Chapter 137: Why Is It You Again

"Since you know that I practice the Demonic Art of Star Absorption, I shall let you taste its true power." Zhao Feiyang immediately unleashed the technique.

A cloud of black mist erupted from his body, instantly entangling Ye Fan. Yet, far from feeling any terror or fear, Ye Fan merely offered a faint, mocking smile. "Don't panic, Zhao Feiyang. You will soon find that everything I said is true."

In an instant, the essence that had been flowing toward Zhao Feiyang abruptly stopped. The flow reversed, surging instead toward Ye Fan. Zhao Feiyang’s face turned deathly pale; Ye Fan’s earlier words echoed incessantly in his mind. If he had doubted them before, he was now consumed by a profound and paralyzing panic.

He struggled desperately to stem the loss of his essence, but it was futile. In fact, the drain accelerated. Within moments, his once robust and powerful frame began to shrivel, and a wave of overwhelming weakness washed over him.

"What have you done to me?" Zhao Feiyang asked, trembling with horror.

Ye Fan sneered, "I am simply harvesting your essence. You only knew of the supreme Demonic Art of Star Absorption, but you were unaware of its counterpart: the Undying Demonic Art. The Undying Demonic Art is the perfect foil to the Star Absorption technique. Anyone practicing the former will find their essence flowing helplessly toward a practitioner of the latter. All this time, you have been acting as a provider for me. Shouldn't I be thanking you?"

"No!" Zhao Feiyang roared, struggling in vain. "Impossible! Ye Fan, you are lying! I don't believe it!"

His resistance was useless. His essence continued to dwindle, his aptitude plummeting from Saint Physique to Divine Physique, then to King Physique, and finally to Spirit Physique, until he was nothing more than a cripple. His body grew gaunt, reduced to mere skin and bones.

"Hahaha!" Feeling the surge of immense power within him, Ye Fan laughed wildly. His gaze, sharp as a torch, swept over the broken man on the ground as if looking at a piece of discarded trash.

He crouched down, his expression filled with disdain. "What a pity. It’s all Chu Feng’s fault. If not for him, I wouldn't have had to harvest you as a crop so soon. Otherwise, my cultivation would have increased even further. Damn it all." He stood up, adding, "As for you, you can die now."

Ye Fan’s previous cultivation had only been at the late stage of the Integration Realm. His Heaven-Dominating Physique, coupled with the Four Symbols Immortal Art, had allowed him to manifest the White Tiger divine beast. This physique could manifest the Four Symbols, borrowing the power of the beasts to maximize its potential. Now, having absorbed Zhao Feiyang’s essence, Ye Fan’s base had improved, allowing him to manifest not just the White Tiger, but the Azure Dragon as well.

This was not a simple matter of one plus one equaling two. With the power of two divine beasts, Ye Fan’s combat strength had increased more than tenfold, to say nothing of his breakthrough in cultivation. He was now at the peak of the Integration Realm, on the verge of stepping into the Great Ascension stage.

Just as Ye Fan prepared to strike Zhao Feiyang down, a sharp burst of sword intent tore through the void, aimed directly at him.

Ye Fan’s expression shifted instantly. Abandoning the kill, he retreated dozens of meters, glaring at the empty sky above the graveyard. "Who goes there? Show yourself! You dare interfere with my plans? You seek death!"

A round of applause echoed, followed by a familiar, mocking voice. "Interesting. Some people truly forget the pain once the wound has healed. Have you forgotten me so quickly, or are you planning to be reduced to a useless waste once more?"

"Chu Feng!" Ye Fan’s face turned ghastly at the sight of the newcomer.

It was indeed Chu Feng. Having left the East Sea market and secured a ship for his departure the following day, he had decided to check on Ye Fan, the so-called 'Child of Destiny,' to see what new fortune he had stumbled upon. He had arrived just in time to witness this scene.

At the very moment Ye Fan was at his most arrogant and insufferable, Chu Feng appeared to shatter his pride and trample his delusions of grandeur.

Chu Feng smiled. "Yes, it is I. What a coincidence, Ye Fan."

"You truly are a cockroach that refuses to die, recovering your cultivation so quickly. I never expected you to obtain the Star Absorption and Undying Demonic Arts of the late Wutian Emperor. You’ve played quite the long game. Poor Zhao Feiyang—a Nine-Spirit Immortal, a peerless talent of the human race with a boundless future—was manipulated by you into becoming a demonic puppet, a crop for you to harvest whenever you pleased."

"Had you not encountered me, you might have actually succeeded. Tell me, how many of these 'worms' have you been raising? How many people are you keeping ready to be devoured for your own gain?"

"In his time, the Wutian Demon Lord used these two techniques to slaughter countless human prodigies; they are known as the most wicked of the ten great evil arts of Tianyuan. I never imagined you would possess them. Anyone found practicing these arts is to be executed without mercy. Tell me, if I kill you now, will I be considered a hero of the realm?"

"You!" Ye Fan trembled with rage, grinding his teeth. Having witnessed Chu Feng’s power at the Su estate, he knew he was no match for him unless he reached the Great Ascension stage. The memory of his past humiliation made him shudder. "Chu Feng, you and I have no deep-seated grudge, do we? Is this about An Miaoyi? I was wrong, okay? I swear, I will never covet An Miaoyi again. She is your woman. Can you let me go now?"

Chu Feng replied with disdain, "When has a woman of mine ever been yours to concede?"

"I was prepared to teach you a lesson and let you go, but now? Now, you can simply die."

"Boom!"

Dragon-Subduing Palm.

A golden dragon emerged, its roar shaking the heavens. As the palm struck, the dragon lunged forward, its massive jaws agape, as if to swallow Ye Fan whole.

Ye Fan was paralyzed with terror. He realized that in the face of Chu Feng, his strength was nothing more than that of an ant.

Run.

That was his only thought. He didn't even have the courage to fight back. His aptitude destroyed, his cultivation ruined—the mere thought made it hard to breathe.

But Chu Feng would not let him escape. Watching Ye Fan dash kilometers away, Chu Feng leaped, appearing behind him in an instant, surrounded by the golden aura of the dragon as he struck.

"Ah!"

Ye Fan let out a blood-curdling scream, sent flying like a straw doll for dozens of meters before crashing into the ground. Coughing up blood, he looked at Chu Feng in utter disbelief. "How is this possible? How can you be this strong?"

Chu Feng sneered, "I will give you two choices."