Chapter 1324: The Overlord’s Blood of the Sky

Chapter 1326: Hegemon Blood

The mountains stretched wide, devoid of any vegetation, only this ancient tomb stood. A lifetime of glory, a lifetime of sorrow, all ended here in solitude.

Ye Fan stood in silence, an endless wave of emotions washing over him. The brutal struggle on the Imperial Road, the harshness of the Starry Sky Path – even a Saint Body had become a tragic footnote in someone else's tale, a desolate sight to behold.

Not a blade of grass grew on the dark red soil and rocks. The place was silent and desolate, rarely visited by anyone.

Ye Fan sensed the two people behind him but did not turn. He stood for a long time, their two pairs of hostile eyes never leaving him, still watching.

After a long while, Ye Fan sighed. To shed blood and be buried in a foreign land like this — he felt a profound sorrow for the senior Saint Body.

Scattering a handful of white petals, Ye Fan bowed. He slowly turned and walked back, this place stirring deep emotions within him, reminding him of the arduousness and unpredictability of life and death on the Ancient Starry Road. It served as a stark warning.

Two figures stood in the distance. Though they had concealed their hostility, at Ye Fan's level, even the slightest ripple could be sensed; there was no way they could hide from him.

Still, he paid them no heed. He had slain countless adversaries along this path; there were simply too many competitors, and he had grown accustomed to such gazes. They meant nothing.

The two were clearly powerful, both having reached the Saint Realm. They instinctively sensed Ye Fan's strength, and, squinting their eyes, observed him in silence.

Suddenly, Ye Fan turned, sharply perceiving something. In the distance stood a magnificent mountain peak, and on its sheer cliff face, there was a line of etchings—like iron hooks and silver strokes, powerfully carved.

"Clang... clang..."

The moment his gaze fell upon the cliff, sword cries seemed to shake the heavens. The etchings on the sheer rock face began to clang, as if countless divine swords were trembling, and every character pulsed with light.

Vigorous and powerful, like iron hooks and silver strokes, every etching radiated brilliant light. Ten thousand streaks of sword energy pierced the firmament, peerless sword qi soaring to the heavens.

The characters trembled slightly, as if alive, emitting terrifying fluctuations, even more intense than the awakening of a peerless master.

This was an indestructible martial will!

Someone had actually carved this here, a sight that made Ye Fan tremble. Though it was only a wisp of an imprint, it was incredibly terrifying, left by an extraordinary individual.

Since embarking on the Ancient Starry Road, Ye Fan had never been so affected when facing various enemies, but now, he felt a sense of awe. This person was truly extraordinary, conveying an invincible conviction through the stone wall.

"Is this a challenge to me?" Ye Fan murmured to himself, staring at the characters on the stone wall.

Boom!

Suddenly, heaven and earth roared. The characters trembled even more violently. Auspicious light descended from the sky, divine lotuses bloomed on the ground, and billions of rays of light shimmered. At this moment, dragons and phoenixes sang in harmony, white tigers roared to the heavens, Black Tortoises crossed the sea, and various world-shaking phenomena appeared.

It was merely a wisp of martial will, yet it was so awe-inspiring, a truly rare marvel throughout history. The ancient characters stirred the paths of others, attracting a resonance with the Great Dao.

This was because, throughout history, many powerful cultivators had come here to pay their respects, leaving behind indelible traces of their paths, which were now awakening!

"Boom!"

A startling change occurred. An invincible battle intent erupted from the ancient characters, assaulting all the phenomena. Like an awakened deity, it was absolutely powerful, instantly shattering everything.

Moments ago, there had been resonance with the Great Dao, dragons and phoenixes singing in harmony, ten thousand divine rays, and billions of auspicious wisps. But now, all those phenomena were shattered and utterly erased by that invincible will.

This was a belief of absolute supremacy—a "who else but me" conviction, a will that proclaimed, "After my flower blooms, all other flowers shall wither." Such a will looked down upon the eight directions, domineering to the extreme!

Ye Fan's expression changed so drastically for the first time. This was undoubtedly an unparalleled and dangerous individual, even more formidable than he had imagined—a truly peerless adversary!

And this was only a wisp of martial will!

There were only four characters on the sheer cliff: "I Am Supreme."

The four characters radiated light, sweeping across heaven and earth like an awakened divine demon, possessing an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers.

This conveyed a belief that it would only be activated when Ye Fan's Saint Blood surged. It was a challenge issued right here, the four characters representing a distinct will.

The two people in the distance were both shocked and excited. They exchanged glances, then immediately turned to leave. They knew the person they had been waiting for had arrived, and it was now time to go deliver the message forward.

"Are you leaving just like that, without saying anything?" Ye Fan asked calmly, standing before the sheer cliff without turning around.

On the horizon, the two were almost out of sight, yet their hearts trembled violently, feeling an unparalleled pressure.

One of them stopped. Although his heart was surging with unease, he still spoke loudly.

Ye Fan's expression remained indifferent. Ten millennia had passed, and he had finally appeared; his destined rival had also arrived on the Ancient Starry Road. This battle was absolutely unavoidable and would surely shake the heavens.

In fact, over the years, he had heard much about it; even when the Ancient Road was interrupted, the old human escorts would speak of it. Many were anticipating this epoch-making battle!

"I also wish to fight him. We shall meet in the depths of the starry sky," Ye Fan said calmly.

"No, he will return. We were instructed to wait here, and as soon as we learned the Human Saint Body had arrived, to transmit the message immediately. He will return then," the other person said, feeling very nervous, fearing Ye Fan might grow angry and slay them.

Tens of thousands of years ago, a Human Saint Body was ambushed and slain here, unable to reach the deepest parts of the starry sky. Was that person now doing the same, embarking on a return journey to initiate a similar battle?

Ye Fan's expression remained cold and impassive. A powerful battle intent surged from him, shaking the entire ancient land.

"Clang," "Clang"...

On the magnificent stone cliff, ten thousand zhang high, the four majestic characters emitted dazzling light, clanging and deafening. The words "I Am Supreme" almost seemed to possess a divine will.

"Boom!"

Ye Fan's entire body radiated golden light, like an eternal, indestructible divine furnace of heaven and earth. Divine flames surged, overwhelming the area, and an invincible intent soared towards the nine heavens.

His eyes shone brightly with immortal light, emitting a sharp aura. The four characters on the stone wall were shattered, followed by a violent tremor that shook heaven and earth.

Even at the far end of the horizon, the two Saints, despite their distance, trembled, their bodies swaying as they retreated continuously.

This all happened in an instant. Soon, heaven and earth became calm again, everything returning to clarity. Ye Fan stood motionless, but the characters on the stone wall had changed.

Another four characters took their place: "I Am Invincible."

The four characters were grand and majestic, so oppressive they made one feel suffocated!

This was Ye Fan's response, still four characters, replacing the challenge. This was his will.

At the end of the earth, the two continuously retreated, both terrified. There would surely be a peerless battle in the future, and they were already impatient to witness it.

The two cupped their fists towards Ye Fan, then turned and left immediately. They did not want to remain in this place for another moment.

"Hegemon Celestial Blood... we are finally going to meet!" Ye Fan murmured to himself.

On the horizon, the two were almost out of sight, yet hearing those first four words, their bodies still trembled. This was a title possessing terrifying, almost demonic power, a peerless and invincible physique.

Those with Hegemon Celestial Blood flowing within them were uncrowned emperors on their home planet, reputed to be unbeatable throughout the universe!

The two figures paused, then quickly disappeared.

Along this journey, Ye Fan had heard these four words, "Hegemon Body Invincible," mentioned more than once. The reverence for this physique had reached an extreme.

"Hegemon Celestial Blood" — these few words alone possessed a terrifying power. Upon hearing them, the golden blood within Ye Fan grew restless, surging uncontrollably.

Were they finally going to confront each other? For many, this was a physique that caused despair, simply too powerful; its name alone encapsulated everything.

Ye Fan stood there for a moment, looking at the solitary tomb. He sighed inwardly, feeling deep regret for a lifetime of glory ending in such sorrow.

A once invincible hero was thus buried alone in a foreign land. How could one not feel moved by such a sight?

He covered tens to hundreds of miles with each step, leaving this desolate ancient land and heading towards the inhabited areas of this ancient planet. The escort had told him that wandering here might lead to unusual discoveries.

Mountains and rivers receded, great peaks drifted away; as time seemed to fly by, Ye Fan walked out of the desolate, barren land and arrived at a place teeming with life.

He couldn't help but frown. This place was severely suppressed by the Great Dao; spiritual energy was dried up, making it completely unsuitable for cultivation. Strong cultivators were rare, and cities were sparsely scattered across the land.

"The Great Dao is ruthless, even more so than on Earth!" Ye Fan exclaimed, having discovered this astonishing fact.

Large areas were unsuitable for cultivation, devoid of spiritual energy, abandoned by the Great Dao, vast and empty. Though everyone knew about cultivation, most inhabitants were still mortals.

Ye Fan traveled across the ancient planet, discovering that only one area could barely support cultivation. Apart from a few intentionally hidden auras, the strongest of the overt cultivators were only in the Dragon Transformation Realm.

On the Ancient Starry Road, such cultivation was truly too weak.

This made one sigh with emotion, marveling at how unfair Heaven could be. Some life-bearing lands had been prosperous since ancient times, never declining, with an endless succession of Saints, reaching the pinnacle of their might.

Yet other ancient planets were so desolate and cruelly diminished. The contrast made one feel that Heaven truly showed favoritism.

Ahead was a city, not particularly majestic, but covering a considerable area, located within the cultivable region.

Ye Fan stood outside the city, silently sensing. His golden blood felt somewhat restless, unable to calm down, so he immediately walked into the city.

The streets were ancient, and all the buildings looked old. The city could hardly be called prosperous; it was just an ordinary ancient city, with nothing remarkable about it.

Ye Fan walked into a rather narrow street, heading towards a very dilapidated architectural area. All the alleys were somewhat dirty and messy; it was clearly not a noble's residence.

Stray dogs rummaged for food in the trash, while some children ran around, playing happily.

In the distance, a child, appearing to be six or seven years old, was running away. Dressed in ragged clothes, he was covered in dirt, his face streaked with black and purple, showing wounds, bruises, sweat, and grime.

"Hit him, stop him, don't let him get away," a voice shouted.

A group of slightly older children were chasing from behind, all looking aggressive, while others blocked his path ahead.

But this child possessed immense strength; he actually pushed aside several eleven or twelve-year-old children, swiftly dashed past them, and ran into the depths of the dirty, messy alley.

"Little rascal, you can't run," shouted one of the pursuers. "Didn't your ancestors claim to be invincible under heaven? Now you're so down and out, you can't even cultivate!"

"Let's see if you dare talk back again!" another chimed in. "If you don't give in today, we'll beat you to death, you wild child!"

The group of children blocked the alley, pressing in on the little rascal.

The little rascal was completely covered in dirt, looking pitiful, yet his large eyes were remarkably bright. Unwilling to surrender, he stubbornly resisted even after being cornered.

"Dormant golden blood... a descendant of a Saint Body... atavism!" Ye Fan exclaimed, having followed his intuition to this place. He was utterly shocked, and two terrifying divine bolts of lightning shot from his eyes.