"Let's go give them hell!"
Yue Chan couldn't help but curse, "I've held back for too long!"
Of course, what concerned her more was reclaiming her own Dao heart, otherwise, she would die. Even with demonic power bolstering her, it would only be a matter of time.
After leaving Duanhun Cliff, Yun Fan and Yue Chan arrived at the Zen Master's sect. They didn't even wait for their companions.
In fact, Yun Fan knew that waiting for companions or not made little difference. At this level, waiting was futile.
As soon as they reached the Zen Master's sect, the entire place was thrown into a frenzy. They never expected Yun Fan to show up and kill his way in.
In their minds, Yun Fan should be cowering in the mortal world, on the defensive.
After all, the Zen Master had achieved his ultimate divine art and had stabilized his Emperor Realm. Yet, at this critical juncture, Yun Fan not only dared to take the offensive but had directly stormed the Feng Chan land, showing utter disregard for the Zen Master.
What they didn't expect was Yue Chan's betrayal.
Before they could even scold Yue Chan,
Yue Chan directly attacked, unleashing a killing blow.
Even Yun Fan was surprised by Yue Chan's ruthlessness, willing to kill her former sect members without hesitation.
However, this was normal. In this era, one couldn't survive without ruthlessness. If it were him, he would have acted decisively too.
Naturally, these individuals were no match for Yue Chan.
Just as Yue Chan was about to finish them off, a voice echoed.
"Yue Chan, you've gone too far!"
Yue Chan looked closely and saw an old man.
Though this old man was merely a handyman in the Feng Chan land, she could sense his strength, which was even greater than hers.
Yun Fan also recognized the old man's power, which was on par with his own when he wasn't in his current state.
Who would have thought that the Feng Chan land was truly a place of hidden talents.
If not for the Feng Chan Seven Disciples sacrificing themselves one after another and if they had attacked together, he probably would have been dead by now.
To think that even after the Feng Chan Seven Disciples were dead, there were still Half-Step Emperor Realm powerhouses.
Yue Chan said, "Steward Li, the Zen Master is no longer the Zen Master he once was. The current him is cruel and ruthless, not sparing even his own people. Do you still intend to serve him?"
Steward Li Wen replied, "I am only loyal to the Zen Master. No matter what he becomes, I am merely fulfilling my duty!"
"Miss Yue Chan, you should leave! Don't make things difficult for me!"
He directly issued a farewell order to Yue Chan.
But Yue Chan insisted, "Impossible. Between the Zen Master and me, only one can survive!"
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Li Wen said, "I watched you grow up. I don't want to kill you with my own hands!"
"Don't worry, you won't have the chance!"
Yue Chan then said to Yun Fan, "It's up to you!"
"No problem!"
Yun Fan walked forward directly.
Li Wen was still sweeping the ground, not looking up at Yun Fan. Perhaps in his eyes, dealing with Yun Fan was a trivial matter, not worthy of serious attention.
Yun Fan was speechless. He had to admit, this old guy was truly arrogant! Although the old man's strength surpassed that of the sweeping monk in the martial arts world,
his dismissal of Yun Fan was simply too much.
Yun Fan said, "Old man, make your move!"
Only then did Li Wen put down his broom and say to Yun Fan, "Kid, you shouldn't have come. If you had stayed in the mortal world, you might have lived a while longer. But coming here today, I'll have to take your head personally!"
"You're quite the show-off!"
Yun Fan retorted, "Old man, since you want to put on a show, I'll make the first move!"
"No rush!"
Li Wen washed his hands and then said, "Before I kill someone, I always wash my hands, and then I wash them again afterward! Forgive my old habit, but I will ensure you die painlessly!"
Alright! He really managed to act the part. Yun Fan had nothing to say about this.
After Li Wen washed his hands, he said to Yun Fan, "Originally, I wouldn't even look at those who die by my hand. But today, I'll make an exception for you. Given your status in the mortal world, you are worthy of my attention!"
Yun Fan remained unmoved. The higher one's cultivation, the higher their state of mind. He let the old man continue to put on his act.
Li Wen then said, "On your way!"
With a tremor of his body, a gentle breeze like falling leaves swept towards Yun Fan. Yes, he intended to kill Yun Fan instantly.
As the leaves touched the ground, so would Yun Fan's life be forfeit.
Unexpectedly, at this very moment, Yun Fan also made his move, a flash of lightning, and a strike fell.
At this moment, even the air fell silent.
The two stood still, and in the eyes of the people of Feng Chan, Yun Fan was doomed to die. Li Wen's every move was usually like this.
But no one who had fought him had ever survived.
"Pfft!"
The next moment, Li Wen spat out a mouthful of blood and then collapsed to the ground in despair.
"How is this possible?"
Everyone was stunned. In their eyes, this seemed utterly illogical.
"Why are you so strong?"
Li Wen looked at Yun Fan in disbelief. Could it be that Yun Fan was an Emperor Realm expert? But Yun Fan bore no mark of an Emperor Realm expert's tribulation.
Yet, as fellow Half-Step Emperor Realm cultivators, why could Yun Fan kill him so easily?
However, Yun Fan did not answer his question. Instead, he asked, "Are you still showing off?"
Li Wen felt the ultimate humiliation and, in a fit of rage, tried to attack Yun Fan again. But before he could, Yun Fan struck him down with a single move, killing him.
The mighty Li Wen, this arrogant fellow, was thus instantly killed by Yun Fan.
The remaining forces of Feng Chan land tried to flee but were all dealt with by Yue Chan. At this point, her hatred for the Feng Chan land was boundless.
Yun Fan then said, "Let's go! The Zen Master is our true target!"
"Mmm."
Yue Chan nodded, and the two arrived outside the forbidden area of the Feng Chan land.
Just as they were about to enter the forbidden area, the Zen Master emerged, holding a chess set, and sat down in a pavilion.
"You are honored guests from afar. Please have a seat!"
He beckoned to Yun Fan.
At this, Yue Chan angrily declared, "Old thief, give me back my Dao heart!"
"So it's you, Chan'er. What a coincidence, your Dao heart has already been refined by me!"
"Bastard!"
Yue Chan gritted her teeth in hatred, but alas, with her strength, she was no match for the Zen Master.
Yun Fan then sat opposite him. Despite the Zen Master's immense power, he showed no fear or timidity.
After all, the Zen Master before him was the one he intended to kill.
The Zen Master said to Yun Fan, "It seems you have entered a blurred state, not quite Emperor, yet not not-Emperor!"
Even Yun Fan was surprised that his state was seen through at a glance. Indeed, his current realm was rather awkward.
He had surpassed the Half-Step Emperor Realm, but was not yet a true Emperor Realm expert.
"Is this a form of alternative enlightenment?"
He asked Yun Fan.
Yun Fan replied, "That's not important. What is important is that today, a battle between you and I is inevitable, and only one of us will walk away alive!"
"Although your realm is special, and your strength rivals that of an Emperor, you have ultimately not stepped into the true Mahayana stage. You are no match for me!"
Only by stepping into the true Mahayana stage does one become an Emperor Realm expert. Therefore, at this moment, he was not optimistic about Yun Fan.
Yun Fan then asked, "If I'm no match for you, then why don't you make a move?"
"I recall you to be a cruel and ruthless individual. You eliminate anyone who stands in your way!"
He said to Yun Fan, "Indeed. Even those who don't stand in my way, if they hold no value to me, must die. But I will make an exception for you!"
"Why?"
Yun Fan asked, puzzled.
"Because your realm is so special, that even if I could kill you, I would have to pay half my life. This transaction is not worth it!"
The Zen Master told Yun Fan, "Therefore, I've decided to challenge you to a game of chess. We will settle this with intellectual combat. If you win, I will spare your life and will no longer seek to destroy all beings!"
He was so confident because, in his opinion, at his current realm, he no longer feared the belief of all beings.
"And if I lose?"
Yun Fan asked.
"If you lose, you will take your own life!"
"That's too good to be true!"
Yun Fan scoffed, "Your bet is truly laughable, utterly ridiculous!"
"Smash!"
The next moment, he directly shattered the chessboard and said to the Zen Master, "Enough nonsense! Today's battle between us is a fight to the death! Don't try any more tricks!"
The Zen Master shook his head, "It seems you are determined to die!"
"So be it! You are young and unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, which is understandable. Today, I will make you understand what an Emperor Realm expert is. Emperor Realm experts are beings you cannot afford to provoke!"
Instantly, the Zen Master unleashed his aura. The aura of an Emperor Realm expert was terrifying, and with the addition of Emperor Realm imprints, Yue Chan could not bear it and quickly retreated.
Staying any longer might cause her body to be crushed by this aura.
Only Yun Fan stood his ground, unfazed. Although he lacked Emperor Realm imprints, let's not forget that his combat power was equivalent to an Emperor Realm expert.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he dispelled the Zen Master's aura.
The Zen Master said, "Why do you bother? With your strength, even if I were to destroy all beings, it wouldn't affect you. Why are you meddling?"
"Countless dark ages have passed, especially with your Feng Chan land orchestrating things from behind the scenes. Although heroes have watched beings suffer throughout the ages, they could never resolve true darkness. Someone always needs to step forward, and that person is me!"
Yun Fan said, "I have risen from among the common people. When the common people need me, I will step forward. Without the common people, what meaning is there even in eternal life!"
He wasn't seeking to be a hero, but he had risen from among the people. If he didn't resolve this chaos today, then in the future, this darkness would inevitably spread to his descendants.
This time, he intended to shatter the darkness and ensure that there would be no more darkness in the world.
The Zen Master sneered, "You are too foolish. At our level, the most important thing is to let go of mundane thoughts. Yet, you cannot let go of anything. Therefore, you are not only foolish but also destined to fail!"
Yun Fan replied, "The reason I cannot let go is because I am still human, while you are no longer even considered human!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The Zen Master roared with laughter, "As long as one can become stronger, as long as one can pursue higher realms, let alone the common people, even one's own kin can be killed!"
His thinking had indeed reached a point of madness.
The next moment, he directly attacked, unleashing his Emperor Realm power against Yun Fan.
"Boom!"
Yun Fan met his palm with a palm strike. The reality proved Yun Fan's deduction correct. Though not an Emperor, he possessed Emperor Realm combat power.
In this exchange, their strengths were evenly matched.
"You possess mere strength without the Emperor Realm. Your end is already decided!"
At this moment, the Zen Master unleashed his advantage, attempting to crush Yun Fan with his Emperor Realm imprints.
But he had to admit, his Emperor Realm imprints were truly formidable. When he unleashed them, even Yun Fan felt suffocating pressure.
He tried to break through these imprints with his combat power, but the imprints were intangible, silently suppressing his realm.
At this point, he had fallen into a disadvantage.
This was the difference between a true Emperor Realm expert and a pseudo-Emperor Realm expert.
The next moment, Yun Fan, enduring the pressure, unleashed a punch, striking the Zen Master.
However, the Zen Master was merely forced back. He declared triumphantly, "The Emperor Realm imprints protect my Dao heart. Your punch, though powerful, cannot harm me!"
"Is that so?"
Yun Fan spoke no further and attacked decisively. At this point, he had no retreat. He would either kill the Zen Master or be killed by him.
In a blink of an eye, the two exchanged dozens of blows. It had to be said that their battle had devastated about eighty percent of the Feng Chan land.
The remaining forces in Feng Chan land began to flee, for if they didn't, the entire Feng Chan land might collapse.
Their battles were like those of gods fighting, with casual strikes possessing the power to destroy worlds.
This was also why Yun Fan chose to take the initiative. While defending the mortal world, he wouldn't be in such a passive position.
But if the mortal world were affected, it would suffer greatly. If this weren't on Chinese soil, it would be another matter.
However, the outside world was China, and he would not cause any destruction on Chinese soil. The destructive power of Emperor Realm experts was too immense for anyone to withstand. This was why Yun Fan insisted on fighting to the death in Feng Chan land.
Of course, the Zen Master cared little about the destruction of Feng Chan land. His sole objective was to eliminate Yun Fan, the only obstacle in his path.
At this, the Zen Master unleashed another flurry of attacks, his moves imbued with Emperor Realm imprints. Each strike could almost instantly kill a Half-Step Emperor Realm expert.
Fortunately, Yun Fan was equivalent to an Emperor Realm expert, with only the Emperor Realm imprints lacking.
Therefore, when these strikes hit him, he only sustained heavy injuries, not to the point of death.
The Zen Master sneered, "Are you still stubbornly resisting? Your resistance is futile. Before a true Emperor Realm expert, you are nothing!"
Yun Fan replied, "Even Emperor Realm experts are no more than this. Compared to you, I am only lacking one imprint!"
"But it is this single imprint that determines the outcome of our battle!"
The Zen Master declared arrogantly.
His breakthrough to the Emperor Realm and his legend spanning thousands of years were sufficient proof that he was no ordinary person.
Even when facing the equally monstrous Yun Fan, he maintained absolute suppression.
Yun Fan then said, "Even without the imprint, I can still compensate!"
"Compensate?"
The Zen Master asked disdainfully, "With your life?"
"Of course not. Don't forget, I am a demon!"
"What?"
The Zen Master's heart trembled. He had indeed forgotten Yun Fan's identity, for Yun Fan was a demon!
However, he wasn't overly worried. After all, he was an Emperor Realm expert, and this status alone was enough to suppress all demonic and heretical ways.
He failed to notice that at this moment, Yun Fan, bolstered by demonic power, was rapidly growing stronger.
This scene was beyond the Zen Master's expectations, but he wasn't overly concerned. He firmly believed he could be immune to the invasion of demonic arts.
Yue Chan, watching from afar, saw this and her expression changed. Was this the clash of Emperor Realm experts?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a figure appeared behind her. Before Yue Chan could react, a hand slashed at her, and instantly, Yue Chan fainted.
"You've endured hardship for so many years. In the future, I will compensate you with Emperor Realm strength. But for now, do not interfere with my plans."