Ye Fan said indifferently, "Is that enough?"

"This is impossible!"

Jue Wuqing was stunned. He had never seen someone entirely unafraid of lightning. Ye Fan was the first. Of course, he didn’t know how terrifying Ye Fan’s rebirth through Nirvana had been. Compared to the lightning during that ordeal, the heavenly lightning Jue Wuqing commanded was nothing more than a tickle.

"You’ve had your turn. Now it’s mine."

Ye Fan struck, moving with the speed of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Jue Wuqing.

Just as Jue Wuqing tried to move, he froze. At that moment, it felt as if the entire world had gone silent.

DRIP. DRIP.

Fresh blood trickled down his body.

He stared in disbelief at the wound, only then realizing that Ye Fan’s sword had pierced through his ribs, pinning him to the large tree behind him.

He knew Ye Fan had done it on purpose. At this moment, Ye Fan showed no emotion. The blade was only a hair’s breadth away from his heart. If Ye Fan could pierce his ribs, he could just as easily have pierced his heart. One strike. Just a single strike. He had never imagined he would be unable to withstand even one move from Ye Fan’s sword.

Every move Ye Fan executed exuded tremendous power.

He finally understood. The gap between them wasn’t just about this one move—it was far, far greater.

He said weakly, "Why don’t you kill me?"

"I’ll grant your wish soon enough," Ye Fan replied calmly.

"I really want to know, how can you withstand my lightning? In this world, nothing can resist the destructive power of lightning. Why can you?" he asked, unwilling to accept his defeat.

Ye Fan said, "Clearly, I’m just special.

"I can’t resist lightning either. It’s just that the lightning I’ve endured before was ten times stronger than this. To me, your lightning is nothing more than child’s play!"

"Break!" Ye Fan shouted, yanking the Yuanhong Sword sideways.

"AAAAH!"

With a final, wailing scream from Jue Wuqing, the battle ended. Ye Fan’s strike cleaved his body—and the large tree behind him—in two.

Just as Ye Fan retracted the Yuanhong Sword, he sensed a terrifying presence. A look of apprehension appeared on his face.

He spun around instantly, unleashing a devastating blast of Sword Qi. However, upon reaching the opponent, the attack vanished without a sound. He was shocked. His Sword Qi had been invisibly neutralized.

Indeed, there was a figure a thousand meters away, but an entire forest separated them. It could be said that neither had actually seen the other. They had simply struck out on instinct.

He charged forward, and the distant figure moved as well, lunging to meet him. Beneath the dark canopy of the forest, two sword shadows clashed, and both combatants recoiled.

Ye Fan sneered, "I was wondering who it was. Turns out it’s just a woman!"

The other party was none other than the elegant and distinguished Huang Ji. She rarely spoke, and this time was no exception. It seemed that uttering a single word was an immense torture for her. She did not look angry, merely regarding Ye Fan calmly.

Then, she drew her sword. The blade’s glimmer flashed before Ye Fan’s eyes. His vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, he found that everything around him had changed.

The scene was like a waking dream. It seemed as if thousands of copies of himself stood before him, but when he rubbed his eyes, he realized it was not him at all, but countless versions of Huang Ji.

"Great Wilderness Illusion Sea!" Ye Fan exclaimed in shock.

The Great Wilderness Clan specialized in Illusion Technique, supplemented by their physical power. Of course, their strength was by no means weak; they were counted among the world’s top masters. He had heard of the Great Wilderness Illusion Sea. During the height of the war between the Righteous Gods and the Evil Gods, an ancestor of the Great Wilderness Clan had unleashed an endless Illusion Technique, slaughtering countless experts from the Righteous God bloodlines in a single move. Blood had truly splattered for a million miles. Back then, even someone as formidable as the Ancestor of Tianyuan had suffered under this Illusion Technique. In fact, the Ancestor’s eventual demise was directly related to the Great Wilderness Main God’s father using the Great Wilderness Illusion Sea against him. Although the Ancestor of Tianyuan managed to slay his attacker, the act created an opening for his other enemies, who dealt him a devastating blow.

Ye Fan felt like everything was an illusion. A truly countless power enveloped him. He saw innumerable Huang Jis charging toward him, swords raised to kill. He instinctively raised the Yuanhong Sword to defend himself.

Although he blocked a fatal strike from one Huang Ji, he failed to dodge the other attacks. A kick sent him flying out of the Great Wilderness Illusion Sea.

Only then did he realize that he’d been stabbed in the chest. The wound wasn’t serious, but there was no doubt he was now at a disadvantage. In that brief exchange, he had come out half a step behind Huang Ji.

He laughed. "Impressive. The Great Wilderness Illusion Sea truly lives up to its name. Even I was caught off guard. Your Great Wilderness Clan really is a cut above the rest of the Divine Race!"

Wordlessly, Huang Ji attacked again. Ye Fan moved as well, striking back. He hoped to figure out her technique and break through the Great Wilderness Illusion Sea for good. Unfortunately, he was outmatched again and sent flying backward.

Huang Ji always wore a light veil, hiding her face. Judging from her eyes alone, she was a supreme beauty, and he was curious to see her true features. Plus, she never spoke. Ever since he’d first met her, he’d only ever heard her speak a single sentence. For her to be so quiet, she had to be hiding some secret.

Ye Fan charged again, was immediately trapped within the Great Wilderness Illusion Sea, and was promptly sent flying by Huang Ji. He landed in a pathetic heap at the base of a large tree.

Huang Ji gave him a look of disdain.

But Ye Fan just grinned. "Pretty lady, can’t you be a little less cold?

"You’re so cold, no man will ever be interested in you. The moon is lovely tonight, why don’t you open up your heart and enjoy it with me?

"When it comes to the love between men and women, I’m an expert. Come on, I’ll teach you all about it!"

At Ye Fan’s words, Huang Ji remained silent. She simply pointed her longsword at him, her entire body trembling. It was clear she was furious to the extreme.

Ye Fan smiled. "There’s really no need for us to fight to the death, is there? Look out! Behind you! You’re in danger!"

Huang Ji didn’t move. She didn’t believe him.

Ye Fan sighed dramatically. "Fine, don’t believe me. I was just trying to be nice and warn you, but you’re so indifferent... you’ve broken my heart!

"Farewell!"

Just as Huang Ji was about to give chase, a colossal snake’s tail slammed down from above. She dodged just in time. It was a python—a truly gigantic one, over a hundred feet long. Concealed by the darkness, even she hadn’t noticed its presence. Now, the massive serpent was bearing down on her relentlessly.