A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)

When Ye Fan woke up, he found himself lying in a woman's arms.

Her soft, delicate body and the intoxicating scent she exuded brought unparalleled joy to his heart.

"Ye Fan, you're awake? Does it still hurt?" Duanmu Wan'er's breath was as lovely as an orchid as she gently blew on the wound on Ye Fan's forehead.

Ye Fan suddenly woke up, recalling that he seemed to have been attacked by something before he passed out.

Then, he sat up from Duanmu Wan'er's arms and turned to her, asking, "Wan'er, are you okay? Are you unharmed? Just now, I think I spotted two figures. There must be someone else in this palace." Ye Fan's eyes were filled with seriousness.

He speculated that the palace before his eyes should be a treasure left behind by a great power from thousands of years ago.

It could even possibly be something belonging to a celestial.

In the abode of the celestial master, if there truly were remnants of living beings, how powerful must they have been?

Ye Fan could no longer dare to imagine.

He felt an indescribable sense of crisis welling up in his heart.

Duanmu Wan'er, however, let out a silly laugh. "You should've heeded my advice earlier instead of rushing things. How does it feel to mess up?"

"You're still laughing? Let's get out of here first, then we can plan our next move!" Ye Fan looked around, realizing that he and Duanmu Wan'er were clearly still inside the celestial palace.

The pavilions and towers around were still filled with the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

However, Ye Fan clearly no longer had the comfort and ease he had before.

Instead, he became cautious, feeling that the celestial palace had become dangerous and mysterious.

"Don't worry, Ye Fan. As long as we don't enter the main hall, we won't be in danger." Duanmu Wan'er comforted.

Ye Fan was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Duanmu Wan'er didn't say a word. Instead, she picked up a stone from her side and threw it in the direction of the main hall ahead.

As the stone was about to cross the first step, a shadow suddenly appeared out of nowhere. With a single punch, the figure shattered the stone.

After shattering it, the shadow swiftly vanished into hiding.

"It's him! The one who attacked me just now was him!" shouted Ye Fan.

The other party moved at an astonishing speed. That was the second time they had appeared, yet Ye Fan had only managed to catch a glimpse of their afterimage.

That undoubtedly made Ye Fan feel as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

After all, it was likely no human in the world could reach that speed.

Duanmu Wan'er nodded. "I know. They must be the guardians of this celestial palace, protecting the grand hall for hundreds and thousands of years. When you barged in recklessly just now, it's only natural that you were attacked."

Only then did Ye Fan come to a realization.

When he recalled what happened earlier, he confirmed that after he stepped onto the stairs, he was attacked.

"My apologies for being impatient. Indeed, such a celestial palace would naturally have beings guarding it. It's not that easy for us mere mortals to get involved. Wan'er, do you have a way to deal with those two celestial palace guards?" asked Ye Fan

He became eager to enter the grand hall, curious to see if there were any treasures within that could perhaps save the Earth from disaster.

Duanmu Wan'er shook her head. "I don't really understand this guard yet. Just these past few days, I've been observing them and have come to understand some of their habits and patterns. As long as you don't step on the stairs, they won't attack you. However, I have no idea about his actual strength or his techniques. Ye Fan, since you're here, I think you can give it a try."

Duanmu Wan'er revealed a somewhat mischievous smile, looking at Ye Fan.

Ye Fan was stunned. "How should I test it?"

Duanmu Waner laughed. "It's very simple. Just go up there and pick a fight with them."

Ye Fan's eye twitched. "Wan'er, you little rascal. Are you trying to kill me? This is a celestial palace, so the creatures guarding it are naturally far from ordinary mortals! I barely took a step in, and I almost got killed. You still want me to go up and get beaten?"

Ye Fan was not a fool.

Earlier, Ye Fan didn't even get a clear look at their faces before he was knocked unconscious on the spot.

If he rushed in again, he would likely get himself killed.

"Don't worry, Ye Fan. Just escape from that area if you feel you can't win. Those two guards won't chase after you. If you want to go in and take a look, this is the only way. Otherwise, I'm afraid we might never be able to enter this palace in our lifetime," Duanmu Wan'er advised from the side.

Upon hearing that, Ye Fan could only respond helplessly, "All right then. If I don't go through hell, who will? I'll give it another shot with them."

Left with no other choice, Ye Fan had to get up and once again set foot in the grand hall ahead.

Sure enough, the moment Ye Fan stepped on the first step, it was as if he had triggered some taboo. A shadow immediately rushed toward him as swiftly as lightning.

Having learned from his first lesson, Ye Fan was undoubtedly well-prepared.

He leaped forward while instantly igniting the power of the Raijin Thunderdrake.

Even so, the dark shadow still pursued him.

With a fierce punch, the shadow violently attacked Ye Fan.

"Such terrifying speed!" Ye Fan was taken aback at that moment.

At that speed, there was simply no way for him to dodge.

Left with no choice, Ye Fan had to unleash The Chu's Unrivaled Punch, striking in an instant.

Their fists collided directly with each other.

Boom!

The moment their fists collided, Ye Fan undoubtedly saw the other person's face clearly.

"It's a stone being?" Ye Fan was shocked with eyes wide opened.

Yes, the shadow before his eyes was not made of flesh and blood but a stone being carved from rock.

While Ye Fan's fear surged, he felt an overwhelming force, as vast as the ocean, sweeping over him.

Ye Fan's body was flung away like he was paper, tumbling several times across the ground before finally landing at Duanmu Wan'er's feet.

Duanmu Waner bent over, her charming smile directed at Ye Fan, who was lying on the ground. "Hurry up, Ye Fan. Go again."

Ye Fan rolled his eyes instantly. "You're only saying that because you're not the one getting beaten. So, have you figured anything out?"

Duanmu Wan'er shook her head. "Not yet. Try to last a little longer next time."

"I have to be able to do it first. This stone being is incredibly strong. Even with my Raijin Thunderdrake protecting me, I'm still completely outmatched in terms of physical strength." Ye Fan sighed. Indeed, his brief encounter with the powerful stone being had left him feeling somewhat intimidated.

After a brief rest, Ye Fan charged forward once again.

However, just like the last time, after a brief encounter, Ye Fan was sent flying again.

Fortunately, that stone being only possessed brute strength. I didn't cultivate any profound martial arts skills. As a result, the damage inflicted on Ye Fan wasn't too severe.

"Ye Fan, you should stop confronting him directly. Do your best to dodge its attack." From behind came the gentle reminder of Wan'er.

Ye Fan sighed bitterly. "If I can even dodge it."

"Have you learned any secret techniques related to agility? If you have, you may want to try using them," Duanmu Wan'er reminded again.

Upon hearing that, Ye Fan immediately slapped his forehead. Oh yeah! I can use movement techniques to dodge. Why didn't I think of that? Okay, let's do this.

When Ye Fan faced the stone being's attack again, he no longer chose to confront it head-on.

Instead, he used Nine Steps of Yunyang to engage with it.

Nine Steps of Yunyang might not be particularly fast, but its true brilliance lay in its cleverness.

In the confines of limited space, he made subtle movements. Each time, when it seemed as if the stone being's punch was about to hit him, the stone being would miss by a hair's breadth.

However, even with the aid of his movement technique, Ye Fan found it hard to keep up with the stone man's speed. Initially, he could only dodge two or three of the stone man's moves before he was sent flying.

Gradually, he could dodge four attacks, then five, and then finally...