Chapter 218: Clothes Unstained by Blood, The Dao is Boundless

The Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect roared, his long silver hair disheveled and flying wildly. He exerted all his strength to control the Lihuo Divine Furnace, intending to draw Ye Fan back into it.

The bronze furnace swayed, glowing translucently. Flames shot up, surging dramatically, and its opening resembled a black hole, frantically devouring everything around it.

*Boom!* A nearby green peak trembled, its summit collapsing. A twenty-meter-high section of the mountain instantly broke off, drawn into the Lihuo Divine Furnace like dust.

*Crack!* The green mountain continued to crumble, larger rocks and sections of its body constantly detaching and rushing towards the terrifying furnace. This was a chilling sight; the power of the Lihuo Divine Furnace surpassed imagination, capable of uprooting mountains, evaporating seas, and devouring the heavens.

Although Ye Fan had forcefully fought his way out, he was now being pulled down by the furnace below, about to be submerged in its scorching heat. Simultaneously, a multicolored aura swirled as the furnace lid flew back, directly smashing towards Ye Fan, intending to press him back inside and seal him completely.

*Clang!* Ye Fan's eyes sharpened. He pressed down with a large golden handprint, striking the multicolored furnace lid and sending it flying.

"Seize!" The Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect became anxious, spitting out three mouthfuls of vital blood onto the furnace. He focused his mind on it, fully exerting his power to activate this great killing weapon.

*Rumble!* Rocks tumbled and large trees were uprooted, all flying towards the enormous black hole in the sky; nothing escaped being swallowed. Next to it, the broken mountain collapsed another twenty meters, instantly sucked into the powerful divine furnace and turned into ashes.

The Lihuo Divine Furnace refined all things. Its opening was a dark void, as if connected to the abyssal depths of hell, with no end in sight.

*Thud!* Ye Fan was forcibly pulled down, but he did not fall into the bronze furnace. Instead, he heavily planted his feet on its opening, like a colossal hammer smashing down upon it.

A deep metallic clang, piercing gold and shattering stone, caused all eighteen peaks of Qingxia to shake. Many people screamed, covering their ears and falling from afar, blood trickling from between their fingers. Ye Fan's feet were deeply imprinted on the furnace opening, as if he possessed the strength to push against the heavens, causing the entire furnace to tremble violently. Not far away, the Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect bled from his nose and mouth, and fine cracks appeared on his body.

"This..." The anxious Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave knew that his magic painting, which he had conjured, was too far away to harm Ye Fan, and getting too close risked being swallowed by the bronze furnace. Ye Fan stood firmly on the furnace opening, facing the colossal bronze furnace that was comparable to a mountain. He was rooted there, unshakeable even by the immense suction force.

*Clang!* His hands moved like windmills, continuously striking the furnace, producing thunderous roars. The Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect trembled, needing to supply vast divine power to activate this weapon; he seemed to have become one with the bronze furnace.

Though large, the bronze furnace continuously shook, threatening to be overturned at any moment. It rumbled loudly, with flames soaring skyward. Ye Fan's golden palms and fingers were more terrifying than any magic artifact, striking the bronze furnace with earth-shattering sounds and leaving clear finger marks upon its surface.

*Pfft!* The Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect finally could not hold on. His divine power was almost depleted, and he coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, swaying precariously, on the verge of falling from the sky. Ye Fan's divine power was boundless and tireless, surpassing all cultivators of his rank. His attacking strength did not diminish but grew even stronger.

*Clang!* Finally, he slapped the Lihuo Divine Furnace away. Although he still couldn't shatter it, he managed to send the hundred-meter-tall colossal furnace flying into the distance.

With unparalleled combat strength, a soaring spirit, and an indestructible sacred attack method, Ye Fan stood majestic and powerful, forcefully batting away the Lihuo Divine Furnace. At this point, he abruptly turned around. Though appearing as a youth, his sharp prowess was fully revealed as he stepped through the void, heading to attack the Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect.

In the distance, all the young disciples were terrified, not daring to even breathe.

The Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave let out a soft cry and finally attacked again. The magic painting in his hand unfurled with a *whoosh*, instantly covering the sky like a great river blocking the path ahead.

Ye Fan let out a soft shout, his hands transforming, continuously forming seals at lightning speed. Illusions proliferated, misty and indistinct, like a thousand-armed Guanyin or a multi-armed demonic deity. A phoenix cry shook the heavens as a fiery phoenix soared upward, burning the sky, flapping its wings and crying loudly. Its divine feathers shimmered, and an overwhelming phoenix might swept across the high heavens. The fiery phoenix streaked across the sky, like a thousand soldiers and horses galloping, or like ancient war chariots rolling over the firmament, rumbling and shaking the cosmos.

"This is..." The Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave was astonished; this fiery phoenix was even more powerful than the one that had burst from the bronze furnace.

"How did he conjure a fiery phoenix?" The disciples of the Lihuo Sect were utterly shocked.

The Nine Secrets were supreme secret arts, powerful attack methods. Once fully comprehended, they would yield endless transformations and inexhaustible killing techniques. Each profound realization would bring forth a different great killing art. Earlier, Ye Fan had been sealed within the Lihuo Divine Furnace, and facing the surging flames, he had felt an insight, allowing him to now form the Fiery Phoenix Seal.

*Boom!* The fiery phoenix under the sky, carrying overwhelming flames, plunged towards the massive magic painting. The two collided violently, with firelight erupting everywhere. As the fiery phoenix clashed with the magic painting, a terrifying aura permeated and shimmered. Ye Fan flew across and appeared before the Supreme Elder of the Lihuo Sect. At this point, no one could save him. Ye Fan, radiating killing intent and boiling combat power, struck forward with a single, devastating blow.

*Splat!* More than a dozen weapons were shattered into dust by the Fighting Saint Method. A large golden palm struck the body of the Lihuo Sect's Supreme Elder, instantly tearing his flesh apart. Even his head, though not directly hit by the golden palm, cracked open, and white brain matter splattered out like tofu.

*Pfft!* Ye Fan swept out with a backhand, his millstone-sized golden palm pulverizing everything in the sky, leaving nothing behind.

"Devil King! This Taoist is a Devil King!" From afar, the Lihuo Sect disciples were pale with fear. They found this outcome unacceptable. The sect's strongest expert, wielding the sect-guarding divine furnace, had been reduced to ashes. How could they resist now? They wanted to flee but found Qingxia sealed, with no escape routes. One by one, their faces turned ashen.

The Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave felt his heart go cold. Even the Lihuo Divine Furnace couldn't suppress this young Taoist; he knew that today was fraught with peril. The magic painting rustled, like a world rising and falling, covering the sky and pressing down on Ye Fan.

A thousand streams of purple mist and ten thousand wisps of fog swirled, and a large vortex appeared, attempting to draw Ye Fan into the painting. Alas, although the scroll was extraordinary, it was still inferior to the Lihuo Divine Furnace and simply could not absorb Ye Fan.

*Boom!* Ye Fan spread his arms and struck the high heavens. His sacred attack method, endlessly transforming, shook the firmament for a full fifteen minutes. *Crack!* Finally, Ye Fan tore the massive magic painting, which covered the sky, apart with his bare hands.

The Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave cried out loudly, but he could do nothing to change the outcome. Ye Fan arrived in an instant, his large golden hand instantly covering the sky and pressing down upon him. He sealed off this part of the sky, raising his cultivation to its limit and displaying his most formidable combat power.

Killing techniques emerged endlessly. Without any suspense, a golden fist punched through, tearing the Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave into pieces, leaving him to die with his eyes wide open. As the golden fist wind vibrated, the Supreme Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave vanished into thin air, forever erased from this world.

During this process, the former Sect Master of Xuanmoon Cave had conjured countless weapons, even causing several divine spirits within his body to emerge, yet nothing could stop what was happening. Separated by one cultivation realm, by a single layer of heaven, Ye Fan, a mortal, struck down an immortal, achieving victory by transcending his rank.

Ye Fan stood silently in the void, his black hair fluttering, his eyes clear, and his Taoist robes spotless. He had slain two powerful experts without a single drop of blood staining him.

"Spare... me." Du Chengkun, the chief disciple of the Lihuo Sect's master, trembled as he spoke. Ye Fan turned, lightly pointed a finger, and with a *Pfft*, a spray of blood erupted. A bloody hole appeared on Du Chengkun's forehead, and he died on the spot.

"You..." Li Youran, a disciple of Xuanmoon Cave, showed fear and rapidly retreated. *Pfft!* Ye Fan pointed another finger, and a bloody flower bloomed on Li Youran's glabella as he fell backward to the ground.

"Don't kill us..." The others trembled. Ye Fan did not speak, merely extended his spiritual sense, sweeping in all directions.

He was not a bloodthirsty person, but in this bloody Northern Region, some people had to be killed. The Lihuo Sect and Xuanmoon Cave, like the Qingxia Sect, were nominally religious sects, but secretly committed great evils, plundering everywhere. In their eyes, human lives were as cheap as grass, and their hands were stained with blood from countless misdeeds.

Ye Fan probed their minds with his spiritual sense, flicking his ten fingers in succession. Beams of light shot out, and sprays of blood splattered. As flora were stained with blood, he drifted by, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

When Ye Fan stopped, the Qingxia Sect was lifeless; over seventy people had died violently, all mercilessly slain by him. He sighed and walked away step by step, treading the ancient stone steps.

Killing was not a pleasant affair. No one wished to stain their hands with blood, nor was anyone born heartless, yet he had no choice but to act. Some people simply had to be killed. When faced with those who deserved death, being merciful would be tantamount to condoning evil. Ye Fan felt he was not a bad person, nor was he excessively kind. How many evildoers were there in the world? He couldn't possibly hunt them all down; he could only act when he encountered them and was capable of doing so.

*Buzz!* The Lihuo Divine Furnace rose from the thirteenth green peak, slowly shrinking until it was an inch high, appearing in Ye Fan's palm. It shone translucently, emitting waves of intense heat. *Clang!* Multicolored mist swirled, and the furnace lid was also drawn by Ye Fan, sealing perfectly onto the bronze furnace, becoming one, bright and exquisite.

On the body of the furnace, there were some blurry carvings, very indistinct, possibly worn away over time. Faintly, one could discern a sun and several divine birds, their imprints vague and difficult to identify.

"Could this truly be a replica of the Ultimate Dao Weapon—the Sun Divine Furnace?"

Ye Fan's fingers turned golden, and he squeezed hard, yet he still could not damage the inch-tall divine furnace. Through this battle, he felt the difference between cultivation realms. Being one realm higher, he, as a mortal, faced considerable pressure striking down an immortal. If the gap were two realms, he would surely be in grave danger. However, he also saw his potential and recognized the extraordinary nature of the Nine Secrets. If his realm were to advance, he would fear nothing.

Ye Fan left Qingxia Sect and flew directly to Luoxia Sect, transforming into the appearance of the Lihuo Sect's Supreme Elder and slaughtering his way in. At the mountain gate, he conjured the Lihuo Divine Furnace, and immediately, roaring flames turned one of the immortal peaks there into a sea of fire. Afterwards, he put away the bronze furnace and attacked Seven Star Pavilion, unleashing overwhelming flames from the Lihuo Divine Furnace, burning two immortal peaks to the ground, then gracefully departed.

Ye Fan did not linger. With sleeves billowing, he arrived at Xuanmoon Cave, appearing at the former residence of the Great Emperor Wushi.

Stone cliffs stood tall, with not a blade of grass growing, making it extremely desolate. In the most remote area, within a broken, swallowed mountain, there was an ancient cave. Time flowed like water, and the void resonated like sound, as if the Great Dao itself was pouring out.

Ye Fan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the three lines of ancient characters on the cliff face, almost worn away.

"The Dao is vast and unknowable; the heart is boundless and unconstrained; things unfold continuously and are never truly separate."

The silent, desolate land evoked a sense of timelessness, as if eternity stretched endlessly. The emperor jade in Ye Fan's palm grew warm, shining with a soft glow that seeped out from between his fingers.

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