Chapter 360: Hunting the Saintess

There was no doubt that these dozen or so women in purple were attracted by the Divine Source.

The Divine Source Ye Fan had collected from the Myriad Dragon Nest was as large as a basin. Placed on the snow, it illuminated the entire icy plain with a dazzling glow.

It did not sink, instead hovering in mid-air, making the sun in the sky appear dim. Valued at a million jin of pure source stone, the entire icy plain turned golden.

“Ladies, Tu has been waiting for a long time,” Tu Fei said, looking incredibly flamboyant, with a smile on his face as he stepped forward to greet them.

“Woof!”

The big black dog darted out from a snowdrift, flanking them from behind.

With demonic energy soaring, Pang Bo, like a demon god, appeared from another direction. His face was sharp as if sculpted by a knife, his physique majestic, and his hair flowed like a waterfall.

From the east, Ye Fan, carrying the God-Striking Whip on his back, his face refined and an aura of otherworldly elegance about him, walked through the snow like an exiled immortal descending to the mortal world.

The three men, along with the big black dog, surrounded the dozen or so women in purple. Ye Fan then waved his hand and retrieved the Divine Source.

“It’s that evil dog!”

All dozen or so women changed color. The big black dog had recently been biting people everywhere, and any disciple of a Sacred Land would turn pale at the mention of it.

The big black dog bared its fangs and said, “You should call me Saint Emperor!”

Clearly, these women also recognized Ye Fan, having seen his portrait. Their beautiful faces instantly turned cold, and they prepared for battle.

“What do you want?” one of the women asked.

“Naturally, I wish to admire plum blossoms with all of you ladies in the snow, under the moon and flowers,” Tu Fei chuckled mischievously, conjuring the replica of the ancient Sky-Devouring Demonic Pot and suspending it above his head.

“You…” The women of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land had always been proud and chaste. Normally, no one dared to flirt with them, and upon hearing this, they all glared with cold faces.

“Who is the Saintess of the Purple Mansion?” Pang Bo stepped forward, like a resurrected demon god, with an imposing aura, scanning each woman.

“Our Saintess is not here.”

Ye Fan chuckled lightly, ascended into mid-air with the God-Striking Whip on his back, and said, “Ladies, haven’t you been looking for me all this time? Today, I’ve delivered myself to your doorstep. Who wants to take me?”

The dozen or so women in purple did not act rashly. They had long heard that Ye Fan could contend with cultivators in the first realm of the Four Extremities Secret Realm.

“Where did you get that Divine Source?” one of the women asked, trying to buy time.

“Ladies, we can talk slowly, under the moon and flowers, and I’ll tell you all the details,” Tu Fei laughed loudly, pressing forward.

“Break through!” one woman cried in a low voice. The dozen or so Sacred Land disciples immediately rushed in all directions, attempting to escape.

They felt immense pressure because Tu Fei was in the Four Extremities Secret Realm, the big black dog had a notorious reputation, Pang Bo's demonic energy surged, and as for Ye Fan, his vital energy was so vigorous, he was as imposing as a wild dragon.

Clang! Clang! Clang!…

Hundreds of large black flags were planted in all four directions, completely surrounding the area. They were as black as ink, and even the snow changed color.

The dozen or so women were trapped within, unable to break out. Ye Fan stepped forward, and a light flashed at his fingertip as the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sword appeared in his hand.

“My Sacred Body has broken into the Fifth Heaven of the Dao Palace, and I haven’t had my fill yet,” Ye Fan said. “Today, none of you should interfere; I will take them down.”

“What?! A Sacred Body in the Fifth Heaven of the Dao Palace… Isn’t that something only Sacred Lands can cultivate?!” All the women of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land changed color.

“His sword…” Someone with keen spiritual perception noticed the small sword in Ye Fan’s hand; it was forged from Dragon-Patterned Black Gold.

Such a sacred artifact, exclusive to Great Emperors, could not go unnoticed. It was engraved with dragon patterns, gleaming with dark light, and as translucent as jade, truly extraordinary.

“Could it be the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Saint Spirit Sword that appeared in the Divine City?!”

“Haha…” Ye Fan laughed heartily, and with a slight tremor, the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Saint Spirit Sword expanded rapidly against the wind, instantly growing to ten zhang in length.

The Saint Spirit Sword, born from the Nine-Aperture Stone Man, had already developed laws and order, possessing endless transformations. At this moment, it no longer had any hint of daintiness, becoming incomparably massive.

It was long, broad, and firm, radiating a majestic aura, held by Ye Fan in one hand, pointing diagonally towards the southern sky.

“Little Ye Zi, that’s not fair of you,” Tu Fei chuckled mischievously. “With so many fairies here, how can you hog all the fun for yourself?”

“Don’t slice them all up with one swing!” the big black dog also barked. “This Emperor still wants to collect human pets!”

The expressions of the dozen or so Sacred Land disciples were extremely displeased, their faces frosty, as they glared fiercely at Tu Fei and the big black dog.

“How is the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Saint Spirit Sword in your hands?” All dozen or so women were confused.

“Because I cut it out myself!” Ye Fan, holding the ten-zhang greatsword, exuded awe-inspiring might, which seemed a little out of place with his slightly youthful face.

“What?! You are Gu Feng, the Source Art genius from the Divine City?!”

“You broke into the Fifth Heaven of the Dao Palace on your own?”

At this moment, the expressions of the dozen or so women in purple were truly a sight to behold, changing repeatedly, revealing looks of disbelief.

“What’s the Fifth Heaven of the Dao Palace?” Ye Fan said with complete ease. “When I break into the Four Extremities Secret Realm, this is how I’ll face your Saint Sons and Saintesses. I really want to see how they’ll try to hunt me down then.”

“Exactly! Let’s see their expressions then!” Tu Fei also laughed loudly.

The female disciples of the Purple Mansion all felt their hearts sink. They knew that if Ye Fan dared to reveal such secrets, he definitely had no intention of letting them leave.

“Charge out!”

The dozen or so women each conjured their magic treasures and attacked Ye Fan in unison, attempting to break through.

Ye Fan spoke no more unnecessary words and directly swung the greatsword.

“Zheng!”

With a single sweep of the sword, like sweeping away a thousand armies, the three women at the very front had their magic treasures instantly shattered.

At the same time, Ye Fan extended his left hand and pressed down with the Void Grand Hand Seal. A giant golden hand, covering the heavens and earth, pressed down with immense force.

The three women resisted, but under the divine might of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, even though they were Fifth Heaven experts, they simply could not withstand it.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The three women spurted blood from their mouths, were grabbed by Ye Fan, and thrown to the ground. At the same cultivation level, his suppression was absolute; his combat power was unparalleled and unshakable.

“Charge!”

“Kill!”

Seeing this, the other women attacked with all their might, unleashing their strongest divine arts, with various fantastical colors radiating outwards.

In response, Ye Fan swung his greatsword and delivered only one cleave!

“Clang!”

The sky trembled and the earth shook as the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Saint Spirit Sword, like a world-shaking lightning bolt, swept across the icy plain. All the women cried out in agony, severely wounded by the invisible sword qi.

Their magic treasures and weapons all turned to ashes. If Ye Fan hadn't controlled his power so freely, all dozen or so of them would have been utterly annihilated, body and spirit.

Ye Fan sheathed his sword and stopped attacking. The strongest among them were only in the Fifth Heaven of the Dao Palace, and although they were in the same realm as him, the disparity in combat power was too vast. He shook his head and said to the Black Emperor, “They’re yours.”

“Why give them to it? I’ll do,” Tu Fei said, stepping forward with a smile. “Ladies, let me help you up.”

“Woof!”

“Damn it, dead dog, why did you bite me?!” Tu Fei roared in anger.

“How dare you steal this Emperor’s human pets?”

The dozen or so women’s delicate bodies trembled with anger, but they couldn’t resist, having lost their ability to fight.

The dozen or so female disciples of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land were all captured, their faces pale, while a big dog incessantly barked, demanding to take them as human pets.

“Dead dog, you’re not trying to make these people break down again, are you?” Tu Fei said irritably.

“Woof, those with poor mental fortitude naturally need to be eliminated.”

“Like you, no one would not break down.”

“Woof, what do you mean by that?”

The man and the dog almost started fighting again.

Ye Fan stepped forward and said, “Keep them, but don’t scare them into breaking down. Later, we’ll make them mine.”

“Isn’t that a bit too luxurious?” Tu Fei gasped.

Ye Fan said, “In the future, I plan to seal dragon veins and search for rare treasures within Divine Sources. I’ll definitely need some manpower for that, and I intend to ‘borrow’ people from the various Sacred Lands to help.”

“Forming a mining team from the Sacred Lands?!” Pang Bo burst into laughter.

“It would be even better if we captured a few more Saint Sons and Saintesses to form a super luxurious lineup,” Tu Fei added. “After all, those are the future Sacred Lords and Sacred Mothers.”

They chatted casually on the side, as if no one else was around, while the dozen or so beautiful women’s faces turned ashen, and their hearts grew cold.

Ultimately, the dozen or so women were sealed within a treasure, to become high-ranking “female miners.” Tu Fei repeatedly exclaimed it was a waste of heavenly resources.

Not long after, they returned to the great snow mountain where the Ice Snow Palace was located. No alarming changes occurred; the archaic creatures did not pursue them.

“The Myriad Dragon Nest contains a massive amount of Divine Source. It’s an astonishing divine treasure trove. If we can take it over in the future, it would definitely be comparable to a Sacred Land with profound foundations.”

“If one wanted to establish a sect in the future, taking down the Myriad Dragon Nest would require no prior accumulation and would be enough to dominate the world.”

“Easier said than done,” someone interjected. “There are Archaic Kings within the Myriad Dragon Nest—those are existences that can sweep through the heavens and earth.”

“When my Sacred Body reaches Great Accomplishment, I will definitely go in and meet these so-called Archaic Kings,” Ye Fan declared. “Putting everything else aside, that divine medicine must be dug out and planted by my side.”

As the group returned to this place, they inevitably continued to discuss the Myriad Dragon Nest.

On that very day, the dragon qi receded, the Myriad Dragon Nirvana concluded, and the area beneath the earth was sealed.

After waiting on the icy plain for three days, Pang Bo’s expression stirred, and he said, “Here he comes. The provisional Saint Son of Yaoguang has descended the mountain.”

Li Rui could be called a genius. Although not as invincible as the Yaoguang Saint Son among his peers, he was definitely brilliant and dazzling, a top expert of his generation.

However, since his emergence, he had repeatedly encountered setbacks. First, he was overpowered by the peerless prodigy Xia Jiuyou, almost humiliated, and recently, he was hunted by Pang Bo, nearly dying an unnatural death.

It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough—otherwise, he wouldn't have been named one of the provisional Saint Sons. It was simply that the enemies he encountered were too invincible, utterly suppressing him.

He recuperated in the Ice Snow Palace for several days and finally recovered. He descended the mountain with a dejected mood, intending to return to his sect and resume secluded cultivation.

However, he had barely flown a thousand li when he sensed something amiss. Someone was following him, seemingly wary, but then they directly chased after him without any concealment.

He abruptly stopped and looked back. When he saw Pang Bo, with his black hair wildly fluttering, flying through the air like a demon god, his expression instantly changed.

Li Rui immediately turned to leave, but someone else blocked his path ahead. Ye Fan stood there holding the God-Striking Whip, while Tu Fei, holding the Sky-Devouring Demonic Pot, smirked repeatedly.

In addition, a big black dog was playfully running wild in the sky, scattering 365 star stones, sealing off the void.

“You…” Li Rui’s expression changed. One Pang Bo was already enough to kill him, and now there were such powerful allies. His heart sank completely.

Ye Fan sneered, “Don’t your Sacred Land people enjoy teaming up to hunt me down? Today, I’d like to try it the other way around.”

“Desolate Ancient Waste Body, do you dare to fight me alone?” Li Rui provoked, hoping to capture Ye Fan and find an opportunity to break through.

“Nonsense!” Tu Fei shouted carelessly.

“When your Sacred Land dispatched experts to hunt me down, why didn’t you fight alone then? Now you remember it?” Ye Fan, holding the God-Striking Whip, stepped forward, and Tu Fei, holding the Sky-Devouring Demonic Pot, advanced with him.

Pang Bo stopped them from advancing and said, “Don’t interfere. This is the first significant opponent I’ve encountered, and I want to finish what I started by personally dealing with him.”

Li Rui was both shocked and enraged. A dignified provisional Saint Son of the Yaoguang Sacred Land was actually being so openly disdained.

“Kill!”

Li Rui unleashed his Primordial Holy Light Art. The icy plain shook as holy light engulfed the heavens and earth. His vital energy soared to the sky, like a divine furnace burning fiercely.

The Primordial Holy Light Art could purify the heavens and earth and incinerate the sky. Its power was unparalleled and unstoppable. Moreover, its defensive power was astonishing, with few divine arts able to compare.

“Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor—Annihilation of Form!” Pang Bo roared, standing still with his hands clasped behind his back, his black hair fluttering wildly. Two silver beams shot out from his eyes; wherever they passed, the void collapsed, and large swathes of holy light were directly extinguished.

“Pfft!”

The two silver beams pierced through the void and impaled Li Rui’s body. He cried out, spitting blood as he staggered backward, and at the same time, a small golden pagoda flew out of his mouth.

The golden pagoda rapidly expanded, like a massive mountain, pressing down towards Pang Bo.

Pang Bo remained fearless, standing still with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze, like two silver true dragons, pierced through the heavens and earth, striking the ancient pagoda.

“Crack!”

This powerful treasure was instantly pierced through. It was hard to imagine how terrifying the power contained within those two beams of light was.

“What kind of divine art is this? It’s terrifying!” Tu Fei gasped in amazement.

“A classic left by a great demon emperor; naturally, the divine arts within are terrifying,” the big black dog said, its eyes burning with intense fervor.

“Divine Light Glazed World!” Li Rui roared. With his powerful treasure destroyed, he manifested his phenomenon.

This was a small world filled with divine light. He stood within it, surrounded by ten thousand rays of divine light, like a deity from the heavenly realm descending to the mortal world.

“Immortal Spirit Divine Light, Netherworld Divine Light, Great Desolate Divine Light, Glazed Divine Light…” Li Rui chanted a series of divine light names, and finally roared, “Divine Light Eternal!”

Divine light filled the sky, tens of thousands of rays, like ten thousand dragons emerging from their nest, surging forward to attack.

Facing such a terrifying phenomenon, Pang Bo remained unmoved, his long hair fluttering wildly, and he shouted, “Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor—Deprivation!”

A dazzling silver light suddenly appeared, emerging within the Divine Light Glazed World, piercing through ten thousand rays of divine light, and forcibly stripped Li Rui out!

“This… This is too fierce!” Tu Fei was shocked.

This was the Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor; both Ye Fan and the big black dog had personally experienced it and knew its terror intimately.

Li Rui was utterly terrified. The opponent’s divine art was too powerful, actually separating him from his phenomenon and stripping him out. Such a method could be called heaven-defying.

He cried out and turned to flee immediately. Face and dignity were nothing compared to life itself; he attempted to forcefully break through the array formed by the star stones.

“Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor—Annihilation of Form!” Pang Bo coldly shouted, his eyes like torches, sending out dragon-shaped silver beams that pierced through the heavens and earth, reaching Li Rui in an instant.

“Ah…” He screamed in agony. All the magic treasures he conjured could not block it; even his Primordial Holy Light Art was pierced through.

Two more bloody holes appeared on his body. He was critically wounded and could no longer escape. Li Rui gritted his teeth, and a divine light flared from his glabella, intending to unleash the ultimate Holy Light Art, burn himself, and perish with his opponent.

Pang Bo didn’t give him the chance. Like an awe-inspiring demon god, he shouted, “Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor—Soul Injury!”

Li Rui screamed, blood oozing from his glabella, as he fell backward from the sky, crashing onto the icy plain.

“Brother Pang Bo, you’re truly too powerful, too ferocious, too terrifying!” Tu Fei repeated these three phrases.

“I’ve only cultivated the first three forms of the Nine Slashes of the Demonic Emperor,” Pang Bo said. “These are my strongest divine arts. If he could withstand them, I’d have no other way.”

“Don’t be modest,” Tu Fei exclaimed in admiration. “Who could possibly withstand these three divine arts? Used repeatedly, they are enough to sweep through any expert of the same realm.”

They landed on the ground. The big black dog was the first to run over, extending a large paw to paw at Li Rui with unusual enthusiasm, saying, “Human pet…”

Upon hearing these two words, Li Rui was so enraged that he spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted.

“How should we deal with him?” Tu Fei asked.

“Continue to seal him. In the future, he’ll go mining too,” Ye Fan said, suppressing him.

“The mining team’s lineup is getting more and more luxurious,” Tu Fei said, at a loss for words.

“That’s this Emperor’s favored human pet!” the big black dog expressed its displeasure.

Four days later, Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Tu Fei, and the big black dog had everything set up on the icy plain, finally waiting for the Saintess of the Purple Mansion.

Ye Fan stood alone on the icy plain, with the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron above his head and the God-Striking Whip on his back. The others had hidden themselves.

The Saintess of the Purple Mansion was not very old, only around twenty years of age. Her purple robes fluttered as she stood amidst the snow and ice, like a purple immortal flower.

Her figure was slender, her waist delicate, and her hair danced lightly. She was enveloped in purple qi, her stunning face veiled in a hazy mist. Her glabella glowed, emitting purple light through the mist—it was a Dao imprint.

She stood quietly in the wind and snow, calmly looking at Ye Fan, as if she had merged with heaven and earth, integrating with the Dao and nature itself.

Ye Fan was inwardly startled. This woman was too powerful; he couldn’t discern her depth with a single glance.

“Fairy of the Purple Mansion, I haven’t had the pleasure of asking your esteemed name.”

“Zixia,” the Saintess of the Purple Mansion said, her voice calm and unruffled. “You haven’t entered the Four Extremities Secret Realm, yet you act so fearlessly. You must have been planning this for a long time here. Let your friends come out.”

Ye Fan was surprised. Fairy Zixia was truly extraordinary; she had seen through everything in an instant. Even with their preparations, she would likely be difficult to deal with.

“Actually, I don’t wish to be your enemy,” Ye Fan replied. “However, all the Sacred Lands have sent disciples to pursue me, which makes it hard for me to remain peaceful with them.”

“So you’ve gathered experts to ambush me here?” Zixia remained composed.

Ye Fan smiled, “It’s not an ambush. If Fairy Zixia is willing to travel with me and be my guest for a while, I believe we can get along peacefully.”

“You want to imprison me? Then come.” Zixia’s voice was magnetic, still unruffled, yet very pleasing to the ear.

Around them, star stones floated up, radiating light, as if night had fallen, with stars twinkling one by one, making the icy plain appear dreamlike.

Pang Bo, Tu Fei, and the big black dog stepped into the scene, approaching and facing Fairy Zixia.

Pang Bo did not reveal his true appearance, concealing himself with black mist, his entire being shrouded in darkness.

“Fairy Zixia truly lives up to her reputation,” Tu Fei sighed. “Always merged with the Dao Realm, she makes me feel inadequate.”

Fairy Zixia was in a profound state, constantly merging with heaven and earth, as if she could wield the Grand Dao itself, her peerless grace connected with the Dao.

“Whoosh!”

A scroll burst forth from her body, unfurling itself, making her appear even more ethereal and closer to the Grand Dao.

“Mountain River Map!”

Tu Fei’s pupils constricted, and he staggered back a few steps, placing the Sky-Devouring Demonic Pot in front of him. He reminded Ye Fan and the others, saying, “Be extremely careful! This map has long since woven laws and order; it’s a vital treasure of the Purple Mansion!”

Within the scroll, majestic mountains stood tall and immortal rivers surged, grand yet retaining beauty. They complemented Fairy Zixia, with the landscape like a painting and the beauty like a poem.