Chapter 165: Storm (Part 2)

The outside world was now even more perilous for Ye Fan; discovery would surely mean death. When members of the Ji family appeared, he assumed they weren't after him, as more than half a year had passed. All he had to do this time was avoid them.

Ye Fan headed directly into the depths of the seventh layer of the Fire Domain, stopping only when he neared the eighth. Before him, seven-colored misty threads swirled, appearing both serene and tranquil. The eighth layer of the Fire Domain was incredibly close, emitting terrifying heat that surged into the seventh layer like an overflowing river, as if the heavens and earth themselves formed a bronze furnace, poised to refine all creation.

He gasped. The five-colored cloud flames had only two fewer colors than the seven-colored misty threads, yet the temperature difference was immeasurable, defying all logic.

The five-colored cloud flames were already scorching to him; the seven-colored misty threads were even more terrifying. He surmised that even with a Bodhi Seed, one could not casually enter.

"Important figures usually forge artifacts in the sixth and seventh layers," he mused. "If that old geezer enters the seventh layer, I'll have to risk everything and enter the eighth. I hope he stops at the 'Violet Qi Origin' area."

Ye Fan genuinely did not want to trespass into the eighth layer. He had no confidence whatsoever; if he were to be completely incinerated, all would truly be for naught.

"Caw! Caw!"

Just then, Ye Fan was utterly stunned. He actually heard several crow calls, emanating from the eighth layer of the Fire Domain, leaving him wide-eyed and speechless.

The seventh layer of the Fire Domain could burn away divine power and incinerate powerful individuals. The eighth layer was beyond imagination, so how could there be crows cawing?

Ye Fan circled the edge of the eighth layer, peering inward. Seven-colored misty threads swirled, resembling countless tiny rainbows stretching through the air. Strange, enormous rocks were scattered everywhere, forming a stone forest. "Caw!" Ye Fan heard the crow's cry again, clear as metal splitting the air.

He then spotted a massive rock ahead, a hundred meters high, like a small mountain, from which the ominous sound originated. At its base was a stone cave. Ye Fan observed carefully and found several shimmering black feathers at the entrance. "This..." He was truly astonished. There was a living crow in the eighth layer of the Fire Domain!

A shiver ran down his spine. This was extraordinary; even powerful cultivators stopped at the seventh layer. How could a mere crow enter the eighth layer of the Fire Domain? He must not provoke it!

Ye Fan prudently retreated and found a stone forest to hide in. Sandwiched between the crow ahead and the powerful figures of the Ji family behind, he was trapped.

Fortunately, the five-colored cloud flames seemed to possess a demonic quality, capable of devouring everything, preventing even powerful figures from casually probing with their divine sense. Ye Fan hid in the stone forest, silently cultivating. He dared not ignite flames to temper his cauldron, fearing it would alert the Ji family members and lead to immense trouble.

For the first few days, everything remained quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Then, from the sixth layer of the Fire Domain, clanging sounds began to echo, reverberating throughout the heavens and earth.

Ye Fan finally relaxed. The powerful Ji family member was merely there to forge artifacts, a matter unrelated to him. He was somewhat curious, wondering what kind of artifact was being refined to cause such a commotion. Inside the sixth layer of the Fire Domain, purple qi surged, and scarlet light shot skyward, illuminating the heavens above. "What is that old geezer refining?" Ye Fan felt surprised. He stealthily observed from within the seventh layer of the Fire Domain. Due to the significant distance, he could only vaguely discern what appeared to be a massive bronze furnace standing there. "It really is a bronze furnace!"

Ye Fan changed positions and could now clearly see a gigantic bronze furnace, thirty meters tall, enveloped in purple flames. It emitted a deep rumbling sound, and scarlet light surged forth from within.

A gray-robed old man sat cross-legged nearby, holding a jade fan and fanning it continuously. Purple flames converged from all directions, surging into the bronze furnace.

"This old fellow doesn't dare to use himself as a furnace for refining," he realized. "He's using a true treasure furnace to forge artifacts here."

The massive bronze furnace emitted an increasingly intense red glow, manifesting in the sky as a divine boat, scarlet as blood, seemingly forged from blood jade. "What a magnificent treasure! It's almost complete, already manifesting in the air. This old fellow is truly extraordinary."

Ye Fan knew that if this divine boat were successfully refined and then inscribed with the Ji family's profound Dao patterns, it would undoubtedly be extraordinary, given it was forged by such a powerful figure.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sounds from within the bronze furnace intensified, clearly audible for dozens of miles, echoing ceaselessly between heaven and earth. "Compared to the divine boat, this bronze furnace is an even greater treasure," he thought. Ye Fan dared not linger, retreating to avoid detection.

Upon entering the depths of the seventh layer of the Fire Domain, Ye Fan once again heard faint, intermittent crow caws, seemingly agitated and constant. "Caw! Caw!" "What on earth is happening?" Ye Fan moved forward, spotting the stone cave at the base of the mountain from a distance. Flames surged from it, enveloped by seven-colored misty threads, creating an intensely hot area.

At the cave entrance, even more shimmering black feathers had appeared, along with some ashes. Ye Fan murmured to himself, "Is this an elemental spirit born from the flames, or a genuine crow?" "Damn it!"

From within that stone cave in the eighth layer of the Fire Domain, two words suddenly echoed, seemingly filled with immense rage. Ye Fan simply couldn't believe his ears.

"Clang!" A piece of shattered metal, snow-white like mutton-fat jade, flew out from the flaming cave.

Ye Fan was instantly captivated. This was undoubtedly the legendary divine iron, a truly rare treasure and a supreme material for forging artifacts. It was rumored that even the weapons of the former Saint Lord contained this divine iron, attesting to its immense value. Clearly, someone had been forging, failed with the divine iron, and discarded it outside the cave.

A crow spirit! Ye Fan shivered. This was undoubtedly an ancient, peerless demon. He immediately made the decisive choice to retreat, moving far away and daring not to linger.

In the following days, crow calls emanated intermittently from the eighth layer of the Fire Domain, growing increasingly agitated.

Five more days passed. From within the Ji family elder's bronze furnace in the sixth layer of the Fire Domain, a deafening roar erupted, shaking the sky like thunder, audible throughout the entire Fire Domain.

Meanwhile, from the flaming cave at the base of the mountain in the eighth layer of the Fire Domain, exasperated shouts rang out, followed by several more pieces of snow-white divine iron being flung out and landing at the cave entrance.

"How utterly infuriating!"

Seven-colored misty threads surged, and a blinding light erupted from the stone cave, followed by an outpouring of endless fierce flames. Then, an old Daoist priest angrily burst forth.

He wore a feather robe woven from shimmering black bird feathers, looking no more than fifty or sixty years old, strikingly similar to an old crow. "Who is so recklessly forging artifacts and shaking the entire Fire Domain?!" the black-feathered old Daoist's voice resonated clearly. His fury surging, he shot directly into the sky and flew towards the sixth layer of the Fire Domain. Ye Fan's heart tightened as he watched a streak of black light suddenly tear through the sky and descend into the sixth layer of the Fire Domain.

What kind of being was this demon, refining artifacts in the eighth layer of the Fire Domain? The thought alone made his scalp crawl! "Who are you...?" the powerful Ji family member seemed to demand. But then, with a thunderous crash, his subsequent words were abruptly cut short, and he remained silent for a long while.

Although Ye Fan couldn't see, he could easily imagine the scene and was utterly astonished. That old demon was definitely a formidable opponent; there was no telling what he might do. "Boom!" The sixth layer of the Fire Domain erupted with terrifying energy fluctuations. Purple qi surged, as if the very air was boiling from a beating. "Why are you...?" came the voice of the Ji family's expert.

"You are forging artifacts here, shaking the Fire Domain and ruining my divine bell! Give me an explanation!" The old demon seemed on the verge of exploding with rage. "I, this Daoist, never stir up trouble, but today I am forced to be angry!" "Your divine bell is ruined, what does that have to do with me?" The powerful Ji family member seemed somewhat apprehensive. "If it weren't for your earth-shattering noise, how could I have ruined it? If I hadn't been unable to emerge from seclusion earlier, I would have come to deal with you long ago!" Ye Fan listened from a distance, daring not to approach, fearing he would be caught in the crossfire.

"The Fire Domain is unowned land. By what right do you blame me? My Ji family has never feared provocation!" "Are you reminding me that you are from the Ji family?" the old Daoist replied, his voice chilling. "If it were others, I might perhaps let it slide, but Ji family members..." Ye Fan secretly gasped in the distance, realizing this old demon surely held a grudge against the Ji family. "Boom!" The sixth layer of the Fire Domain suddenly erupted in violence. Purple qi spilled out, rushing in all directions, and fierce flames surged, burning intensely. "The powerful figures are fighting!" Ye Fan was alarmed but held back, restraining his impulse. He knew those individuals were incredibly perceptive and he absolutely could not approach.

Fortunately, the five-colored misty threads devoured all power, preventing even the powerful figures from probing. Otherwise, he would likely have been discovered already.

The energy fluctuations were terrifying, but they quickly subsided, leaving no sound whatsoever. "So fast... Is the battle already over?" Ye Fan's heart was filled with awe. "When I, Daoist Crow, contended with the mighty ones of your Ji family, your grandfather hadn't even been born yet..." A streak of black light shot into the sky.

Ye Fan only caught a silhouette, indeed resembling an old crow, clad in a black feather robe, with a gaunt figure. It vanished in a blink, leaving the Fire Domain entirely. "Daoist Crow..." Only when he was sure the figure had completely disappeared did Ye Fan make his way to the sixth layer of the Fire Domain. The massive bronze furnace was gone, presumably taken by Daoist Crow.

The powerful Ji family member lay dismembered in a pool of blood. Over a dozen black feathers were stuck around his body, shielding him from the purple flames and preventing his complete incineration.

A shiver ran down Ye Fan's spine. A powerful Ji family member had been killed just like that. How truly terrifying was that old crow?! The body remained, but his divine consciousness had been extinguished, completely dissipated, with no possibility of revival.

Ye Fan fell silent for a moment. Such a formidable cultivator had been killed so easily. The world of cultivation was indeed cruel; if one could not reach the pinnacle, their very life would ultimately be forfeit.

He quickly composed himself and swiftly began to search the corpse. After all, this was a powerful Ji family member, so his belongings were sure to be extraordinary.

However, he was disappointed; there were no treasures on the corpse. All secret realms, from the Wheel Sea to the Dao Palace, were completely empty, without a single item of value. "This old crow is truly thorough; he took everything."

Looking at the dozen black feathers on the ground, a chill went through his heart. Daoist Crow had deliberately left them, a clear provocation to the Ji family. The death of a powerful Ji family member would undoubtedly ignite a storm! He could imagine that the Southern Domain would once again be thrown into turmoil. "Whoosh!"

Just then, space suddenly fractured, and a renowned elder of the Ji family materialized. He wore a special colorful robe that shielded him from the purple flames.

Upon seeing the corpse on the ground and Ye Fan, he was instantly petrified, his face a mask of disbelief and extreme shock. "You..." he stammered.

The moment the void fractured, Ye Fan immediately summoned his cauldron, sending it pressing down.

Regardless of past grievances, the current situation was impossible to explain. His only chance was to strike while the elder was unprepared; otherwise, there would be no way out alive!