“Wait. To kill the chicken to warn the monkey, you must raise the fattest one, then kill it in a bloody, decisive manner — only then will it carry the greatest deterrent power,” Zhang Lin said calmly, though a terrifying killing intent seemed to permeate the air around him.

The Wushi Bell had rung continuously for three months. All the races of the Northern Territory fell utterly silent; even the mighty ancestral kings of the primeval era felt dread in their hearts — this was the might of a human Great Emperor.

The moment the bell tolled, it shook the world; across the nine heavens and ten earths, all living beings submitted without exception!

Divine Spirit Valley, Myriad Dragon Nest, Divine Silkworm Ridge, Blood Phoenix Mountain — all had been subdued. Many undying royal clans grew deeply anxious: if the ancient Great Emperor truly emerged, who could stand against him?

Over these three months, some primeval creatures did venture out, all making contact with the human race’s various great sects, adopting a humble posture, hoping to learn the truth through them.

However, all the royal clans were disappointed — no one knew the true state of affairs within Purple Mountain; no investigation yielded any results whatsoever.

Over these three months, the human race had been the most stirred — from the initial tears of joy, to eventually surging blood and boiling passion, all hoping to see the human race’s former glory restored.

Many human cultivators traveled from all directions toward the Northern Territory, prostrating themselves step by step as they approached Purple Mountain, worshipping with the heart of a pilgrim.

“Why is this happening? Who can withstand the passage of years, who can live past ancient eternity? Even the Undying Celestial Sovereign has vanished — how can the human race’s Wushi still exist?!”

Within Divine Spirit Valley, a terrifying king let out a low roar, shaking the entire divine valley, threatening to bring down the very heavens above.

“This is a conspiracy. I don’t believe any human Great Emperor could still be alive — no one can live that long!” the terrifying ancestral king muttered, sending everyone in Divine Spirit Valley into shock, with many subordinates trembling.

“Ancestral King, why don’t we send out some people, without revealing their identities, to go on a killing spree and destroy some of the human race’s great sects — testing the waters this way?” one ancient creature suggested.

The ancestral king glanced over — as if carrying the weight of a million years, his pupils seeming to hold the power of reincarnation itself — and the one who had spoken was instantly sent flying, nearly reduced to a pile of mush.

At this critical juncture, even with doubts, no one dared act rashly. Better safe than sorry — if a human Great Emperor truly had been reborn, that would be seeking death.

It wasn’t just Divine Spirit Valley — all the other races were the same. Though afraid, they still harbored doubts: even without achieving immortality, everyone has a limited lifespan eventually; even the primeval era’s Sovereigns could not live over a hundred thousand years.

“How can this be — how can the human Great Emperor possibly endure so long? Even if Wushi is powerful, he cannot have lived this long!”

Once they had thoroughly calmed down, all the primeval factions harbored doubts, yet not a single one dared step forward. No one wanted to be the one to stick their neck out — if struck down for being wrong, it would mean sudden death.

“There are limits to human strength — it’s impossible to keep the Wushi Bell ringing for three months without an emperor manifesting. How is this being accomplished? What exactly is going on?” Some ancient kings remained afraid, not knowing the Wushi Bell could ring on its own.

Over the following half month, the Northern Territory remained outwardly calm, but beneath the surface, turmoil surged; the various races communicated secretly, undercurrents flowing.

Combined with the human cultivators making pilgrimage to Purple Mountain, the situation in the Northern Territory grew increasingly complex, shrouded in a strange, eerie atmosphere.

“Wushi cannot possibly still be in this world — he died many tens of thousands of years ago!” Finally, one person stepped forward, clearly stating his position.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son stepped out, and did so openly within the Divine City of the Northern Territory, not in private — sending a very clear signal to the myriad ancient races.

Instantly, the Northern Territory, calm for many days, erupted into an uproar; the atmosphere grew tense once more.

Among the primeval races, who had more right to say such words? None but him. Not only was he the offspring of the Undying Celestial Sovereign, but he also hailed from Ancient Sovereign Mountain itself.

In these recent days, he had gone in and out of the various great royal clans, clearly explaining his view — that Wushi had already achieved cross-legged meditation death many years ago, and there was no need to fear him.

In an instant, monstrous waves rose; the tranquil Northern Territory seemed about to welcome another violent storm.

In this era, if there was one person who hated Wushi the most, it was none other than the Heavenly Sovereign’s Son. Ancient Sovereign Mountain belonged to his father, yet in the end it had been seized by Wushi.

This was a great disrespect, a humiliation to his father. In the eyes of many ancient races, this was a usurper’s nest — to elevate Wushi in this way, to insult the divine, was truly a great sin.

“Wushi is dead. If there is any deity, it is only my father,” the Heavenly Sovereign’s Son firmly believed, and held to this claim.

He had a clear target in mind — what was Wushi, after all this time dead? If anyone could achieve immortality, it was his father, the Undying Celestial Sovereign, and him alone.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son held an exalted status; he had an especially unique place in the hearts of the myriad races. Even many ancestral kings of the primeval era treated him with great respect — for no other reason than that the divine blood of the Undying Celestial Sovereign flowed within his veins.

His stepping forward like this, with such a declaration, triggered a massive upheaval; many among the ancient races echoed his sentiment, expressing deep agreement, and many more waited to see if there would be any further activity from Purple Mountain.

“Laughable — a mere ancient sovereign, dead for many years, being deified by others is bad enough, but even his offspring puts on airs, styling himself as the son of a god. Great Emperor Wushi leveled your father’s grave — if you harbor a grudge, just say so directly. Why must you smear filth on others, dragging the primeval royal clans down with you as well? Though I suppose it makes sense — with Great Emperor Wushi’s status, why would he bother with a mere insect like you? But the various royal clans, that’s another matter.” At this moment, someone from the human race stepped forward and spoke these words.

Many were shocked; even the primeval races took notice. Someone personally witnessed the speaker’s body surging with golden blood energy, submerging an entire stretch of heaven and earth.

“Human Sacred Body, I will cut you down!” the Heavenly Sovereign’s Son sent a voice transmission, stepping forward in this delicate moment, showing no fear whatsoever, unafraid of the human Great Emperor’s might.

“Heavenly Sovereign’s Son, you little egg — back when I cut you out of Jasper Pool, and yet you show no gratitude. Come then — I’ll slaughter you, you ungrateful wretch!” the Human Sacred Body responded fiercely, though his words carried a rather crude edge.

The Northern Territory was no longer calm. The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son held such an exalted status, and the Human Sacred Body possessed such a remarkable physique — this was equivalent to a confrontation between the future seeds of two entire races.

“Yuangu, you little watermelon, get out here too — this time I’ll slaughter you along with him!”

Before people had even recovered from their shock, the Human Sacred Body called out again, naming another son of an ancient sovereign to battle.

The Northern Territory erupted in an uproar. The human race was stunned, the ancient races enraged. The Human Sacred Body was truly audacious — provoking one son of an ancient sovereign was bad enough, but naming two at once was going too far.

“Sacred Body, I will personally cleave you apart!” Yuangu stepped forward, responding with cold, merciless resolve.

“You little watermelon, and that egg too — both of you hurry up and get over here, I’ll stew the both of you together!” the Human Sacred Body shouted provocatively.

Yet, astonishingly, the three individuals destined to inevitably meet on their paths to enlightenment somehow kept missing each other, no matter what.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son rushed from Divine City to Kaiyuan City; the Human Sacred Body rushed from Kaiyuan City to Divine City; Yuangu rushed from Demon Mountain to Divine City; the Human Sacred Body rushed from Divine City to Demon Mountain.

“Yuangu, you little watermelon, and you, Heavenly Sovereign’s Son, you egg — why are you running? Wait until I stomp you both flat, don’t you dare flee!” the Human Sacred Body roared with overwhelming arrogance, leaving onlookers utterly dumbfounded.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son remained indifferent, unmoved; Yuangu remained cold, his eyes growing even more chilling. Both stayed rooted in their respective territories, quietly waiting for the other to come to them.

“Divine Spirit Valley, you bunch of hammerheads — do you really think you’re the primeval era’s Sovereigns, wanting to command the world and have the Southern Ridge Barbarians pay homage to you? Have you knocked your heads against the wall, or against your own backsides?”

Everyone was stunned. No one had expected the Human Sacred Body to be so brazen — abandoning the two sons of ancient sovereigns entirely to instead provoke Divine Spirit Valley.

The Southern Domain — Li Tian, Li Heishui, Ji Ziyue, and others were all stunned, feeling that something was strange here; this didn’t seem like Ye Fan’s usual style at all.

Divine Spirit Valley was enraged, wishing they could kill Ye Fan on the spot — they sent out a large group of experts that very day, but came back with nothing.

“Divine Spirit Valley, you bunch of hammerheads — you told me to kneel outside your valley and beg for death? I’ll give you a beating instead! Purple Heavenly Capital was the first one I killed — next, every little underling you send out, I’ll stomp flat one by one, and eventually I’ll wipe out your entire valley.”

Truly outrageously arrogant — this was what every ancient race member wanted to curse aloud. A mere human, daring to provoke like this within the Northern Territory.

Even the many human cultivators were stunned; the Sacred Body was recklessly ferocious to an extreme degree — truly living up to being called “Unreasonable,” trampling whoever he encountered.

“That watermelon, and that egg — I’ve been waiting for you two for ages, why haven’t you come yet?” Having finished cursing Divine Spirit Valley, the Sacred Body began provoking the two sons of ancient sovereigns again.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son’s subordinates and Yuangu’s followers were all fuming with rage — it was the Human Sacred Body himself who had insisted they wait in place for a decisive battle, so why had things changed again?

However, the Heavenly Sovereign’s Son remained composed, and went directly to Divine Spirit Valley instead, while Yuangu’s own gaze remained icily cold, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

“Go kill the Southern Ridge Barbarians — let blood flow like rivers there, let corpses pile up like mountains. Then the Human Sacred Body will surely come to fight to the death.”

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son’s words were simple, but filled with killing intent. Upon arriving at Divine Spirit Valley, he offered only this one suggestion.

His status was too illustrious — as the descendant of a deity, the ancestral kings all treated him as an honored guest, extremely courteous.

“That’s not quite appropriate, is it? The Wushi Bell has rung continuously for three months — who would dare act rashly now? What if the human Great Emperor truly has been reborn? That would bring great calamity upon our entire race.” One of Divine Spirit Valley’s ancestral kings furrowed his brow, his massive body as imposing as a mountain, the pressure of his presence enough to make others stop breathing. Dozens of pairs of enormous wings grew from his back — the more terrifying a being of this level was, the more it wished to preserve certain racial characteristics.

“You go destroy the Southern Ridge Barbarians, and bring me the Human Sacred Body’s Cauldron of the Myriad Things’ Mother Essence — in exchange, I’ll let you glimpse the first volume of the Heavenly Sovereign’s Ancient Scripture,” the Heavenly Sovereign’s Son said indifferently.

“What — the first volume of the Divine Spirit Ancient Scripture?!” One of Divine Spirit Valley’s ancestral kings immediately stood up in shock, his mountain-like colossal body incomparably intimidating, dozens of pairs of wings spreading from his back, instantly blotting out the bright moon above, stirring up demonic clouds that reached the heavens.

The Undying Celestial Sovereign — the only deity in the hearts of the myriad primeval races — the Heavenly Sovereign Scripture he had left behind was known as the Divine Spirit Ancient Scripture, and every ancient race longed to glimpse it.

That was a supreme immortal scripture requiring their utmost reverence and worship; legend held that merely viewing the first volume alone would reveal the profound mysteries of life and death, offering a path toward becoming a deity.

To glimpse even one volume of the Divine Spirit Ancient Scripture was well worth the risk of gambling everything, because deep in his heart he firmly believed that no human Great Emperor could possibly have survived to the present era — no one could possess such an extraordinarily long lifespan. This was a fatal flaw in the logic.

“Fine — that pack of savages should disappear. We’ll bathe the Southern Ridge in blood, delivering the human race a wake-up call, waking them from their delusions!” This ancestral king spoke very calmly, yet within his pupils, mountains and rivers collapsed, sun and moon sank, blood flowed like rivers — carrying a weight and desolation as ancient as reincarnation itself.

“Good. The first volume of the Heavenly Sovereign’s Ancient Scripture — I’ll be waiting for you to bring it.”

“Please rest assured, Son of the Deity — I will personally deliver both the Human Sacred Body’s head and his Cauldron together, and bathe the Southern Ridge in blood. However, I will need some time.”

The Heavenly Sovereign’s Son departed. This ancestral king remained standing where he was, demonic energy reaching to the heavens, like an eternal, towering demon mountain.

“Ancestral King, to act at this particular moment — is this really…”

“Hmph, didn’t I just say we need time? For now, wait quietly with me, until the situation regarding Purple Mountain is confirmed. However, we can start testing the waters now. Gather the warships…”

The Northern Territory grew uneasy, as word spread among those with connections that Divine Spirit Valley was preparing for war once more, warships roaring to life, ready to march at any moment.

Beneath the moonlit night, a terrifying group of figures stood outside Purple Mountain, all clad in loose black robes, black capes billowing in the wind, snapping and cracking.

Seen from afar, they resembled a swathe of death gods — utterly still, only their black robes stirring in the wind, their bodies as if turned to stone.

A massive chunk of divine origin essence had been cut open by Ye Fan. Having mastered the Origin Technique, he had reached a level of consummate skill, not far now from the realm of an Origin Celestial Master himself, and would naturally not harm the person sealed within.

This woman had entered Purple Mountain years ago in search of the Fifth-Generation Origin Celestial Master, dying for love, leaving behind only one final trace of life force, which Zhang Lin had sealed within the divine origin essence.

Yang Yi lay on the ground, motionless, her beautiful eyes closed, like a sleeping beauty, utterly serene.

Though Ye Fan had exhausted the Medicine King, he still had True Dragon Undying Medicinal Liquid on him — for someone who still retained even the slightest trace of life force, drinking it would make it nearly impossible for them to die even if they wanted to.

He poured a few drops of the True Dragon Divine Medicinal Liquid into her body, and a radiance like the bright moon bloomed forth, igniting her vital spark. In just half a quarter-hour, she awakened.

The divine moon hung high, its moonlight pure and clear. She was utterly disoriented at first, but her large eyes gradually regained clarity, as if she were slowly recalling everything.

“Don’t ask anything,” Ye Fan said. “There’s someone who hopes you’ll live on well.”

“Zhang Lin, is that you? Where are you going? Why won’t you meet me?” Yang Yi’s eyes brimmed with tears, staring straight ahead.

Without turning back, without looking behind him, the man in the black cape led a group of death gods forward with great strides.

“Zhang Lin, I know it’s you…” Yang Yi wept, rushing forward in pursuit.

The Fifth-Generation Origin Celestial Master’s ancestor wrapped his own body — entirely covered in terrifying red fur — tightly and securely within his black cape, not revealing even the slightest trace, and said in a hoarse voice: “Miss, you have mistaken me for someone else. This is already ten thousand years later. Zhang Lin died on a morning when the dawn rose, scattering with the wind.”

Having said this, he refused to linger any longer, leading his group of death gods away swiftly.

He had only one night of life. The moment the first ray of dawn appeared, that would be the instant he and all the death gods turned to ash — he had no time to spare.

“Kill! Let us carve out a bright and clear world!” the Fifth-Generation Origin Celestial Master’s ancestor roared loudly.

Ye Fan fell silent. He did not wish to witness this scene, but he could not change the Fifth-Generation Origin Celestial Master’s resolve — to guard the Northern Territory with his own death!

Zhang Lin did not want Yang Yi to see him in this form. He wanted to leave her with a forever beautiful memory, untouched by everything happening now.

“Zhang Lin, come back!” Yang Yi wept.

“Zhang Lin wants me to tell you — live on well!” the Fifth-Generation Origin Celestial Master shouted one final time, his voice trembling slightly, before charging off into the distance with his group of death gods.

Ye Fan strode forward, following close behind.