Chapter 283: Alone in the Imperial Palace

Splendid.

Ye Fan strode towards the Temple of Light, a cauldron over one meter tall hovering above his head. Wisps of Primordial Qi of All Things drifted down from it. The Black Emperor hid inside the cauldron, acting as a surprise weapon, waiting for the crucial moment to strike.

As soon as Ye Fan entered the hall, everyone gasped in astonishment. His cauldron was simply too eye-catching; it couldn't help but draw attention.

The source of the Primordial Qi of All Things was so rare that one might not find a single wisp even after searching the Eastern Wasteland for centuries. Yet, his entire cauldron was forged from this material, without any impurities. This could almost be considered the rough embryo of an ultimate weapon, something that drove people mad, a treasure that the successors of the great Holy Lands only dreamed of.

At that moment, everyone present was in an uproar. Many, even if they had never seen Ye Fan, deduced that it was him. This was because there was only one such instance in the world: only he possessed such a divine artifact.

A disciple from a great sect immediately stepped forward and said, "Such a sacred object as the source of Primordial Qi of All Things is beyond the reach of even the great Holy Lords. What right do you, a mere cultivator of the Dao Palace realm, have to possess it?!"

"Who do you think is worthy of possessing it?" Ye Fan asked with a faint smile.

Not everyone rushed towards the Chaos Stone and was fixed in place there. Many with weaker cultivation, who believed they couldn't compete, remained standing in the hall instead of flying into the air.

"Sacred artifacts naturally belong in the hands of great sects. Only then can they uphold the will of heaven and earth and prevent the holy object from being tarnished." He adopted a detached demeanor.

"Come, tell me which sect you belong to. I'll lend an ear and listen carefully." Ye Fan looked at him.

"Stop feigning ignorance! You had the audacity to come here, but you won't be leaving today. Leave the cauldron behind!" The disciple's killing intent was palpable.

"Do you really think you can seize it?" Ye Fan laughed heartily, glancing at him. This person was merely at the first layer of the Dao Palace realm. Although considered decent for his age, it depended on who he was being compared to.

Today, with numerous Holy Sons gathered, the so-called geniuses of the Dao Palace realm were truly not worth mentioning. Not to mention the Holy Sons, even the weakest among those fixed in the air above had cultivation at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace.

"I am from the Illusory Demise Palace of the Northern Region! Today, even if you hand over the cauldron, you won't save your life!" He turned to a few others, saying, "Senior Brothers, Junior Brothers, what are you waiting for? Take him down, kill him, and seize this cauldron!"

The powerful Holy Sons were all restrained, and the geniuses of the various great sects were also fixed in the air. The strongest people on the ground were only at the third layer of the Dao Palace realm. In a sense, this was their opportunity, with no supreme experts of the younger generation to compete. If they could seize the source of Primordial Qi of All Things, it would be far more powerful than any Chaos Stone. This was a sacred object exclusive to Great Emperors, its value immeasurable.

Ye Fan smirked slightly and said, "Illusory Demise Palace, I've heard of it, a great sect of the Northern Region. But aren't you afraid of tarnishing your reputation by openly plundering like this?"

"This dying man still has so much to say. Kill him." This disciple was the first to charge forward.

"Swoosh!" With a flash of light, he vanished into thin air. At the same time, three other individuals closed in, appearing and disappearing erratically, their movements impossible to track. This was their trump card. Their sect's name, "Illusory Demise," referred to their movement technique, making them as elusive as phantoms. Furthermore, three of them were at the same cultivation level as Ye Fan, both at the second layer of the Dao Palace realm, which was why they were so fearless.

"Hand over the treasure cauldron and we'll give you a quick death!" The Dao Palace first-layer disciple dared not step forward, instead coordinating with his elder and younger brothers to attack.

"You'd kill me even if I handed over the cauldron? What great generosity."

"We will give you a quick death. Our Illusory Demise Palace never procrastinates; we guarantee a single fatal strike." One of them mocked. These people had heard of Ye Fan, but had never taken him seriously. As disciples of a great Northern Region sect, they were all incredibly arrogant, believing they had no rivals outside of the Holy Lands.

"What brazen arrogance. In that case, perhaps I should send you all on your way together." Ye Fan's expression remained composed.

A disciple of Illusory Demise Palace attacked. A sky-blue net descended, sparkling like countless stars, glimmering brilliantly. "Swoosh!" With a flash of light, it enveloped its target. The few individuals laughed, about to activate their spell, but suddenly their expressions changed. It was merely an afterimage, not his true body. One could imagine how fast Ye Fan's speed was at that moment. The Old Madman's movement technique had reached its peak, attacking with lightning speed.

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!" Muffled, powerful sounds merged into what seemed like a single impact. The three experts of Illusory Demise Palace were struck as if by lightning, each hit by a palm strike. "Puff!" The three were torn apart almost simultaneously, vanishing from their spots and turning into a mist of blood.

"You..." The sole remaining Dao Palace first-layer disciple of Illusory Demise Palace paled drastically.

"Is this the great Illusory Demise Palace of the Northern Region?" Ye Fan chuckled.

"Our Illusory Demise Palace's outstanding disciples are all fixed in place above. Otherwise, you would have already been utterly annihilated." This disciple was surprisingly stubborn and did not beg for mercy.

"Oh, which ones? Point them out to me." Ye Fan looked up at the sky, where the Chaos Stone had fixed many in place.

"Senior Brothers, avenge me in the future!" The disciple shouted loudly.

"What a pity. You've misplaced your stubbornness. In a moment, I'll go test how strong your Senior Brothers are." Ye Fan shook his head, then suddenly attacked and killed him.

"You truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, daring to come here." A person slowly walked out from the crowd. He was very composed, looking at Ye Fan as if he were staring at a dead man, and said, "There's nothing to say. Leave this cauldron, then kneel aside and await your fate."

This tone infuriated the Black Emperor, who was hiding in the cauldron, nearly making it jump out to attack.

However, Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat. This person was at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace realm, stronger than anyone else nearby. He had thought that all cultivators at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace realm had flown into the air and were fixed in place by the Chaos Stone, but he hadn't expected someone to be hiding in the crowd.

"And who are you?"

"Song Tianfeng, a disciple of the Five Elements Palace, a great sect of the Northern Region." He strode forward, very calm and composed.

Ye Fan had previously defied realms to slay immortals, killing some at the third layer, but he had never truly fought someone at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace. He felt it was very dangerous.

"Did you not hear what I said?" Song Tianfeng said, his hands behind his back and his expression placid, "Leave this cauldron, then kneel aside and await your fate."

Ye Fan smiled, a brilliant smile. His pearly white teeth gleamed with a crystalline luster. His delicate face looked very young, even showing a hint of innocence.

"Is it very laughable? Do I have to break your legs before you'll kneel?" Song Tianfeng continued to slowly advance.

"I'm laughing because you truly don't know anything about me." Ye Fan suppressed his bright smile and shook his head.

"I have no need to understand a dead man." Song Tianfeng approached step by step, extending a large hand as black as ink, the size of a house. It pressed down forcefully, as he roared, "Kneel!"

"Hmph!" Ye Fan lightly snorted, and a golden sword beam shot out from his glabella. His powerful divine sense materialized and directly charged forward. The opponent had no idea he possessed this killer technique; by pacing so close, he was essentially committing suicide.

"Ah..." Song Tianfeng screamed, clutching his glabella, and stumbled backward. But it was all too late. He had gotten too close; it was impossible for him to avoid this calamity. His divine sense severely wounded, he plopped down, kneeling on one leg.

"You..." He had just uttered a single word when a golden miniature sword, about an inch long, shot through and "pfft!" pierced his forehead.

"Thud!" Song Tianfeng groaned, and his lifeless body toppled onto the ground.

Many people didn't realize that Ye Fan had killed with divine sense, and they were all startled, until one person cried out, and only then did the others understood.

"Ye Fan, you truly have the guts of an immortal! To dare to get involved in this situation..." Several people emerged in a line, the weakest among them at the second layer of the Dao Palace, with two even at the fourth layer.

"People from the Ji family!" Ye Fan's face darkened. He had a great feud with this family.

On the other side, several more people stepped out from the crowd. They were disciples from the Yaoguang Holy Land, also experts at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace.

Both the Ji family and Yaoguang had made their move. Others also gathered around, including several great Holy Lands. Although they hadn't explicitly attacked, they all eyed Ye Fan's cauldron, clearly intending to seize it. At the same time, each person conjured a weapon and held it before their forehead, clearly afraid he would launch a divine sense attack.

"Hahahaha..." Seeing their actions, Ye Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Today, Ye Fan's name was destined to spread far and wide, making the disciples of all great Holy Lands so wary of him. In fact, from this day forward, many people would blanch at the mention of Ye's name, their first thought upon facing him being to defend themselves.

"Swoosh!" Ye Fan leaped up. He didn't want to waste any more time, lest something unexpected happen.

The ancient cauldron, just over a meter tall, descended streams of Xuanhuang Qi above his head, like silken ribbons, strand after strand, very dense, completely shielding him. With the cauldron above his head, Ye Fan was unhindered. The auspicious light emitted by the Chaos Stone was effortlessly dispersed by the Primordial Qi of All Things.

At this moment, everyone's expressions changed. This sacred object was simply too heaven-defying; it was indeed immortal material that even Great Emperors dreamed of! Even the peerlessly rare Chaos Stone couldn't fix him in place. It appeared powerless against the Primordial Qi of All Things, making everyone desire to possess it. This was definitely the rough embryo of an ultimate weapon. Once it developed "Dao" and "Truth," it would surely reign supreme over the Eastern Wasteland and awe the world.

"That unscrupulous Taoist hasn't shown up yet..." Ye Fan muttered to himself, but didn't dare to be careless. Always ready to traverse the void, he took a few steps and arrived before the black anomalous stone.

"Whoosh!" With a flash of light, he seized the ancient scroll. Only then did he feel relieved. Afterwards, he attempted to retrieve the Chaos Stone as well, but he felt his divine power was insufficient and couldn't succeed. This black stone was too heavy; without being refined, it was almost impossible to take away.

"Put down the beast-skin scroll!" The people below were truly anxious. After all their hard work, they were truly unwilling to see it taken away by someone else like this.

"Are you scolding me? Don't provoke me, or I might accidentally slay your Holy Sons and Holy Maidens." Ye Fan scanned downwards.

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone's hearts turned cold. The most outstanding disciples of all Holy Lands and great sects were fixed in mid-air, and only Ye Fan remained unaffected. If he went mad, that would be truly disastrous. Thinking of this, everyone felt a wave of fear and chills.

"Swoosh!" Ye Fan, with the great cauldron above his head, advanced. He directly approached the Golden-winged Little Peng King. His right hand rotated like a golden millstone, striking out.

"Bang!" The Golden-winged Little Peng King was sent flying backward by the blow, but was quickly fixed in place again. The force field created by the Chaos Stone shackled everything, making it difficult to struggle.

"Brat, you can't kill me!" The Golden-winged Little Peng King's eyes gleamed with wild light. Fixed in mid-air, he only now managed to speak through gritted teeth.

"Bang!" Ye Fan threw another punch, a golden fist, heavy and powerful, sending the Golden-winged Little Peng King crashing into the Chaos Stone, causing the entire hall to tremble.

Around them, all the Holy Sons changed color, but no one spoke. Everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

Ye Fan continued to stride forward, surveying his surroundings.

Ji Haoyue, Yaoguang Holy Son, Yao Xi, Jade Lake Holy Maiden... everyone's expression changed.

Under Ye Fan's gaze, the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens from Taiyan, Jiang Family, Wanchu, Zifu, Dao Yi, and other sects all felt uneasy, fearing he would charge forward and kill them.