The dark clouds pressed down, nearly touching the ground.

It was as though tens of thousands of black mountains had descended, piling upon one another — so heavy it was nearly impossible to breathe, so oppressive one felt suffocated, filling every heart with dread.

Now only several hundred li from the Wang Family, tens of thousands of barbarian warriors completed their encirclement and began their charge at full speed. The battle to break the heavens had begun!

A vast black mass — primal beasts and warriors trampling the earth underfoot, surging forward like a great dark flood, sweeping through everything in its path, causing the ground itself to tremble.

“Who goes there?! Where has such an army come from?!” The Wang Family had hidden sentries — with people patrolling the land as far as several hundred li from the clan.

Whoosh!

Blood sprayed. An arrow through the throat!

The barbarian master archers rode their great beasts at full gallop, every one of them drawing bows and nocking arrows. Their mounts’ speed never slackened. They rode in formation, charging forward like a sweeping flood. The hard bows in their hands were bent to full draw — and one after another, ancient barbarian divine arrows pierced clouds and parted mist, flying more than ten li.

Vivid crimson. Blooms of blood burst open one after another. Beneath the gray clouds, life after life was harvested, bodies toppling to the ground.

It was the blink of an eye — ten thousand primal beast cavalry swept through, trampling every last body into bloody mud. Not a single person escaped.

The art of the divine arrow was one of the barbarian tribe’s required secret techniques — known as a one-strike kill without exception. With this many archers, even a portion of them drawing their bows was more than enough to stop anyone.

“We’re in trouble — a great enemy is invading! Sound the alarm bell, quickly!” Along the several hundred li of terrain, there were far too many hidden sentries — but at first, not a single one managed to send a warning in time.

Hooves thundered across the grassland, charging across the open land. Tens of thousands of barbarian warriors roared forward, blood energy surging, their war front unstoppable — like an indomitable host of primal war gods.

“What manner of people are these?! Report to the family immediately — someone is attacking our Wang Family!”

In the sky, too, were watchers — but their fate was even more terrible. As the iron flood surged across the land below, several master archers of over two thousand years of age drew their bows, loosing arrow beams spanning dozens of li, piercing one after another of the aerial observers.

“There are ancient fortresses in the sky!”

The Wang Family had made a grand investment — hidden among the clouds more than a hundred li from the clan were numerous ancient watchtowers, monitoring all movement in every direction. Nothing could escape their notice.

And yet the Southern Mountain Range barbarians had prepared for this as well. In the sky, too, rode more than ten thousand cavalrymen, driving various great beasts galloping across the clouds — thundering past and trampling every structure to ruins.

Wherever resistance arose, long spears thrust forward — one charge and all was broken. One after another, the ancient watchtowers became rubble. Those who tried to flee and send word were run down, trampled to pulp by the primal beasts. Nothing was left but drifting red mist.

Whether in the sky or on the earth, barbarian warriors were everywhere. Wherever their war front turned, all obstacles were destroyed!

Both Ye Fan and Li Tian were shaken. This was truly an unstoppable force. They felt a ferociousness impossible to put into words emanating from this army.

At this moment, from the crown of every warrior’s head rose a surge of blood energy. Tens of thousands of those surges merged together — making them look like a host of battle-hardened asuras soaked in blood.

Every cavalryman was bathed in a layer of blood-red light — a terrifying aura, as though the divine blood of war gods shielded their bodies, rendering each of them brave beyond all opposition.

Closer now. At fifty li from the Wang Family, alarm bells rang — this was a location where great elites were stationed. It had been impossible to eliminate them in advance.

Dong…!

The great bell rang out, its sound carrying for hundreds of li, rattling the eardrums.

This was a formidable defensive fortification — however many tens of thousands of years it had gone without being called upon, though people had always been stationed here, who could have imagined that someone would dare to attack the Wang Family?

Having made themselves the unrivaled lords of the Northern Plains, overlords of the world, rulers without equal — the people of this place had long since lost their sense of vigilance. They never believed anyone would dare to come for them, never thought they would have use for these defenses.

And yet now, every face went pale. After striking the alarm, all of them leaped into the sky, bringing out every manner of weapon to intercept.

But it was all futile. The barbarian iron cavalry charged in every direction, every one of them ferociously brave, wielding stone axes and wolf-fang clubs as they swept through.

Ancient war towers, floating city-fortresses — structures that stood tall in the sky, fortifications thought to be indestructible — collapsed as the cavalry charged, stamping across the void. Every last one fell.

The countless barbarian warriors — wherever their war front pointed, blood energy filled the air, sweeping all before them. Nothing could hold back their advance.

“Ahh…!”

The cries of the defenders stationed there rang out without stop — some were impaled on the cold points of spears, blood streaming down, while others were beaten bodily into pulp by great clubs, shattered bones flying outward.

It was a slaughter — an entirely mismatched contest. How could a few hundred powerful fighters hold off this cavalry? It was like mayflies trying to shake a great tree. Not even escape was possible.

Not even two great elites could flee. They were personally killed by a living fossil master archer who loosed two arrows to skewer them through. The terrifying arrow shafts carried their bodies flying two or three li before everything shattered together.

The Wang Family fell into chaos. When they heard the alarm bell, everyone was filled with shock. What sort of great upheaval was this? That bell had not rung in ten thousand years.

Fifty li was not far — even though the Wang Family heard the bell, it was already somewhat late. Tens of thousands of iron cavalry arrived almost instantaneously, roaring in with the cries of men and beasts together.

“Kill!”

In that moment, the barbarian warriors — long since silent — erupted with a heaven-shaking killing intent. One roar shook mountains and rivers. The entire grassland felt as though it would shatter.

This was an iron flood. Nothing could hold back their advance — like a war god descended from beyond this realm, invincible in all directions.

Boom!

Outside the Wang Family, scores upon hundreds of ancient war halls and suspended floating islands shattered on the spot, reduced to rubble and broken stone.

Ahead, mountain ranges stretched across the land, lying like rows of great dragons — one of the few mountainous areas amid the vast grassland.

The Wang Family was situated within, said by feng shui masters to be a land of the ascending dragon — a place capable of bringing a clan to its absolute peak of prosperity, with an enduring fortune.

Tens of thousands of barbarian warriors encircled the ancient hereditary family. Every one of them raised their weapons, preparing to deliver a world-shattering blow. Every person was gathering primal war energy.

This was not two armies facing each other in open formation for a decisive engagement. This was pure vengeance — speed was paramount. They were going to launch the most ferocious assault imaginable!

To the south, the Azure Dragon beat its enormous wings. A range of mountains that stood before it was torn apart — a terrifying spectacle. Half-shattered mountain peaks went flying sideways; vast mountain ranges wrenched up from the earth, soil and stone churning, breaking open the overcast clouds above.

This was the lord of the azure sky — one of the barbarian tribe’s guardian deities, personally raised by the previous Elder Patriarch, alive in this world for more than three thousand nine hundred years. The depths of its power could not be fathomed!

Roarrrr!

The Azure Dragon let out another great roar. More mountain peaks collapsed. And from its mouth, a streak of blue light flew forth, carrying a bone-chilling aura — as though a great sage were reawakening.

What it had breathed out was a blue blade. The aura capable of shattering the heavens and earth emanated from that blade’s edge. Across the vast open land, the great grassland trembled.

It was like a war god stirring back to life, poised to destroy this world entire. Powerful, overwhelming, commanding, blazing — every manner of soul-shaking aura spread through the air.

The Azure Dragon Blade!

On its surface was engraved an azure dragon — lifelike in every detail. The blade body was ancient and magnificent in style. The killing intent within felt as though it would overthrow the heavens and shake the nine skies and ten earths.

And yet it was not without blemish. This was a damaged sage weapon — a portion of it missing. The blade body had been broken. The azure dragon engraved upon it was missing a segment.

Though it was not a world-spanning holy weapon, being breathed out by the barbarian guardian deity still gave it a dominating might capable of overcoming all under heaven. When the Azure Dragon Blade swept down from above — boom! — it was as though a world had been cleaved open.

The main southern gate of the Wang Family blazed with blinding light. This was an ancient sage’s defensive formation — yet now it cracked and shook, a great gaping fissure cut through it.

To the north, the same scene: mountains collapsing, rocks flying through the sky. For another guardian deity was moving there.

Vast as a mountain, it bore more than thirty barbarian elders of over two thousand years each on its back, crushing every obstacle that stood in its path.

Roarrrr! The White Tiger let out a roar that shook the entire sky. From its mouth, it breathed out a bone club — white as pure jade. It came crashing down toward the northern gate’s defensive formation.

This was also a flawed holy weapon — forged and tempered from the great arm bone of an ancient sage, warm and pure white — but covered all over with cracks, damaged and worn, its divine power depleted.

The White Tiger roared, driving the bone club in continuous strikes, tearing open a great breach in the ancient divine formation, creating a massive opening that continued to grow wider.

At the eastern gate, the surrounding mountains were leveled to flat earth. The Elder Patriarch led more than ten thousand warriors in a combined assault.

Most fearsome of all, naturally, was the stone axe in the Elder Patriarch’s hand — plain and ancient, devoid of any flourish, yet a single glance filled the heart with dread. This was the world-spanning holy weapon left behind by the barbarian people’s great sage — flawless, without a single blemish!

Its attacking power was without equal. One strike of that axe made the myriad worlds feel as though they would crumble. The aura of annihilation caused the entire vast grassland to cave inward and tremble.

Boom!

The Wang Family’s eastern gate was cleaved open, shattered before them. A corner of the ancient defensive formation was torn away — the army’s advance could no longer be stopped.

To the west, Ye Fan gripped the Goddess Furnace and led the charge. Behind him, banners unfurled — more than ten thousand iron cavalry came thundering through the sky, shaking the heavens with their advance.

“Open for me!”

Ye Fan roared. The divine power of the Sacred Body surged. The solar divine point blazed and erupted. The fist-sized sacred furnace blazed with brilliant light as it slammed into the Wang Family’s western gate.

Mountains crumbled and the earth split. The gate was reduced to powder. A crack was torn through the ancient sage’s defensive formation. More than ten thousand iron cavalry cried out together, their bodies bathed in blood light, pouring all their strength into the assault.

“Open!”

Ye Fan shouted again. The Goddess Furnace struck through the ancient formation, one impact after another — the flaws in the formation’s patterns growing larger and larger.

Boom!

At last, the western gate was broken through. More than ten thousand iron cavalry drove straight in — wolf-fang clubs clearing the way, walls falling and halls collapsing!

“Charge!” At that moment, war cries shook the heavens. On all four sides, armies surged forward.

Led by four ancient holy weapons, the Wang Family’s defensive formation collapsed — reduced to a spent and useless array, stripped of all function.

Though the Azure Dragon and White Tiger’s weapons were flawed, the guardian deities themselves were powerful enough to make up for it.

The Wang Family was an immortal ancient hereditary family — formidable beyond measure. Within lay many suspended divine islands and numerous sacred mountain peaks, all hanging in the sky above, silver waterfalls pouring down — a magnificent and breathtaking sight.

As tens of thousands of iron cavalry swept in, one island and one ancient peak after another shattered and fell crashing to the ground. Amid the great upheaval, vast numbers of the Wang Family’s powerful fighters came forward to meet the enemy.

“Who are you people?! Why do you attack our Wang Family?!” someone bellowed.

All of this had moved too quickly. The four gates broken through — all nearly at the same time — had stunned even the mighty Wang Family.

This was beyond all imagination. To achieve this, one would need three or four world-spanning holy weapons at minimum — the very thought was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

“I am the very Ye Fan you have sought to kill. Today, I have come to end you — and to trample this ancient hereditary family flat with iron cavalry!” Ye Fan stood in the open sky, black hair raging in the wind, eyes blazing with cold intensity. His great roar rang across the vast land — carrying the bearing of one who stands above all the world.

An earth-shaking battle was inevitable! Blood had already seemed to dye the grassland red. Bones had already seemed to rise into mountains.