Chapter 910: Restless Nights and Uneasy Sleep

At this moment, Ye Fan was shocked. He didn’t expect the first thief to say he resembled the Holy Venerable, firstly the Holy Venerable existed many years before he did.

Secondly, his strength was far inferior to that of the Holy Venerable.

Therefore, Ye Fan laughed and said, “How could that be, if I were the Holy Venerable, would I need to go through such painstaking effort to battle the Demon Clan?”

“I could just slap them dead with one hand.”

Ye Fan felt quite embarrassed.

He thought that the first thief was just joking with him and didn’t take it seriously at all.

But the first thief said, “Do you believe someone can reincarnate through Nirvana?”

“I don’t believe it!”

Ye Fan immediately responded.

One can’t achieve rebirth through Nirvana. Once dead, there’s no such thing as miraculous revival.

But the first thief said, “During the Chaotic Ancient Era, indeed someone accomplished this, but one’s cultivation had to be transcendent, otherwise, it was impossible!”

“I heard a legend that circulated within the Holy Clan!”

“What legend?”

Ye Fan asked.

The first thief said, “The Emperor’s son, the Holy Venerable, in pursuit of becoming stronger, had a plan to merge the bloodlines of hundreds of families to enhance his own power!”

“To transcend the Great Venerable!”

“However, due to this plan, the Holy Venerable personally doomed himself, ending the era of the Holy Clan, because he lacked something!”

“Is this thing the Nirvana Eye?”

Ye Fan asked.

“How do you know?”

The first thief asked in shock.

Ye Fan said, “Because it’s just a foolish legend. If the legend were true, the Nirvana Eye wouldn’t be easily obtained by you.”

“Besides, if the legend were true, then you and the Asura Clan would probably be buried along with him, and you wouldn’t be spared your life!”

“Nor would the Asura Clan be allowed to linger on in such a manner!”

The first thief didn’t know how to respond because Ye Fan made a valid point.

After all, the death of the Holy Venerable is a mystery. Some say he fell to defend against the Holy Clan’s ancient enemy, others say he was too defiant of fate, punished and slain by the heavens.

In any case, multiple versions have been passed down, now lost in the sands of history. This era is not the era of the Holy Clan.

The era of the Holy Clan is a thing of the past.

Unless the Holy Clan makes a comeback one day.

At this time, the first thief said, “I need to seclude myself away in meditation. You’ll need to rely on yourself from here on!”

“What? Then what’s the point of me taking you under my wing?”

Ye Fan said in exasperation.

The first thief was almost driven to frustration due to Ye Fan treating him like a free henchman despite his current lack of strength.

He needed to fully regain his peak form!

At this moment, Ye Fan said, “I know you’re busy regaining your strength, but given the current situation, the Demon Clan is causing too much chaos. So why not wait until the Demon Clan eases up before you seclude yourself?”

“Alright!”

The first thief responded swiftly, not because he was agreeable, but because doing otherwise wasn’t an option, as Ye Fan spoke as if merely consulting him.

In truth, Ye Fan wasn’t seeking his advice, rather outright demanding compliance.

The first thief wasn’t foolish; he was very familiar with Ye Fan.

If he disagreed, Ye Fan would only unleash fury.

That’s the sign of like-mindedness between men of dubious means.

…

The battle in the Demon Domain soon resonated throughout the world.

Ye Fan played the predominant role.

Not only did this event shock the world, it also astonished the four Sword God Temple experts. They couldn’t fathom how Ye Fan, with only fifty thousand men, successfully exterminated the elite forces of six major Demon Clan families.

Six clan leaders perished in battle.

Although the Human Clan suffered significant losses, compared to the battle’s outcome, these losses were indeed negligible.

The four experts realized Ye Fan was a miraculously innovative achiever. Even if he could perform miracles, to them, safeguarding the Demon Domain was already immensely impressive.

Unexpectedly, he fully annihilated the enemy, becoming the main reason for his acclaim.

In a short span, Ye Fan’s reputation soared beyond reach, making anonymity impossible.

Especially after learning Ye Fan had subdued the Demon Domain’s master, the four Sword Dao experts felt unavoidable unrest.

Though they sent investigators to confirm everything was fine before finally relaxing.

They were relieved knowing, despite the passing of their own era, with Ye Fan’s leadership, the Sword Dao would only march toward a stronger golden age.

Some rejoiced, others fretted.

At this moment, those most troubled were the Demon Clan. The Demon Lords of the various clans never imagined that the coordinated attack of six families would fall into the hands of a rising young leader.

To the Demon Clan, it was an immense disgrace.

Therefore, the Demon Clan withdrew two hundred thousand men directly from the Daoist Demon Battlefield this time.

The withdrawal aimed solely at Ye Fan in the Demon Domain.

This indeed alleviated pressure on Jiuxiao Sword Ancestor and Spirit Peak Sword Ancestor because post-withdrawal, the numbers became equal on the Daoist Demon Battlefield.

With parity in forces, capturing the battlefield was unrealistic for the Demons—mere wishful thinking.

Thus, the four great Sword Dao experts decided to dispatch reserve forces, including the Infinite Sword Ancestor and others, to the Demon Domain.

The reserve numbered over a hundred thousand.

Entirely under Ye Fan’s command.

Yet, Ye Fan felt troubled.

Following this battle, he’d become the object of widespread wrath.

Surely, Demon Lords would confront him, explaining why he retained the first thief nearby.

Currently, the only one who could hold against a Demon Lord was the first thief.

It’s not that the four experts wouldn’t rescue him; Ye Fan knew amidst the present state, the best strategy was staying unattached.

Or it might genuinely endanger him.

Reserve forces arrived after a month.

The Demon Clan army also reached the outside of the Demon Domain but hesitated to attack due to the barrier there.

At this point, Ye Fan asked the Honghu Sword Master, “Which Demon Clan families are participating this time?”

The Honghu Sword Master responded, “Reporting to the Commander, four Demon Clan families are involved in this battle! However, we haven’t discovered who’s commanding the battle this time.”

“Surely a Demon Lord!”

Ye Fan stated.

Given his current standing, the Demon Clan wouldn’t foolishly dispatch clan leader martial artists to serve themselves up.

The reason for the unknown is simple: the agreement between Sword Sect and the Demon Clan forbids deploying Ninth Grade Ancestor Realm experts, likely leaving someone secretly plotting.

Yet Ye Fan had preemptive strategies.

Thus, he asked, “Has the opposition shown any recent activity?”

“No movements, what could they be waiting for?”

The Honghu Sword Master was unsure of the opponent’s intentions, lacking Ye Fan’s unparalleled wisdom.

Therefore, he couldn’t comprehend what the adversary planned.

Ye Fan then said, “I understand, leave for now. Once the reserve army is ready, I’m going to make important decisions!”

“Yes!”

The Honghu Sword Master immediately retreated.

Ye Fan was reflecting. Despite numerous simulations, he couldn’t predict the opponent’s attack possibilities, indicating they might be devising ways to break the barrier.

But it wasn’t logical! If the opponent aimed to break the barrier, deploying Demon Lord powers would suffice; why delay until now?

Finally, Ye Fan settled on a dreadful thought: the opponent’s Demon Lord wanted to assassinate him.

Indeed, such might be the possibility; otherwise, he couldn’t deduce other explanations.

But Ye Fan had already devised counter-strategies in his mind.

He summoned the first thief.

The first thief said irritably, “Could you maybe knock before interrupting my training? This is quite impolite, you know?”

Ye Fan replied, “I knocked, but there was no response, so I had to be more forceful.”

“What do you need from me?”

The first thief asked discontentedly.

Ye Fan replied, “Naturally, it’s a major issue; the opposition surely dispatched Demon Lord experts but remains hidden. If they don’t reveal themselves, I cannot rest easy!”