Chapter 561: Purple Moon Divine King

Shrouding the Heavens, Chapter 565: Divine King Zi Yue

A dark streak flashed, and a young man slowly collapsed at the foot of the hundred-zhang cliff. A bloom of blood oozed from his glabella, his eyes dull and wide open in death.

Elsewhere, a tall, slender man emerged. With a flick of his hand, a burst of fire descended, incinerating the corpse on the ground into human-shaped ashes, leaving nothing else behind. He stood before the stone wall, meticulously studying the ancient art inscribed upon it. Then, with a sweep of his hand, it crumbled into dust, vanishing completely.

"Ah..."

In the distance, a more intense struggle was unfolding. A group of people were engaged in a life-or-death battle. In the end, blood mist swirled, and bodies lay scattered. Only a few managed to rush into the ancient cave; the rest were all dead.

Such incidents occurred frequently, no longer isolated cases but common occurrences. This primeval world was extremely dangerous, not only due to terrifying exotic beasts but also powerful cultivators who specialized in killing, turning the area into a land of bloodshed.

Over the past half-month or so, Ye Fan had witnessed many deaths. The presence of ancient exotic beast kings was a major factor, but the internecine conflicts among cultivators themselves were even more terrifying. A spiritual herb over ten thousand years old could lead to a bloody tragedy. A stone wall inscribed with secret techniques could become a graveyard for life-or-death duels. Not to mention the occasional discovery of ancient dwellings, which would invariably become focal points of contention for all factions. Should ancient treasures emerge or secret scriptures be found, it would certainly provoke large-scale bloodbaths.

Currently, in this wild primeval world, everyone was on edge. Every step had to be taken with extreme caution, otherwise, one might very well become someone else's prey.

"Many major powers have sent people in. One could say danger lurks at every step now; a slight oversight could lead to a deadly calamity. Damn it, we must be careful!" someone cursed under their breath.

"Say no more. Don't disturb the divine creature."

In a swamp, ancient towering trees grew sparsely. A foot-long dragon eel, shimmering with golden light, leaped through the muddy water. More than a dozen people converged, encircling the swamp, all moving cautiously, fearing they might scare away the spiritual creature. Ye Fan was greatly surprised to witness this scene. Dragon eels were treasures for alchemy. Even with the extensive resources of the Jade Lake Holy Land, they possessed only three, making them many times more valuable than ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs—priceless spiritual beings. Yet, one had appeared here.

Though only a foot long and dragon-like in appearance, the dragon eel was actually a divine loach. Its body was entirely golden, radiating immense spiritual energy, and every drop of its essence blood was invaluable. At this moment, even Ye Fan, who had seen the Undying Medicine, was tempted. He secretly followed, seeking an opportunity to capture it. But just then, a mountain-like killing intent instantly surged, engulfing the area.

Seven or eight middle-aged men, like primeval beast kings, descended from the sky. Without a word, they attacked. Every one of them was above the Ninth Transformation of the Dragon, and among them, two were even Half-Step Great Sages.

"Ah..."

Screams rang out; some died instantly. The remaining survivors decisively retreated but could not escape the slaughter. With a clang of a bell, half of them were reduced to dust, turning into a bloody mist. Another Half-Step Great Sage acted, shining an ancient mirror. The few escaping cultivators were also pierced by divine light, their dead bodies plummeting.

Ye Fan gasped, realizing that lives here were as cheap as grass. He had already learned a fact: this ancient immortal world had not just one entrance, but several, allowing even the most powerful factions from the Central Plains to enter. Now, this immortal dwelling world was a chaotic mix of people. All kinds of deaths, treasure hunts, and assassination incidents occurred frequently, and he had just witnessed another firsthand.

"Whoosh!"

The seven or eight middle-aged men acted in unison, engraving formation patterns to seal the entire swamp, intending to capture the incredibly rare dragon eel. However, they ultimately found nothing. Beneath the swamp lay an underground river, leading to an unknown destination, and the dragon eel had long since fled.

"Just a dragon eel, yet so slippery. So many of us attacked, and it still escaped," one of the middle-aged men scoffed at himself.

"This is no ordinary creature. There are probably fewer than twenty left in the entire world. It's an indispensable main ingredient for refining divine pills; few divine objects are more precious than it," another man shook his head.

Only when those people had left did Ye Fan emerge. What he had just witnessed was merely a microcosm of the continuous dangers within this immortal dwelling world.

"This is a land of immortal burials; there are too many valuable things here. Everyone has come!" Ye Fan sighed.

Here, not only were there many spiritual beasts, but also various rare natural treasures, all priceless and long extinct in the outside world. No major power could remain calm upon learning of them. Furthermore, the occasional discoveries of cliffs, ancient caves, and incomplete inheritances held immeasurable value. Moreover, rare spiritual beings like the dragon eel also made appearances.

Like others, Ye Fan sought out immortal opportunities, flying into the distance and observing many terrifying ancient exotic species, which he carefully avoided.

"Roar..."

He arrived in a new area where angry roars echoed. Someone was locked in intense battle. His heart stirred as he sensed a familiar aura.

"Sea Rising Bright Moon!"

Ye Fan was surprised. He transformed into a streak of light and swiftly flew forward. This particular vision he had only seen one person manifest: the Divine King of the Eastern Wastelands, Ji Haoyue.

The Ji siblings were caught in a terrible ambush, surrounded by over a dozen people who were using various ancient treasures to constantly attack them.

"Boom!"

Limitless sea! Behind Ji Haoyue, vast waves surged skyward, sweeping down an enemy who was then pulverized into a bloody mist by his palm. It was unclear how long the battle had raged. Bodies lay strewn across the mountain range, stained crimson with blood. Ji Haoyue, with disheveled hair and eyes like a beast, was like a god of slaughter, engaging in a killing spree, utterly unlike his usual composed self.

Ji Ziyue sat cross-legged within the Sea Rising Bright Moon vision, her body shimmering with iridescent light, as pure and sacred as an immortal spirit. Others could not penetrate it. She remained motionless, constantly releasing immortal light to replenish her brother's divine power.

"Puff!"

Ji Haoyue took a step, making the entire mountain range tremble. He shattered several ancient treasures, enduring three blows and spitting out large mouthfuls of blood, before rushing forward and tearing apart a powerful cultivator at the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon.

"Is this his true power?!" Ye Fan was startled.

The Divine King of the Eastern Wastelands truly lived up to his reputation. To fight off a siege and still kill a powerful cultivator at the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon—if this news spread, it would undoubtedly shock the entire younger generation across the five great regions. At this moment, his demeanor was vastly different from his usual self: cold, ruthless, and even a hint of wildness. His purple robes were stained with blood, his black hair disheveled, making him resemble a demon god.

However, Ji Haoyue was at the end of his tether. It was unknown how long the battle had lasted, but his entire body was drenched in blood, his steps faltering, his strength waning.

"Brother..." Tears welled in Ji Ziyue's eyes. Her body blazed with light, releasing even more divine power that flowed towards her brother.

"Ziyue, don't worry about me. You go first; I can fight my way out!" Ji Haoyue was full of confidence, his gaze growing colder, but he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood, his body swaying.

"Brother... you must hold on. The Grand Elders will come," Ji Ziyue's eyes glistened with tears.

"Are you talking about those three old men? I personally saw them swallowed by a primeval beast king! Don't delude yourselves!" one of the attackers sneered.

"Ziyue, you have secret treasures to protect you. Break through and leave immediately!" Ji Haoyue roared, his hair wildly dancing as he urged his sister to escape.

"Boom!"

Another person stepped forward, activating a bronze pagoda to suppress him. Ji Haoyue stumbled, coughing up blood repeatedly. This was merely a cultivator at the Fifth Transformation of the Dragon, yet his attack was effective. Just moments ago, the Divine King of the Eastern Wastelands had torn apart a powerful cultivator at the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon with his bare hands, but that had drained all his strength. Now, his divine power was exhausted, and he truly had no energy left.

"Brother, I can't watch you die..." Ji Ziyue cried, continuously releasing immortal light, desperately trying to replenish Ji Haoyue's divine power.

"Leave!"

The Divine King of the Eastern Wastelands glowed all over, attacking desperately, divine power surging. His eyes blazing with fury, he charged forward again, crushing the bronze pagoda with his bare hands, seizing the man, and literally splitting him in half.

"Puff!"

Blood spurted, drenching him everywhere, even staining his hair crimson.

"Neither of you siblings will leave here alive. Stay here!"

"Those three old geezers are dead. Heaven wants you dead!"

The others also sneered, rushing forward, intent on annihilating the two in one swift move. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; otherwise, once the Divine King of the Eastern Wastelands recovered his divine power, it would come at a great cost.

"Brother, I'll give you all my divine power!" Ji Ziyue's face was streaked with tears, her body shimmering with iridescent light as she sat cross-legged in the void, intending to sacrifice herself to save her brother and help him break through the encirclement.

"Ziyue, when I tell you to leave, leave! Don't mind me!" the Divine King of the Eastern Wastelands roared, his hair disheveled. Although his divine power was almost exhausted, he still erupted with a dazzling brilliance.

"Boom!"

With a single palm strike, he severed the divine power in the void. Then, with a mighty hand, he grasped Ji Ziyue from within the Sea Rising Bright Moon vision and hurled her out, roaring, "Leave at once!"

Ji Haoyue prepared to fight to the death, to allow his sister to break through. Like a wild beast, he became ferociously mad, activating the Divine King's Regeneration Art, burning his life force, and charging towards the crowd to prevent them from pursuing Ji Ziyue.

"Brother..."

"Go, hurry!" Ji Haoyue roared.

"Too late. Neither of you can leave. I've already sealed this place!" a person on the opposite side sneered. Dozens of large banners had already been planted in the ground, trapping them.

By now, this group was also exhausted, but they held a clear advantage: superior numbers, significant strength, and their divine power had not yet dried up.

"Ziyue, I'll carve out a path to survival for you. Don't worry!" Ji Haoyue roared, his entire body ablaze with burning divine power, shining even brighter. At this moment, he was desperate to protect his younger sister.

"Brother, don't do this! I'll sacrifice all my divine power to you, as long as you can escape!" Ji Ziyue cried, tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms in the rain, her intelligent eyes blurred as she did her utmost to transfer her divine power.

"You can all die together. Heaven wants you gone; not one of you will survive!" Those people sneered repeatedly.

"Thud!"

Suddenly, with a tremendous shock, the entire mountain range trembled. Rocks tumbled, and scattered leaves swirled. Ye Fan took a single step and entered the great formation. He raised his hand, pulled out one of the large banners, and with a flick of his wrist, hurled it away.

"Ah..."

With a shriek, a person was instantly impaled by the banner pole, sent flying over a hundred zhang away, and then, with a thud, was pinned to an ancient tree, nailed to death.

"Who are you?" The attackers' faces changed color as they roared in unison.

"The one who will kill you!" Ye Fan strode in, his eyes deep, black hair disheveled, his presence as imposing as a mountain.