The powerful of the Central Province were in the majority, with a handful of figures from the Western Desert and the Southern Ridge as well — all having made their way atop the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais by their own means. Every one of them was a great power in their own right.

And yet, at this moment, Ye Fan’s group stood out conspicuously — none of them could by any measure be considered a powerhouse, and yet here they were, having ascended on the strength of a broken bowl.

“That bowl is not bad.” Xiao Yunsheng’s tone was sinister. He reached out one large hand to snatch the bowl away, intending to take it.

This place was filled with boundless pressure. If the broken bowl were seized, the group would be instantly reduced to dust — body and soul annihilated.

Xiao Yunsheng and his companions had over ten forbidden artifacts above their heads, combined together to ward off the heaven’s might. He moved now with complete confidence.

Ye Fan’s right hand traced through the air, lightly flicking upward. The Human King Seal naturally emerged — like ten thousand mountains shaking in unison — thrusting forward to block the surging divine power and striking toward that outstretched hand.

Boom!

A tremendous crash — and both were sent staggering backward. Everyone present was astonished. Ye Fan’s physical resilience had exceeded their expectations.

On this ten-thousand-zhang jade dais, every person’s power was sealed. A powerful physical body held an absolute advantage.

“Everyone, this bowl is quite the treasure — someone may have engraved upon it the laws of a saint.” Xiao Yunsheng’s gaze was cold and cunning, fixed on the broken bowl.

The moment those words were spoken, all eyes converged. Ye Fan and his companions instantly became the focus of every gaze, and more than a few people displayed unusual expressions.

Without a doubt, this was deeply unfavorable for Ye Fan’s group. If a melee broke out shortly, more than a few people would be setting their sights on them, intent on seizing the bowl.

Once they lost the broken bowl’s protection, everyone in the group would be immediately annihilated on this high platform — body and soul destroyed. Xiao Yunsheng was attempting to use the hands of others to send them to their deaths.

Ye Fan, Dongfang Ye, and the others seethed with anger, glaring at those few people — deeply wishing they could smash apart the forbidden artifacts above their heads and let them experience firsthand what that felt like.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yunsheng and the Old Sect Master of the Yin-Yang Sect had gathered several Great Masters together. If they truly came to blows, the strength of Ye Fan’s group would be far too limited.

“Before this bowl is taken from me, I will end you.” Ye Fan fixed his gaze on Xiao Yunsheng and spoke in a calm, flat tone.

He had only recently entered the Secret Realm of Dragon Transformation — in the eyes of everyone here, he was completely beneath notice. Yet the special nature of this place had given him the standing to speak such words.

To threaten a Great Master like this — many felt it was absurd, yet also felt a chill run through them. If he truly did slay someone, it would be an unimaginably unjust death.

Xiao Yunsheng let out a faint cold smile. There was nothing more to be said for now — the moment they descended from this ten-thousand-zhang jade dais, he would use the force of thunder to wipe Ye Fan from existence.

At this point, everyone’s gaze shifted back to the coffin. This was the true focus of their struggle — the supreme immortal treasure!

“Why can’t that coffin be moved?!” Duan De was anxious. Sheltering under the broken bowl, he had already paced across the jade platform and laid down a coffin-locking technique — but it had not the slightest effect.

“This is a divine spirit’s ancient coffin. What ordinary force could move it? Your knowledge of burial sites is utterly useless — stop wasting your effort.” The Old Blind Man said.

The coffin was ancient and weathered, drifting in the void. The immortal qi had transformed into true dragons, divine phoenixes, and countless other creatures — lifelike and vivid, their numbers in the tens of thousands — circling endlessly around it.

Hiss… Everyone drew a sharp breath.

Upon closer observation, they realized the ancient coffin had vigorous and flourishing life force — more abundant vitality than the essence qi of everyone present combined.

“What is this — has the ancient divine spirit not yet died?”

The coffin drifted up and down, not entirely stable. When it descended, people noticed something unusual — a tender leaf had grown upon the coffin lid.

“The divine spirit has not died — rather, the coffin wood has yet to wither!”

On the surface of the coffin planks, a branch over one meter in length had grown. It was vivid green, fresh and lush, with several leaves upon it — and the surging vitality was emanating from it.

How was this possible? This coffin should have existed at least a million years ago — after so vast a span of time, how had it sprouted new shoots?

“This… was carved from a divine tree into a coffin!” The demon master of the Southern Ridge revealed the mystery.

At this moment, not a single person was unmoved. Every heart trembled with shock. Undying spirit trees and undying medicines were things one could happen upon but never seek — since the Primordial Age, nearly all had been extinguished.

And yet someone had used an undying tree to carve a coffin. In the eyes of those assembled, it was an absolutely wasteful squandering of a priceless resource.

“I understand now — the divine spirit refused to accept death and sought immortality!” One Great Master was filled with dread, recalling some ancient legend.

In that moment, everyone was shaken. A certain secret knowledge came to mind.

According to legend, if a divine spirit used undying wood as a coffin, it could remain undying through ten thousand ages — and perhaps one day might even be resurrected!

In this world, only undying medicines and undying trees could endure through the ages without being worn away by time. A coffin carved from undying wood would naturally retain some of those properties.

In a small number of rare and precious ancient texts, there were scattered records: that divine spirits, seeking immortality, would seek out undying trees in which to be buried before their deaths.

But how many undying trees could there be in this world? Only one or two divine spirits had ever done such a thing — because it was simply impossible to bring about in ordinary circumstances.

Naturally, no one had believed such records. From ancient times to the present, such things had only ever been legend, never had a divine spirit descended into the mortal world to be witnessed in person. The position that immortals do not exist had long since become the consensus of the majority.

Yet today, they had laid eyes on a coffin carved from an undying tree — and everyone was shaken to the core.

This was undeniably a paradigm-shattering revelation, proving that some records in certain isolated ancient texts might actually be true. In those boundless ages before the Primordial Era — perhaps there truly had been immortals!

“This is… a Dao-Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree!”

At last, someone identified the material of the coffin. On that slender branch, a few leaves gleamed like agate — their colors and shapes all different.

“Too extravagant!”

Even as everyone cried out in amazement, they breathed a sigh of relief. The Dao-Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree still lived today — in the Undying Mountain — it had not gone extinct.

It was not difficult to imagine: in an era before the Primordial Age, someone had felled an undying tree to carve themselves a coffin, but had left behind the divine roots. Over the long ages, the Dao-Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree had recovered — yet this coffin had not decayed, preserving within it a thread of life.

“Even this coffin is a treasure!”

The thought occurred to everyone. This coffin wood, once dismantled, was not only a divine material for artifact refinement — it was also a priceless jewel for enlightenment and cultivation.

This ancient coffin was too extravagant. Throughout all of history, perhaps only one or two divine beings had ever done something so outrageous. Any others could not even conceive of it.

Flash!

Someone made their move. A swirl of rosy mist shot out, intent on being first to seize the advantage and pull the coffin down.

Oh?

People were astonished. There was no terrifying aura as they had anticipated — no annihilating waves of force crashing down. This was somewhat at odds with what should have been expected.

The ancient coffin carved from an undying tree descended steadily onto the jade platform — sacred, auspicious, utterly tranquil.

“Something is wrong. This overwhelming pressure — and the supremely terrifying aura — is not coming from it. Does this mean there is something else here?”

This platform was incomparably vast, and wreathed in immortal mist and chaotic qi. Everyone had made their assumptions before even arriving, and had not bothered to search elsewhere.

At this moment, a divine monk from the Western Desert — with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s — fixed his gaze upon a spot of drifting mist and uttered, “Amitabha!”

“A corpse!”

With a shudder, people discovered the true source of the terror. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the undying wood coffin — it lay elsewhere.

There, among the swirling five-colored mist, a block of ice — no one could say how many ages old it was — enclosed within it an ancient corpse!

This block of ice was extraordinary. Though it emanated a chill, it was not bone-piercingly cold, and five colors of light flowed through it, radiating astonishing vitality and life force.

Yet all of that serene, auspicious energy was completely overwhelmed and scattered by the corpse sealed within the ice. He seemed to stand at the absolute pinnacle of ten thousand ages, looking down with contempt upon all past and future — everything prostrate beneath his feet!

“Is this an immortal’s corpse?!” Everyone was frozen in place, making no move for the coffin, simply staring fixedly at this body.

Atop the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais, the supreme heavenly might that radiated out in all directions — all of it originated from him. He was the source of everything!

At the same time, people noticed a subtle irregularity — the shape of this block of ice bore a strong resemblance to the ancient coffin. It seemed as though it might originally have been placed inside the coffin.

A notion stirred in everyone’s minds. There was no reason for this to merely be a block of ice. Perhaps it truly had originally rested within the coffin — a possibility they quickly arrived at.

Shielded by their various supreme forbidden artifacts above their heads, and enduring the immense pressure, everyone pressed forward to examine this being who had passed from the world.

“It is not a complete body — there are no flesh or bones!”

Everyone was dumbstruck. When they came close enough to finally see clearly the figure within the five-colored divine ice, all of them wore expressions of bewilderment, filled with shock.

This was not a complete corpse — it was only a human skin. Stained with five-colored blood, pulsing with unspeakably terrifying waves of power.

“How can this be?!”

Purple hair. Smooth, unblemished flesh, gleaming with jewel-like radiance, its luster preserved to this day. A crack ran along the spine — it was from here that the flesh and bones within had been stripped away. The blood staining it was dreamlike and fantastical, utterly unlike that of the human race — five colors in all, their brilliance breathtaking.

“Is this the divine spirit from before the Primordial Age? Where did his flesh and bones go? How is it that only this outermost layer of skin remains?”

“Before the Primordial Age… there were immortals. Is this the proof?!”

People gathered close, all of them shaken to the core.

Regardless of whether or not this was a divine spirit, this skin alone was worth a fortune beyond measure — comparable to a Great Emperor’s sacred object. For the power it emanated was far too terrifying.

Yet not a single person dared to move recklessly. This immortal skin nearly matched the aura of a fully reawakened paramount weapon — pressing down on everyone to the point of near collapse.

Even with their various divine objects as protection, they felt they could barely hold on.

“Is this truly an immortal’s skin?!”

“Could it be the skin of one who reached the extreme pinnacle of the Great Emperor’s path?”

“Oh — there is a line of ancient text here!”

Suddenly, someone cried out. On the other side of the block of ice, they discovered a line of text — iron-hook strokes, vigorous and forceful, as though the great Dao itself had been embedded there.

In that instant, the expression of every person present was extraordinarily vivid. The words struck at people’s convictions — their general meaning being that a later arrival wished to borrow the ancient coffin for a slumber, to bury their own body, and offered many apologies for the imposition.

“Even borrowing someone else’s coffin…” Many people were rendered speechless. Borrowing a divine spirit’s coffin — could this have been another divine spirit?

“Wait — this is the ancient script of the human race. Before the Primordial Age, only divine script existed. This character style is simply impossible!” someone cried out.

Everyone was jolted to awareness. They had been too deeply absorbed before — and had overlooked this enormous anomaly.

“A human powerhouse borrowed a divine spirit’s coffin for their eternal slumber — could this have been an ancient Great Emperor?!”

Every hair on every body stood on end. All minds were intensely focused, gazing in unison toward that ancient coffin. Someone lay sleeping within…

“These characters — like the Heavenly Dao itself — and yet there is a faint sense of familiarity about them, as though I have seen them somewhere before!”

“Indeed — a sense of something half-remembered. This style of writing has definitely been circulated in the world at some point. I must have glimpsed it somewhere before!”

Everyone’s hearts trembled. Who on earth was this person?

They did not immediately lay hands on the five-colored divine ice. Instead, they returned once more to the coffin carved from the undying tree, preparing to open it first and see what lay within.

“Here — the marks of the later arrival!” People spotted several blurred symbols, and were all astonished. These symbols represented that person’s identity.