The Diamond Ring appeared perfectly natural, of extraordinary craftsmanship, silver-white in color, its surface lustrous and polished, covered in ancient Dao inscriptions that were simple and natural.

Ye Fan fixed his gaze on it, unwavering — he did not know whether this was the legendary Diamond Ring from the other side of the starry sky, and his heart was far from calm.

“You have considerable nerve — killing people and leaving your mark, and then lingering here. What arrogance!” the one with the golden gourd floating above his head said coldly.

Ye Fan understood — these three were surely Yao Guang disciples, trained by reclusive elders, certainly three among the ten great experts.

With a hum, the golden gourd above his head shook — instantly growing massive, like a great golden mountain peak — rushing forward. He had no desire for further words. He moved directly to strike.

With a thunderous crack, at that very moment, the earth below split apart across a vast expanse — entirely due to the immense weight of the golden gourd in the sky.

An invisible pressure, pervasive and relentless, descending in fine streams — shattering the surface of the ground before the great golden gourd had even fallen, red rocks flying in every direction.

This was an astounding display of power. Before the great golden mountain-sized gourd had even descended, it had already created such devastation — red rocks shooting in every direction.

Ye Fan stood on the red earth, the Myriad Things Primal Energy Cauldron above his head and the God-Punishing Whip in hand — immovable, only the patch of ground beneath his feet remaining intact.

Myriad Things Primal Energy cascaded down, shielding him and the ground beneath him from any impact whatsoever.

With a resonant hum, the void seemed like a wall, shaking repeatedly under the pressure of the great golden gourd — as though it would collapse at any moment.

This golden gourd the size of a mountain peak blazed with ten thousand rays of light, and after one tremor, plunged down with full force — aiming to crush Ye Fan into pulp.

Only when a blade of golden light slashed down did Ye Fan raise his left hand toward the sky in a counter-strike.

With a crack, the Void Great Hand Seal, driven by the Sacred Battle Technique, drew on power vast as an ocean — a golden giant palm like a golden cloud, slapping the golden gourd with a loud impact.

The golden gourd was like a blazing great sun filling the heavens, blazing with ten thousand rays of light — struck by the blow, it shuddered — and a clear handprint was left upon its surface.

“Away!”

Ye Fan bellowed. The golden hand struck again — like a golden ocean surging — slamming the golden gourd away, sending it flying high into the sky, tracing a brilliant arc of golden light.

Zing. Zing. Zing…

Suddenly, the golden gourd shook violently. From its mouth burst ten thousand sword lights, each one as thick as a barrel, golden radiance blazing, firing down at the ground.

Pssh. Pssh. Pssh…

It was a scene of extraordinary terror. Barrel-thick sword lights rained down across the sky — the red earth for hundreds of zhang in every direction was pierced through.

One could clearly see terrifying great holes appearing in the ground — plunging straight down into the earth’s depths, chilling to behold.

Ten thousand golden sword lights connecting heaven to earth — the scene was bone-chilling, as though great pillars holding up the sky had been planted across the red earth.

Above Ye Fan’s head, the cauldron kept the Myriad Things Primal Energy flowing, wrapping him in a haze of light.

Clang. Clang. Clang…

Thick sword energy fired into the cauldron and around him. Although it could not penetrate, the sheer penetrating force was immense — shaking him again and again.

Ye Fan stood in place without moving, only sending the Void Great Hand Seal toward the sky — the golden giant hand erasing many of the sword lights.

Wherever it passed, even if sword lights filled the sky, all were annihilated — nothing could obstruct the golden great hand seal.

With a hum, the golden gourd blazed with even more intense radiance — its intimidating aura overwhelming — as though golden flames were burning, turning the sky into a brilliantly dazzling spectacle.

Tens of thousands of sword lights poured from its mouth — denser and more ferocious than before, surging like a tide — pressing the golden great hand down.

Barrel-thick golden sword lights shattered the earth, reducing it to fragments for thousands of zhang around — not even the ground beneath Ye Fan’s feet was spared.

The area had become scorched earth — countless sword holes impossibly dense, like a giant sieve. As far as the eye could see, the landscape was one of utter devastation.

Ye Fan shielded himself with the Myriad Things Primal Energy Cauldron, God-Punishing Whip in hand, rising into the sky — pressing into the ten thousand falling sword lights, striking toward the mouth of the golden gourd.

The owner of the golden gourd sucked in a sharp breath. The Myriad Things Primal Energy was indeed extraordinary — defending against such a dense rain of sword energy — filling him with deep astonishment.

Zing. Zing. Zing…

Tens of thousands of sword lights poured out, filling heaven and earth with blinding light — an endless curtain of blazing radiance. Ye Fan bore the brunt of enormous pressure.

Although the golden light could not break through, its force of impact was tremendous — he could no longer advance, every blow like a great hammer falling upon him.

With a thunderous boom, he shook the cauldron above his head — in that instant, Myriad Things Primal Energy surged in streams upward, rising to meet the tens of thousands of sword lights.

This time, brilliant light and color filled the sky — two forms of radiance colliding — producing a monstrous wave of energy that swept through the entire world.

The Myriad Things Primal Energy, even more fearsome than the sword lights, ground every one of the countless golden sword blasts to pieces, driving it all toward the great golden gourd.

Ye Fan’s speed surged. Shielded by the cauldron, he swung the God-Punishing Whip — and in the blink of an eye had closed the distance.

Suddenly, all ten thousand golden sword lights vanished. From the gourd’s mouth burst a stream of dark light — vivid and piercing, like a ribbon of cloth — instantly wrapping around Ye Fan and the cauldron together.

In a flash, he was drawn into the golden gourd, and with a snap, the gourd’s mouth sealed shut, trapping him inside.

The golden light descended. The golden gourd shrank, becoming the size of a palm, falling into the hands of the young Yao Guang cultivator.

“Ha ha!” He cradled the golden gourd and could not help laughing. “So much for the Desolate Holy Body — is that all? Swallowed up just like that.”

Beside him, the cultivator with the five-colored feather fan floating above his head said: “Junior Brother’s treasure is truly formidable — holding Mysterious Yin True Light within, capable of capturing anything. Even a cultivator at the peak of the Four Extremes could hardly escape.”

The owner of the golden gourd shook the gourd vigorously. “In less than half a quarter-hour, the Mysterious Yin True Light will reduce him to a pool of bloody pus!”

“Be careful. He has the Myriad Things Primal Energy — he may not necessarily be dissolved.” The young man with the Diamond Ring above his head offered a warning.

“Relax. The Mysterious Yin True Light is all-pervasive — it can dissolve all things. In the past, my master placed cultivators surpassing the Four Extremes inside and dissolved every one of them into a puddle of blood. Even with Myriad Things Primal Energy, he might hold it off for a moment, but not forever — let’s see how long his divine power can last.”

With a dull thud, the golden gourd shook violently — nearly dropping from the disciple’s hands to the ground.

“What — even the Mysterious Yin True Light couldn’t hold him still — he’s still struggling?!”

“Be careful — don’t let him destroy this treasure!” the other two warned, each taking the Diamond Ring and five-colored feather fan into their hands.

“It’s fine. This golden gourd was refined by my master’s master — forged with one or two portions of Divine Copper Essence. No blade or weapon can damage it.”

And indeed, the golden gourd shook only once, then fell completely still — not another sound from within.

He sneered: “Hmph. Wait to dissolve into bloody pus!”

Inside the golden gourd, Ye Fan was as though mired in quicksand — the Mysterious Yin True Light binding him in the heart of the gourd, making it hard to move.

“This fellow — merely at the fifth level of the Dao Palace — and yet has a treasure like this. He could kill cultivators of the Four Extremes without difficulty.”

Ye Fan furrowed his brows. The ten disciples trained by the reclusive elders all had extraordinary means — but he remained composed. Setting aside the Myriad Things Primal Energy protecting his body, even without the cauldron, his physical constitution could withstand the corrosion of the Mysterious Yin True Light.

He stood in the heart of the gourd, searching for its weakest point — preparing to strike once, shatter it, and burst free.

“Right here!”

Ye Fan shook the cauldron, using the Myriad Things Primal Energy to drive back the Mysterious Yin True Light, then positioned himself before a section of the gourd wall — and swung the God-Punishing Whip with his full strength concentrated into one strike.

With a resonant clang, the golden gourd blazed brilliantly, sending its owner’s palm numb. Before he could react, another thunderous blow came.

Clang!

“Ahhh!” He cried out in agony — his spiritual sense wracked with pain, his mind momentarily spinning.

With a loud crack, the golden gourd split open — exploding in his hands, the impact leaving his fingers and palms drenched in blood, white bone exposed.

Ye Fan, cauldron above his head and God-Punishing Whip in hand, burst free. Without a word, he swung the whip downward.

With a crack, the owner of the golden gourd could not even manage a groan before the God-Punishing Whip lashed him apart completely — his spiritual sense reduced to ash. He died on the spot.

With a resonant hum, Ye Fan swung the God-Punishing Whip in a sweep toward the other two.

But these two had been prepared. They had been offering warnings to the golden gourd’s owner all along.

Clang!

The Diamond Ring blazed — silver light flashing, weighty as ten thousand mountains, slamming into the God-Punishing Whip and sending sparks flying, its divine power matchless.

The Diamond Ring shimmered with flowing divine radiance, the Dao inscriptions upon it moving like living dragons — blocking the God-Punishing Whip without the slightest damage.

In the same instant, the other’s five-colored feather fan swept forward — five-colored fierce winds reducing the earth beneath Ye Fan’s feet to ash, sending the distant great rocks flying several li away.

With a crash, Ye Fan blocked with the cauldron — but even so, he was nearly blown off his feet. The fierce wind was too powerful, its divine force surging like a tide.

With a sudden boom, in the very instant Ye Fan was swept back by the fierce wind, he opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of innate primordial essence energy, fusing it with the void — forming a Dao diagram — and sent it striking forward.

Innate Primal Void Fierce Wind!

It formed into a scroll, Dao inscriptions covering it densely, its power matchless — tearing through the five-colored fierce wind and slamming against the side of the treasure fan.

Clang!

The five-colored feather fan shook — light flashed — unharmed, it blocked the greater part of the Innate Primal Void Fierce Wind. Yet a portion still broke through.

With a wet crash, a small fragment of the Dao diagram, sharp as a supreme blade, obliterated the fan-wielder’s entire arm — turning it into a mist of blood.

He was not Gu Li Tian — a specialist in physical cultivation. Even at the Four Extremes Secret Realm, he could not withstand close-range combat of this intensity.

“The Ji Family’s Innate Primal Void Fierce Wind!” he cried out in alarm. The change had come too suddenly — he had never expected Ye Fan to breathe out a Dao diagram, catching him completely off guard.

With a thunderous crash, Ye Fan triggered the “All” secret among the Nine Secrets. He had nearly been sent flying by the five-colored treasure fan — but he suddenly arrested his body, turned against the wind, and charged.

Combat power — tenfold!

He had no choice but to go all out. Both opponents were at the Four Extremes Secret Realm, and in particular the Diamond Ring in the other one’s possession filled him with apprehension.

The five-colored fierce wind dissolved all it touched, turning rock and earth alike to ash — leaving a massive crater behind.

Yet it could not send the tenfold-enhanced Ye Fan flying. He was like a blazing divine spear, invincible and unstoppable, shattering the five-colored divine wind and closing the distance.

The man swung the five-colored feather fan with full force — fierce winds like a surging ocean — yet they were blocked by the Myriad Things Primal Energy cascading from Ye Fan’s cauldron above his head.

Clang. Clang. Clang!

He opened his mouth, releasing a burst of dazzling radiance — eighty-one divine feathers, each one crystalline and translucent, like a rain of immortal blades slashing down at Ye Fan.

At the same time, the Diamond Ring behind him came flying in — like a mountain slamming into the cauldron, its weight beyond reckoning.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth — let the momentum carry him, let the cauldron be driven down by the blow, forward toward the five-colored treasure fan, temporarily losing control of it.

Simultaneously, the God-Punishing Whip in his hand swung down — shattering dozens of divine feathers.

“Ahhh!”

The wielder of the five-colored feather fan let out a cry of anguish — his spiritual sense damaged, the fan in his hand colliding with the falling cauldron and slamming to the ground together.

With a burst, Ye Fan drove straight through — fist blazing with golden light — killing him, passing through his shattered remains.

In a flash, he snatched the five-colored feather fan into his hand. At the same time, his cauldron came flying back, Myriad Things Primal Energy streaming down in countless threads, shielding him once more.