Chapter 973: Fallen Angel

Golden-colored vital energy surged, but Ye Fan stood as still as a mountain. With just two punches, he instantly eliminated two powerful experts from the Western tradition, leaving everyone aghast and their hair standing on end.

A swirling, grey mist blanketed the area. An elderly Western cultivator, his face covered in wrinkles and his eyes lead-grey, looked impossibly ancient, as if he had emerged from hell.

He was the leader of this group of enforcers, possessing formidable and terrifying power.

The training ground was completely engulfed by the grey mist. He exuded an overwhelming aura, like a demon god, causing many to tremble with fear. Through the thick haze, a gaunt figure with disheveled grey hair could be seen, inspiring a chill that seeped into one's very soul.

"Clank!" The sound of chains echoed. Though his body was withered, he was as intimidating as an old lion. In his hand was a long chain, as crimson as blood, seemingly forged in purgatory and radiating a terrifying aura.

"Infernal Binding!" This was a forbidden technique. Once ensnared, the crimson iron chain would cling like a gangrenous sore, completely destroying the enemy's vitality and stripping away all their cultivation. At one point, it was considered a great evil art, believed to violate divine harmony, and was widely condemned.

This was an old man at the Seventh Heaven of the Dragon Transformation realm. He held a high status in the West, capable of fighting across several minor realms. Therefore, he was fearless. The chain, crimson as blood, emitted a shrill sound, rushing forward like a crimson viper.

"This is my Lord's final judgment upon you!" His long hair was disheveled, his eyes like dead embers. His voice, devoid of emotion, was solemn and grave as he loudly proclaimed.

The crimson chain seemed to drip blood, becoming even more terrifying in its vivid redness. Everyone heard sounds like ghosts wailing and gods howling, as if the gates of purgatory had been flung open.

At this moment, an eerie wind raged and furious waves surged skyward. Countless corpses emerged, and numerous headless gods, demons, and angels appeared, enveloping the area.

"Aooooh..." This scene was terrifying, accompanied by enormous roars. The rumbling sound of a stone gate being pushed open could also be heard, as if Death itself was emerging from the underworld, about to claim Ye Fan's life.

A terrifying aura instantly swept through every corner, bringing a chill that could freeze three thousand miles, and a gloom like the Palace of Yama descending upon the mortal world. The destructive aura made many people tremble.

The iron chain rushed forward, about to entangle Ye Fan.

He remained motionless until the dripping chain was close, about to pierce his heart. Only then did he extend his powerful palm, seizing the thick iron chain.

"Crack!" He pulled hard and then violently shook it. The Western enforcer immediately coughed up large mouthfuls of blood. The chain stretched taut, then shattered!

Like a heap of blood clots, the chain fell, breaking into dozens of pieces. It was easily torn apart. The last piece, however, remained straight and rigid, like a spear!

"Pffft!" This section of the chain, crimson as blood and sharper than a spearhead, pierced directly into the man's skull. Blood and white brain matter spurted out, leaving only a dead body that fell backward to the ground.

It was too casual, yet precisely because of this, it was utterly shocking. The leader of the Western enforcers was killed just like that, without any suspense.

"Who are you?" The other few people recoiled, their faces filled with horror, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

Ye Fan did not speak. He stared at them as if they were already dead, not moving an inch.

In his palm, an ancient symbol shimmered, weaving a tapestry of mystical patterns. This caused the eyes of the few onlookers to become increasingly vacant as they stared intently.

This was originally a manifestation of cultivation. At Ye Fan's level, when he unleashed his techniques, his cultivation would automatically intertwine, forming symbols imbued with the profound principles of heaven and earth.

However, the others mistakenly took it for a Daoist talisman, wrongly believing that Ye Fan had used a powerful magic treasure to destroy the crimson chain and kill the enforcer leader.

As for everyone else, apart from a few individuals like Daoist Qiri and Kunlun Sect Master Xuechen, they also couldn't see clearly, but were deeply shocked.

"Unleash the Wrath of Thunder! Judge him!" shouted an old man whose skin was impossibly wrinkled.

A larger scroll appeared in the void, and everyone immediately sensed an aura of supreme Yang.

"What powerful fluctuations!" Everyone involuntarily recoiled. This was definitely an even more terrifying forbidden artifact.

A person with grey wings on their back, extremely ancient, with eyes as terrifying as black holes, quickly unfurled the forbidden artifact, pressing it forward, intending to destroy Ye Fan.

Once this ancient scroll was spread open, it emitted thousands of rays of light. It contained layer upon layer of Daoist markings, interwoven into a blazing thunder light, which transformed into a sea of lightning and descended.

This was an astonishing and frightening sight—a heavenly tribulation descending!

Powerful individuals had carved it into Daoist markings, sealing it within the scroll. Controlled by several fallen angels, it was used to judge super-experts, possessing boundless terror.

Thunder and lightning rolled, as if the Heavenly Court had descended, crushing everything. Streaks of purple light submerged the peak of Maoshan's main mountain, covering Ye Fan below.

All cultivators feared lightning. This was something associated with heavenly tribulation, a direct means for the heavens to destroy the mortal world. It swept away all obstacles, with almost nothing able to withstand it.

Yet, amidst this vast expanse of lightning, Ye Fan remained utterly calm. He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, as if savoring the fragrance of grass, radiating a profound inner serenity.

He opened a golden palm, slowly and powerfully pressing it towards the sky. Everyone in the distance was extremely tense, retreating more than two li away.

"Boom!" Tens of thousands of bolts of lightning struck down. Ye Fan remained perfectly still. Only a symbol appeared in the palm of his hand, and all the electric light converged there, like a sea accommodating a hundred rivers.

"Too weak. It can't compare to a heavenly tribulation at all," he murmured softly. Only the few Western cultivators nearby heard him, and they were so terrified their souls nearly fled their bodies.

"Poof!" All the electric light vanished, completely absorbed into the symbol in Ye Fan's palm, leaving everyone petrified and utterly stunned.

"What kind of talisman is that? Could it be the legendary Thunder Talisman Treasure?"

"It's a divine talisman! It must have been left by an ancient sage!" Everyone was dumbfounded, like clay figures, only able to murmur these discussions after a long time.

"Who exactly are you?" The voices of the several fallen angels with grey wings trembled.

"Rogue cultivator, Ye Fan," he calmly murmured to himself, his demeanor unperturbed. He didn't immediately strike ruthlessly because he was observing the scrolls, investigating the origins of these individuals, and seeing if the Western tradition had any extraordinary capabilities.

The faces of the Western enforcers turned ashen. The power displayed by the person before them was at the Great Perfection of the Dragon Transformation realm, and that supreme Daoist treasure, the divine talisman, was even more terrifying and impossible to overcome.

"Boom!" Simultaneously, after exchanging glances, they all decisively attacked. Each summoned a scroll, chanting ancient incantations. These were all forbidden artifacts.

The few threw them out with force and then turned to leave, wanting to escape the area. This person was absolutely not to be provoked; they couldn't possibly kill him.

"You subjected me to a final judgment, but there's been no outcome yet. Now, listen to my judgment upon you."

Ye Fan made his move. The symbol in his palm shimmered, and blazing lightning shot forth, striking forward. All four ancient scrolls shattered, turning into glistening paper fragments, which drifted down from the sky. The Daoist markings on them were destroyed, and their magical power was completely erased.

"What?!" The four fallen angels were horrified. These scrolls couldn't even block him for a moment, which filled their hearts with extreme dread. This was definitely not someone from the Dragon Transformation realm; they had vastly underestimated him!

Ye Fan transformed his palm into a finger, pointing it forward. The golden finger, like a sky-piercing golden pillar, descended and crushed all tangible objects in its path.

The golden finger, dozens of feet long, instantly turned all four elderly fallen angels into blood mist, which exploded with a "poof" and scattered into the air, leaving nothing behind.

Ye Fan reached out and grasped the soul imprint of one of them, extracting the information he desired, then dispersed the blood mist.

Everyone was utterly dumbfounded. This was like something out of a myth. Who exactly was this person? With a mere raise of his hand, he effortlessly obliterated several powerful Western enforcers, as if crushing ants!

This was practically a divine being, a true great divine ability user. Many sect leaders couldn't hope to contend with him. He was an existence with few, if any, rivals in the current age.

"He looks so young, and his vital energy is as vast as the sea. He shouldn't have reached this realm. How can he be so powerful?" This was almost everyone's question and astonishment.

"Hmm?" Ye Fan turned his head. He saw a person draped in a large cloak among the crowd, attempting to turn and leave. A cold smile played on Ye Fan's lips, and he pointed a finger again.

"You will regret this! My Lord is descending! The Crusades are coming! They will surely destroy you!" The last remaining powerful expert from the Western tradition cried out defiantly, but he still could not escape the immense pressure of the golden finger, which was like a mountain. With a "bang," he turned into a ball of blood mist.

"Crusades, what grand authority! Let's see if it's my journey west to become a saint, or your expedition east that proves effective," Ye Fan murmured softly to himself.

There was a slight ripple in his heart. Through the memory imprints and those forbidden artifact scrolls, he deeply realized that the Western tradition held a complete advantage in this Age of Dharma Decline. They cultivated using mental power, and a few individuals in the current age could become great divine ability users.

Perhaps, there might even be someone who could contend with him!

Furthermore, having seen a segment of that leader's memory, he had a vague guess: a few ancient figures from the Western tradition might not have departed.

He felt no fear. Having roamed the world and faced numerous powerful enemies in Beidou, shaking the five domains with his might, how could he be afraid of the Western tradition in this Age of Dharma Decline?

Little Pine poked his head out of Ye Fan's pocket. He was mischievous and clever, with jet-black pupils and fur like purple silk. With such a appearance, he couldn't help but attract attention.

"He has a purple squirrel with him! He's the great divine ability user who appeared in Jiujiang! No wonder he's so powerful!" Many people exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Fan became the center of attention, with all eyes converging on him. Many people showed expressions of awe. Many young female disciples from various sects had shimmering eyes. A cultivator so extraordinary and sanctified couldn't help but dominate the world.

"The grand competition will continue!" announced the Sect Master of the Shangqing Sect.

Afterward, he, along with Daoist Qiri, Kunlun Sect Master Xuechen, the Immortal Sword Sect Master, and the clan leader of the Vermilion Phoenix lineage, rose together, inviting Ye Fan into the Palace of Nine Heavens and Ten Thousand Blessings, a sacred sanctuary on Maoshan.

With such a major incident occurring, Ye Fan alone had imbued the entire assembly with a mysterious aura. How could these people not be shaken?

"May I ask, fellow Daoist..." Inside Maoshan's ancestral hall, several sect masters couldn't help but speak. Though they held him in awe, there were some questions they had to ask.

Naturally, there were people Ye Fan knew here. Old Crane, the Great Valley Master of the Myriad Demon Valley, reminded him that such actions might lead to great trouble. The Crusades would be a great disaster.

Ye Fan smiled and said, "What era are we in? The Crusades? That's too arrogant. Do they really dare to send a large army to conquer me in the Central Lands? If that's the case, I'll kill as many as come!"

Furthermore, he raised a question: "These people from the Western tradition look somewhat like fallen angels. They should be opposed to the so-called Holy Knights of the Cross, shouldn't they?"

"They are all part of the same tradition, a dichotomy of light and dark. The concept of heaven and hell is to inspire reverence and fear in people. Only with hope and despair can there be enough faith."

"Is that so? I'm quite looking forward to it then. Let the Divine Knights come, let the Saintesses appear, let the Crusades begin. I will quietly await your purification," said Ye Fan.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qiri, Sect Master Xuechen, the Immortal Sword Sect Master, and the others all felt their hair stand on end. "Who exactly is this person? What on earth is he looking forward to!?"