Chapter 709: First Beauty

Chapter 712: The Foremost Beauty

"Yes, that's me," Ye Fan replied.

The girl, with her beautiful face, slender figure, and sparkling eyes, clearly held hostility. Upon hearing his words, she said nothing and retreated to the divine carriage.

"May I ask for your name, little sister?" the man in multi-colored robes asked with a wicked grin.

"Shameless!" the maid glared fiercely.

"Little girl, don't talk nonsense. Be careful, or I might abduct you later and show you what a true gentleman's free spirit is all about," the man in colorful robes said, his eyes glinting eerily.

"Is there a reason you're asking for my name?" Ye Fan asked.

"Why did you kill the Lord of Eight Views Palace's brother?" a woman's voice, like the music of heaven, rich and intoxicatingly beautiful, emanated from within the divine carriage.

"See? I told you Yi Qingwu would make a move on you. She is, after all, Yin Tiande's future dao companion," the man in multi-colored robes chuckled. His name was Litian, a young man radiating malevolence, whose strength was unfathomable. He was Yan Yixi's junior brother, from the same sect.

"Actually, I didn't want to act. Everything should be resolved by Yin Tiande himself. But since I encountered you here, I have no choice but to demand an explanation." Yi Qingwu's voice was like a gentle spring breeze, truly soft and melodious, yet it contained an unshakeable will, like the soft cry of an immortal phoenix.

Ye Fan smiled, nodding at Litian. This sinister fellow was right; the foremost beauty clearly intended to act.

"Are you sure you can defeat me?"

"Don't underestimate her," Yan Yixi warned. "Yi Qingwu is not only the world's foremost beauty, but her cultivation is also astonishing, ranking first among all heaven's chosen daughters!"

"That's why I said we brothers need to join forces to capture her. Tempering our hearts with the foremost beauty would be far better than any mundane trials," Litian said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I am different from you. You cultivate human desires; I cultivate emotions. Don't speak to me further about this," Yan Yixi refused once more.

Litian turned and said, "Brother Ye, let's join forces. I only ask for her to be my cauldron for one month, and then this foremost beauty will be yours for life. How about it?"

Ye Fan found Yan Yixi's junior brother truly wicked, showing signs of becoming a devil among men. He was speaking seriously, not jesting.

"Litian, you won't be leaving this time either. Stay here with them," Yi Qingwu said, her magnetic voice now tinged with coldness.

"Interception of secret transmissions?!" Yan Yixi was startled. They had been communicating via divine sense, yet this woman had managed to intercept it.

"Terrifying. Is her strength truly that immense, or does she possess an ancient divine art capable of intercepting secret transmissions?" Litian's expression also froze.

"Everyone, please make your move and take them down!" At that moment, Yi Qingwu's voice grew louder, echoing under the pristine moonlit sky.

Twelve divine energies shot skyward, like twelve heaven-reaching swords or twelve towering divine mountains, majestic and fierce, surrounding the area and striking inward.

"The Twelve Earthly Branches Divine Array! She actually invited twelve patriarch-level figures to attack. Yi Qingwu intends to eliminate us all in one fell swoop," Litian said with a grim expression.

"Yan Yixi, you may leave the array. I will let you go, but the other two cannot be spared," Yi Qingwu's soft voice drifted over.

"Alas, how can I abandon my friends and leave? Fairy Yi, are you intentionally making things difficult for me?" Yan Yixi sighed.

"Senior brother, why are you still talking to her? Just seize her and make her my cauldron, while you can discuss the Dao and emotions with her in a pure manner," Litian sneered wickedly.

Some people are truly malicious, without pretense. Litian was undoubtedly such a person; it was as if he had the character for 'devil' carved on his forehead. He spoke seriously, not in jest.

At this moment, the twelve Earthly Branches divine swords struck, each incredibly terrifying, carrying the roars of celestial demons.

One sword, one world!

The Sword Dao unleashed by the Twelve Earthly Branches Divine Array was world-shattering. Each sword strike opened up a realm, complete with the rotation of earth, fire, wind, and water.

"They're suppressing us with the power of worlds, damn it!" Litian cursed. Seeing this, he spat out a Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus, which hovered beside him. With a slight tremor, it shattered the void, protecting him.

"They truly mean to kill us all," Yan Yixi's expression also changed. A painting of beauties shot out from the top of his head, rustling as it protected him.

Ye Fan's expression was also solemn. Even with the "All" Character Secret, he felt a pressure that slowed his movements and reduced his agility.

However, the Nine Secrets of Daoism were ultimately supreme divine arts. After a brief adjustment, his speed increased rapidly, and he darted towards the divine carriage, intent on capturing Yi Qingwu first.

"Om!"

With a slight tremor, a divine ring shot out from his glabella. It was silvery white and gleaming, shimmering with light as it flew forward – none other than the Vajra Bracelet he had seized from Eight Views Palace.

Suddenly, he sensed danger. The divine carriage's door opened wide, transforming into a black hole that sought to swallow him and simultaneously take away the Vajra Bracelet.

The girl who had been standing by the carriage had vanished, and the carriage itself was empty. Yi Qingwu was not inside at all.

"A king-level divine weapon!"

Ye Fan was startled. It had been a trap to lure him in, waiting for him to rush forward. Everything had been premeditated.

Although his speed was fast, his steps were agile. With a flicker of the "All" Character Secret, he brushed past the divine carriage.

The Vajra Bracelet, having expanded to the size of a millstone, solidly struck the carriage, sending forth a torrent of terrifying sparks, each capable of destroying a mountain.

At the same time, the divine carriage exerted a powerful suction, attempting to swallow the treasured bracelet and claim this king-level divine weapon.

Ye Fan let out a low cry. This was a divine item that could evolve into a saint's weapon; he couldn't allow it to be lost. He activated the "Soldier" Character Secret, making the Vajra Bracelet rapidly expand as if alive, covering the carriage and attempting to reclaim it.

"Whoosh!"

Finally, the divine carriage silently vanished from its spot, retrieved by Yi Qingwu. She did not engage in a head-on clash, and both king-level divine weapons returned to their respective owners' hands.

"Boom!"

The Twelve Earthly Branches Divine Array unleashed its might. Each sword strike manifested a world, from which threads of chaotic mist flew out, engulfing everything with lethal intent.

Litian activated his Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus, shattering the small worlds one by one and charging outward. Yan Yixi also unfurled his painting of beauties, transforming it into a divine bridge leading to the outside, hoping to cross out.

However, this was, after all, a renowned divine array with immense power. Each time they neared success, they were forced back.

At the same time, a terrifying aura erupted. Blinding light steamed up from all directions, as if an eternal divine furnace was burning.

"Yi Qingwu, you truly have cunning methods! Are you going to refine us alive here?!" Litian's expression turned grim.

In the void all around, ancient altars, each inscribed with unknown divine patterns, hung suspended. They emitted terrifying wisps of light that intertwined.

"The Guanghan Immortal Sacrifice!" Yan Yixi's face changed. This was a terrifying array formation. Trapped within it, one could be refined alive, unable to resist.

At this point, Ye Fan realized that Yi Qingwu had recognized them upstream in Falling Star River. She hadn't acted then because she wasn't entirely confident.

Now, she had come prepared, fully equipped. This was no chance encounter; she intended to completely suppress him, leaving no chance for escape.

"The world's foremost beauty is full of thorns, truly difficult to pick. To think she'd deal with us like this! We might face a great tribulation today," Litian cursed.

Ye Fan's heart also grew cold. This world-renowned, unparalleled, and peerless foremost beauty truly was extraordinary. She had set a killing trap for him upon their first meeting.

However, he was not afraid. Although the two divine arrays were terrifying, they couldn't stop him. The "All" Character Secret would allow him to break through.

Ye Fan evaded the power of creation and dodged the Earthly Branches divine swords. With an uncanny and inexplicable speed, he transcended the spatial confinement, shooting out like a bolt of lightning.

"Boom!"

Purple lightning descended from the sky, a vast sea of thunder falling, and an inexplicable heavenly punishment arrived, striking Ye Fan's physical body at the very center.

"Retreat quickly! That's an ancient tribulation-attracting array. It can draw down heavenly tribulations and cause someone to fail their tribulation, turning them into ash," Yan Yixi cried out.

"This girl is truly terrifying. She's so well-prepared, revealing so many ultimate killing moves without even personally acting yet," Litian's eyes gleamed with an eerie, wicked light.

Facing the tribulation-attracting array, Ye Fan did not retreat. He raised his hand and carved nine ancient characters into the void, derived from the Dao Scripture, which could allow himself to achieve eternity.

Although he wasn't afraid of the heavenly tribulation, undergoing it now would only inflict damage upon his physical body, subjecting him to lightning for no good reason. It would be difficult to break through to a new realm, as breaking through now required enlightenment of the Dao.

As his strength deepened, his comprehension of the nine ancient characters grew more profound. Masking his own aura, he quickly rushed out.

"Clang!"

He shook his hand and conjured eighty-one golden banners, precisely those he had seized from Lu Ya. He used them to seal off a corner of the Twelve Earthly Branches Divine Array, intending to shatter it.

"Ah!" A miserable shriek erupted as a patriarch-level figure suffered heavy injuries.

Lu Ya's treasured banners possessed astonishing power; otherwise, they wouldn't have caused five top-tier patriarchs to bleed all over them and die tragically back then.

"Good!" Litian burst out laughing.

A corner of the array formation was torn open, and the Twelve Earthly Branches Divine Array immediately showed a flaw. He shook the Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus and shot out like a divine rainbow. His terrifying cultivation was evident; he could break through with just a sliver of an opening.

At the same time, Yan Yixi's painting of beauties transformed into a rainbow bridge, carrying him directly out.

The Twelve Earthly Branches Divine Array disintegrated. These two brothers, who could rival some of the most formidable young individuals of their generation, unleashed their full power, their divine energy shaking the heavens!

Just then, a scream rang out. Ye Fan used the Golden Crow Tribe's treasured banners to literally tear a patriarch-level figure apart, their blood staining the golden flag like a blooming flower.

He was surprised inwardly. These treasured banners were too powerful, even more potent than he had imagined. They contained an ancient killing array, like a sleeping celestial demon.

"Boom!"

Simultaneously, he conjured the Vajra Bracelet, which grew to the size of a millstone, gleaming with silver light. It unleashed a beam of eternal light, striking the tribulation-attracting array and simultaneously shattering the altars in the void.

All the ancient arrays disintegrated. The three of them were completely freed. Ye Fan and Litian charged together towards the divine carriage in the distance, hoping to capture Yi Qingwu alive.

The Divine Moon Carriage, crystal clear and surrounded by a shower of petals, had its jade curtains part to reveal a woman whose beauty eclipsed the sun and moon, and dimmed mountains and rivers.

Such beauty should not exist in the mortal world; it felt unreal. This flawless woman, like the reincarnation of the Goddess of Luo, possessed an elegant neck, fair skin, bright and beautiful eyes, and a graceful, radiant demeanor.

She had a slender figure, and her black hair shone like silk. A sparkling red mole between her eyebrows added endless spiritual charm.

Facing formidable enemies, she simply smiled faintly, causing the bright moon to lose its luster, the stars to recede, and all things in the world to lose their brilliance. Only her radiant beauty remained.

"I'm getting inner demons too. If I can't capture her to be my cauldron, I'll struggle to achieve the Dao," Litian said with a wicked expression.

"I'll give you a chance: if you can break out of the Falling Star River domain, I will let you go," Yi Qingwu chirped like a divine phoenix. Though the foremost beauty of her generation, she possessed a powerful will and an indomitable belief.

"I'll also give you a chance," Ye Fan chuckled. "Come over and massage my back and shoulders, and I'll grant you the status of a maid."