"Seems like you don’t plan on sparing me?" he said coldly to Ye Fan.
"Correct," Ye Fan responded.
"Young man, you are still too impulsive," the old man said. "Although your strength is unparalleled, you are still too young. Since you insist on fighting, let’s have a spirited battle!" He then soared into the air, stopping a hundred meters away from Ye Fan. "This old body of mine hasn’t moved for a long time. I just hope it hasn’t rusted! Ignorant youth, you don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, so let me teach you how to conduct yourself!"
"Rise!"
As he shouted, the snowy mountain instantly began to churn. A huge snowball, weighing at least 100,000 pounds, hurtled toward Ye Fan, driven with lethal force.
"Break!"
Ye Fan unleashed a slash of Sword Qi containing boundless Sword Intent. As the Sword Intent cleaved the snowball apart, several hidden forces erupted from within, surrounding and attacking him. Ye Fan swiftly dodged. Wherever these forces struck, the very earth was torn asunder.
This was the power of a Divine General. Although a Divine General wasn’t a top-tier expert in the Divine Domain, of the countless people who had existed since ancient times, how many could ever reach such a rank? Even though the Hidden Shark Taoist hadn’t progressed for many years, his power was still truly terrifying.
Ye Fan shouted, "Sword of Slaughter!"
The Sword of Slaughter burst forth. The Hidden Shark Taoist hastily blocked with an ice shield, but it shattered instantly. The sword slash struck him, and he let out a pained wail. The wound was so deep that bone was visible, a testament to the fearsome power of the attack.
He sighed, "In the end, I’m still no match for you young people."
Actually, Ye Fan had considered using the Futian Sword Dao. While it was his strongest sword technique, it was not something he could use recklessly. It had to be unleashed at the perfect time, in the perfect place, and with perfect harmony to guarantee success. Using it without absolute certainty was extremely dangerous, as the strike consumed an immense amount of energy.
The Hidden Shark Taoist was a crafty man. He refused to confront Ye Fan head-on, opting for opportunistic tactics instead. It was true what they said: the older one gets, the more they fear death. His realm was clearly higher than Ye Fan’s, yet his combat style consisted of weaving and dodging, showing no determination for a life-or-death battle. Seeing through his opponent’s intentions, Ye Fan had landed a decisive blow.
"It seems my body is too old to compete with you young folk. If that’s the case, let’s have a proper, head-on battle!" he told Ye Fan.
At that moment, he clasped his hands together, and a scepter materialized within them. It began to pulse with a brilliant golden light that illuminated the world. The scepter instantly transformed into a roaring dragon that dove toward Ye Fan.
Just as it reached him, Ye Fan quickly dodged. The dragon smashed into the mountain peak, shattering it completely.
But as the Hidden Shark Taoist was about to launch his next attack, Ye Fan’s Yuanhong Sword was already upon him. Two fearsome streams of Sword Qi pressed down on the old man.
"You’re courting death!" the Hidden Shark Taoist shouted, using his scepter to block.
Their strongest strikes collided. In the aftermath, the Hidden Shark Taoist was covered in blood, while Ye Fan stood his ground, completely unscathed.
Only then did the Hidden Shark Taoist realize how formidable Ye Fan’s strength was. Although Ye Fan’s realm was lower than his own, his power was undoubtedly top-tier. With such strength, he was surely among the elite. At least within the Divine General realm, he would have few, if any, adversaries.
"You are no match for me," Ye Fan stated calmly.
"Indeed, a new generation of talent has truly arrived! I underestimated you," the old man said. "If my old injuries hadn’t flared up, you alone would not be my opponent!"
He carried an old wound sustained years ago while fighting for the Yuanhong Sword—a fundamental injury to his very core. It had never healed, and after suffering this new, heavy blow from Ye Fan, his condition had become even more precarious.
"The strong speak with their strength, not with excuses," Ye Fan said. "And you, my friend, have far too many."
"It’s rare to battle a genius of your caliber; it has reignited my fighting spirit!" the Hidden Shark Taoist declared. "But unfortunately for you, you’re only a genius because you rely on the Yuanhong Sword! Without it, you would be no match for me!"
He was, without a doubt, preparing to be shameless.
Sometimes, when someone is so brazenly treating you like an idiot, the only response is to play along and let them discover who the true fool really is. This was one of those times.
"Even without the Yuanhong Sword, you would still lose," Ye Fan said.
"I don’t believe you!" the Taoist retorted.
Sure enough, Ye Fan retracted the Yuanhong Sword. Instantly, a mocking smirk spread across the Hidden Shark Taoist’s face. For him, this was a golden opportunity. His ploy had succeeded.
"You truly are a man of your word!" he proclaimed. "To fight you now, I can die without regrets!"
Suddenly, he clenched his fists and charged. His withered body miraculously returned to its peak state as he unleashed an overwhelming attack on Ye Fan.
"Ziwei Star, appear!" he roared. "Ziwei Fist!"
He bore down on Ye Fan, and two streams of Ziwei Power crashed down, flattening the land for a hundred miles around.
"Hahaha!" the Taoist laughed wildly in the air. "Young man, no matter how strong you are, you ultimately lack brains! Experience always trumps youth! As long as I can grasp your weakness, your death is certain! Did you think my greatest strength was the sword? My true power lies in these two fists!"
He was cackling, certain of his victory. He had felt both of his fists connect; Ye Fan was surely dead.
"Is that so?" Ye Fan’s voice came from above.
"What?"
Before the Hidden Shark Taoist could react, Ye Fan had already struck him with the Pure Yang Dragon Fist. The old man let out a gruesome scream as he was sent crashing to the ground, coughing up blood. His body was nearly dried out, almost torn in half by the force of the blow. He gasped for breath, staring at Ye Fan in disbelief.
"Impossible!" he shrieked. "You were clearly hit by my two fists! How are you completely unharmed?"
"Hit?" Ye Fan scoffed. "You overestimate yourself. I simply nullified your two punches with my own. You said your greatest strength is your fists? Let me tell you, my greatest strength is also my fists. Actually, that’s wrong. I am strong in everything. Whether it’s Sword Dao, fisticuffs, physical body, or soul—I am the strongest!"
"If we’re competing with our physical bodies, you’ll only lose faster!"
"So that’s how it is... It’s a shame I understood too late," the Hidden Shark Taoist lamented.
The old man felt utterly miserable. He had only wanted to play Ye Fan for a fool, but it turned out Ye Fan wasn’t a fool at all. That wasn’t foolishness—it was flexing. Pure, unadulterated flexing.
"Allow me to end this," Ye Fan said. "Dragon Slayer Claw!"
With a roar, Ye Fan transformed into a giant dragon and lunged at the Hidden Shark Taoist. Before the old man could even react, Ye Fan tore his body in half.
Blood rained down. Unwilling to accept his fate, the Hidden Shark Taoist’s life force faded away.
Ye Fan said, "A greedy, insatiable traitor like you, who wouldn’t even spare his own master... you truly deserved to die."