Chapter 1425: Desecration of the Divine

"Who are you, daring to trespass into the Divine Demon Forbidden Zone and covet the supreme divine liquid? State your names!" The leader was a valiant-looking man with three heads and six arms. His thick, coarse black hair exuded a powerful sense of oppression.

Dozens of figures swiftly appeared from all directions, encircling the area and blocking the path of Ye Fan and his companions. Each of them wore an ominous expression.

This was a forbidden zone that no one had dared to approach for countless years. It belonged exclusively to the Divine Realm and held an astonishing secret: it was the source of the Divine Demon Liquid.

For centuries, its existence remained unknown to outsiders. It was always reserved for the rulers of the Divine Realm, used to prolong their lifespans. Legend had it that the chains of law and fragments of the Great Dao contained within it were comparable to an Immortal Elixir.

This location was of paramount importance, allowing no room for error. If its secret were ever revealed, everyone present would face death. Consequently, each person was tense, fearing any unforeseen change.

"We were merely passing by and have no desire for conflict with you," Pang Bo stated, stepping forward. He was a colossal figure, nearly ten feet tall, with a glowing, wheat-colored complexion. His thick black hair and bright eyes gave him such a formidable presence that no one dared to underestimate him.

"I clearly saw you peering inside, and two golden lights shot into the depths of the forbidden zone! Tell me, what did you see?!" A woman who appeared to be in her fifties stepped out from behind the three-headed, six-armed man. She was quite domineering, looking down at the group.

While her hair was still dark, suggesting she wasn't quite an old hag, the distinct crow's feet at the corners of her eyes indicated her age, despite her lingering charm. Golden hairpins in her bun shimmered with crystalline light. A look of revulsion marred her face, and her slightly raised eyebrows conveyed an aggressive demeanor. "I'm speaking to you," she snapped, "didn't you hear me?!"

"Where did this old harridan come from? We're answering you politely, yet you accuse us of peeking and strong-arm us. What exactly do you want?" Pang Bo retorted.

At the mention of "old harridan," the woman's eyebrows instantly shot up, her crow's feet seeming to stretch taut. Her eyes turned as cold as boning knives. She loathed being called old above all else. "Forget everything else," she shrieked, "capture them for me, now!"

Clearly, among the dozens present, she was a leader with significant authority, second only to the three-headed, six-armed man. The moment her words fell, a dozen or so individuals charged forward.

The Dragon Horse stepped forward, looking supremely arrogant. "Someone's being high and mighty, shouting about killing us," it declared. "When have we ever been bullied like this? Brothers, let's go together and take down that old harridan!"

The woman instantly flew into a rage. To be humiliated by a vile horse in such a way was unbearable. "Kill them!" she screamed.

The dozen or so individuals immediately sprang into action, charging forward. Each possessed profound magical power and extraordinary combat prowess, capable of shattering heavens and sundering earth.

The outcome, however, was startling. The Twelve Saints let out a fierce roar and surged forward like a monstrous flood. In an instant, they devoured the group whole, leaving behind only a bloody mist and the audible crunching of bones.

"Crunch, crunch."

The Twelve Saints were exceptionally ferocious, immediately opening their gaping maws and consuming the dozen or so individuals as a bloody feast. It was a gruesome sight.

"Where did these fiends come from?!" The remaining individuals recoiled in terror.

Among those dozen individuals were a few Saints, but they were rare. Even the mighty Divine Realm could not mass-produce Saints. This particular matter was so crucial that dozens of people had been dispatched, including four Saint Kings, six Saints, and the rest being Dao Slayers assigned to them.

Swallowing over a dozen individuals in one gulp, including three Saints, might not be considered astonishing in the Divine Realm, but such a bloody and swift feat was undeniably intimidating.

"It seems you've come for the Divine Demon Liquid. If I'm not mistaken, you are fiends from beyond this realm," an old man stated, his face grim, as he stepped forward.

"Don't go around labeling people. It's not up to you to decide who is divine and who is a fiend," Pang Bo replied.

"I'll give you a chance now," a young woman stepped forward, "Kneel and face the Divine Realm, repent to the gods, or none of you will survive!" She was petite, with a delicate, baby-like face that made her appear to be in her teens, yet her chest was exceptionally full, creating an unusual allure. However, she showed no politeness toward them, her expression cold and disdainful, devoid of any charm or seductiveness.

The four leaders — the three-headed, six-armed man, the old woman with crow's feet, the grim-faced elder, and the youthful maiden with a full figure — were all in the Saint King realm, possessing immense power.

"That's quite a boast! You want us to kneel and beg for forgiveness? Are you joking? You're still wet behind the ears; aren't you afraid of spraining your tongue with such big talk?" Pang Bo retorted, striding forward aggressively.

"You fools, thinking you possess some skill! What does it amount to before my Divine Realm? All of you, die!" the youthful maiden coldly snarled. She was even more ruthless and forceful than the old woman with crow's feet, and she was the first to charge forward.

"Kill!" The grim-faced elder also advanced, immediately unleashing a "Great Monument Hand." True to its name, his palm and fingers transformed into a black stone monument, emitting a rumbling sound of the Heavenly Dao as it cleaved forward.

The assault was fierce; these were powerful Saint Kings. The four masters moved in unison, closing in for a decisive kill.

"Do you really take us for sick cats? We'll cut you down!" Pang Bo roared, no longer holding back. Saint King fluctuations surged from him, transforming him into a bronze-skinned giant radiating monstrous demonic energy.

Simultaneously, the Dragon Horse also exuded the majesty of a Saint King. In a rare act of solo combat, it charged forward alone.

"Boom!"

As the two forces collided, the area utterly collapsed, emitting terrifying sounds.

"This is tricky," the Dragon Horse cried out. "These four have cultivated for eons; they're all ancient monsters with deeper cultivation than us. They won't be easy to deal with."

While some of these four Saint Kings appeared relatively young, their true ages were terrifying, and their power was naturally immense.

"Boom!"

Ye Fan advanced, his entire body glowing like a patrolling god, cold lightning flashing in his eyes. Yet, as he strode forward, he coughed up a mouthful of golden blood.

In addition to his existing Dao injuries, his attempt to forcibly peek into the forbidden zone had also wounded him. This place was said to bury celestial gods and demons, with each mountain peak manifesting an ancient rune to suppress and kill all invaders.

"A mere invalid dares to intervene?" the old man sneered. "Kneel and prostrate yourselves towards the Divine Realm, begging for divine forgiveness, or your forms and spirits shall be utterly destroyed!"

"The Divine Realm acts with such overbearing arrogance, utterly conceited. Or perhaps you truly possess such majesty? Let's find out," Ye Fan scoffed.

Despite the golden blood at the corner of his mouth, his combat power remained unaffected. With a single punch, the heavens and earth lost their color as a boundless, sea-like golden vital energy shattered everything.

This outcome astonished all four of them; they evaded his attack rather than confronting it head-on. Clearly, they were cautious individuals, not prone to recklessness.

"Retreat!" the youthful maiden cried, instantly reappearing several miles away. The four powerhouses stood side by side, coldly observing Ye Fan and his companions.

"Your strength has indeed surpassed our expectations," the three-headed, six-armed man stated coolly. He then tapped his forehead, and a sacred, brilliant beam of light shot forth from his skull.

"You don't know what's good for you. You can't blame anyone but yourselves for opposing the Divine Realm. Only death can atone for your transgressions," the youthful maiden sneered. Her petite, graceful body began to glow, and a peaceful yet grand beam of light also surged from her skull, as if a deity were descending.

Simultaneously, the old woman with crow's feet and the grim-faced elder did the same. Beams of dazzling, god-like light erupted from each of their skulls.

"What is this?" The Dragon Horse and the Twelve Saints were all perplexed.

"Blasphemers die!" the four roared in unison. The four beams of light erupting from their skulls converged, miraculously forming a humanoid being, cast from starlight, both sacred and dazzling.

This terrifying figure radiated immense power. A vague will emanated from it, sweeping across the entire area, and a voice boomed, resonating through heaven and earth.

"Who dares to offend my might?"

The voice was incredibly vast, causing the sun, moon, rivers, and mountains to tremble, truly as if a deity had descended.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo's expressions changed. This was an extraordinary being, one they could not contend with directly.

"Let's go, now!" Pang Bo hissed.

This humanoid being was entirely forged from light, supremely powerful and boundless in its terror. Although its will was vague, its physical form was horrifying, filling onlookers with dread.

"You've offended a god! Do you truly think you can escape? All of you, kneel and accept your death!" the youthful maiden, the old woman, the three-headed, six-armed man, and the elder roared in unison from behind.

"What in the world is that? How did it burst forth from their skulls?" The Dragon Horse and the others were bewildered, their minds filled with questions.

"Could it be the ruler of the Divine Realm? But how does it reside within their heads, permanently inhabiting their minds?" Pang Bo, too, harbored doubts.

They dared not linger for even a moment. The humanoid being behind them was overpoweringly strong; its fluctuations were suffocating. The heavens collapsed and the earth split wherever it passed, turning mountains and rivers to ash and dimming the sun and moon. It was truly as if a living god had descended.

"Boom!"

A colossal palm of light slammed down, transforming a thousand-mile mountain range into a bottomless, gaping abyss. It narrowly missed crushing the entire group beneath it.

"Hurry, don't delay! Use the Lineage Secret Art, or open a domain gate! This monster is unbeatable!" the Dragon Horse cried out.

They finally understood why these four Saint Kings were so arrogant. They truly had a trump card; this was genuine fearlessness. Being able to summon such a humanoid monster meant it was utterly impossible to fight them head-on.

"Born within their hearts, seemingly summoned forth, and they call it a god..." Ye Fan murmured to himself. He sensed a very familiar aura from the humanoid being and knew exactly what it was.

The power of faith!

This was an immortal body forged from boundless thought-power. In a sense, it was a supreme avatar, though perhaps more accurately described as a mere wisp, as its power of faith was not immense, and the indwelling will was also very vague.

This was likely a vague avatar bestowed upon them by the ruler of the Divine Realm. It possessed fighting capability but was far from flawless and certainly incomparable to the light projection that had killed the Great Sage not long ago.

"If you won't surrender, what are you waiting for?" the four Saints behind them said coldly, continuing their pursuit.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with this faith avatar," Ye Fan declared, suddenly stopping. The Mother Qi of All Things surged from his forehead, releasing streams of light. At the same time, the cauldron glowed intensely, and a vast amount of faith power poured forth from its mouth.

This was the power of faith and thought that his registered disciple, the Little Celestial Master Zhang Qingyang, had gathered for him by carrying his cauldron across the world when he founded the Heavenly Court on Earth.

Over the years, the thought-power within the cauldron had grown ever deeper, transforming into a vast ocean, almost reaching the divine. It was on the verge of forming a cocoon and giving birth to a deity.

One could imagine that on the other side of the starry sky, the great Heavenly Court sect was undoubtedly thriving. Threads of faith power, transcending space and distance, flowed into his cauldron, as countless individuals chanted the name of Heavenly Emperor Ye Fan.

Now, he unleashed the cauldron, sending it directly smashing towards the divine construct. This so-called god possessed only a vague will and was not a complete life form; its thoughts were limited. It simply raised its fist and struck the cauldron.

Clearly, this was catastrophic. Different faiths gather different powers, and these powers are mutually poisonous, like fire and water, completely incompatible.

"Boom!"

Faith power gurgled and surged from within Ye Fan's cauldron, much of it instantly evaporated, and essence qi overflowed. The area became misty, filled with radiant light, and a massive explosion occurred.

However, the cauldron's interior was like an ocean. The great cauldron flipped, its mouth facing downward, as if billions of dazzling star rivers were cascading out, boundless and immense.

"Ah..."

The divine construct roared, its humanoid form blurring instantly as half of its body disintegrated.

Its combat prowess was undeniable, but it lacked true consciousness, merely a vague killing tool. Moreover, the incompatibility of different faiths proved to be immensely destructive.

Indeed, to deal with a god forged from the power of faith, confronting it with its own method is the most effective approach!

Other methods would struggle to destroy it, merely expending essence and divine power in vain. Spiritual faith power, however, acts like a sword of divine retribution, perfectly suited to slay such artificially created "gods."

"Ah..." The humanoid being roared, shaking the earth. Its entire form blurred, then utterly disintegrated.

This left the four Saint Kings behind utterly dumbfounded and chilled to the bone. It was an unprecedented event: someone had actually destroyed a wisp of their god's avatar, leaving them deeply unsettled.

"Blasphemer, I remember you!" the vague will shrieked, filled with indignation as its body shattered into thousands of specks of light, scattering in all directions.

It had been created by the collective will of sentient beings, and Ye Fan, in turn, destroyed it using the thought-power of sentient beings. This was effectively a clash of collective wills, utterly annihilating the construct on the spot.

"You..." The four Saint Kings' expressions changed. They turned and fled, realizing this person was too terrifying. Not only did he blaspheme, but he also slew a god!

Although this avatar was insignificant to a true god, even relatively "weak," it was still enough to shock them.

"None of you are getting away!" Pang Bo was the first to rush back, and the Dragon Horse and the Twelve Saints also began to encircle and intercept them.

"Boom!"

Ye Fan flipped the Mother Qi Cauldron of All Things. A vast, crystalline surge of faith power poured back into the cauldron, surging within it. Chaotic mist permeated the cauldron's mouth, making it appear immense and unfathomable.

"Thud!"

The great cauldron slammed down. The old man's face blanched as he failed to dodge. His bones shattered and tendons snapped on impact, his body ripped into pieces, flesh pulp splattering, and a mist of blood rising.

As a Saint King, it was impossible for him to die from a single blow; he possessed various life-saving abilities. He quickly reassembled his body and continued his escape. Ye Fan materialized before him, engaging in a fierce battle. After hundreds of exchanges, Ye Fan tore him apart. Although the old man was undeniably powerful, he ultimately perished there, his blood spraying across the ground.

"You can't do this! Blaspheming deities will lead to a future more terrifying than death! Spare me..." the youthful maiden shrieked.

Unfortunately, Pang Bo remained unmoved. With a merciless hand, he personally severed her beautiful head and then, with a single finger, shattered her primordial spirit.

The three-headed, six-armed man roared, only to be besieged by the Dragon Horse and a pack of sacred beasts. He was torn apart alive and devoured completely.

"You dare..." The old hag shrieked in terror, but still couldn't escape death. Pang Bo attacked, unleashing the Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor, cleaving her in half, leaving her a bloody mess.

"Blasphemers shall die!" On that very day, a colossal voice emanated from the Divine Realm, shaking the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, causing all living beings in the outside world to tremble.

Soon after, a divine decree flew forth. Over a dozen individuals, bearing this decree, scattered in all directions, proclaiming to the world that a young man named Ye Fan was to be jointly executed. His likeness was also carved onto a public announcement.

On that day, the world shook, and an uproar reached the heavens.