Chapter 317: Northern Region Trembles

Ye Fan's entire body surged with turbulent qi and blood; his ears rang, his vision blurred, and he almost vomited blood. Yang Yi was a true expert of the Quadrupole Realm, First Heaven, far more formidable than Xu Yuan's men. When he wielded the Vajra, he was simply irresistible.

After more than a hundred attempts, Ye Fan finally managed to activate the "All" secret of the Nine Secrets once more. Confronted with a weapon that wove together Dao and universal principles, even powerful cultivators from the Quadrupole Realm might not escape unscathed. He had no choice but to resist with all his might.

"Clang, clang..."

With the "All" secret of the Nine Secrets successfully activated, Ye Fan unfastened his Cauldron, holding it in his left hand and striking towards the sky. Simultaneously, he swung the God-Beating Whip with his other hand, engaging in a fierce clash with the Vajra. With a tenfold increase in combat power, he finally managed to withstand the terrifying treasure. The sky itself seemed on the verge of exploding, and the deafening reverberations sounded like the sacred bells of an ancient celestial court.

The crimson earth itself trembled, battered beyond recognition. Beneath the night sky, vast divine power raged in all directions, surging like an ocean. After dozens of direct clashes that made heaven and earth tremble, Yang Yi's face finally turned ashen, completely drained of color, just as the "All" secret's influence was about to wane.

"Humm."

The void quivered as the Vajra became still in the air, shimmering with brilliant silver light. The ring-shaped artifact transformed into a black hole, swallowing everything in its path. It resembled a true black hole in the boundless cosmos, devouring all of creation. Massive rocks and endless sand from the earth were pulled upwards, flowing towards the sky like rivers reversing their course. Any earth or stone that drew near was instantly pulverized into dust; nothing remained intact. Whatever it was, the moment it touched that point, it would be reduced to fine powder, ceasing to exist!

Ye Fan's expression instantly changed; he had never imagined the Vajra could be so terrifying or be used in such a manner. "A weapon woven with the very patterns of heaven and earth — it's truly terrifying, its power is unimaginable!"

He retrieved the stolen Five-Colored Feather Fan, a treasure capable of shattering mountains, and vigorously fanned it. Five-colored divine winds surged forth, blowing directly ahead.

"Rumble!"

Yet, even such a formidable artifact proved useless. The Vajra was now the size of a millstone, and its black hole equally massive, possessing unparalleled devouring power. A roar emanated, and Ye Fan felt himself pulled by an immense force, dragged towards the black hole.

"That bastard ancestor of yours truly treats me like a Saint Son..." Ye Fan cursed under his breath, forcefully hurling the Five-Colored Feather Fan forward. At the same time, he enlarged his Cauldron, preparing it to strike the black hole.

"Crack!"

An astonishing event occurred. Ye Fan had personally experienced the immense, terrifying power of the Five-Colored Feather Fan. Yet, at this very moment, the precious fan was pulverized within the black hole, instantly annihilated. Indeed, it couldn't even withstand a single blow; with a flash of colorful light, the Five-Colored Feather Fan turned to ash, sending a shiver down Ye Fan's spine.

"I forgot to mention this to you: my ancestor and the Saint Lord were contemporaries. His treasure had already intertwined with the very fabric of heaven and earth eight hundred years ago. Your death beneath this Vajra will not be in vain!"

Yang Yi's face grew even paler; he had expended too much divine power. Though the Vajra was immensely powerful, it was not something he could wield at will. Ye Fan remained silent, finally triggering the "All" secret one more time. He enlarged his Cauldron to over nine meters tall and smashed it fiercely upwards.

However, the black hole formed by the Vajra possessed an astonishing power: it actually shrunk the Cauldron and began to devour it. Startled, Ye Fan swiftly channeled his power, struggling to resist. The Mother Qi of All Things was a sacred artifact, but it hadn't yet manifested the textures of heaven and earth, meaning it couldn't unleash divine arts; its only attribute was extreme solidity.

"Clang!"

Under his full resistance, the Cauldron, having shrunk to just over three meters tall, finally struck the Vajra, making the sky violently tremble! Yang Yi could no longer contain himself; his face utterly devoid of color, he opened his mouth and spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Clang!"

Ye Fan channeled the Mother Qi of All Things Cauldron, striking it fiercely again, making the Vajra shake violently. Yang Yi was jolted by the impact, nearly plummeting from the sky.

At this moment, Ye Fan also surged forward, bypassing the black hole, and swung the God-Beating Whip, fiercely striking the edge of the ring-shaped Vajra.

"Humm."

The void quivered, and the Vajra shrunk to palm size, spinning swiftly in the void. Its silver light flickered, and the black hole disappeared. Yang Yi's divine power had waned, preventing him from sustaining the black hole, which consequently vanished. Ye Fan activated his great Cauldron; the Mother Qi of All Things descended, and with a whoosh, he drew the Vajra into it.

He had no desire to face this terrifying weapon again. After the Vajra had integrated with Dao and principles, its power became frightfully immense, leaving him with a chilling sensation.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Even with his divine power diminished, Yang Yi persisted in activating the Vajra, still wielding formidable combat power. The Vajra surged inside the Cauldron, causing it to hum, shake violently, and clang repeatedly. Ye Fan endured the assault, gripping the God-Beating Whip, and charged forward. He swung it, causing the void to collapse around them, aiming directly for Yang Yi's head.

Lights flashed as Yang Yi unleashed seven or eight magic artifacts, but there was no way these could withstand the God-Beating Whip.

"Shatter, shatter..."

The sounds of shattering continued; all the magic artifacts were broken, their glittering fragments transforming into a brilliant meteor shower under the night sky, raining down from above.

"Ah..."

Yang Yi's divine consciousness suffered damage. He clutched his forehead, screaming in agony as Ye Fan brought the God-Beating Whip down with crushing force.

"CRACK!"

His skull shattered, white brain matter and fresh red blood splattering outwards as the lifeless body plummeted from the sky.

Finally, everything grew quiet. Stars twinkled above, moonlight flowed like water, and the earth lay scarred and ravaged, utterly devastated by the battle. Ye Fan landed, letting out a long breath. The battle was finally over; the Vajra's power had far surpassed his imagination. Nevertheless, the gains were immense. From now on, he possessed the God-Beating Whip for close-quarters combat and this precious Vajra for long-range attacks. Used in conjunction, his combat power could ascend to a new level.

Under the bright moonlight, the Vajra was remarkably pristine, entirely silver-white, its Dao patterns appearing natural and inherent, as if perfectly formed by nature. Ye Fan dared not be careless. He stabilized the Vajra with the Mother Qi of All Things, then extended his divine sense into it. He surmised that even if a powerful figure had lent such a crucial treasure to Yang Yi, they would likely have left some form of imprint. Indeed, as he delved into the Vajra's deepest core, a dangerous aura surged towards him.

"Whoosh!"

He swiftly retreated, but a wisp of divine sense pursued him, manifesting as a phantom in the void that lunged at Ye Fan.

"CRACK!"

Ye Fan instantly swung the God-Beating Whip, delivering three consecutive strikes that reduced the wisp of divine sense to ash. Afterwards, he probed into the Vajra again. Inside, it was pristine, flawlessly pure, a scene of radiant, crystalline beauty, like a miniature galaxy.

"So this is what the inside of a weapon woven with Dao and principles looks like..." With this, Ye Fan finally felt at ease; this precious Vajra was now entirely his. This battle also served as a warning to him: even with the God-Beating Whip, some weapons might not be destructible, and he might be unable to harm an opponent's divine consciousness.

As starlight scattered, Ye Fan carved the sixth "Ye" character. With the God-Beating Whip on his back, he walked alone into the depths of the crimson earth and vanished from sight.

Three days later, news emerged from Anzhou: two disciples trained by the Reclusive Elder of the Shaking Light Holy Land had died unnatural deaths, their bodies reduced to ash, leaving only their heads. The only clue was a "Ye" character carved beside each head, vigorous, powerful, and brimming with both murderous intent and provocation. The news of Ye Fan slaying a Shaking Light disciple in Anzhou spread rapidly, drawing many people to the area.

Only a day later, news arrived from Kunzhou: Ye Fan had fought the Shaking Light disciple Qin Tai, reducing him to ash using the Vajra. This news sent shockwaves through numerous oases, especially among older generations who all knew the Vajra to be the weapon of a prominent figure from Shaking Light.

"What happened? How did Shaking Light's precious artifact end up in Ye Fan's hands, and how did he use it to turn a Shaking Light disciple to ash?"

"You probably haven't heard, but the Reclusive Elder lineage of Shaking Light wants to contend with the Orthodox lineage for the Saint Son position, which is why they dispatched ten disciples to kill Ye Fan..." In the surrounding oases, numerous cultivators were abuzz with discussions. "This is a blatant provocation. Shaking Light dispatched ten masters to hunt down Ye Fan, only for some of them to be killed in return."

"Is Ye Fan truly in the region between Anzhou and Kunzhou? Could it be someone else's doing?"

"It must be him. Someone witnessed it firsthand; the person who killed Qin Tai with the Vajra was undoubtedly him."

Yang Yi, Gu Litian, and others had been slain within the crimson earth, but their bodies remained undiscovered. The confirmed deaths of just three individuals had already caused widespread chaos in the outside world.

In the evening, by a flickering bonfire, Ye Fan reunited with Tu Fei and the Black Emperor. "That's utterly ruthless! When the Shaking Light disciples find out, their faces will turn green," Tu Fei remarked after learning the outcome. "I truly hope you can break the curse, enter the Quadrupole Realm, and once again display the unparalleled glory of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body."

Ye Fan replied, "I'm looking forward to the Holy City in the Northern Region. As for a million catties of Origin, I'm counting on the stone materials from the various Holy Lands." Tu Fei burst out laughing. "There's only one of the ten masters left," he said. "If they're all wiped out, and that news gets out, it'll shake the Northern Region. I wonder where the Shaking Light Holy Land will even be able to show its face."

Two days later, Ye Fan, Tu Fei, and the Black Emperor located the final master in Kunzhou. Ye Fan again used the Vajra to slay him, and many who heard the news flocked to the scene, witnessing it firsthand. Ji Haoyue, Xia Jiuyou, and several other Saint Sons were present. Ye Fan spotted them from a distance and, along with the Black Emperor and Tu Fei, immediately traversed the void and departed. Until he entered the Quadrupole Realm, he absolutely refused to engage in battle with any of the Saint Sons, actively avoiding such confrontations.

With all matters in Anzhou and Kunzhou settled, Ye Fan set off on his journey to the Holy City of the Northern Region. "Go find Li Heishui; for the better part of this year, he's been frequenting the Holy City..." This was the information Tu Fei had given him before his departure.

As Ye Fan concluded his affairs and departed, Anzhou and Kunzhou were shaken. The bodies in the depths of the crimson earth were finally discovered one by one, and the six "Ye" characters were a shocking sight. The Shaking Light Holy Land was rocked, and numerous cultivators across the Northern Region were stunned! The Reclusive Elder lineage of the Shaking Light Holy Land had dispatched ten disciples to hunt down Ye Fan, only for every single one of them to be slain between Anzhou and Kunzhou. This was an incredibly resounding slap, causing the Shaking Light Holy Land to lose all prestige. Their so-called ten masters became a complete joke, all having been annihilated by Ye Fan alone. Even the Vajra, a prized artifact of a powerful figure from Shaking Light, had fallen into Ye Fan's hands. This was truly a deeply humiliating affair.

One "Ye" character, ten lives. The complete demise of all ten disciples from Shaking Light's Reclusive lineage sent shockwaves, leaving many people stunned and struggling to believe it.

"Those were the ten elite disciples of Shaking Light Holy Land's Reclusive lineage! While perhaps not comparable to the most outstanding disciples of the Orthodox lineage, they were certainly extraordinary. Yet, they were all completely annihilated by the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, Ye Fan, alone?!"

"This... it's simply unbelievable!"

Most people only heard about this battle, as it was impossible for them to witness it firsthand. Nevertheless, the news spread like wildfire. Among the younger generation, the various Saint Sons grew wary. They weren't concerned with Ye Fan's current strength; even if he advanced to the Fifth Heaven, they wouldn't take it to heart. But what if he managed to break the curse and enter the Quadrupole Realm? The thought of this outcome sent shivers down everyone's spines. Even Ji Haoyue, the Divine King Body, and the immensely gifted Xia Jiuyou, among others, fell into deep contemplation. However, almost no one believed Ye Fan could break the curse, as every Desolate Ancient Sacred Body cultivated by major Holy Lands in the past had been unable to advance beyond the Dao Palace Realm.

This storm of news swept through the Northern Region, and Ye Fan heard much of it during his journey. Half a month later, he finally drew near to the Holy City of the Northern Region.