Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 420: Chapter 425 Netherworld King Retreat

At this moment, the ship’s owner was filled with fear and ordered the crew to speed up the vessel. Faced with the young king of the Central States, chills ran down his spine; he feared the opponent might cut the entire ship into pieces with a single sword.

All the cultivators were terrified. No one dared to speak; even someone as powerful as Xu Yuming had been instantly split apart, his blood splashing on the deck—a shocking sight.

Ye Fan stood on the large ship, his heart at peace, showing no reaction. He didn’t want to cause trouble. But his mind was still pondering. If the two young kings of the Central States ended up injuring each other severely, he wouldn’t mind ‘borrowing’ the Heaven Covering Treasure Robe and, perhaps, eliminating that assertive Wang Chongxiao while he was at it.

“Wang Chongxiao, you’re being a bit excessive,” Ye Huiling said, her voice gentle yet with a hint of coldness.

“Mind your own business! Tonight, you and I will have a life-and-death confrontation!” Wang Chongxiao stood motionless, his voice cold. He held a black Battle Halberd, its blade exuding a faint bloody light as murderous intent surged sky-high.

Ye Huiling was elegant and ethereal. Her black hair flowed, her skin was as smooth as cream, her eyes like black gemstones. She had a refined nose and teeth as white as jade. She held a Jade Flute to her cherry lips, playing gently.

Bathed in the clear moonlight, she seemed like a transcendental Daoist saint, graceful and ethereal. The melodious flute music purified the soul, like a refreshing spring flowing through the desert, or a tender shoot sprouting in the harsh winter, bringing boundless hope and beauty.

“HUMPH!”

Wang Chongxiao snorted coldly. His Battle Halberd shook lightly in the night sky, and murderous intent, like winter, seemed to freeze the entire world to the bone. It was as if countless lives were struggling, their blood forming an ocean. This was undoubtedly a formidable weapon. Its terrifying murderous intent and endless sinister aura, usually stored within the halberd, were now released, shocking people to their cores.

If the beautiful flute music represented life, then his aura represented death. They were diametrically opposed; with a single movement of the Battle Halberd, plants withered.

Wang Chongxiao stared coldly at the large ship in the river and said, “I’ve said it before: no one is allowed to turn back and watch the battle. Didn’t you hear?”

He transformed into a dark light and swooped down. The atmosphere on the ship grew incredibly tense; everyone feared this powerful young king might strike mercilessly.

At the same time, Ye Huiling floated over. Though she acted later, she arrived first, standing before him. “There’s no need to involve unrelated people,” she said.

Wang Chongxiao halted, standing in the night sky. He gazed coldly at Ye Fan and said, “I’ve warned you multiple times, yet you still look towards the sky. Are you provoking me? I’ve long noticed you are somewhat special.”

“I don’t wish to get involved in your battle, but if you force me, I have no choice.” Although Ye Fan did not want to cause trouble, he couldn’t possibly yield and obey.

“Quite the bold words. Do you think yourself qualified to get involved?” Wang Chongxiao stared at him.

Ye Fan said nothing more, slowly turned, and walked away, ignoring him.

Invisible murderous intent surged. The people on the ship felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cave, yet Ye Fan continued his steps, unaffected and with a rhythmic pace.

“WHIZ!”

A dark light shot towards Ye Fan’s back. It was a sharp edge from the Battle Halberd, carrying a bloody scent, as if it had drunk the blood of endless beings.

“BANG!”

Ye Fan didn’t even turn his head. He flicked his finger, unleashing a golden light that shattered the dark light, dissipating the murderous intent into nothingness.

“I’ve somewhat underestimated you. I didn’t expect you to have some substance,” Wang Chongxiao said, surprised.

Others on the large ship were also astonished, not expecting this youth to fend off a strike from the young king of the Central States.

Ye Fan looked back and said, “You should go find the Divine King Body or the Heavenly Demon Body to fight. I have no interest in fighting you without reason.”

“On my way here, the Eastern Wastelands cultivators were easily defeated. Are you afraid?” Wang Chongxiao sneered.

“CLANG!”

A dark light shot from his body, emitting a metallic tremor. It was like a black lance, striking down on Ye Fan.

“WHIZ!”

Ye Fan flicked his sleeve and gently waved it, dispersing the black lance’s edge. It turned into a faint black fog and vanished on the spot.

By now, everyone realized this youth was quite extraordinary, a top master. Even Ye Huiling retreated and no longer intervened.

“Are you the Flickering Light Saint Heir?” Wang Chongxiao asked, showing surprise. He believed this to be a formidable opponent.

“No,” Ye Fan calmly responded.

“Not the Ji Family Divine King Body, not the Heavenly Demon Body, not the Flickering Light Saint Heir… how many others could there be?” Wang Chongxiao was quite arrogant.

“CLANG!”

A black wall appeared behind him, emanating a divine aura. It was adorned with numerous weapons and spiritual treasures, hazy yet mysterious. Wang Chongxiao’s Iron Armor flowed with dark light. He didn’t turn back, slowly drawing a purple long blade from the wall, then cleaved down!

This was an unparalleled strike! The blade light pierced the clouds, and a gigantic purple lightning bolt slashed down from the sky. Its murderous intent was boundless; even cultivators in the Four Extremes Great Perfection Realm could be easily eradicated.

“SWOOSH!”

Ye Fan remained unmoving like a mountain, yet from within him emerged a green lotus surrounded by Primal Chaos Fog Silk. It blocked the attack, instantly freezing the purple long blade.

“Primal Chaos Seed Green Lotus!” someone exclaimed, their expressions incredulous.

“It’s you!” Wang Chongxiao was shocked. Realizing something, he withdrew the divine wall and quickly retreated some distance.

“Yes, it’s me.” Ye Fan stepped towards the night sky. Facing the young king of the Central States, his expression was calm, composed, and steady.

However, everyone felt a sense of pressure. Golden Blood Qi soared to the heavens like an eternal Immortal Furnace burning, making it impossible to approach due to the suffocating waves of power.

“He is the Sacred Body, Ye Fan! He actually appeared here! Absolutely unexpected.”

“He’s about to face off against the young king of the Central States!”

Everyone on the ship exclaimed. Ye Fan had just left the divine city and was already confronting a king of the Central States. This was no small stir; recently, he was truly at the center of many storms.

Ye Fan hadn’t wished for this, but the opponent was a formidable adversary. As long as he countered, it would be impossible to hide his Qi Mechanism. Given the situation, there was nothing to conceal.

“I heard you don’t have much life left and are about to die soon.” Wang Chongxiao’s expression was cold. He didn’t dare to approach too closely; the Sacred Body’s flesh was unmatched. Arrogant as he was, he didn’t dare to fight in close quarters.

Ye Fan laughed and said, “Don’t you want to fight me? Why stand so far away?”

Everyone was speechless. Who would dare stand close to him? His flesh was like divine iron, indestructible. Only by invoking overwhelming magical power could one fight him.

“This is an era with the rise of many kings! The Sacred Body isn’t particularly dazzling, not the most splendid! I shall break you!” Wang Chongxiao shouted.

Behind him, the black divine wall reappeared, now with an additional portal. It slowly opened a crack, immediately unleashing overwhelming murderous intent. It seemed to connect with the Nine Netherworld, where a peerless demon was locked inside, ready to rush out at any moment. The endless murderous intent was like an ocean, causing the entire sky to tremble.

“The Wall of the Netherworld King!” Ye Huiling whispered softly.

“What? This is the Wall of the Netherworld King! So he has the Netherworld King Body! He truly is a king of the Central States!”

Everyone on the large ship exclaimed in surprise, their minds racing with many legends.

“The Wall of the Netherworld King is buried with endless sacred weapons! They never run out! It can pierce through all enemies in the world, destroying anything!”

“Behind the divine wall is the Netherworld Pure Land. If it opens, one can gain supreme power and be invincible in battle!”

“He has already opened a crack in that door. It shows just how terrifying it is!”

This was not a mere phenomenon but an Innate Divine Technique, extremely terrifying and rarely matched in the world. Once displayed, its wielder could stand proudly among peers, at the very peak.

Legend had it that deep within the Netherworld Pure Land lay a slumbering deity. Only those who surpassed the Great Success Netherworld King could reach it, and people found it difficult to distinguish truth from fiction. Some said it was not a deity but rather dormant potential within oneself, or perhaps a god nurtured by the human body itself. Entering that realm supposedly granted one divine attributes.

“The Divine Wall is eternal!” Wang Chongxiao shouted.

Behind him, the black wall radiated endless Divine Radiance. Countless sacred weapons and spiritual treasures trembled, followed by a continuous CLANKING sound as they all automatically unsheathed. Purple War Spears, crimson Longswords, a golden red-blood seal, pitch-black Battle Halberds… Sacred weapons stood like a forest in front of him, their murderous intent piercing the sky, alarming everyone. With so many sacred weapons drawn from the Wall of the Netherworld King, it was hard to imagine how terrifying their power could be, as people had witnessed a single Red Sword among them slay Xu Yuming of the Four Extremes Great Perfection Realm.

“BUZZ!”

The void trembled. Endless sacred weapons and spiritual treasures emerged, transforming into a vast ocean. The dazzling light dimmed the stars and moon as they all rushed towards Ye Fan.

This was a sure-kill attack!

Wang Chongxiao wanted to succeed with one strike, using his strongest power to destroy the Sacred Body!

The Wall of the Netherworld King was buried with limitless sacred weapons, known as the most terrifying divine wall in the world. Throughout long history, an unknown number of kings had fallen before it.

“SWISH!”

Ye Fan remained still. A small world manifested around him, with magnificent mountains and rivers, a picturesque scene. He stood on a solitary cliff, allowing the endless sacred weapons to crisscross, yet they couldn’t harm him by a hair’s breadth.

The Majestic River and Mountain Variation emerged, stopping all the sacred weapons!

“BUZZ!”

At the same time, Ye Fan moved. He displayed the Immortal King’s Nine Heavens, merging it with himself. He rushed directly towards Wang Chongxiao, his killing intent as strong as if he were a reborn Immortal King.

“BOOM!”

The world erupted in turmoil! Golden Blood Qi flooded the Heavenly Universe. Ye Fan’s combat power surged like oceans, awe-inspiring and shocking to the heart and spirit. It seemed he would break through the Great Dao and destroy the heavens themselves, annihilating countless sacred weapons with every move. He transformed as if into a deity, breaking through all barriers, raising a hand to cast the Yin Yang Life and Death Map, striking forward.

“BANG!”

Wang Chongxiao’s divine wall trembled as if about to collapse. He flew backward rapidly, a look of shock on his face. The opponent’s combat power was too strong, far beyond his expectation!

“You…” He stopped only when he had retreated a sufficient distance.

“The Sacred Body may be nothing special, but it’s enough to fight you,” Ye Fan smiled.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongxiao’s face instantly darkened. He had said the Sacred Body was ordinary and inconsequential, but the opponent had responded with decisive action.

All spectators were taken aback. Such power indeed gave him the capital to dominate the younger generation. Though the Sacred Body had little life left, it could definitely contend with the young kings of the Central States!

“This is just a minor skill! Witness my true Supreme Nether King Divine Skill!” Wang Chongxiao’s voice was low, his eyes suddenly becoming void. The divine wall behind him trembled, and the door slowly opened wider.

Ye Fan’s expression turned solemn. This was truly an unparalleled enemy. Sensing the dangerous Qi Mechanism, he dared not be careless.

“BOOM!”

Ye Fan’s body shook, his muscles turning golden, as if he were transforming into a golden god of battle, causing this part of the heavens to tremble with him. He pressed forward, seeming to walk step by step out of ancient times.

Everyone present was shocked, their complexions changing.

Wang Chongxiao’s expression also stiffened, and he began to deploy the Supreme Nether King Divine Skill even more rapidly!

“Wang Chongxiao, you should stop your divine art and save your strength for a duel with me.” Ye Huiling chuckled, softly playing her Jade Flute. Celestial music, like the sounds of heaven, soared beautifully.

“SWISH!”

Wang Chongxiao retreated far into the sky, and the Wall of the Netherworld King vanished. Even with his unrivaled divine arts, he dared not face two such opponents alone.

“Sacred Body, I underestimated you. I retract my previous words. If you do not die, we shall battle again in the future!” He turned into a streak of black light and departed, unwilling to face two formidable foes in a single night.

The Sacred Body, alone, had stood against the seemingly unbeatable young king of the Central States. They were evenly matched, and ultimately, he had forced his opponent to retreat. This result shocked everyone.

“Even though the Sacred Body is nearing death, it still possesses such might! Truly terrifying!”

“If he continues to grow, he can contend with all the kings worldwide! He would be an unparalleled enemy for them!”

Every single person was deeply shaken.

People knew Ye Fan was about to perish and felt immensely regretful. What a pity they wouldn’t witness him vying for supremacy with the various kings.

The night was as serene as water. A small boat sailed downstream, the flute’s melody lingering, seemingly purifying the soul and mesmerizing all who heard it.

Ye Fan praised, “Truly a divine art, nearing the Great Dao!”

Ye Huiling smiled gently. “Brother Ye, you flatter me.”

“It’s a pity my time is short. I won’t be able to hear Miss Ye’s Divine Sound often,” Ye Fan smiled.

“I suppose Brother Ye has also heard that I possess the Heaven Covering Treasure Robe and can venture into the Seven Great Life Forbidden Lands. If I were to lend it to you…” Ye Huiling looked at him, appearing like a spirit under the night’s moon, serene and graceful.

“Lend me the Heaven Covering Treasure Robe?” Ye Fan’s expression shifted.

Ye Huiling chuckled lightly. “I came for the Undying Divine Medicine, but with so many people from the Central States here this time, success seems difficult. In all the world, perhaps only your physique can enter the Life Forbidden Lands.”