Chapter 403: Moonlit Challenge

Moonlight, like water, poured down, pale and hazy, peaceful and serene.

Inside the palace, silence had long settled. On a bed carved from white jade, An Miaoyi opened her starry eyes. Her jade-like body lay across, shimmering, her hair disheveled, appearing frail and weak.

"You should leave..." she said, stretching out a snow-white, delicate arm and lazily waking the person beside her.

Ye Fan was calm, yet his heart stirred. Still, he smiled, his white teeth gleaming brightly.

"Why are you so eager to send me away?"

"If people found out you stayed the night at Miaoyu Temple, would the Feng Clan agree? They'd likely cause you trouble. Feng Huang is no ordinary woman; how could she tolerate it?"

An Miaoyi's voice was quiet and pleasant, yet utterly calm. Her beauty was almost ethereal, pure and transcendent, like an immortal banished to the mortal world. Her skin was like ice, her bones like jade, and her snow-white, smooth body emanated a faint glow.

"The Feng Clan hasn't even officially engaged me," Ye Fan said, mocking himself. "If I fail this breakthrough, they'll discard me like a worn-out shoe."

An Miaoyi gently massaged his temples. "I believe you will succeed," she said, "and in the future, you will once again display the supreme grace of the Great Accomplished Sacred Body."

"Things are unpredictable," Ye Fan said casually, as if talking about something unrelated to himself. "Everyone is watching now, many cultivators are waiting, focusing their attention from all directions, and I am very likely to fail."

"If I end up in obscurity, I wonder what the people who are currently trying to win me over, befriend me, and invite me to banquets will think? I suppose all goodwill will turn to cold indifference." Ye Fan twirled a strand of her dark, glossy hair around his finger.

"Are you really so lacking in confidence?" An Miaoyi asked, watching him quietly. Her beautiful eyes were as deep as the starry sky, and her exquisite face was breathtaking.

"Just relying on Origin Stones, I probably won't be able to enter the Four Extremities Secret Realm."

Ye Fan said calmly, then looked back at her, smiling. "If I fail," he asked, "what will you do?"

"Go now, my little man," An Miaoyi said, not answering his question. "Don't overthink it, you should leave now..." Her alluring body glimmered faintly as she gently pushed Ye Fan to get up.

"I feel like it's the other way around," Ye Fan chuckled. "You're so carefree, constantly urging me to leave, as if you don't care at all."

"To have once possessed is enough; why care for eternity? In the future, if you become the Great Accomplished Sacred Body, protecting my path will be enough."

"You're quite open-minded," Ye Fan said, gently twirling her hair with his fingertips.

"Don't think it will be easy," An Miaoyi murmured softly. "By then, you might have the whole world as your enemy..." "That serious?" Ye Fan was surprised. Then he gazed seriously at her exquisite face. "What if I really fail this breakthrough?" he asked.

A surprising glint flashed in An Miaoyi's eyes. "If that happens," she said, "I will fall into the vast mortal world until one day I become a Great Emperor. Then I will slaughter everyone connected to me, washing away all the glory and humiliation, the ups and downs of my life..."

"You don't have to go that far, do you?" Ye Fan asked, staring at her blankly.

An Miaoyi chuckled, caressing his cheek. "So, my little man," she said, "for Miaoyi's sake, you must succeed in this breakthrough. You wouldn't bear to see me fall into the mortal world, would you?"

"Then you must have confidence in me," Ye Fan hinted. "If I don't succeed on the night of the full moon, there's still a chance..."

An Miaoyi shook her head, her beautiful eyes hazy, her seductive red lips vivid. She raised a jade-like finger and placed it on his lips, preventing him from speaking further. "Youth fades easily, and beauty grows old. Miaoyi truly cannot wait."

Then, her dark hair fell onto Ye Fan's face. She looked down at him, smiling sweetly. "My little man can only succeed; he cannot fail," she said. "Otherwise, Miaoyi will be the first to kill you, you know."

"If I fail, you'll kill me?" Ye Fan asked, his arms around her slender, smooth waist, staring blankly at her.

"Yes, don't disappoint Miaoyi, okay?" Her smile was sweet. Her body shimmered crystalline under the moonlight, every curve flawless.

"Then let me kill you first..." Ye Fan pulled her into his embrace, then rolled over, covering her perfect jade-like body, which was as snow-white and crystalline as ivory.

"Little man... get up... you should leave," An Miaoyi said, gently pushing him away.

On the white jade bed, endless intimacy, soft murmurs, and lingering passion unfolded.

At dawn, Ye Fan departed, walking along the ancient paths of the Divine City. He pondered carefully, considering all possibilities, then gazed towards the distant sky.

If he failed, would his door still be crowded like a marketplace? Would people still eagerly try to win him over? When the prosperity faded, there would surely be boundless coldness and indifference.

Ye Fan did not return to his residence but instead strolled through the Divine City. It wasn't until the Divine King summoned him at noon that he returned.

"Being watched by the entire world is a curse, not a blessing for you!" the White-Clothed Divine King warned as soon as they met.

Ye Fan was startled, then nodded. He had long understood the various implications and had always harbored a hidden worry that attracting the world's attention would likely lead to a great disaster.

Many people would not wish for a Great Accomplished Sacred Body to appear in the world. If there were any signs, killing him in his infancy would be the best option. The day he successfully breaks through might very well be the day he falls and bleeds.

Even the peerless Divine King, powerful as he was, could not protect him for a lifetime. Moreover, the Divine King himself might not have long to live.

"Divine King, do you have any suggestions?" Ye Fan asked.

"Now, the whole world knows you are the Sacred Body," the Divine King said, frowning. "You can delay it for a while, but not forever. Tonight, at the full moon, I will wield the Hengyu Saint Cauldron to protect you during your breakthrough."

Things had come to this point; there was no avoiding it. Breaking through today or another day would change nothing.

"The whole world as an enemy—is this the destiny of one who walks the path of a Great Emperor?" the Divine King murmured to himself. Then he looked at Ye Fan and said, "Unless you fail this breakthrough, this world will not find peace."

As the red sun set in the west, the entire Divine City felt somewhat oppressive. Too many powerful cultivators from Central State and Eastern Wasteland had arrived, all quietly waiting for the full moon to rise.

"Daoist Red Dragon is back!"

Many people were startled, and the news spread immediately. People discovered that his companions included the fearsome Peacock King and the Fourth Great Bandit of the Northern Region, Azure Dragon King.

Three supreme powerhouses entered the city, arriving together. They brought Ye Fan 700,000 jin of Origin Stones, which shocked everyone. They had not expected such a high level of support for Ye Fan.

At dusk, Yao Yuekong, the Young Master of Heavenly Demon Palace, brought Ye Fan 50,000 jin of Origin Stones. Shortly after, Prince Xia Yiming of Great Xia appeared, also bringing 50,000 jin of Origin Stones.

As the evening glow began to fade, young generations from many major powers also brought varying amounts of Origin Stones. By the Dragon Transformation Pond, divine light soared into the sky, and spiritual energy permeated the air.

Night fell, and the world slowly darkened. A divine moon appeared, not yet very bright, casting a gentle glow.

The atmosphere in the Divine City was extremely oppressive, making people feel as if they were suffocating. It was utterly silent; after nightfall, the entire massive city suddenly became quiet.

This world seemed to have lost its voice. There was no rustle of wind or movement of grass, like a dead city, devoid of life. No conversations could be heard.

A deathly silence enveloped the area. All cultivators were waiting. Around the Dragon Transformation Pond, a dense crowd of people stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the sky, shadowy figures could be seen. The most advantageous positions were reserved for the influential figures; no one dared to contend for them.

Time flowed by. The divine moon hung high, like a divine disk fixed in the sky, making the entire ancient city luminous, as if wisps of white mist were rising.

"He's here, he's appeared!" someone exclaimed. Everyone looked in one direction.

Ye Fan arrived, treading on moonlight. On this night, he wore a white robe, ethereal and unworldly, stepping through the void with unhurried grace.

His dark hair danced lightly in the night wind. His clear eyes were as pure as a spring. He was like an exiled immortal descending to the world, enveloped in moonlight, his white robes transcendent, as he landed before the Dragon Transformation Pond.

"Is this the Desolate Sacred Body? He's just a youth, only fifteen or sixteen years old. Leaving aside his physique, if someone of this age can enter the Four Extremities Secret Realm, they are certainly extraordinarily gifted."

"Such a delicate-looking young man, and his physical body is comparable to a savage dragon? I don't see it at all."

Many people were seeing Ye Fan for the first time, filled with curiosity about the Desolate Sacred Body, and were whispering amongst themselves.

The oppressive atmosphere in the Divine City finally eased somewhat; it was no longer so suffocating. Finally, some people began to converse, and various sounds emerged, breaking the deadly silence.

"Where is the Divine King? Why has he not appeared?"

The peerless Divine King did not appear, and unable to witness his supreme grace, many cultivators were perplexed and looked around.

"No need to look for him. The Sacred Body's breakthrough will certainly not be peaceful," someone speculated. "The White-Clothed Divine King is most likely hidden in the shadows, ready to act at any moment..."

Before the Dragon Transformation Pond, Ye Fan stood alone. His white robe fluttered, as if he were about to ascend to immortality. Under the moonlight, he appeared exceptionally ethereal and otherworldly.

Inside the Dragon Transformation Pond, divine Origin Stones and rare Origin Stones emitted brilliant light that soared into the sky. It almost transformed the pond into a celestial pool, as the spiritual energy was so dense it almost turned into liquid, flowing freely.

If this pond had not already been sealed, the divine radiance here would pierce through the heavens, and even the stars and moon would dim in comparison.

Suddenly, three figures walked forward, surrounding the Dragon Transformation Pond. The graceful Peacock King, the majestic Azure Dragon King, and the vigorous Daoist Red Dragon took positions on three sides. This was clearly to protect Ye Fan during his breakthrough.

Then, people from the Feng Clan appeared. Four old men positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions around the immortal pond, protecting him during his breakthrough.

Ye Fan looked up at the divine moon, his delicate face calm. Then he scanned everyone, knowing these people were from all corners of the world, watching his every move.

He saw the Sacred Son of Yaoguang, veiled in sacred light; the arrogant Golden-Winged Little Peng King; and the proud Xia Jiuyou...

These people were destined to be born his great enemies. Even before entering the Four Extremities Secret Realm, he had foreseen the future, seeing a vision of kings rising together and battles raging across the heavens.

The peerlessly beautiful Yao Xi, the Divine King Body of the Ji Family, the Purple Mansion Innate Dao Body... All the Sacred Sons and Sacred Daughters, their figures and faces, were silently watching.

Then, Ye Fan's gaze fell upon the peerless An Miaoyi. Her dark hair fluttered, her white robe like snow, her skin like an immortal's, her body like jade, and her eyes like autumn water, as she quietly watched him.

Ye Fan scanned everyone, then withdrew his gaze. With a "whoosh," he flicked his sleeve, and a pile of divine Origin Stones fell out.

In the distance, everyone exclaimed in surprise. The Sacred Body himself had so many Origin Stones, which shocked the people from Central State!

Only the people of the Divine City knew that Ye Fan's Origin Stone techniques were astonishing, and he had reaped abundant rewards, especially from his astounding gamble with the Origin Stone family, where he gained a massive amount of Origin Stones.

All the divine Origin Stones were thrown into the Dragon Transformation Pond. Ye Fan stepped in immediately, about to begin his breakthrough!

A celestial spectacle!

In the sky, nine divine birds resembling phoenixes spread their wings and soared. They pulled a divine carriage, radiating divine light and auspicious colors, rushing through the clouds to arrive overhead.

At the same time, nine golden divine beasts soared into the air, pulling an ancient war chariot. It rumbled forth, crushing the sky, like thousands of troops and horses thundering.

The various Sacred Lords of Eastern Wasteland appeared one after another, riding in their carriages, personally descending to observe the Sacred Body's breakthrough.

"Roar..."

Dragon roars echoed through the heavens and earth as another influential figure appeared. Nine azure dragons stretched across the sky, continuous like mountain ranges, arriving in an instant.

An old man appeared in the sky. He wore a dragon robe and a dragon crown, radiating immense light and an extraordinary divine might, like an emperor descending from heaven. A real ancestral dragon head manifested on his dragon crown.

"Could it be the Great Xia Emperor himself...?" Many people were shocked, unsure if it was the peerless emperor of Central State.

From other directions, terrifying fluctuations also arrived one after another. Supreme powerhouses from the four immortal imperial dynasties of Central State appeared consecutively, coming to observe the ceremony.

Then, more people appeared. People from the Hundred Sects and various schools of Central State arrived, lining up in the sky, each one incomparably powerful, making people tremble uncontrollably.

Just then, the seal of the Dragon Transformation Pond was broken. Divine light burst forth, piercing the clouds and heavens. The world became intensely bright, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

Inside the Dragon Transformation Pond, it was like a peerless spiritual land from the dawn of creation. Ten thousand streams of divine radiance and a thousand auspicious colors burst forth; five colors intertwined, seven hues swirled, making it immensely sacred.

Ye Fan sat upright in the immortal pond. His entire body's essence boiled, and his vital blood soared into the sky, transforming into a dragon-shaped pillar of energy that pierced through the night sky, like a peerless sharp sword striking through heaven and earth.

Everyone was horrified. "Is this the Desolate Sacred Body?" they thought. "He's only in the Dao Palace Secret Realm, yet his physical body and vital blood are already so vigorous. It's simply like a true dragon awakening!"

All the Sacred Sons and Sacred Daughters changed color. If such a person successfully breaks through, he will be an incredibly terrifying enemy!

With the whole world as his enemy, Ye Fan felt endless killing intent, all surging towards him.