Ye Fan and Pang Bo had no time to dodge. The green wooden seal was much faster than the divine runes, it instantly hovered above their heads.
When it had first shot out, the Greenwood Seal was only an inch long, but in the blink of an eye, it had expanded to the size of a house, with green mist swirling around it like rolling fog.
Under immense pressure, Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt as though a mountain was descending upon them. They did everything they could to resist.
"Boom!"
They both braced their hands upward to try and push the Greenwood Seal away, but instantly the ground beneath their feet cracked, their legs sank deep into the earth, it was impossible to imagine the sheer weight they were bearing.
"Boom!"
The Greenwood Seal trembled again, emitting more green mist, growing as large as a palace, and descending once more.
"Even a ten-thousand-pound boulder would've been flung away, what is this thing? How can it be so heavy?!"
Ye Fan and Pang Bo's arms felt heavier by the second. Then, the ground under them gave way again, their legs sank completely, and cracks spread across the surface.
"You like headstands? Then I'll plant you into the ground, like human trees!" Han Feiyu stepped forward with a chilling smile.
"Boom!"
The Greenwood Seal pulsed once more, flooding the area in green fog. The pressure increased again. Ye Fan and Pang Bo were forced even deeper, their entire lower bodies now submerged in the earth, only their torsos still above ground.
"We're going to get crushed into paste at this rate," Ye Fan said quietly, alarmed.
"Don't worry. I won't let you die so easily..." Han Feiyu sneered. It was clear he intended to torment them, not kill them outright.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo could both feel their arms going numb. If this continued, they'd lose the strength to resist and be buried alive. Ye Fan signaled Pang Bo to let go and escape. Pang Bo shook his head, he feared if he let go, Ye Fan wouldn't be able to hold on alone.
"There's no time. No other option..." Ye Fan gritted his teeth. The pressure from above was overwhelming, even with his strength, he couldn't hold on much longer.
Pang Bo understood. Someone had to get out and take down Han Feiyu. Otherwise, there'd be no way out. But the one left behind would face extreme danger. With both of them struggling already, one alone would be in dire straits.
Still, there was no choice. Pang Bo was decisive, he pressed down on the ground and yanked himself free.
"Boom!"
The Greenwood Seal trembled, glowing faintly green. The immense pressure caused Ye Fan's arms to shake violently. He sank even deeper, now buried to his chest. The seal hovered just a meter above him.
Pang Bo panicked. Sweat poured down his face. He shot forward like an arrow, moving at full speed.
"Boom!"
A flash of green light erupted. The Greenwood Seal slammed down to the ground, burying Ye Fan completely.
Pang Bo's heart nearly stopped. He darted forward like a madman and tackled Han Feiyu, gripping him like a set of iron clamps.
Han Feiyu never expected anyone to escape the seal. Suddenly, he was tackled and thrown to the ground, where Pang Bo began pummeling him like a wild beast.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Pang Bo sat atop Han Feiyu, raining down fists like war drums.
The onlookers were shocked. No one had expected Pang Bo to escape.
Although Han Feiyu was weaker than Pang Bo in brute strength, he had cultivated some divine power. His body glowed with mystical light, shielding him. Pang Bo's punches didn't do too much damage, only causing him to bleed slightly at the mouth.
But still, Han Feiyu's eyes went red with rage. He had never suffered such humiliation. With a roar, his Bitter Sea flared with light and knocked Pang Bo away. Then, several chain-like divine runes shot out toward Pang Bo.
Pang Bo scrambled to dodge, lifting a huge boulder to block and hurling it at Han Feiyu.
"I'm going to rip you to pieces!" Han Feiyu roared, more runes swirling around him like lightning as he launched another attack.
"Boom!"
Just then, the Greenwood Seal flew upward. Ye Fan burst out of the ground beneath it, holding the giant seal with both hands and smashing it toward Han Feiyu.
Green light surged, mist billowed, and the massive seal fell like a mountain.
Han Feiyu couldn't divide his attention, he had been focused on fighting Pang Bo and had lost control of the seal. Ye Fan seized that moment to break free and attack.
Ye Fan followed behind the descending seal like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind a streak of motion.
Panicking, Han Feiyu tried to recall the seal and use it to counterattack, but Ye Fan was already upon him. Just as the seal stopped mid-air, Ye Fan landed a heavy kick to Han Feiyu's face.
Blood splattered. Han Feiyu flew over twenty meters, spraying blood from his nose and mouth. The Greenwood Seal lost control and crashed to the ground.
Ye Fan didn't stop, his body turned into a streak of light. He reached Han Feiyu mid-air and slammed him to the ground with a flying stomp.
The force made the earth tremble. Han Feiyu nearly snapped in half from the blow.
Almost simultaneously, Pang Bo arrived and delivered a heavy kick to Han Feiyu's stomach.
"Hit his head! Don't let him concentrate!" Ye Fan shouted.
Pang Bo immediately understood, they had to stop him from regaining control of the Greenwood Seal.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Both of them unleashed powerful kicks, their strength enough to send thousand-pound boulders flying. The earth trembled with each blow.
Were it not for the protective light from Han Feiyu's Bitter Sea, he would've been stomped into a pulp.
The crowd was speechless. The two who had just been on the brink of death had suddenly turned the tables and were now violently beating Han Feiyu.
"You tried to torture us to death, already so vicious at your age. Who knows what a monster you'd become later? Might as well crush you now!"
Though they said that, neither Ye Fan nor Pang Bo truly wanted to kill him. That would cause serious consequences. But they weren't going to let him off easily, they kept stomping until the light around him grew dim.
Han Feiyu repeatedly tried to control the Greenwood Seal, but each time it rose, it fell again. His mind was dazed from the pummeling.
Eventually, his divine glow faded. He could no longer produce mystical energy, and he rolled and screamed helplessly under the relentless assault.
"So you cultivated the Bitter Sea and got a hint of divine power, and now you think you're a master? You're not qualified to kill us!"
"We never even knew you, why are you targeting us?"
"So young and already so ruthless, planning to torture us to death?"
Ye Fan and Pang Bo didn't hold back. Afraid he was faking it, they kept beating him. His face swelled, blood and tears mixed, and he looked like a pig's head.
Though he screamed in pain, Han Feiyu's eyes still burned with hatred.
"This brat really is dangerous. We might need to get rid of him," Ye Fan muttered.
"Yeah, he's obsessed with revenge. If we let him go, he'll be trouble later," Pang Bo agreed.
Hearing their whispers, Han Feiyu finally panicked and shouted, "Don't kill me!" His voice was loud, clearly meant for the surrounding crowd.
He then whispered, "Don't kill me. My grand-uncle is an elder of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven. If you kill me, you'll never get away with it..."
Ye Fan and Pang Bo frowned. Things were getting complicated.
"The grudge is set, it can't be undone now."
"Please, don't kill me!" Han Feiyu begged. "This isn't a big deal, I won't come after you again!"
The two exchanged glances. Killing him publicly wasn't an option. Provoking an elder would be suicide.
In the end, Ye Fan dragged him to the lotus pond, holding him upside down by the legs, ready to throw him in.
"You..." Han Feiyu's eyes blazed with fury. If they threw him in headfirst, he'd be humiliated beyond recovery in Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Suddenly, two beams of light descended from a cliff nearby, landing beside the pond. The crowd stepped back instinctively, these were powerful figures, clearly capable of flying with divine energy. Their Seas of Bitterness had likely evolved into divine springs and connected with their Wheels of Life.
"Senior Brother Li Fei, Senior Sister Wang Jing..." Han Feiyu cried out. "Are you on patrol today? They're trying to kill me, arrest them!"
The man and woman looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. They weren't especially handsome or beautiful, but they exuded a serene, immortal aura.
Li Fei glanced at Han Feiyu indifferently and said, "We saw everything. You started it. They're not to blame."
"You..." Han Feiyu was furious, but he didn't dare argue with them.
Wang Jing stepped forward and said to Ye Fan, "He was in the wrong, and he's paid the price. Let's end it here, put him down."
Seeing they weren't protecting Han Feiyu, Ye Fan decided not to push it further. He tossed him onto the edge of the pond.
Han Feiyu stood up, eyes blazing, glaring at Ye Fan and Pang Bo. He also cast a resentful look at Li Fei and Wang Jing, let out a cold snort, and turned to leave.
Li Fei called after him, "Junior Brother Han, I advise you not to act rashly in the future. Pang Bo has officially been recognized by Elder Wu Qingfeng as an Immortal Seed. If you provoke him again, not even your grand-uncle can protect you."
"What?!" Han Feiyu turned in shock. "He... he's an Immortal Seed?!"
"That's right," Li Fei said.
Most disciples didn't understand the significance, but as the grandson of an elder, Han Feiyu knew very well. An Immortal Seed was a sect's future, prized beyond words. Sometimes sects spent ten years searching for just one.
The entire Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven likely had no more than five Immortal Seeds.
"Impossible..." Han Feiyu muttered. "If he's an Immortal Seed, why is he studying at Desolate Spirit Cliff?"
"Elder Wu Qingfeng didn't want him to feel superior to others," Wang Jing explained. "He's already taught him personally and passed down the Dao Scripture."
When he heard that, Han Feiyu's face turned deathly pale. He understood now, it was true.
Li Fei added, "Elder Wu Qingfeng witnessed what happened today. He felt it was time to reveal Pang Bo's identity. I hope you won't act recklessly again."
Han Feiyu's expression was as dark as ever. He turned with a huff and stormed off.
Pang Bo stood in a daze, only realizing what was said as Han Feiyu was walking away. He turned to Li Fei and Wang Jing with a strange look.
"So... I don't have to worry about him anymore?"
Thinking he was afraid, Wang Jing reassured him, "Don't worry. Even if he were the sect lord's grandson, he wouldn't dare touch you now."
"Great, that settles it..." Pang Bo grinned, then took off after Han Feiyu, not out of fear, but clearly intending to beat him up again.
Li Fei and Wang Jing were left speechless, not knowing what to say.
Han Feiyu's face changed dramatically. Feeling utterly humiliated, he stormed off into the crowd and disappeared.