Shrouded Sky

Chapter 155 - Beheading

Ye Fan knew he had stirred up a colossal disaster, Southern Region was now extremely dangerous for him. The Ji Clan was enormous, with ancient roots, deep heritage, and countless experts. They would never let this go.

This time, he had killed the old steward Ji Ren and even destroyed Ji Hui’s spiritual imprint. Other from resolving the issue, this would only make the Ji Clan’s response more violent.

Escape. That was the only option left. Nothing else.

The Grand Void Art was one of the core essences of the Void Scripture. The Ji Clan would never allow it to leak. Even if the Radiant Light Sacred Lord acquired it, the Ji Clan would still try to retrieve it, let alone a minor cultivator like Ye Fan.

Over the past few days, he had heard much news, shocking headlines that stirred the entire Southern Region.

The battle between the Peacock Monarch and Nangong Zheng had ended. The mountains were scorched and barren. Yet no one knew who won. By the time others arrived, both powerhouses had vanished.

The Radiant Light Sacred Lord and Ji Clan’s Patriarch had joined forces to hunt the Peacock Monarch across the Southern Region, vowing to kill him. This stirred up a massive storm, but for now, there was no trace of him.

The Bronze Immortal Palace flickered in and out of view, sealed by primordial energy, about to sink into the Eastern Wilderness. Yet so far, no unmatched expert had dared enter it, great figures were still making final preparations.

It was rumored that Ji Haoyue, the Ji Clan’s God-King Physique, had been gravely wounded, nearly killed, and was now missing. Many were secretly searching for him.

The Heavenly Jade Sacred Ground, long reduced to dust, had one remaining survivor, an insane old man. He had cocooned himself in Supreme Mystery and fallen into a deep slumber, guarded by many powerful beings. But when he finally emerged, he had mysteriously disappeared. No one knew where he went, which shocked everyone.

The entire Southern Region was rife with undercurrents. All major factions were deploying strong cultivators to investigate something.

Ye Fan smiled bitterly. Right now, the two most dangerous people in the Southern Region were: Ji Haoyue, and himself.

Ji Haoyue’s God-King Physique was nearly complete. He was already a powerhouse. As long as he didn’t encounter the Peacock Monarch, he still had a chance to survive.

But Ye Fan’s sacred physique hadn’t yet matured. If he was discovered, the danger would be immense.

The Southern Region and Eastern Wildernesss were unstable. A monumental event could erupt at any time.

“Ancient Ji Clan, if you want to push me to the brink, don’t blame me for going all out. I’ll spread the Grand Void Art across the world. I don’t believe you’d dare wipe out everyone in the Southern Region!”

Ye Fan’s gaze was cold, ready to die together if it came to that.

Over the past two days, he’d clearly felt that something was off. Ji Clan elders were searching for Ji Haoyue, but even more young experts had been deployed, ruthlessly combing the land, digging through mountains.

That was the worst-case scenario. The Southern Region was vast. Ye Fan didn’t believe they could find him if he hid in a remote mountain.

So he kept sneaking through desolate wilderness, changing locations again and again, fearing the Ji Clan’s pursuit hadn’t truly ended.

The life of a fugitive was exhausting. Constantly on guard, he feared discovery.

On the seventh day, Ye Fan finally stopped. He had no idea where he was, but he entered a deep mountain forest where ancient trees blocked out the sun. He decided to lie low here until the storm passed before fleeing the Southern Region entirely.

The outside world was far too dangerous. For now, he had to disappear.

Ye Fan focused on cultivating, aiming to reach the Other Shore Stage. Above his Bitter Sea, a divine vein stretched across like a crystal rainbow, nearly piercing through to the Oceanic Wheel.

The heavenly vein had formed, and the Celestial Bridge was emerging. Reaching the Other Shore was just a matter of time. All he needed was to accumulate enough energy.

He held a piece of pure Source the size of a fist, radiant and colorful. But he didn’t plan to use it yet, he was saving it for when he tried to break into the Other Shore.

Such a large Source was unimaginably rich in life energy. In the past, it could’ve boosted him by a full realm.

But just as Elder Wu Qingfeng had said: the further one cultivates, the harder progress becomes, everything requires ten times the effort compared to the beginning.

This Source could help him break through. If he refined it at the peak of the Celestial Bridge Stage, he might reach the Other Shore in one leap.

In the days that followed, Ye Fan reviewed all the techniques he’d learned.

The Oceanic Wheel chapter of the Dao Scripture was his foundation, the origin of his cultivation path. It had no secret arts or killing moves, only a method for tapping into hidden potential. Yet it was revered as the most powerful Oceanic Wheel Realm technique for a reason: it focused on solid foundations.

Now, most of the writing on the golden page had faded. Many ancient star-like characters had completely vanished.

Strangely, it seemed to align with Ye Fan’s cultivation level. The faded characters matched the parts he had fully mastered. He suspected that once he reached perfection in the Other Shore realm, the golden page would be completely blank.

Aside from the golden page, he also had three supreme secret arts: one of the Nine Secrets, the Old Lunatic’s footwork, and the Grand Void Art. In their respective domains, nothing surpassed them.

Over these days, Ye Fan kept refining those three secret arts. They were his life-saving trump cards.

The cauldron he had yet to form needed more time and effort. But once it took shape, infused with primordial motherly energy, it would be utterly unstoppable.

Ye Fan didn’t want to name the cauldron. He believed “Cauldron” alone was enough, names like “Black-Gold Cauldron” or “Primal Cauldron” were unnecessary fluff.

He drank plenty of divine spring water and meditated deeply. He gained many insights. The divine vein above his Bitter Sea grew again, he was getting closer to the mysterious Other Shore.

On the ninth day, holding the Bodhi Seed, Ye Fan entered a serene state. His body was like a crystal lamp of divine clarity, pure and luminous. He reached a wondrous realm of consciousness.

At that moment, he became one with the mountains and rocks, with the trees and plants, with the deep forest. His mind was still, and he could hear the breath of the grass and feel the pulse of the mountains.

He had merged with nature. His divine sense emerged from his body like a breeze or a drifting cloud, roaming the deep forest.

If any powerful cultivator had seen this, they would’ve been shocked. At later stages of cultivation, enlightenment was the only way to improve. Treasures and potions couldn’t help anymore.

Though Ye Fan wasn’t very advanced, he was already able to immerse himself in the natural Dao, lingering in this state for a long time. It was extraordinary.

Suddenly, Ye Fan’s heart trembled. In his merged state with all things, his divine sense sensed danger.

In the blink of an eye, he saw Ji Hui, the Ji Clan elder!

His divine sense snapped back. Ye Fan’s eyes opened sharply as he rose from the grass and trees.

“This undead hag… how did she find me?!”

Ye Fan turned into a wisp of smoke, streaking through the forest at full speed.

“This boy’s senses are sharp, how odd…” Ji Hui muttered. She waved her hand and said, “Send the signal. Surround the area. Do not let him escape!”

Ye Fan had prepared for this. He had carved many Dao Runes into the ground, copied from the ancient beast-skin scroll. Though he didn’t fully understand them, they worked. As he rushed out, the encircling pursuers were blocked.

“Mere parlor tricks!” Ji Hui snorted. She raised her hand, and with a thunderous rumble, the mountains shattered and rocks flew. Her godpower erased the Dao Rune region.

Behind her, the sky filled with figures. Countless Ji Clan cultivators had been mobilized to track Ye Fan and retrieve the Grand Void Art.

Ji Hui wasn’t the only powerful elder. Several elders of equal status had come just to capture this so-called “minor cultivator.” The Grand Void Art must not be leaked!

Ye Fan escaped dozens of miles but was horrified to find that, despite his incredible speed, he couldn’t shake off the elders. Their strength was simply overwhelming.

“Boy, today you have no way to heaven or earth. There is no escape,” Ji Hui’s cold voice echoed behind him.

“How did you track me?” Ye Fan was baffled.

“Did you think you could erase my spiritual imprint so easily?” Ji Hui’s face darkened. Being erased by a junior was a deep humiliation. “Even though Ziyue gave you a spirit jade, it wasn’t perfect. And you had the nerve to steal my Allheaven Net!”

Ye Fan sighed. He had refined the net repeatedly, wiping all marks. Its silk threads were now pristine and free of spiritual energy, yet they still found him.

Ancient clans were indeed unfathomable. They couldn’t be judged by normal logic.

Ye Fan streaked across mountains like lightning, but Ji Hui and three other elders gradually closed the gap.

He was truly at a dead end. No path forward. Ye Fan decided to gamble everything, he broke free from the mountains and flew toward a densely populated area.

This was the capital of a powerful Southern Region nation. The city had over a million people. It was vast and prosperous, full of people.

Ye Fan flew over the capital and stopped. Turning to face his pursuers, he transmitted a message with divine sense:

“Take one more step, and I’ll broadcast the Grand Void Art across this city. Let every one of the million people learn it. Then I’ll go to the next city and announce it again. I’ll make sure the world knows, let’s see if you dare slaughter all of Southern Region!”

Ji Hui’s expression changed. The other three elders froze. If the Grand Void Art became public knowledge, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“You want secrecy? I’ll make it common knowledge. If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well benefit the world’s cultivators.”

Ji Hui’s face was dark as water. The three other elders were furious, ready to explode. This youth was too troublesome, if only they could crush him with one blow!

Ye Fan glared coldly, then shouted: “Get lost! Get the hell out of here, now!”

The Ji Clan had never been humiliated like this. A mere junior dared speak to them this way! Ji Hui’s face was ashen, veins bulging on her forehead, but she endured it.

Just then, more Ji Clan cultivators arrived, most of them young. The sky was packed with shadows.

“You too! All of you, get the hell out!” Ye Fan’s voice thundered across the city. Furious at being hunted, he had no more reservations. They had already torn off all pretense.

If he couldn’t survive, he’d burn everything down with him.

His voice echoed like thunder. The entire city heard it. Many cultivators below were stunned.

“Aren’t those Ji Clan experts? Someone’s actually speaking to them like that? He’s incredible, just like the Peacock Monarch!”

“Who is that guy?! Daring to yell at Ji Clan elders, no one’s even approaching him! He must be a great figure!”

Ye Fan had been unknown in this region, but from this day on, his name would be known across the Southern Region.

To challenge the authority of an Ancient Clan, facing down the Ji Clan’s experts alone, was truly shocking.

“Didn’t you hear me? Get lost now! Or suffer the consequences. You know what will happen!”

Once a person had no fear of death, nothing could threaten them. Nothing mattered anymore.

The Ji elders' faces twitched, black mist swirling around them, their eyes terrifying.

No one had ever dared treat Ji Clan cultivators this way.

“Kill him!”

“Why are the ancestors stopping us?!”

The younger generation was enraged. Everywhere they went, they were worshipped. Now they were being shamed by a single youth, it was unbearable.

Ye Fan had finally made a name for himself, but in a way that made him a public enemy of all Ji juniors.

“Ye Fan…” Ji Hui finally spoke slowly, trying to stay calm. “Do you understand what you’re doing?”

“You damn hag, shut your mouth. I’ve got nothing to say to you. Mention my name again, and there’s no turning back!”

Ye Fan had gone all in. If he couldn’t scare them off now, he had no chance of survival.

Ji Hui’s chest heaved violently, veins on her neck pulsing like vines, twitching in fury.

She couldn’t remember the last time anyone dared treat her like this. Even with all her power and years, she couldn’t swallow this humiliation.

“Elder! Why are you waiting? Kill him!”

“Let us go and finish him!”

The Ji juniors were all enraged, murderous intent soaring.

“This is my last warning. Leave, now. You’ve got ten seconds!”

Ye Fan swept his gaze forward.

Some of the Ji Clan’s youngsters howled in fury.

Below, the entire city’s cultivators were stunned.

Clearly, Ye Fan was now famous across the Southern Region, and would become the sworn enemy of the ancient families' youth.

“Hahahaha, ”

At that moment, someone burst out laughing.

A figure appeared in an instant, so fast it was as if he had always been hovering above the city.

It was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, extraordinarily handsome, with soft hair and clear eyes. His presence was fresh and pure, like snow among blossoms. It was the Peacock Monarch.

“Well said. Ji Clan, did you hear him? Why haven’t you left yet?”

The Peacock Monarch stood at the pinnacle of the Southern Region. His power was unmatched.

His appearance changed everything. Many people trembled, he had once shattered a Ji elder with a single shout!

The Peacock Monarch walked over, patted Ye Fan’s shoulder. He looked as serene as a lotus flower, without the slightest aura of dominance.

Everyone was stunned.

What’s Ye Fan’s relationship with the Peacock Monarch? Does he have a powerful background?!