The waves surged, a great age had arrived. Now that the powerhouses of every race had emerged into the world, peace had become impossible to maintain. During this period, people continuously traveled north into Divine City and other places.

A confrontation for the title of strongest was brewing in the Northern Territory — the Human Sacred Body would face the royal clan’s Yuangu, perhaps in the near future, stirring the hearts of many. At the same time, people also wanted to know exactly why a single person’s Heavenly Court had been founded.

“Has the Divine Child cut the Dao yet?” Every morning, Little Sparrow would clutch her bottle and run breathlessly to Ye Fan’s side, blinking her large eyes, asking persistently, never giving up.

Ye Fan felt this little one was even more tenacious than himself, and every time he would smile and pat her head; every time, the little one’s face would flush red as she declared, with great effort: success!

Eventually, the Monkey, Li Heishui, Dongfang Ye, Li Tian and the others all returned. They could sense that a great battle was drawing near, because Yuangu was about to emerge.

Successfully cutting the Dao required consolidation, otherwise this realm would remain unstable and might even regress. Two months should be sufficient time.

Judging from this, Yuangu was about to appear!

Moreover, Ye Fan had already sent a challenge to Yuangu — demanding to know whether he truly dared to fight. If so, come out and face him; if too cowardly, then shut his mouth and stop calling for battle.

He did not wish to give this great enemy too much time to prepare, because he himself had not yet completed his own Dao Cut — this was itself a disadvantage and an unfairness.

Everyone believed that Yuangu would not bear the shame of cowardice, and would surely respond strongly in the near future.

“You should go out and walk around for a bit. Sitting here withering away like this won’t help — it does nothing for cutting the Dao,” the Monkey said.

Eventually, Duan De also appeared, abandoning his great tomb-raiding enterprise, claiming he wanted to witness a clash between dragon and tiger. The others scolded him together for having no conscience — did he really just want to watch the show?

Ji Ziyue also appeared, asking Ye Fan whether he had confidence. Ye Fan answered honestly — everything was uncertain; he himself did not know exactly how strong Yuangu truly was.

“The myriad ancient races have emerged into the world. They’ve set up something called the Heavenly Bazaar, floating in the sky, used for trading all kinds of precious materials. Many human cultivators have been drawn there as well — no fighting of any kind is permitted there.” Ji Ziyue spoke with great longing, clearly wanting to go see it for herself.

“Do you want to go? Then let’s go take a look together,” Ye Fan said with a smile.

They ascended the formation platform and vanished together within the domain gate. With a fragment of the Black Sovereign’s Wushi Killing Formation, and Duan De’s half-imperial weapon, in an age when no Sage had manifested, no one could stand against them.

The Heavenly Bazaar drifted unpredictably, appearing above various major cities throughout the Northern Territory. On this day, it had arrived above Kaiyuan City. Ye Fan and the others emerged from the domain gate and rose into the sky.

In the heavens above, a dark, dense mass hung suspended — as if an entire landmass, drifting like a black cloud, casting a vast shadow upon the ground below.

The Monkey led the way, serving as something of a half-guide, being reasonably familiar with the place. The Heavenly Bazaar was enormous, like entering an entire massive city.

Arriving at this Heavenly Bazaar felt like stepping into a dwelling place for all the myriad races — every kind of species was present, appearances varying wildly, some as dignified as gods, others hideously ugly.

“Brother Black, we’ve run into your own kind again — over there’s a Celestial Dog cultivator, and he’s got a Divine Ice Platform in hand,” Li Tian said, pointing ahead.

The Heavenly Bazaar bustled with activity, teeming with living beings from every race, countless stalls laden with dazzling rare treasures.

Not far ahead, a Celestial Dog cultivator with a pair of pure white wings sprouting from his back, a divine ring crowning his head, stood before a block of ice roughly a meter square.

“It must be traded for a Divine Blood Stone — that’s a rare treasure indeed. Who’s willing to part with one? Does this ice really hold that kind of value?” Several living beings crowded around.

“This is a Supreme Yin Ice Marrow — priceless, an extremely potent Yin-essence core. For someone with an extreme Yin constitution, cultivating while seated upon it would yield twice the results with half the effort,” Duan De said, his eyes lighting up.

Even the Great Black Dog couldn’t sit still, circling round and round the divine ice. Had it not been for the crowd of onlookers, it might have simply tried to loot it outright — regardless of whether it had any use for the item, if it was good, it wanted it in hand, better to hoard than to lack.

However, everything here required trade. Even possessing a piece of divine origin essence did not guarantee one could purchase rare materials — the ancient races themselves were not lacking in origin essence.

“This thing must be traded for — if given to little Tingting, it would greatly accelerate her cultivation,” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

“Come, let’s wander further ahead. A Divine Blood Stone isn’t easy to come by — it’s said to be a stone formed from the blood of a deity, engraved with the patterns of heaven and earth’s Dao, something to be encountered but never sought — priceless beyond measure,” the Monkey said.

The Heavenly Bazaar was thronged with living beings, shoulder to shoulder, and no shortage of powerful human cultivators either — their group’s appearance did not seem to strike the ancient races as unusual.

Of course, the Monkey had altered his appearance — otherwise, his features would have been far too distinctive. As the son of the Battle-Winning Sacred Sovereign, he would surely have attracted attention.

“Great Earth Divine Milk — a full gourd of it, with a rich, intoxicating fragrance! Can extend life and prolong years — this is truly a rare treasure,” Duan De exclaimed in admiration.

They had discovered yet another extraordinary treasure — a jade-green gourd emitting fragrance, the liquid within as white and pure as jade, its sweet scent utterly captivating.

“A pity — it still lacks several thousand years of refinement, otherwise it would nearly have become Immortal Nectar Jade Liquid, and would be even more precious then, second only to the Undying Medicine.” An elderly ancient being nearby shook his head.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted ahead — countless people surged forward together, crowding tightly around a straw mat, shouting that a divine treasure had appeared.

“What exactly has appeared, to cause such an uproar?” More and more people rushed over.

“Heavens, it’s the Nine-Aperture Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid — a peerless treasure liquid for cultivating heaven-sent geniuses. How could anyone bear to trade something like this?!”

The area erupted into an uproar. People pushed forward, unable to move either way, packed with powerful figures from every race, eyes gleaming green with desire. Had the Heavenly Bazaar not had its forbidding formation preventing conflict, there surely would have been looting and seizure already.

A stone roughly a foot tall sat upon the straw mat, already taking on a rough human shape, its chest cut open, a five-colored liquid seeping out, its fragrance permeating the air.

“To actually find something this defiant of heaven’s order — aren’t they afraid of being struck by lightning?!” Even the Black Sovereign stood dumbfounded.

This was the earliest embryonic stage of a Sacred Spirit — once the liquid solidified, it would become a stone figure, and over several million years of evolution, would eventually emerge into the world as a true Sacred Spirit.

Such a thing was truly defiant of heaven’s natural order. Though it could not extend one’s lifespan, for young children it was a priceless divine treasure, brimming with spiritual nature, capable of shaping bloodlines, Immortal Platforms, and more.

It was a supreme divine liquid used for cultivating heaven-sent geniuses, something to be encountered but never sought — its effect was greatest on young children, sharply diminished on adults, since their potential had already largely solidified.

“Little Sparrow, Tongtong, and the two divine children could really use this,” Ye Fan sighed.

“Meow, this Sovereign needs it too! Though these old bones are worn, a few more baths in it would still work wonders!” the Black Sovereign bared its teeth, unable to sit still.

“Who is this, and why would they bring out something so defiant of heaven’s order to trade?” Many were puzzled.

“He’s… the eldest grandson of the Chaos-Opening Great Sage, already having one foot into the realm of an Ancestral King!” someone exclaimed in shock, recognizing the mysterious figure sitting cross-legged on the ground, his body wrapped in black robes.

“What must be given in exchange?”

“It can be traded for a Medicine King capable of extending life by eight hundred years, Immortal Nectar Jade Liquid, rare Dragon Marrow, Earth-Life Fruit, and similar items,” the black-robed man answered.

In an instant, many understood — the Chaos-Opening Great Sage’s lifespan was nearly exhausted; this was to be his final struggle, wagering eight hundred years of life against the heavens itself!

Even in the primeval era, across the entire starry domain, few Great Sages could be found — and even such a heaven-defying existence was troubled by the shortage of remaining life, leaving people filled with melancholy.

The area before the straw mat fell suddenly silent. Who could possibly produce a divine medicine capable of extending life by eight hundred years? The Nine-Aperture Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid was indeed precious, but the Undying Medicine was likewise without equal.

“I want the Nine-Aperture Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid, but if it means extending the Chaos-Opening Great Sage’s life by eight hundred years, that would be terrible — such a supreme existence, alone, could wipe out half the living beings of an entire ancient star,” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

“Let’s go look around elsewhere,” Li Heishui said. Though the Nine-Aperture Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid was heaven-defying, what it required in exchange was equally difficult to obtain.

“There’s a Divine Blood Stone over there!” The Black Sovereign’s sharp eyes spotted, at a glance, a stone as brilliantly red as blood, just placed upon a straw mat.

Its color was vivid and striking, ripple after ripple of Dao patterns emanating from it, mysterious and eye-catching. Instantly a crowd gathered around, all asking how to trade for it, none wanting to miss the chance — it was said this stone could be used to refine forbidden artifacts, possessing inconceivable power.

“A hundred pounds of Yellow Springs Water required!” The one who answered spoke with an eerie, ghostly tone, having cultivated some unknown technique that made him feel like facing a malevolent spirit.

“This is a powerhouse of the Raw Ghost race — no wonder they need such a thing. But Yellow Springs Water — even a mass burial pit accumulating Yin energy for tens of thousands of years couldn’t produce more than a few bowls of it.” Everyone shook their heads and dispersed one after another.

“I’ll trade with you,” Ye Fan stepped forward.

Having just withdrawn from Falling Eagle Cliff, they had once gathered Ghost-Dark Grass in the underworld and had collected the entire Yellow Springs Pool spanning ten zhang in radius along with it.

After obtaining the Divine Blood Stone, they immediately headed back — and the Supreme Yin Ice Marrow was still there. The trade went smoothly; the trip had not been in vain after all.

“There really are so many good things in this place — I don’t even want to move my feet. If we keep walking, we’ll probably find even more heaven-defying treasures. I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist looting the place,” the Black Sovereign muttered.

Passing by the Chaos-Opening Great Sage’s descendant’s straw mat once more, seeing the Nine-Aperture Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid again, the group still found it hard to tear themselves away — but in the end, they moved on.

“An Undying Immortal Blossom!” Ji Ziyue exclaimed in astonishment, staring at a stone table ahead, upon which a divine flower grew in a clay pot, its bud about to bloom.

The stone table bore an inscription, clearly stating: only at the very instant the Immortal Blossom bloomed did it possess divine efficacy — consuming it would preserve eternal youth, keeping one’s beauty forever unfading.

It could neither extend life nor increase one’s years, making it rather useless for male cultivators, and few paid it much attention. However, it drove many female cultivators wild with desire — this was simply human nature.

Even one as powerful as the Chaos-Opening Great Sage would eventually face the exhaustion of his lifespan, but every living being aged all the same — and every female cultivator wished for eternal youth.

The Ji family’s little moon-girl blinked her large eyes, clearly moved, fixated on the Undying Immortal Blossom, unable to look away — her hopeful, adorable expression made people want to smile.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely get it for you, whatever he wants in exchange,” Ye Fan said. In all these many days, it was rare to see Ji Ziyue this happy and excited, and he naturally wanted to obtain it for her.

“Stone Workshop — the primeval races sell stones too. Let’s go, quickly!” The Great Black Dog’s sharp eyes spotted a stall ahead; an entire street over there was filled with stones. Excited, it immediately cried out, a large paw gripping Ye Fan’s shoulder, saying: “Just like how that shameless fatty is an expert at digging up ghosts and graves, this is your domain — cut out a treasure and trade it for the Nine-Aperture Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid.”

Ye Fan smacked away its large paw and asked the stall owner ahead how to trade for the Undying Immortal Blossom.

“An Undying Immortal Blossom!” a woman exclaimed in astonishment, her water-blue long hair shimmering with light, exceptionally radiant.

Not far away, over a dozen figures appeared, several among them especially eye-catching, their status beyond compare — all from primeval royal clans. Many instinctively made way for them.

Among this group, Ye Fan recognized only two people — one was Huo Lin’er, the other was Yuangu!