Chapter 669: Wind and Cloud Gather at the Ji Family

Chapter 673: Gathering at the Ji Family

Despite knowing the slim chances of success and the inherent dangers of this journey, Ye Fan had to come. He didn't want to live with regret years later, leaving only sighs of what might have been, and betraying his own conscience.

Setting aside the past, just considering the battle in Qinling, Zhongzhou, Ji Ziyue poured her spiritual power into him without hesitation, aiding him in a life-or-death struggle. She nearly sacrificed her life to help him escape danger, leaving her gravely wounded and near death. This debt of gratitude had to be repaid.

Now Ji Ziyue is in trouble, crying out that she won't marry, asking for rescue, and seeking to escape the Ji family. Disregarding everything else, simply based on their bond from the Qinling incident, Ye Fan had to come, or he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

The Southern Domain was lush with vegetation, dotted with vast lakes and misty waterways. The boundless wilderness teemed with vitality; there was no barren land.

Ye Fan traversed this land, moving through the primeval wilderness, silently contemplating how to proceed. Away from the Northern Domain, his combat strength would be severely diminished, his advantages gone, putting him at a significant disadvantage.

“Caw!”

In the great wilderness, a greenish-blue luan bird swooped down, seized an elephant, tore it apart in mid-air, scattering blood, and then flew towards a distant broken cliff, its nest, where several young birds awaited feeding.

Ye Fan was momentarily lost in thought before continuing his journey. He saw a Fire Kylin Turtle, resembling a Xuanwu, with a kylin head and dense scales. With a single breath, it spewed a vast expanse of flames that reduced an entire hill to ashes.

From an underground grotto, a golden ape with divine wings soared, charging towards the Fire Kylin Turtle. Its golden wings unleashed torrents of crackling lightning, striking the ground, causing it to sink and creating a deep chasm.

Trees swayed en masse, leaves withered and fell, sand flew, stones rolled, and the earth crumbled—a terrifying scene akin to a landslide and tsunami, destroying everything. This ape was incredibly powerful.

“Poof!”

However, the Fire Kylin Turtle was as massive as a small mountain, having cultivated for untold millennia. Some of the Kylin blood within it had even revived. With a simple breath, a single strike, it caused the weather to change dramatically.

A blaze of Kylin Purple Flame burned fiercely, scorching the heavens and earth, turning the surrounding ten great mountains into lava, then to dust, completely vaporized.

Ye Fan watched from afar, not daring to approach; it was a Saint Lord-level fierce beast. A chill ran down his spine. The creature's ability to 'break myriad spells with one technique' gave him infinite inspiration, immediately making him think of a devastating fallback plan.

“Boom!”

The Kylin Purple Flame shot skyward, burning the powerful ape, which shrieked repeatedly, eventually turning to ash. Only a divine pearl remained, which the mountain-sized Fire Kylin Turtle then swallowed.

“Cultivating for thousands of years, possessing peak combat power, yet still utterly incinerated…” Ye Fan kept his distance, not approaching.

His journey through the great wilderness was extremely perilous. This was the territory of savage beasts; these beast tribes, choosing not to transform into human form to prolong their lives, were exceptionally powerful.

Legend had it that immortal divine medicines might still exist in some parts of the vast wilderness. A rare fierce beast, upon consuming one, could live for nearly ten thousand years. Such savage beast lords were terrifyingly formidable.

“Boom!”

In the distance, a deafening sound erupted, startling Ye Fan. He saw a cluster of gigantic tombs, which could not possibly be human cemeteries.

Each tomb was like a small mountain, towering and magnificent. He witnessed an ancient jiao dragon tear open a cliff face, carve it into a stone coffin, and then bury itself within.

The stone coffin incinerated, sinking beneath the earth, as a massive earthen mound rose, lining up ahead.

“The strongest exotic beast kings of this great wilderness chose to be buried here before their deaths,” Ye Fan murmured, stepping forward to scan each colossal tomb. No divine pearls were left behind; they had all turned themselves into ash.

However, Ye Fan was deeply moved, murmuring to himself, “Perhaps I can try it. If successful, I’ll have another powerful trump card!”

As he traveled through the great wilderness, he was inspired, devising two lethal techniques he intended to master to confront the Wang family.

“The Sacred Body has arrived in the Southern Domain,” an esteemed elder from the Wang family announced in the Ji family’s guest pavilion. They had learned from a major Northern Domain sect that Ye Fan had once used their passage to cross the void.

“He’s ultimately here to die. Young man, you are still too naive. With just a slight maneuver from this old man, you had no choice but to come to your doom!” Wang Chengkun said, hands clasped behind his back.

“Leaving the Northern Domain, unable to use his Origin Techniques, even if he’s a dragon, he’ll have to curl up; if he’s a tiger, he’ll have to lie prostrate, waiting for slaughter, with no chance at all!” Wang Teng’s uncle laughed heartily.

In the guest pavilion, several esteemed elders observed a scroll. It displayed the coordinate formations from Ye Fan’s previous void crossings, and they were deducing his likely location in the Southern Domain.

The news of the Sacred Body’s arrival in the Southern Domain could not be kept secret. Many learned of it, and everyone was astonished, discussing it widely.

People felt that Ye Fan was too impulsive. Coming to the Southern Domain for a decisive battle meant losing all his advantages, facing almost certain death, and most likely staining the southern borders with his blood.

Many sighed. The only Sacred Body since the Desolate Ancient Era to break the curse, someone who could have shone brightly in the future, unexpectedly walked into a dead end. There was almost no chance of victory.

He was indeed very powerful, but he hadn't yet grown to the point of fearing no Sacred Lands. Without the reliance on Origin Techniques, how could he contend with peak Saint Lords?

Five days later, the Northern Emperor would be engaged to Ji Ziyue. The circulation of this unknown news immediately caused an uproar.

Was it truly confirmed, or was this a tactic to force the Sacred Body to appear as quickly as possible?

Now, if Ye Fan wanted to exert any effort to help Ji Ziyue, there was practically no time left for planning. With such a short deadline, how could he possibly fight back?

Outside, no one was optimistic about the Sacred Body’s chances. They believed he was very likely to perish in the Southern Domain. Since he had already arrived, it was impossible for him not to act, yet there was no chance of victory.

The Ji family possessed an ultimate imperial weapon; what could he use to resist it? Against an Ancient Desolate family, his individual power was so negligible. He absolutely could not rescue Ji Ziyue; going meant certain death!

In the Ji family’s guest pavilion, Wang Chengkun revealed a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, saying, “We don’t even need to make a move. If he dares to cause trouble in the Ji family, Ji’s Old Eight will suppress him to death.”

Back then, Ye Fan had acted in the Southern Domain, eliminating many Ji family experts, with the crucial figure being the old woman Ji Hui. Everything had started because of her.

Ji Hui, however, was a very doted-upon descendant of the Ji family’s Eighth Branch. To this day, they couldn't let it go and had always sought an opportunity to eliminate Ye Fan and avenge Ji Hui.

Soon after, news spread that Ye Fan might attempt to break into the Ji family in the coming days, instantly shaking the Southern Domain and drawing the world’s attention. All eyes turned towards it.

How many years had it been? People couldn’t recall how long it had been since such an event occurred. Daring to invade an Ancient Desolate family had only happened a few times throughout history.

Especially the Ji family. No matter how great a hero you were, under the Void Ancient Mirror, you would turn to ash. There was simply no way to overcome that obstacle!

Currently, even if the Victorious Fighting Buddha from Mount Sumeru traveled east, or the Old Madman of the Eastern Barrens appeared, they would first have to consider carefully, as no one in the world dared to not be wary.

Moreover, who could truly fathom the Ji clan’s deep foundations? Their contemporary great power combat strength was also formidable. How many major powers would dare to directly confront them?

“Pang Bo, the great demon, successor of the Eastern Barrens Demon Clan, requests an audience!” On this day, several figures appeared before the magnificent Ji family pavilion, their loud transmissions rumbling like muffled thunder.

Pang Bo had arrived, not requesting an audience with the Ji family's powerful figures as a junior, but rather invoking his identity as the Demon Emperor's successor, elevating this visit to the level of the two great races: demons and humans.

“Ye Fan is a protector of my demon race. Anyone who kills him is making an enemy of my demon race!” Pang Bo was truly desperate. The Southern Domain was a tiger’s den. Fearing Ye Fan’s intervention might stain the land with blood, he had completely thrown caution to the wind, appearing in a sensitive capacity.

As soon as these words were uttered, the Southern Domain was once again filled with exclamations of surprise. The demon race was now involved, indicating that this incident was destined to be significant.

This time, King Immortal Crane and King Bat accompanied him. Pang Bo had used his connections to invite them, and their presence, coupled with his identity as the Azure Emperor’s successor, was meant to exert pressure on the Ji family.

“Unfortunately, King Scarlet Dragon and others have been in seclusion since the Qinling battle. Otherwise, it would be even more effective!” Pang Bo sighed softly.

Even so, the Ji family did not neglect them. Powerful elders came out to greet them and invited them in. While they didn't explicitly agree or disagree with their words, they also did not wish to offend them.

“The demon race and the Azure Emperor’s successor Pang…” Wang Teng’s uncle’s expression froze. Upon receiving the news, he instinctively felt a variable had emerged.

“Go investigate whether the demon race’s Imperial Weapon and the Sky-Devouring Demonic Pot in the hands of the Thirteen Great Bandits have been borrowed by the Sacred Body,” Wang Chengkun said expressionlessly.

Soon after, reliable news arrived: after the Qinling battle, Old Blind Man and King Peacock had all gone into seclusion, protecting themselves with Imperial Weapons, making it impossible to lend them out.

“Sacred Body, how will you survive now?” Wang Teng’s father, Wang Chengkun, sneered, saying, “Without an Imperial Weapon, if you break into the Ji family, you'll die even without us lifting a finger!”

The next day, Li Heishui, accompanied by several of the Northern Domain’s Thirteen Great Bandits, arrived at the Ji family in the Southern Domain, clearly intending to protect Ye Fan and prevent him from coming to harm.

Many cultivators in the Eastern Barrens were alarmed. Both the demon race and the Thirteen Great Bandits had sent representatives. This was a powerful force that could not be overlooked; even Sacred Lands had some reservations.

Less than half a day later, Daoist Scarlet Dragon appeared, personally emerging from seclusion. Although he did not bring an ultimate imperial weapon, his true form’s arrival heightened the tension in the Southern Domain even further.

King Scarlet Dragon, a figure who could traverse the Eastern Barrens unimpeded—who, besides a Saint-level expert, could kill him now? His personal appearance for Ye Fan’s matter made many gasp in cold air.

“Boom!”

On the third day, with a colossal crash, a monkey shimmering with golden light appeared. Wielding a black iron great staff, it planted it before the Ji family palace, sending dust soaring into the sky.

“Wang Teng, get out here!” The Victorious Fighting Holy Ape had arrived, having crossed into the Eastern Barrens specifically for Ye Fan, carrying a great staff to strike down the Northern Emperor.

The Primordial Myriad Races were about to emerge, and even a Saint Prince had arrived. This identity was far too sensitive, much more prestigious than Zi Tiandu, the Young Master of Spirit Valley, whom Wang Teng befriended!

Many major powers harbored reservations.

“Northern Emperor? Who gave you that title? Do you, with your meager abilities, even dream of attaining the Dao and becoming an Emperor? As long as I’m here, the farther you roll, the better. From now on, abandon that title!” The monkey was incredibly arrogant, standing with its great staff, glaring contemptuously forward.

Its voice carried for hundreds of miles, causing the entire void to rumble.

Ye Fan, the main protagonist, had not yet appeared, but the scene before the Ji family gate was already a tempest of activity. Everyone was alarmed, sensing that this incident had escalated significantly.

“No matter. As long as there’s no ultimate imperial weapon, no matter how many people come, it will be useless. The Sacred Body is bound to dye the Ji family with his blood; he won’t survive! He will become a stepping stone for my son’s path to the Dao. When all kings rise, Teng’er will be the first to make an example of him!” Wang Chengkun said indifferently, completely unconcerned.

“Wang family, since you are cowardly and dared not come to the Northern Domain, I, Ye Fan, have come to the Southern Domain to kill you!” Finally, Ye Fan’s voice resounded, shaking the Southern Domain violently.