Infinite transcendence began with Covering the Sky.

Chapter 167 Offensive and defensive changes
The earth shattered, and thousands of miles of mountains and rivers were destroyed. The fierce battle not only nearly killed the powerful beings, but also brought annihilation to this land.

Even though Ye Fan had already escaped to a distant place, he could clearly sense the astonishing fluctuations and could only keep moving forward amidst a sense of crisis.

He was very fast, but due to his low cultivation level, he was unable to leave the thousand-mile area for a long time, which allowed Qi Zhe to find him again.

This is a desolate wilderness, with broken mountains and withered trees scattered throughout the hills, ravaged by two major battles.

Now, Qi Zhe found the other person in front of a ditch. Seeing his melancholy face, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

Three years have passed since their last separation. Back then, Ye Fan had rejuvenated and looked only eleven or twelve years old, but now he is a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy.

His handsome appearance was deceptive; a young man with shallow cultivation would not normally attract attention. It was just a pity that everyone in the Eastern Wilderness knew that he was a Holy Body.

Now he gets recognized wherever he goes, and he no longer has the ease and comfort he had when he first came out of the mountains, which makes him feel a little lost.

"It's been a long time! How have you been?" Qi Zhe appeared out of nowhere behind Ye Fan, startling him with his voice.

Ye Fan suddenly turned around in front of the ditch, looking at Qi Zhe who had suddenly appeared behind him with a look of horror on his face. Then his expression changed, showing a hint of helplessness.

Qi Zhe's pursuit was unexpected, given the grand scale of the Yao Guang Holy Land earlier, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to escape unscathed.

However, this also surprised Ye Fan. After all, Qi Zhe was able to escape unscathed, which showed that he could come and go freely even when clashing with the Holy Land.

However, Ye Fan didn't think much of it. His eyes flickered as he looked at Qi Zhe strangely and said, "It's been years since I last saw Brother Qi. I've missed you terribly!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward, ready to engage Qi Zhe in a playful exchange with Qi Zhe.

Ye Fan felt that he probably had no secrets from the great cultivators, and guessed that Qi Zhe had been hiding in the shadows all along, otherwise he wouldn't have happened to appear and help him out.

"Haha." Qi Zhe laughed upon hearing this, knowing that Ye Fan was indeed too cunning and probably didn't trust him.

However, he didn't mind and continued, "It's naturally a joy to meet old friends again, but it's a pity that we have to part ways again after today."

Qi Zhe was well aware of Ye Fan's special status. As a Holy Body, Ye Fan was not only the target that the Ruthless lineage dreamed of, but also someone that Hell and the human world wanted to kill.

The Ruthless Clan wants to extract his essence to cultivate their skills, while the Assassin Dynasty wants to use his sacred body and head to perfect the ultimate killing path; neither will easily let him go.

When the Mother Qi Cauldron of All Things is born in the future, the entire Eastern Wilderness will hunt down Ye Fan. These are all trials that Ye Fan must go through.

Qi Zhe had no intention of interfering in all of this. He was already doing well enough to manage himself. Ye Fan's affairs had nothing to do with him; a brief reminder was enough.

With this in mind, Qi Zhe looked at Ye Fan's strange expression and continued, "Do you know why the Yao Guang Holy Land has been targeting you one after another?"

“Nowadays, a terrifying lineage has taken root within the Yao Guang Holy Land, where cultivators practice demonic arts and feed on the essence of various physiques.”

"You are the treasure they desire most right now. If they obtain you, it will greatly help one of them advance in their cultivation."

Qi Zhe remained calm and continued speaking about secrets, dropping bombshells that left Ye Fan somewhat dazed and confused.

He was new to the world and didn't know much about these things. Now that he heard about them, he understood why the Yao Guang Holy Land had chosen to ambush and kill the demon cultivators alone that day.

If those powerful forces were willing to nurture him, then the Yao Guang Holy Land wanted to devour him whole, leaving not even a trace of his bones.

This made Ye Fan suddenly realize, "So, Brother Qi betrayed Yao Guang back then for this very reason?"

Unfortunately, Qi Zhe ignored him completely and said to himself, "I'll leave you with one last piece of advice: it's not as easy as you think for the Holy Body to break the curse. If you're not prepared, you will surely die under the Heavenly Tribulation of the Great Dao."

After Qi Zhe finished speaking, he turned and left. Ye Fan was a smart man; he should have understood the whole story after being told. A reminder was enough.

But Ye Fan was anxious at this moment. He had heard rumors that Qi Zhe had formed an alliance with the descendants of the Demon Emperor.

He hurriedly said, "Brother Qi, wait a moment, there's something else I don't understand!"

The urgency in his words startled Qi Zhe, who then seemed to realize something and could only say, "He's not in great shape, but he can manage for now."

After saying that, Qi Zhe soared into the sky, no longer caring about Ye Fan's thoughts, leaving him standing there silently.

After Qi Zhe left, Ye Fan remained in the same spot for a long time, feeling that Qi Zhe must know something, but just hadn't told him everything.

After a long silence, Ye Fan muttered to himself, "Can Pang Bo still hold on?"

He was very concerned about his friend and worried about his situation. Now that he had learned some news from Qi Zhe, he felt a little relieved.

But he knew he couldn't rescue Pang Bo. No one knew how long Pang Bo could hold on, and he might really be possessed, which was something he couldn't accept.

With Qi Zhe's departure, news of another major battle in Wei spread throughout the southern region in less than a day, causing many people to change color.

The Yao Guang Holy Land, still obsessed with the Holy Body, made another move but was ambushed by Qi Zhe, resulting in the Yao Guang Holy Son being seriously injured and forced to flee. A powerful figure was on the verge of death.

"It's hard to imagine that he actually severely injured a powerful expert!" Some people were amazed by Qi Zhe's combat strength, finding it unbelievable.

It should be noted that this time Qi Zhe did not rely on the Heavenly Tribulation of the Imperial Weapon; he single-handedly intercepted and killed many Yao Guang cultivators, and his achievements were still so brilliant.

Not only did the Holy Son of Yao Guang suffer a severe injury, but even the powerful figure who protected him was about to perish. No one would believe such news if it came from anyone else.

But it's acceptable when applied to Qi Zhe, simply because he's strong and amazing enough that people feel he has the ability.

"In just a few short years, the balance of power has completely shifted. Who could have imagined three years ago that he would come to this point, surviving the bounty on his head?"

Looking back, people only felt that Qi Zhe was too extraordinary, far surpassing many of the other geniuses of the Eastern Wilderness, and could no longer be compared with him.

"Three years ago, we had the chance to completely crush him, but now there's no chance anymore; he's risen to power."

When the news reached the Central and Northern Regions, many cultivators who had been dealt a blow by Qi Zhe were speechless and filled with melancholy.

In this atmosphere, people watched as the Peacock King chased after Ji Haoyue, gloating amidst the commotion.

"It seems this life is not meant for a divine body; the legend of invincibility is now a thing of the past."

This pursuit lasted for more than half a month. By then, Qi Zhe had returned to the small village and met the Peacock King, who had also returned.

"The Ji family's methods are indeed extraordinary, and they have repeatedly thwarted my plans," the Peacock King said with some regret, as he had not succeeded either.

Fortunately, he had killed several of the Ji family's elders, which was more than enough for him, and he was already satisfied.

He then invited Yan Ruyu, Qi Zhe, and others to his secluded retreat, whereupon he remained behind closed doors, giving Yan Ruyu the opportunity to rise to prominence.

(End of this chapter)