Shrouded Sky

Chapter 114 - Ten Disciples

“You dare come alone to kill me? Such boldness!” Han Yishui's forehead bulged with veins. The opponent had killed all ten of his disciples and dared return alone to take his life, such decisiveness and composure were extremely rare, causing great turmoil in his heart.

“You sent ten disciples after me, determined to eliminate me. With blades drawn against me, how could I remain silent? I came to kill you myself!” Ye Fan was cloaked in golden light, radiant with divine brilliance, like a golden war god in armor. His presence was overwhelming.

“You think you can kill me and leave Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven alive?” Han Yishui's voice was ice-cold.

“Killing you isn’t difficult. Once it’s done, I’ll brush off my robes and go. No one will even stir,” Ye Fan said calmly.

Han Yishui was both enraged and shaken. This wasn’t just confidence, it was outright disdain. He growled, “Such a terrifying child… if allowed to grow, who in this world could suppress you? Today, I will do the unthinkable and crush you in the cradle.”

Ye Fan chuckled lightly. “Crush me? Don’t kid yourself, old geezer. You’re just trying to buy time. But you won’t get the chance, you’re doomed to die today.”

Han Yishui’s expression changed dramatically. Faced with Ye Fan’s calm and lethal demeanor, he suddenly turned and fled, trying to escape.

“Han Yishui, I’m disappointed in you...” Ye Fan turned into a beam of golden light and overtook him instantly, blocking his path.

Han Yishui never imagined that this seemingly fourteen-year-old boy, still showing a trace of youthful innocence, could be so terrifying, and so much faster than him.

“The Supreme Elders will arrive soon. You have no chance left!” Han Yishui revealed a murderous glint, trying to pressure Ye Fan psychologically.

Ye Fan smiled brightly, like a cheerful youth. “Han Yishui, first you tried to stall, then you secretly transmitted sound… Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

“So what if you noticed?”

“I came prepared. The moment I entered the valley, I carved numerous Dao Runes. From the outside, everything seems calm and normal, you wasted your effort.”

“You… at your age, how could you understand the arrangement of Dao Runes? I don’t believe it,” Han Yishui said, his expression dark and uncertain.

“I should thank your vicious little brother. Not only did he give me all the spirit herbs he had painstakingly collected, but he also left behind two scrolls explaining beast hide inscriptions. I couldn’t fully comprehend them, but copying the structure was easy enough.”

“My brother… he’s been missing for over three years. Did you kill him?” Han Yishui's eyebrows shot up, his eyes flashing fiercely.

“He tried to use me to make pills. Unfortunately for him, he ended up becoming part of the recipe. Today, you two brothers can reunite.”

“You little brat, you think you can provoke me with that? Don’t think you’ll get the chance.”

Ye Fan’s smile faded. “Time to send you on your way.” He launched a punch that caused the air to tremble and the surrounding energy to be sucked away. His golden fist came down like a mountain, bringing overwhelming pressure.

Zing!

Han Yishui immediately summoned a silver staff, which rapidly expanded, glowing with radiant silver light like a silver dragon. It struck toward Ye Fan’s head.

Clang!

Ye Fan’s golden fist smashed into the staff. With a crisp crack, the silver light shattered, and the ruler dulled, then fragmented completely.

Han Yishui’s pupils contracted. He couldn’t believe his eyes. This youth had crushed a powerful weapon barehanded. That wasn’t a fist, it was god-metal!

Ye Fan rushed forward like a storm. Golden flames surged like a tide, his fist growing larger and more domineering, shaking the very space.

Han Yishui’s expression changed drastically. He had never imagined a cultivator of this level would fight barehanded against spiritual weapons, and this boy delivered a shocking blow.

Clang!

A jade-green shield materialized in front of him, expanding rapidly to over four meters high. It gleamed with metallic brilliance and looked extremely solid, blocking Han Yishui’s front.

Boom!

Despite its strength, the shield couldn’t withstand Ye Fan. His golden fist struck like a divine hammer, instantly shattering the shield into countless pieces.

The impact was unstoppable. Gold energy roared like a river. Han Yishui was flung away, blood on his lips. He was in disbelief, this was just from the wind of a punch. If he were actually struck, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Retreating rapidly, Han Yishui’s body emitted radiant light. As a weapon refiner, he lacked nothing in terms of weapons. He launched nine pitch-black bone spears, shrouded in sinister mist, like the claws of a demon.

Ye Fan stood unmoved, swinging golden fists with such force that the space twisted. The spears collided with him, producing a series of explosive sounds.

Then something terrifying happened, the black mist was scattered by his fists. The skies cleared. The nine bone spears shattered, turning to dust and drifting away.

Han Yishui was dumbfounded. He couldn’t even speak. This wasn’t a normal cultivator. This body alone was a spirit weapon, nothing in the State of Yan compared to it.

“Any other weapons? Bring them out. Let me test the limits of my body.”

“You…” Han Yishui was both shocked and furious. The boy didn’t even take him seriously, he was being used as a whetstone!

A flash of purple light appeared in Han Yishui’s hand, a large net with purple Eight Trigram symbols flashing within.

Ye Fan’s expression turned serious. He felt a powerful divine force and didn’t dare to be careless. Waves of godpower surged through him.

Boom!

He threw both fists forward, golden fire burning around him. His power was even stronger than before. The golden fists tore through everything, the purple net shattered into light and vanished.

Han Yishui turned pale. He couldn’t believe this fleshly body was this strong, it defied all logic.

“Brat… you truly surprised me...” He now held a gleaming silver gourd in his hand, radiating brilliance. “Perhaps… it’s time to end this.”

The gourd flew into the air, expanding rapidly to the size of a small mountain. Its mouth opened downward, emitting a swirling mist and glowing like a silver mountain.

Ye Fan felt a powerful suction pulling at him, lifting his feet off the ground. The gourd absorbed all surrounding energy and started drawing in physical matter.

“This is a weapon I spent half my life refining. I don’t believe your body can resist it. Once you’re inside, you’ll be pulp. I’ll avenge my disciples!”

“Then try it!” Ye Fan suddenly accelerated, flying straight to the gourd’s mouth. His fist burst with dazzling light.

Crack! Crack!

His golden fist smashed the silver gourd, crumbling it instantly.

Boom!

Ye Fan’s body shimmered like divine steel, his punch igniting with divine fire. He obliterated the gourd completely.

“Impossible!” Han Yishui turned ashen. He couldn’t accept what he was seeing.

“No more time to waste, Han Yishui, your time is up!”

“I’m an elder of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven! If you kill me, you’ll be hunted endlessly. You won’t survive.”

Ye Fan chuckled, mimicking his tone: “And I’m a mere mortal. Yet you sent ten disciples to kill me. Now it’s your turn.”

“You…” Han Yishui’s face changed. He knew he was doomed. This boy was ruthless and would not back down.

“You wanted to kill me. Why would I let such a threat live? Be a good man in your next life.”

Ye Fan charged. Han Yishui frantically summoned seven or eight magical items, but they couldn’t stop Ye Fan’s flesh. His golden fist grew larger in Han’s eyes,

Boom!

Han Yishui’s body exploded, blood spraying through the air. His life came to a brutal end.

Ye Fan landed calmly. His terrifying aura faded. The divine brilliance on his body slowly dimmed, returning to a normal appearance. He searched the valley, but found nothing of real value.

Moments later, he walked out of the valley, smiling innocently, looking harmless as he strolled toward the mountain gate.

Not long after leaving Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven, Ye Fan sensed a terrifying energy wave rushing from behind, definitely from a cultivator beyond the Celestial Bridge Realm.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to challenge someone from the Other Shore Realm or beyond. The gap between major realms was massive, completely insurmountable.

Without hesitation, he fled at top speed.

His golden Bitter Sea surged with waves and lightning. He was engulfed by golden light and thunder, disappearing into the horizon in a flash.

Half a month later, Ye Fan appeared in the State of Wei, five nations away from the State of Yan, over 100,000 miles traveled, and no one pursued him.

Wei was 5,000 miles north to south and 6,000 miles east to west, much larger than Yan, yet still a drop in the vast ocean of the Eastern Wilderness.

When he asked about the location of Jade Pool Sacred Ground, the answer stunned him, it was so far away that even a mortal walking for lifetimes wouldn’t reach it. Even cultivators flying with rainbow light would need several years.

Clutching his head, Ye Fan muttered, “Is this even a planet? How can it be this huge? It defies all logic!”

Flying for years without training would be a huge waste. Ye Fan couldn’t afford that kind of delay.

Upon further inquiry, he learned there was another way: by carving intricate Dao Runes and channeling Heavenly Might, one could open a domain gate and traverse space. Many large sects could do this.

But to cross more than half of the Eastern Wilderness in one jump, only two factions were capable: the Ji Clan (20,000 miles west) and the Radiant Light Sacred Ground (30,000 miles east). Their heritage and power were deep and old, they could pull it off.

Opening a domain gate consumed immense energy, especially over such a distance. These factions wouldn’t open a gate for a Celestial Bridge junior like him. It gave him a headache.

The only good news was, he had time. He wasn’t urgently in need of Dao Palace cultivation techniques yet. So Ye Fan planned to stay in Wei for a while and figure out how to cross the void.

It’s Capital was bustling, crowds, carriages, endless streams of people. Ye Fan settled in the city. Despite the noise, he trained daily, occasionally visiting the mountains for peace.

Every day, Ye Fan thought about how to grow stronger.

His bones were pure white like jade, hard as divine iron. His organs were flawless, like sacred artifacts. His body was crystal-clear, radiant, and incredibly tough, a huge advantage.

Ye Fan pondered how to enhance this even more. The strength of his flesh in Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven had felt wild and primal. If he could combine it with divine arts and weapons, his power would skyrocket.

“I’ve taken two sacred medicines, been reborn twice, my body is already powerful. I can keep refining it…” He thought of the martial arts from his home world, simple techniques he’d practiced.

But basic martial arts weren’t enough to face cultivators.

The noisy Capital contrasted sharply with the tranquility of the mountains. After a month, Ye Fan still hadn’t found a way to cross space, but he had a new realization: Yin-Yang.

“Yin-Yang moves to generate yang; extreme motion leads to stillness, which births yin. Movement and stillness create each other. Yin and yang combine to create all things...”

“Yes, I’ll train in Yin-Yang!”

He wasn referring to ancient understandings of Yin-Yang body cultivation, using historical texts and philosophies to forge a physical discipline.

“Yin-Yang is a manifestation of the Dao. If I master this, it won’t be mere martial arts, it’ll rival any mystical cultivation method.”

Ye Fan had read many ancient texts and understood the principles of Yin-Yang, but turning that into a physical cultivation method would be long and arduous.

“If I succeed, it may rival even the ancient scriptures. After all, it’s a product of ancient Chinese wisdom.”

Ye Fan didn’t intend to abandon this world’s cultivation system, he would continue refining it. It was complete and mature. Strengthening the body was just a way to increase his overall combat power.

It would take time and slow exploration, no shortcuts.