Chapter 1634: Body Like the Dao Furnace

Yu Mo wanted to scream, but he couldn't make a sound. Unable to move his body, he could only cry out silently in his mind.

Unaware of this, onlookers only saw Ye Fan struck in the chest by Yu Mo’s palm. A wave of sorrow washed over them. Had the glorious era of the Sacred Body truly ended? To be struck down so easily, after just one encounter, evoked a poignant sense of a hero in decline.

“What a pity. The battle three hundred years ago ruined a heaven-defying genius. He was once destined for immense glory, capable of challenging ancient Great Emperors in the future and conquering the Supremes within the Forbidden Zones. Yet now he has fallen to such a state; his days of dominating the world are gone forever.”

Many sighed. This was an outcome that brought a sense of helplessness and bitter sorrow. A hero who should have been invincible in his time had, in the end, become so aged and sluggish. Time was indeed merciless, having cut away too much.

Those from the Divine Court wore cold, indifferent smiles. They relished the sight. Yu Mo had just stepped onto the stage and immediately struck Ye Fan, the Sacred Body who had once awed an era. This was a profound humiliation; even if it didn't kill him, it was only a matter of time before he was pulled from his pedestal.

The crowd's emotions were complex. Ye Fan had fallen too quickly, in a single move. Many felt indignant, wanting to rush forward to rescue him, unable to bear witnessing his humiliation.

“Are you people from the Divine Court going too far? After delivering one palm strike, why persist in humiliating him like this, refusing to lift your hand?” A hot-tempered individual couldn't hold back, shouting loudly and striding forward with determination, preparing to act.

Over the past three hundred years, the rise of a new generation had inevitably brought forth many heroes and powerful figures. Numerous individuals among them had grown up listening to Ye Fan’s legends, and naturally held him in high regard.

In just an instant, dozens, even hundreds of people were poised to act. Divine Punishment City certainly didn't lack masters; it was a lawless zone, yet surprisingly prosperous, and even Great Sages frequently came here to exchange divine artifacts and ancient scriptures.

The hot-tempered leaders included one individual wielding a great axe, who cleaved through the void and charged forward.

A line of people from the Divine Court immediately stepped forward. A middle-aged man, holding a war halberd, blocked their path. He was also a Grand Commander of the Divine Court, named Yu Lan. With a mocking sneer, he stated, “What are you all trying to do? This battle was conducted with the Sacred Body Ye Fan’s consent. Furthermore, Yu Mo once said that if Brother Ye were to be defeated or unable to bear it, he could simply call out, and the battle would cease immediately.”

Everyone’s expression instantly changed. Such words were utterly detestable. There wasn’t a shred of respect or sincerity in those remarks. Such a demeanor made people want to beat him senseless on the spot.

A group of people immediately rushed forward, various magical artifacts flying, launching a joint attack. However, those on the opposing side were extremely powerful, dominant figures who ruled a region of the Divine Court, far surpassing these attackers.

Amidst the sound of shattering weapons, the group that had charged forward first all retreated in defeat. The leaders among them coughed up even more blood, severely wounded, nearly suffering life-threatening injuries.

“You are going too far! How can you live with yourselves, humiliating the Sacred Body Ye Fan like this!? Since you are so powerful, why didn't you appear to fight when he was battling the Supremes in the Forbidden Zones? Where were you then? Now that his body is declining with age, you dare to jump out? Aren’t you utterly shameless?!” Many people furiously denounced them.

“That’s not fair to say. This is merely a normal sparring match, and Commander Yu Mo won’t take his life. Furthermore, don’t you all think you’re being a bit excessive? While Daoist Brother Ye certainly had some accomplishments back then, you cannot elevate him to a pedestal like this. This isn’t respecting him; it’s harming him. We merely wish for everyone to soberly realize that he… is just a person, nothing more.”

Opposite them, the Grand Commander named Yu Lan stepped forward, a faint smile on his face, blocking everyone’s path.

You Ruo, the adopted daughter of the Divine Court Lord, possessed a beautiful and otherworldly countenance. At this moment, her expression was calm, and she said nothing; yet, her failure to stop any of it was, in itself, a clear stance.

“Huh, something’s wrong!”

The eldest Grand Commander of the Divine Court finally felt something was amiss. Yu Mo’s palm had been pressed against Ye Fan’s chest for an unusually long time; even if his intention was humiliation, it shouldn’t have lasted this long.

At this moment, some others also finally noticed something was wrong. Yu Mo’s expression was peculiar, changing abruptly from initial mockery to a ghostly paleness.

Suddenly, Yu Mo, the youngest Grand Commander of the Divine Court, coughed up blood, his body convulsing violently, then swaying. Everyone heard the sound of cracking bones. He collapsed like a heap of mud.

“Yu Mo!”

“Commander!”

The people from the Divine Court cried out in alarm, their faces paling. The event happened very suddenly. Yu Mo had clearly struck Ye Fan with a palm, yet in the end, he himself had collapsed.

A group of people quickly rushed forward, especially several Great Sages who summoned their magical artifacts. So many weapons assailed Ye Fan all at once, aiming for a lethal blow.

Around them, many were indignant. Just moments ago, the Divine Court had prevented anyone from disturbing the duel between the two, yet now they were directly participating themselves. What blatant double standards!

“I am here. Don’t you think you’re going too far?” the Black Emperor said sternly. A Dao Map flew out, enveloping the surrounding void in mist and showcasing its immense power.

However, after contemplating, it did not intervene, a peculiar look appearing in its eyes.

“Yu Mo, what happened to you?” those people shouted.

Yu Mo's body slumped, nearly in a kneeling position. He was utterly unwilling, yet he couldn’t control his body, collapsing there. This posture caused him immense humiliation. Just moments ago, he had been full of arrogance, surveying the powerful figures of the heavens, yet in an instant, he was prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet.

“I… seem to have been defeated by myself. It was my own Dao fragments that pierced through me,” he said with difficulty.

A flurry of magical artifacts flew over, descending upon Ye Fan. He finally made his move, his palm and fingers shimmering, striking them one by one, with continuous cracking sounds echoing.

No one knew exactly what had happened. Ye Fan’s palm and fingers clashed with the weapons, and the Dao marks within the weapons surged out, all entering his body and causing him to tremble violently.

Yet, the numerous weapons themselves all cracked!

Yu Mo’s face was pale, prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet, as if facing an unparalleled king. He felt profoundly humiliated. His boasts had already been uttered, but now, in this posture, he wished he could smash his head and die on the spot.

The third strongest among the younger generation in three hundred years—though this was merely the Divine Court’s public assertion—it was enough to prove his heaven-defying talent and unparalleled cultivation aptitude. What a pity that even with such a divine halo surrounding him, he could only kneel at the feet of the seemingly weakened Sacred Body.

Everyone was stunned. Just moments ago, they had been worried about Ye Fan, sighing over his hero in decline and feeling desolate. Now, however, faced with this scene, many were first petrified, then erupted into loud cheers.

“Kill!”

The middle-aged Grand Commander Yu Lan led over a dozen peak powerhouses in an assault. They dared not engage in physical combat, ignoring the cracked weapons, and directly unleashed various Dao techniques towards Ye Fan.

Divine light obscured the sun, and Dao techniques soared to the heavens. A startling event occurred: Ye Fan’s body trembled slightly from the impact, yet he remained standing steadfastly. He did not retaliate, his expression cold as he scanned the crowd.

This was utterly shocking!

“My Dao fragments!”

The middle-aged Grand Commander Yu Lan cried out in alarm. He felt his entire body had been hollowed out, as if instantly transforming into a mortal, plummeting from the heavens into hell.

The others, too, looked deathly pale, even more so than him, unable to utter a word. They felt an overwhelming emptiness, their entire cultivation and spiritual essence drained, leaving only empty husks.

This was a stripping away; the fragments of their Dao techniques had entered the opponent’s body.

Slight cracking sounds emanated from within Ye Fan’s body. The potent attacks of multiple Great Sages had their Dao fragments stripped away, which were now refining his flesh and blood. His body was like a great furnace, and the enemy’s Dao fragments served as the fire, extracting and refining his own laws and Dao.

Simultaneously, the fundamental imprints of these individuals’ Dao principles also left a trace there, which his consciousness scanned.

For ten years, he had been comprehending laws, observing the grand trends of the world, and experiencing the power of time as a blade. He viewed himself as a cosmic bronze furnace, melting down all laws and Dao, forging himself, nurturing hundreds of scriptures and myriad techniques within.

His laws and Dao had not vanished; they were always present, and his cultivation was steadily growing, merely sealed within his flesh and blood, unable to be utilized.

He needed a process of Nirvana; just as a phoenix must bathe in fire to be reborn, he needed to bathe in myriad Dao, utilizing the power of hundreds of scriptures to forge himself anew and achieve rebirth.

Three hundred years ago, Ye Fan fought desperately against the Supremes within the Forbidden Zones, enduring lifelong hardships. He was indeed half-crippled, and without an unexpected turn of events, his cultivation would have been limited to that point for the rest of his life.

Such severe suppression was tantamount to placing unbreakable shackles of order upon him. However, everything has two sides. From another perspective, this was also a form of tempering and opportunity. The more intense the suppression, the more powerful the rebound would be. Once he broke free from the cage, he might soar like a dragon returning to the heavens, his roar causing the cosmos to tremble for thirty days!

Over the past three hundred years, he had not wasted his time. During the process of physical reconstruction, he was in a daze, yet his flesh and blood were battling the imprints of Supreme laws, sharpened for three hundred years like an immortal sword, reaching extreme sharpness. This was why his physical body became increasingly terrifying even without cultivation; it was forged in the relentless battle against the lingering Dao principles of the Supremes.

Moreover, although he was unconscious, his subconscious mind had never slept. It remained in a special state, constantly confronting several formidable enemies in his mind: the Lord of Samsara, the Light and Dark Supreme, the Stone Emperor, the Lord of God's Ruins, and the Abyssal Heaven Supreme.

Over three hundred years ago, he had faced these individuals and engaged in battle with them. During the process of his flesh and blood regeneration, his subconscious mind had been constantly adversarial with them, performing deductions. The battle scenes from that day continuously replayed, including not only his own conflicts with enemies but also the decisive battles of Emperor Void and Emperor Hengyu against Supremes.

This could be said to be the most precious treasure of the cultivation world. For ten years, he comprehended the Dao, studied various laws, wandered the mundane world, and traveled across renowned mountains and great rivers with Ji Ziyue, awakening his full potential. The recovery of his subconscious mind over three hundred years was perceived by him, driving him to a frenzy of Dao comprehension, almost leading him to merge with the Dao.

His experiences were incredibly profound. No worldly contention could compare to a battle with a Supreme. He had undergone such an experience, which was both unfortunate and fortunate. Surviving this life-or-death calamity was akin to dying and being reborn. If he could thoroughly integrate these insights, it would surpass any continuous, blood-soaked battles.

The scenes of the Supreme battles and the imprints of those laws and order Dao patterns still remained within his body. His origin continues to battle against those remnants, which was one of the main reasons he lost his Dao technique fragments.

He had too much within him, but he no longer needed to concern himself with it. What he needed now was to trample all Dao and laws under his feet, allowing himself to transcend everything.

Now, he was the cosmic bronze furnace, needing myriad Dao flames to temper himself, in hopes of a phoenix-like Nirvana and the recreation of a new body.

Using his own body as a furnace, he drew in myriad fires of Dao origin, forging his flesh and blood and sharpening his primordial spirit. And this was just the beginning.

“Ah…”

Yu Lan cried out in alarm, yet he couldn’t change reality. His Dao fragments inexplicably rushed into the opponent’s body; he didn’t know what had happened, and moments later, they surged back out.

“Crack!”

All dozen or so individuals trembled violently, their bones fractured and tendons snapped. Their primordial spirits were shattered, having suffered severe injuries.

Without exception, all these individuals slumped to the ground, prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet, like heaps of mud, utterly unable to move.

This scene was profoundly shocking. Everyone in Divine Punishment City, whether aligned with Ye Fan, the Divine Court, or merely neutral observers, was petrified.

The Grand Commanders who ruled a region of the Divine Court were absolutely among the strongest Great Sages, walking with arrogance. Yet, before the Sacred Body Ye Fan, who was long rumored to be half-crippled, they proved utterly pathetic!

Those who had been arrogant moments ago were now all half-kneeling, struggling in vain to rise. Every single one was drenched in sweat, their bodies convulsing and trembling.

“What happened? Is the Sacred Body Ye Fan going to rise again?!”

“His body still exhibits no Dao fluctuations, and he cannot even utilize the divine chains of order. But why was that so bizarre just now? What kind of law and Dao is this?”

“I seem to be witnessing the Sacred Body return to his peak once again, a new era of cosmic illumination is about to begin!”

Many whispered. The cultivators favoring Ye Fan were all invigorated, their faces alight with excitement, filled with immense anticipation, involuntarily clenching their fists.

The strong cultivators from the Divine Court, one by one, turned green with anger. The row of people prostrate at Ye Fan’s feet was too glaring a sight. Among them were their commanders and protectors, yet they knelt there in utter humiliation.

“Alas, in today’s world, those with true ability are humble and keep silent, while those without talent shout incessantly. What are you looking at? I’m talking about you! Don’t glare! If you truly had ability, you wouldn’t be kneeling here!” The Black Emperor’s tongue was always venomous, and naturally, it wouldn’t let this group off the hook at this moment.

“You…”

Yu Mo, a genius of his generation, flushed crimson, looking as if blood would burst from his face. Yu Lan and the others were also on the verge of madness. Everything they had experienced today was truly a tremendous humiliation.

“Weren’t you all so formidable, each ruling a star sea? How did you all end up kneeling here?” The Black Emperor continued to mock, mercilessly digging at their wounds: “Trash is trash. Three hundred years ago, when facing the Supremes in the Forbidden Zones, you were cowardly, each fleeing for your lives, not daring to appear. Three hundred years later, seeing someone who fought a Supreme return barely alive, you act as if you’ve been injected with chicken blood, each scrambling to rush forward, thinking that defeating a crippled Sacred Body will make you famous across the universe? Bah! A bunch of trash, still defeated, and will never amount to anything!”

In Divine Punishment City, many people heard this and joined in the jeering, shouting with delight. The Black Emperor had thoroughly lambasted these individuals, making everyone feel they deserved it, with not an ounce of sympathy.

The Divine Court members wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Circumstances were against them, and their current predicament was entirely self-inflicted.

At this moment, some areas within Ye Fan’s body lit up, like faint candlelights, flickering with the hope of light in the darkness. That part of his flesh and blood was radiant and crystalline, gleaming brilliantly, beginning to shine.

“Fight!” someone from the Divine Court roared, ordering the boundless armies in outer space, preparing to descend and unleash a cataclysm here.

Ye Fan stood on the Blood Crow’s back, soaring into the sky. He needed myriad Dao flames, nurtured within his body’s Dao furnace, to temper his flesh and blood and primordial spirit, thereby reconstructing himself!