Chapter 274: Purple Copper Warship

Yunze State, true to its name, is a land of abundant water, with springs every hundred steps and rivers every ten li. Marshes are everywhere, constantly shrouded in a thick mist.

After leaving the ancient mini-world, Ye Fan and his companions emerged into the open land, once again experiencing the verdant, watery nature of this oasis.

"Someone's following us," Blacky's keen spiritual sense detected.

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky scattered, and a surge of demonic energy indicated something immense was rapidly approaching.

"Woo-woo!"

A long, dull, and distant horn call echoed, piercing the sky as it drew closer.

A purple silhouette, like a vast purple cloud, rapidly approached. It was massive and appeared as heavy as a small hill.

As it pierced the clouds, its form became clear: a massive warship, gleaming with a purple metallic sheen, appearing both heavy and incredibly robust.

"It's a Purple Copper Warship of the Demon Race!" Tu Fei's face fell. He sensed trouble; these warships were typically deployed for annihilation.

"Three of them! A full three!" Tu Fei exclaimed, startled once more.

In total, three Purple Copper Warships, scattering clouds and appearing as three streaks of purple light, rapidly approached, bringing with them an intense, oppressive presence.

"What level of individual pilots a warship like that?" Ye Fan asked, noting that it was clearly heading towards them.

"Hard to say," Tu Fei replied. "Any demon with significant backing can own one."

"No need to guess anymore," Ye Fan said, looking up at the sky. "So it's them..."

On the first Purple Copper Warship stood a man in white, looking quite ethereal. It was Bai Feng, a powerful young demon cultivator.

"He's brought a lot of help."

There were numerous demon cultivators on the warship, clearly none of them weak. Their demonic energy surged skyward; there were at least seventy or eighty of them.

"Woo-woo!"

The second copper warship also rapidly approached. The figure standing at its bow came into view, his golden Taoist robe fluttering in the wind. It was Jin Yu, and he too had brought many formidable helpers.

"Woo-woo!"

On the third Purple Copper Warship, Ku Zhu stood motionless, his green robe billowing, with a large contingent of masters behind him.

Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Ku Zhu, the three prodigies from the demon mini-world, had joined forces to pursue them. Their target was clearly Ye Fan.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tu Fei demanded. His grandfather was the Seventh Great Bandit, giving him an unusual status, and he feared none of these demon cultivators.

"We bear no ill will towards Young Master Tu," Bai Feng transmitted. "We simply have something to discuss with Little Brother Ye."

Ye Fan's expression remained calm as he asked, "What do you want to say?"

"When you departed," Bai Feng replied, "one of our demon race's secret treasures went missing. Thus, we must apprehend you and bring you back."

"In that case, wouldn't I also be a suspect?" Tu Fei asked.

"It has nothing to do with Young Master Tu," Jin Yu said, standing at the bow of his ship, his Taoist robe shimmering. "We only detected the aura of the secret treasure on him."

"What a joke," Ye Fan sneered. "What secret treasure did you lose? You're merely after the Myriad Manifestation Mother Qi I possess."

Ku Zhu, in his green robe, calmly stated, "You do indeed carry the aura of our demon race's secret treasure. We will ensure justice by escorting you back and handing you over to the venerable elders for impartial judgment."

Ye Fan's heart tightened. He thought of the ancient demons whose lifespans were nearing their end. He said in a deep voice, "You can't even name the secret treasure, yet you have the gall to slander me!"

"The Grand Luo Star Compass is on you," Bai Feng shouted. "You must be taken back today!"

"You were too presumptuous in our demon holy land," Jin Yu said chillingly. "You destroyed the palace Princess Yan offered for your temporary stay, shattered Fairy Qin Yao's immortal's abode, and then stole a secret treasure before leaving. We have no choice but to apprehend you."

"Talk is useless," Ku Zhu roared. "Attack! Seize him!"

The three warships unleashed streams of colorful light that interwoven into a vast net, blanketing the sky and earth, and moved to entrap Ye Fan.

"You're clearly attempting murder and robbery, trying to seize his Myriad Manifestation Mother Qi Source Root," Tu Fei shouted. "Don't you three feel ashamed, speaking with such false righteousness?"

As the large net, woven from spiritual energy, descended, Ye Fan transformed into a blurred shadow, slipping through the narrowest of openings, thus avoiding the trap.

"Why don't we just seize all three of these warships?" Blacky suggested. It had several large banners in its possession, engraved with profound Taoist patterns, which it had used to surround the old demons in the Undying Hall.

"Quickly, flee!" Ye Fan transmitted, "It's highly probable that those old demons nearing the end of their lifespans are behind this."

From Ku Zhu's words, Ye Fan sensed that being taken back and handed over to the venerable elders for "impartial judgment" was certainly not a good omen.

"Quoi!"

The big black dog, showing no loyalty, quickly conjured its jade boat and bolted, speeding into the distance without a backward glance. It feared that old demons might indeed be on those warships.

"Tu Big Mouth, you should also leave quickly," Ye Fan said. "What about you?" Tu Fei asked. "They won't catch me," Ye Fan replied, then darted off in another direction.

Tu Fei dared not linger either. He fled with all his might, vanishing in a blink. Although his grandfather was the Seventh Great Bandit, that alone wasn't enough to deter the entire Northern Region. If an old demon were to emerge and silence him there, it would be too late.

Clearly, Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Ku Zhu had no desire to clash with Tu Fei, nor did they intend to pursue the big black dog. They all converged on one direction, focusing solely on Ye Fan.

"Ye Fan, you can't escape," Bai Feng said, no longer concealing his murderous intent. "Even if your footwork is as miraculous as the Heavenly Peng's extreme speed, you still won't shake off the Purple Copper Warships."

Jin Yu and Ku Zhu also commanded their crews to propel the warships forward, giving relentless chase. The three colossal vessels cut through clouds and mist, maintaining a tenacious pursuit of Ye Fan.

While Ye Fan's current speed was unparalleled within the Dao Palace Secret Realm, he couldn't shake off the Purple Copper Warships; the distance between them never widened.

"For simple murder and robbery, you've really gone all out, mobilizing such a massive force," Ye Fan scoffed.

"You must remember," Bai Feng retorted, "we are not here to seize your Myriad Manifestation Mother Qi Source Root. Rather, you were the one who first stole our secret treasure, leaving us with no choice but to apprehend you."

"Why be so hypocritical?" Ye Fan scoffed. "There are no outsiders present. Aren't you tired of speaking with such a facade?"

Jin Yu said chillingly, "If that's how you wish to understand it, then we have nothing more to say. Today, we will simply apprehend you and take you back."

"You three remember this," Ye Fan said coldly. "You seek to kill me and seize my treasure today; another day, I will repay this debt."

"What future do you have to speak of?" Ku Zhu said calmly. "Your entire life will be limited to the Dao Palace Secret Realm. Besides, do you truly believe you can escape today?"

Ye Fan said nothing more. He summoned his cauldron, which transformed to a meter in height and hovered above his head, streams of profound yellow energy descending from it to shield his body.

Throughout the chase, he hadn't sensed the aura of those old demons, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. Things weren't as dire as he had imagined.

When Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Ku Zhu clearly saw the Myriad Manifestation Mother Qi Source Root, their expressions immediately showed excitement; they had indeed come for this very cauldron.

"You stole our clan's secret treasure, and you are destined not to escape death," Bai Feng declared. "Your cauldron... we shall preserve it for you."

"You are truly a hypocrite," Ye Fan mocked. "Even in this situation, you still speak with such sanctimonious pretense!"

In contrast, Jin Yu was far more direct, his killing intent fully revealed. He said chillingly, "I have no desire to speak further with a dead man. Hand over your cauldron!"

He opened his mouth and spat out a golden ray that cleaved towards Ye Fan, like a golden lightning bolt tearing through the sky, moving with extreme speed.

*Whoosh!*

Ye Fan dodged to the side, and the golden light struck empty space. He didn't want to clash head-on, as his opponent was three full realms higher, at the fifth heaven of the Dao Palace.

Without changing his expression, he began to activate the Nine Secrets. He wasn't planning a direct confrontation; rather, he intended to increase his speed tenfold.

"The Golden-Winged Little Peng King was too arrogant, insisting on fighting you on equal footing; truly laughable," Ku Zhu calmly transmitted. "We won't be like that. You're just a 'crippled physique'; we'll simply erase you."

"This also proves that you'll never be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Golden-Winged Little Peng King," Ye Fan retorted. "You can only resort to such despicable methods to chase me down."

As Ye Fan spoke, the "All" character secret of the Nine Secrets successfully triggered, instantly increasing his speed tenfold. It was then that an idea struck him.

The three Purple Copper Warships were moving side-by-side, very close to each other. If one were to be overturned, the other two would likely suffer as well. As if guided by an impulse, he suddenly turned back. The Li Fire Divine Furnace appeared in his hand, its lid opened, and black flames billowed out.

His speed was already astonishing, making it difficult even for flying artifacts like the Purple Copper Warships to keep pace. Now, with a tenfold increase, his speed had reached a level that would astound even Dao Palace Secret Realm cultivators.

Bai Feng, Jin Yu, Ku Zhu, and everyone else on the three warships all attacked, aiming to crush him.

But Ye Fan's speed was too immense. He evaded all attacks, then unleashed the Li Fire Divine Furnace, sending torrents of black flames surging downwards.

While the people on board could retreat, the three warships couldn't instantly change course. The middle warship was immediately engulfed by the immense flames.

The flames, sourced from Fallen Sun Ridge, were searing hot; even powerful artifacts couldn't withstand them. To this day, only the "Annihilation of Form" from the Demon Emperor's Nine Slashes could extinguish them.

*Boom!*

The middle Purple Copper Warship instantly shattered. The explosive energy unleashed by such a large artifact suffering a destructive attack was truly horrifying.

A blinding flash of light and tsunami-like energy fluctuations swept in all directions, engulfing the entire sky.

The other two warships, moving parallel to the destroyed one, were severely affected. Although they didn't explode, their hulls were pierced by the violent energy, leaving many large holes.

These two Purple Copper Warships were nearly disintegrated and plummeted from the sky. They clearly could no longer fly and were essentially destroyed.

Ye Fan hadn't anticipated such devastating consequences; it had merely been a risky, desperate attack, yet all three Purple Copper Warships had been taken out.

Most importantly, nearly all sixty to seventy demon cultivators on the middle warship were pulverized. Only Bai Feng managed to escape, but he was severely wounded and coughing up blood incessantly.

Some cultivators on the other two warships also sustained casualties, including Ku Zhu, whose arm was fractured, making it impossible for him to maintain his usual calm.

Among the three top experts, only Jin Yu was completely unharmed. He led the remaining ninety-odd cultivators in a charge towards Ye Fan.

Bai Feng gritted his teeth and roared, "Surround him! Don't let him escape!"

Ku Zhu's face was ashen. Just moments ago, he had boasted of easily eradicating the Desolate Ancient Crippled Physique, yet in a flash, he had lost an arm.

The destruction of three precious warships drove the demon cultivators into a frenzy. They roared and charged forward.

Ye Fan used the Myriad Manifestation Mother Qi to shield his body, quickly breaking through the encirclement and escaping. He had no desire to stop and fight head-on, as the black flames in the Li Fire Divine Furnace had dried up.

"Hahahaha..." Ye Fan laughed loudly. "You wanted to kill me, yet you first lost three warships and ended up with broken bones yourselves. How laughable!"

The three top experts, leading such a large force in pursuit, had lost three warships and been severely injured due to a single attack from Ye Fan, leaving their faces utterly mortified.

Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Ku Zhu remained silent, their faces ashen, as they continued the pursuit. But Ye Fan was too fast; without their warships, catching him was impossible.

"Ye Fan, do you dare to fight us head-on?"

"How dare you utter such words?" Ye Fan retorted. "It's like me asking you if you dare to ram your head into a chicken and die!" Ye Fan's words were utterly provocative, enraging the trio to the point where they wished to tear him apart, but to their dismay, they simply couldn't catch him.

Ye Fan couldn't afford to stop; being in Yunze State was extremely perilous. This area wasn't far from the Azure Dragon King's mini-world, and if an old demon were to emerge, there would be no suspense regarding his fate.

He couldn't afford any delay and had to escape Yunze State as quickly as possible.

"Many thanks, three geniuses, for escorting me a thousand li," Ye Fan called out. "But we must eventually part ways, so please return now. Don't forget to bring bigger warships next time; I enjoy seeing the dazzling brilliance of fireworks!"

Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Ku Zhu's faces were as dark as stormy water, but they could only watch helplessly as Ye Fan vanished.

Six days later, Ye Fan arrived in Lizhou. True to its name, this state boasted picturesque scenery, a stark contrast to the desolate landscapes found elsewhere in the Northern Region.

Lizhou was not very far from the Holy City of the Northern Region; traveling at extreme speed, one could reach it in about half a month.

This oasis spanned an area of five to six thousand li. Its central city, Lincheng, was exceptionally beautiful and quite renowned throughout the Northern Region, boasting numerous breathtaking gardens and scenic wonders.

Shortly after Ye Fan entered Lincheng, his heart stirred; he had spotted a familiar figure: Ji Ziyue.