The eighteen ancient ships gleamed with a cold metallic luster — sacred relics refined by the passage of countless ages, forged by a sage of old. Now all of them shot forth traces of the Dao, transforming into the primordial killing array that blanketed the entire area.
The Feathering Immortal Cliff gleamed white from end to end. Above it, the four kings traded blows — divine domains, ancient arts, field energies, and domineering fists all flew at once. It was as if the stars were falling, the sky was collapsing, all in contention for the two halves of the divine scripture cast from phoenix blood and crimson gold.
At the same moment, a great silver hand appeared, flying out from the central ancient ship, reaching toward the tall and heroic figure — unleashing a great seal strike right from the start, as if the sovereign of the human race had descended upon the world!
A short while ago, a figure had descended from the starry sky like an immortal from beyond the heavens, seizing and killing Feng Yuan with one hand and stealing the half-page of heavenly scripture inscribed on sacred gold.
The owner of the silver hand from within the ancient ship was naturally furious — that had been his disciple. Now he struck with full force, seeking to kill this king.
The divine marks of heaven, inscribed as an innate primordial seal and branded upon the palm, had become the supreme technique of the Human Sovereign — it descended like ten suns falling together, like the sea of stars collapsing.
This was the Human Sovereign’s Seal!
The tall man who was being attacked possessed godlike, world-dominating might. From his eyes shot two beams of demonic light; he opened his mouth and breathed in innate Dao essence, transforming it into a precious wheel that ground away time and space.
“You haven’t died yet!” The owner of the silver hand spoke coldly from within the ship, and the divine marks of heaven on the silver palm blazed even brighter as it pressed down.
“And haven’t you also not died?” The tall man laughed coldly and repeatedly. His head of purple hair spread loose, revealing his true face, and the precious wheel formed from the innate Dao essence he had breathed out grew even more radiant.
“The Celestial Demon’s Precious Wheel!” Li Tian’s expression froze. He uttered a low cry and said: “That’s actually the Celestial Demon King — was he not said to have died five hundred years ago? He is now three thousand eight hundred years old and still has not passed into nirvana — a hundred times more terrifying than the Celestial Demon Matriarch.”
At the center of the battlefield, the Human Sovereign’s Seal and the Celestial Demon’s Precious Wheel collided — like two ancient universes being destroyed, a complete collapse.
This was a scene of mountains and rivers annihilated, of all antiquity reversed — as if one had arrived at the very beginning of creation, where everything seemed poised to return to the origin of all things.
Far away, Ye Fan, Yi Qingwu, Li Tian, and the others were shaken to their cores. Perfected Kings were truly enough to send chills down one’s spine — who could withstand a clash of such divine power?
“As expected — for the sake of a single page of immortal scripture, kings once thought to have passed into nirvana have ‘revived’ once more.” Yan Yixi sighed softly.
When power reaches such a realm, what else could possibly move them? Only eternal life and transcendence. Once this ancient scripture was cultivated, the practitioner would be beyond death — of course they would act.
The silver hand struck down like something reaching in from beyond this realm, clashing with the Celestial Demon King. The two exchanged fierce blows, with no room for de-escalation — this was a life-or-death struggle between kings.
The divine marks of heaven inscribed into the precious seal were as brilliant as the primordial light at the dawn of creation. The innate Dao essence transformed into the Celestial Demon’s Precious Wheel was as dazzling as a rainbow at the end of the world — tip against tip, neither yielding.
Brilliance at its most extreme — followed by eternal darkness. The two ancient divine domains collapsed and fell. One exchange between these two felt as though all Dao had been hollowed from existence.
A trickle of purple blood seeped from the corner of the Celestial Demon King’s mouth. He staggered back more than ten steps in succession, his body swaying repeatedly — yet he never released the half-page of phoenix blood sacred gold paper from his grip.
The silver hand also developed a crack and slowly retreated a zhang, yet it suffered no serious damage — testament to its owner’s terrifying might and power.
“Human King, you haven’t died…” On the other side, the Gold Crow King’s head of golden hair hung loose as he slowly approached. With every step the vault of heaven trembled; he moved like a demon god incarnate.
“What — he’s the Human King, and he hasn’t died?” Yan Yixi was startled. She had assumed this was an elder of terrifying age concealed within the Hall of the Human King — she never imagined the figure carried another identity entirely.
“You arrogant Gold Crow — two thousand years ago you came to my Hall of the Human King and ran amok. Had I not been enduring the agony of my power scattering at the time, how could I have allowed such behavior?” The owner of the silver hand said in a deep voice.
The Gold Crow King was now over three thousand seven hundred years old — a figure who had dominated his entire life. In his prime he had dared to enter the Hall of the Human King to seize their sacred maiden, a tale that had become legend.
It was precisely because of that battle that he had sustained damage to his foundations. He had been in seclusion for over two thousand years, and no one had known what manner of opponent he had faced in that encounter — until now, when the truth finally came to light.
“Though your power had scattered, you entrusted your primordial spirit to the sacred maiden’s Immortal Platform and struck me by surprise with the most devastating blow imaginable — nearly destroying both my body and soul, forcing me into seclusion for two thousand years.” The Gold Crow King said coolly.
“Since we’ve met, you’ll count as one of them today — none of you are leaving.” The Human King said in an icy voice.
“What bold words you speak!” Nearby, the Celestial Demon King breathed steadily, his wounds fully recovered. Purple hair flying, tall and straight, he pressed forward.
“I may be old, but I still have some confidence in myself.” The Human King spoke, and the silver hand reached out once more.
“It’s truly the Human King!” Yi Qingwu’s beautiful eyes danced with prismatic light, clearly astonished. A man dead for two thousand years had come back to life — what could be more shocking than this? It was proof enough of how mysterious and terrifying the great ancient sects truly were.
The Human King constitution — an extraordinarily terrifying physique. How else could it dare bear such a name? It was said that even tens of thousands of years might not produce a single one. It was a constitution that held genuine hope for successfully attaining the Dao — a living legend.
Three thousand eight hundred years ago, a child was born in the Hall of the Human King bearing this very constitution. The entire sect was overjoyed, jubilant in celebration — it was as though heaven itself had granted them a divine gift.
Yet this child was plagued by misfortune. Before he was even a hundred days old, someone made an attempt on his life through treacherous means. It took three full years to save him.
During that time, someone had even used a forbidden technique to destroy his Sea of Wheels, damaged his Immortal Platform, and all but severed his foundation and final path — driving the sect to the brink of despair.
The Hall of the Human King flew into a furious rage as a result, purging every suspicious member within. Blood flowed like rivers, and the bones of tens of thousands lay in ruin — the most terrifying period in the sect’s history.
In the end, they finally managed to raise the child through ancient methods. In his youth he already shook the world — but this Human King constitution was truly plagued by misfortune, his power scattering on several occasions due to the earlier destruction of his Sea of Wheels and Immortal Platform.
The most severe instance occurred two thousand years ago, coinciding precisely with the Gold Crow King’s incursion into the Hall of the Human King to seize their sacred maiden. The legend went that not long afterward the Human King had died, leaving only regrets behind.
“Vanished for over two thousand years and now re-emerged into the world — a Human King over three thousand eight hundred years of age. This will surely shock the entire era!” Li Tian sighed.
“No wonder he is so confident. Among the Perfected Kings, his path has been the most fraught with hardship — power scattered on multiple occasions — yet he remains the most self-assured.” Ye Fan too was astonished. This was the first time he had encountered such a constitution.
“His path to attaining the Dao is beyond hope now — otherwise he would never have held back so long. It must be that he has never found a way forward. Having his Sea of Wheels destroyed in childhood was bad enough, but even his Immortal Platform was cut away — even an immortal emerging into the world could not reverse that.” Yi Qingwu sighed.
For a cultivator, the physical body could perish — but the foundation of the primordial spirit must never be destroyed. Otherwise, attaining the Dao would be beyond reach, and even survival would be impossible.
“What a pity. A Human King appears only once every fifty thousand years, yet someone destroyed his Dao foundation when he was still a child. Had that not occurred, the world would most likely be his by now — none could contend with him.” Yan Yixi said.
Even so, the Human King of this age — plagued by misfortune as he was — was still terrifying, the equal of any. He dared to cut down a Perfected King!
A king whose entire body gleamed pure and radiant like cast white silver flew out from the ancient ship, bearing the bearing of one who lords over all under heaven. He descended upon the Feathering Immortal Cliff and charged forward — engaging in great battle, intent on reclaiming the immortal scripture that was rightfully his.
The Human King had made his move!
On the other side, Yin Tiande concealed himself well — revealing nothing of his identity. Enveloped in his divine domain, he had descended upon this place, immobilized the peerless master Zhengde, shattered him, and seized the half-page of immortal scripture.
Yet now his situation was decidedly perilous. The fourth king — the last to arrive — was attacking him relentlessly. His divine might was immense beyond measure, his radiance swallowing the entire vault of heaven.
“Yin Tiande is terrifyingly powerful. Even though he is clearly at a disadvantage and on the verge of being overwhelmed, his enemy is a full-fledged Perfected King!” Li Tian exclaimed in admiration.
“He has a sacred weapon within him — drawn but not yet released — using it to hold off that Perfected King.” Yan Yixi said. He held the Sacred Maiden’s Furnace in hand and felt a mysterious resonance — after all, this was a renowned artifact that had originated from the hands of an ancient Great Emperor.
Yi Qingwu stood in white robes surpassing snow, her expression serene. Without uttering a word, the autumn-water clarity of her eyes was utterly lucid — her entire being refined and spirited as she watched the battlefield in silence.
Ye Fan also said nothing, carefully studying the battle. He had to admit that Yin Tiande was extraordinarily terrifying. Had he not happened to obtain the Vajra Ring and had that mysterious imprint within it not been left unerased, he truly would not have known it was him.
Feigning the ancient sage’s westward journey on an ox was a pretense — all of it had been in service of waiting for this very moment. He had killed even his sworn brother’s father without the slightest hesitation, right then and there. What was there that this man could not do?
Spit!
Suddenly, a blinding divine radiance burst across the battlefield. A domain of light-attribute energy manifested, enveloping Yin Tiande within — causing him to cough up great mouthfuls of blood, his form threatening to crack apart.
Bang!
He flung the scripture remnant cast from phoenix blood and crimson gold into the air. The Perfected King grabbed it in one hand, and Yin Tiande seized the opportunity to break through the domain and escape.
Li Tian said: “Yin Tiande has come out badly — he’s going to flee in defeat. Even with a sacred weapon on him, he’s no match for a Perfected King.”
Yi Qingwu shook her head. “You don’t understand…”
“Is that so? Could it be that he only intends to retreat temporarily…” Li Tian truly knew little of Yin Tiande — this man was too terrifying, and he had always kept his distance, never having the chance to learn much.
A rumbling sound approached. The people of the Longevity Monastery made their move. That ancient monastery — being a primordial holy weapon — now came crashing down in suppression. It was magnificent beyond measure, every tile and stone polished with the imprint of ages, radiating an undying aura.
“The Light King — that scripture belongs to our Longevity Monastery. Please return it.”
From within the ancient monastery, not a single person emerged. Only an immense Pressure Aura permeated downward, pressing down upon the vault of heaven alongside the eighteen ancient ships in a show of collective intimidation.
The fourth figure — it was actually the Light King!
No wonder his radiance blazed skyward, illuminating the night. Everyone present was astonished. He was a Perfected King the world had believed dead for eight hundred years — and now he had reappeared.
“There are still those who remember me…” The Light King revealed his true appearance. He wore robes of luminous splendor, tiger-sharp eyes blazing with authority, divine martial bearing pressing in from all sides. A royal crown adorned his head; his black hair was dense and full; his entire form dazzling with brilliance. He advanced with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger — as if the Lord of Heaven had descended into the world.
The Light constitution — an extraordinary and terrifying physique, ranked alongside the Divine King constitution. It was said that with the Light and Divine King united, the heavenly Dao belonged to them.
Swish!
A figure flashed within the ancient monastery. An elderly man with thin, spare features stepped out, descending as if treading a celestial staircase, one step at a time, until he stood before the Light King.
His Daoist robe was worn and faded; on his back was an eight-trigram yin-yang symbol, and across the front a painting of mountains and rivers in their ten-thousand-fold complexity. He looked like a Daoist who had walked out of the primordial era, carrying with him an aura of endless ancient weathering.
“It’s you — Qinggu Daoren. A man without a king-level constitution, yet he has lived to three thousand and six hundred years. Truly astonishing. The world said you had passed into nirvana, yet here you are, still vigorous and full of spirit.” The Light King said.
“It is I.” Qinggu Daoren’s expression remained impassive.
“Tonight could be called a gathering of the living dead. We departed friends — those of us who died eight hundred or even two thousand years ago — meet again.” The Light King said.
Indeed — the divine scripture had caused many Perfected Kings long since thought dead to “come back to life,” assembling here to fight.
In the distance, Yi Qingwu and the others held their breath, watching in silence. This was a grand gathering that would shake the entire world.
“What a shame our power is not enough to participate — but that’s an immortal scripture right there. How could anyone not be tempted?” Li Tian muttered through clenched teeth.
“The opportunity is nearly here. Yin Tiande will make his move — we become the second Yin Tiande.” Ye Fan said, signaling the group to make ready. He held the Sacred Maiden’s Furnace and the Guanghan Palace in his left and right palms respectively.
One was the supreme yang sacred furnace; the other was the supreme yin sacred palace. Both were rooted in the primordial. Immediately, the energies of yin and yang began to flow, making him appear like a deity of the ancient age — an undying divine radiance spreading outward.