Chapter 1789: Great Calamity

The universe shattered, and the Demon Emperor’s mark reassembled. Above it and the Myriad Dao, the lightning tribulation had ceased, leaving behind a deathly silence.

Suddenly, the Heaven's Heart Mark and the Myriad Dao split apart, and a body, covered in blood and already broken, fell from beyond the unreachable heavens.

"Ye Fan!" a group of people cried out in alarm and rushed over quickly. There were specks of blood everywhere. Ye Fan was covered in wounds, and the Primordial Cauldron of All Things, also damaged, lay beside him.

"Master!" Little Song caught Ye Fan, supporting his dying body. His injuries were so severe that everyone frowned; this was surely a Dao injury.

Looking closely, his body was covered in Dao marks, imprints of the Myriad Dao's backlash. Even more terrifyingly, his body also bore palm prints and fist holes, piercing straight through and gushing blood.

"The injuries are too severe!" Everyone's heart sank. They could guess it was a Dao injury, but how could there be finger marks and fist holes on his body? Who was attacking? It was rather astonishing.

"Was it truly those immortal medicines?" The thought sent shivers down their spines. The most beautiful and overlooked things were the most dangerous. Did the manifestation of these things during the heavenly tribulation portend something?

Just moments ago, Ye Fan stood above the Myriad Dao, trampling the Heaven's Heart Mark beneath him. They had not witnessed the actual tribulation, only heard the thunderous storm, but they could infer some clues.

"Master, you must hold on!" Little Song's eyes welled up with tears as he carried Ye Fan on his back, tearing open the fabric of the universe and rushing towards the Heavenly Court.

Everyone else was also heavy-hearted, following along and remaining cautiously on guard. They knew Ye Fan's situation was extremely perilous and guarded him carefully.

How could this be? What happened during the great tribulation above the Myriad Dao just now? How could Ye Fan be injured to such an extent? Everyone felt uneasy, fearing that something might happen to him.

"Ye Fan was too exhausted," Dao Yi sighed softly. "He fought against the Myriad Dao for us, and then dragged his broken body to undergo his unprecedented Emperor Tribulation. That's why this accident happened."

Everyone fell silent, feeling uneasy and a sense of guilt. Ye Fan had fought the Myriad Dao for them, risking his life; otherwise, how could he be so exhausted and injured like this during his own great tribulation?

Those finger marks, those fist holes... they were all Dao injuries, the most difficult to heal. Many people, once afflicted with such wounds, were doomed to be crippled.

Dao injuries were spoken of with dread, feared above all else. Everyone still remembered that Ye Fan had suffered such an injury when he was a young cultivator, seriously wounded and near death; he only escaped by entering the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land to gather herbs.

Ye Fan's body was broken, blood flowing all the way as he returned to the Heavenly Court on the verge of death, carried by Little Song into the Undying Mountain. This news, once released, shocked the universe.

"What? This is the outcome?" Throughout the universe, powerful figures were dumbfounded, exchanging glances. The mighty Saint Body, Ye Fan, so defiant of heaven, might actually face his own demise.

"What a pity!" many people sighed. This outcome was regrettable; he should have created a miracle, reaching the pinnacle of glory, but in the end, it was a desolate conclusion.

Everyone knew how troublesome it would be to suffer such a Dao injury during an Emperor Tribulation. It would be very difficult to treat, meaning Ye Fan was likely crippled or even on the verge of death.

"He was too arrogant," some commented. "Not only did he want to become an Emperor, but he also wanted his disciples and friends to enter that realm with him. No one in history has ever been so audacious."

"Yes," others agreed, "if not for that, how could he have ended up like this? Even if he had only become an Emperor himself, it would have been an unprecedented feat, achieving Dao under the suppression of a contemporary Great Emperor. How brilliant is that? Yet he wasn't satisfied and had to do this!"

The universe was in an uproar, and chaos erupted everywhere.

People already foresaw a major storm approaching. If the Saint Body Ye Fan were to collapse because of this, or even die, then the glorious Heavenly Court might lose its luster.

In this era, there were certainly many extraordinary individuals. Figures like Taichu, Huang Xudao, and Yin Tiande, one after another, all flashed across the sky like comets. If they were to attack together, could the Heavenly Court, without Ye Fan, withstand them?

Of course, most importantly, there was also a contemporary Great Emperor. Would he continue to remain silent, or would he reclaim his lost glory?

The invincible Ye Fan being wounded and meeting with an accident would certainly have far-reaching effects, perhaps even leading to major changes in the power structure of the universe.

In the following days, the eyes of the entire universe were fixed on the Heavenly Court, awaiting the outcome.

Some laughed heartily, some were indifferent, some worried, some remained silent. Reactions varied from all sides, but no one openly showed their true feelings, regardless of their stance.

Everyone was waiting!

Of course, there were other voices. Some were grief-stricken and indignant, lamenting the heavy losses from this tribulation. All who were qualified to undergo the tribulation and wanted to defy heaven were peerless powerhouses, but in the end, their efforts were in vain, and many nearly died from the backlash.

In fact, when the Myriad Dao returned and descended to suppress at the end, some people indeed died, their bodies shattered and their primordial spirits turned to ash.

This was originally an extremely serious matter, which would have caused an uproar throughout the universe. But now it was not as tumultuous as one might imagine, because everything was overshadowed by Ye Fan's Dao injury incident.

The eyes of the entire universe were concentrated on the Heavenly Court; no one paid too much attention to whether others gained or lost anything during the heavenly tribulation.

These past few days, the Heavenly Court was shrouded in sorrow and grief. People were very silent, as everyone knew that Ye Fan's Dao injury was severe and his Dao foundation might be half-destroyed.

All important figures and masters gathered in the Undying Mountain, contemplating countermeasures and struggling to find a way to heal Ye Fan, but in the end, they found no solution.

This kind of injury was too severe. During this time, Ye Fan only woke up once, opened his mouth, and then fainted again.

His broken body was bloody; the finger marks and palm holes had not healed to this day, and holy blood continuously seeped out, unable to be stopped. His primordial spirit, moreover, was dim, nearly extinguished.

"How could this be?!" Yang Xi agonizingly clutched his hair, filled with deep regret. If he had known this, he would never have allowed his master to sacrifice so much for them.

"Master, you must get well!" Ye Tong also clenched his fists.

"Brother, please don't let anything happen to you!" Jiang Tingting's eyes welled up with tears, feeling somewhat helpless and deeply saddened.

Monkey, Dao Yi, and others paced back and forth, all thinking of ways. They had to save Ye Fan; otherwise, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

The Kylin Immortal Medicine, the Bodhi Tree, the Ancient Peach Tree, and other such remedies had long been prepared, hoping to use these immortal medicines to extend Ye Fan's life. But the one time he woke up, he shook his head and refused.

People knew these medicines were useless against Dao injuries incurred during an Emperor Tribulation.

"Perhaps only one thing can save him now," said the Human Devil.

"What is it?" everyone asked in unison.

"The Nine-Turn Immortal Pill!" the Human Devil replied.

Everyone was stunned. This was a legendary item; how could it be found in this era? It was too difficult to refine.

"That's right, perhaps only the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill can heal Ye Fan's injuries," the old madman nodded.

"I have an incomplete ancient recipe," Dao Yi said, "but the required materials are extremely demanding." His homeland, the Eternal Star Domain, possessed the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill recipe.

"We have the main ingredient; one immortal medicine should be enough," the Monkey said. "But the auxiliary ingredients are very difficult to gather completely. The demand is immense; even a Great Emperor's half-lifetime of accumulation might not be enough to collect them all."

"We will split up," someone declared, "and search for divine materials across the universe. We will certainly gather them all!"

"Good, let's act immediately. Little Song, you stay here and protect your master well."

After making their decision, everyone quickly took action. They were all supreme powerhouses, rarely encountering rivals in this universe, capable of traversing the eight directions in an instant.

With such a group of people taking action, there was naturally little they couldn't accomplish. On this day, the universe was greatly shaken as all the experts of the Heavenly Court were dispatched, searching everywhere for rare treasures and materials.

But those divine materials were rare items, seldom seen in eons. Even with their power, it was impossible to collect them all within a few days, especially some things that were rarely seen for generations.

The only thing that made them fortunate was that they had accumulated many divine objects when extracting the evolution fluid years ago, which were now being put to use. But this was far from enough.

More than half a month passed in a flash, and the Heavenly Court members grew anxious. Heavenly soldiers and generals were all dispatched, offering rewards to the entire universe: any needed divine material provided would be rewarded with ancient scriptures and supreme secret arts.

Everyone was moved, and the entire universe was greatly stirred. Many people took action, as everyone knew the Heavenly Court did not lack immortal scriptures and that this might be an opportunity.

Indeed, when someone provided a piece of Primordial Divine Stone, they received half of a Dao Scripture, which surprised cultivators from all sides. The Heavenly Court wasn't just talking; they were truly willing to pay the price.

From that day onward, a storm swept across the universe. Many people were searching, for in any case, this was an opportunity to curry favor with the Heavenly Court and obtain ancient scriptures, and they hoped to seize it.

"Eclosion Source Earth has appeared!" came a report. "That's one of the hardest divine materials to find!"

A startling piece of news arrived: if this item was found, there would be hope for refining the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill, as it was one of the rarest divine objects, appearing only once in tens of thousands of years.

However, bad news arrived: the item had been snatched. Those who first discovered it were torn to shreds, and the area reeked of blood, littered with severed limbs and broken bodies. The number of dead was unknown.

This was a targeted action; someone wanted to prevent Ye Fan's recovery, deny him a chance, and disrupt the healing process.

Eclosion Source Earth was an indispensable divine material. The one who came was a peerless master who successfully plundered it and vanished without a trace.

"Even if we have to turn this world upside down, we must find him!" the Monkey roared in fury.

The Heavenly Court's peerless masters were all dispatched, searching frantically. Meanwhile, Black Emperor, Gu Lin, Gu Fei, Hua Hua, and others jointly set up a grand array, preparing to deduce the heavenly secrets to figure out the culprit.

The universe was greatly shaken, and people foresaw a major storm approaching!

Who could it be? There were many suspects now; some peerless masters who held grudges against Ye Fan were all possible culprits, not wanting him to recover.

"Is it Yin Tiande?"

"Tell me," someone mused, "if it was... the Demon Emperor, wouldn't that be even more troublesome and terrifying?"

Chaos reigned in the universe as everyone speculated. Stealing Ye Fan's life-saving divine material at such a critical juncture was a profound enmity; if the culprit was found, it would lead to a storm-like war.

The Human Devil, the old madman, Ye Tong, and others were all seething with murderous intent. These people were enraged, and all divisions of the Heavenly Court were dispatched, searching the entire universe, determined to root out the culprit.

"Heh, just a little trick," a voice sneered, "Saint Body, you're finished!"

In the Undying Mountain, a shadow appeared, rushing silently towards its depths, then suddenly erupting and striking the peak where Ye Fan was sleeping.

That was the aura of a Supreme; a large black hand instantly enveloped the peak, unparalleled and terrifying beyond measure. It was clearly meant to smash Ye Fan into pulp with one slap, utterly destroying him.

On the peak, Little Song was furious and retaliated with his strongest techniques, meeting the black hand.

However, silently, another person appeared on the peak, so powerful it made one tremble, punching towards Ye Fan's glabella with unparalleled ferocity.

"Master!" Little Song roared, extending his other hand to meet the attack, but he felt extremely strained, trapped in a strange forbidden zone. He knew it was bad; his master was in dire straits.

"No rush," a voice said. However, at this moment, Ye Fan sat up. Although his body was covered in blood, he smiled at Little Song, appearing very composed and calm.

Then, he launched a palm strike, hitting the fist that was aiming for his glabella. A spray of blood mist erupted as the attacker was shocked, staggering backward, his fist broken.

"You..." The Supreme was alarmed.

On the stone bed, Ye Fan rose to his feet. His composure and calmness were frightening.

"If I weren't injured, how would you dare to come?" Ye Fan declared. "If you didn't come, how would I find Taichu and Shangcang? I once said I would sweep you all away in my lifetime!"

"Saint Body, you goddamn... cunning, wolf-hearted scoundrel!" A Supreme was so furious that he actually cursed.

"Even during a tribulation, you schemed like this," another person said bitterly, unable to continue. "Your heart is too dark..."