Chapter 991: Faith Forging Immortality

The Divine Knight was defeated. His Dragon Lance was stuck in the ground, and he sat cross-legged on the dry earth, motionless. The aura of his ascent slowly dissipated.

The Western churches found this unacceptable; it was an unbearable blow. With evil rampant in the West, who could contend against it?

"Why did this happen? He is the foremost genius of our Western Lands for millennia, whose talent astounded both ancient and modern times. Even the departed saints praised him. Why did he fail?"

People could not accept this, especially those few who knew the truth, who found it even more unbearable. The one who had bathed in the blood of gods, whose body was supposed to be indestructible and had reached the pinnacle of perfection, was now covered in cracks, his life on the verge of extinction.

Ye Fan stood motionless in the field, staring at the Pope beneath the cross on the Holy Mountain. Perhaps this was his last adversary in the Western Lands.

Suddenly, divine steeds galloped through the sky. A group of young people, surrounding a golden-haired girl radiating light like the sun, burst forth from the primeval forest. Everyone was mounted on exotic beasts, but the girl in the center rode a unicorn, sculpted as if from mutton-fat jade, which emitted a sacred glow.

Numerous knights from various families, a cohort of young heroes of their time, formed a team with the Saintess of the Vatican. They stood at different positions, chanting ancient incantations together.

This was one of the most sacred prayers in the Western Lands. These young people, each possessing the most devout faith and wearing a gleaming silver Holy Cross, were performing an ancient forbidden spell.

The Saintess had a slender figure and was dressed in light gauze, her skin like congealed jade. Her exquisite face was filled with sanctity, and her long golden hair shimmered. Riding the unicorn, she resembled a daughter of God.

Together, with their utmost devotion, they invoked the sacred power of faith from the entire Western world. This power, vast and overwhelming like an ocean of spiritual energy, rumbled across the sky.

This sight was terrifying, sacred, and immense; it seemed as if heaven and earth would be overturned!

Not only did Zhang Qingyang, Huang Tiannv, and others change color, but even Ye Fan's expression became solemn. This was the collective spiritual power of all beings in the Western Lands, drawn forth by them. It was vast and boundless; a single person simply could not resist it!

The sky itself seemed to sag under the pressure. It was an ocean of silver, pure as moonlight, where threads of spiritual power intertwined across the sky, forming an ocean of life.

"Boom!" With a wave of the Vatican Saintess's delicate hand, a lightning bolt ten thousand feet long instantly descended from the sky, intended to strike Ye Fan dead with the power of collective faith.

Undoubtedly, this was the purest and most sacred power. For those who believed in the Vatican, bathing in this radiance could cure all ailments and dispel all misfortunes.

However, for a mortal enemy with no faith, this would be the most terrifying poison. Touching it would cause immediate incineration, turning one into ash in the sacred glow.

This was why dark creatures, when confronting the Vatican, would ultimately be subjected to immolation, turning into dust in the eternal holy light. Lack of faith was the root cause of this fatal damage.

Ye Fan could not possibly possess the Vatican's faith. The Pope ordering the Saintess and other most devout believers to act at this moment was undoubtedly terrifying and fatal.

Overwhelming holy light poured down, as if thousands of divine moons hung directly above his head. The area became an ocean formed by the Milky Way, completely enveloping him.

"God is not omnipotent, but our Church is all-powerful," the Pope declared, standing on the Holy Mountain. He was as imposing as a towering mountain, with vast star seas in the depths of his eyes, like a celestial deity overlooking all beings.

Numerous faithful sang hymns, like heavenly music. They bathed in serene radiance, each one transcending the mundane, resembling a divine messenger from the heavens.

The Saintess was the most dynamic, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall. Her fair face was filled with holiness, and her blue eyes shimmered like jewels. She chanted incantations, drawing forth the ocean of pure spiritual energy to refine Ye Fan.

At this moment, everyone held their breath. This was a deadly move, activating the Vatican's accumulated power over long ages. Perhaps using the ocean of spiritual energy to dissolve the demon from the Central Lands was the only way.

Ye Fan indeed withstood a divine might. The vast sky pressed down entirely upon him, threatening to shatter his bones and flesh.

Human power has its limits. After all, he was merely a human of flesh and blood, not an immortal whose existence had never been proven.

This was divine power!

At this moment, he, a lone individual, was contending against the fundamental power of the entire Western spiritual tradition. The suffering he endured was unimaginable for ordinary people, and the spiritual energy invoked by the Saintess and others was incomparable.

"Master!" Zhang Qingyang cried out in alarm. He had thought he saw a glimpse of a future where the sect stood eternal, but he had not expected such a scene.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth. This was not merely the power of faith, but also the Vatican's destructive holy light, whose immense and colossal nature exceeded his expectations.

An ordinary person might be very weak, like an ant in the eyes of a cultivator. But if there were thousands, even millions, tens of millions, or over a hundred million such individuals, it would be terrifying. When such immense spiritual power gathered upon one, it would be enough to destroy a saint.

Ye Fan's golden blood boiled throughout his body, and his entire being radiated boundless divine light. He recited ancient scriptures, his mind clear and empty. He endured the pain of his body shattering, desperately resisting this divine might of the Heavenly Dao.

He wanted to burst out, but it was like being caught in a quagmire, unable to break free. The Dao Scripture, Western Emperor Scripture, and other scriptures all hummed, emitting harmonious Dao sounds from the various secret realms within his body.

"Vast as a star sea, yet unable to concentrate at a single point, thus unable to pierce or dissolve me..."

Ye Fan calmed down. Surrounded by this great calamity, although the spiritual power of all beings transformed into holy light was deadly, a long time had passed, and it still had not turned him into dust.

"If such vast spiritual energy were concentrated into a holy sword, it would be enough to destroy a Great Saint. But like this, thread by thread, it might grind me away, but it would require sufficient time!"

Ye Fan calmed down, fearless in his heart. He treated it as a trial, because he recalled a legend that was now being manifested: Karmic Fire!

"Evil karma harms people like fire..." He instantly understood, and peace filled his heart, with no more ripples. He had no faith, and to the Western spiritual tradition, he was a heretic, a sinner, filled with karmic power.

Conversely, the pure faith power of the Vatican was karmic fire to him, and at this moment, he was enduring the pain of his body and spirit being burned away.

Regarding karmic fire, Buddhist legends contain the most detailed and terrifying accounts, claiming it to be the most dreadful and supreme flame!

It is a flame condensed from the karma of all beings, capable of burning ancient Bodhisattvas and all Buddhas to ashes, extinguishing ancient deities. Nothing can stop it.

All the sins of the world, when gathered upon one, become karmic fire. Ye Fan's opposition to Western faith was equivalent to resisting the collective will of all beings here, and this infinite will, gathered upon him, became his karmic fire.

When Sakyamuni attained enlightenment, it is rumored he once experienced the burning of karmic fire. He took upon himself the sins committed by all his followers, thereby drawing forth the karmic fire of all beings. Relying on a Bodhi tree, he resisted various karmic powers; when the fire was extinguished, he became immortal and achieved the Dao Fruit.

And when Laozi departed west from Hangu Pass, Yin Xi once saw purple qi arriving from the east, spreading for thirty thousand li, covering the sky and sun. Although it was rumored to be an auspicious and noble aura, it might also have been him using the Dao fire of all beings to refine his body.

The so-called "Laozi's journey west to civilize the barbarians" perhaps had another layer of meaning and interpretation.

Ye Fan, thinking of these things, naturally calmed down. He regarded this as a form of tempering. Previous sages only had such opportunities, daring to use the heart-fire of all beings to refine their bodies, when they were about to step into the Quasi-Emperor realm.

But in his current realm, he already encountered such a situation. If he could overcome it, it might well be a Dao Fruit, using his divine powers and cultivation to contend against the most immense power of faith in the Western Lands.

Fortunately, the pure spiritual energy, vast as the Milky Way, did not condense into a sword or a spear, nor did it concentrate into a single point. It merely spread out, formless, scattered in every corner.

This gave Ye Fan a chance to resist. Later, he brought out the Cauldron of Myriad Things Mother Qi, to endure the boundless karmic fire alongside him.

A long time passed, and the people outside were stunned. They saw a man and a cauldron bobbing in the silver ocean of faith. Although the holy light was burning, he remained indestructible, and everyone became terrified.

In the past, a single holy light released by the Vatican would turn any dark enemy into ashes, utterly unstoppable. However, now the faith power of the entire Western Lands was being invoked, continuously surging forth, yet it could not obliterate the demon from the Central Lands. This was too terrifying.

Ye Fan's mind became increasingly clear and serene. Although he was enduring immense suffering, it was beneficial. Through a thousand refinements, it tempered his physique and divine consciousness. Burning but not dying, his life would become even more powerful.

"What is being burned away is not my body, but the various thoughts in my heart, all sins attached to me, burning away the past, and declaring my eternal life," Ye Fan murmured to himself. His physical body was harmed, but it continuously recovered, his will like iron, resisting unyieldingly.

The cauldron, hovering an inch above him, endured the tribulation with him, shimmering before his brow like an immortal monument, recording the fragments of his past enlightenment.

This was not a tribulation, nor was it severing the Dao, but it surpassed both. In a certain sense, he had already severed the Dao, reborn in fire, but he had not yet received the recognition of heaven and earth.

Because his strength was already sufficient, all that was needed was to obtain a Dao Fruit, to transcend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and forge his own Dao through inverse severance.

Ye Fan and the cauldron bobbed and weaved, becoming an eternal light, even more powerful than the raging holy fire formed by the boundless ocean of spiritual energy.

Two hours later, he took out the black arrow and other items to undergo the baptism together. He even took out the seed of the sacred Bodhi tree, refining it repeatedly.

Back then, in the Big Dipper Star Domain, he had once given this item to Tongtong and others to use. But later, when he retrieved it and used it in the fire domain, he discovered an anomaly: it bore Sakyamuni's imprint. He eventually used immortal fire to completely erase it and brand it with his own mark. However, he still felt somewhat uneasy, so he did not give it back to his disciples.

Now, in this place, he used the boundless karmic fire to begin the ultimate incineration. He refined it thoroughly, feeling that the item was connected to his body and mind, without a trace of anyone else's imprint, finally feeling completely at ease.

Afterward, he used his spiritual will as a seal, refining this item tens of thousands of times. Finally, the patterns on it seemed naturally formed, reborn from fire. His image revived upon it, like a god and a demon!

"Boom!" Ye Fan's entire body radiated boundless immortal light. The cauldron in his brow merged with him, indistinguishable from him. Around him, the black arrow, Bodhi seed, Dao Scripture, Source Heaven Book, and other items floated, creating a magnificent spectacle, emitting an aura that could swallow heaven and spit out earth.

Finally, he rose to his full height. The vast and pure power of faith, like an ocean, could no longer burn him away. He broke free, his entire being bathed in immortal holy radiance.

"Xiu!" The cauldron in his brow lightly trembled, flying into the distance to envelop Zhang Qingyang's head. Then, the Bodhi seed in his hand also flew out, appearing in the hands of the young Celestial Master.

"Before I enter the star domain, these two sacred artifacts will be in your keeping," Ye Fan said. "They are the holy artifacts for spreading the teachings of our sect, to carry forward the Heavenly Court's legacy."

Afterward, Ye Fan further instructed Zhang Qingyang in a secret language, advising him that the cauldron was engraved with his Dao, making it the primary sacred artifact, while the Bodhi seed was merely a superficial manifestation, not to be confused with the former.

Everyone in the West was stunned. The vast power of faith and the endless holy light had failed to incinerate Ye Fan into ashes. What more could be done?

The Vatican Saintess and other devout believers were momentarily dazed. The pure spiritual energy naturally dispersed as a result, no longer available for their use.

Ye Fan pointed his finger, and a boundless holy radiance showered down, enveloping everyone in front. On the pure white, jade-like unicorn, the Saintess was in a daze, the light in her beautiful eyes changing repeatedly. Then, all the young people, including her, were converted, reciting the name of the Heavenly Emperor, and walked towards him.

"Two thousand years. It has been two thousand years since I last made a move against anyone," the Pope murmured to himself. He looked down like an ancient celestial deity, with suns being destroyed and stars falling in his eyes—a terrifying sight.