The moonlight flowed like water, cascading down like mist and smoke, leaving the Divine City in a hazy glow.

Beside the Dragon Transformation Pool, Ye Fan’s eyes were clear as he gazed up at the starry sky. He was completely still, not moving a single inch, only his hair dancing gently and his white robes rippling softly in the breeze.

He said nothing. The final heavenly tribulation had yet to descend, and he was certain it would come as a violent storm, a crashing tempest. He kept his full attention on guard.

Not a single other cultivator could maintain their composure. Every one of them was shaken to the core, their clamor rising toward the heavens, nearly boiling over.

“Has he broken through? I can feel it — it seems as though he has entered the Four Extremes Secret Realm.”

“Is this real? After more than a hundred thousand years, the Ancient Holy Body has been unable to cultivate. Is today the day its curse is finally broken?”

“This is truly astonishing. The Holy Body has successfully broken through — it can be called a minor achievement. Perhaps in the future he will reach the very pinnacle and be able to contend with the Great Emperors.”

Everyone was talking at once. Ye Fan had withstood four successive heavenly tribulations and come out alive, using the lightning to temper his physical form. What kind of extraordinary fortune was this?

Since ancient times, cultivators who endured heavenly tribulations had been exceedingly rare. Having gone through the baptism of the lightning tribulation, which had refined both his divine sense and his physical body, his future cultivation would yield boundless benefits — something that countless cultivators envied and resented with fierce intensity.

“The Holy Body has truly broken through — a miracle unprecedented since the Ancient Era!”

“How is this possible? Did the ancient sages not say that this world has changed, and that the Holy Body can no longer cultivate?”

“Truly astonishing. What does it mean to have a Holy Body that has broken its curse? In the future, it could hold its own against the Great Emperors of antiquity!”

In this moment, not a single person could keep their heart untroubled, for many had already seen clearly that Ye Fan had truly broken through and successfully advanced into the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

The Little Peng King of the Golden Wings stood tall and powerful, his golden hair streaming in the wind, his eyes brimming with wild ferocity. The battle armor he wore shimmered with an icy luster, his great cloak snapping sharply in the wind.

He felt a pressure bearing down on him. He fixed his gaze on Ye Fan, and for the first time, his expression changed. Two fierce beams of light shot from his eyes, killing intent pervading the air, his battle spirit surging ever higher.

The Holy Maiden of Yaochi had a graceful, immortal figure. Dressed in white, she stood apart from the world, mist curling around her body, her beautiful eyes flickering with an extraordinary light. She seemed lost in thought, looking toward Ye Fan, then turning her gaze toward the night sky.

Elsewhere, the Holy Son Yao Guang wore a serene expression. One hundred and eight divine rings encircled his body, making him appear nearly divine. There was no change on his face, yet within his heart, waves were stirring.

He was considered a rare genius from ancient times to the present — a figure of heaven-defying talent. When he himself had broken through into the Four Extremes Realm, he too had triggered a heavenly tribulation, but it had been nothing so terrifying as this.

Many elders had regarded him as comparable to the Great Emperors of youth, yet now a Holy Body had appeared, and he felt the weight of tremendous pressure.

The Holy Maiden of the Purple Palace was born with a Dao Fetus of innate nature, deeply attuned to the Great Dao, possessing a divine quality of unity between heaven and man, like a mysterious maiden from the immortal halls descended into the mortal world. Yet even she had revealed a look of astonishment.

Yao Xi shone like a radiant pearl, like a divine lotus beginning to bloom. Her heart surged with turbulence as she stared unblinking at the distant Ye Fan. What she had just witnessed left her unable to calm herself.

Among the younger generation — the heirs of the many sacred grounds, the outstanding disciples of the great powers — all of them felt the pressure in this moment. If the Holy Body had truly succeeded in advancing into the Four Extremes Secret Realm, he would be the most fearsome rival imaginable. There was no one who could face this with equanimity.

If there was anyone still able to smile at this moment, it could only be An Miaoyi. Hers was a smile that could topple a city, a smile that could lay low an entire nation. Her stunning beauty was enough to plunge the world into chaos and overturn the hearts of all beings. Her flawless jade body was lithe and perfectly curved, her garments drifting lightly, her skin gleaming with a crystalline radiance.

She smiled with matchless allure, her eyes soft as water, her skin white as snow and smooth as silk, putting even the bright moon in the sky to shame and making countless cultivators’ hearts sway, nearly losing all self-control.

The great figures of the various sacred grounds of the Eastern Desolation all fell into silence. That the Jiang Family and the Wind Clan had cultivated a Holy Body capable of breaking its curse was absolutely not good news for any of them.

The many great figures who had come from the Central Continent to witness this occasion also furrowed their brows. A fully mature Holy Body could live for tens of thousands of years. If this young man ahead were to grow to his full potential, he would reign supreme over the world for ten thousand years.

How many generations of their own descendants would be overshadowed? Unless a figure of Great Emperor caliber emerged, who could possibly suppress a fully mature Holy Body?

Perhaps, the best solution — once and for all — was to prevent him from ever growing to that point, to snuff him out permanently at this early stage.

Ye Fan stood quietly beside the Dragon Transformation Pool. The fifth heavenly tribulation had never appeared. The night sky was exceptionally gentle, without a single warning sign or the faintest trace of any dangerous presence.

“Perhaps this emperor guessed wrong. The lightning that struck you just now was far too terrifying — even the Chaos Thunder appeared. Perhaps even Heaven itself felt embarrassed and decided not to send another tribulation.” The Great Black Dog was not entirely certain.

“Ha ha ha…” The four elders of the Wind Clan laughed heartily, overjoyed beyond measure. From this day forward, a Holy Body that had broken its curse would be bound to the Wind Clan’s ancient war chariot — enough to bring it glory for ten thousand years!

“Good. Today, the legend has finally been broken!” The Peacock King nodded approvingly.

Many people in the distance echoed his words, and a chorus of congratulations arose, flooding toward where they stood.

The Divine King in White revealed a look of relief as well, though he did not relax his guard. Holding the Divine Furnace of Departing Flame, he swept his gaze in all directions, afraid someone might take a desperate gamble and strike out with an assassination.

But the Divine King had worried unnecessarily. Those lurking in the shadows had gone quiet and made no further move. Earlier, they had only struck because they saw Ye Fan on the verge of breaking through, hoping to interfere. Now that everything had been decided, with a peerless Divine King standing guard, any attack now would likely result in devastating losses — far better to bide one’s time and find another opportunity to eliminate the Holy Body.

Beneath the night sky, the crowd boiled over with excitement. Many were clamoring loudly. The Holy Body that had lain dormant for over a hundred thousand years had been revived — the invincible constitution had returned to the world, and in the not-too-distant future, it might dazzle and astound all under heaven!

At this moment, only one small golden living being was utterly unmoved by all of this, busy about its own affairs, absorbing all the life essence drifting through the air before sneaking, with the furtive air of a little thief, into the Dragon Transformation Pool.

The Red Dragon Elder Daoist, the Peacock King, and others all noticed, but none of them moved to stop it. The divine spring had been nearly exhausted, with almost nothing left — there was no point chasing the little creature away.

That evening, it was undoubtedly the biggest winner of all. The vast quantities of divine spring essence — more than half had dispersed into the night air, some had been absorbed by Ye Fan, and the remaining half had been taken into Shencan’s little belly.

When facing Ye Fan this time, it behaved in an almost fawning manner, refraining from baring its claws and fangs. Its big eyes blinked repeatedly, filled with tiny little stars, and then it dove headfirst into the pool water with a splash.

“I’ve succeeded… I’ve entered the Four Extremes Secret Realm.” Ye Fan stood tall, gazing up at the boundless night sky. “Heavenly tribulation — are you going to strike me again?”

“Boom!”

Suddenly, nine bolts of lightning crashed down, and everyone was left dumbstruck and slack-jawed.

The words had barely left Ye Fan’s mouth when the lightning descended. Could it be that in the unseen reaches of fate, there truly was a sovereign who refused to be challenged by mortals?

“Little Ye, why did you provoke Heaven like that?”

“He’s going to get struck by lightning again!”

“Ye, you’re really determined to bring the lightning down on yourself.”

Tu Fei, Li Heishui, and Pang Bo cried out in turn, all of them feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

This time, Ye Fan simply swung his fist directly upward at the sky. Having advanced into the Secret Realm, he was utterly fearless, and his golden fist shattered all nine bolts of lightning on the spot.

“Boom!”

A second time — eighteen bolts of lightning came crashing down. Nine struck toward Ye Fan, while the other nine fell into the Dragon Transformation Pool.

“Bang!”

Ye Fan reached out one great golden hand and seized all nine bolts of lightning in his grip, snuffing them out in an instant. The display was utterly staggering.

On the other side, Shencan let out startled cries from within the Dragon Transformation Pool, covering its head and fleeing in every direction. Yet all nine bolts of lightning had completely locked onto it, chasing it relentlessly, the lightning blazing brilliantly.

“Something is wrong — this is Shencan’s heavenly tribulation!”

“Heavens, Shencan is about to undergo its tribulation too — it was the one who summoned the thunder!”

Everyone was shocked and stupefied. It was clear that Ye Fan had been caught in the crossfire — dragged in passively as an innocent bystander.

“Damn it, that bastard Shencan is going to get Little Ye killed — he just finished getting struck by lightning, and now because of it he has to go through another round!” Tu Fei cursed.

“Good grief, this Shencan really is a disaster. How did it manage to trigger a tribulation too and drag Ye into it again?” Pang Bo fretted.

“This wretched Shencan — it’s bad enough getting struck by Heaven’s lightning itself, but it has to drag everyone else down with it!” Li Heishui joined in with his own string of curses.

No one was not shocked. Heavenly tribulations had been rare since ancient times — and yet two had appeared in a single day!

But upon reflection, it made sense. What kind of being was Shencan? In the ancient eras long past, it needed only to undergo nine transformations to become an existence peerless in all of heaven and earth. Of course a tribulation would accompany its breakthrough — it was equally heaven-defying. It had just absorbed an enormous amount of divine spring essence and was about to begin its transformation.

Shencan bolted away in a blur, and assuming it had nothing to do with it, but it could never fully escape the lightning. It was struck over and over, staggering left and right, crashing and tumbling, covering its head as it fled in every direction.

Everyone was speechless, not knowing what to say. This Shencan was something altogether different — its own heavenly tribulation had arrived, and it didn’t even know it.

In the distance, the little nun in white opened her mouth into a perfect “O” and called out: “Little Obedient, stop running! Fight back — only you yourself can get through this!”

Shencan, covering its head in flight, suddenly dove straight into Ye Fan’s arms. It had seen Ye Fan resist the tribulation earlier, and now it came seeking his protection.

“This wretched Shencan — it really is going to drag Little Ye completely into this. Someone should skin it alive!”

“Little one, are you trying to get me killed?!” Ye Fan truly wanted to grab it and give it a thorough beating.

Shencan’s big eyes were brimming with a wronged and aggrieved look. Even now it had no idea how the heavenly tribulation had come about, covering its head as it fled, tears welling up in its eyes as it sought help, pitifully helpless.

Ye Fan sent it a divine thought, explaining to this pure and simple little creature exactly what was happening, then, nearly vomiting blood, began bracing himself to contend with a fresh round of heavenly tribulation.

He had the urge to let out a string of curses. What on earth was going on?!

“Boy, fall back — this emperor has inscribed a formation pattern that can get you out of this predicament.” At a critical moment, the Black Emperor sent him a voice transmission.

“I’ve already been dragged into this — is there still a way out?” Ye Fan was astonished and disbelieving.

“In former years, the Wushi Great Emperor was frequently visited by heavenly tribulations and implicated quite a few people along the way. He later devised a formation pattern that allows those caught up in another’s tribulation to avoid the calamity.”

Ye Fan said nothing more. Following the Black Emperor’s guidance, he retreated into a nearby area where the formation pattern had been inscribed, and to everyone’s amazement, all the lightning genuinely vanished.

His heart was deeply shaken. The Wushi Great Emperor was truly a genius of staggering brilliance — even capable of deceiving Heaven itself, and able to help others slip past it undetected.

“Boy, you’d better be on guard. I’ve just recalled something — your heavenly tribulation may not be finished yet.” The Great Black Dog gave him a solemn private warning.

“What?!” Ye Fan’s heart lurched.

On the other side, Shencan ran wildly, letting out startled cries in the language of the Ancient Era. Everyone scrambled to flee in terror, afraid of being dragged into the calamity alongside it.

The small golden creature was endlessly wronged, and in the end faced the heavenly tribulation alone. It was struck again and again until its eyes were swimming with tears, wailing loudly and piteously. Yet what left everyone slack-jawed was the fact that, despite being battered all over with wounds, staggering and reeling, it had not suffered any life-threatening injuries.

“Hmm!”

Suddenly, the void shuddered. The sky above seemed as though it were about to collapse, filling every cultivator present with a cold, creeping dread!

A premonition of danger seized Ye Fan. He looked up at the night sky and sensed an boundless danger bearing down — as though the end of days had arrived. It filled him with a feeling of utter despair and hollowness, and he knew with certainty that this was directed squarely at him.

Beneath the night moon, strand after strand of innate patterned lines emerged, weaving together high in the heavens to form a vast Dao diagram, slowly pressing downward.

The void shuddered and seemed on the verge of collapse. This diagram was profoundly arcane and inscrutable, like the embodiment of the Great Dao itself. It made people struggle to breathe, suffocating them with its presence, causing even their very souls to tremble.

“What is this?” Everyone’s hearts shook, bewildered and uncomprehending.

“Is this also a heavenly tribulation? Why is there no lightning, no flashing bolts — only the innate Dao diagram and its patterned lines emerging?!”

Many were baffled, unable to understand why this was happening.

“Boom!”

The innate patterned lines enveloped Ye Fan in their embrace below.

“No wonder… The Holy Body truly does have a curse that cannot be broken!” The sect master of an immortal lineage from the Central Continent spoke up.

“The ancient sages had predicted it long ago — the path ahead for the Holy Body has been severed. All of this is true. No wonder no fully mature Holy Body has appeared in over a hundred thousand years… Heaven and earth simply will not accept it!” An elder from an immortal dynasty sighed.

The Peerless Divine King sent Ye Fan a voice transmission and roared: “Do not lose focus — you must get through this pass. I will help you!”

“I will not give up — I am going to press forward!” Ye Fan roared back fiercely.

“There is nothing insurmountable here. Even if the path is severed, human will can defy Heaven and reconnect it!” The voice of the Peerless Divine King resounded throughout heaven and earth. He was going to help Ye Fan reconnect the Holy Body’s severed path.