Chapter 181: Sea Vastness Allows Fish to Leap

Holy Weapons represent the ultimate achievement in weaponry. In the entire Eastern Desolate Land, there are only a handful, easily counted, and all were forged by ancient Holy Emperors.

Throughout history, Great Emperors have been exceedingly rare, with only a select few documented in ancient texts. Consequently, extreme dao weapons are likewise few and far between.

The earthy-gray pottery jar appeared excessively plain, yet its power was immense. When jointly activated by the Azure Dragon King and Tu Tian, it devoured everything in heaven and earth, collecting all matter.

"Crack!"

In the sky, a trigram furnace, as vast as a small mountain, blazed with towering flames, attempting to block its path. Yet, it proved utterly incapable of stopping the pottery jar and began to crack.

"Boom!"

The massive furnace instantly split open, and raging flames surged everywhere. However, after only a momentary tremor, they were all drawn into the pottery jar.

This marked the ninth weapon destroyed among the Grand Elders' arsenal. Against an extreme dao weapon, they stood no chance and were inevitably pulverized.

Though the earthy-gray pottery jar appeared ordinary, it was a Holy Weapon forged by an ancient Great Emperor from their own flesh and blood. Its power was immeasurable; had it not been missing its lid, their adversaries would have been annihilated already.

"Let's see how long you can hold out!" roared the Azure Dragon King, as he and Tu Tian once more propelled the pottery jar.

Opposite them, an ancient cauldron floated, its surface adorned with antique dragon patterns and shrouded in chaotic mist.

This was a replica of the Dragon-Pattern Cauldron from Yaoguang Holy Land, wielded by an exceptionally powerful elder who was straining every fiber to resist the earthy-gray pottery jar.

Nevertheless, a replica remained just that. Despite being refined by this Grand Elder for over several centuries, it could not withstand the Holy Weapon of an ancient Great Emperor.

Though everyone combined their efforts to power it, the replica Dragon-Pattern Cauldron only held out for a quarter of an hour before it began to shake violently. All its dragon patterns peeled away, and its luster faded.

"Crack!"

The replica Dragon-Pattern Cauldron finally succumbed, developing cracks and on the verge of shattering, about to be consumed by the pottery jar.

"Old Tu, this Holy Weapon of yours is incredibly formidable!" exclaimed the Azure Dragon King. "I'm willing to pay any price to exchange it with you; you can take everything I possess."

"In this life, I rely solely on it," Tu Tian flatly refused. "It's impossible to exchange it with anyone."

At this moment, the faces of the Yaoguang Holy Land disciples were all ashen. Their weapons shattered, they could no longer hold out.

The terrifying power of extreme dao weapons was chilling. Unfortunately, the Dragon-Pattern Cauldron, the foundational treasure of Yaoguang Holy Land, could not be easily brought out. Otherwise, they would not have been so passive.

Meanwhile, the Peacock King fought the Yaoguang Holy Master, traversing one hundred and eight worlds, locked in an intense, inseparable battle.

The sun and moon dimmed, heaven and earth lost their color. The two powerful figures wielded immense magical might; a single roar from them in the distant sky caused the stone mountains on the ground to crack and collapse.

Ye Fan felt a dizzying awe. The extreme dao weapon profoundly shocked him; the people of Yaoguang Holy Land were, it seemed, destined to suffer a bitter defeat today because of this pottery jar.

He was no longer in a hurry to depart. The Azure Dragon King and his allies held a decisive advantage; if they eliminated those old masters and freed up their hands, the Yaoguang Holy Master would certainly face dire consequences.

Now, he could conveniently seek refuge with the Peacock King and his allies, departing with them and ending his flight.

"Brother Genius, those of us in this line of work must uphold loyalty..." Tu Fei also rushed to the edge, descending to appear beside Ye Fan.

The Yaoguang Saintess did not pursue him. It was now clear to everyone that the high-ranking figures of Yaoguang Holy Land were in a precarious situation, suppressed by an ancient Great Emperor's Holy Weapon and constantly in danger of being utterly destroyed.

Yaoguang Holy Land possessed deep "foundations," but distant water could not quench immediate thirst, and traversing the void was already too late.

"Boom!"

The distant sky vibrated with the shouts of men and the roars of beasts. Iron cavalry, shattering the firmament, thundered closer.

On the horizon, it was as if a flood was surging forth, with killing intent rising to the heavens. In the center, a large banner flapped, displaying a single prominent character: Jiang!

The Jiang Family, an ancient aristocratic lineage and one of the masters of the Northern Region, had arrived. Their influence in this area far surpassed that of Yaoguang Holy Land.

"Fellow Daoists of Yaoguang, our Jiang Family has arrived to reinforce you!"

Hundreds of iron cavalry charged forward, with several prominent figures leading them. Their battle intent was overwhelming, surging like a colossal tide, and their icy aura chilled one to the bone.

"What terrible luck!" Tu Fei cursed.

In the sky, the Peacock King, Azure Dragon King, Tu Tian, and the others also changed expression. With the powerful Jiang Family arriving as reinforcements now, their efforts were on the verge of being wasted.

The cultivators of Yaoguang Holy Land cheered in unison. Many had already fallen in the battle, and they were on the brink of collapse; the sudden arrival of such a fresh force naturally invigorated them.

"Brother Genius..." Tu Fei turned his head again to find Ye Fan had already vanished, almost out of sight in the blink of an eye. He was somewhat dumbfounded and shouted, "Brother Genius, I told you, those of us in this line of work can't be so disloyal!"

Ye Fan dared not linger. He understood his own limitations; with the great bandits and the Holy Land locked in a fierce battle, someone of his strength would only serve as cannon fodder by staying.

This was a formidable group, with no weaklings among them. Anyone with slightly inferior cultivation had already perished in the recent melee, and the battlefield was exceptionally brutal, enveloped in a swirling mist of blood.

"Boom!"

The rear vibrated violently as the battle intensified into a white-hot frenzy. The Azure Dragon King and Tu Tian grew ruthless, preparing to eliminate a group of powerful individuals at any cost.

The Peacock King's gaze was equally sharp, his killing intent vibrating across the surroundings. He transformed into a five-colored peacock, tearing through heaven and earth.

Behind them, chaos erupted, and it seemed as if the heavens and earth were on the verge of annihilation.

Ye Fan moved like lightning, streaking across the ground like a fleeting beam of light, executing his mysterious footwork to its utmost, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

"I will return someday..." he murmured as he vanished into the vast expanse of land.

He needed to find a secluded place for peaceful cultivation to enhance his strength, as it was not advisable to involve himself in further conflicts.

The reddish-brown land stretched endlessly, devoid of vegetation and water sources, offering nothing but emptiness and silence.

Seven or eight days had passed. Ye Fan had no idea how many miles he had covered; he hadn't seen even a single leaf, let alone an oasis.

Far from the source region, Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief. From this point on, he felt as free as a fish leaping in the vast sea or a bird soaring in the high sky; he was no longer bound.

The Yaoguang Holy Land's foundation lay in the Southern Region. Even if the Yaoguang Saintess knew he was in the Northern Region, she wouldn't be able to dispatch enough forces to track him down.

The Thirteen Great Bandits were their primary concern; guarding the source mines demanded immense effort, making it difficult to attend to other matters.

"I need the cultivation method for the Dao Palace Secret Realm..." Ye Fan murmured to himself.

This was his main purpose in coming to the Northern Region. He had now reached the Other Shore realm, and time was of the essence; he urgently required the Jade Pond cultivation method.

The thought brought on a headache; he felt he had set himself an enormous challenge. While the ideal was appealing, actually achieving it would be incredibly difficult.

"The most effective method would be to kidnap a Jade Pond Immortal from the Dao Palace Secret Realm and then demand the profound cultivation techniques."

However, the consequences of such an act would be severe. He had only learned one supreme secret art from the Ji Family, and despite not cultivating the Void Ancient Scripture, he had already courted disaster.

If he were to truly kidnap a Jade Pond Immortal and cultivate their secret techniques, it would undoubtedly lead to an even greater catastrophe.

In the past, there had been those who cultivated ancient scriptures from Holy Lands, but they inevitably faced either the extermination of their entire clan or the destruction of their sect, with all their traces erased.

Holy Lands and ancient aristocratic families valued their respective ancient scriptures above all else. Anyone who learned them would inevitably be pursued with all their might until annihilated.

"I've set myself an enormous challenge..." Ye Fan gently massaged his temples. Given a choice, he truly wouldn't want to undertake such a challenge.

"Jade Pond Immortals can marry, but it's said the conditions are extremely stringent..." He recalled the words of Elder Wu Qingfeng.

How could a high and mighty Jade Pond Immortal possibly marry a mere cultivator like him?

Time was pressing; there was no leisure to slowly approach a Jade Pond Immortal. This path presented considerable difficulty.

"Do I truly have to become a great demon king and abduct a Jade Pond Immortal?" Ye Fan found himself in a genuine dilemma.

He did not wish to antagonize Jade Pond, yet he deeply desired to acquire their cultivation method.

"What conditions are required to become a son-in-law of Jade Pond..." Ye Fan mused, his thoughts wandering.

"Perhaps there's still some buffer time," he considered, recalling Elder Wu Qingfeng's words that many ancient powerful figures cultivated only a single secret realm and still managed to push their cultivation to its peak.

"There must still be many undiscovered secrets within the Sea of Suffering. Perhaps I can recultivate it, thereby gaining enough time to approach a Jade Pond Immortal."

Ye Fan felt that the most crucial task now was to enhance his strength by any means necessary. Unless absolutely compelled, he did not wish to become a "demon king."

After careful consideration, he decided he needed two contingency plans. For either path, he would require the strength of a demon king, capable of defeating a Jade Pond Immortal from the Dao Palace Secret Realm.

Ye Fan did not wish to cultivate in this area, feeling it was still not remote enough, so he continued to race further into the distance. Along the way, he occasionally paused, blasting open the reddish-brown earth to search for source fragments.

However, his efforts yielded minimal results; he found only a few source fragments and had not mastered the art of prospecting.

Over ten days later, Ye Fan finally discovered an oasis and saw signs of human habitation.

"I've been traveling using supreme secret methods the entire way. Although I stopped and started, I must have covered seventy thousand miles. It took this long to finally see signs of human habitation..."

Such an immense region, far surpassing all landmasses on Earth, filled him with emotion.

"Countless eons ago, this land was lush with vegetation, teeming with various races. Powerful humanoid figures ripped open the sky with their bare hands, and numerous temples dotted the landscape. What exactly happened to turn the Northern Region into such a barren wasteland?"

Ye Fan pressed onward without stopping, continuing his journey until the twentieth day, when he finally halted and decided to seek a place for secluded cultivation.

Along the way, he observed oases ranging from a few square miles to over a thousand, scattered across the reddish-brown landscape.

The Northern Region's populace was known for its ferocity. He witnessed numerous bloody incidents, with battles constantly erupting over the control of oases and source mines.

Ye Fan avoided all oases, eventually seeking seclusion in a desolate, empty desert. He carved a cave dwelling out of a stone mountain and began his cultivation within.

He brought forth the Jade Pure Bottle, and colorful source fragments dropped before him, dazzling and brilliant, illuminating the cave dwelling with a radiant glow.

A preliminary estimate suggested these source fragments combined weighed around sixty catties. This was a substantial fortune that could significantly enhance his strength.

Ye Fan commenced his cultivation, preparing for a breakthrough.

The so-called Other Shore realm was a stage of metamorphosis. Legend held that ancient powerful figures who solely cultivated the Sea of Suffering Secret Realm would undergo nine transformations of life and death.

Ultimately, they would emerge like a butterfly from its cocoon, achieving grand perfection. The moment they emerged from seclusion, clouds would gather from all directions, and astonishing phenomena would surge skyward.

Of course, this was the result of years of accumulated effort; some even cultivated their entire lives for it, as it was certainly not achieved overnight.

Cultivating a single secret realm not only required a powerful cultivation method but also complementary ancient secret arts, which Ye Fan did not possess. Therefore, he could not possibly compare himself to the ancient powerful figures at this time.

Over the next seven days, spiritual energy permeated the cave dwelling. Ye Fan's Sea of Suffering displayed various wondrous phenomena: green lotuses trembled, a golden sea surged, and the azure sky intertwined with lightning... His transformation had begun.