Chapter 173: Each Escaping for Their Lives

Ye Fan embraced the Saintess of Yao Guang, feeling her warmth. While seemingly intimate, his divine sense surged with boundless killing intent, like a bitter wind sweeping away snow.

This was a battle of divine senses. Ye Fan's golden scorching sun transformed into flames, enveloping Yao Xi's consciousness and relentlessly burning it, aiming to reduce it to ashes. Though their words were pleasant, their actions were merciless, each intent on killing the other.

The Saintess of Yao Guang let out a pained moan. In an instant, over a dozen wisps of her consciousness were melted away, causing it to dim significantly. "Saintess of Yao Guang, you have no chance!" Ye Fan pressed on relentlessly.

Simultaneously, his hands roamed over her celestial, jade-like body, feeling its softness. These random movements aimed to disturb Yao Xi's focus, making her embarrassed and enraged, thus preventing her divine sense from concentrating.

However, at that very moment, Ye Fan suddenly sensed immense danger. The Saintess of Yao Guang smiled enchantingly, her charm captivating. "Little man, go to hell!" Her words were soft, like a spring breeze or rippling water, yet the killing intent behind them was chilling.

After Ye Fan crushed dozens of wisps of her divine sense, he was astonished to find that the innermost core of her consciousness emitted dazzling light, like a bursting sun. A loud *bang* ensued.

It truly shattered, her consciousness disintegrating like a burning nebula. Terrifying fluctuations emanated from that primordial point, rapidly destroying everything in the vicinity.

Although Ye Fan's divine sense was powerful, it was instantly severely damaged. He had not anticipated Yao Xi's extreme resolve to destroy her source of consciousness at the last moment, intending to perish together with him.

He genuinely felt the threat of death. His divine sense rushed in all directions, trying to evade the storm's center. But everything happened too suddenly; even with some preparation, his divine sense was violently shaken. *Boom!*

Ye Fan nearly fainted. His powerful golden scorching sun was fractured into several pieces, almost extinguishing, leaving him feeling a wave of weakness.

His only consolation was that the core of his Sea of Consciousness remained unharmed. With some rest, everything could recover.

His golden divine sense quickly converged, reforming into a scorching sun, but it was much dimmer than before, no longer as resplendent. "Saintess of Yao Guang…" Ye Fan's voice was cold as he stirred the delicate jade-like body in his arms.

At this moment, Yao Xi's upper body was bare, like solidified beautiful jade, a perfect work of art, yet she remained motionless. "Is she truly dead like this?" Ye Fan's heart was filled with doubt and surprise.

It had been an extreme close call; he had nearly perished. Had she truly shattered her divine sense, completely ceasing to exist in this world? "Saintess of Yao Guang, I don't believe you're dead." Ye Fan's lips curled into a cold smile as his large hand grasped her ample chest, moving erratically. Yet, even as her sacred body was defiled, the Saintess of Yao Guang showed no reaction whatsoever.

Unable to confirm, Ye Fan moved his hands over her body, repeatedly patting her. He noticed, however, that her divine power fluctuations slowly calmed, almost becoming nonexistent.

Her jade-like body was no longer soft, becoming cold and rigid. She truly lacked vitality, and her life fluctuations gradually ceased. *Rip!*

Ye Fan removed her garments, leaving her alluring body completely exposed to the air. Her skin was like ice, her bones like jade, perfect and flawless, truly astonishing. She still showed no reaction, remaining motionless like a jade statue, sitting quietly on his lap. Ye Fan released a wisp of his divine sense, probing deep into Yao Xi's Sea of Consciousness. He simply couldn't believe she had died like this. *Bang!*

Just then, a mighty pressure descended upon him. The Moon Palace shook, falling downwards and pressing against his divine sense. "I knew you weren't dead!" Ye Fan's divine sense rapidly retreated.

"To think that I expended so much divine sense, even shattering the core of the puppet imprint I refined for years, yet still failed to kill you," the Saintess of Yao Guang said with a solemn expression. "Your divine sense is far more powerful than I anticipated."

Ye Fan's heart tightened. His source of consciousness had nearly been shattered moments ago. He wondered what other tricks the Saintess of Yao Guang was hiding. Fortunately, he had remained clear-headed. "Yao Xi, what other trump cards do you have? If none, I won't hold back." Outside, his fingers moved over her jade body.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the Saintess of Yao Guang's expression changed. Sensing everything, she said coldly, "In that case, let's perish together." Her divine sense began to burn, and the Moon Palace vibrated ceaselessly, slowly flying out and pressing towards Ye Fan. "Burn my divine sense, unleash the Moon Palace, and shatter your Sea of Consciousness!" Yao Xi cried out.

Seeing her burning bridges and truly intending to perish together, Ye Fan decisively retreated. All his divine sense surged out, blocking the area outside her glabella.

"Escaping is impossible. Even if you burn your divine sense to nothing, I won't let you unleash the Moon Palace!" Ye Fan sealed her glabella with his divine sense, preventing her from breaking out.

*Boom!*

The Saintess of Yao Guang's Sea of Consciousness vibrated; she was preparing a life-and-death strike.

"If you continue to push, don't blame me for being impolite." Ye Fan moved his hands erratically over her body, exploring, and said, "Let me see what makes a 'Saintess' so different..."

The Saintess of Yao Guang was both shocked and enraged. Her greatest fear had finally materialized: Ye Fan was truly preparing to "act wantonly."

His fingers glided gently, touching every inch of her delicate skin on her immortal body. Her warmth filled his hands, and a faint orchid fragrance wafted to him. Except for the very last step, the Saintess's jade body held no more secrets from him. "If you don't compromise now, I truly won't mind if some 'wonderful things' happen." Ye Fan paused, then continued, "Now, I'll give you a third option: recite the ancient scripture from the Yao Guang Holy Land to me."

He knew that if he had made such a demand at the outset, she would certainly refuse. But at this desperate juncture, by offering Yao Xi a glimmer of hope, she might very well compromise. However, the outcome surprised Ye Fan: the Saintess of Yao Guang rejected without hesitation, saying, "Don't even dream about it!" She clearly understood that at this point, compromise would only grant him benefits for free, so she decisively refused. "In that case, let some wonderful things happen."

Ye Fan embraced the Saintess of Yao Guang, no longer holding back, his hands moving freely. Then he stood up and laid her flat on the stone table in the pavilion.

At this point, with only one final step remaining, Yao Xi's snow-white body lay before him, all her secrets laid bare.

The Saintess of Yao Guang, with her jade skin and immortal physique, possessed elegant curves that outlined a breathtaking figure. Now completely unclothed, she was flawless, pure, and radiantly captivating, enough to enchant all beings.

Her long eyelashes, obsidian-like eyes, jade-like cheeks, slender neck, full breasts, a waist so small it could be spanned by a hand, rounded hips, and long, straight jade legs—any man who beheld her would feel his blood rush.

The Saintess of Yao Guang, once high above, shrouded in an endless halo, the focal point of all eyes wherever she went, revered by countless men, was now unimaginable—laid bare on a stone table. If news of this spread, it would undoubtedly shake the Southern Region, causing many to lose sleep and find it hard to accept. Ye Fan stood calmly before the stone table, not moving immediately, simply gazing at her.

Though the Saintess of Yao Guang resembled a temptress, at this critical juncture, she could not remain indifferent. She cried out clearly, "In that case, let's shatter together!" *Boom!*

She burned her divine sense, causing the Moon Palace to tremble. A rhomboid blood mark, like a crack, appeared between her brows. Yao Xi, at all costs, finally unleashed the Moon Palace! The Moon Palace, vast and irresistible like a mountain, was impossible to block. "So you finally made this choice, at any cost, wanting to perish with me. Unfortunately, I won't die." Ye Fan drifted back, retreating.

Since he couldn't kill her, he would let her destroy herself. As for her perceived beauty, he had no time for it now.

Originally, he had only sought to survive, to create a path to life. Everything he did was merely a means to an end.

"Saintess of Yao Guang, what a pity. I'll make sure to burn some paper money for you…" In the blink of an eye, Ye Fan retreated several dozen meters.

The Moon Palace shattered the pavilion, hovering in the air. Yao Xi's burning divine sense enveloped her perfect physical body.

However, Ye Fan's smile instantly froze.

The Saintess of Yao Guang's cold laughter echoed. "Although my divine sense has burned, I've left a trace of my origin in the Moon Palace. I'll recover soon, and you can no longer confine me." *Boom!*

Just then, an even more terrifying energy fluctuation emerged, far more dreadful than Yao Xi's burning divine sense, with destructive aura overwhelming everything.

A peerlessly beautiful goddess, clad in silver battle armor, stood near the Profound Jade Platform. It was the deity that had materialized from the Saintess of Yao Guang's Dao Palace. "No!" the Saintess of Yao Guang shrieked. Ye Fan's expression also completely changed.

Unable to stop Ye Fan, the deity found its way here. Seeing his intent to defile the Saintess of Yao Guang, it opened the domain gate of this place, then shattered the jade platform, causing the void to completely disintegrate.

The Saintess of Yao Guang had exhausted all her efforts and was about to escape danger, but she had not expected the deity she herself had materialized to unleash such a powerful technique.

There was a time lag, very brief, but the consequences were entirely different, with unpredictable and terrifying outcomes.

Ye Fan cursed under his breath and fled for his life. His divine power was sealed, and without his protective cauldron, the destructive force unleashed by the shattered void was something he simply couldn't withstand.

As he fled, he waved the Saintess of Yao Guang's brassiere and said, "Yao Xi, if you survive this, bring the ancient scripture of the Yao Guang Holy Land in the future to exchange for this brassiere..."

"I'll take your life in the future!" the Saintess of Yao Guang, her naked body shimmering under the sunlight, was exquisite to the extreme.

"I'll wait for you. If you don't come, I'll auction this off to the whole world, hahaha…" Ye Fan laughed loudly. The two taunted each other, each using their own methods to escape. The void in this area completely shattered and erupted, raging violently in all directions. *Booming sounds* echoed.

The shattering of the void signified the collapse of the real world. This power was irresistible to any cultivator except for mighty experts; anyone caught within it would undoubtedly be reduced to dust. Ye Fan, unable to use his divine power, moved quickly, but ultimately could not avoid the aftermath.

It wasn't the direct zone of the shattered void, but merely a small, outermost ripple that instantly sent him flying.

At that moment, even his robust body could hardly bear it; his bones audibly groaned and cracked as he was flung hundreds of meters away, falling into a mountain stream. The Saintess of Yao Guang fared even worse; she had only reached the edge before being engulfed by the destructive aura behind her, letting out a shriek.