In but an instant, the figure arrived before Ye Fan.
Judging by its appearance, it was similar to the other Sacred Clan members from before.
However, the design of its armor seemed to carry a higher status, likely belonging to a high-ranking member of the Sacred Clan.
"Devouring rule?" The figure spoke, uttering words that shocked Ye Fan, "But it seems you've only grasped it in a very rudimentary way."
Simultaneously, a gray attack hurtled towards Ye Fan!
The mysterious talismans surrounding Ye Fan began to spin rapidly.
"Boom—!"
As the dust settled, the mysterious talismans near Ye Fan were shattered by more than half!
"Pfft—!"
Ye Fan's throat tickled, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood!
This was the first time he had suffered such a severe injury since emerging from his seclusion!
The opponent's strength was far greater than he had imagined!
Seeing that Ye Fan was not dead, the high-ranking Sacred Clan member was clearly surprised.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, he launched another attack at Ye Fan.
Ye Fan wielded his fists and met the assault!
"Boom—!"
Ye Fan's punch was, after all, a step too slow.
And his body, under this blow, was completely pulverized!
The high-ranking Sacred Clan member flickered and walked towards the碎肉 (suì ròu - minced meat/shredded remains) on the ground.
Suddenly!
A flash of white light, and the碎肉 on the ground vanished!
Ye Fan reappeared before him, completely intact!
The high-ranking Sacred Clan member was visibly stunned, the gem on his forehead flashing frantically!
"Immortality!" His voice carried a hint of terror, "It's actually the rule of Immortality!"
Ye Fan narrowed his eyes.
So that's how it is...
His ability to revive infinitely was also a form of rule power...
It was just that Ye Fan had no recollection of this rule of Immortality at all.
He likely acquired it in a past life, but had forgotten the process.
Ye Fan also knew that now was not the time to ponder these matters. He swung his fists and attacked again!
Even though the enemy was strong, so strong it seemed hopeless.
But with the ability of infinite revival, he was already in an invincible position!
Moreover, each of the opponent's attacks was equivalent to helping him improve his strength!
Even if it took grinding them down, he could slowly wear them to death!
The battle continued.
However, at this moment, Ye Fan was unilaterally being battered.
But the gem on the high-ranking Sacred Clan member's forehead was flashing with increasing frequency!
"Detected individual possessing the rules of Immortality and Devouring. Accelerate the destruction of the Immortal Realm's World Tree!" The high-ranking Sacred Clan member seemed to be issuing an order to someone.
He then stopped attacking and performed a series of strange hand gestures.
Suddenly!
The high-ranking Sacred Clan member’s body dissolved into fragments, surrounding Ye Fan!
Energy lines extended from between the fragments, weaving into a small barrier spanning a square area.
Ye Fan's expression changed, and he immediately launched an attack at the barrier!
"Bang bang bang—!"
His fists relentlessly pounded against the barrier's wall. The entire barrier seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment.
But the problem was, no matter how hard Ye Fan tried, the barrier simply wouldn't break!
What was most critical was that Ye Fan discovered he couldn't absorb the barrier's energy at all!
He could clearly sense the energy emanating from the barrier, but he simply couldn't absorb it!
This meant that Ye Fan couldn't break through this barrier with his own strength!
"Brother, what's going on?" Shan Ji staggered forward, his face etched with worry.
"These guys are targeting the Immortal Realm's World Tree!" Ye Fan stopped helplessly, "If the World Tree is destroyed, the entire Immortal Realm will completely collapse and vanish!"
"Then what should we do now?" Shan Ji, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly asked.
Although he still didn't quite understand what this World Tree was, he understood Ye Fan's meaning.
Once that thing was destroyed, the entire Immortal Realm would be gone.
And the fate of those within the Immortal Realm, like themselves, was self-evident.
The collapse of a world wasn't as simple as houses falling down.
Houses falling down allowed one to run outside.
But the collapse of an entire world meant that everything within that world would perish along with it!
"What happened to Banana-kun?" Ye Fan asked, looking at the unconscious Banana-kun nearby.
He had managed to snatch Banana-kun back during the fight, but he still didn't know the reason for his unconsciousness.
"I don't know either. I was captured by those strange creatures," Shan Ji shook his head, "When I was captured, he was already like this."
"I see..." Ye Fan mused, "The ones who came with me earlier, also..."
Mid-sentence, Ye Fan suddenly stopped.
Because in his line of sight, several familiar figures appeared.
The Husky Army!
Upon arriving, the group of five placed the coffin on the ground and bowed to Ye Fan.
"Senior Brother Ye, what is this...?" The leader of the five-person group asked, bewildered.
"I'm trapped," Ye Fan scanned the group, "Where are those two elders?"
"We encountered a group of strange-looking creatures on the road earlier, with bald heads and only one eye," the leader of the five-person group quickly replied, "The two elders seemed very interested and captured a few to study."
Ye Fan's expression instantly became complex.
Those who were captured were naturally the so-called Sacred Clan.
Falling into the hands of those two old monsters, they could only consider themselves extremely lucky...
"Send someone to invite them back," Ye Fan immediately instructed, "I need them to help me break this barrier."
If Ye Fan believed anyone could still help him, it would only be those two old monsters.
After all, with his current strength, he couldn't break this barrier.
At least, not in the short term.
If he went back to cultivate in the Devouring Origin World, perhaps he could succeed someday.
He feared that by then, the World Tree would already be gone, and it would be too late for regrets...
Thinking of this, Ye Fan suddenly froze.
Every time he entered the Devouring Origin World, he did so in his physical body.
Could he use this to escape the barrier?
He decided to act immediately!
Ye Fan's figure flickered and vanished.
The next moment, he reappeared in the same spot...
Ye Fan felt a pang of disappointment.
It seemed it wouldn't work...
He could only enter and exit from the same spot; horizontal displacement was not possible...
"Alright, I'll go now."
The leader of the five-person group agreed and was about to set off.
"Woof—!"
The Husky suddenly barked loudly.
"Senior Brother Ye," the leader of the five-person group turned around, "Brother Ha says he has a way."
Ye Fan looked at the Husky suspiciously.
He admitted that this little fellow was indeed very powerful.
After all, the system had once said that its defense was invincible.
But the current problem wasn't something that could be solved by being able to take a beating, was it?
Seeing Ye Fan looking at him, the Husky immediately lifted its head.
Its face was filled with pride, as if saying, "Praise me, praise me!"
"Alright, then you try," Ye Fan instructed the Husky.
It was because he suddenly remembered that when he looked at the Husky's status panel, there were still a bunch of skills marked with question marks.
It was worth a shot, as it wouldn't take too long anyway.
The Husky proudly jumped off the coffin and struck a menacing dog pose towards the coffin.
Unfortunately, this pose, paired with its cute appearance, had no intimidating effect whatsoever.
Then, the Husky's eyes flashed!
A shadowy mass shot out from its body and hurtled towards the barrier!
Ye Fan had seen this scene not long ago.
When they left the abyss, the Husky had used this move.
However, the result this time seemed less than ideal.
Upon impact, the barrier did shake violently.
It even looked like it would collapse several times, but it ultimately held on.
After trying a few times, the Husky's expression clearly soured...
"Woof woof woof!"
It ran in circles around the barrier, barking incessantly at it.
"What is it saying?" Ye Fan curiously asked the leader of the five-person group.
"You little punk, don't push your luck!"
"Brother Ha is very angry, and the consequences will be severe!"
"I'll give you one last chance to organize your language!"
...
The leader of the five-person group diligently acted as a translator.
Ye Fan's face immediately creased.
No doubt.
This was classic Husky language.
Regardless, it was the other party who made the first move...
Seeing that the barrier still refused to yield, the Husky became truly angry!
It ran far away and again struck a fierce yet cute pose towards the barrier.
However, this time it did not shoot a shadowy mass from its body, seemingly gathering some ultimate move.
Time ticked by.
Ye Fan suddenly felt that he might be overthinking things.
This was simply a waste of time!
Just as he was about to instruct the five-person group to find the two elders again.
The Husky finally moved!
Terrifying energy emanated from its body, gradually condensing into a tall shape.
The next moment.
The condensed energy turned into a physical form!
And upon seeing the shape of that thing, Ye Fan was utterly speechless!
Because, as he recalled, that thing was unmistakably a...
Excavator???