Shrouded Sky

Chapter 180 - All Because of Those Panties!

“Tu Fei, what nonsense are you spouting?” The Radiant Light Saintess, though engaged in battle, moved with the grace of an immortal butterfly, her movements elegant and pure, exuding a delicate beauty.

“Yao Xi, didn’t you lose a piece of clothing, something quite valuable?” Tu Fei stood in the sky, asking with a straight face.

“I don’t know what you’re blabbering about,” Yao Xi replied, unleashing a supreme forbidden technique. In an instant, she sent two elderly attackers flying and summoned out a jade-green bell.

The melodious chime echoed through the heavens, causing the surrounding assailants to clutch their ears in agony, screaming in pain. “You definitely lost something. How exactly did you lose it?” Tu Fei pressed, unrelenting.

Damn you!

Ye Fan turned to flee. He could see it now, this loudmouth Tu Fei was fearless, reckless, and a bit roguish, with a hint of teasing in his tone.

“I’m done with you!” Yao Xi ignored him, focusing on the jade-green bell she had summoned. It grew larger, its ringing shaking the heavens. Though pleasant to the ear, its power was immense. Within a ten-meter radius, all weapons attacking her trembled and then shattered with clear, crisp sounds.

Boom!

Seven or eight weapons broke apart in the bell’s soundwaves, falling from the sky. The sonic waves, sharp as blades, were terrifying.

“Yao Xi, think harder…” Tu Fei, with no regard for decorum, continued, “The thing you lost was woven from divine silkworm silk, impervious to fire and water, indestructible by swords or spears, and refined by you into a precious treasure. Remember now?”

The Radiant Light Saintess’s expression changed instantly. Initially, she thought he was just spouting nonsense, but now she realized he was referring to her panties. She nearly let out a scream.

For over a month, she had used every resource in the Southern Region to search for Ye Fan, practically turning the earth upside down, but she found no trace of him.

Every time she recalled that day, she felt a surge of rage, wanting to tear Ye Fan apart with her own delicate hands.

“Heavens, my immortal eyes!” Tu Fei shouted, his tone filled with mock despair. “I can’t believe what I saw is true. Why did someone else get to it first?”

Yao Xi wanted to slap him. She said coldly, “Utter nonsense!”

“I saw your expression falter, it must be true! That genius in our trade is too incredible. Why wasn’t it me?” Tu Fei sounded genuinely dejected. “Nothing happened between you two, right? You’re one of my targets, you know.”

“Go to hell!” Yao Xi was so angry her teeth itched. The jade bell before her expanded rapidly, reaching ten meter in diameter, its ringing shaking the heavens.

Visible green light rippled outward like waves, sweeping in all directions. The surrounding attackers screamed, unable to withstand the assault. With a frosty expression, her robes fluttering, Yao Xi charged at Tu Fei.

“Trying to silence me?” Tu Fei shouted, then, as if struck by a thought, scanned the surroundings. “Genius brother, where are you? Lend me those panties for a bit!”

Yao Xi’s flawless forehead darkened with anger, her killing intent surging as her powerful divine sense swept the area.

“I’m telling you, genius brother, you’re not playing fair! We in this trade stick together, and you just slipped away without a word?” Tu Fei shouted from the sky.

You loudmouth! Ye Fan had already fled far away but could still hear them. With battles raging everywhere, he was occasionally attacked, making it hard to escape quickly.

“I’ll kill you!” Yao Xi, usually alluring and composed, rarely lost her temper, but Ye Fan seemed to have a strange ability to enrage her. Every time she thought of him, she wanted to scream.

“It’s got nothing to do with me! I didn’t steal those panties, that was the genius brother’s doing. If you’re mad, go find him. It’s got nothing to do with me!” Tu Fei shouted.

The bell’s chimes intensified, and the jade-green bell, wondrous in its power, sent visible sonic waves surging like tides in all directions. Standing atop the massive bell, Yao Xi was breathtakingly radiant, her icy beauty laced with killing intent.

Tu Fei fled, then summoned a clay jar, dull and gray, looking like it had been dug out of a dirt pile, utterly unremarkable.

But this jar was extraordinarily powerful. Its mouth was like a black hole, with immense devouring force, twisting the surrounding sky as if it could swallow anything. Yao Xi’s expression shifted. “The Seventh Warlord Heaven-Slayer passed that to you?”

“Don’t worry, it’s just a replica. My grandfather said if I can capture a Saintess as a wife, he’ll give me the real one.”

Though the jar was old, it was undamaged and terrifyingly powerful, absorbing the green sonic waves and blocking Yao Xi’s attack.

Yao Xi’s face darkened. “This is just a replica, yet it has such power. The real jar must truly be a Paragon Artifact, as the legends say, forged from the flesh and blood of an Ancient Emperor.”

So-called Paragon Artifacts were the pinnacle of weaponry, exceedingly rare in the Eastern Wilderness, countable on one hand throughout history. Only peerless figures who dominated an era, ruling the Eastern Wilderness, could forge them, requiring the combined might of the entire region. Ancient Emperors were few, and such weapons were even fewer.

The holy weapon of the Demon Emperor, the Ji Clan’s ancient mirror, the Radiant Light Sacred Ground’s dragon-rune cauldron, and Heaven-Slayer’s clay jar were all such Paragon Artifacts.

Of course, there was one exception in the Eastern Wilderness, the Desolate Tower, said to not have been forged by human hands.

Paragon Artifacts, crafted by Ancient Emperors or Sage Monarchs, held unparalleled power. When their full might was unleashed, it was unimaginable.

Heaven-Slayer’s status among the Thirteen Warlords was due to his possession of a Paragon Artifact, making him nearly invincible, as no one could breach its defenses.

According to one record, before his death, an Ancient Emperor, nearing the end of his lifespan, used his primordial spirit as fire, his peerless flesh as clay, and legendary materials from the Eastern Wilderness to forge the jar, leaving a Paragon Artifact for his descendants.

With sufficient godpower, this weapon could allow one to roam the Eastern Wilderness unchallenged, standing invincible.

But even the most glorious lineages fade. After the Ancient Emperor’s passing, his lineage dwindled over time. Three hundred years ago, Heaven-Slayer found the jar half-buried in a dried-up riverbed in the Northern Region, covered in dust for countless ages.

Unfortunately, the jar lacked its lid, making it incomplete. Otherwise, Heaven-Slayer could have dominated the Eastern Wilderness with it alone. Even the replica was terrifying, like a bottomless abyss, nearly swallowing the massive jade bell.

Yao Xi was shocked. She knew that if the real jar were here, she would have been obliterated without question.

“Tu Fei, your godpower is lacking. Even with a replica of an Ancient Emperor’s Paragon Artifact, what can you do?” A radiant mark on Yao Xi’s forehead glowed, shooting a beam of divine light forward.

“What? Your divine sense is that strong…” Tu Fei was stunned, unable to dodge.

But the jar saved him, swallowing even the divine light, which vanished instantly. Yao Xi’s expression shifted. The Ancient Emperor had used his primordial spirit as fire and his flesh as clay, so naturally, it could devour divine senses.

“Haha…” Tu Fei laughed, immediately fleeing. His cultivation was inferior to Yao Xi’s, and a prolonged fight would put him at a disadvantage.

“Where do you think you’re going!” Yao Xi wasn’t about to let him escape.

“Genius brother, where are you? Your target’s here!” Tu Fei’s voice boomed across the Mining Zone. Ye Fan cursed inwardly, this loudmouth was bringing him nothing but trouble.

With war cries echoing everywhere and occasional attacks coming his way, Ye Fan struggled to escape. If Yao Xi spotted him, he’d be in deep trouble.

“Genius brother, what are you afraid of? You stole Yao Xi’s panties with such skill, truly a prodigy of our trade! Join me, and together we can take her down. It won’t just be about one panty then!” Tu Fei’s voice blared like a megaphone across the sky.

The Mining Zone fell briefly silent at this shocking revelation, almost unimaginable. Ye Fan wanted to curse him out, this guy’s mouth needed sealing.

But on second thought, Tu Fei might genuinely believe he was a powerhouse, given his unique physique made it hard for others to gauge his cultivation.

“It can’t be true, can it?”

“The pure and flawless Radiant Light Saintess had her panties stolen? Impossible.”

Even amid the battle, cultivators couldn’t help but gossip.

Yao Xi’s silvery laughter rang out across the heavens. “Tu Fei, your sharp tongue won’t change your defeat. Let’s see where you run!”

With just these words, the cultivators dismissed Tu Fei’s claims as nonsense.

“What I said is true! A genius brother really stole Yao Xi’s panties. Come out, brother!” Tu Fei shouted while fleeing, his voice booming. “In our trade, we value loyalty!”

“How long can you keep up this nonsense?” Yao Xi gritted her teeth inwardly, desperate to silence him and find Ye Fan. Her divine sense swept the area, searching meticulously.

Amid the chaos, many bandits attacked Yao Xi, while Radiant Light cultivators targeted Tu Fei, making their shouting all the more noticeable in the fierce melee.

“Genius brother, don’t force me to pull out my trump card!” Tu Fei said while retreating. “You’re just a kid, about fourteen or fifteen, with a youthful face…”

“Fuck!”

Ye Fan couldn’t help but curse. He grabbed a bloodied robe from a corpse, wrapping it around his face to look like he was bandaging a wound. But with so many people around, he was inevitably noticed.

“No way, there really is a kid! I just saw him!”

“Over there!”

Ye Fan used the movement technique of the Old Madman, sprinting away. With the Fourth Warlord, Seventh Warlord, and Peacock Monarch’s fight shaking heaven and earth, the battlefield was a chaotic mess of blades, swords, and blood.

“Genius brother, I finally see you! Don’t run! You’re the one wrapped in the bloody robe. In our trade, we never forget a face. Even if you wore Yao Xi’s holy panties, I’d recognize you!” Tu Fei’s voice thundered like a megaphone, unrelenting.

With a whoosh, many turned to look at Ye Fan, and several Radiant Light disciples gave chase.

Nearby, bandits gave Ye Fan thumbs-ups. “Well done, genius brother! You’re a rare talent in our trade, stealing a Saintess’ panties!”

“Every generation brings new talents, shining for centuries. Our trade shall never fade!” A group of bearded bandits cheered loudly.

“Fuck off, all of you!” Ye Fan knew they were just stirring trouble, hoping to provoke the Radiant Light Sacred Ground. Except for Tu Fei, no one likely believed he had Yao Xi’s panties.

Yao Xi was so angry she nearly crushed her teeth. She had spotted Ye Fan, and recalling that day’s events, she wanted to scream.

A month ago, they had stood face-to-face, her flawless body bared to him with no secrets left. Thinking of it now, her cheeks burned, and her skin felt like it was on fire.

She desperately wanted to rush over and kill Ye Fan, but feared it would “confirm” Tu Fei’s “nonsense.” Instead, she drove Tu Fei toward Ye Fan, preparing to strike if necessary.

“Tu Fei, you bastard, stop framing me!” Ye Fan shouted. He had to use words to deter Yao Xi, or his situation would be dire.

“Fairy Yao Xi, pure and flawless, is renowned by all. How dare you slander her!”

Yao Xi gritted her teeth, wanting to trample Ye Fan underfoot. His words were painfully ironic to her. That day, they had stood naked before each other, his hands brushing her skin, moving recklessly. Thinking of it now gave her goosebumps. And now, he dared to say this, trying to block her path? Utterly infuriating!

But Yao Xi was no ordinary person. Reacting swiftly, she sneered, “Tu Fei slanders me, and you smear me too. You’re all in cahoots. Today, I’ll slay you both!”

She framed it as the two of them acting together, one exposing, the other covering up, scolding them for playing a double act.

“Genius brother, see? Yao Xi wants to kill you too. Come over here, together, we’re unstoppable. We’ll take her down, and it won’t just be about one panty!” Tu Fei’s loudmouth struck again.

The bearded bandits let out strange cheers, egging him on.

Ye Fan cursed inwardly. These jerks were the worst. He shouted, “Tu Fei, you bandit, stop spouting nonsense! Fairy Yao Xi, I’ve long admired you, never harboring any blasphemous thoughts. In my heart, you’re like the moon in the sky, the purest existence in the world!”

Hearing this, Yao Xi wanted to carve him up slowly, but she maintained a radiant smile. “I’m not worthy of such admiration.”

Before she could say more, Ye Fan shouted again, “Tu Fei, you bastard, if you keep framing me, I’ll unleash my treasure and cut you down!”

He emphasized “treasure,” glancing pointedly at Yao Xi, a blatant threat. If she pursued, he’d reveal the panty, and they’d both go down.

Yao Xi, sharp as ever, understood his implication. Clenching her teeth, she hated Ye Fan to the core but smiled brightly. “In that case, why don’t we team up and take down Tu Fei?”

“Sorry, my strength is too low to help,” Ye Fan said, finally reaching the edge of the Mining Zone.

Thanks to the rowdy bandits distracting the Radiant Light cultivators, he hadn’t been caught yet.

“Genius brother, in our trade, we value loyalty…” Tu Fei, seeing Ye Fan only cared about escaping, was indignant. “Just show us those panties already!”

Having reached the battlefield’s edge, Ye Fan had no intention of getting involved.

Ahead, the Peacock Monarch and Radiant Light Sacred Lord clashed cataclysmically, shattering the heavens and dimming the sun and moon. The sky was filled with terrifying waves of energy, like an ocean. The Sacred Lord, surrounded by one-hundred and eight worlds and radiant halos, seemed to embody the Heavenly Dao.

The Peacock Monarch, like a god, moved through the myriad worlds. Though he looked like a graceful youth, his dominance was unmatched.

The Fourth and Seventh Warlords, working together, summoned a clay jar, pinning down the Radiant Light Sacred Ground’s elders, attempting to swallow them all.

“Peacock Monarch, Azure Flood Dragon Monarch, Heaven-Slayer, they’re playing for keeps!” Ye Fan was shocked. These figures were bold enough to strike hard against a mighty sacred ground.

“Genius brother, in our trade…!” Tu Fei’s megaphone voice rang out again.