Chapter 58: Those Who Touch My Heavenly Sword Sect Shall Die

"Hah, and what manner of creature are you supposed to be?"

"We are here exclusively for Ye Fan today. Anyone with a death wish should step aside immediately!"

The members of the Nether Sect cast a glance at Jiang Ming, noting his youthful appearance, and utterly dismissed him.

"Jiang Ming of the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"I may not care if you target others, but touching my brother is entirely unacceptable!"

Though Jiang Ming was reluctant to verbally acknowledge Ye Fan as his brother, the moment outsiders dared to bully Ye Fan within the Central State, he naturally set aside his prejudices to present a united front.

"Jiang Ming?"

"So you are the youngest demigod in the history of the Heavenly Sword Sect."

The name Jiang Ming was by no means unfamiliar to them; indeed, it was renowned throughout the entire Central State.

The title of the Heavenly Sword Sect's youngest demigod alone was proof enough of his extraordinary talent.

Jiang Ming had hoped to use his reputation to cow them into submission.

"Young Sect Master, what should we do now?"

"This Jiang Ming is not someone to be trifled with."

"It's not merely his strength we have to worry about; crossing him is tantamount to declaring war on the Heavenly Sword Sect."

Dugu Yan offered a disdainful, cold chuckle, transmitting his voice: "Don't you know? Our sect's patriarch is currently uniting with several other top-tier factions to deal with the Heavenly Sword Sect anyway."

"We were going to finish them off sooner or later—what is a mere Jiang Ming?"

"Besides, if an accident befalls him out in the wilderness, who could ever prove what truly happened?"

"Surround them! Do not let a single one escape!"

At Dugu Yan's command, the men he brought instantly closed in, trapping the two figures in the center.

Every single one of these men possessed at least the cultivation base of the early demigod realm, while Dugu Yan himself was a formidable mid-demigod expert.

With such overwhelming numbers, even someone as strong as Jiang Ming would inevitably be crushed.

As for Ye Fan, who was merely at the peak of the Soul Formation realm, they didn't even deign to look at him.

"Dugu Yan, you wouldn't dare!"

Furious, Jiang Ming had not anticipated such utter lawlessness from the other party.

"Enough chatter. Attack! Eliminate this Jiang Ming first."

"As for the remaining one, Ye Fan, I shall torture him slowly with my own hands!"

Instead of joining the fray, Dugu Yan fixed his unblinking gaze upon Ye Fan, his eyes brimming with malicious mockery.

Several disciples of the Nether Sect swarmed toward Jiang Ming simultaneously.

Assailed by seven or eight early-demigod practitioners at once, Jiang Ming was instantly forced onto the back foot.

In less than five minutes, Jiang Ming was beaten down to the ground.

"Hah, is this the youngest demigod? Utterly pathetic."

"Indeed. I thought he'd be formidable, but he folds so easily."

"He's nothing more than a demigod forged from countless pills and resources. Give me those resources, and I'd be the youngest demigod too!"

Jeers and taunts rang out continuously, dealing a heavy blow to Jiang Ming's pride.

"Enough. Let this youngest demigod perish in despair today."

"Do it cleanly, leave no traces."

Having no interest in wasting further time on Jiang Ming, Dugu Yan ordered his execution outright.

One of the disciples slowly raised the longsword in his hand, preparing to bring it down upon Jiang Ming's skull.

Yet, in the very next instant...

"Crack!"

The longsword struck an invisible barrier and shattered instantly into pieces.

Just as confusion washed over their faces, Ye Fan's voice echoed through the air.

"Hurt my brother? Over my dead body. You are courting death!"

"Divine Ability: Prison of the Earth."

Ye Fan reached out and made a casual grabbing motion toward the empty air, causing violent ripples to tear across the space.

An invisible cage instantly trapped all the Nether Sect disciples within its confines, leaving Dugu Yan standing alone on the outside.

No matter how frantically the trapped men struggled within the cage, they found themselves utterly unable to break free.

The sight left Jiang Ming completely dumbfounded.

"Ye Fan... you... you are actually this powerful!"

Unable to believe his own eyes, Jiang Ming found Ye Fan's divine ability terrifying beyond measure.

With a mere flick of his hand, he had instantly immobilized seven or eight early-demigod powerhouses.

It seemed laughable now that he had previously demanded a sparring match with Ye Fan.

In hindsight, Ye Fan had clearly been showing him mercy all along.

Dugu Yan's expression darkened as well. He had never imagined that a mere peak Soul Formation cultivator would possess such unfathomable strength.

He had witnessed fights that defied cultivation gaps before, but those were strictly one-on-one affairs.

This was his first time encountering someone who could effortlessly restrain a multitude of opponents superior in realm to himself.

Nevertheless, Dugu Yan did not panic, considering his own standing as a mid-demigod expert.

No matter how strong Ye Fan might be, crossing two major realms was an impossibility.

"I truly underestimated you."

"However, you surely don't believe you can actually defeat me, do you?"

As his voice trailed off, a tyrannical aura erupted from within Dugu Yan's body.

"A mid-demigod, you say?"

"This should be interesting!"

Not a trace of fear could be detected on Ye Fan's face; instead, his eyes flashed with a hint of excitement.

To this day, he had yet to encounter an opponent who could force him to unleash his full strength.

He could only wonder if this so-called Young Sect Master of the Nether Sect possessed the capability to do so.

Dugu Yan flashed forward, appearing directly in front of Ye Fan, and lashed out with a vicious whip kick aimed straight at his abdomen.

Expecting such speed to leave Ye Fan with no avenue of evasion, his kick struck nothing more than an afterimage.

Before he knew it, Ye Fan had already materialized directly behind him.

"Your speed is far too slow."

A jolt of shock went through Dugu Yan. As he whirled around to counter, he took a solid whip kick from Ye Fan square on.

The immense force sent him hurtling backward for dozens of meters before he finally managed to steady his stance.

"Brat, you are courting death!"

Discarding any remaining reservation, Dugu Yan's aura surged to even greater heights.

He lunged toward Ye Fan once more, unleashing a ferocious flurry of strikes with his fists and feet.

Dugu Yan fancied himself exceptionally swift, yet in Ye Fan's eyes, his movements appeared sluggish.

Without bothering to retaliate, Ye Fan simply shifted and swayed gracefully amidst the onslaught of blows.

Every single evasion was executed with impeccable timing, effortlessly dodging every strike.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more alarmed Dugu Yan became. He had unleashed his utmost power, yet Ye Fan still appeared entirely at ease, without even a single drop of perspiration!

Enraged, Dugu Yan pooled every ounce of his spiritual energy into a single, devastating punch—his absolute strongest technique.

This time, Ye Fan did not dodge, meeting the attack head-on with a single outstretched palm!

Fist collided with palm in a deadlocked stalemate, instantly triggering a violent shockwave that swept across the surrounding terrain.

Flowers, trees, and even nearby spirit beasts were decimated by the aftermath.

Relying on his mid-demigod cultivation, Dugu Yan remained confident that he could completely crush Ye Fan in a contest of pure spiritual energy.

Yet, after roughly a minute of deadlock, an unsettling sensation crept over Dugu Yan.

His own spiritual energy seemed to be slowly draining away, being devoured by Ye Fan at an ever-accelerating pace.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before his entire reservoir of spiritual energy was sucked completely dry!

"What... what have you done to me?"

"Stop this at once!"

Panic finally gripped Dugu Yan, for he had never encountered such a bizarre phenomenon in all his life.

The Devouring Holy Body was not merely capable of accelerating the absorption of medicinal properties from rare treasures; in combat, any physical contact allowed it to ravenously swallow an opponent's spiritual energy as well.

With no intention of letting him off so easily, Ye Fan clamped a tight grip around the other man's fist and wrenched it downward with brute force.

"Aaargh!"

Letting out a miserable shriek, Dugu Yan crashed violently to his knees right before him!