Chapter 1647: 青莲

The two words, "Great Emperor Qing," trembled, shaking several immense mountains in the ancient land of the Divine Race. Trees quivered, flowers danced, and the air shimmered with crystalline light.

Outside the grand formation, the Black Emperor, Pang Bo, Dongfang Ye, Li Heishui, and others were momentarily stunned. They had naturally heard the ancient voice and were all staring at the green lotus in Ye Fan’s hand.

It wasn't tall, only a little over half a meter long. It had only three leaves, its roots and stem were translucent, and its young leaves were a vibrant, dewy green, exuding a vigorous vitality and enveloped in chaotic energy.

They had long heard of the lotus's miraculous properties. Ye Fan’s survival after a fierce battle with a Supreme Being, besides the contribution of Little Nannan, was also crucially aided by this lotus.

This lotus originally grew within Ye Fan's Sea of Bitterness. It possessed various miraculous properties, capable of revitalizing the dried-up Sea of Bitterness of a Great Accomplished Saint Body, yet no similar plant had ever been discovered within other Saint Bodies.

Ye Fan had long speculated about its origins, with his suspicions pointing directly to the Great Emperor Qing. However, hearing it confirmed now, his heart still reeled.

“Rebirth through transformation?”

Within the grand formation, Ye Fan's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at the green lotus in his hand, recalling many past events.

The Great Emperor Qing had once left behind his heart, which had dissipated its murderous aura, leaving only abundant vital essence for future generations. Years ago, Ye Fan had acquired the Great Emperor Qing's essence blood by utilizing a green copper fragment.

Later, as his cultivation steadily increased, a small, yet extraordinary, green lotus was born within his Sea of Bitterness, enveloped by chaotic mist.

At the time, he believed this was merely a unique manifestation of the Saint Body’s Wheel Sea. It wasn't until his cultivation deepened and his knowledge expanded that he realized there were many peculiarities.

“It can’t possibly be the true Great Emperor Qing, can it?” Ye Fan murmured to himself. He found it hard to believe; otherwise, it would be utterly disrespectful to wield a Great Emperor as a weapon.

“Of the same lineage, same origin, same lotus body!” Inside the ancient cave of the Divine Race, the aged voice was filled with astonishment. The speaker’s face was a mass of dense wrinkles, and only dozens of strands of hair remained on his head, making him look impossibly ancient.

“Old Ancestor, you have awakened!” The guardians outside the ancient cave entrance, nestled against the broken mountain, were all profoundly shocked. This Old Ancestor hadn’t stirred in millennia; many younger generations in the clan had presumed he had transcended. To their surprise, not only did he open his eyes today, but he also spoke words of profound truth.

For the Divine Race, he was a living ancient history, having lived an immense number of years and possessing vast knowledge.

The light in the divine cave dimmed, yet those eyes remained open, piercing through the void to gaze intently at the green lotus within the grand formation.

After a brief disturbance, Ye Fan’s heart quickly settled. This outcome had long been anticipated; now it was merely being re-confirmed by an outsider.

He continued to break through the formation. The half-meter-tall green lotus in his hand emitted no terrifying laws or immense divine energy fluctuations, yet it was capable of blocking all sword gleams.

It was yielding yet unyielding, fearing no assault; it neither sought to destroy others nor permitted itself to be harmed, instead dissolving all incoming sword gleams.

Everyone gasped in awe; this was truly astonishing, a genuine supreme treasure. With it, one could deflect all manner of offensive divine light, ensuring inherent invincibility.

“This is just wicked! How can a mini-Great Emperor Qing grow inside him? Why don’t I ever have such good fortune?” the Black Emperor grumbled indignantly.

“It’s truly heaven-defying; such a treasure is incredibly rare. I wonder if the Great Emperor Qing still possesses a spirit? If he were to return to settle accounts, it would be unbearable,” the wildman sighed, his eyes gleaming.

Pang Bo’s demon eye, set in his brow, opened. As he observed the green lotus, a peculiar sensation arose within him, and the Demon Emperor Heart Sutra within his body began to circulate autonomously. He sighed lightly, “Could it truly be the Great Emperor Qing?”

Ye Fan strode forward; sword gleams, seas of divine power, and chains of order could not impede his advance. He relentlessly breached the formation, causing all the powerful figures of the Divine Race to blanch in shock.

For countless years, no one had managed to breach it. Yet today, the Saint Body, Ye Fan, achieved it, directly entering the grand formation and single-handedly penetrating deep into the Divine Race’s ancestral land.

Such might, such combat prowess, was terrifying and irresistible.

Evidently, the green lotus played a crucial role; it neutralized the light swept forth by the Supreme Ancestral Artifact left by the Divine Lord. Otherwise, Ye Fan would not have advanced so easily and would have paid a heavy price in blood.

Suddenly, a sea of divine power materialized out of thin air, enveloping a dazzling divine sword. Ten thousand chaotic waterfalls cascaded down, creating a terrifying spectacle.

The majestic aura was as daunting as a collapsing galaxy, causing even the powerful figures outside the grand formation to turn pale. This immense power was too terrifying, and Ye Fan was visibly swaying within it.

“My uncle, he’ll be alright, won’t he?” Ji Chengdao frowned. Although he knew Ye Fan was powerful, he had, after all, lost all his power of laws.

“Don’t worry,” Dongfang Ye reassured, “After the Saint Body’s physical form became a Quasi-Emperor body, few chains of order in this world can harm him. Moreover, with the Great Emperor Qing Lotus in hand, he can likely defend himself even against imperial artifacts!”

However, this time, he was ensnared for seven days. Ye Fan made no rash moves, sensing that even a slight misstep could cause the area to collapse, the grand formation to ignite, and the entire ancient star to be affected.

He had come to rescue, not to destroy. Furthermore, Li Heishui and the others were outside; if a true accident occurred, none of them would escape.

It was a tense standoff. The divine sword within the sea of divine power had sensed the lotus’s presence, and ten thousand chaotic waterfalls surged towards it.

However, the Great Emperor Qing Lotus proved terrifyingly formidable, absorbing everything completely. For seven days, the incessant flow could not overwhelm or burst it.

“Chaos Green Lotus, you truly live up to your name. Were you born from an immortal seed in the primordial chaos before the heavens and earth were separated, or are you the vital essence of the Green Copper Cauldron reborn?”

A voice emanated from the divine sword, clearly belonging to the deity residing within the Divine Race’s ancestral artifact!

“Boom!”

Finally, the sea of divine power vanished, the chains of order receded, and the divine sword soared into the heavens, disappearing from sight.

The entire grand formation then automatically opened, no longer obstructing Ye Fan’s path forward. This was because the divine artifact had sensed that Ye Fan’s group had no intention of mass slaughter, and having understood the cause and effect, it ceased to pose further difficulties.

As the formation patterns vanished, Ye Fan arrived before several colossal mountains.

All the members of the Divine Race changed color. Not even the grand formation could halt Ye Fan’s advance. In the current era, truly few could contend with him, as he had directly reached the most crucial ancestral land of the Divine Race.

Behind him, Pang Bo, Dongfang Ye, Li Tian, and others followed, striding forward.

Ji Chengdao clenched his fists. If only he could find his father again, their family could finally be reunited. He cursed the Divine Venerable and the Grand Elder Council, feeling they deserved a good kicking.

The favorable outcome today was entirely due to his uncle’s formidable power. Had Ye Fan not been a Quasi-Emperor, the Divine Venerable would surely have ignored them, maintaining his arrogant demeanor of being unrivaled. They, too, would never have been permitted entry into the Divine Race’s sacred grounds.

“You are indeed very strong, surprisingly so!” An elder emerged, his expression impassive, devoid of any emotion.

“Where is my mother?” Ji Chengdao asked impatiently. After so many years, separated since childhood, he was finally about to see that loving face again.

“She is in secluded cultivation within the Divine Race ancestral land. However, it won't be that easy for you to see her yet; several individuals from my clan wish to seek your guidance.”

“No problem!” Ye Fan nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing his reply, the expressions on the faces of the Divine Race members soured. One of them stated, “The Old Ancestor wishes to meet you personally and will discuss the Dao with you shortly. As for the rest of us, we wish to seek guidance from your companions in battles of equal standing.”

“Sounds good!” The Black Emperor was the first to step forward, and in an instant, formation flags appeared throughout the void, fluttering audibly.

“No problem!” A radiant light flickered between Pang Bo’s brows. His Demon Emperor’s Nine Slashes seemed on the verge of fusing into a single entity, as his entire being felt capable of cleaving through all creation.

Li Tian and Yan Yixi, the martial brothers, were even more direct, instantly revealing the Goddess Emperor Furnace, causing the Divine Race members to roll their eyes. They wondered how these individuals could be more abnormal than the last.

“And me!” The wildman also stepped forward, his left hand as black as ink, his right as blazing as the sun. Astonishingly, he wielded both the Lunar and Solar Divine Palms, having inherited the mantle of the old Human Demon.

“How about Little Ye Zi lends me that green lotus? I also need to exchange a few blows with them,” Li Heishui said with a hint of difficulty, being the weakest among the group.

“No need, that’s enough! We won’t need so many people,” the Divine Race members quickly interjected, feeling how oddly formidable and "evil" these individuals were.

After two duels, the Divine Race decisively halted the fierce battles. This group was simply too unconventional; that black dog had directly deployed a grand formation, from which the aura of an ancient Great Emperor actually emanated. How could they possibly fight against that?

After skipping that, Pang Bo then performed the Demon Emperor’s Nine Slashes with superhuman skill. His entire body glowed as he summoned a complex array of Great Emperor runes, suppressing the area.

Evidently, this was a result of his resonance with the green lotus in Ye Fan’s hand, instantly draining the color from the Divine Race members’ faces.

For the third match, upon seeing the Li Tian brothers prepare to unleash their Quasi-Emperor Divine Furnace, the Divine Race combatant naturally turned pale green and immediately halted the confrontation.

What kind of people are these? How did such a group of eccentrics come together? The powerful figures of the Divine Race grumbled indignantly to themselves.

Yet, through these two duels, Pang Bo and the others were also profoundly shaken. The Divine Race truly lived up to its name: every member seemed divine, possessing extraordinary strength, with experts as numerous as clouds, including those capable of shaking heaven and earth.

It was only because the Heavenly Court’s strongest main force had arrived; any other major power coming here would have been utterly crushed.

They were indeed a contingent that had split off from humanity’s strongest ancient race to establish themselves as an independent clan. They mused this inwardly but dared not utter such words aloud, for the Divine Race was arrogant and proud, highly averse to having their origins exposed.

An ancient path wound its way, traversing several colossal mountains, leading directly to the broken mountain. Its fractured face, resembling a live volcano, spewed forth auspicious energy, shimmering with dazzling, vibrant light.

On the broken mountain, there was also an ancient cave. Ye Fan and his companions ascended along the winding path, reaching the cave entrance, where they encountered an old man.

He was truly ancient, his face a mass of wrinkles that almost obscured his eyes. Only about fifty strands of withered, dull hair remained on his head, yet they clung stubbornly, refusing to fall out.

Even more astonishing was his lower body, which had completely petrified. It was no longer flesh and blood, but resembled… the body of a Saint Spirit!

Within the divine cave, chaotic energy permeated the air. The old man smiled, his face a terrifying network of wrinkles. He had long lost all his teeth, and his voice was faint and weak.

“You must find my appearance quite strange, I suppose. There’s nothing for it; to prolong my life for a few more years, this useless old man is attempting to emulate an ancient Supreme Being’s method of longevity.”

He was very direct, immediately addressing the unspoken questions in Ye Fan and his companions’ minds, causing them all to be profoundly shaken. This old man had lived for an incredibly long time, possibly terrifyingly so, and he even understood the ancient Supreme Beings' method of longevity.

“Perhaps I am the only one left alive in this world who has ever met the Great Emperor Qing,” he continued. His second statement made everyone stagger. While they had suspected he lived a long time, the sheer extent of his longevity was utterly world-shattering.