Chapter 1557: The Pressure of Becoming Enlightened

Chapter 1561: The Pressure of Becoming an Emperor

The pressure was immense and boundless! Everyone felt as if a great mountain had settled upon their hearts, almost suffocating them, their primordial spirits on the verge of collapse. Those aspiring to the path of the Emperor fell silent, as if an insurmountable mountain blocked their way forward, leaving them no hope.

Both the Saint Prince and Ji Zi were shocked, never having realized that someone in this generation had reached such a stage! As the direct descendants of ancient emperors and great emperors, no one understood better how difficult it was to truly reach that step. It wasn't something achieved merely through accumulated time; without peerless talent, without astonishing brilliance that transcends ages, one shouldn't even dream of touching the threshold of that realm. Let alone stepping onto the stage and truly pushing open that door – it was incredibly difficult. From ancient times until now, barely any descendants of great emperors had managed to achieve emperorship; none could pass that critical barrier!

Regardless of his origin, whether an emperor's son or a mortal, this person overshadowed all nine heavens and ten lands. Without a doubt, he surpassed all the heroes of the current era. If this person were to become an emperor, humanity would lose all hope. Was it possible for two great emperors to emerge in one era?

When he was weak, Ye Fan once believed that by moving to a different starfield or an ancient land of life, multiple emperors might coexist. However, as he grew stronger, his conviction wavered, and all signs pointed to it being incredibly difficult. Achieving emperorship in different places was feasible, but it would only lead to becoming a Quasi-Emperor, not a Supreme Emperor beyond the True Grand Completion realm. Ultimately, the supreme powerhouses of all heavens and myriad realms would cross a single-plank bridge, competing for one path, vying for that sole qualification!

Unless an exception occurred, like the bizarre mythological era of Emperor Zun, perhaps only then could the shackles of heaven and earth be broken, making it possible for several emperors to coexist. Of course, this was merely a conjecture and not necessarily true, as there was still no direct evidence to prove that multiple great emperors definitely existed during Emperor Zun's era.

The brown-haired Great Sage's face held an air of indifference; he uttered not a word. Yet, his demeanor spoke volumes: he stood with an air of superiority, knowing that a future emperor, one who would rule the entire universe, stood behind him. Even if he stood in a forbidden zone of life, he would not fear for his life, nor would anyone dare harm him. For at that moment, he represented a Supreme Being; he was an Imperial Emissary. No one dared to touch him.

"Ye Fan, will you accept the imperial decree or not? This is not a bad thing. The Emperor Lord greatly appreciates you and will entrust you with an important responsibility," the brown-haired Great Sage spoke again. How powerful must one be to dare come here and recruit the Human Sacred Body? One must remember that Ye Fan was already a Great Sage, with limitless future potential. Who could command him? Yet, such a person had indeed appeared, directly stating a desire to entrust a great responsibility, which in reality meant taking Ye Fan as a subordinate, without any fear of retaliation. This demonstrated supreme confidence and arrogance!

"What Emperor Lord? Is he as powerful as this Heavenly Emperor?" Shen Wa indignantly cried out. Though young in age, the little chubby boy's confidence was overflowing.

Ye Fan walked forward step by step, his expression incredibly cold. Someone wanted to take him as a subordinate, and even if that person was about to become an emperor, it was unacceptable to him.

"Presumptuous! Don't forget, he hasn't crossed that barrier yet. Remember, as long as he isn't a true Emperor, there are many variables. There might very well be someone in this world who can deal with him!" the Black Emperor said coldly, though its expression was now very grave. For a being who had followed the Great Emperor Wushi to speak like this naturally startled everyone.

"Is there still such a person? I truly don't know who in this world could deal with the Emperor Lord at this stage. No one can do anything to him now!" the brown-haired Great Sage said with considerable confidence. He pointed to the thirty-three-story blue immortal gold tower above his head, a cold smile playing on his lips, and said, "Even if someone could temporarily take this tower, it would be useless. The Supreme Being's divine powers reach the heavens, spanning the eight directions in an instant. No one can touch a single hair on his head!"

Perhaps the so-called Emperor Lord had some sincerity in wanting to recruit Ye Fan, but this person definitely harbored ulterior motives and hostility; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen this particular day to deliver the imperial decree.

The Saint Prince sneered, "You're overly confident. Even my father, after achieving emperorship, didn't create such a grand display like the person behind you, trying to make someone who could challenge a Great Emperor in the future into a subordinate with a mere decree? I think he's uneasy, wanting to keep him close and watch him!" Both he and Ji Zi had the right to speak thus; their fathers were true Great Emperors, giving them the ultimate say.

"The Emperor Lord of the Divine Court highly values you and intends to seal you as the Heavenly King, the Lord of a region in the Beidou Starfield. I hope you will not refuse and not mislead yourself," the brown-haired Great Sage said, staring at Ye Fan.

The Divine Court, this divine dynasty, was mentioned in the Beidou Starfield for the first time, astonishing the Saints from myriad realms and leading to discussions. "The Lord of the Divine Court possesses profound accomplishments and unparalleled magical power in this era. If he truly acts, he will be invincible throughout the world. Some Great Sages from the depths of the universe have voluntarily joined him, expanding his territory." "This is an unparalleled great power, poised to sweep across the eight directions, with the grand ambition of unifying heaven and earth!" Some had heard of the Divine Court, as their influence was immense, having already controlled several ancient regions and awe-inspiring throughout the universe!

Ye Fan's heart chilled, and he suddenly understood. This wasn't the first time he'd heard of them; he had clashed with them before. When he went to the Ziwei Starfield to find Little Nannan, he had almost eradicated the Divine Court organization there. The former Ziwei Divine Dynasty had been annihilated by this extraterritorial organization, which then took its place as the ruler there. The master of the Divine Court, emulating ancient figures, sought to rebuild the ancient Heavenly Court of the mythological era and restore the glory of Emperor Zun's time. As early as his time in the Ziwei Starfield, Ye Fan had speculated that there must be a supreme Quasi-Emperor behind the Divine Court, but he hadn't expected them to be even stronger than he imagined!

"Is it your so-called Emperor Lord who sent you to deliver a message today?" Ye Fan asked coldly, then continued on his own, "I don't think so. If I'm not mistaken, you have a close relationship with the Great Sage I destroyed in the Ziwei Ancient Starfield, don't you? Today, you deliberately acted this way to provoke me, so that the Emperor Lord behind you would be forced to act."

"So you knew you killed that Great Sage?" The brown-haired Great Sage finally burst out, no longer concealing the hatred in his heart; endless cold malice shone in the depths of his eyes.

"If others don't offend me, I don't offend them. He brought it upon himself," Ye Fan said.

The thirty-three-story Emperor Tower hung high, emitting strands of primal energy. The eternal blue gold shimmered, illuminating the cosmic rivers. The brown-haired Great Sage stood beneath it, his expression growing even more somber. He was confident, knowing that a person about to become an emperor stood behind him, and thus feared nothing here. He wasn't even afraid of the Ji family, which had produced Great Emperors.

"Then accept the imperial decree!" he said icily. The situation had reached this point, pushing him step by step towards an extreme. At this moment, making Ye Fan accept the message was tantamount to forcing him to bow his head and surrender under pressure. This was clearly a form of bullying. He was using this opportunity to provoke Ye Fan, intending to "borrow a knife to kill." He wanted the Divine Court's Lord to eliminate his great enemy.

The Saint Prince, Dongfang Ye, the Black Emperor, and others were all indignant and furious. Even the usually taciturn Ji Zi's expression grew cold. He seemed ready to act. This could only be described as excessive bullying. While the Divine Court's Lord had the intention to recruit Ye Fan, it was absolutely impossible for him to be so disrespectful. This was truly outrageous bullying. Such coercion at an engagement ceremony was entirely orchestrated by the brown-haired Great Sage, step by step, to embarrass Ye Fan in front of the world and provoke him into resistance.

"You presume I wouldn't dare touch you, just because you have someone about to become an emperor behind you?!" Ye Fan's expression turned chillingly cold as he walked forward step by step, filled with killing intent.

The brown-haired Great Sage's heart skipped a beat. He then more cautiously activated the Emperor Tower above his head, saying, "I am merely a messenger. If you wish to defy the Emperor Lord, you may, of course."

With a rumble, Ye Fan directly brought out the Green Bronze Cauldron, unleashing an immense Emperor's might, suppressing forward, and directly taking action. Everyone gasped. This was Emperor Zun's weapon, containing the secret of becoming an immortal. Born from Kunlun, it had once caused cosmic turmoil and led to various unforeseen changes. Every race desired it. Everyone gazed at the Green Cauldron with immense covetousness. At this moment, it emitted a glistening radiance, flowing downwards, with myriad spirits appearing on its surface and primordial energy rising.

"What do you intend to do? Are you going to defy the Emperor Lord? Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster upon your entire race?!" the brown-haired Great Sage roared. The thirty-three-story Emperor Tower above his head flashed with dazzling blue-gold radiance, thousands of streaks of light making it impossible to open one's eyes – it was heaven's most perfect masterpiece.

"You are merely a messenger. Naturally, I wouldn't bother to quarrel with a mere errand-runner like you," Ye Fan said calmly.

Hearing this, the brown-haired Great Sage was enraged. What was his status? He was the Patriarch of a region, yet the other party genuinely treated him as a mere messenger. That tone was filled with indifference, truly seeing him as a menial servant, dismissive and utterly contemptuous.

"However, even a servant delivering a message must understand etiquette. By offending me like this, while I won't kill you, your transgression cannot be easily forgiven," Ye Fan said coldly. The crowd was in an uproar. For Ye Fan to say this personally meant he truly regarded this Great Sage as a mere servant, not seeing him as an equal or a peer.

The brown-haired Great Sage was furious, his eyes growing even colder and more menacing. Today, he intended to leverage the Divine Court master's power to trample Ye Fan's dignity, but he hadn't expected the other party to be far more dominant than imagined. Even if the Emperor Lord was destined to achieve emperorship, Ye Fan still refused to yield.

"Aren't you here to deliver a message? I'd like to hear the Emperor Lord's goodwill too. Kneel and read the message," Ye Fan said with a calm, matter-of-fact expression. Everyone was astonished, then showed strange expressions. Ye Fan was using a powerful approach to resolve the crisis, leaving no trace, not bowing his head, yet not completely offending the Emperor Lord. Li Heishui, Dongfang Ye, and the others all smiled, looking forward and staring at the brown-haired Great Sage.

The brown-haired Great Sage's heart skipped a beat, and a chill spread through his body. He felt that things were going badly. Ye Fan's action was malicious towards him; making him kneel and read the message completely ruined his previous plan. By doing this, Ye Fan would absolutely not lose his dignity, nor would he immediately break ties with the Emperor Lord. Only the brown-haired Great Sage would suffer, bearing all the humiliation. In fact, this whole affair was instigated by the brown-haired Great Sage himself, who wanted to leverage power to force Ye Fan into a dead end. With Ye Fan acting this way now, even if word spread to the Emperor Lord, there would be nothing to say. The brown-haired Great Sage would suffer humiliation for nothing. Perhaps the Emperor Lord might even appreciate the Human Sacred Body more.

The brown-haired Great Sage's expression immediately turned cold. He could not tolerate such a thing happening; it was best to leave this place first. Unfortunately, coming was easy, but leaving was hard!

Ye Fan's Green Bronze Cauldron suppressed downward. At the same time, the Monkey wielded his black immortal iron rod and smashed it directly, an Emperor's might surging – he had long found the Great Sage an eyesore! And Ji Zi, wielding the Void Mirror, also launched an attack. Not to mention his relationship with Ye Fan, simply because this was his home, he had to act as the host.

The blue-gold Emperor Tower vibrated, primal energy erupting. It was extraordinary, almost equivalent to an Emperor's Weapon, and because its master was still alive and present in this era, it would gain immeasurable power, as this weapon was constantly reviving and alive! However, under the pressure of three Emperor Weapons, it still couldn't hold out. It was forcibly suppressed, and ultimately, the artifact tore through the void, attempting to escape.

"Kneel and read the message!" Ye Fan pressed forward.