He was a still somewhat young-looking young man who sat down in the shallows of the immortal lake, clutching in his hand a green copper piece the size of a fist — mottled with rust and badly weathered.

Most remarkable of all was this: a small green lotus roughly a foot tall had taken root upon it, its tendrils tough and crystalline, wound around it — the two existing in symbiosis.

Ye Fan’s scalp prickled, his heart lurching violently. This crumbling green copper piece resembled the one inside his own body — they very likely came from the same source!

And most critically: the green copper piece had a small green lotus growing upon it. This was too similar to the legend — that was precisely the manner in which the Demon Emperor had once been born.

Not only Ye Fan but every other person present had also fixed their gaze upon the copper piece and the small lotus. Even those who did not know the origin of the copper piece were moved at the sight of a green lotus.

Everyone knew that a great emperor had once emerged from the Transformation Immortal Pool. Seeing this scene now, no one failed to feel a chill of dread.

“The immortal lake holds no living creatures — not even a single fish — and yet now… is another Demon Emperor about to enter the world?”

“This green copper piece — could it be a fragment of an extreme Dao emperor’s weapon? Since the primordial era, heaven only knows how many immortal treasures have sunk into it!”

The hearts of several sect masters quickened, beating rapidly without cease. They all stepped forward together — what the young man held in his hands was of paramount importance. It had to be seized.

The young man trembled. Several sect masters were closing in, and their presence made every hair on his body stand up. He felt as though he hovered at the edge of life and death — he knew he had gotten hold of something he should not have.

Just at that moment, a fat man came running from a distance. Balanced atop his head was a broken bowl the size of an iron pot. His feet did not touch the ground — he was hovering a foot above it, flying over.

He was the only cultivator in this place capable of flight. Like a stone block, he came dropping into the lake, extending a hand toward the green copper piece, his face flushed with excitement.

Several sect masters simultaneously reached out, pressing down like mountains to block the unscrupulous Daoist Duan De. The blow sent the water of the immortal lake crashing in white waves toward the sky, and the fat man went tumbling into the lake with a loud splash.

Everyone was startled — even with several sect masters striking together, they had not managed to harm him. A spread of dark radiance released by that broken bowl had intercepted the blow, and he had only been knocked into the lake.

“Boundless Heavenly Worthy, this poor Daoist was fated to have this through both past and present lives!” Duan De reached out once more, and at the same time the broken bowl above his head released ten thousand threads of dark radiance that descended and spread downward to cover everything below.

“Insolent!” Several sect masters shouted loudly, and once again struck out in unison, unleashing magical artifacts to suppress him.

The young man had been frightened out of his wits. Several great figures were fighting over this so ferociously that his face, like someone who had bitten into a bitter gourd, was scrunched in misery — he could neither advance nor retreat.

For him, this should have been an enormous stroke of fortune, but under so many watchful eyes, there was no way to enjoy it. There was simply no possibility of putting the precious material in his hand away.

Several sect masters descended from above, and the ten thousand streams of dark radiance from the broken bowl also came raining down. But just at this moment, the green lotus on the copper piece gave the lightest of trembles and shattered everything.

“Splash!”

It was only a foot tall, yet it possessed an undying divine power. It shattered everything that confronted it, and carrying the green copper piece, sank down toward the center of the lake.

“Ah… No!” Duan De’s screams were like those of someone who had lost his own mother. He cried out and made to lunge after it.

The sect masters were also stricken with anguish, leaping forward, reaching out enormous hands, pouring every ounce of effort into reaching into the depths of the immortal pool to retrieve it. But all of this was in vain — none of them managed to catch it.

“Heavens — missed again by the narrowest margin. So close, and yet it slipped away just like that.” Duan De became dizzy and nearly toppled into the lake.

Ye Fan’s heart also tightened. Watching the green copper piece sink into the center of the lake, he was filled with a desolate sense of loss. Mobilizing the immortal energy of the lake could not stop it at all — there was simply nothing to be done.

“A fragment of an extreme Dao emperor’s weapon — something that has existed since the primordial era!”

“This lake is called the Transformation Immortal Pool. Perhaps immortals truly were born here — in which case that could well be a fragment of an immortal weapon!”

Everyone sighed with regret, feeling boundless loss and disappointment. Several sect masters and Duan De all felt like weeping — they could have knocked their heads against the ground in frustration.

“Roar…”

From a distance came a tremendous roar. The lake water boiled, mist and rosy clouds shot toward the sky, and the surroundings were suffused with auspicious vapor and radiance, crystalline and brilliant.

At the base of the other mountain, there was carnage beyond imagination. Once the red-furred humanoid creature appeared, it went on a killing rampage. In the span of a single breath, eighteen Immortal Platform first-tier cultivators died.

The red-furred humanoid creature swept through, and one enormous red-furred claw peeled back their skulls — brains spattered everywhere.

“Ah…”

At last, even a great master met his end — letting out a single agonized scream as half his body was torn away. Blood sprayed everywhere. Intestines and vital organs spilled out.

The more than ten weapons he had deployed were all swallowed in one mouthful by the red-furred creature — like chewing on beans, a crunching, cracking sound rang out as they were destroyed between its teeth.

“Crack!”

The creature peeled open his skull and with a slurping sound sucked it clean. Only a few drops of brain matter clung to the thick red fur at the corners of its mouth, making it look extraordinarily savage.

Every person’s hair stood on end, skin and bone alike going cold. This red-furred humanoid creature was more terrifying than a fierce ghost — possessed of an overwhelming desire to kill, merciless and cruel beyond measure.

“A corpse-released immortal — has it truly succeeded in its cultivation? How could it be this terrifying!”

No one was not frightened. Even a great master had fallen. How could anyone fight it? Whoever went up would be no match for it. Unless a human saint came, all would die.

Blood-red light flickered in the red-furred humanoid creature’s eyes, extinguishing every emotion of the mortal world — like two blood-colored abysses that could frighten a person to death on the spot.

No one had imagined that the so-called divine pearl contained a creature like this. To call it a demon pearl would have been more appropriate — shattering it was tantamount to opening the gates of hell.

“It is the ancestor of the Cai Clan — the third-generation Source Heavenly Master of the Eastern Wasteland. In his final years, ill omens befell him, and he was buried in the Qinling Mountains’ ancient dragon cave. And he ended up like this!” Someone who knew the hidden history screamed it out.

“Strike together — otherwise everyone will die!”

Even the sect masters of every faction lost their composure. They raged in unison, all of them striking out, deploying every manner of weapon.

“Clang!”

The toll of a bell spread across nine heavens. A great golden bell resounded as it descended heavy as a falling star, striking toward the red-furred humanoid creature.

“Boom!”

Celestial fire surged in torrents. A Eight Trigrams Furnace blazed to life — enormous beyond measure, cast from azure-gold — and descended with the primal laws of the Great Dao pressing down to suppress the third-generation Source Heavenly Master.

“Rumble—rumble—rumble!”

A great black millstone turned, as though cast from dark divine metal, grinding down and crushing everything — as though to mill away all living beings in the world.

…

The great sect masters all struck out, attacking with the weapons they had refined with their very lives. The situation was extremely critical — one wrong move and all would be annihilated, not one person surviving.

The red-furred humanoid creature was truly ferocious. It transformed into a streak of blood-red light and endured the blows of the various weapons head-on. Within the span of a single breath, the sounds of weapons shattering and great figures screaming out in agony were already ringing out.

The great golden bell that had resounded across nine heavens shattered into dozens of fragments. The Eight Trigrams Furnace blazing with roaring fire cracked apart into several large chunks. The great black millstone was crushed into a heap of scrap metal. All were destroyed!

“Ah…” A great master screamed out in agony. His heart was torn from his chest, beating in the red-furred claw — then bitten apart and swallowed.

“Slash!”

The red-furred humanoid creature spun around. Five fingers spread wide left five finger-holes in another great master’s skull — five streams of white brain matter shot upward.

“Crack!”

With one forceful wrench, it tore the right arm from a third great master, placed it in its mouth, and began crunching it — white bone splinters jagged and bloody, as fresh blood flowed down from the corners of its mouth.

The scene was bloody and savage beyond all measure. The third-generation Source Heavenly Master was like a malevolent god that had broken free of its shackles from hell — seeing people and killing them, unmatched by anyone.

It did not deliberately channel any technique, yet it could casually direct the fundamental force of the Heavenly Dao to its own use. The several great experts just now had all been locked in place by it and could not even struggle.

“Without a human saint coming here, there is simply no way to resist it!” Someone broke down — a great master, crying out in terror.

“In this age there are only two saints. One is far away in the Eastern Wasteland. The other, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is on Mount Sumeru — the ends of the earth — and there is absolutely no way for them to arrive in time to suppress this!”

Suddenly, a long whistle rang out. The Peacock King’s hair flew loose. The Crimson Dragon Daoist’s robes billowed and snapped. Both of them took a weapon from Yan Ruyu’s hands — and ten thousand zhang of green radiance erupted from it.

The aura of an ancient great emperor spread outward. A dreadful tremor — like the shattering of the entire cosmos of stars — rose and fell in vast surges. The ancient blue heavens that had endured for ten thousand ages were themselves on the verge of becoming void!

The extreme Dao emperor’s weapon emerged and stirred to wakefulness. The divine might of the Green Emperor manifested in the world once more. Sect masters of every faction could not help but feel the urge to kneel and bow — even the divine spirits of the primordial era would tremble before it.

This was a Chaotic Green Lotus. Nine leaves propped up heaven and earth. One verdant vine-root pressed down upon divine spirits. This seemed like a living Demon Emperor — for it had been forged from his very own body!

When the emperor’s weapon appeared, it nearly collapsed all the heavens and myriad realms. Several of the nearby great masters finally could endure no longer and fell to their knees, unable to withstand the great emperor’s pressure aura.

The red-furred humanoid creature was seized with terror. It halted its slaughter, wavering slightly and continuously backing away — fear arising from the very depths of its being.

This was the Demon Emperor’s might. In the later post-primordial age, the one and only being to prove the Dao and become an emperor — the supreme great emperor who shattered the rules of heaven and earth and overwhelmed this entire great world!

“Clang!”

In this moment, another dragon cry rang out. A dragon sword flew forth — as though capable of shaking all the heavens — possessing an unrivaled, one-of-a-kind offensive might!

A dragon’s head for the sword’s tip, nine-clawed dragon patterns along the blade, a dragon’s tail forming the hilt. Even if ten thousand suns were gathered in one place, their brilliance would not match this sword’s radiance.

The Supreme Emperor’s Sword emerged into the world, unwilling to let the foremost figure across a hundred thousand years stand alone in glory. Two emperor’s weapons blazed side by side, dimming the sun and moon.

“Spit!”

Not a few sect masters coughed up great mouthfuls of blood. Even though they were the rulers of this stretch of heaven and earth in the current age, they could not endure this level of might. All of them staggered backward, their faces snow-white.

The two emperor’s weapons shone like two rays of eternal light — utterly impossible to resist. From the very depths of their hearts came a submission that even sage masters could not stop themselves from bowing their heads before.

The red-furred humanoid creature was immensely powerful — slaying a sect master was like picking a flower or plucking a blade of grass — yet now a desire to retreat arose within it. No matter how powerful it was, it did not dare to contend against the might of an emperor.

It backed away continuously, then let out a great cry, charged out of the ancient cave, and ran off in another direction.

“This is bad!”

On this side, beside the immortal pool, the cultivators felt a chill run down their spines. The red-furred humanoid creature had charged up this very mountain peak and was coming straight toward them — like the approach of death itself.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Behind it, the Crimson Dragon Daoist and the Peacock King shouted, holding the Chaotic Green Lotus as its world-creating power flowed and circulated. They gave chase.

The Supreme Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Supreme Emperor’s Sword hovering above his head, transformed into a great golden dragon and also came charging down. The moment this sword was drawn, heaven and earth alike trembled.

“Ah…”

The red-furred humanoid creature charged to the mountain summit — and before it had even struck, screams of agony were already rising from the shore of the immortal lake. The several source arts grandmasters from the Eastern Wasteland — each and every one of them without exception — had sprouted red fur. Like malevolent ghosts, they writhed and rolled upon the ground.

Ye Fan felt his whole body on the verge of splitting apart. At this critical juncture, his golden sacred blood ignited. A horrifying aura was blocked from entering his body — he was the only source arts master who had not fallen.

All who witnessed this scene went cold from head to toe. This spectacle made their spirits feel like they were shattering — no one understood why this had happened.

In this moment, everyone was struck dumb with fear, not daring to breathe. They waited in silence for the extreme Dao emperor’s weapon to arrive. Not one person dared to go and seize the immortal elixir within the creature’s body.

“Silence!”

Suddenly, a great shout rang out. From deep within the ancient cave at the base of the mountain came a thunderous cry — as though some supreme existence had been startled awake from slumber, releasing a surging, oceanic and terrifying wave of power.

An ancient war chariot came thundering out. It stood barely a foot tall. A foot-long purple qilin pulled it, charging forth from the ancient cave. Above it coiled a foot-long azure-colored small dragon. At the rear flew a half-foot-long crimson-blooded divine phoenix.

Additionally, seven or eight small figures, each slightly more than half a foot tall, ran ahead to clear the path, each of a different color — every one like a piece of exquisitely carved jade — sprinting forward at great speed.

Atop the ancient war chariot stood a humanoid creature slightly more than a foot tall, like a divine being, wreathed in a hundred and eight divine rings. It shouted loudly, “Who dares raise such a clamor here and disturb the slumber of my clan’s undying ancient great emperor?!”

This being was one of authority — not the undying ancient great emperor itself — yet it radiated a monstrous, overwhelming might. Though barely a foot tall, it seemed on the verge of splitting heaven and earth asunder.

“A great emperor?!”

“There is a living ancient great emperor?!”

Everyone was stupefied, unable to believe any of this. How could such an existence still exist in later ages? An ancient emperor had slumbered in the dragon veins of the Qinling Mountains — who could it be?!