The ten-thousand-zhang jade dais rose tier by tier, azure dragons leaping and divine phoenixes soaring, chaos encircling it. Though everyone present knew these were not real, they were still awe-struck.

The azure dragons and divine phoenixes were uncannily lifelike — tens of thousands of them, formed from immortal qi, adding a mysterious aura to the five-colored jade dais.

For a mortal, even craning one’s neck upward would reveal nothing — the five-colored jade dais reached ten thousand zhang, after all. But everyone present had eyes like lightning, able to pierce through clouds and mist, and could faintly make out what lay above.

Up there, a coffin — ancient and aged — radiated an endless sense of the primordial passage of time. Though not even a full zhang in length, it felt as though it bore ten thousand ages upon itself, containing all the years that had ever been.

What were the vicissitudes of oceans becoming fields? What were the vast expanses of this great earth? What were the boundless starry heavens? None of them could compare to even a corner of that coffin — it seemed to condense all of the past, present, and future, running through a hundred million years from top to bottom.

Having arrived here, no one could pass through unscathed. Their bodies were on the verge of rupturing, wracked with searing pain, bones creaking and groaning.

On this five-colored jade dais, an endless terrifying pressure surged like a tide — vast and torrential across the heavens and earth, pushing every person’s body to the brink of collapse.

Had an ancient Great Emperor’s paramount weapon fully reawakened?

That was the question on everyone’s mind. This world-overturning pressure had only appeared once before — during the great battle in the Northern Region’s Divine City — and no cultivator could withstand it.

“This… can all of this truly emanate from a single corpse? What terrifying might did he possess in life?!”

They could not suppress their shock. Having arrived near the five-colored jade dais, they found it utterly impossible to advance another step. Not a single ancient treasure was of any use.

At this moment, every person’s divine power had been severely suppressed. Though they could still use some of their power, it flowed sluggishly and without ease.

At this juncture, Ye Fan and Dongfang Ye were undoubtedly the most suited to the environment. Their physical bodies surpassed even Holy Sovereigns, and though their divine power had diminished, their combat strength had not.

An ancient coffin that might have existed since before the Primordial Age — the mystery of whether divine spirits truly existed in the world might be unveiled this very day.

The coffin was not resting flat atop the ten-thousand-zhang jade platform but was suspended in the void above it, drifting between chaos and immortal qi, as though alive.

“We’re finished — we can only stop here. There’s no way to advance another step. What do we do?” Dongfang Ye said.

The ten-thousand-zhang dais stood before them, yet there was no way to approach it. The aura surging down from above was unbearable to endure — nearly bringing about the destruction of both body and soul.

“A bunch of small fry have made it this far too. Ignorant of their own limitations.” A young man’s voice rang out. He approached with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Small fry? Who are you calling that?” Dongfang Ye licked his lips — a telltale sign that the Barbarian was about to make his move. He raised the great club in his hand.

“Don’t be rash — this is a Great Master!” The Old Blind Man stopped him.

“A bunch of small fry!” The young man swept his disdainful gaze across them, sauntering forward at a leisurely pace and carrying with him a domineering pressure.

Ye Fan and the others felt the situation turning grim. This was a Great Master of questionable character who had clearly not taken them seriously at all and intended to clear the field.

“Uncle!”

At this moment, another voice rang out. A middle-aged man was approaching with labored, difficult steps, clearly under immense pressure from the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais.

Ye Fan’s heart sank. Trouble — the Xiao Family had arrived. It was Xiao Zhi, a half-step Great Master who had attempted to take his life on multiple occasions.

“Ye, the Heaven-Concealing!” The moment Xiao Zhi arrived, his eyes landed on Ye Fan. His eyes flew wide open, and with a shout, he lunged forward.

“Is he the one who killed Ming Yuan?” Beside him, the seemingly young Great Master’s expression darkened instantly. He looked down at Ye Fan and said, “Will you end yourself, or shall I do it?”

Ye Fan let out a cold snort but said nothing. His steps were light and graceful — like a banished immortal drifting through the air — and he glided away, making directly for the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais.

He pressed forward against the immense pressure, arriving in an instant before the jade dais. Here, divine power was suppressed even more severely, making it very difficult to use.

“Little brat Ye, let’s see where you run now!” Xiao Zhi crept forward with sinister menace, like a cat toying with a mouse — unhurried, with no urgency — pressing in close.

Xiao Yunsheng — the younger brother of Grand Preceptor Xiao — looked young, though this was not his real age. Hands clasped behind his back, utterly at ease, he strolled forward and looked down at Ye Fan. “Kneel.”

“Little dog Ye, let’s see how you avoid death this time!” Xiao Zhi hissed with chilling menace, appearing right before him in a single stride, swinging an eight-trigram purple copper furnace down with force.

In that moment, Ye Fan had no fear — instead, a trace of cold contempt crossed his face. He moved with composure, his left hand forming the Mountain-Embrace Seal, thrusting it forward.

This was no longer the seal art of former days — it was the flawless secret art obtained from the cliff face in the wilderness, one of the three seals of Heaven, Earth, and Man — the Earth Seal.

Hum!

The force was at its absolute limit — incomparably unyielding and fierce, as though a great expanse of earth were pressing down. The left hand forming the seal expanded to fill the entire sky, utterly terrifying in its scale.

Xiao Zhi laughed coldly. He was a half-step Great Master — how could a cultivator in the Secret Realm of Dragon Transformation be his match? The purple copper furnace in his hand flowed with purple radiance, pressing down from above.

But then he immediately sensed something was wrong. His divine power, flowing sluggishly, had been severely suppressed in this place — and he found himself utterly unable to activate his own weapon.

He suddenly became alert. This was not a place that should be causing him unease. The opponent’s strength was far inferior to his own, and should have been suppressed far more severely.

Yet the opponent’s hand seal was completely unhindered. As the Mountain-Embrace Seal emerged — like earth suspended in the sky, weighty and mighty, covering and overcoming all things — a vast black hand struck downward.

Clang!

Before the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais, everyone’s Dao power was suppressed and could not be used freely. Yet Ye Fan’s physical body was solid and strong — this was pure, unadulterated physical force.

The Mountain-Embrace Seal!

Ye Fan’s left hand, like a black peak, struck the purple copper furnace. The impact produced a resounding crash — and the furnace split apart and clattered to the ground.

Behind them, everyone was stunned. A weapon that had been woven through with the laws of order — destroyed by a bare hand. What level of physical constitution had this person achieved?

“Retreat!” Xiao Yunsheng gave a great shout and charged forward in a single stride, summoning a tide of surging divine power to intercept.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Ye Fan’s mouth. His left hand released the Mountain-Embrace Seal in another burst — the shadowy form of a vast black mountain range surging out, pressing toward what lay before him.

Xiao Zhi cried out and desperately fell back, thrusting both hands forward to block against the oncoming black Mountain-Embrace Seal — yet he could not stop it.

Splat!

Both his hands instantly turned to bloody pulp, crushed by the black mountain. Then his two arms, like soft tofu, were grazed by Ye Fan’s left hand — and with a pop, they shattered too, flesh and bone fragments spraying in all directions.

Behind them, everyone was stunned. However, Xiao Yunsheng’s divine power finally surged through, intercepting and stopping Ye Fan’s assault.

Boom!

A tremendous crash — and Ye Fan was sent staggering back. Xiao Zhi likewise stumbled and retreated, his two arms gone — reduced to a bloody paste, no longer in existence.

In this immortal burial ground, where everyone’s divine power was suppressed, Ye Fan had relied purely on his physical strength to severely wound a half-step Great Master.

“Ahh…” Xiao Zhi screamed. He had almost gone mad. He could not believe any of this. With his level of power, he could kill however many Ye Fans showed up.

Yet this was the result — in a single exchange, his opponent had simply torn off both his arms with bare hands. He was furious, humiliated, enraged, and seething — the searing pain made cold sweat pour down him in streams.

Xiao Yunsheng’s expression was grave as still water. Though he appeared to be a young man, his bearing was comparable to a sect master in his prime — his black hair whipping wildly, his eyes flashing like lightning, as he shot forward like a bolt.

Whoosh!

Ye Fan was faster. With the Nine Steps Heaven Ascent, he surged up the jade dais — eighteen steps in an instant — and felt the endless oppressive pressure pouring down from ten thousand zhang above.

Here, he stopped. His right hand traced through the air, and the traces of the Dao appeared. He formed the Human King Seal!

In this moment, he stood like the sovereign of all humanity commanding the world — looking down upon all things, gazing through the vast expanse of the great earth, carrying an air of supreme, unrivaled dominion.

This was the Human King Seal. The moment it was revealed, a person’s entire bearing would transform. He stood like the king of the human race upon the clouds, looking down upon all living things.

Boom!

Ye Fan pressed the seal forward and a mighty crash rang out. He stumbled back several steps — shaken, but without a single wound.

On the other side, Xiao Yunsheng’s expression changed. He was a supreme Great Master, and yet with his surging divine power unable to flow freely, he had failed to crush his opponent outright — far beyond what he had anticipated.

“Again!” Ye Fan climbed nine more tiers up the platform and called down from above.

Trouble. Xiao Yunsheng felt the gravity of the situation for the first time. His opponent’s physical body was absurdly powerful — surpassing even his own as a Great Master — far exceeding his expectations.

In this place, with divine power suppressed, the power of a formidable physical body would come fully into its own. If the opponent reached the very top of the jade platform, it would be hard to say who would live and who would die.

“Small fry, come up and fight!” Ye Fan called out with cold contempt.

Xiao Yunsheng’s face darkened immediately. Without a word, he stepped onto the jade stairs and began ascending.

A cultivator in the Secret Realm of Dragon Transformation challenging a Great Master — everyone below was momentarily stunned. This was truly a display of extraordinary boldness!

“Ahh…” Below, Xiao Zhi let out a scream. Losing both arms had left him in agonizing pain, and seeing this scene unfold, his rage and fury overwhelmed him.

“What are you howling about?!” The Barbarian trudged forward, swinging his wolf fang club with a ferocious glare, bearing down on this half-step Great Master.

“You…” Xiao Zhi was nearly choking on his own humiliation. His strength was extraordinarily deep — wherever he went, he commanded respect. Yet today, he had been reduced to this — being openly looked down upon.

He knew, however, who Dongfang Ye was — a wild man who had emerged from some primitive ancient clan, with an absurdly powerful physical body. In this accursed place, confronting him would only mean a worse outcome.

“What happened here?” Just then, a bright and clear voice rang out. An elder, vigorous and full of spirit, arrived — none other than Grand Preceptor Xiao himself. Beside him was another elder accompanying him.

“Father, you’ve finally come…” Xiao Zhi coughed up a mouthful of blood, spattering his robes.

The Barbarian said nothing, darting up onto the jade dais in a flash. Staying below would certainly put him at a disadvantage — he followed Ye Fan’s lead, relying on his physical body to ascend.

Boom!

Above, Ye Fan formed the Human King Seal, his black hair dense and wild and thrashing in the air. He and Xiao Yunsheng clashed again — and emerged unscathed once more.

Watching him stand his ground against a Great Master had just arrived. Everyone was astonished — especially Grand Preceptor Xiao and the others, whose expressions shifted repeatedly.

At this moment, the four Sovereign Masters of the Central Province, the demon master of the Southern Ridge, and the divine monks of the Western Desert had all arrived, each of them revealing a look of astonishment.

“Enough.” Grand Preceptor Xiao waved his hand and exchanged a meaningful glance with Xiao Yunsheng, gesturing for him to withdraw. Two wild juniors relying on physical strength to rival Great Masters on the jade dais — if two Great Masters were to be put down here, that would simply not be worth it.

“What a lively gathering…”

More sect masters arrived — powerful figures who shook the heavens wherever they tread. Some had given even the four great immortal dynasties of the Central Province headaches — figures from the various schools and factions.

Ye Fan felt a jolt of unease in his heart. He recognized a few familiar faces — people he had met at the Jade Pool Peach Blossom Banquet. Among them was the Old Sect Master of the Central Province’s Yin-Yang Sect, over three thousand years of age — a living fossil of a figure.

At this moment, aside from Ye Fan’s group, there was not a single junior present — all of them were sect master-level existences whose names shook across the vast earth.

With all these people assembled, a great battle among the powerful was clearly about to unfold. Even the flesh and bones of an ancient saint were a world-shaking divine object — all the more so for the remnants of a pre-Primordial divine spirit.

The ancient coffin drifting above the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais was a priceless immortal treasure. Not a single person would let it go — there would be a bitter struggle for it.

At this point, everyone spread out and began ascending from different directions, climbing the jade stone steps upward.

“These people truly came well-prepared — they’ve brought so many supreme forbidden artifacts!” The Old Blind Man was astonished.

Duan De sighed and said, “Engraved with the partial laws of ancient saints — the Yin-Yang Mirror, the Heaven-Overturning Seal, the Southern Demon Bell, the Central Sovereign Cauldron — so many supreme forbidden artifacts. These can carry them all the way to the top of the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais.”

“Everyone has made it this far, and yet we’re supposed to have come away empty-handed?” Dongfang Ye was unwilling to accept it. He brought out the golden arm bone left behind by the saint.

The Old Blind Man nudged Duan De. “Stop hiding your treasures, little fatty. You have plenty — bring out something useful. We can’t let them reach the jade dais before us.”

“You old stick, you’re carrying heavy treasures yourself — bring one out. It would be more than enough to get us moving.” Duan De shot back.

The two swindlers began to bicker. Eventually, Duan De lost his patience and brought out the saint’s oil lamp, combining it with Dongfang Ye’s golden arm bone.

“Old stick, hurry up and bring out a treasure!”

The Old Blind Man recited a spell, and an ancient shield flew out — a tortoise shell, to be precise — and was combined with the saint’s arm bone.

Jue Youqing said not a word but extended her Bodhi Branch, placing it in contact with the others, immediately radiating boundless life energy — surprising everyone greatly.

Ye Fan considered for a moment, then retrieved the corroded copper fragment and interleaved it with the other objects. Immediately a nameless Dao resonance began to flow — the Immortal Tear Green Gold page was engraved with divine markings within it.

None of these objects were weapons of an ancient saint, nor were they replicas — yet some were relics of a saint. Together, they emanated a nameless aura.

Step by step they pressed forward, and managed to temporarily hold back the pressure of the jade dais. They ascended a full three thousand zhang — but when they reached five thousand zhang, these objects could no longer withstand the pressure.

They moved with great difficulty. The divine pressure emanating from the divine spirit’s remains came from all directions — intent on tearing them apart — and was utterly unbearable.

“What a pity. The sole sacred bone left behind when the ancient saint transformed into the Dao — forged through a thousand trials and ten thousand tempers, a divine object without peer in the world — it simply has not had the corresponding formation markings inscribed upon it. Otherwise, it could have carried us all the way up.”

“As does my saint’s oil lamp — a truly divine material, but without the corresponding imprint of laws upon it.”

“What do we do — are we unable to proceed?”

They halted at five thousand zhang — precisely the midpoint of the jade dais — and could barely take another step forward. Even Ye Fan did not dare take reckless risks.

Crack!

From the other directions came sounds of shattering — supreme forbidden artifacts were splintering apart. Many people had also been forced to stop.

“Wait — something’s different. Some of the major powers are still advancing. They must have divine objects that no one else knows about!”

“I’m going for it. The ancient divine spirit’s remains — I must have them!” Duan De clenched his teeth and at last brought out his paramount treasure.

Flash!

A flash of light and shadow — a broken bowl appeared above his head. Ten thousand strands of dark light cascaded down, enveloping the group within.

“Once we get up there, I’ll use the secret art of the burial study — to reverse heaven and earth and steal away the divine spirit’s coffin. You must all cooperate with me.” Duan De instructed.

With the broken bowl brought out, the supreme pressure was cut off. It possessed a mysterious and unfathomable power, making the area within three zhang calm as still water — not a ripple to be found.

One step, two steps, three steps…

They pressed upward, and though terrifying qi permeated the air, their steps were no longer impeded. Slowly, they climbed all the way to the top of the jade dais.

“Hmph, hmph, hmph… small fry.” Someone laughed coldly — it was Xiao Yunsheng, who appeared young but was a supreme Great Master.

Grand Preceptor Xiao and the people of the Yin-Yang Sect had joined forces. Having ascended one step ahead of the others — by unknown means, using some divine object to withstand the divine spirit’s pressure — they were already at the top.

Atop the ten-thousand-zhang dais, dragons leaped and phoenixes soared, the ancient coffin drifted and swayed, and several groups had already arrived. Immortal qi curled and swirled all around.