Chapter 979: Middle-Earth Demon Emergence

Chapter 979: Demons Emerge from the Central Lands

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and the valley was very quiet. Wild birds and cicadas had all settled down, ceasing their chirping. Only the scent of wild vines and flowers permeated the air. The clear small lake was like a mirror, and everything was utterly silent.

As the man finished speaking, the female warrior waved her hand, and they charged forward, intending to eliminate Ye Fan.

The first wave of attackers, each bearing a cross on their chest, wore golden armor and wielded greatswords taller than themselves. With a cold glint, they silently charged, ready to strike.

Chilling sword gleams rent the sky, shattering the tranquility. A murderous aura surged towards the heavens. This was a clan of sword masters; over a dozen of them stood abreast, their combined force capable of tearing through anything.

"Master, let me do it!" Zhan Yifan stepped forward, eager to engage, intending to use the heritage of the Shu Mountain Immortal Sword Sect to counter the Western sword arts.

Ye Fan shook his head. While this group didn't instill fear in him, he sensed something amiss, as if they carried some special artifacts or secret techniques, hinting at hidden dangers. He didn't want his few registered disciples to risk it.

"A mere trifle!" he murmured softly to himself, stepping forward to face the group alone.

Fourteen greatswords descended, their brilliant gleam surging upwards like a waterfall. Each sword, having undergone countless refinements, was a legacy from ancient families, carrying a glorious past.

Their ancestors were nobles, renowned great knights of yesteryear. The tradition continued through their generation, its prestige undiminished, their lineage noble.

The descendants of these fourteen paladins rarely joined forces. It was only because this formidable enemy was rumored to be at the Great Perfection of Dragon Transformation or even a higher realm that they united to eliminate him.

The world shook and shattered!

Amidst their roars, each golden armor glowed like fourteen suns blooming, suspended in the night sky. Fourteen towering sword energies descended, cleaving the firmament.

However, facing these extraordinarily powerful warriors, Ye Fan made only one move: he flicked his finger. An even more dazzling golden sword wave burst forth, like monstrous tsunamis, sweeping across heaven and earth, vast as the sea, thundering loudly.

"Pfft!"

A burst of blood light erupted as all fourteen warriors, inheritors of ancient traditions, disintegrated. Even their ancestral armor and golden greatswords turned to dust.

This was a terrifying sight. With a mere flick of his finger, Ye Fan unleashed a golden sword wave akin to a raging tempest, an indiscriminate attack.

Fourteen noble-blooded powerhouses instantly became bursts of blood light, leaving behind only fourteen wisps of blood mist; everything else was utterly reduced to ash.

This was absolute deterrence!

The practitioners who had journeyed thousands of miles from the West on this expedition all blanched. This outcome far exceeded their expectations.

In recent days, they had conducted investigations and learned that Ye Fan had displayed the divine abilities of the Great Perfection of Dragon Transformation at the cultivator's gathering. Based on this, they had mobilized such a large force, intending to eradicate him in one fell swoop.

To their astonishment, what they witnessed was completely inconsistent with their intelligence. This person was, at the very least, a practitioner who had stepped into the Immortal Platform realm; otherwise, how could he so effortlessly command the elements, turning his hand to clouds and covering it to rain?

"Fall back!"

Just then, an elder in a golden robe stepped forward, holding a golden wooden staff. Embedded within it was a divine source block the size of a chicken egg, a rare and dazzling sight in this era.

With a gentle wave of his golden staff, he unleashed an ancient Daoist art, chanting a spell: "Lightning of Order, dance with heaven and earth."

"Rumble!"

A swath of lightning descended from the sky. This golden lightning nearly engulfed the area above the small lake, transforming into the very lightning of order.

Ye Fan was surprised that in this decaying era, one could still use spirit essence to activate ancient Daoist arts in such a way. By embedding a divine source block into a staff, inscribing it with Dao patterns, and blessing it, this secret art had been amplified several times over.

Otherwise, given the scarcity of heaven and earth essence and the elder's cultivation, he would not have been able to unleash such a secret art at all.

However, this was useless against Ye Fan. The opponent was formidable, but since Ye Fan feared not even heavenly tribulation, how could he be afraid of so-called lightning of order?

While the name of this secret art was impressive and terrifying in ancient times, it was utterly ineffective against Ye Fan. To everyone's astonishment, he opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing all the golden lightning from the sky into himself.

Golden electric arcs coursed over his body. Then, with a fierce exhalation, a dazzling golden sea of electricity surged forth.

"Boom!"

The elder in the golden robe instantly turned to dust, along with over a dozen knights guarding him, all completely pulverized.

Who was this person? A demon, terrifying beyond belief! Under the current starry sky, very few could achieve such a feat. The practitioners of the Western tradition couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"So many of you have come for me, simply because I killed someone from the Western tradition who sought to kill me at Gezao Mountain? And you've mobilized such a large force to judge me? Isn't the Western tradition a bit too arrogant, coming all the way to the Central Lands to execute me, just to display your might?!" Ye Fan said.

Ye Fan's expression was indifferent as he stood by the clear lake, scanning everyone. Then, his gaze settled on the few very young, golden-haired men and women in the center, who were all radiating holy light.

"Unimaginably powerful!" The young man who had previously denounced Ye Fan as a heretic and declared he would be judged by fire now stepped out from the crowd.

He held a cross in his left hand and a golden divine sword in his right, radiating dazzling light as he pressed forward, muttering incantations.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, an aura like a surging sea erupted from him. His entire body radiated boundless light, and a vertical eye slowly opened on his forehead.

His demeanor completely transformed as he roared, "Ancient sages, descend upon my body! Glory is my destiny!"

Many people gasped in surprise. This was the legendary "Divine Descent into the Mortal World" secret art, which ordinary people dared not perform due to its immense harm to the body. Only those with special physiques could achieve it.

After the vertical eye opened on his forehead, the divine power radiating from his body instantly intensified hundreds of times. His entire being became resplendent, as if cast from gold!

At this moment, he was completely transformed into another person. A terrifying aura erupted from him, and with a mere lift of his hand, his power surged like a vast ocean.

"Interesting. It seems there truly are ancient mighty experts in the West. However, without their true form descending, this is no match for me; it's difficult to harm my body," Ye Fan murmured.

"Boom!"

The cross in the hand of the man, who now resembled a sun god, shattered, transforming into a brilliant sea of divine power that interwove into countless principles, surging downwards.

A trembling aura enveloped everything, causing many to nearly fall to their knees. This was an immense divine might and pressure.

Ye Fan stood unmoving, his feet firmly planted. He clapped his right hand in the void, causing countless large spatial fissures to appear, disintegrating the holy light and destroying the spreading killing principles.

"Pfft!"

The young man, radiating holy light, coughed up a mouthful of blood. Half of the cross principles he had manifested were destroyed, and most of the divine power surged back, injuring him.

"Divine descent upon my body, flesh eternal!"

He roared, his body bathed in auspicious holy light. Every inch of his flesh became like divine metal, astonishingly firm and indestructible. Then, he swung his divine sword with his right hand and charged forward, intending to engage Ye Fan in a physical confrontation.

Ye Fan stood perfectly still, waiting for him to charge directly in front of him, a hint of indifference at the corner of his mouth.

Other knights and templars all widened their eyes and held their breath. The "Divine Descent" could strengthen a person's physique to an incomparable degree, allowing them to crush everything once activated.

However, the final outcome shocked everyone; they were all stunned. Ye Fan stood on the lakeside, swinging his golden right fist to meet the attack. He shattered the divine sword, then pierced through the head of the "Divine Descent body," passing straight through with a large spray of blood mist.

Simple, direct, overbearing!

Large splashes of blood flew, and time seemed to freeze at that moment. Broken bones and blood radiating holy light slowly arced through the air, a chilling sight.

"Thud!"

The headless body of the young man, upon whom the "Divine Descent" had been performed, fell straight down, devoid of any divine power, becoming a mere corpse.

"A devil! He's a devil!"

After an unknown period, many people began to scream. This terrifying and brutal reality filled them with dread. They had embarked on this expedition expecting glory, never imagining they would encounter a "great demon" in the Central Lands!

"In the West, there are Buddhas; in the Central Lands, there are demons." This was an ancient Indian saying. And in the ancient West, there was a similar warning: "In the West, there are gods; in the Central Lands, demons emerge."

"Demons emerge from the Central Lands—he is the great demon of this era born from the Central Lands!"

A group of people cried out, their faces filled with terror. They had not forgotten the warning left by Western sages in ancient times, and it seemed it might come true today!

In ancient times, the saints of the Western tradition had suffered greatly at the hands of powerful demons from the Central Lands. Therefore, they solemnly cautioned future generations to remember to be careful and to retreat when encountering an era where such demons emerged.

"Over a hundred years ago, you launched an eastward invasion, stealing some of our Central Lands' important ancestral artifacts, looting under the name of God. If that's the case, then let's just say our Central Lands have produced demons!" one of Ye Fan's disciples retorted indignantly.

"We have long since passed out of the ancient Hangu Pass and will continue westward, transforming the ancient Western lands and reclaiming our ancestral artifacts! Only then will you truly know what a demon is!" several of the registered disciples passionately shouted.

"Glory is our destiny!"

The group roared. Though they were terrified and their hearts filled with dread, they refused to surrender. Instead, they all emitted holy light, preparing to fight to the death.

Especially the remaining young men and women, all radiating divinity and capable of performing the "Divine Descent into the Mortal World" secret art, all sprang into action.

"We are crusaders from the East, fighting a holy war! If we die at the hands of a devil, we will ascend to heaven, returning to God's embrace! Let us engage in this final battle; even death is a form of glory!"

When people have faith, their madness can be terrifying. Everyone was shouting, their bodies glowing with holy light, burning themselves, and charging forward with killing intent.

"Glory, my ass!"

Ye Fan had only one expletive in response. While such language might not entirely fit his status, it was his genuine thought, freely expressed.

Then, with a raised hand, he overturned heaven and earth, unleashing the ancient Heaven-Overturning Seal. His palm and fingers transformed into a giant golden seal, crushing all adversaries!

Swathes of blood light appeared, and splashes of blood flew everywhere. Except for a few "Divine Descent bodies," everyone else was instantly annihilated, both body and spirit.

"The West... has powerful individuals," Ye Fan murmured to himself.

Then, with another press, the ancient Heaven-Overturning Seal vibrated violently, and the remaining "Divine Descent bodies" below also turned to dust, dissolving into blood mist.

"Master is too powerful!" his disciples could only exclaim, their hearts shaken, unable to utter anything else.

Much later, the young Daoist Celestial Master Zhang Qingyang finally spoke. "If they say 'demons emerge from the Central Lands,' then Master should proceed as a demon to the West!"