Chapter 1657: Penalty Area Son Falls

With a clang, Ye Fan's fist collided with the black halberd, forcing it back.

The colossal purple dragon swooped down. Undoubtedly, this was the greatest threat. Ancient imperial artifacts were astonishing; who could contend against them?

Had Ye Fan not possessed the Primordial Azure Lotus, he would have had to flee. With three ancient imperial bloodlines appearing simultaneously and imperial artifacts bearing down, it was effectively a death trap, unstoppable by anyone.

The three-leaf azure lotus glowed a verdant green, as if dripping with vitality, shrouded in primordial mist. Ye Fan, holding it, charged towards the great dragon. The purple true dragon posed the greatest threat and had to be resisted first.

Imperial artifacts roared, cascading down like boundless waterfalls, astonishingly powerful. With a sweep of his hand, Ye Fan caused the Primordial Azure Lotus to emit points of green light, which neutralized the imperial laws.

There was no earth-shattering collision; it was that simple. This azure lotus was profoundly mysterious and malevolent. Its three leaves could shatter all techniques and sweep away anything.

The boundless and endless waves of dao energy simply could not approach Ye Fan. The Dragon Lady could not get through and was helpless despite possessing an extreme imperial weapon.

This was astonishing. The Dragon Lady felt as if she were punching soft mud. Her rage was futile, as she simply could not break through the azure lotus.

The only fortunate thing was that the azure lotus had no offensive power and could only passively defend. Otherwise, given its malevolent nature, it would undoubtedly be quite terrifying.

The Dragon Lady ceased her attack, standing in the sky, her expression grim and fluctuating.

“Boom!”

As if stars were falling into disarray, divine radiance was everywhere, and blinding light filled the air. The Golden Goddess's divine techniques rained down, but the 'raindrops' were unique: various golden Dao artifacts.

Ye Fan wielded the Heavenly Emperor Fist, like a blacksmith hammering iron, clanging loudly. He continuously clashed fiercely with those weapons, the noise deafening.

Golden fragments filled the sky. They were formed by laws, yet indistinguishable from real objects. In a battle long ago, the Golden Goddess suffered a great loss, but today she had returned with formidable power.

The simultaneous appearance of three ancient imperial bloodlines would make anyone's expression grim.

The Human Devil also emerged from the warship. He kept staring at the three individuals, selecting a target and preparing to unleash a massacre.

Ye Fan had no choice. He could only focus on the Dragon Lady because she possessed an imperial artifact. He had to counter it with the Primordial Azure Lotus, otherwise, it would seriously endanger everyone else.

The atmosphere was extremely tense, so oppressive that it felt as if one's breath would stop.

Suddenly, at this crucial moment, the void tore open. The five-colored altar on the Black Pearl ship gleamed, and Black Emperor and Hua Hua returned. Upon seeing the colossal purple imperial dragon body circling in the sky, they felt bewildered, as if they had seen a ghost.

Black Emperor blinked his large, copper-bell-like eyes. Snapping out of his daze, he first howled at the Golden Goddess, saying, “Sister, did you bring enough clothes?”

Everyone was petrified, a little stunned.

In the past, Ye Fan had once defeated the Golden Goddess so thoroughly that she was left naked and running. This was an indelible humiliation.

Indeed, the Golden Goddess immediately became furious and exasperated. She unleashed a vast amount of secret techniques, like a sea of doomsday meteors, shattering heaven and earth and smashing towards their location.

“Hey, did the Dragon Clan send more meat again? But that old dragon really wasn't tasty.” Black Emperor’s venomous tongue was truly incurable. It instantly enraged the Dragon Lady, who activated her imperial weapon and charged.

“Hey, you punk acting all high and mighty, what are you boasting about? Your godfather was killed three hundred years ago, what are you jumping around for now?” This was yet another remark that made faces turn pale. Black Emperor relentlessly sought to provoke.

God Pluto's face immediately darkened, and he wielded his halberd, attacking again.

“Master, let’s get out of here! Don’t mind them for now. Someone is trying to scheme against our Heavenly Court. Let’s go back and eliminate them first!” Hua Hua said.

This time, Black Emperor's five-colored altar, unusually, did not malfunction. Their round trip brought back such news.

“What?” Ye Fan was startled; while simultaneously resisting the attacks from the sky, he asked if there were any casualties.

“No,” Hua Hua revealed, “that young fellow, Thunder God, went to our Heavenly Court to undergo tribulation and wanted to wipe out everyone at the Heavenly Court headquarters. However, Little Nannan scared him away.”

Ye Fan’s expression immediately turned cold. They had encountered Thunder God when they first arrived at this battlefield, but he never expected him to be so vicious as to go behind them and raid their base.

This person was not simple. Being able to locate the Heavenly Court’s base was astonishing in itself, but attempting to undergo his quasi-emperor tribulation there was truly malicious.

In the battle over three hundred years ago, the Lord of God Ruins fell. Those of his lineage had a great vendetta against Ye Fan, Ji Zi, Jiang Taixu, and others. However, to resort to such extreme measures of extermination by seeking trouble with other unrelated members of the Heavenly Court was unscrupulous to the point of infuriating.

“No choice,” Ye Fan declared, “we must eliminate him first!”

Such a person showed no restraint. Leaving him alive would surely be a major threat. Ye Fan immediately leaped onto the quasi-emperor ship, intending to rush to the Heavenly Court headquarters.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” The Dragon Lady was relentless, activating her imperial artifacts to suppress him.

Ye Fan ignored her, fully activating the five-colored altar, causing it to hover. Then the entire quasi-emperor ship disappeared into it, with him entering last, covering their retreat.

“They actually left the battlefield!” God Pluto was stunned; he wanted to pursue but stopped himself.

“So what? Let’s go kill them all!” the Golden Goddess said, her golden hair burning like torches, and her entire body flowing with sun-like golden essence.

“Yes, let’s kill them!” The Dragon Lady echoed her sentiment, sharing the same hatred and agreement.

They stared at the five-colored altar, diligently calculating its coordinates. Then, using the Ten Thousand Dragon Bell, they tore open the void and passed directly through the illusory gate.

Although the people at the Heavenly Court headquarters were alarmed, no one was injured. The moment Thunder God arrived, Little Nannan sensed him and involuntarily flew towards him, causing Thunder God’s expression to drastically change. He forcibly suppressed his quasi-emperor tribulation and fled far away.

“I hope he chokes to death!” Li Heishui cursed.

“He successfully passed his tribulation,” Qi Luo said. “Someone in the Immortal Flying Ancient Star System saw lightning like a boundless, terrifying sea, and a being like the Lord of Heavenly Punishment advanced to quasi-emperor.”

“I’ll go kill him!” Ye Fan declared. He detested this person; it would have been fine if he had only attacked him directly, but he actually came to assassinate the Heavenly Court members from behind.

“Big Brother, Nannan will go with you.” The little girl stumbled over, panting, her large, black-gem-like eyes sparkling.

Ye Fan naturally wouldn’t let her follow. The little one’s immense deterrent power was the fundamental safeguard for the Heavenly Court’s stability. In this chaotic era, who knew how many villains would appear.

“I’ll go too.” The Human Devil Elder said, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth.

“Elder, let’s have a competition to see who finds him first and kills him,” Ye Fan said with a laugh.

“Alright!” The Human Devil nodded in agreement.

No sooner had they spoken, than both of them vanished from their positions, tearing open space and rushing towards the deepest part of the star system.

“Poor fellow!” Black Emperor sighed, shaking his head. To be targeted by two such formidable individuals... what good outcome could there be?

“Master is truly angry this time and will certainly unleash a massacre, annihilating that ruthless Thunder God, body and soul.” Hua Hua clasped his hands together, chanting a Buddhist name, his face bearing an expression of compassion.

The Heavenly Court members were astonished. That was an imperial prince from a life forbidden zone; his background and cultivation were both terrifying. Yet, these two spoke casually of hunting him down.

All the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were a bit stunned. They were actually going to hunt a quasi-emperor; it was like a myth!

With such powerful Heavenly Court protectors, how could this lineage not become powerful? It would surely shine brilliantly in the future, and the hidden worries in everyone’s hearts completely disappeared.

Because the leaders were too powerful, as time passed, they would eventually ascend to the peak of this universe, standing at the very top!

Perhaps, even these Heavenly Soldiers and Generals would be etched in history, shining throughout ancient and modern times. Establishing an immortal divine dynasty seemed to be no problem.

Recently, various star regions had been unstable. All races felt uneasy. This was an era where powerful figures emerged in droves. A period of foreseeable extreme glory had arrived.

It was not surprising that experts were as numerous as trees in a forest, as people already had a premonition.

However, with the emergence of powerhouses from ancient times, a strong sense of unease surged in people’s hearts. When the Undying Empress returned, it completely ignited the suspicion and fear in people’s hearts.

“The Phoenix Nest has reappeared, and the Undying Empress seeks to claim the position of the world’s number one!”

“This is a terrifying woman. The Phoenix Nest only reawakened a few years ago, yet she has already been touring everywhere, gathering the foundations left behind by the Undying Emperor, preparing to dominate the eight wastes.”

She could even temporarily set aside her son’s vengeance to gather the surviving Eight Divine Generals. The extent of this woman’s lust for power was evident, making many people’s skin crawl.

The only fortunate thing was that someone seemed capable of contending with her. Otherwise, she would never have gone to such great lengths, recalling those from ancient deification, and preparing for a decisive battle. She had a sense of urgency.

“Is it the Lord of the Divine Court? He is about to attain Dao. Is the Undying Empress worried, trying to seize the moment to kill him before he succeeds?”

This was the speculation of the vast majority. Apart from that, who else could make the Undying Empress so urgent, abandoning everything else, to confront such a powerful enemy?

The Immortal Flying Ancient Star Domain was a forbidden land, inhabited by many formidable creatures. Ye Fan arrived there, seeking Thunder God’s whereabouts.

However, his search here was fruitless. He also did not enter the sealed area of that brilliant great star, as there were many uncertain factors there. He did not want to stir up trouble at the moment.

In another region, the Human Devil Elder was also active, seeking the quasi-emperor Thunder God.

Days later, news came from another star region: Thunder God had destroyed a branch of the Heavenly Court, turning a great star into barren land, and relentlessly carried out complete annihilation.

Although that place was desolate, being a frontier region governed by the Heavenly Court, and there weren’t many Heavenly Soldiers, it was ultimately a tragedy that sparked fury.

“He thinks that the God Ruins is a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair, where no one dares to trespass, which is why he acts so recklessly outside. Sooner or later, we will flatten it!” The Heavenly Court members raged.

Half a month later, both Ye Fan and the Human Devil returned, stationing themselves among the various Heavenly Court divisions and conducting patrols.

Finally, Thunder God reappeared, unleashing heavenly punishment, once again coming to unleash a bloodbath, aiming to destroy the Heavenly Court’s vital forces.

This time, Black Emperor was well prepared. The array patterns he had set up in advance came into play, allowing for location tracking and communication. Even if separated by hundreds of light-years, the altar beneath Ye Fan lit up, pointing the way.

“Whoosh!”

He tore open the void, vanishing instantly.

“Boom!”

On this day, heaven and earth erupted in turmoil. An entire star region was nearly shattered, as a quasi-emperor level bloodbath ensued.

“I wanted to give you a surprise and wipe out all your subordinates. But I didn’t expect you to return from the battlefield. So, let’s settle things here,” Thunder God said coldly, filled with confidence after becoming a quasi-emperor.

At this point, there was no need for further words. It immediately became a bloody battle. Ye Fan swung his leg, sweeping through armies, aiming to cut the man in half.

“The wrath of thunder law, upholding the will of heaven, shattering all techniques, destroying all things! Sacred Body, today only one of us will survive!” Thunder God roared, his killing intent sweeping through eternity.

He wasn’t purely acting out of personal vengeance or hatred towards the Heavenly Court members. Upon truly encountering Ye Fan, he also desired a glorious battle, as the Imperial Path ultimately relied on true strength.

How could someone as arrogant as him retreat at the very beginning of this path where all imperial princes emerged? He surely wanted to carve out his own domain.

“Boom!”

His reply was a fist, shattering the thunder and lightning filling the sky. Ye Fan, bathed in lightning, advanced instead of retreating, closing in.

“Sacred Body, born in such a golden grand era, it’s rare to encounter so many opponents. This is both our fortune and our misfortune. Fight!”

Thunder God roared wildly, the lightning intensified, and Dao runes filled the sky, erupting with the immense power of an imperial bloodline quasi-emperor, terrifying the mortal realm.

“Fortune and misfortune are both in this era!” Ye Fan did not underestimate his opponent, fighting with all his might.

Streaks of lightning crisscrossed, tearing open the universe. Star light blossomed and then extinguished, like immortal flowers blooming and withering. This was a funeral dirge of life and death, forging a solitary path with blood and fire.

Thunder God unleashed his power, suppressing Ye Fan with his true strength. He aimed to carve out a brilliant starry sky to prove his immortal path.

This was a contest of strength, a life-or-death confrontation between two imperial-level figures. There were no schemes, no tricks; only a brutal interpretation of the Imperial Path.

After a fierce battle, blood splattered, and the heavenly tribulation light dimmed. Though the thunder light, representing divine punishment from above, was boundless and powerful, leaving countless Dao runes in its wake, it was ultimately shattered by Ye Fan.

Thunder God was sent flying, his body covered in cracks. Blood bloomed at that instant, and with a puff, his entire being exploded, blood and glowing white bone fragments soaring. He died beneath Ye Fan’s Heavenly Emperor Fist.

With all imperial sons emerging, the true decisive battle for the Imperial Path had only just begun, yet it was already this brutal.

The Human Devil stomped his foot. He had arrived a step too late and couldn’t stop it. Witnessing Thunder God explode, he sighed.

“Next time, I won’t let you make a move!” The Elder said indignantly.

“Rumble!”

Between the nine Imperial Passes, a colossal stele slowly emerged from the chaos. Ye Fan’s name instantly brightened considerably, while Thunder God’s name permanently dimmed.

Many names appeared densely on it. The names of dozens of people, including the Golden Goddess, Human Devil, Saint Imperial Prince, Dao Yi, Fire Kirin Child, Old Madman, and Huang Xudao, were also very bright. All of them were individuals with immense potential on the Imperial Path.

Just as the battle between Ye Fan and Thunder God concluded, such a grand stele appeared between the nine Imperial Passes, shocking everyone. Many people were bewildered, unsure who had erected it.

Almost on the same day, a more widespread battle also erupted. The Undying Empress engaged in a bloody struggle with someone behind the nine Imperial Passes, shaking the universe.

People felt that terrifying oppressive force, as if they had returned to the moment of the Dark Turmoil. The fluctuations were too immense, sweeping across the mortal realm.

To have a battle of this magnitude, everyone was shocked. Was the Undying Empress in a decisive battle with the Divine Court Emperor? This was the suspicion in everyone’s hearts.

Ye Fan sensed it, but was not afraid. Even if he was not their match, now that he had reached the quasi-emperor realm, he could still flee and hide if he wished.

The Dragon Lady and Golden Goddess arrived, killing intent blazing. Additionally, God Pluto also appeared, his killing intent reaching the heavens. They appeared in this universe, having rushed from the other battlefield.

Ye Fan sensed them. There was nothing more to say. He knew that from this day forward, he could not afford to be soft-hearted. A blood-stained Imperial Path stretched before him. He had no choice but to walk it, advancing by treading upon the corpses of one great enemy after another!