hundreds, of flying swords emerged simultaneously, each like a meteor, dazzling and sparkling. Ten thousand sword energies crisscrossed and danced, combined with various attacks from the array, making the area splendid, as if the sun, moon, and stars had fallen from the sky.

Ye Fan let out a tremendous roar, holding nothing back. The dark blood divine ring and golden curse behind him merged, transforming into a radiating halo. He appeared like an Immortal King stepping out from a divine gate, looking down upon the world and proudly surveying his contemporaries.

This single roar caused the Gu Family's mountain gate to directly shatter. Even the surrounding arrays dimmed, crackled, and began to disintegrate.

Furthermore, the hundreds of flying swords directly in front were blocked by the divine light emanating from Ye Fan, appearing as if they were stuck in a quagmire, completely immobilized. In the very next instant, they snapped inch by inch, exploding into a cloud of dust, with metallic shards clattering to the ground. Saint Weapons were reduced to ashes.

Such was Ye Fan's might. The Ancient Sage was utterly horrified. What kind of combat power was this? His vital energy churned, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his body shook violently.

"Retreat!" This was his only thought now. He hadn't even charged out, only attacked from a distance, and now he fled with desperate speed.

Ye Fan's attack power was too formidable. He activated a supreme Buddhist secret art, unleashing the "Om" character Heavenly Sound. A ripple surged from his mouth, transforming into an unstoppable wave of Dao power.

A flash of blood appeared, and the powerful Ancient Sage's physical body shattered. Even from such a distance, he could not escape this calamity; only an incredibly dim Primordial Spirit shrieked as it fled.

Inside the mountain gate, many disciples' faces turned ashen. This was an Elder Sage ancestor, nearly roared to death! What did that even mean? It was an absolute fantasy, like something out of a myth!

Behind him, the Golden Lion, Black Bear Sage, Scorpio, and others found their mouths dry. Chills ran down their spines; they felt there was a significant gap between themselves and Ye Fan, an insurmountable one!

Ye Fan did not pursue. He raised his hand and pulled forcefully. The stone tablet rumbled, shaking many of the beautiful peaks, as the hundred-zhang-tall monument dislodged from the earth.

The Gu Family's alarm bells rang loudly. Various magic treasures flew out to attack, including Saint Weapons, and even Great Sage-level arrays activated, sweeping divine radiance outward.

Ye Fan remained unhurried. He lifted the colossal monument, walked out of the mountain gate, glanced back once, and then departed into the distance.

"Let's just take down the Gu Family and wipe them out! Not a single one of this sinister family is good," a group of fierce beasts howled, eager to plunder the colossal clan.

"Forget it," Ye Fan shook his head. "With the Great Sage arrays active, you won't be able to enter and will only suffer unnecessary casualties." He had achieved his objective, and the green bronze cauldron was glowing; he wanted to immediately study it thoroughly.

The group calmly retreated, leaving the Gu Family first in a state of tension, then gnashing their teeth in hatred. These people were far too arrogant!

The Gu Family's old Sage King, just one step away from becoming a Great Sage and a long-time rival of Lin Han, emerged from seclusion. His achievements were profound, but unfortunately, he was a step too late.

Upon reaching an uninhabited area, Ye Fan carefully examined the stone tablet in his hand. At this point, the green cauldron within his body had stopped vibrating and glowing, settling into a calm state.

Yet, the stone tablet itself was trembling, continuously shrinking from its hundred-zhang height until it was less than palm-length, resting in his palm like a stone command token.

On its front, the two characters for "Heavenly Soldiers" were inscribed, appearing like intertwining dragons and snakes, or roaring gods and demons. This was Archaic Divine Script, a very ancient form of writing that Ye Fan now fully mastered.

Having ventured deep into the starry sky, he had discovered that this script was a common ancient language among various races; the more powerful and ancient a race, the more proficient they were in it.

"What kind of stone tablet is this? How did it shrink into such a small piece?" Dragon Horse and the others gathered around, examining it intently.

No one could discern anything special about it, only that it was incredibly hard. Dragon Horse, the Golden Lion, and others stepped forward one by one to try, but none could damage the tablet in the slightest.

"No wonder it has remained intact for eons, impervious even to the erosion of time. In terms of material quality alone, it is more solid than any Saint Weapon."

This was an ancient artifact whose rank could not be determined; it could only be described as a secret artifact. Perhaps it possessed special powers, but unfortunately, no one throughout history had been able to utilize it.

Ye Fan took out the green bronze cauldron. The less-than-palm-length stone tablet trembled incessantly, clearly extraordinary and not an inanimate object.

"What on earth is this thing? Could it have a significant origin? How does it compare to the Saint Spirit Ancestral Artifact that appeared at the Tenth Human Race Pass?" the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon muttered.

*Clang!*

As Ye Fan placed the stone tablet into the green bronze cauldron, it suddenly burst forth with brilliant light, rumbling continuously and emitting a terrifying aura of battle that shook the heavens.

The ancient tablet erupted with an earth-shattering aura, as if a thousand armies and ten thousand horses were galloping. It truly made one's eardrums ache, bones turn to jelly, and bodies tremble uncontrollably.

Rolling murderous intent, like a tsunami, engulfed the uninhabited area. Ye Fan seemed to see a sea of people appearing around him, each figure like an undying god or demon hardened by a hundred battles!

"Roar!"

Roars resounded, so incredibly realistic that Dragon Horse, Scorpio, the Golden Lion, Black Bear, and the others all felt a tremor in their hearts, their bodies shaking. It was as if they had arrived in the most terrifying mythical era, appearing on a battlefield of life-and-death struggle.

Faintly discernible, these were god-like and demon-like warriors, their battle intent soaring, as if they could shatter the cosmos with their roars and bring down the nine heavens.

These were the One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers!

Like immortal heroic spirits, they transmitted an unyielding will through the stone tablet, capable of crushing all enemies. In that instant, their presence startled all living beings within hundreds of thousands of miles, causing them to tremble uncontrollably, even terrifying Sages.

"What is this thing?" All Twelve Sages were startled, retreating as a chill surged through their bodies, as if they were facing numerous gods and demons from primordial times.

The ancient cauldron showed no changes; only the stone tablet continued to tremble, with tiny, densely packed characters appearing on its surface, like swimming tadpoles, profound and intricate.

Ye Fan carefully observed and read the ancient script on it. Soon, his brow relaxed; this was truly a supreme treasure!

This was a divine command token from the ancient Heavenly Court, capable of mobilizing a division of troops—the One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers. Moreover, it was a terrifying magical artifact; when jointly activated by the One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers, it was powerful enough to suppress an entire region!

Finally, the stone token stopped trembling, became calm and unadorned. Ye Fan retrieved it from the green bronze cauldron and murmured to himself, "As expected, it belongs to the ancient Heavenly Court, just like the green cauldron. No wonder they had such a peculiar reaction when they met."

His heart surged with emotion. This was a secret artifact, extremely powerful, capable of guarding a star domain—a veritable ancient battle monument!

He turned it over and discovered two additional characters on the other side of the stone token: "One Hundred Thousand!"

When combined, the characters read "One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers." Holding it meant controlling a division of troops from the ancient Heavenly Court, capable of sweeping across a region and suppressing an area—absolutely formidable.

Ye Fan closed his eyes, processing what he had just learned. Its only drawback was that it wasn't a magic treasure that a single person could activate; it was a rare "great artifact," requiring the activation of One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers!

Mana, cultivation, and realm were not the primary conditions for wielding it. What was truly required was high morale, unyielding courage, an indomitable will, and the unity of all.

This was a divine command token from the ancient Heavenly Court, possessing extraordinary implications. These conditions, while seeming to constrain it, were actually a form of motivation, for when the One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers united their will, they could become an invincible army!

"This is a treasure, but does it really require a hundred thousand people to activate?" Dragon Horse, the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon, and others drooled. They had just felt the terrifying aura of a hundred thousand heroic spirits transforming into roaring gods and demons, knowing this was an unimaginably powerful ancestral artifact.

"The stone tablet contains several battle formations of immense power," Ye Fan explained, "but they require at least ten people to manifest, representing the One Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers. If you all work together with one heart, perhaps you could activate the battle monument, though I'm not sure how much of its full power you could unleash."

The Twelve Sages immediately cried out, their expressions excited. This tablet was a magical artifact left by the ancient Heavenly Court, perhaps even something refined by the Emperor himself. After eons, they might finally be able to wield it!