Now, the outside world was more dangerous for Ye Fan than ever before. To be discovered meant certain death. The Ji Family’s people had appeared, but he reckoned they had most likely not come for him — after all, more than half a year had already passed. This time, he simply needed to avoid them.

Ye Fan went directly to the deepest reaches of the seventh layer of the fire domain, not stopping until he neared the eighth. Before him, seven-colored mist threads spiraled and drifted, serene and tranquil in appearance.

The eighth layer of the fire domain was right before him. Its terrifying heat poured forth like a river in flood, rushing straight into the seventh layer — as though using heaven and earth as a bronze furnace to refine everything in existence.

He drew in a sharp breath. The five-colored cloud-flames differed from the seven-colored mist threads by only two colors — yet the gulf in temperature was beyond rational reckoning.

The five-colored cloud-flames already left him burning with searing pain. The seven-colored mist threads were even more terrifying — he supposed that even holding the Bodhi Seed, one couldn’t enter casually.

“Great figures generally refine weapons in the sixth and seventh layers. If that ancient undying one enters the seventh layer, I’ll have no choice but to risk my life and push into the eighth — I can only hope he stops at the ‘Purple Qi Coming from the East’ zone.”

Ye Fan truly had no desire to force his way into the eighth layer. He had not the faintest confidence. If he were burned to the point of total annihilation of body and soul, then all things would truly come to nothing.

“Caw… Caw…”

At that very moment, Ye Fan was struck with shock. He heard several crow calls — emanating from the eighth layer of the fire domain. He stood there wide-eyed and dumbstruck.

The seventh layer alone was enough to incinerate divine power and burn great figures to death. The eighth layer was beyond imagining — how could there be a crow’s call coming from within?

Ye Fan circled along the edge of the eighth layer, peering inward. Seven-colored mist threads spiraled and swirled, like countless tiny rainbows stretching across the interior.

And the ground was covered with boulders — bizarre and strange in form, making up a stone forest.

“Caw!”

Ye Fan heard the crow’s call again — clear as a crack splitting metal and stone.

Then he saw it: ahead was a boulder a hundred meters tall, like a small mountain. The ominous sound was coming from its base.

At the mountain’s foot was a stone cave. Ye Fan looked carefully and at the mouth of the cave discovered several black feathers gleaming with dark iridescence.

“This…” He was truly stunned. There was a living crow inside the eighth layer of the fire domain.

A chill ran through him. This was far from ordinary. Even great figures halted at the seventh layer — how had a crow ended up inside the eighth?

Do not provoke it.

Ye Fan prudently retreated, found himself a stone forest to conceal himself within. A crow blocked him from the front; the Ji Family’s great figures blocked him from behind. He was caught in the middle.

Fortunately, the five-colored cloud-flames seemed possessed of some demonic nature, capable of devouring everything — even great figures dared not carelessly extend their divine sense. Ye Fan hid among the stones and cultivated in silence, not daring to draw fire to temper the cauldron, for if he alerted the Ji Family’s people, that would be a great deal of trouble.

For the first few days, all was quiet. Nothing particular occurred — until eight or nine days later, when from the sixth layer, a series of metallic ringing sounds rang out, reverberating through heaven and earth.

Ye Fan let out a complete sigh of relief. The Ji Family’s great figure had come here solely to refine a weapon — it had nothing to do with him. He was somewhat curious, wondering what the man was forging to produce such commotion.

Within the sixth layer of the fire domain, purple qi surged. Crimson radiance shot into the heavens, illuminating the sky above in a blaze of light.

“What is that ancient undying one forging?” Ye Fan was quite astonished. He concealed himself and observed from within the seventh layer.

Because of the distance, he could only make out a vague shape — something like an enormous bronze furnace standing there.

“It really is a bronze furnace!”

He shifted to a better vantage point and saw it clearly: a bronze furnace fully thirty meters tall, enveloped in purple flames, letting out a deep resonant rumbling. The crimson radiance was streaming out from within it.

A gray-robed elder sat cross-legged to the side, holding a jade-green fan and continuously fanning, drawing purple fire from all directions to pour into the furnace.

“This old fellow doesn’t dare use his own body as a furnace to refine a weapon — he’s using an actual treasure furnace to forge here…”

The great bronze furnace’s red radiance grew ever more intense, manifesting in the sky above in the shape of a divine vessel — crimson as blood, as though forged from blood-jade.

“What a fine treasure. It’s almost fully formed — already manifesting in the sky. This old creature is truly extraordinary.”

Ye Fan understood that once this divine vessel was successfully refined and Ji Family’s profound Dao patterns engraved upon it, it would be something exceptional indeed — for it was being refined by a great figure.

“Clang, clang, clang!”

The sounds from within the bronze furnace grew louder, resounding clearly for dozens of li, echoing endlessly between heaven and earth.

“Compared to the divine vessel, that bronze furnace itself is the greater treasure.” Ye Fan dared not look too long and withdrew, careful not to be detected.

After returning to the depths of the seventh layer of the fire domain, Ye Fan heard the crow’s call again — faint and intermittent, seemingly extremely agitated, sounding without pause.

“Caw… Caw…”

“What in the world is going on?” Ye Fan moved forward, spotting the stone cave at the mountain’s foot from a distance. Flames gushed from within, seven-colored mist threads spiraled around it, and the heat was intense.

At the cave’s mouth, there were now even more black feathers gleaming with dark iridescence. In addition, there were some traces of ash. Ye Fan muttered to himself: “Is it a spirit born of fire, or a true crow?”

“Damned thing!”

From within that stone cave in the eighth layer came these two explosive words, seemingly furious beyond measure. Ye Fan could scarcely believe his own ears.

Clang!

From within the fire cave flew a fragment of shattered metal — snow-white throughout, like mutton-fat jade.

Ye Fan was instantly stricken still. This was without doubt the legendary divine iron — a peerless rarity, the finest material for weapon refinement. It was said that even Yao Guang’s Holy Lord’s weapons had incorporated such divine iron, which gave one a sense of just how precious it was.

It was clear that someone was refining a weapon inside — had ruined the divine iron and tossed it out of the cave.

“A crow demon!” Ye Fan felt a chill run through him. This was absolutely an ancient monster of incomprehensible age.

He made his decision in an instant, turned at once and retreated, withdrawing far away without daring to linger.

In the days that followed, the eighth layer of the fire domain continued to intermittently emit the crow’s calls — growing increasingly agitated.

Another five days passed. In the sixth layer, the Ji Family great figure’s bronze furnace let out a sound like heaven-shaking thunder, reverberating through the sky above, audible throughout the entire fire domain.

And at that very moment, from the fire cave at the mountain’s foot of the eighth layer came sounds of exasperated rage, followed by several more pieces of snow-white divine iron being tossed out, cast at the mouth of the cave.

“You’re infuriating me to death!”

The seven-colored mist threads surged. From the stone cave burst a dazzling radiance. Endless blazing flames poured forth — and then an old Daoist, furious and seething, came charging out.

He wore a feathered robe gleaming with black iridescence, woven from black bird feathers, and appeared to be no more than fifty or sixty years of age. He looked very much like an old crow.

“Who is refining weapons here, so brazenly, disturbing the fire domain?!” The old Daoist’s voice rang out loud and clear.

Rage surging, he shot straight into the sky and flew toward the sixth layer of the fire domain.

Ye Fan’s heart went cold. He caught only a streak of black light slicing through the air before it descended into the sixth layer.

A demon who refined weapons within the eighth layer of the fire domain — what kind of existence was this? Just thinking about it made one’s scalp tighten.

“Who are you…” The Ji Family’s great figure seemed to bark out a challenge.

But then a massive boom rang out, and whatever he’d been about to say was swallowed back entirely. He went a long while without another word.

Though Ye Fan could not see, he could well imagine. He was astounded to the extreme — that old demon was absolutely a ferocious and formidable figure. There was truly no telling what he might do.

Boom!

The sixth layer of the fire domain erupted with a terrifying wave of energy. Purple qi surged to the heavens, as though the place had been struck into a churning frenzy.

“Why did you—” This was the voice of the Ji Family’s strong cultivator.

“You refined weapons here, disturbing the fire domain and ruining my divine bell — give me an explanation!” The old demon seemed to have been pushed past the brink of fury. “I, this Daoist, have never been one to pick quarrels — but today I cannot but rage!”

“Your divine bell is ruined — what does that have to do with me?” The Ji Family’s great figure seemed to be somewhat intimidated.

“If not for you, with your noise shaking the heavens and distracting my concentration, how would it have been ruined? If I hadn’t been unable to leave seclusion earlier, I would have come to trouble you long ago!”

From his distant position, Ye Fan listened but dared not draw closer, fearing to become an innocent victim caught in the crossfire.

“The fire domain is an ownerless land — on what grounds do you lay the blame at my feet? My Ji Family has never feared a provocation!”

“Are you reminding me that you’re a member of the Ji Family?” The old Daoist’s words turned bone-cold. “If it were anyone else, I might let it pass — but the Ji Family…”

From his distant vantage, Ye Fan clicked his tongue inwardly. This old demon certainly bore a deep grievance against the Ji Family.

Boom!

The sixth layer of the fire domain erupted into violent chaos. Purple qi spilled in all directions, raging flames blazed and surged.

“The great figures have come to blows!” Ye Fan was alarmed, yet he did not go closer. He restrained the impulse, knowing those people were extraordinarily perceptive — he could absolutely not approach.

Fortunately, the five-colored mist threads devoured all power, and the great figures could not extend their perception either. Otherwise he would likely have been discovered long ago.

The energy fluctuations were terrifying — but they quickly settled into stillness. No sound remained, not a single trace of noise.

“So quickly… has the battle already ended?” Ye Fan’s heart grew cold.

“When I, Crow Daoist, was matching power against the great cultivators of your Ji Family, your grandfather hadn’t even been born yet…” A streak of black light shot into the sky.

Ye Fan caught only a side profile — genuinely resembling an old crow, dressed in a black feathered robe, his figure lean and gaunt. In the blink of an eye the man was gone, having left the fire domain entirely.

“Crow Daoist…” Once Ye Fan was certain the man had completely vanished, he made his way to the sixth layer of the fire domain.

That enormous bronze furnace had disappeared without a trace. It had clearly been taken away by Crow Daoist.

The Ji Family’s strong cultivator lay in a pool of blood, his head severed from his body. More than a dozen black feathers were planted around him, keeping the purple flames at bay so as not to burn him.

Ye Fan felt a chill run along his bones. The Ji Family’s great figure had been killed just like that. Just how terrifying was that old crow?

The body had been preserved, yet the divine sense was extinguished — completely dispersed. He could absolutely never come back to life.

Ye Fan fell briefly silent. A powerful cultivator like this could be killed just so. The world of cultivation was indeed cruel. If one could not stand at the absolute pinnacle, one’s very life could not be preserved in the end.

He quickly composed himself and reached out to search this body. After all, this was a Ji Family great figure — the items left on him certainly could not be ordinary.

Yet he was disappointed. There was nothing on the body. Whether the Wheel Sea or the Dao Palace and other secret realms — all were completely empty, without a single treasure.

“This old crow was truly thorough — took everything away.”

Looking at the dozen or so black feathers lying on the ground, his heart turned cold. Crow Daoist had left them deliberately — clearly issuing a provocation to the Ji Family.

A Ji Family great figure was dead. This would absolutely trigger a storm. One could well imagine that the Southern Region would know no peace again.

Hiss!

At that very moment, space abruptly shattered. A Ji Family renowned cultivator materialized, wearing a special multicolored robe that kept the purple flames at bay.

When he saw the body on the ground and Ye Fan standing nearby, he was instantly stunned, disbelief covering his face, shock pushed to its absolute limit.

“You…”

At the very instant the void cracked open, Ye Fan had already brought forth his cauldron and drove it directly down in suppression.

Setting aside their former enmity — just the scene before him was impossible to explain. His only path was to subdue this man while catching him off guard. Otherwise, there was absolutely no way out.