Shrouded Sky

Chapter 273 - The Night To Blame

Cloud Marsh Prefecture, as its name suggests, has springs every hundred steps and rivers every ten miles. Everywhere are great marshes, shrouded in mist.

From afar, a sound tore through the sky.

A purple shadow streaked across like a cloud, vast and heavy, almost like a small mountain.

When it broke through the clouds, it was revealed as a massive warship, shining with a metallic purple luster, looking solid and imposing.

“It’s the Demon Race’s Bronze Warship!” Tu Fei’s expression darkened, sensing danger. Such warships were only sent out to annihilate enemies.

“Three of them, a full three warships!” Tu Fei was shocked again.

Three Bronze Warships cut through the clouds, turning into three beams of purple light as they charged forward, exuding immense pressure.

“What level of figure does it take to control such a warship?” Ye Fan asked. Clearly, they were coming for him.

“Hard to say, any Demon Race with a powerful background could own one,” Tu Fei answered.

“No need to guess, it’s them…” Ye Fan looked toward the horizon.

On the first warship stood a man in white robes, ethereal in bearing, it was the young demon cultivator Bai Feng.

“He’s brought many helpers.”

The warship held many demon cultivators, clearly not weak, their demonic aura surging. There were seventy or eighty of them.

A whistle sounded.

The second warship rushed forward. On its bow stood a figure in golden Daoist robes, fluttering in the wind. It was Jin Yu, also accompanied by many followers.

Another whistle.

On the third warship, a green-robed figure, Bitter Bamboo, stood silently, flanked by many cultivators.

The Demon Race’s geniuses Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Bitter Bamboo had all chased him down, clearly targeting Ye Fan.

“What do you mean by this?” Tu Fei shouted. His grandfather was the Seventh Warlord, his identity extraordinary. He feared no Demon Race.

“We mean no harm to Young Master Tu. We only have words for Brother Ye,” Bai Feng transmitted.

Ye Fan remained calm. “What do you want to say?”

“When you left, one of our race’s treasures went missing. We must seize you and take you back,” Bai Feng answered.

“In that case, wouldn’t I also be a suspect?” Tu Fei pressed.

“This has nothing to do with Young Master Tu. We only sense the treasure’s aura on him,” Jin Yu declared, his Daoist robe gleaming.

“What a joke. You claim some treasure was lost, but in truth, you covet the source root of my Motherly Energy,” Ye Fan sneered.

Bitter Bamboo spoke calmly, “You indeed carry the aura of one of our treasures. We will give you justice and take you back to let the elders judge.”

Ye Fan’s heart sank. He thought of the old demons nearing their end of life. He said coldly, “You can’t even name what treasure you’ve lost, yet you dare to slander me?”

“The Grand Dao Astrolabe is on you. You must be taken back today,” Bai Feng shouted.

“You’ve been far too arrogant in our sacred land, destroying Princess Yan’s palace where you lodged, shattering Qin Yao Fairy’s cave dwelling, and before leaving, stealing a treasure. We must capture you,” Jin Yu’s words dripped with menace.

“Enough talking. Seize him!” Bitter Bamboo roared.

The three warships released beams of light, weaving into a vast net that fell toward Ye Fan.

“This is clearly robbery and murder, seeking his Motherly Energy, yet you dress it in righteous words. Aren’t you ashamed?” Tu Fei rebuked.

The net of celestial light descended, but Ye Fan turned into a phantom and slipped out at the last instant, avoiding capture.

“Why not just take these warships for ourselves?” the Black Emperor growled. He held flags engraved with profound Dao Runes, the same ones he once used to trap old demons at the Ageless Chamber.

“Hurry, go!” Ye Fan transmitted. “It’s very likely those old demons nearing their end sent them!”

From Bitter Bamboo’s words, he had caught a hint, they wanted to bring him back to the elders. That was not good news.

Whoosh.

The black dog showed no loyalty, immediately steering the jade boat and fleeing without looking back, terrified there might be an old demon aboard.

“Big-Mouth Tu, you’d better leave too.”

“What about you?”

“They can’t catch me.” Ye Fan said, then rushed in another direction.

Tu Fei didn’t dare linger. Though his grandfather was the Seventh Warlord, that wasn’t enough to deter the entire Northern Region. If a Supreme Giant appeared, he might be silenced right here.

Clearly, Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Bitter Bamboo didn’t want conflict with Tu Fei, nor did they chase the black dog. They focused entirely on Ye Fan.

“Ye Fan, you can’t escape. Even if your footwork rivals the speed of a god beast, you can’t outpace Bronze Warships.” Bai Feng’s killing intent was unmasked.

Jin Yu and Bitter Bamboo also urged their ships forward, the three massive vessels cutting through clouds and mist, tightly locking onto Ye Fan.

Ye Fan’s speed was unmatched among Dao Palace cultivators, yet he could not shake the warships. The distance remained fixed.

“You’ve gone to great lengths just to rob and kill me, sending so many men,” Ye Fan mocked.

“Remember, this is not to seize your Motherly Energy. You stole our treasure, so we must act,” Bai Feng insisted.

“Why keep up this pretense? With no outsiders around, you still wear masks. Isn’t it tiring?” Ye Fan sneered.

Jin Yu’s voice was cold, “Think what you will. Today you will be taken back.”

“Mark my words, today you try to kill me for my treasure, one day I’ll return the favor,” Ye Fan said icily.

“What future do you have? You’ll never step beyond the Dao Palace realm. And today, do you think you can escape?” Bitter Bamboo said indifferently.

Ye Fan didn’t waste more words. He summoned his cauldron, shrinking it to a meter high, floating above his head, releasing strands of motherly energies to shield him.

As he fled, he noticed no trace of the old demons’ auras. Relief filled him; things weren’t as dire as feared.

Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Bitter Bamboo stared, shaken at the sight of the Motherly Energy. This was indeed what they were after.

“You stole our treasure, now you’ll die. That cauldron, we’ll keep it safe for you,” Bai Feng said.

“You hypocrite, even now you spout such righteous words!” Ye Fan mocked.

Jin Yu was far more direct, eyes cold. “I don’t waste words on the dead. Hand over your cauldron!”

He spat a beam of golden light, splitting the sky like lightning.

Ye Fan dodged aside. He didn’t dare clash head-on, Jin Yu was at the fifth stage of Dao Palace, three stages above him.

Quietly, Ye Fan activated the Nine Secrets, not to fight, but to increase his speed tenfold.

“Leviathan Monarch was arrogant enough to insist on fighting you as an equal. How laughable,” Bitter Bamboo sneered in secret voice. “We are not so foolish. You are a waste body, we’ll kill you outright.”

“That proves you can never compare to the Leviathan Monarch. You can only stoop to this shameless ambush,” Ye Fan retorted.

As he spoke, the “All” secret took effect. His speed surged tenfold, and a thought struck him.

The three warships flew side by side, very close together. If he destroyed one, the others would also be harmed. He wheeled around suddenly, summoning the Departing Fire God Furnace. Its lid opened, releasing black flames.

His speed was terrifying now, enough to shock any Dao Palace cultivator, even warships struggling to keep up.

Bai Feng, Jin Yu, Bitter Bamboo, and their men all struck together, trying to crush him. But his speed was too great, he slipped past and unleashed the furnace. Black fire poured out in torrents.

The men on deck could retreat, but the warships could not change course instantly. The middle ship was engulfed.

The flames from Sunfall Ridge were searing, capable of melting treasures. Only the Demon Emperor’s Ninth Slash had ever snuffed them out.

Boom.

The middle warship shattered at once. Such a massive artifact, when destroyed, released catastrophic energy.

Blinding light and waves of force swept the sky.

Bang, bang.

The other two warships were heavily damaged, their hulls pierced with holes, nearly falling apart, unable to keep flying.

Ye Fan hadn’t expected such devastation. It was a reckless strike, yet all three warships were destroyed.

Most importantly, the middle ship’s seventy-odd demon cultivators were annihilated. Only Bai Feng escaped, but gravely wounded, coughing blood.

The other two ships’ crews suffered casualties. Bitter Bamboo’s arm was broken, his calmness shattered.

Of the three geniuses, only Jin Yu remained unhurt. He led nearly a hundred surviving soldiers to attack Ye Fan.

Bai Feng, seething, shouted, “Surround him, don’t let him escape!”

Bitter Bamboo’s face was grim. Just moments ago, he had said killing Ye Fan would be easy. Now he had lost an arm.

Losing three precious warships enraged the demons. They roared, charging at Ye Fan.

Protected by the cauldron, Ye Fan broke through their encirclement. He wouldn’t stop to fight, the furnace’s flames had run dry.

“Hahaha!” Ye Fan laughed. “You wanted to kill me, but instead you lost three warships and broke your own bones. Pathetic!”

The three geniuses, leading so many, had ended up humiliated by one strike.

Silent, grim, Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Bitter Bamboo chased him, but without warships, they couldn’t catch up.

“Ye Fan, do you dare fight us?”

“You even dare say such things? That’s like me asking if you dare smash your heads against a rock!” Ye Fan taunted mercilessly. The three nearly tore themselves apart in fury, but they couldn’t close the distance.

Ye Fan would not stop. Cloud Marsh Prefecture was dangerous. The Azure Flood Dragon Monarch’s domain was not far, if an old demon appeared, there would be no hope.

He could not delay. He had to escape Cloud Marsh quickly.

“Thanks for escorting me, but here’s where we part. Next time, bring bigger warships, I enjoy watching fireworks.”

The three geniuses’ faces darkened, but they could only watch Ye Fan vanish.

Six days later, Ye Fan entered Beautiful City. As its name implied, it was beautiful, unlike the barren North.

Beautiful City lay not far from the Celestial City. At full speed, half a month’s journey.

This oasis stretched five or six thousand miles. At its center stood Beautiful City, famed for its beauty throughout the North, full of gardens and wonders.

Upon entering, Ye Fan suddenly froze.

He saw a familiar figure, Ji Ziyue.