Chapter 1615: Those Who Were Protected

"Is it him? Is it really him?" This was the question echoing in everyone's hearts at that moment, thundering and rumbling like a clap of thunder within their chests.

Even those who had previously believed it was likely Ye Fan had always harbored doubts. After all, three hundred years ago, Ye Fan had fought to the death against an ancient supreme being; how could he possibly reappear?

At this moment, they were certain: this person had to be Ye Fan. He had truly returned. With his unshakeable will, fierce and invincible methods, and familiar style, who else could it be?

With just one palm, he had slain a renowned Great Saint from the Divine Court and destroyed a Great Saint artifact. It was terrifying, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

As the blood mist dispersed, a figure stood there, a body seemingly cast from divine iron, exuding an oppressive presence like a towering mountain.

They could not detect any fragments of law or Dao on him; not a single trace remained. Everyone was momentarily stunned, then confirmed their suspicion: he must have paid a heavy price to reappear in the world with such difficulty.

Individuals of this caliber would be suppressed by the Immortal Ascension Battlefield, yet it was difficult to completely sever the cultivation of some special individuals. However, people sensed no trace of Dao fragments on Ye Fan.

He had indeed paid an unimaginable price in that battle three hundred years ago. This confirmation allowed the previously alarmed crowd to breathe a sigh of relief.

In their eyes, this was barely "reasonable."

Of course, many more found it difficult to accept, believing he should not have survived at all.

Once his identity was confirmed, many people showed unusual expressions, yet no one took the initiative to attack. Ye Fan's earlier display had been too powerful, intimidating many.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" a bare-chested youth with a bronzed, muscular body, as robust as a demon's, spoke. His words were quite disrespectful, clearly aimed at everyone present.

Many were enraged. As masters of their own domains, they had always been high-ranking figures. Who dared to disrespect them?

However, when someone recognized the youth, their expressions changed. He was Tuoba Mo, one of the most powerful individuals in the past three hundred years, a true demon king. Few dared to openly provoke him.

Many were indignant but did not immediately lash out. They came from various realms across the heavens, and in their respective star domains, they were almost the strongest. However, here, everyone was of the same rank, and their past glories meant little. Otherwise, many powerful individuals would not have chosen to follow others, abandoning the path to emperorship.

Tuoba Mo stood there with crossed arms, as dangerous as a fierce beast, causing those nearby to involuntarily retreat from him.

Although he had not yet explicitly stated his intention to target Ye Fan, his gaze was full of aggression, scanning Ye Fan with a wild and chilling intensity.

On the other side, Yi Ming, Yin Tiande's disciple, approached, carrying an ancient sword on his back. The sword seemed to possess a life of its own, harmonizing with him. With every step he took, the ground trembled, accompanied by a resounding hum of the sword.

Although he came for Ye Fan, he also harbored killing intent towards Tuoba Mo.

Ye Fan scanned everyone, sensing familiar energies: individuals akin to the Overlord, disciples of Yaoguang, and Saint Spirits... either inheritances of his enemies or factions destined to oppose him.

"Are you trying to encircle and annihilate me?" Ye Fan's eyes were dim, devoid of striking brilliance, yet his calmness was unsettling.

"We are here to fight for Senior Ye's reputation; the hero of three hundred years ago will not allow you to impersonate and defile him!" someone shouted.

The black precious bottle above Mo Wentian's head vibrated, and Dao symbols silently diffused, secretly empowering the person shouting in the distance. This made their words thunderous, shaking the sky.

"Where were you three hundred years ago? Did you ever go to the starry sky to assist him in battle?" Ye Fan asked indifferently.

"We admit you are strong, but please do not profane the senior hero. Please respect yourself," another person sternly rebuked.

There were always such people. Ye Fan looked at them, a cold smile appearing on his lips, then sighed.

"Boom!"

The earth trembled as more factions arrived, bringing an even greater number of powerful individuals, surrounding the area like an impenetrable wall.

The living were deemed less important than the false reputation buried three hundred years ago. He, present in person, was not acknowledged; instead, he was seen as the culprit for defiling his past glorious name.

This was truly ironic. Ye Fan remained silent, merely looking at these people. No powerful fluctuations emanated from him, nor did the surging Holy Body blood qi, yet he still instilled awe.

"After Senior Ye's death, even his heroic soul couldn't find peace. Friend, you've gone too far," Mo Wentian's voice, though not loud from beneath the black Great Dao Precious Bottle, clearly pierced through the entire scene.

Among so many people, only he possessed a precious bottle formed by the Great Dao. It was a combination of cultivation and imprint, and to exhibit such power in the suppressed Immortal Ascension Battlefield was truly astonishing.

Ye Fan watched these people for a long time, then finally smiled, though it was a somewhat cold smile. Ultimately, these people were afraid and unwilling for him to return, now openly lying, merely wanting to seize the opportunity to eliminate him.

But could they truly kill him? Ye Fan stepped forward, moving through the field as if entering an unmanned territory, looking at everyone like a king of beasts surveying a forest, facing a pack of wolves.

"Do you find this interesting?"

Ye Fan stopped, his eyes turning cold and sharp, emitting a suffocating aura. Many people's hearts trembled. A man's reputation precedes him, and even after so many years, and knowing his physical state was compromised, they still felt a chill.

"Do you think what you're doing is extraordinary? Insulting a senior is making an enemy of the world," another person shouted from afar.

At this moment, numerous weapons flashed with cold glints. Many decided to act, intending to trap Ye Fan here and jointly slaughter him!

"I am Ye Fan. Do you think you can succeed by doing this?" His calm words carried an air of majesty. Ye Fan stood there, looking down at the gathered heroes.

He appeared so calm, his words not loud, yet it was like a clap of thunder. He had deliberately unveiled the truth, without anger or sorrow, exhibiting a demeanor that surprised everyone.

"Nonsense! Senior Ye died in battle three hundred years ago, his body completely gone, as everyone knows! Who would believe you impersonating him?" someone shouted, his voice sharp and stern.

Ye Fan truly didn't know whether to laugh or feel a chill in his heart. His expression was complex, making others feel a little afraid.

"Three hundred years ago, one hero after another bled on the cosmic battlefield. The Void Great Emperor, Ji Zi, Gai Jiuyou, Jiang Taixu... they fought to the death against supreme beings from restricted zones for people like you. It was truly not worth it!" For the first time, Ye Fan's voice was this cold.

"Three hundred years later, there is no Human Holy Body in the world anymore; he is dead. He can't be alive!" someone directly shouted, though perhaps a little too eagerly.

"Who dares to profane Senior Ye Fan, the Holy Body?"

Loud shouts came from afar, and figures leaped over one after another, like brilliant stars, all carrying a powerful aura.

Some among them had their cultivation not completely severed, manifesting at this moment with auspicious light streaking across the sky. Their aura was majestic.

A group of people had once searched for Ye Fan with pilgrim hearts, and now, finally seeing traces of him, they rushed over, each one incredibly excited.

"It's Senior Ye, it's really him!" someone cried out.

They had never seen Ye Fan's true body, but they had seen his stone statue and witnessed its divine charm, which was identical to the person in the center of the battlefield.

"What are you screaming about?" Tuoba Mo, the demonic strongman, coldly roared, sweeping his gaze over the rushing individuals.

Everyone was startled, not expecting the demon to be here, and they all slowed their steps, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Tuoba Mo spat out these four words again, still aimed at everyone, both friend and foe. Then, he walked step by step towards the center, finally about to make a move against Ye Fan.

"A hundred years ago, before his demonic cultivation reached mastery, he was once hunted by the Fire Spirit Cangyan, but miraculously survived," someone whispered.

In the past, when Ye Fan was undergoing trials on the Human Ancient Path, he also encountered the Fire Spirit Cangyan's hostility, who sought to kill him. He survived unscathed.

Both had provoked that being, naturally leading people to associate them.

"Boom!"

Like thunder, Tuoba Mo's skull surged with qi and blood, as vast as an ocean. With one step, the earth cracked. Distant peaks trembled, on the verge of collapse.

No one had expected him to be so powerful, beyond all predictions; his physical strength was simply defying heaven!

"Could the legend be true? Fifty years ago, he single-handedly killed several Saint Spirits? It wasn't just a rumor?!" Many were stunned.

On Tuoba Mo's bronzed body, every tendon resembled a coiled dragon. Powerful qi and blood surged. He was like a demon king, his eyes icy. As he took his second step, the nearby mountain finally cracked open.

Many were horrified; this was pure physical strength, too powerful!

When Tuoba Mo took his third step, the mountains and rivers shook, the sun and moon dimmed, and his entire body's qi and blood surged towards the sky.

Everyone's expression changed. Was his cultivation not completely severed, or did his physical body truly possess such earth-shattering power? It defied common sense, making people suspect that he was the Holy Body.

"Thirty years ago, when he was close to achieving mastery of his Heavenly Art, it's rumored he provoked Yin Tiande and was pursued by a clone separated by the One Qi Transforms Three Pure Ones secret technique, ultimately surviving. Is this also true?"

At this moment, people thought of those rumors, and now it seemed they could all be true.

Daring to provoke the Fire Spirit Cangyan, killing multiple Saint Spirits, and challenging a clone of Yin Tiande—these were achievements from decades, even centuries, ago, and together, they were truly astonishing.

Tuoba Mo's aura grew stronger, like a divine demon. Flames flickered all over his body, and his bloodline power surged to its peak, rushing towards Ye Fan, making the sky tremble.

"Boom!"

He made his move. Many people in the area rapidly retreated as his fist winds surged, his sheer power causing several stone mountains in front to explode and shatter.

"I know! He's from the Eternal Star Domain, he's the Brahma War Body!" This declaration immediately caused an uproar among the people.

In the universe, the Brahma War Body, Primordial Demonic Body, Grand Immortal Body, and others were among the most terrifying bloodlines, though they hadn't appeared for many millennia. That Tuoba Mo possessed such a physique explained why he dared to confront the Holy Body.

The sky exploded, mountains collapsed, and the earth shattered, yet Ye Fan remained motionless in the face of it all, quietly waiting for Tuoba Mo, the Brahma War Body, to charge.

"Have you forgotten the Eternal Star Domain? I am one born to face tribulations, the strongest War Body!" Tuoba Mo said coldly.

Ye Fan said nothing, unleashing a palm strike that caused an incomparable light to erupt between heaven and earth as it collided with the War Body's fist.

A tremendous roar, like a tsunami, shattered the sky. Instantly, blood splattered, and Tuoba Mo was sent flying, his hands covered in blood.

An expression of disbelief appeared on his face. His hand was already fractured, yet it couldn't withstand even a casual strike from Ye Fan. This utterly shocked him.

In fact, he had reason to be proud. Any other Great Saint would have been directly shattered into pieces by Ye Fan's single strike, yet he had only injured his hand.

"Clang!"

A divine sword split the sky as another person made a move, a single strike cleaving through mountains and rivers, heading straight for Ye Fan's head.

"Buzz!"

The Great Dao Precious Bottle trembled, and someone from the Yaoguang lineage also made a move.

"Three hundred years later, there is no Holy Body left in the world! Fellow Daoists, let us join forces to slay him!" someone roared.

At this moment, many responded. They were either followers of the Overlord Body, members of the Yaoguang lineage, or individuals from the Divine Court, all opposing Ye Fan. A murderous aura filled the air, freezing the entire area.

"How dare you disrespect Senior Ye?"

"Senior Ye, we're here to help you!"

At the outermost perimeter, powerful individuals who had come with pilgrim hearts shouted loudly. They had just arrived, and while their numbers were not yet large, they could not be ignored.

"No need. Just watch from the sidelines," Ye Fan said calmly.