Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 545: Chapter 549: Leave Without a Trace

The sky blazed incandescent, every inch of space crackling with electric light. The land was scorched black, and an endless purple glow converged into a Thunder Sea!

The Heavenly Tribulation was not over yet; instead, it was becoming increasingly intense, more terrifying, boundless, with no end in sight.

The ground was littered with corpses—or more accurately, humanoid scorch marks. It was unclear how many had perished here, and Ye Fan did not bother to count.

“Ah!,” a harrowing scream echoed, akin to an apocalyptic scene. A half-step sovereign let out a roar but was powerless to change anything. His spiritual treasure shattered, and he fell straight down.

Soon, he turned into ashes in the electric light. Not even bones remained, and all his precious treasures were ground to dust, leaving nothing behind.

Ye Fan, like a grim reaper with the Origin Qi Cauldron above his head and divine radiance bursting from his eyes, walked step by step, mercilessly slaughtering the survivors.

Since he had made his move, he could not afford any misplaced compassion. Death was the destination he granted his foes; there were no other options.

“Ye Fan, I am from the Wind Clan… I had no intention of joining in; I was deceived by them…,” a weak voice came through. The person was barely holding on with a mysterious treasure, yet unable to sustain it.

Wind Stabilizing Pearl!

Ye Fan was surprised. This was a secret treasure of the Wind Clan, something outsiders could not forge. Though named Wind Pearl, it could stabilize earth, fire, wind, and water.

At this moment, the fist-sized Treasure Bead bore many cracks but still emitted a gentle radiance, blocking the electric light and protecting him.

However, occasional thunderbolts still penetrated. He was already gravely injured, nearing complete annihilation of body and spirit.

“Did the Wind Clan send people too?,” Ye Fan asked, his eyes turning cold as he looked down on him.

“No, I just accidentally wandered in. I am Fenghuang’s cousin; we almost became family,” he said, seeming to have grabbed onto a lifeline.

Nearly all thirteen Saint Son Level figures were dead; he might be the only one still alive. However, the other corpses were hard to identify, as most had turned to ashes.

Ye Fan glanced at him but did not say much and continued toward the next spot. How could this person have wandered in by accident?

POP!

The Wind Stabilizing Pearl shattered, and the person let out a scream. Struck by a quintuple thunderbolt from above, he perished, leaving no bones behind.

Ye Fan’s eyes were profound as he walked within the Thunder Sea. He was constantly searching for the person who had uttered the venomous words, as this affair was greatly related to them.

However, one charred humanoid corpse after another offered no clue to their fate; it was unclear if that person was among them.

「In half an hour」

Aside from Ye Fan, there were no living beings left in the Thunder Sea; all had been struck dead. The number of casualties was far greater than Ye Fan had imagined, with up to a hundred charred corpses.

Besides, in the distant mountain ranges, thunder occasionally flashed. Some people had escaped and were undergoing their tribulations in other places.

This was an accompanying consequence, terrifying beyond measure and impossible to shake off. Only by personally experiencing such a trial could one hope to survive this bizarre and dreadful Heavenly Punishment.

“Ye Demon, ah!,” people undergoing their tribulations outside shrieked in terror upon seeing Ye Fan approaching with vast red lightning and an endless Thunder Sea, but it was futile.

In this outer region, Ye Fan moved about constantly, carrying the vast sea of electricity, engulfing everything wherever he went.

He eliminated more than twenty other people. All of them were already struggling to overcome their own Heavenly Tribulations and were unable to withstand the even more terrifying storm, fiery Heavenly Thunder, and Chaos Thunder Silk he brought with him.

“Ye Ruthless…,” the last Grand Elder despaired as Ye Fan’s gaze fell upon him.

BANG!

Ye Fan pointed, piercing his forehead. A flash of blue light, and the Wood Thunder Gang descended, blasting him to bits, his bones and flesh splattering everywhere.

No more thunder light filled the four directions. The boundless Great Snow Mountain was shrouded in night; only a turbulent Thunder Sea raged on!

Ye Fan’s Heavenly Tribulation was far from over; it was entering its most frightening phase. He had to stop and exhaust all his efforts to resist.

The Tribulation Thunders of earth, fire, wind, and water struck successively—a horrifying scene, as if the world was being created from chaos.

The wind split space, the earth’s veins rose, water submerged the sky, and fire roamed within them. These were four devastating Heavenly Punishments, with thunder light spanning the Nine Heavens.

Earth, fire, wind, and water cycled, opening up space, forming a small world, and generating endless Heavenly Tribulations that struck down one after another.

Ye Fan was sealed within it. Chaos Fog Silk surged, evolving the heavens. A vast ocean of destructive thunder light engulfed him.

He seemed to have arrived in the Taichu era. It was a time when all things first began to grow, when everything was newly formed, the heavens and earth had just opened, and chaos had not yet dispersed.

In the unowned small world, the Heavenly Punishment was relentless, striking non-stop!

From afar, it was a terrifying sight: a boiling sea of electricity, utterly horrifying.

“Damn it, another monster! He deserves to be struck by lightning!” In the distance, the big black dog was emitting black smoke all over; even its ears and mouth were not spared.

It carried Yiyi and held the Ancient Emperor Order, having survived its own Heavenly Tribulation. Now, even a simple cough would cause it to emit electric sparks, and it grumbled with discontent.

However, the benefits it received were immense. Having successfully overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, the big black dog’s combat power had increased significantly.

Earth, fire, wind, and water evolved into a small heavenly world. The Heavenly Punishment was ongoing, and thunder roared deafeningly. Ye Fan sat cross-legged there, beginning to calmly temper his body.

He opened his mouth and inhaled. Myriad thunder lights, like a heavenly river, descended from above. All were absorbed into his body, illuminating his bones, organs, and flesh, rendering them radiant.

BOOM!

Thunder resounded across the Nine Heavens, boundless. He sat in the center, fixed in the void, unmoving. Divine Thunder Body Tempering, Heavenly Punishment Casting Cauldron!

Both his physical body and the Origin Qi Cauldron were undergoing transformation. This was especially true for the Cauldron, which was imprinting lines of the universe upon itself—a manifestation of the Dao.

As for the golden figure emerging from between his eyebrows, it was even more mystical. It soared into the thunder, moving away from Ye Fan. It entered the terrifying electric light formed by earth, fire, wind, and water, breathing it in and out.

This was Ye Fan’s divine scan, transformed into a human shape. It walked through the small worlds of the heavens he had opened up, inhaling endless thunder light and absorbing the Original Thunder Qi.

The small golden figure, flawless and splendid, was almost shattered several times by the thunder light but managed to hold on, undergoing an unimaginable baptism.

Gradually, Ye Fan’s physical body, the Origin Qi Cauldron, and the small golden figure of his divine scan formed a cycle. Various Heavenly Tribulations struck down, flowing between them and continuously tempering them.

「Soon after」

Red Dragon Daoist, Peacock King, Daoist Crow, and several Grand Elders from Jade Lake arrived, stunned by the scene they witnessed.

“Those people… are all dead!”

“There are corpse trails on the ground, all struck down by the Heavenly Tribulation!”

“It was truly unexpected that he actually summoned Heavenly Punishment! The commotion here was so great that Red Dragon Daoist and the others sensed it from thousands of li away and rushed over. All of them were utterly dumbfounded now.”

“Everyone was dealt with by him alone…”

The group was truly shocked, standing there dumbfounded, unable to speak.

“What a monster!,” Daoist Crow mumbled after a while.

「Another half an hour passed」

Eighty-one bolts of Chaotic Electric Light struck down. This was not mere fog silk, but a super Heavenly Punishment!

In the distance, Red Dragon Daoist, Daoist Crow, and Peacock King, the three Demon Kings, all changed color. One could only imagine how terrifying this calamity was.

CLANG…

The Origin Qi Cauldron was nearly blasted away. Ye Fan spewed blood, his body cracking in many places, and the small golden figure almost scattered.

He gritted his teeth and persisted. Bones broke in many places, golden blood splattered, and the small figure formed by his divine scan struggled bitterly in the Chaotic Electric Light.

DONG! DONG!…

With each strike, the earth shook. No peaks remained standing here; all had been flattened, becoming the ashes of tribulation.

However, Ye Fan finally endured. The eighty-one most terrifying bolts of Chaotic Electric Light had completely descended. His physical body was reorganizing, crackling audibly, his enormous Qi rolling like a sea—bright, flawless, and sparkling like a gem.

His divine scan, now splendid, had been strengthened and fortified through the baptism of thunder light. It transformed into a blaze of resplendent radiance and rushed into the space between his eyebrows.

As for the Cauldron, it had begun to form its own Law, initiating the evolution of the Great Dao. This was especially true with the eighty-one bolts of Chaotic Electric Light, which emblazoned indelible Dao Marks upon it.

Four Extremes Circle of Perfection!

Perhaps it won’t be long before I can glimpse the path of Dragon Transformation and step into a brand new world, Ye Fan thought.

“Truly rare…”

Ye Fan, with his strength alone, had broken the killing formation and annihilated all his enemies. This left Red Dragon Daoist, Peacock King, and Daoist Crow—the three giants—sighing with wonder. Even the Grand Elders of Jade Lake were inwardly admiring him.

“This move is truly… beyond imagination!”

“It’s indeed a comeback from a desperate situation!”

They all exclaimed in amazement. This kind of method made even them feel a sense of fear. He had overcome the tribulation alone, breaking the deadlock, while all others had turned to dust.

Ye Fan walked over and expressed his gratitude. Regardless of anything else, although the few of them had not intervened personally, their intentions were clear. This was a significant favor.

“Ye Fan…,” Liu Yiyi said. She had already awakened, her clothes tattered and blood-stained, looking pitiable. She walked alongside the big black dog, both of them haggard yet excited.

“It’s okay now,” Ye Fan said, revealing a bright smile to comfort her. Having not seen her for several years, he also wanted to know where Liu Yiyi and Zhang Ziling had gone.

“Let’s leave here,” Red Dragon Daoist said, staring at the distant sky.

Ye Fan nodded. He did not want to delay any longer, as perhaps someone hidden might still appear. It was even possible that the Mortal World and Hell were lurking secretly.

「The battle at Fire Demon Ridge」

News of it did not remain hidden from the world; it spread on almost that very day, shaking the Eastern Wastelands!

Ye Fan immediately thought that most likely someone had survived this tribulation and spread the news.

“What? How is this possible? The sacred body even wiped out a half-step sovereign?”

“Are you dreaming? He killed two sovereigns? Absolutely ridiculous!”

“Fighting against all heroes alone, Ye Fan consecutively cut down thirteen Saint Heirs, dominating his generation… This is too unbelievable, absolutely impossible!”

…

When the news first came out, hardly anyone believed it; it was too exaggerated and shocking.

In the following days, Fire Demon Ridge was no longer silent. Numerous cultivators came and went, seeking to verify the truth.

“My god, these are truly fragments of a sovereign’s weapon, destroyed here!”

“So many corpse marks! Just how many experts died here?”

Everyone was stunned. The scorched earth, leveled mountains, and devastated landscape before them shocked their hearts, and all their faces changed color.

The news that Ye Fan had summoned the Heavenly Tribulation and annihilated his enemies spread throughout the Eastern Wastelands, triggering a massive upheaval!

This battle record left everyone horrified, especially the major powers involved, who were speechless for a long time.

“Damn it, what a monster! He managed to turn the tables and wipe out everyone!”

The Eastern Wastelands was in an uproar. All the major powers could not sit still; each one jumped out to voice their opinions.