Chapter 1665: Chapter 1534: Refining the Rune

The Heaven and Earth Great Tao has its laws, which, when captured and carved by cultivators, become their strongest trump card!

Some Xuan Beasts are born with certain Tao Marks, incomparable to human cultivators.

In the Mist Ghost Forest, Ye Fan killed a Yin Thunder Beast that had successfully survived a Heavenly Tribulation and carved the Tao Marks of the Heavenly Dao, creating its most powerful rune.

At this moment, Ye Fan obtained this rune and is continuously refining it, merging it with himself!

In fact, within Ye Fan’s body, there has always been a stray Tao Mark, only he couldn’t grasp it. This Tao Mark seems to have a life of its own.

Only when his consciousness ascends to the realm of Empty Spirit can he possibly unleash attacks with the Tao Mark; the more he tries deliberately, the less he can achieve.

While Ye Fan was refining this rune, the Bai Yan wolf was muttering beside him, deeply coveting the rune.

Though its strength hadn’t recovered, its vision was seasoned and sharp, recognizing the rune’s value, yet it was already obtained by Ye Fan, and it could only look on enviously.

Tao Marks aren’t like other things; once obtained, they can’t change hands, even if it were to kill Ye Fan now, it wouldn’t receive them.

The Yin Thunder Beast’s Tao Mark did not vanish upon its death, precisely due to its unique life structure.

The Yin Thunder Beast, formed from Heaven and Earth Yin Qi, is an inherently defiant existence, even though it passed the trial of Heavenly Punishment, it isn’t recognized by the Heavenly Dao; it can use the Tao Marks but can’t destroy them, much less preserve them.

Ye Fan was extraordinarily lucky; if he hadn’t grabbed the rune before the Yin Thunder Beast reformed, the creature would be nearly immortal.

At present, Ye Fan’s entire consciousness is nearly fully immersed in refining this rune, which is very rebellious and quite spiritual; Ye Fan expended great energy to barely refine and subdue it.

With internal visualization, the rune restored itself, transforming into a golden Tao Mark, moving through Ye Fan’s meridians like a True Dragon, ultimately settling in the Dantian, indistinguishable from the Holy Embryo.

"Phew!"

Ye Fan exhaled deeply; the refining and subduing of the rune took a toll on his energy, leaving him exhausted.

If it weren’t unsuitable for rest here, he’d wish to sit and meditate right here to recover the expended divine power!

After a series of battles, even his body felt the burden; his Divine Soul had shrunk by two-thirds, and the Holy Embryo began to appear ethereal.

"You sure profited a lot this time, huh? You must compensate me with something else, like ten or eight Heaven Grade Spirit Stones." Bai Yan wolf squeezed unreasonably.

"Scram, cool off wherever you like!"

Ye Fan directly ignored Bai Yan wolf’s demand and stepped into the Virtual Space.

Soon, Ye Fan appeared abruptly and roared, "Bai Yan wolf, get out here!"

"Uh... what is it?" Bai Yan wolf feigned ignorance.

"What is it? You ate the Spirit Stone? My Spirit Stones got consumed by tens of thousands of pounds, and you dare to ask me what’s going on?"

Ye Fan was seething; these Spirit Stones were meant to help him break into the Peak of Divine Power Realm, and Bai Yan wolf swallowed tens of thousands of pounds—how could he not feel distressed?

"You should not be ungrateful. I exhausted my Primordial for saving you; these spirit stones are insufficient for my recovery. If my strength hadn’t diminished, could you have snatched the Tao Marks? Be satisfied!" Bai Yan wolf argued vigorously.

Ye Fan was speechless; Bai Yan wolf’s reasoning was valid. Without its forbidden method opening a seam in the Dragon-locking Map, he couldn’t have escaped.

"I guess you have a point!"

Ye Fan said sheepishly and then vanished, entering the Virtual Space once more.

He needed time to recover; both his divine power and Divine Soul required replenishment, or he’d struggle to handle any danger that may arise.

Within the Virtual Space, Ye Fan sat and meditated, initiating the refining of Spirit Stones to restore his strength.

Once Ye Fan commenced cultivation, the scene became daunting; numerous spirit stones were refined by him, with rich Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi enveloping him.

Ye Fan’s pores all opened wide, desperately absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, emitting a golden light as his body was surrounded by Thunder Power resembling purple crystals.

As he continued to refine and absorb the Spirit Stones, his nearly depleted divine power gradually recovered, with the Holy Embryo shining brilliantly, making it hard for others to keep their eyes open, while the Holy Embryo Illusion in 360 acupoints grew steadily solid.

It was a magnificent process, unfortunately unseen by anyone, with thunderous roars emanating from within Ye Fan’s body as the Holy Embryo Illusion continually bellowed.

After refining tens of thousands of pounds of spirit stones, Ye Fan finally felt fully restored and his strength returned to its peak, though the hidden injuries within his body hadn’t completely healed unless he once again performed the Phoenix Nirvana Technique.

This cultivation session left him with many reflections; after numerous life-and-death battles, his strength seemed to have subtly broken through, but still hadn’t reached the Peak of Divine Power Realm.

This was within his expectations, as breaking into the Divine Power Realm always requires a catalyst; mere strength isn’t sufficient for breakthroughs.

The Divine Power Realm allows cultivators to comprehend the elemental powers of the heavens and earth; essentially, it transcends human category and dwells in the domain of deity, which explains the origin of the name Divine Power Realm.

To break through each Xiao realm demands inspiration regarding the Heaven and Earth Great Tao.

Having survived this life-or-death crisis, Ye Fan gained a clear understanding of his strength: within the same realm, only an Emperor’s son could potentially challenge him, and he needed not concern himself with anyone else.

However, quantity changes quality, and when ordinary cultivators gather in large numbers, they can pose a threat to his life — not to mention that some of those attacking him are not inferior to him in terms of power.

"Lord Realm! I need to break through to the Lord Realm as soon as possible!"

This crisis made Ye Fan vigilant.

The Emperor’s son has already emerged, and the Demon Clan is not far from emerging either. In such an environment, various hidden demons might come forth; if he doesn’t quickly increase his strength, he might be ruthlessly eliminated.

Whether to find his mother as soon as possible or to revive Su Liuli who awaits him on Earth, he must first become stronger.

Only by being strong enough can he fulfill the obsession in his heart.

Moreover, what concerns him the most is Chen Daozang. Since arriving in this world, this hero has seemingly vanished without a trace, with no news at all.

Yet Ye Fan firmly believes that this hero is definitely not dead. In this world, if anyone can live longer, there is no doubt that it would be someone like Chen Daozang.

Ye Fan has a hunch that in the future, Chen Daozang will become his greatest rival, without any proof, just a kind of instinctive intuition.

From Earth to the Xuan Realm, this hatred has continued — unless Ye Fan confirms Chen Daozang’s death, otherwise, he might encounter him again in the future.

In terms of talent and comprehension, Chen Daozang is not inferior to him at all; moreover, he is deeply scheming and skilled in the arts of power and strategy — for such a person to not thrive would be odd indeed.

With a sigh, Ye Fan tidied his emotions and stepped forward, walking out of the Virtual Space. It was still too early to think about these things, as he was uncertain whether he could exit the Mist Ghost Forest.

Regaining his strength, Ye Fan continued to advance with Bai Yan wolf, while Bai Yan wolf sniffed around, using its keen sense of smell to try to find traces left by the Thunder Venerable master.

However, this is very difficult. After all, it’s been too many ages since the Thunder Venerable master, and even if traces were left behind, they might be hard to discover.

"Fog is rising again up ahead!"

Bai Yan wolf glanced at the foggy forest ahead and murmured.

In the Mist Ghost Forest, what one fears most is this boundless fog, which is terrifyingly disorienting; once inside, one loses all sense of direction and has no idea where they are.

However, they had no way back, and the area where they once battled had turned into nothingness — hence they could only venture forward.

"Buzz!"

Upon entering the mist, Ye Fan sensed something attacking him, but it was scared away by his formidable Divine Soul and Divine Soul Flames.

"What ghostly thing was that?"

Ye Fan said in a deep voice, his eyes radiating brilliantly as he surveyed the surroundings.

Yet besides the vast white mist, he found nothing, unable to identify what attacked him earlier.

"It could be an Evil Ghost aiming to take over your body."

Bai Yan wolf guessed, recalling the Thunder Venerable master’s account that such incorporeal Evil Ghosts in the Mist Ghost Forest were particularly troublesome, requiring passive defense or attacks via Divine Soul Power.

Of course, in the Thunder Venerable master’s view, these Evil Ghosts couldn’t harm him at all, as his body was inherently filled with the ferocious Thunder Power, the nemesis of all ominous things; not even Evil Ghosts dared attack him lightly.

Ye Fan released his Divine Soul Power, allowing the aura of the Heavenly Dao and the heat of the Divine Soul Fire to shroud his entire body, stealthily moving forward.

All along, nothing bizarre came to attack them, likely scared off by the Divine Soul Fire.

Even Evil Souls and Ghosts feared the burning of the Divine Soul Fire, for to them, it was a forbidden existence — they did not dare attack rashly.

This forest, shrouded in white mist, was not large, and after releasing the Divine Soul Flames, Ye Fan and Bai Yan wolf smoothly exited the misty area.

Once out of the foggy zone, Ye Fan felt his vision suddenly clear; before him lay a small valley, barren and devoid of grass.

The stones here displayed an eerie black, as if perpetually exposed to smoke and fire.

Both Ye Fan and Bai Yan wolf paused, then Ye Fan sensed the strong fluctuations of Fire Elemental Power within this valley.

"What is this place?" Ye Fan muttered, overwhelmed by the abundant Fire Element.

"Could it be traces left by the Venerable?"

Bai Yan wolf exclaimed in surprise, though clearly it was impossible, for the traces left by the Thunder Venerable master should be Thunderbolt Aura.

...

...