Chapter 616: Human World Gathering Divine Medicine

Chapter 620: Harvesting Divine Medicine in the Mortal World

The lake was vast, shrouded in misty waters, stretching for countless miles beyond sight.

Around it, ancient trees, gnarled like dragons, some taller than mountains, stood amidst flourishing vegetation and fragrant spiritual herbs. Life teemed everywhere. Many old vines, thick to an alarming degree, wound their way from one mountain peak to another.

Ye Fan murmured to himself, wondering if this was the true Immortality Pond. The cracked stone stele looked incredibly ancient, its age measurable in tens of thousands of years, and the inscriptions on it resembled dragon-like carvings.

Amidst the boundless mountains, there was such a vast lake, with millions of acres of sparkling blue water, boundless and infinite, like an ocean.

Over the years, people had discovered numerous Immortality Ponds in the millions of miles of the Qinling Mountains. Some were as small as a well, while others spanned thousands of acres of clear water, making it impossible to discern which was the true one.

The Immortality Pond was steeped in legend. It was said that ancient immortals ascended to the heavens from it, and later, even the Azure Emperor was rumored to have been born there, naturally attracting the attention of people far and wide.

This great lake exuded spiritual essence, with the lake and sky merging into one amidst a veil of mist. Within it, green lotuses shimmered, verdant as the dawn, and strange beasts with fearsome horns and scales roamed its depths.

From the depths of the lake, thunder roared, deafeningly loud, like a mountain torrent or a tsunami. It seemed to merge with the sound of primordial chaos, creating an immensely powerful spectacle.

Ye Fan moved along the lake's edge. After traveling dozens of miles, he finally witnessed a terrifying sight: the sky was filled with lightning, and blood-red light permeated everywhere, completely engulfing the area above the great lake.

"Dozens of people are undergoing tribulation..." His expression froze. Amidst the endless sea of blood-red lightning, there were more than thirty figures, appearing incredibly bizarre.

What astonished him even more was the terrifying intensity of this heavenly tribulation. It was many times more powerful than Yan Yunluan's lightning tribulation and not much weaker than what he himself had experienced.

"Who are these people?!" Ye Fan was deeply shaken. Every bolt of lightning in the terrifying tribulation shattered the void.

This tribulation was brutal, predominantly composed of blood-red lightning, resembling a sea of blood, with occasional streaks of chaotic light flowing within it.

Lunar True Tribulation, Solar True Tribulation, Elemental Tribulation of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, Immortal Phoenix Tribulation... Thunderstorms raged in the sky, and various types of lightning tribulations appeared within the blood-red sea of thunder, causing the void to tremble.

"What a powerful divine punishment! It's clearly intended to annihilate them, not to let the tribulation-crossers succeed!" Ye Fan felt a chill. This tribulation was almost comparable to the one he had experienced.

And it was important to remember that his physique was nearly immortal, with physical strength unmatched among the younger generation, which allowed him to endure such divine punishment. Who were these people attempting to break through here?

Ye Fan observed carefully. In that boundless sea of thunder, there were exactly thirty-two figures, obscured by dazzling light, fighting against the great heavenly tribulation.

"How can there be so many people?"

The lightning was intense and blinding. The figures were enveloped in a blinding brilliance, as if standing in the sun, making it difficult to look directly or discern clearly. Ye Fan focused his attention, his eyes shining brightly, and managed to glimpse the appearances of some of them.

At that moment, he gasped. The people he saw were too bizarre; their attire varied greatly, including men, women, old, and young, seemingly belonging to different dynasties and eras.

"Who are these people? Are they a group of vengeful spirits undergoing tribulation?!"

The more than thirty figures were incredibly strange. There was an old Taoist priest in tattered robes, looking as if he had just been unearthed, exuding an aura of decay. There was also an emperor wearing a rusted, mottled dragon crown, as if he had just crawled out of an ancient tomb. A celestial maiden wore a divine silkworm robe, though her dress was nearly rotted away. And a Luo Han, clad in a tattered kasaya, with shriveled muscles but a body like cast gold.

It was said that the Qinling Mountains held many ancient tombs underground. Could it be that a group of ancient powerhouses had become ancient corpses, simultaneously crawled out of their graves, and emerged to undergo tribulation?

By no means could these people be from the same era; their ancient clothes were almost completely rotted, making them look like a group of living fossils just unearthed.

"This is truly bizarre..." Ye Fan was filled with doubt and astonishment; everything he witnessed was simply incredible.

He could clearly see more than ten figures. The rest were in the deepest part of the lightning sea, only appearing as blurred silhouettes, and their attire was styled from tens of thousands of years ago.

He even saw an old emperor whose purple-gold crown resembled the styles recorded in ancient texts from fifty thousand years ago, so ancient that it made one dizzy.

While the other dozen or so figures in the center of the lightning sea were blurry, their modern clothing was discernible. One of them was even dressed as a prince from an immortal divine dynasty.

"Spanning tens of thousands of years, from modern to ancient times, how did these people come together, and undergo tribulation simultaneously? And it's almost comparable to the great heavenly tribulation I experienced."

In such fierce and terrifying lightning, these people's clothes should not have been preserved. Ye Fan activated his Source Heavenly Divine Eye, carefully observing, seeing through the void, and directly perceiving their essence, finally understanding the truth.

"They are formed from fundamental essence, not true bodies!"

Ye Fan was startled, two cold electric currents shooting from his eyes. He began searching for the thirty-third person, who must be there, as they were controlling all the others.

"Ancient emperors, divine monks, old Taoist priests, and contemporary divine dynasty princes, celestial maidens... What a grand scheme!"

Finally, in the very center of the lightning sea, he discovered the thirty-third person. Their state was peculiar; their entire being was integrated into the void, with a black treasure vase hovering above their crown.

"As expected, it's a practitioner of the Devouring Heaven Devil Art; they've actually devoured so many people..."

Ye Fan's heart grew cold. The Qinling Mountains were known for their numerous ancient tombs. This person had found so many immortal ancient corpses, drawing even a small amount of essence from each, which was astonishing enough.

Moreover, many contemporary heroes had been killed by them, their essence plundered. This was an unimaginably powerful foe, no wonder the heavenly tribulation was so terrifying.

"Hua Yunfei, we meet again!" Ye Fan stood in the distance, his expression indifferent. After being in the Qinling Mountains for so long, he had finally found this formidable opponent.

In the sea of thunder, Hua Yunfei merged with heaven and earth, just as before. Even while facing the lightning tribulation, he appeared incredibly ethereal and transcendent, like a banished immortal.

Ten thousand heavenly tribulations descended. He resisted with all his might, the treasure vase above his head inhaling and exhaling lightning, mysterious and unfathomable. He was a man so handsome and graceful that women would envy him, transcendent and unworldly, like an immortal reborn.

"The eighth transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm's divine punishment!" Ye Fan gasped, the opponent's cultivation speed was somewhat alarming.

Two days ago, he had endured a terrible tribulation and only just advanced to the fifth transformation. His progress was already very fast, but he hadn't expected his opponent to also possess such frightening speed.

Back then, when he fought Hua Yunfei in the Southern Domain of the Eastern Wasteland, Ye Fan was in the second layer of the Four Extremes Realm, while Hua Yunfei was in the first transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm. There was a three-minor-realm difference between them.

Now, several years had passed. Ye Fan had advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the fifth transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm, a peak of prosperity, having experienced great fortune in these years.

However, Hua Yunfei was no less impressive; he still remained three minor realms ahead of Ye Fan, his speed equally terrifying and astonishing.

Ye Fan had encountered many fortuitous opportunities in recent years, advancing at a rapid pace. It would be difficult for others to match his speed, yet Hua Yunfei had done so, progressing a thousand miles in a day!

The terrifying eighth transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm, with a heavenly tribulation not much weaker than his own, was truly mind-boggling.

The Devouring Heaven Devil Art was indeed terrifying. The whole world became a cauldron for it. Any powerful cultivator could have their essence devoured, empowering the practitioner. With such a method, it was impossible not to rise to prominence.

This art went against the natural order, which was why every advancement brought destructive divine punishment. Heaven seemed intent on utterly obliterating him, the endless sea of thunder almost comparable to that faced by a Sacred Body.

"Having killed his way through, and with Heaven pressing down so hard, it's hard not to become powerful when cultivating such a demonic art, as long as one survives!" Ye Fan sighed lightly.

To achieve the Dao with this method was truly terrifying. The path was certainly fraught with countless difficulties and dangers, a struggle for survival where only those who astonished the world had a hope of surviving.

No wonder some predicted that if Hua Yunfei survived, he would dominate the world and sow chaos in the five great domains within ten years. Judging by his current progress, it would certainly come true!

In just three short years, Hua Yunfei had already obtained the essence of thirty-two masters: eleven were ancient strange corpses, and twenty-one were contemporary heroes.

At this moment, as Hua Yunfei underwent tribulation, the vital essences of those he had devoured overflowed, manifesting as their true forms, undergoing tribulation alongside him.

"He can actually withstand such a powerful heavenly tribulation, successfully breaking through and nearing its end!"

Ye Fan did not enter the lightning tribulation. He had just successfully broken through, and even if he were to rush in now and draw his own divine punishment, it would only be a pointless lightning strike, with no possibility of advancing another realm.

Furthermore, since Hua Yunfei could withstand this divine punishment, even if Ye Fan were to provoke a stronger sea of thunder, it likely wouldn't be enough to kill his opponent.

"If he continues to develop like this, no one will be able to stop him in the future. Once he obtains the essences of various physiques, he will surely be invincible!"

In this era, all the outstanding talents and kings of the world were like immortal medicines. Hua Yunfei's cultivation of this supreme art was akin to harvesting divine medicine in the mortal world!

Ye Fan stepped onto the lake's surface, walking step by step into the void, pressing towards the dissipating sea of thunder. Since they had encountered each other, a life-or-death battle was inevitable.

"Crack!"

When the last bolt of lightning vanished, all the vital essences returned to Hua Yunfei's body. The emperor in the tattered dragon robe, the celestial maiden in dusty colorful garments, and all the other figures disappeared.

Ye Fan, tall and heroic with thick black hair and clear eyes, swung his Divine Striking Whip, smashing the firmament. He struck as if wielding a galaxy, like an ancient sacred spirit reappearing.

"Clang!"

Hua Yunfei, holding a gilded phoenix-wing spear, directly blocked the attack. A terrifying sound like a tsunami erupted, causing the great lake below to boil and distant mountains to collapse and earth to crack.

Upon meeting, their very first clash created an extremely terrifying scene!

"Brother Ye, we meet again." Hua Yunfei had already changed into a blue robe, appearing elegant and noble, with a serene smile.

"Indeed, paths always cross."

"Actually, we could sit down and talk; it doesn't have to be a life-or-death battle," Hua Yunfei said, his sleeves fluttering, ethereal as an immortal.

"Haven't you always wanted to devour the essence of my Sacred Body?" Ye Fan walked forward, step by step.

"Times have changed. You are almost a common enemy to the world. Why not join forces? There's no need for a battle to the death."

Ye Fan smiled and said, "Join you to kill people and seize their essence, only for you to eventually devour me? I've always yearned to witness the ancient scripture of Emperor Ruthless. Let me properly see your peerless sacred arts!"

"Brother Ye, this isn't a three-year fight anymore," Hua Yunfei said calmly. "I have no reservations. If we go all out, it's hard to say who lives and who dies."