Chapter 154: Beating You Into the Eighteenth Level of Hell

The old steward, Ji Ren, appeared ancient, but when he moved, he struck like thunder—swift, fierce, and directly lethal. Ye Fan, employing his mysterious footwork, turned and fled, knowing full well this old steward was beyond his ability to contend with.

Ji Ren was truly terrifying. In a single step, he soared high into the sky, then brought a foot down with such force that the heavens themselves seemed to tremble. Though his figure was hunched, he was astonishingly powerful at this moment. His colossal foot expanded to several meters, stomping down with a resounding crash.

Startled, Ye Fan quickly dodged aside. The massive foot landed on the ground with a deafening roar, sending large cracks spreading in all directions and completely shattering the earth's surface. "You won't escape!" Ji Ren declared.

Old Steward Ji Ren swung his palm downwards. His hand, as vast as a millstone, descended with a rumbling sound.

"You old blind wolf..." Ye Fan gritted his teeth, changed direction, and rushed outwards. A powerful "Boom!" followed.

The large hand struck the void, causing a violent impact of air, like a roaring thunderstorm. Ye Fan was almost thrown off his feet.

It was clear how terrifying this old steward was; even striking empty air, his power remained formidable. "I'll arrange your funeral," Ji Ren said. "You old bald-headed geezer, you should worry about your own!" Ye Fan sped away, his pace undoubtedly fast, but he found he couldn't leave the area.

A mysterious force permeated the area, with light shimmering across the ground, blocking his path. Even when he reached high altitude, he remained confined. This place was like a cage, sealed, making escape impossible. "You can't leave," Old Steward Ji Ren said, his expression cold, his body hunched. "I'll give you a quick death, and burn some paper money and sprinkle some wine for you every year."

He joined his fingers like a blade and slashed downwards. A massive blaze erupted, like a divine sword of flame, gleaming brightly and engulfing the sky. The divine fire pulsed intensely, fiercely hot. Ye Fan escaped in the nick of time, dodging the descending flame blade.

The scorching heat immediately set the area behind him ablaze. In a blink, the ground was scorched; all vegetation turned to ash, and the red earth, charred, transformed into glistening porcelain.

"You're repaying kindness with enmity!" Ye Fan gnashed his teeth at Ji Ren, but his true hatred was for Ji Hui, the renowned elder of the Ji family. "You vicious old hag, if I escape, you'll regret it!"

"There's no point in talking," Ji Ren said. "Blame yourself for learning the secret techniques from the Void Ancient Scripture. Many direct descendants of the Ji family don't even have the chance to cultivate them, let alone an insignificant outsider like you."

Ji Ren extended his large hand, his five fingers like celestial hooks, emitting blue-purple light. Thunder rumbled as he lunged for Ye Fan's skull. "Crack!"

Several purple lightning bolts coiled around his fingers like dragons or snakes, distorting the void, and arriving in an instant. Ye Fan, filled with awe, immediately unleashed the Great Void Art, transforming into a wisp of black smoke that surged through the space. Another "Crack!" followed.

The purple lightning was indeed extraordinary. The first bolt struck, blasting a bottomless, barrel-sized hole in the ground, from which wisps of smoke rose.

"You truly master the Great Void Art; I cannot let you live!" Ji Ren's eyes gleamed coldly. The lightning bolts in his hand shot out simultaneously, their purple streaks tearing through the void.

"Clang!"

A deafening clang echoed as a bronze plaque appeared in Ye Fan's hand. It vibrated violently, absorbing several lightning bolts. It was indeed the bronze plaque from the Great Thunderclap Temple.

This plaque was half-ruined and could barely exert any power, but after much study, Ye Fan discovered it could absorb lightning and sonic attacks, which was quite peculiar. "This isn't a solution at all!" Ye Fan put away the bronze plaque, feeling too passive. For him, Ji Ren's cultivation was unfathomable, making a head-on confrontation impossible.

Old Steward Ji Ren advanced, pressing down on him. He said blandly, "Young man, why bother? Struggling is useless and will only bring pain. I want to give you a quick end; don't make it worse for yourself."

Though his words were calm, every step he took was filled with murderous intent. He opened his mouth and spat out a demonic cloud that roared like a tempest in the sky, surging towards Ye Fan.

Ye Fan was horrified. This old man was too powerful; his breath was like thunder, vast as the sea. He shot into the sky and asked, "What have you done? How did you seal this space?" "I possess a treasure—the Great Luo Sky Net. Once deployed, it encompasses heaven and earth. You, alone, cannot break through it." Ji Ren's face was impassive, his aged features unperturbed. "How did you find me?" Ye Fan asked again.

"Miss Ziyue secretly gave you a jade pendant. We detected it long ago. Did you think removing the mark would shake off our pursuit? I've been following you since the beginning. Your speed was indeed too great, and it's only today that I've found you again."

"Fine, fine, fine, now I understand your nature. Ji Hui, you old hag! Ji Ren, you dog slave..."

Ji Ren struck like a phantom, saying grimly, "It's time. You should be on your way!"

The sky trembled as a massive black hand materialized, surrounded by swirling dark clouds that exuded a heart-stopping aura. It was the Ji Family's Void Grand Imprint.

Ji Ren, though nominally just an old steward, had mastered this secret art, clearly indicating his extraordinary status.

The Void Grand Imprint was incredibly overbearing and immensely powerful, as black as ink, covering the sky and sun as it slammed down heavily towards Ye Fan!

He had no time to dodge. This was a supreme secret art recorded in the Void Ancient Scripture, extremely terrifying. The black hand, covering the sky, completely sealed him below. "Next life, be born into an ordinary family, and avoid such troubles..." Old Steward Ji Ren's voice was low, ruthless, and cold, echoing in the sky. A swift "Whoosh!" followed.

Ye Fan took out his purple-bronze Bagua mirror, which emitted a blinding, sun-like beam, shining it towards the massive hand in the sky. Simultaneously, he took out the Sky Net Umbrella and held it above him. However, the light from the purple-bronze Bagua mirror could not block the Void Grand Imprint. "Splat!" The colossal black hand descended, covering everything, and slammed heavily onto the Sky Net Umbrella, letting out a "Crack!"

With a sharp crack, the umbrella surface fractured, and Ye Fan's body was sent flying sideways. Ji Ren said no more, activating the Void Grand Imprint once more and striking towards Ye Fan.

The great hand was like a dark cloud, emanating terrifying, heart-shaking fluctuations as it pressed down like a mountain.

"Smash!"

Powerful as the Sky Net Umbrella was, it could not withstand the Void Grand Imprint. After being struck heavily once more, it instantly shattered into pieces. The Sky Net Umbrella was utterly destroyed!

Ye Fan spat out a mouthful of blood and was thrown back dozens of meters. He sighed inwardly; the gap in power was too immense. Even a treasure like the Sky Net Umbrella had shattered. How could he fight? "Buzz!"

The void vibrated as the black hand slammed down again, eclipsing even the sun in the sky and casting a vast shadow below. "Crunch, crunch!"

Before the massive hand even truly descended, the ground beneath Ye Fan's feet could no longer withstand the pressure and quickly cracked, indicating the terrifying suppressive force he endured. Ye Fan summoned the purple-bronze Bagua mirror, which rapidly expanded like a giant shield, blocking above his head. "Clang!"

A piercing metallic screech rang out, so sharp it made one's body tremble, like deities forging iron, or metal tearing through space. Even the purple-bronze Bagua mirror, a precious treasure, developed cracks and was on the verge of breaking!

Ye Fan felt a pang of pain. This was a weapon of a Ji family elder, a true treasure. Although it had been damaged in the Primordial Forbidden Zone, it was still considered a powerful artifact, yet it simply couldn't block the Void Grand Imprint. "Clang!"

Another ear-splitting clang erupted. The purple-bronze Bagua mirror cracked further, then "shattered" into pieces in the sky.

Ye Fan was almost driven into the earth, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked up at the sky and cursed, "You old immortal..."

With two treasures destroyed, even if he brought out the remaining Jade Vase, the outcome would be the same.

"Smack!"

Ji Ren extended his large hand and instantly sent Ye Fan flying. Though not the Void Grand Imprint, it was still incredibly powerful.

If Ye Fan hadn't cultivated his Precious Body, he would have been utterly shattered. Even so, he was sent tumbling dozens of meters away.

"Bang!"

The large hand reached out again, striking at Ye Fan. He couldn't dodge in time and was almost pulverized, struggling to stand up after a long moment.

Ji Ren, hunched, looked down impassively, his voice indifferent. "Compared to the Ji family, you are utterly insignificant. What's the point of struggling futilely? Attacking you is no different from killing a chicken or slaughtering a dog." "You old bastard," Ye Fan retorted, "you're just someone else's dog. Don't act so high and mighty. Even that old hag Ji Hui wouldn't be worthy."

There was no anger on Ji Ren's aged face; it was as still as an ancient well. He said, "Like a speck of dust, as weak as an ant, you originally would have had no dealings with the transcendent Ji family. Unfortunately, your fate isn't good enough; the Great Void Art is not something someone like you can touch." Ji Ren, frail with age, truly looked down on him as one would on an ant, devoid of emotion. "You old slave..."

Just then, Old Steward Ji Ren descended and advanced, pressing closer. "Before I eliminate you, I need to understand some things. I need to extract your soul."

With his true combat power, Ye Fan had no chance at all; the difference in cultivation realms was like a chasm. Moreover, he didn't even know how profound this old man's cultivation was. Ye Fan waited for an opportunity, preparing to use his final trump card! When Ji Ren drew close, he felt it was time to act.

At that very moment, a small golden lake suddenly appeared on Ye Fan's forehead, like a golden sun fixed in place.

The small lake vibrated, radiating brilliant divine light. A dazzling beam shot straight out, transforming into a golden sharp sword, like a blade that could cleave the heavens!

This was a powerful spiritual attack. After consuming the golden holy fruit, Ye Fan's spiritual power had reached an incredible level, becoming exceptionally condensed and capable of taking physical form!

He had spent over a year exploring this type of spiritual attack, gradually developing it into a powerful killing move specifically targeting the mind! "Argh!" Ji Ren screamed, clutching his head, and tumbled backward onto the ground. The powerful spiritual assault was effective with a single strike!

Previously, Old Steward Ji Ren had been utterly cold, without a ripple of emotion on his face. Now, his face was contorted in a ferocious grimace as he roared and struggled in agony.

Ye Fan's entire skeleton vibrated, his body shimmered, and divine power surged as his golden fist heavily slammed forward.

"Thud!" The punch landed directly on the old steward's jaw. With a "snap," a crisp sound echoed, and his jawbone shattered.

"You old slave, weren't you high and mighty just now? I'll send you straight to the eighteenth layer of hell!" Ji Ren was sent flying into the air by the punch to his chin. Ye Fan turned sideways, swung his leg powerfully like an iron whip.

"Wham!" Ye Fan's right leg heavily struck Ji Ren's chest, slamming him back down from mid-air.

Even though Ji Ren's cultivation was unfathomable, his physical body absolutely could not compare to a Saint Body. His sternum instantly fractured and collapsed inward.

"You old slave, weren't you treating me like an ant just now?" Ye Fan kicked out, and Ji Ren's shoulder shattered, sending him flying sideways. Without waiting for him to land, Ye Fan closed the distance in seven steps, then heavily stomped downwards. "Bang!" He stomped Ji Ren down, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.

"So the Ancient Noble Families are great, huh? Sooner or later, I'll pay a visit to the Ji family and break into the Ji family's sacred land that you deem unassailable! And that old hag, make sure she lives long!" "Bang!" Ye Fan kicked the tumbling Ji Ren into the air.