Nanling was a region of clustered high mountains and countless steep ridges—wherever one looked, it was mountains upon mountains, ridges upon ridges, an endless expanse.

Across this vast, untamed land there was hardly a single stretch of level plain. This peculiar terrain had remained unchanged since ancient times, giving rise to its heavy miasma, its roaming savage beasts, and its rampant strange creatures.

Nanling produced far more demons than the Central Continent or the other four regions of the Eastern Wastes—this was common knowledge, which was why cultivators of the southern region were often called “Southern Demons.”

After leaving the wild tribe’s settlement, Ye Fan and the others flew for several days, finding an ancient teleportation array atop a mountain that carried them across a great distance into a region of relatively dense population.

“That girl is really something!” Along the way, Li Tian kept up a running commentary, stopping to look whenever he spotted a beautiful woman.

As soon as they arrived in a populated area, they heard no shortage of rumors—many people were discussing the reappearance of the Sacred Body.

The Northern Plains Wang Family’s forceful assault on an ancient village, ending in the total annihilation of their forces, had caused a great sensation. People were discussing it everywhere, many finding it hard to believe.

“You couldn’t have seen wrong, could you? How could it possibly be the Sacred Body from twelve years ago—he already set out on the ancient road through the stars; there’s no way he could appear in this world again.”

“That battle was too terrifying—golden blood energy filling the sky, swallowing the mountains, a single roar shattering the mountains and rivers. I think it really was him, come back, and even more powerful than before!”

“If it truly is him, this world will surely fall into great chaos, war will spread across the land, and he will not rest until it’s done…”

An unconfirmed rumor had sparked a great uproar, with even cultivators in small towns discussing it, leaving Li Tian secretly clicking his tongue in amazement.

“Well now, young Ye, your fame on this ancient star is really something. Twelve years gone, and people are still talking about you.”

Ye Fan said, “Let’s find a famous city, gather more information, and understand the current situation properly. Then we’ll head to the Demon Sovereign Hall.”

In Nanling, there could be no vast open plains—cities were all built against the mountains, some even containing mountains within their walls, a strange sight, lacking any level ground.

Phoenix City was one of the great super-cities of Nanling. Any city bold enough to bear such a name was certainly a place of great importance.

It could not have been built according to any regular plan, weaving around mountains and separating ridges, its walls stretching on and on like a phoenix’s nest—a very strange sight indeed—and within the city there was even a low mountain, coiled like a resting phoenix.

The great avenues of Phoenix City bustled with carriages and crowds, an endless flow of people, boundlessly prosperous, with cries of buyers and sellers rising and falling one after another. Mortals, cultivators, and members of the Demon Race mingled together as an everyday occurrence.

In this city, even seeing a strange creature with a dog’s head and human body, bearing feathered wings on its back, would not surprise anyone, for there were simply too many demons in Nanling.

“That demoness is truly enchanting—a nine-tailed celestial fox, her waist so slender, her eyes bewitching enough to make one drunk.” No sooner had they arrived in Phoenix City than Li Tian began wandering about, looking here and there.

The Demon Sovereign Hall was not too far from this place, situated within an ancient mountain range—a stretch of immortal land that inspired awe and reverence in countless cultivators.

Ye Fan had come here to first gather the full picture before rushing over immediately to kill the head of the Northern Plains Wang Family—Wang Chengkun.

If he succeeded, it would surely cause a massive stir. Though the world was already in chaos, the death of the head of an ancient formidable clan would still be enough to shock the entire world.

“This old fellow really fears death—he’s brought so many people with him, being this cautious even in Nanling.” Li Tian said.

In Phoenix City they gathered a good deal of valuable information: Wang Chengkun had come to the Demon Sovereign Hall as a guest, hoping to win over the great demons and form an alliance with them.

“There’s the shadow of the Primordial Race behind this—that’s a very bad sign. No wonder the Wang Family is acting so boldly, so fearlessly.” Ye Fan frowned.

This time, quite a few members of the Wang Family had come to Nanling to attend a sacrificial ceremony held by the Demon Race, and it was rumored that some faction of the Primordial Race might secretly be involved.

“Is it the clan from the Divine Spirit Valley? I wonder if their young master has come. If he’s here, I’ll kill him too!” Ye Fan’s gaze turned sharp.

He had already learned that Dongfang Ye had been hunted down by Zi Tiandu and his men, forced off Eagle Cliff to his death, his blood staining the rock face, with only his final unyielding roar heard by outsiders.

In Phoenix City, the topic on everyone’s lips was still the bloody battle at the wild tribe’s settlement, discussed endlessly by many.

The Wang Family, crossing all the way from the Northern Plains to Nanling, striking so forcefully at a small village—this had provoked much dissatisfaction, this cross-region campaign to exterminate a clan being seen as truly overbearing.

Upon learning that they had suffered a crushing defeat, with not a single person escaping, people were even more shocked.

That day, many had watched the battle, but none had dared approach, terrified by Ye Fan’s overwhelming might, only able to observe from a hundred miles away, never glimpsing his true appearance.

And it was precisely because of this that people could not be certain whether it truly had been him.

“Having crossed star regions and left this world, he’s surely destined never to reappear.”

“What a pity—the Sacred Body has left for good after all. Otherwise, at his current cultivation level, he might well be able to dominate an entire region!”

In the end, people concluded that it likely had not been Ye Fan, but rather someone deliberately impersonating him, aiming to confuse and mislead the public.

Some great sects speculated that someone wished to stir up chaos in the current situation, and had thus fabricated the Sacred Body’s reappearance, harboring some hidden, unspeakable motive.

After all, crossing star regions was a feat achievable only by ancient emperors and primordial great sages—Ye Fan had not yet possessed such ability, and once he had left, there should have been no way to return, barring some miracle.

Yet because of this, people were reminded of Ye Fan’s past deeds, and many sighed with admiration, wondering what kind of power he would wield now, were he still around.

“Perhaps he could contend with Huo Qizi, Huangxu Dao, Yuangu, the Heavenly Emperor’s Son, Shencan Daoren, and the others!”

“Ah, it’s just as well that he left—at least this way, our human race can say we weren’t entirely defeated, retaining some shred of dignity.”

Standing in Phoenix City, listening to the crowd’s discussions, even Yan Yixi found it hard to remain calm inside—were the young formidable figures of the Primordial Race really so terrifying?

Li Tian said, “The more I listen, the more unsettling this all sounds. With so many ruthless figures around, will there ever be a day when I, Li Tian the divine son, rule the world? How am I supposed to spread my Human Desire tradition far and wide?”

The Demon Sovereign Hall was an incredibly ancient place, its true age impossible to verify. The world only knew that it had endured through an extraordinarily long span of time, remaining eternally unyielding to decay.

It was the sacred hall enshrined in the hearts of Nanling’s Demon Race, a place of reverence, a place to draw near to the divine. According to fragmentary demonic texts, it might have been personally forged by a Sage Sovereign of the Demon Race.

Towering mountains, giant ancient trees reaching to the sky, old trunks propping up the heavens—this was a lush, verdant range of steep ridges.

Deep within this ancient mountain range lay the Demon Race’s sacred and important ground. Under normal circumstances, anyone who dared trespass recklessly would be killed on sight; no one dared set foot there.

Only during certain ancient sacrificial ceremonies, or on occasions of major celebration, would it open, permitting the various demon factions to come.

Naturally, distinguished guests among human cultivators could also seize such an opportunity to glimpse its true appearance and learn something of this mysterious ancient ground.

The three of them—Ye Fan, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi—forcibly exchanged a large chunk of divine source in private for an invitation, entering this mountain range to ascend as “distinguished guests.”

The mountain range was very still. Many of the giant trees had grown for who knew how many years, taller even than the peaks themselves, their foliage a deep, lush green, with ancient vines thick and terrifying, coiling like flood dragons across the entire ridge.

Flight was forbidden here; one could only ascend on foot, and especially for the various demon factions, it required approaching with a pilgrim’s reverent heart.

Beneath the tree shade it was cool, the ancient stone steps worn with age. Step by step they advanced, feeling a sense of accumulated years, of time settled deep into the stone.

At last they arrived at the deepest part of the mountain range, accompanied by ancient pines, where a palace hall stretched across the land. Before they even drew close, a vast, primordial demonic aura swept over them, as though surging forth from ancient antiquity.

This was a power impossible to put into words. The palace itself was not especially vast, yet it seemed to hang suspended in the ninth heaven, letting fall strand after strand of the very energy that had opened up heaven and earth, suppressing the entire great world.

Ye Fan sighed—the legendary Demon Sovereign must indeed have been real, not a fabricated figure; only an ancient emperor could have left behind such a palace hall.

Once here, the crowd suddenly grew dense—great demons who had come on pilgrimage, and human sect leaders as well, though few spoke, fearing to disturb this place’s tranquility and sanctity.

Ye Fan and the others’ arrival caused no stir at all. This ancient star was simply too vast, and not many people had actually seen him before.

Demon attendants received them, guiding them toward an ancient hall. All who came and went were distinguished guests, and the Demon Race, unwilling to give offense, observed every courtesy to the letter.

The central ancient hall was the most special of all, submerged in a terrifying demonic aura, its full appearance impossible to glimpse, carrying the presence of an ancient Demon Sovereign—as though someone still slumbered within!

Everyone had to stop there; save for a handful of the Demon Race’s own, no one was permitted to enter.

That astonishing presence seemed capable of cutting across three thousand great worlds, immediately bringing to mind the legendary Demon Sovereign Hall—towering and magnificent, like the legendary ancient Heavenly Court itself.

Ye Fan and the others entered a palace hall not far from the Demon Sovereign Hall proper—boundlessly grand and enormous, easily able to accommodate tens of thousands of people, clearly marked with the laws of space.

Behind row upon row of white jade tables sat formidable figures, cross-legged, with fruits and immortal wine already laid out in abundance.

Many people filled the hall, each occupying their own place—every one of them a great demon commanding some region, along with some ancient demons of terrifying age, and of course no shortage of human sect leaders as well.

Those able to enter this place were all figures of overwhelming authority, each ruling over their own domain—sect leaders, elder statesmen, demon lords, terrifying wandering cultivators, kings, holy monks—all wielding formidable power.

Many were engaged in conversation—some exchanging insights on cultivation, some discussing ancient secrets, others speaking of current affairs.

Ye Fan and the others chose a corner to sit, saying nothing, listening carefully with their ears while searching for Wang Chengkun, the clan head of the Northern Plains ancient formidable clan.

“In the present world, Nanling’s demon factions grow ever more prosperous—truly worthy of celebration, especially with the younger generation producing one formidable figure after another, enviable indeed.” a human sect leader flattered.

“Indeed. Speaking of the foremost figure of the younger generation, it’s likely none other than a Southern Demon.” another living fossil said.

“The human race truly are the protagonists of this world—one dazzling figure after another emerging. Where can we demons compare?” an ancient demon said modestly.

“The human race indeed has no shortage of formidable figures standing tall. The Central Emperor’s shocking might goes without saying, known to all. And there are more and more rising figures emerging, truly astonishing.”

“Indeed. The rising Yao Guang, the Sage Son—he truly possesses an air that looks down upon the world; who could resist him? One day, he will surely be invincible under heaven.”

“And then there’s Hua Yunfei—these days even we must give way before him. Having perfected the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art, no one dares provoke him anymore, leaving us with nothing but helpless sighs.”

“Indeed, one could list quite a few such figures—Xia Jiuyou, who has cultivated the Immortal Tune of Tribulation Crossing; the Divine King Body of the Eastern Wastes, Ji Haoyue; and that mysterious woman with the Innate Dao Embryo…”

“Ah, the Primordial Race is also terrifying indeed—Huangxu Dao, Yuangu, Shencan Daoren, and the others—truly enough to make even our generation tremble in fear!”

Just then, someone spoke up: “Brother Wang, your son the Northern Emperor has broken through and been reforged—surely he now has the qualifications to contend for the title of first under heaven?”

Everyone turned to look at a black-haired middle-aged man, who stroked his beard and said, “My son, having broken and been remade, can indeed look down upon this world with disdain—yet it is filled with regret. He wished to kill that Sacred Body but found no path to do so, and can only hate that he fled this world.”

“As the whole world knows, the worthy nephew Wang Teng possesses talent bestowed by heaven itself, transcending both ancient and present—we old fools must all step aside. The world now belongs to him and his kind.”

That year’s battle, in which Wang Teng had been defeated and killed—everyone knew this was not due to any lack of strength on his part. Now, in front of the Wang Family, no one dared say anything unpleasant, and all offered flattering words instead.