Ye Fan felt no sympathy for Han Feiyu. He didn't know how many slaps he had landed, his hands were starting to go sore. Finally, he threw Han Feiyu to the ground, stood up, and walked toward the others. Screams of pain erupted all around.
"Ye Fan, stop! You'll kill someone!" Zhang Wenchang was visibly anxious.
"Don't worry. Their lives are tough enough to handle it."
After another fifteen minutes, everything finally quieted down. Everyone had passed out.
Ye Fan glanced at the aged and disheartened man inside the tavern, then looked out at the nearby inns before finally stopping. In a low voice, he asked, "That old man in the tavern…"
"Everyone running a tavern here is someone like me, no talent, wasted half a life, and with nothing to show for it even in old age… but still unwilling to leave," Zhang Wenchang sighed.
Ye Fan nodded, then asked softly, "Tell me about those people. Let's see if I can permanently take care of your troubles."
"You… you don't have to do that. Really, it's not necessary!" Zhang Wenchang shook his head in shock.
Looking at his honest and mild-mannered old classmate, Ye Fan sighed and gently patted his shoulder. "I won't go overboard. Just tell me clearly, how else can I clean this up?"
After carefully listening, Ye Fan sneered. "So what if he has a sister in the Life Spring Realm? That gives him the right to act like a tyrant and bully his peers?"
Zhang Wenchang sighed again. "Where there is light, there is shadow. Where there is white, there is black. It's the same everywhere. There are good people and bad people, all mixed together. Even if you can't stand it, sometimes you just have to endure."
Ye Fan's expression turned cold. "I'll take care of all of them, and then take out Chen Feng's sister. Watching you being humiliated like that, it's unbearable."
Zhang Wenchang was both moved and terrified by his words. He quickly tried to stop him and glanced nervously behind. "Please don't stir up trouble. You don't understand cultivation. You're only this strong because you ate that sacred fruit and your physique exceeds the norm. But you have no idea how terrifying Life Spring cultivators really are…"
Ye Fan smiled. "Don't worry. I won't stir up trouble here."
Zhang Wenchang's face suddenly shifted. "You need to leave right now! If they wake up and bring that woman, we're both in serious trouble. Even Yiyi wouldn't be able to stop it if she came out of seclusion."
"If I leave like this, won't they just take it out on you?"
"It's fine. They won't dare kill me. Killing a fellow sect member without cause is punishable by death. Don't worry about me, just go!"
At that moment, Ye Fan sensed that Han Feiyu and Chen Feng were regaining consciousness. He suddenly shouted, "Alright, since that's the case, I'll escape right now!"
As he spoke, he stomped heavily on their faces a few times. The two on the ground endured the pain silently, pretending to still be unconscious. They were waiting for Ye Fan to leave so they could summon someone to intercept him.
"Hurry and go," Zhang Wenchang said anxiously. "There's a river outside the mountain gate. I remember you're a strong swimmer. Once you're out, dive in and stay underwater. That woman can fly, she'll spot you in no time otherwise."
"Got it," Ye Fan said loudly and turned to leave, with Zhang Wenchang walking behind to see him off.
As soon as the two left, Chen Feng sat up and growled, "You think you can just leave? I'll grind your bones to dust!"
At the same time, Han Feiyu, clutching his broken chest, rose unsteadily, blood on his lips, eyes full of killing intent. "Brother Chen, go get your sister to hunt him down. We must skin him alive!"
Ye Fan reached the mountain gate and looked back at Zhang Wenchang. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. Go back now."
"Go quickly, and stay safe!" Zhang Wenchang urged, face filled with anxiety.
"Alright. Goodbye!" Ye Fan turned and walked away quickly.
The river in front of Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven's mountain gate was wide and fast-flowing. Ye Fan followed it downstream, walking slowly instead of fleeing. He was waiting for his pursuers.
Right now, his greatest confidence lay in his speed. When he pushed himself to full flight, his golden Bitter Sea would surge with waves, thunder and lightning roaring alongside him, his body consumed in gold light and electricity, moving faster than the eye could follow.
"Even if I can't beat them, I can still escape…"
Barely half a quarter hour later, he heard a rush of wind from upstream. Several figures streaked through the sky on rainbows of light.
"You think you can get away that easily?!" a blue-clad woman shouted. Her robe fluttered as she landed in front of Ye Fan, blocking his path.
Three others arrived behind him, sealing off his escape route. They surrounded him, two men and two women, all in their twenties. All were Life Spring cultivators, with cold expressions, clearly not seeing Ye Fan as a person worth sparing.
Ye Fan looked at the beautiful blue-robed woman. "You're Chen Feng's sister?"
"Yes." Her face was icy as she looked at Ye Fan. "So young, yet so vicious. If we let you live, who knows how many people will suffer? Today, we'll rid the world of a menace."
Ye Fan didn't get angry. "That's funny. Who's the vicious one? Who's the real threat? I think you know very well."
Looking down at him, she said, "What? You injure others and still act like you're in the right?"
"You really don't know what your little brother is like? Arrogant, cruel to his peers, and said he'd cripple me. He lost because he was weak, so now he's come crying to you. You're a great sister, exactly the same character as your dear brother."
"You… are looking for death!" She hadn't expected him to speak to her like that, and her face turned ugly.
The three others clearly didn't take Ye Fan seriously. One man said lazily, "Chen Yu, you brought us here for this? It's not even worth the trouble. He's just a mortal. What's the difference between him and an ant? Just kill him and move on."
"Yeah, let's get this over with. No need to waste time."
"I'm heading back. Killing this kind of mortal takes one finger. Why bother?"
They treated Ye Fan like a corpse, not even giving him a proper glance.
"Don't kill him yet, leave him for me!" came a shout from upstream. Chen Feng was running over quickly.
Han Feiyu was also stumbling toward them, clutching his chest, blood on his lips. "Don't let him die easily!"
Ye Fan looked at the four around him, then at Chen Feng and Han Feiyu approaching in the distance. He smiled faintly. "You really think I'm already dead?"
One of the men sneered, "You think you're walking away from this?"
Another woman looked at him with scorn. "You don't even know you're dead. I could spit on you and it would kill you. Crushing you is like stepping on a bug."
"Maybe next life, don't be so reckless. Or you'll die just like today, without even knowing how," mocked another man.
Chen Yu's expression cooled slightly. "Killing him would dirty my hands. Let the Han kid do it instead. That'll keep the sect from gossiping."
Watching Chen Feng and Han Feiyu drawing close, Ye Fan shook his head, sighed, and said, "All lining up to die, huh?"
The moment he finished speaking, Ye Fan struck.
He suddenly lunged at a man just three meters away, his slap swinging out with brutal force.
No one had expected a "mortal" to strike. Ye Fan was as fast as lightning. In a flash, he was in front of the man, and slapped him across the face so hard the sound rang in everyone's ears.
PAH!
The power behind that slap was unimaginable.
The man's skull split open. His eyes were filled with terror and disbelief. He never understood how a mere mortal could be so terrifying. He was slapped to death on the spot.
At the same time, a nearby woman screamed. Ye Fan had summoned the golden book, it burned like a micro-sun of godfire. As it flew past, it cleanly severed her head. Blood sprayed, and her corpse fell.
In just a moment, Ye Fan had killed two Life Spring cultivators.
Chen Yu and the other man jumped back, quickly summoning their weapons to shield themselves.
"What…?" They were frozen in fear, stunned that this handsome young man could be so terrifying, killing two of their peers with ease.
"You know, everything you just said… applies to you too," Ye Fan said, shaking his head. "Dying without even knowing how."
The color drained from Chen Yu and her companion's faces. They said nothing, just took to the air, trying to flee.
In the distance, Chen Feng and Han Feiyu were frozen in shock. They couldn't believe their eyes, two Life Spring cultivators dead in an instant. Terror filled their hearts.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Ye Fan's golden book returned to his body, and in the next instant, a golden cauldron burst out like a lightning bolt.
"Clang! Clang!"
With two crisp metallic sounds, the fleeing man's two magical treasures shattered. The golden cauldron pierced his skull, killing him instantly.
It didn't stop there. The golden cauldron flew after Chen Yu, smashing three more of her treasures into dust.
"No!" she screamed, unleashing blinding flames and streaks of lightning from her hands. The sky lit up.
But nothing could stop the cauldron. Glowing brilliantly, it pierced her forehead clean through, leaving a thumb-sized hole. Her body fell from the sky.
The cauldron glowed radiantly as it returned to Ye Fan, exuding an aura of the Grand Dao.
"I look forward to the day this artifact breaks all rules."
With a flash of light, the cauldron re-entered Ye Fan's body and vanished.
"My golden Bitter Sea is unlike any other. The godpower it holds is over a hundred times greater than normal. It didn't let me down…" Ye Fan wasn't especially moved. From the start, he knew he could kill all four of them easily.
Not far away, Chen Feng and Han Feiyu turned and fled in terror, legs trembling.
"No use running," Ye Fan said as he closed the distance in a few steps. He pressed his hand forward, Chen Feng was instantly killed, crumpling to the ground.
"Don't kill me! I'm, " Han Feiyu cried in panic.
"I don't care who you are. Even your great-uncle couldn't escape."
"What? You, " Han Feiyu's face went deathly pale. "No!"
"Elder Han is waiting for you down below," Ye Fan said coldly. With a single finger, he ended Han Feiyu's life.
After cleaning up the scene, Ye Fan had just stood up when the sound of rushing air came from the sky. An elderly man with white hair and youthful features, exuding a sage-like aura, descended rapidly with Zhang Wenchang.
"Thank heavens, you're safe!" Zhang Wenchang ran over, thrilled. "I brought Elder Ma Yun. He'll help you leave."
Ye Fan smiled, touched. "Don't worry. I'm tough to kill."
"You…" Ma Yun's face darkened. He caught the scent of blood and stared at Ye Fan. "You killed them all?!"
"They tried to kill me. I had no choice," Ye Fan answered calmly.
This old man wasn't a stranger, he was the one who had brought Liu Yiyi and Zhang Wenchang to Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven three years ago, and the first to recognize Ye Fan's ancient divine body.
"You…" Though Ma Yun looked like an immortal sage, his expression now carried a trace of killing intent.
"I've always respected you, Elder Ma. Since our first meeting, I believed you were a kind elder. Please don't let me down. Right and wrong, you know it." As he spoke, Ye Fan slowly rose into the air, golden godfire blazing around him like a god. "And with my speed, you can't stop me."
"You… you can cultivate?!" Ma Yun was shocked. "You have the Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique, you weren't supposed to be able to cultivate. But now you've reached the Life Spring Realm. Did the sacred fruit in Forbidden Ancient really have this effect? That speed… it's terrifying."
"Just got lucky."
"Would you consider joining Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven?" Ma Yun asked hopefully.
"I appreciate the offer. But I'm too used to my freedom, not suited for sect life."
Ma Yun looked deeply regretful. "Back then, we made a mistake… and turned you away."
"What will you do about today?" Ye Fan asked evenly.
Zhang Wenchang stood stunned below, unable to believe the radiant golden figure before him was the same old classmate.
"I know what kind of people they were," Ma Yun said after a long silence. "Go."
"Thank you, Elder," Ye Fan said. "But I'd like to take Wenchang with me."
"You're worried about him?" Ma Yun shook his head. "I brought Wenchang and Yiyi here. I didn't care for them enough. From today onward, I'll take Wenchang as my disciple. No one will dare humiliate him again."
"Then I'm at ease. Thank you, Elder Ma."
Below, Zhang Wenchang felt like he was dreaming.
"Please don't speak of me to others."
Ma Yun nodded. "I understand."
Ye Fan landed, approached Zhang Wenchang, and said, "Farewell. I'll come visit again."
Even after Ye Fan disappeared, Zhang Wenchang stood silently, staring after him.
"You may be quiet," Ma Yun said, walking over and patting his shoulder, "but you're kind. Being good-hearted… that's a blessing." Then he looked into the distance, lost in thought.
Two days later, Ye Fan heard that the Ancient Desolate Jiang Clan and the Radiant Light Sacred Ground were preparing to enter the Forbidden Ancient Realm. He immediately set out to follow.
The terrifying forbidden zone was located at the heart of the State of Yan. People could approach from all directions, but because Jiang and Radiant Light had already chosen their route, most cultivators converged there.
Several days had passed. The Jiang and Radiant Light elites were stationed in a town outside the mountains, still making no move, so other cultivators lingered nearby, waiting.
Ye Fan had originally planned to go in alone, but after learning more, cold sweat broke out on his back. He decided to trail behind the Jiang and Radiant Light forces instead.
"Let them face the dangers first. I'll slip in behind them." The divine herbs were too tempting. No matter the danger, he had to obtain one. His greatest advantage was having eaten a sacred fruit that made him immune to the land's curses.
Outside the mountains, more and more strangers arrived each day. Cultivators from all over the Eastern Wilderness were gathering.
Ye Fan roamed the area for several days, gathering valuable intel.
Long ago, a sacred sect had tried to invade the Forbidden Ancient Realm, but they were completely wiped out. Since then, it became even more fearsome. It suppressed all magical powers and could reduce even the strongest to mortals.
"For me… this might be an opportunity." Rather than fear, godlight blazed in Ye Fan's eyes.
Another half-month passed, yet Jiang and Radiant Light still hadn't moved, as if waiting for something.
Then, one day, Ye Fan spotted Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Lin Jia, and Li Xiaoman entering the town under heavy protection from Jiang and Radiant Light.
Ye Fan frowned. He realized both sects must've learned that these four had previously entered the Forbidden Land. They likely wanted to extract information or even bring them along.
"Dead… dead… everyone's dead…" an old, white-haired madman cried and laughed outside the mountains, repeating those words over and over.
Ye Fan approached him. "Old man, what are you saying?"
"Dead… dead… everyone who enters dies. I saw rivers of blood, mountains of corpses…" the madman wept and laughed like a lunatic.
"You…" Ye Fan stared at him in doubt.
"Turn back now, or you'll die too…" the madman said. "Bones everywhere, blood and death… it has returned…"
Ye Fan was totally confused.
Just then, a silent old crone appeared nearby, staring at the madman in a daze. "Could it be him? Six thousand years ago, wasn't every expert of that great sect wiped out in the Forbidden Ancient? How is he here again…"
Hearing this, Ye Fan felt his head spin.
"Bones everywhere, mountains of corpses… it has returned…" the madman repeated, pacing back and forth outside the mountains.