Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 553: 557: Deserted House

SWOOSH!

Beam after beam of Divine Light shot up, intertwining in the sky, forming a Killing Array that surged towards Ye Fan with murderous intent that soared to the clouds.

The city walls were ancient, adorned with endless Array Patterns. At this moment, they all surfaced, etched into the void like mysterious, soul-stirring divine and demonic sigils.

Ye Fan gasped, activating the Nine Secrets of Movement and retreating rapidly to evade the world-shaking strike.

The Array Patterns of this Ancient City were terrifying. Ye Fan estimated they had likely been set by a supreme sovereign and had existed for endless ages. In those bygone years, a Saint Master Level figure had presided here.

“Activate the Array Patterns! Protect the Ancient City and slay the invading enemies!” the middle-aged man on the city wall sneered, issuing the order while staring at the airborne Ye Fan.

SWISH!

This dilapidated city was indeed peculiar. It could concentrate the power of all its Divine Symbols to attack a single point with unmatched might. At this moment, this power focused into a sharp beam of Divine Light, slashing out like a Heavenly Sword.

CLANG!

A massive sword aura, a thousand feet long, cleaved the sky. It was akin to a strike from a Saint Master Level figure, and its brilliance was dazzling!

Most people would likely have met a bitter end, as the Ancient City’s power fluctuations were too swift. The beam of light slashed out in an instant, making it extremely difficult to avoid.

However, Ye Fan was an exception. He had cultivated the Nine Secrets of Movement, which represented the highest achievement in this field. He left behind a phantom and disappeared into thin air.

“You dare to challenge your superiors! Your crime is unforgivable!” Ye Fan’s voice was cold as he swooped down like a fleeting shadow with a WHOOSH.

“Courting death! Even a half-step sovereign wouldn’t dare to launch a reckless assault!” the middle-aged man sneered, a trace of mockery in his voice. He activated all the Array Patterns, standing steadfast on the city wall.

SWISH! SWISH!

The entire Ancient City seemed to come alive, like a peerless swordsman sweeping out sword auras. Each beam was over a thousand feet long, their Divine Light cleaving through the chaotic clouds.

Ye Fan’s eyes sparkled. This city is truly exceptional, likely left by some unknown supreme figure. It’s an excellent place to nurture celestial energy and earthly fortune. It extracts the Divine Radiance from the earth veins, transforming it into unmatched Attack Power, as if a Saint Master were fighting. This is truly astonishing and worthy of deep contemplation.

Hundreds, even thousands, of beams swept out, capable of pulverizing a fly. Yet Ye Fan drew closer, his peculiar motion technique allowing him to pass through the screen of light as if traversing ripples in water, and so he entered the city.

“You…”

Pandemonium erupted on the ancient city wall. No one knew how he had done it. It was as if he had entered an undefended territory, passing straight through the Array Patterns and into the city.

Ye Fan’s sleeves were somewhat tattered. Even though he had activated the Nine Secrets of Movement and chosen a damaged section of the city wall where the Array Patterns were flawed to break through, he was still grazed by a sword aura.

If his physique hadn’t surpassed that of a Saint Master, that last strike would have injured him. This Ancient City is highly valuable. Without a new breakthrough in his Nine Secrets of Movement, he could only barely force his way in.

Ye Fan said nothing, striding forward. The entire street trembled. The faces of the men on the wall changed; vicious gleams appeared in their eyes as they brandished their Weapons.

“This is the fiefdom bestowed upon my elder brother by Grandmaster Xiao! Are you trying to seize it?” the middle-aged man shouted.

Ye Fan couldn’t be bothered to waste words with him. He opened his mouth and spat out a golden lotus, which transformed into a brilliant light and rushed forward to suppress the man.

SWISH!

The middle-aged man roared and summoned an Exquisite Treasure Tower, which radiated a multicolored light to meet the attack. But how could it possibly block the golden lotus formed by Ye Fan’s Innate Qi?

CRASH!

The Exquisite Tower was pierced through on the spot, shattering into a pile of scrap metal that scattered across the street. The middle-aged man staggered backward, an expression of utter disbelief on his face.

The Innate Essence Qi of the Sacred Body was invincible, a concept the middle-aged man could not comprehend. After all, Ye Fan could slay cultivators who had reached the sixth change of the Dragon Transformation realm, let alone someone like him.

THWACK!

The lotus formed by Innate Qi descended, striking the man and sending him flying. He crashed heavily into the city wall, his bones broken and tendons torn, unable to rise again.

“Don’t kill me!” the middle-aged man screamed in terror. He realized he had provoked a deadly star, someone he absolutely could not afford to offend.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Ye Fan pointed his fingers consecutively, immobilizing all dozens of soldiers. None of them could move a muscle. A cold smile touched his lips as he said, “Just a bunch of rabble like you thought you could intimidate me?!”

“Spare us! We meant no offense! It was all the City Lord’s orders!” many cried out fearfully, their voices pleading. Their cultivation bases were very low.

“Who dares to wreak havoc in my Lu City?” A dignified voice rang out as a terrifying wave of power surged from the City Lord Mansion. A beam of Divine Light flew rapidly forth.

A palm-length flying sword appeared. It was as clear as autumn water and incredibly sharp, radiating a chilling gleam. It transformed into a streak of electric light, slashing towards Ye Fan’s neck.

The trajectory it traced was blurred, and even space seemed to twist, showcasing its incredible speed and power. It was a horrifying sight.

CLANG!

Ye Fan met it barehanded, producing a brilliant shower of sparks. The flying sword wailed and plummeted. He caught it between his hands and with a powerful jolt—

CRACK!

—a secret treasure, tempered a thousand times and refined with a master’s painstaking effort, was destroyed, becoming a pile of iron fragments.

“This… What a monster! Who is this person?!” Everyone was left speechless.

The City Lord’s cultivation was at the sixth change of the Dragon Transformation realm. Yet, his life-bonded flying sword was destroyed the moment he summoned it! This young man before them was terrifying beyond measure.

SWISH!

A middle-aged man appeared. He was the Lord of Lu City. His expression was grim as he said, “This is Xiao Family territory. Are you challenging the prestige of Grandmaster Xiao?!”

“From this day forward, this city has a new owner. Don’t tell me you don’t know, or try to feign ignorance. If you pretend to be clueless, I’ll use my fists to enlighten you.” Ye Fan rushed forward directly. “Weren’t you trying to intimidate me? Let me tell you, there are some people you cannot afford to offend!”

BANG!

His fist emitted no radiant glow, yet it shattered the void with its ultimate, Supreme Yang force. It was unparalleled in power, causing space to collapse wherever it passed—an incredibly terrifying sight.

CRACK! THUD!

Various Magic Artifacts flew out to block Ye Fan, but under his fist, all their efforts were futile. They all turned into fragments, leaving a large pile of scrap metal on the ground.

The middle-aged City Lord was completely stunned. He had never seen such a powerful physique and mistakenly thought Ye Fan was a Saint Master Level figure, forgetting to utilize his own formidable magical power.

BANG!

Ye Fan’s speed was astonishing. He reached the City Lord in an instant and punched him on the chin. Teeth went flying as the City Lord was sent soaring like a puppet for a hundred feet.

THUD!

The City Lord crashed into the wall on the spot. His jaw was shattered, and he suffered multiple bone fractures throughout his body. He lay there, unable to move, his eyes full of shock.

“Nothing much, after all!” Ye Fan shook his head.

Everyone was terrified. Such an individual was far beyond their ability to handle. So young, yet he could be compared to the prodigies from Qi Shi Mansion.

They thought back to their earlier attempt to intimidate him, and all their faces turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. Many couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably.

“It wasn’t our fault! The City Lord ordered us…” After the several dozen soldiers regained their ability to move, they all knelt down, kowtowing continuously. Their former ferocity had completely vanished.

“All of you, stand up and speak.” Ye Fan walked over, kicked the City Lord and his brother, sending them tumbling a few times, and then began to interrogate them, learning a fair amount of information.

Then, he touched a finger to everyone’s forehead, erasing certain related memories. His physical body was so powerful; he didn’t want anyone deducing anything about him.

“All of you, disappear from Lu City! Don’t let me see you again!” Ye Fan shouted.

These soldiers, all cultivators with the surname Xiao, numbered over two hundred. However, their strength was limited. Ye Fan drove them all away, including the City Lord. Furthermore, Ye Fan abolished the cultivation bases of the City Lord and his brother.

The residents of the Ancient City were shocked upon hearing the news. This new City Lord was quite the character, arriving to take up his post alone, without a single subordinate.

This dilapidated small city wasn’t large, with only a few thousand residents, making it comparable in scale to a town.

Ye Fan didn’t want this place to become lawless and unregulated, so on that very day, he recruited some people, reorganized the city’s personnel, and established some laws and Order.

As long as there was normal Order, that was enough. He wouldn’t interfere much. His purpose in coming here was the Deserted House, not truly to be a Lord.

Ye Fan strolled through the countryside, walking to an ancient village. Legend said this was where a Great Emperor of antiquity had once built his hermitage, and the place was filled with an air of mystery.

A large grove of ancient locust trees surrounded the village. Each ancient tree was clearly very old; some had cracked bark, while others had hollows in their main trunks. It was unknown for how many countless years they had been growing.

The shade from the trees was dense, and the air felt somewhat heavy with yin energy. The Ancient Village wasn’t large, consisting of only fifty or so households. Their ancestors had lived here for generations, never relocating.

Upon realizing this was the new Lord, men, women, young, and old were all anxious and hastily performed grand salutations. Ye Fan bade them rise and bestowed some silver blocks upon each of them.

Seeing him act this way and being so approachable, the people were no longer afraid. They answered every question, allowing Ye Fan to learn a great deal.

“My Lord, you mustn’t seek Enlightenment here!” one elder warned. “It’s been passed down from our ancestors that many cultivators have died in this place. Nowadays, no one dares to come anymore.”

Common folk residing here didn’t encounter anything unusual. However, if powerful cultivators came here seeking Enlightenment, calamities would always occur, leading to their mysterious deaths through meditative cultivation.

“These ancient locust trees encircling the village… we don’t know for how many tens of thousands of years they’ve been growing,” a villager explained. “They neither grow further nor die. Year after year, they remain unchanged.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan was greatly shocked. According to the villagers, these Ancient Trees had existed since time immemorial, always remaining as they were, yet they had never shown signs of achieving Spirit Communication.

Since then, Ye Fan would visit this place daily, wandering around and learning much.

By now, extended meditation in seclusion yielded little effect for him. Venturing out, watching the Spiritual Spring gush and the leaves and flowers flutter, was more conducive to Enlightenment.

After half a month, everyone in Lu City knew that this Lord of theirs seemed to do nothing but leisurely travel and enjoy the sights, apparently not attending to his official duties. Fortunately, he was lenient and approachable and never punished anyone.

The villagers of the Deserted House also became increasingly familiar with him. Many of the local children, even those with runny noses, were no longer afraid of him. They enjoyed following him around because Ye Fan would always bring candy on his visits.

“Why are you crying, little one from the Er Gouzi family?” Ye Fan asked a child who often trailed him for candy, seeing the boy sobbing, with tears and snot all over his face.

“Uncle Er Gouzi was beaten in the fields! He lost so much blood, he’s almost dead! That’s why I’m so sad!” the runny-nosed child wailed.

“His grandfather went to argue and was also beaten badly! His bones were broken!”

Other children ran over, all chattering at once, recounting these events.

“Big Brother City Lord, please go take a look! Please save them!” a little girl cried.

These villagers were simple. Their names were often things like Er Gouzi or Da Shi Tou (Big Stone), supposedly to make them easy to raise. They rarely had conflicts. How could something so serious happen? Ye Fan frowned.

“Big Brother City Lord, please go save Uncle Er Gouzi! Many of our uncles and grandfathers went to reason with them, and they’ve lost so much blood!” more children cried as they ran back.

Ye Fan wasn’t one to put on airs. He visited this village daily, and many children had grown close to him, addressing him casually.

“Alright, little ones, don’t cry anymore. I’ll go take a look.” Ye Fan strode out of the Ancient Locust Forest and headed towards the fields, a group of children following behind him.

From several li away, cries could be heard coming from the fields. The runny-nosed kid’s father lay on the ground, covered in blood, clearly taking more breaths out than in. An elderly, white-haired man, his mouth also stained with blood, sat collapsed on the ground, shaking Er Gouzi and trying to wake him.

Many villagers surrounded them, furious but afraid to speak. Not far away stood a few individuals, looking incredibly arrogant and indifferent—clearly cultivators.

The cause of the conflict was immediately clear: in the fields were several strange and powerful beasts, one of which, a Dragon Horse, was gnawing on the crops. The runny-nosed kid’s father had evidently gone to protest this, only to end up in his current state.

“How can you bully people like this?!” one villager couldn’t help but shout.

“It’s just a bit of crop! I already said I’d give you some silver taels! Stop making such a racket here! If you startle the Dragon Horse, none of your lives will be enough to compensate!” one of the men snapped impatiently, glaring over.

“Those crops are our lives! You people are too much!” many villagers exclaimed indignantly.

“So noisy!” That person sneered, contemptuously glancing at everyone.

Ye Fan saw clearly that these few strange and powerful beasts were all exceptionally rare in the world, not ordinary animals. They had already achieved Spirit Communication and probably possessed extreme speed when running.

Although these men wore fine clothes, they were evidently servants responsible for tending these strange and powerful beasts. It was easy to associate them with the talented prodigies from Qi Shi Mansion.

Qi Shi Mansion was located in the immortal mountains, not too far from here. It wasn’t impossible that their mounts were being tended by others and grazed outside.

Soon, a villager confirmed his suspicions. Indeed, they were strange and powerful beasts from the ancient immortal mountain. These men had been appearing frequently in recent days and were extremely arrogant.

“Apologize, compensate for the losses, and then leave this place immediately!” Ye Fan commanded coldly.

He squatted down, took out a little Divine Spring, and poured it into Er Gouzi’s mouth. He then massaged his body, reviving him. After that, he tended to the runny-nosed kid’s grandfather, setting his broken bones. The old man, with his white hair and turbid, tear-filled eyes, looked utterly miserable with blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Ye Fan stood up and said, “I’m talking to you. Did you not hear me?”

“Who do you think you are? Someone important?” one of them sneered, while the others also snorted arrogantly.

“Just a bunch of lackeys, yet you dare to act so presumptuously here! Even if your masters came, they wouldn’t be worthy of my attention!” Ye Fan shouted.

“Who… who are you? Such audacity! What right do you have to interfere with us?” The men’s expressions changed.

“I am the Lord of this land. Everything within a hundred-li radius is under my jurisdiction! No matter who enters, they must abide by my laws!” Ye Fan stated coldly.

“Haha… Just a petty Lord, and you dare to boast so shamelessly? If you disturb our strange and powerful beasts, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough for you to compensate!” one of them guffawed.

“You ignorant fools, courting death.” Ye Fan struck out with his palm. Although these men were all experts, how could they possibly withstand his blow? They all spat blood and collapsed to the ground, limp.

“You… you dare to treat us like this? Do you know who we are?” they blustered, their earlier ferocity gone, replaced by inner fear.

“Aren’t you just a bunch of lackeys? Hurry up, kowtow, and apologize,” Ye Fan sneered. “I’m confiscating this Dragon Horse. It will be slaughtered for the villagers to eat. If you’re not satisfied, tell your masters to come see me!”