Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 316 - Northern Region In Uproar

Ye Fan’s blood churned violently, his ears rang, and his vision blurred. He nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Yang Yi was a true powerhouse of the first heaven of the Four Pillars Realm, far stronger than Xu Yuan’s subordinates. With the Diamond Bracelet in his control, he was almost unstoppable.

After hundreds of attempts, Ye Fan finally once more activated one of the Nine Secrets. Against a weapon interwoven with Dao and Principle, even a major figure of the Four Pillars Realm might not escape intact. He had no choice but to push himself to the limit.

Clang! Clang!

Once the secret activated, Ye Fan removed his cauldron, held it in his left hand to strike upward, while his right hand swung the God-Striking Whip. The two divine weapons clashed violently against the Diamond Bracelet.

With his battle power multiplied tenfold, he finally managed to withstand the terrifying treasure. The sky trembled as though about to explode, the deafening noise like the sacred bells of an ancient heavenly court.

The scarlet earth shook beneath them, ravaged beyond recognition, while vast godpower swept in every direction like a raging ocean.

For dozens of exchanges they clashed, shaking heaven and earth. By the time the Nine Secrets’ effect waned, Yang Yi’s face was pale as paper, completely drained of color.

Buzz!

The void shuddered. The Diamond Bracelet halted in midair, silver light blazing. Its circular form transformed into a black hole, devouring everything.

It resembled a true black hole in the endless cosmos, consuming heaven and earth. Gigantic rocks and endless sand surged upward as though rivers reversed course into the sky.

Anything that neared it was instantly pulverized into ash. Nothing could remain intact.

Ye Fan’s expression changed drastically. He hadn’t expected the bangle to be so terrifying, capable of being wielded in such a way.

“A weapon interwoven with heaven and earth’s runes… far too frightening, its power unimaginable!”

He took out the five-colored feather fan he had seized earlier and shook it forcefully. The treasure, capable of shattering mountains, whipped up a gale of divine wind in five colors that rushed forward.

Rumble!

But even such a treasure was useless. The Diamond Bracelet, now the size of a millstone, manifested a black hole of equal size with unparalleled devouring force.

The roar grew louder as Ye Fan felt a tremendous force dragging him toward the black hole.

“Damn it, your grandmaster really treats me like some Saint-level threat…”

He cursed, then hurled the five-colored feather fan straight ahead while enlarging his cauldron, preparing to smash into the black hole.

Crack!

An astonishing thing occurred. Ye Fan knew well the power of the feather fan, having tested it personally. Yet here, it shattered instantly, destroyed in the black hole with a flash of colored light.

Yes, he hadn’t even bought a moment’s resistance. The fan was reduced to ash in an instant, leaving Ye Fan’s heart pounding.

“You should know, my grandmaster was a contemporary of our Sacred Lord. This treasure interwove heaven and earth’s runes over eight hundred years ago. To die beneath this bangle is no injustice to you!”

Yang Yi’s face grew even paler, bloodless. He had consumed far too much godpower. Though the Diamond Bracelet was formidable, it wasn’t something he could wield freely.

Ye Fan remained silent. He triggered the Nine Secrets once more, enlarging his cauldron to over nine meters tall, and smashed it upward.

But the black hole manifested by the Diamond Bracelet contained unimaginable power. It shrank the cauldron, trying to swallow it whole.

Ye Fan was shocked and hurriedly urged his strength to resist. The Motherly Energy Cauldron was a supreme artifact, but without heaven-and-earth runes engraved within, it couldn’t display divine arts, only its indestructible sturdiness.

Clang!

Under his full effort, when the cauldron shrank to just over three meters tall, it finally struck the Diamond Bracelet. The heavens quaked. Yang Yi could endure no longer, vomiting blood, his face deathly pale.

Clang!

Ye Fan swung the cauldron again, slamming it into the Diamond Bracelet, which shook violently.

Yang Yi staggered under the backlash, nearly falling from the sky. Ye Fan seized the chance, dodged the black hole, and whipped the edge of the bangle with the God-Striking Whip.

Buzz!

The void trembled. The Diamond Bracelet shrank to palm-size, spinning rapidly in midair, silver light flashing, the black hole vanishing.

With Yang Yi’s godpower exhausted, he could no longer sustain it, and the black hole disappeared. Ye Fan urged the great cauldron, the Origin Energy cascading down, and with a swish, he drew the Diamond Bracelet into it.

He wanted no more of facing this terrifying weapon. Interwoven with Dao and Principle, its might was too dreadful, even he had felt horror.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Despite his waning power, Yang Yi still strove to activate the bangle. It struck violently inside the cauldron, making it hum and shake with each collision.

Ye Fan endured, charged with the God-Striking Whip, and swung for Yang Yi’s head.

Blazing light erupted. Yang Yi sacrificed seven or eight treasures, but how could such things withstand the God-Striking Whip?

Crash! Crack!

One after another, his treasures shattered. Shards of radiant artifacts rained down like a meteor shower across the night sky.

Yang Yi’s spirit was wounded, clutching his head in agony. Ye Fan’s God-Striking Whip came down hard.

Smash!

His skull exploded. White brain matter and red blood splattered as his corpse plummeted.

At last, all was silent.

Stars dotted the sky, moonlight flowed like water, while the scarred land below bore the devastation of battle.

Ye Fan landed, exhaling heavily.

The battle was finally over. The Diamond Bracelet’s power had exceeded imagination.

Yet the harvest was enormous.

Now, for close combat he had the God-Striking Whip, and for ranged attacks, the Diamond Bracelet. Together, they raised his combat power another level.

Under the bright moonlight, the Diamond Bracelet gleamed, its silver body adorned with natural Dao runes, as if heaven-crafted.

Cautiously, Ye Fan used the cauldron’s energy to suppress it, then extended his divine sense within. He suspected that a treasure of this level, even if lent to Yang Yi, would surely bear a hidden imprint.

Indeed, as his sense penetrated the bangle’s deepest point, a dangerous aura rushed out.

Swish!

He pulled back swiftly, as a wisp of divine thought chased after him. A phantom appeared in the void, lunging at him.

Crack!

Ye Fan swung the God-Striking Whip three times, reducing the phantom to dust.

He then probed again. Inside, the bangle was spotless and pure, dazzling like a starry sky.

“So a weapon interwoven with Dao and Principle is like this from the inside…”

At last, Ye Fan was reassured. The Diamond Bracelet now completely belonged to him.

This battle also served as a warning. Even with the God-Striking Whip in hand, not all weapons could be smashed. One might still be helpless before another’s divine imprint.

Bathed in starlight, Ye Fan carved his sixth “Ye” character, shouldered the God-Striking Whip, and walked alone into the scarlet earth until he disappeared.

Three days later, news spread in Tranquil. Two disciples personally trained by Radiant Light’s reclusive ancestor had died tragically, leaving only severed heads. Their bodies had turned to ash.

Beside each head, a single “Ye” character was carved, bold, forceful, brimming with killing intent and provocation.

The message spread quickly: Ye Fan had slain Radiant Light disciples in Tranquil.

One day later, the news came. Ye Fan had battled Qin Tai of Radiant Light and used the Diamond Bracelet to reduce him to ashes.

The news shook all the oases. Older cultivators especially knew. The Diamond Bracelet was the personal weapon of a Radiant Light ancestor.

“What happened? How did Radiant Light’s supreme treasure fall into Ye Fan’s hands and get used to kill their own disciple?”

“You don’t know? Radiant Light’s hidden elder lineage was competing with the orthodox lineage over the choice of Saint. They dispatched ten disciples to kill Ye Fan…”

In nearby oases, many cultivators whispered among themselves.

“This is blatant provocation. Radiant Light sent ten cultivators to kill Ye Fan, only for some of them to be killed instead.”

“Is Ye Fan really in Tranquil and Boundless? Could someone else be behind this?”

“It must be him. Someone saw with their own eyes that the one who used the Diamond Bracelet to slay Qin Tai was definitely him.”

Yang Yi, Gu Litian, and others had fallen. Though their corpses hadn’t yet been discovered, the confirmed deaths of three already plunged the outside world into turmoil.

That night, under flickering campfires, Ye Fan reunited with Tu Fei and the Black Emperor.

“Too fierce! When Radiant Light learns of this, their faces will turn green…” Tu Fei laughed, then added, “I really hope you can break the curse, step into the Four Pillars Realm, and revive the unmatched glory of the Sacred Physique!”

Ye Fan replied, “I’m looking forward to the Northern Region’s Celestial City. Half a million kilograms of source... Everything depends on the stone materials of the great Sacred Grounds and Ancient Desolate Clans.”

Tu Fei laughed louder. “Only one of their ten is left. Once this news spreads across the Northern Region, Radiant Light won’t know where to hide their shame.”

Two days later, Ye Fan, Tu Fei, and the Black Emperor found the last one in Boundless. Once again, he slew him with the Diamond Bracelet. Many witnessed it personally.

Ji Haoyue, Xia Jiuyou, and other young Saints appeared as well. From afar, Ye Fan saw them but immediately traversed the void with Tu Fei and the Black Emperor, avoiding conflict.

Until he entered the Four Pillars Realm, he would not battle the Saints. He deliberately avoided them.

After resolving matters in Tranquil and Boundless, Ye Fan set out toward the Northern Region’s Celestial City.

“Go find Blackwater. For the past half year, he’s been active in the Celestial City…” Tu Fei told him before departure.

As Ye Fan left, corpses were finally discovered in the scarlet earth. Six “Ye” characters carved into stone shocked all.

Radiant Light was shaken. The Northern Region’s cultivators were shaken.

The reclusive ancestor’s lineage had sent ten disciples to hunt Ye Fan.

The result? All were killed in Tranquil and Boundless.

This was a resounding slap in the face. Radiant Light’s so-called Ten Young Masters had become a laughingstock, slaughtered by Ye Fan alone.

Even their supreme treasure, the Diamond Bracelet, had fallen into Ye Fan’s hands. A disgrace beyond measure.

“One ‘Ye’ character, ten lives.” Radiant Light’s hidden lineage had been annihilated. The uproar left many stunned, scarcely able to believe it.

“They were the ten elites of Radiant Light’s hidden lineage! Even if not as dazzling as the orthodox disciples, they were extraordinary. And Ye Fan slaughtered them all by himself?!”

“This… is unbelievable!”

Though most had only heard the story secondhand, the tale spread like wildfire.

The younger generation of Saints were on guard. They didn’t care about Ye Fan’s current strength. Even if he reached the fifth stage, they didn’t fear him. But what if he broke the curse and entered the Four Pillars Realm?

That possibility sent chills down their spines. Even the likes of Ji Haoyue, the God-King Physique, and Xia Jiuyou, blessed with heaven-defying talent, grew thoughtful.

Still, almost everyone doubted Ye Fan could break the curse. Every previous Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique nurtured by the great holy lands had stopped short at the Dao Palace Realm.

This storm swept across the Northern Region. Ye Fan heard much along the road.

Half a month later, he finally neared the Celestial City.