"It seems you still don’t understand," Ye Fan said. "How about I tell you a story?"
"Hmph! Just say what you have to say! We won’t be afraid of you!" they sneered one after another.
It was obvious they didn’t take Ye Fan’s words to heart. By this point, they had already resigned themselves to despair, enduring endless torment.
"Your Evil Clan resides in a higher world, but there is another world even lower than this one. Do you know how low it is?" Ye Fan began. "In that world, they only know simple Martial Arts. Most are ordinary people, with only a few Martial Cultivators who, for the love of their craft, embark on the arduous journey of cultivation.
"When they reach the pinnacle of their own world, they are nothing but ants in this one. Yet, for the sake of the Martial Arts in their hearts, they resolutely come here. Only then do they realize how cruel and vast this world is. And yet, this world is also just a lower-tier world.
"A young man emerged from that world, from a place called Earth, and arrived here. He only wanted to make a name for himself and offended no one, but the people of this world wanted him dead. To them, he was nothing more than a slave. A lowly cultivator, fit only to be a slave. He had no idea that he carried the bloodline of the Holy Clan, for he had never even met them.
"He was also unaware of the feud between the Evil Clan and the Holy Clan because he was not aligned with them; he simply possessed their bloodline. Yet, the Evil Clan’s Martial Artists demanded his life, holding him accountable for the hatred between the two clans. Tell me, is that fair?"
Ye Fan’s words left them unable to retort. They couldn’t just condemn the boy as one of the Holy Clan simply because he carried their blood.
At last, one of them berated him, "You’ve said all this just to evade responsibility!"
"I have never thought of evading responsibility," Ye Fan said calmly. "If I had, I wouldn’t have come at all. The Divine Talisman is on my person. If I were to unleash the Divine Talisman, what confidence would any of you have in resisting it? My reason for coming here today is not to eliminate the hatred between you and the Holy Clan. I am simply here to help you escape the punishment of this curse, within the scope of my abilities."
These were Ye Fan’s sincere words.
At this, one of them shot back, "Do you have that kind of power? You just want to enslave us!"
"I have never had such a thought," Ye Fan replied. "If you don’t believe me, we can test it. I will lift your curse. If you still see me as your enemy afterward, then you can kill me. How does that sound?"
His proposal left them at a loss.
"Then get on with it and lift the curse!" they shouted at him.
"Fine!" Ye Fan declared with a sharp cry. A brilliant light began to emanate from him—not the primordial light of the Divine Talisman, but a light that dispels curses.
As the light enveloped their souls, the curses upon them began to dissipate. Since their physical bodies were already dead, the curses on their souls were far easier to lift. Expressions of relief appeared on their faces, one by one. Indeed, those terrible curses had tormented them for far too long. Now that they were gone, their souls could finally dissipate in peace. As long as the Curse Power had clung to them, even the dissolution of their souls had been an extravagant hope.
When all their curses had dissipated, the group of souls was about to turn on Ye Fan.
"My promise still stands," he said, unafraid. "If you still consider me an enemy, you can kill me at any time."
The souls froze, saying nothing. It seemed their anger and resentment had vanished along with the curses. Then, one by one, they disappeared before Ye Fan’s eyes, evidently entering the path of reincarnation—perhaps the ultimate form of liberation.
Ye Fan stood where he was and let out a sigh of relief. If he had mishandled that, his life could have been in danger at any moment. Fortunately, he had passed this difficult trial.
At that moment, the long-absent voice spoke again. "You have resolved your grudges with them. Since they no longer hate you, you are now worthy of meeting me. Follow the light I gave you. It will guide you to me."
Ye Fan nodded lightly, then followed the light into the deepest part of the Outer Realm.
Arriving there, Ye Fan realized that the slaughterous Evil Qi had grown even denser. He had a feeling that if the powerful figure lurking in the shadows wanted to kill him, it would take nothing more than a single thought.
Just then, a figure emerged from the dense Evil Qi. His gaze was resolute, and despite his unkempt beard, his eyes shone with a piercing spirit. The man radiated a brilliant aura. Ye Fan had never seen such a formidable expert; this person’s power was so immense that he felt a pressure he had never experienced before, not even when facing numerous War Gods. This man was powerful beyond measure.
"Junior Ye Fan greets you, Senior," he said respectfully.
The man’s expression was flat as he said, "Boy from the Holy Clan, right now, I have an urge to kill you."
"Senior, you exaggerate," Ye Fan replied. "If you wanted to kill me, you would have already acted. Why wait until now?"
"You’re not stupid, but you’re not smart either," the man told him.
"Oh?" Ye Fan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"You knew how to exploit the weaknesses of my Evil Clan to overcome your trials in the Divine Domain," the man said. "But negotiating with my Evil Clan is like bargaining with a tiger for its hide."
"I don’t see it that way, Senior," Ye Fan responded. "What you say may be true, but I believe sincerity is what matters most. Without it, everything is pointless. At the very least, I will let you see my sincerity."
"You have a silver tongue, kid," the elder remarked.
Ye Fan smiled. "I have yet to ask for Senior’s name."
"Evil You Ancestor."
What a domineering name, but there seems to be more to it. Ye Fan thought. He then asked Evil You Ancestor, "Senior, what is your relationship with the Progenitor of the Evil Clan?"
"He was my elder brother," Evil You Ancestor said, his voice heavy with grief. "Our Evil Clan once controlled the Evil Clan Continent, a land far removed from the Divine Domain. Back then, when my brother broke through to the Ancestor Realm, it was an immense honor for our people. He was the only one in our entire clan to achieve such a feat!
"Unfortunately, his greed was too great. We all tried to persuade him, but he wouldn’t listen, insisting on scheming against the super-planar race, the Holy Clan. He stole their most sacred treasure and was subsequently hunted by them. Naturally, our entire Evil Clan was implicated in the disaster, pursued by the Holy Clan all the way here.
"It is very likely that we are the last survivors."
His eyes were filled with desolation. If not for the greed of the Evil Clan’s Progenitor, who was seeking an opportunity to attain sainthood, their clan would be far more prosperous today. They wouldn’t be forced to live like this, clinging to a precarious existence.
At this, Ye Fan asked, "Is the Progenitor of the Evil Clan dead?"
"He’s dead. The Holy Venerable killed him with a single blow, struck from across an ocean of stars."
"What?" Ye Fan was shocked.
To hunt down a master in the Ancestor Realm from across an ocean of stars... just how powerful would someone have to be to do that? Even a Main God could, at best, only kill a Divine Captain from thousands of miles away. But this... this was an Ancestor Realm expert, slain from across an impossible distance!