Chapter 155: 斩

Bang! Ye Fan shot into the sky, swinging his golden fist, and brought it down heavily, almost completely crushing Ji Ren's sternum. However, the old steward was unfathomable, possessing immense vitality. He showed no signs of death, instead roaring and growling in a low voice.

Ye Fan followed, descending rapidly using the Eight Steps Chasing Cicada technique, moving at extreme speed. Each step landed on Ji Ren's body, emitting a crisp crackle with every impact. After eight steps, dozens of Ji Ren's bones were shattered, and his form was nearly distorted. At the same time, he fell to the ground. Ye Fan delivered a final, powerful punch, sending Ji Ren flying like a stone, tumbling to the ground like a dead dog.

The methods were almost cruel, but Ye Fan had no mercy. In this dog-eat-dog world, if he didn't act ruthlessly, he would be killed by his opponent. Ji Hui was determined to destroy him. This old steward had come to execute him, remaining completely unfazed from beginning to end, showing extreme indifference and no guilt about killing him. Therefore, Ye Fan naturally felt no emotional波动, simply killing him without hesitation. "Ah..." Ji Ren roared, still not dead.

Ye Fan's heart tightened. The opponent was too powerful; an ordinary cultivator would likely have lost all signs of life by now. He couldn't discern the opponent's cultivation level, which was profound and unfathomable. Not wanting any accidents, Ye Fan immediately summoned the Golden Book. The carrier of the Dao Scripture, that golden page, transformed into a dazzling golden beam and shot forward, brilliant and sharp, blurring the very void as if tearing it open.

Although this page of the Dao Scripture was not a true weapon, it was tougher than Elder Jiang's purple-bronze Eight Trigrams Mirror and could be submerged in the Sea of Misery. In contrast, the purple-bronze Eight Trigrams Mirror, the Sky Net Umbrella, and the Jade Vase could not, being blocked above the Sea of Misery by the green copper block. In a sense, this golden page was not a weapon, yet it surpassed one. Shhh! The golden blade was extremely dazzling. The thin golden page, comparable to the sharpest weapon, sliced through. Puff! Ji Ren's head was severed. Blood spurted from his body like a crimson fountain, gushing two meters away, and his head flew several meters.

In the cruel world of cultivators, once a conflict began, it was either kill or be killed; there was no room for mercy. Ye Fan sighed. But then, to his astonishment, he found that the headless body was still rolling, and the severed head was still trembling. Ji Ren was still alive even in this state, which sent shivers down Ye Fan's spine. He immediately summoned the Golden Book again. If such a terrifying figure were to recover, just the thought was horrifying. Puff! The Golden Book plunged into Ji Ren's Wheel of Life and severed his source of divine power, tearing apart this secret realm. Even if the opponent was powerful, Ye Fan was no longer afraid. Shhh!

Ye Fan did not stop there. He summoned the Golden Book and struck at the trembling head in the distance. He believed that once it was destroyed, Ji Ren would no longer be able to cause any trouble. Buzz! However, at that moment, something astonishing happened: a five-colored divine light burst forth from Ji Ren's almost bald head, instantly blocking the Golden Book. It was a powerful divine force that sealed the space, repelling the Golden Book.

Within the brilliant five-colored light, a slender bone hairpin emanated a hazy aura. It vibrated, releasing a mysterious power that flowed towards Ji Ren's head. At the same time, the bone hairpin shattered, and a beam of light shot out from within. Ji Hui's shadowy figure appeared, asking, "What happened?"

Ye Fan's scalp tingled. Though he wished to kill the old hag instantly, he understood the vast difference between them; the Ji family elder was like a giant compared to him. "It's you..." Ji Hui's shadowy figure appeared, utterly shocked. She exclaimed, "How could Ji Ren be defeated by you, reaching such a critical juncture between life and death? The bone hairpin I gave him before he left is shattered... how is this possible?!" Ji Hui, the old elder of the Ji family, wore a look of disbelief. This was incredibly unexpected for her, like hearing a lion had been bitten to death by an ant.

Ye Fan quickly calmed down. Without a word, he immediately summoned the Golden Book and struck towards Ji Hui. He knew this was not the real Ji family elder, but merely a wisp of an imprint. He had to quickly destroy it, otherwise the head might recover. "This is truly astonishing... It defies all reason!" Ji Hui was still in shock as the Golden Book swept past, cleaving her. However, Ji Hui was unharmed. She quickly reunited and said coldly, "You're still too green, boy. You can't even distinguish a spiritual imprint. You can't destroy me with that." At this, she shouted, "Ji Ren, wake up quickly!"

Shhh! From Ye Fan's glabella, the small golden lake reappeared, and a small golden sword, entirely formed from powerful divine consciousness, flew out and instantly struck Ji Hui. Knowing the opponent's state, Ye Fan immediately felt at ease. Using powerful divine consciousness to destroy a spiritual imprint was the most suitable method. "Ah..." Ji Hui's phantom cried out in alarm and rage, dashing left and right. Everything was beyond her expectations; Ye Fan's divine consciousness was so powerful it utterly mismatched his cultivation realm. Sizzle! Like a glowing red iron rod plunged into ice and snow, melting a large area, Ji Hui's imprint instantly blurred, nearly being annihilated.

Facing the true Ji family elder, Ye Fan would have no chance; he had, after all, only cultivated for a little over three years. However, this was merely Ji Hui's imprint, not her main body, so he launched a fierce attack. "You old hag! If I can't kill your true body, can't I at least kill your spiritual imprint?!" Ye Fan felt immense ill will towards this ruthless old woman. She repaid kindness with enmity and even wanted to annihilate his body and spirit. Now, this was truly a perfect punching bag.

"You..." Ji Hui, enraged by the insult, also recognized the terrifying nature of his divine consciousness. She shot into the sky, attempting to escape. Ye Fan wouldn't give her the chance. If this wisp of an imprint returned to her main body, it would be hard for him to even die later, as she would undoubtedly torment him in countless ways. "Don't you love to hunt people down, old hag?" Ye Fan charged forward, shouting, "Today, I'll show you what a chase looks like!"

Puff! From the small golden lake, a formed divine consciousness emerged and instantly shattered Ji Hui's arm. Puff! The Divine Consciousness Sky Sword struck down, severing Ji Hui's head. "You brat, how dare you insult me—" "Damn it, you wanted to kill me!" Ye Fan rushed over, swung his golden palm, and slapped directly at her, saying, "Let me pat your dog head!" Thwack! The golden palm slapped Ji Hui's head, scattering her instantly. However, she quickly reformed. Apart from divine consciousness attacks, other forces found it difficult to annihilate her.

"You—!" Ji Hui was utterly furious. When had an elder of the Ji family ever suffered such humiliation? Shhh! From Ye Fan's glabella, golden divine consciousness burst forth again, piercing through Ji Hui's head. Then, divine light radiated, instantly engulfing the area. He had no time to waste: first, he didn't want any accidents to occur; second, there was still a half-dead Ji Ren groaning below to deal with. This wisp of Ji Hui's imprint let out an unwilling roar, then shattered on the spot, melting like snowflakes and utterly disappearing into the world.

Ye Fan swooped down, summoned the Golden Book, and struck at Ji Ren once more. At this point, after being nourished by the mysterious light, the severed head surprisingly calmed down. Its eyes opened, and it regained consciousness, its gaze as cold and chilling as knives, directed at Ye Fan. "You old fossil, you really have nine lives..." Ye Fan activated the Golden Dao Scripture and struck forward. The surrounding area was sealed; only by destroying the enemy in front of him could he escape this place.

The divine power contained within Ji Hui's imprint had all transferred to Ji Ren, making him fully conscious. The head immediately flew up, dodging into the distance. Shhh! Ye Fan wasn't afraid of him causing trouble. He didn't chase the head, but instead attacked Ji Ren's headless body directly. However, something astonishing happened. From the body, whose bones were all broken, five figures suddenly burst forth, standing side by side, guarding the physical body.

The first figure, clad in black iron armor, held a massive scythe. Apart from the cold gleam of its blade, the entire figure was as black as ink, standing there like a grim reaper. The second figure was in crimson armor, dripping with fresh blood, like burning flames. It held a blood-red long saber, shining with a sinister allure. The third figure wore green armor, gleaming like dragon scales, and held a wolf-tooth club, exuding a dense aura.

These five figures resembled five evil gods, emanating an ominous aura, each flowing with mysterious power. "Dao Palace Secret Realm!" Ye Fan instantly realized, simultaneously sucking in a cold breath. It was said that cultivators in the Dao Palace Secret Realm could cultivate five divine beings, possessing various unfathomable abilities. After successful cultivation, strange things would occur. Although he had shattered Ji Ren's Wheel of Life, the opponent's Dao Palace remained unharmed, and five divine entities had leaped out. The only fortunate thing was that the head could not reconnect with the body, thus preventing proper control over these five divine beings.

"The Dao Palace Secret Realm is truly too mysterious; this manifestation is just the tip of the iceberg," Ye Fan mused to himself. At present, there was no retreat, only advancement. Ye Fan summoned the Golden Book, simultaneously activating the Dao Scripture's profound techniques, mobilizing the Mother Qi of All Things within his body, preparing for a bloody battle. Shhh! To his surprise, however, the five divine entities were not as powerful as he had imagined. A flash of golden light severed the arm of one of them.

From afar, Ji Ren's roar of rage, filled with despair and unwillingness, echoed. "Haha..." Ye Fan laughed, saying, "I understand now! Your head can't return, so they can't unleash their full power. What is there to fear?!" Ye Fan strode forward, swinging his golden fist. With a bang, he shattered one of the evil gods, which then dissipated into a brilliant stream of light.

Ji Ren roared. Though he had no body, his divine consciousness's roar was even more terrifying. Whoosh! The world dimmed momentarily as a giant purple net appeared in the sky, descending to cover the area. "Great Net of the Heavens!" Ye Fan's heart startled. It was this net that had surrounded him, preventing his escape. To his surprise, the Great Net of the Heavens did not rush towards him. Instead, it enveloped the severed head and shot into the distance. The remaining four evil gods also transformed into four beams of light, ready to soar into the sky.

"That old coot..." Ye Fan charged forward, using his utmost power to utterly destroy the physical body. He then activated a remnant form of the Void Great Hand Seal and slammed it towards the sky. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The colossal black hand covered the sky and earth, shattering all four divine entities. Without any delay, he rushed into the distance, pursuing Ji Ren.

Without a physical body, the head's divine power was limited. After all, both the Wheel of Life and the Dao Palace Secret Realm had been destroyed. Ji Ren's strength was unsustainable, and the Great Net of the Heavens could not protect him. His speed gradually slowed. Ye Fan, having cultivated the old madman's supreme secret technique, caught up in the blink of an eye. He knew he absolutely could not let Ji Ren escape, otherwise, there would be endless trouble in the future. "Old coot, you have no source of divine power, no five divine beings. How can you keep running?"

Ye Fan secretly rejoiced that he had severed the head first. Otherwise, if the opponent had been connected to his physical body, he would have had no chance at all. However, it wasn't mere luck; he had created this opportunity himself. His successful divine consciousness attack against the opponent had already predetermined this outcome. Bang! Ye Fan swung his large hand, slapping forward. Purple light flashed as the Great Net of the Heavens dissolved Ye Fan's attack, temporarily preserving the severed head.

Unfortunately, a head was still just a head; its divine power was limited. Continuous flight would quickly deplete it, making it impossible to provide energy for the Great Net of the Heavens or to be wielded effectively. Although treasures were powerful, they required divine power to activate and control, otherwise they couldn't be fully utilized. "Thank you for the treasure, old man!" Bang! With Ye Fan's final strike, Ji Ren's head was finally pulverized. The large purple net drifted down and was caught by him. "It truly is a powerful treasure!"

He sensed Ji Hui's aura on it, realizing it must have been bestowed by Ji Hui, the Ji family elder. It seemed woven from starlight, sparkling brilliantly. "Encompassing heaven and earth, it truly is a spiritual artifact!" Ye Fan felt it was much more powerful than the destroyed purple-bronze Eight Trigrams Mirror and the Sky Net Umbrella. Dao patterns shimmered faintly on it, incredibly profound, seeming capable of ensnaring the sun, moon, and stars. Without lingering, he erased all traces from the area, then swiftly departed like the wind and lightning, disappearing instantly. He knew he needed to lie low; if the Ji family elders found out, they would surely be enraged and would not let him go.