Waves surged through Ye Fan’s heart. Seeing once more the magnificent great palace cast in bronze, he thought of Ji Ziyue — of all that had happened when the two of them had wandered into the immortal palace by mistake. His heartstrings trembled.

In this place, the old bronze piece within his body was especially sensitive. Just as it had in those early years, it was as though it had been roused by a stimulus and had “come alive” all at once.

This place was extraordinarily dangerous. The bronze palace connected to immortality seemed to have taken on a life of its own — unlike before. Now it was emanating light of its own accord, and the three Ancient Saints could not escape its grip.

It was immense in scale, tall as a small mountain, and the quantity of bronze used to build it was beyond imagining. Now, mottled with green rust, it bore the imprints of ancient and distant ages.

The corrosion of rust was heavy, revealing an air of weathered antiquity — yet it did nothing to diminish the palace’s splendor. Hundreds of millions of strands of immortal light shot outward, intertwined into supreme Dao markings that filled the space in dense layers.

It was refining the three Ancient Saints alive.

All three were bellowing, their bodies braced against the entrance of the bronze palace, pouring the entirety of their cultivation into staying afloat — barely managing not to be absorbed within.

Ye Fan remembered clearly that when he and Ji Ziyue had broken into the bronze palace in those early years, the interior had been desolate and dead — nothing like this scene. It had been like a tomb, with no immortal light and no Dao markings. Had it been otherwise, they would most likely never have been able to walk out alive.

“This ancient bronze palace holds a supreme secret about immortality that defies the heavens…” Duan De swallowed hard.

“And it… appeared within the Fierce Man’s tomb. Its connection to her runs very deep indeed.” The Black Emperor’s great copper-bell eyes gleamed with light.

This time, the cracking open of the ancient tomb was most likely connected to the Bronze Immortal Palace — it was the aura the palace emitted that had accelerated the fracturing of the high ground, leading to the full subsidence and the formation of the sinkhole.

Compared to the Bronze Immortal Palace, the three Ancient Saints were no bigger than insects — the bronze palace was simply too large, and was radiating inexhaustible immortal light.

They had noticed Ye Fan and the others. Huo Tan’s pair of pupils, black as two suns, unfathomable and without bottom, released wisps of dark light that swept toward them, carrying an air of supreme superiority — the bearing of one who looks down upon ants.

Unfortunately, he could not break free. He had no way to come over, and could not strike out.

Ye Fan, Duan De, the Black Emperor, and the others showed no fear. All three Saints were in dire straits, trapped where they stood — whether they would survive was itself an open question.

“This much Mother Qi?!” Long Ma’s four hooves sent up sparks as he circled the bronze palace from a wide distance, looking to be overflowing with energy.

Ye Tong also opened his mouth wide in an expression of disbelief, and said: “Master, is this where your cauldron comes from?”

“The Fierce Man Emperor is extraordinary. What was she trying to accomplish here — digging open a chaotic immortal ground, intending to forge the mightiest immortal weapon? To cast a cauldron from this much Mother Qi, refined again and again — who in the world could withstand a single blow from it?” The Great Black Dog was also shaken.

Outside the Bronze Immortal Palace, Myriad Things Mother Qi billowed and coiled in layers — mountains and seas of it, one layer after another, as heavy as a stellar domain, pressing so hard that breathing would stop. Boundless Dao markings interwove within it.

Any single strand of Mother Qi was enough to collapse an entire mountain range. So much of it gathered in one place — how inconceivably heavy was this? The Ancient Great Emperor had used it to forge a weapon — was she hoping to shatter other imperial weapons with a single blow?

For an ordinary person, finding even a single strand of Mother Qi would be a great stroke of fortune. And now there was this much of it, dense as cloud cover, blanketing this place — ancient, majestic, towering and magnificent. It was nothing short of a miracle.

“Rise!”

Ye Fan gave a great shout. Between his brow bones, the golden figure opened its eyes and stood tall, rising with a single step, wearing Dao markings as armor and wielding the cauldron as a weapon.

The Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron hovered above the golden figure’s head. With one clear cry from the golden figure’s mouth, the small cauldron rapidly grew larger and flew forward, beginning to swallow the sea of Mother Qi in great, devouring gulps.

“You dare…” Huo Tan erupted in fury, his composure finally broken.

So much Myriad Things Mother Qi — even without the source root, it was divine material that could hardly be found anywhere in the world. If obtained, it would be a reversal of fate beyond all imagination.

What was most precious? Naturally the weapons of an Ancient Great Emperor, and this Mother Qi was what a human race Great Emperor had been preparing for the forging of a weapon. Its value was beyond all reckoning.

The other two Ancient Saints changed color as well — willing but unable. They could barely save themselves, so how could they block anyone?

“Human race’s Sacred Body — you have killed my followers, seized my fortune. This is a deep enmity between us. When I break free, I will kill you a hundred times over, and not even the Battle-Victorious Buddha will have anything to say about it.” Huo Tan opened his mouth, his voice cold and eerie.

“Save that argument for when you actually break free. Right now I have no time for you — find a quiet place and settle down on your own.” Ye Fan said with an air of complete indifference.

His mood was excellent. Using the cauldron to swallow the vast sea of Mother Qi, he drew it into the cauldron walls, refining them into one.

The Soldier Art operated. His cauldron rose and sank, ringing with resonant metallic sounds, as the Mother Qi — like ten thousand rivers returning to the sea — pressed down on the void, causing it to twist and collapse, merging with the cauldron until the two were inseparable.

The Myriad Things Mother Qi was now wholly reunited. The Fierce Man’s imperial weapon materials, so rarely seen across the ages, sent Huo Tan into red-eyed fury and howling rage — entirely natural.

The cauldron, being the finest essence of Mother Qi, was now reuniting with a sea of Mother Qi — merging with it like milk and water, emitting a surge of life, as though a divine spirit were about to be born within.

“You may take it for now — but you do not have the life to use it.” Huo Tan’s smile was cold and merciless, his killing intent unconcealed and undisguised.

Were he able to move, he would certainly have struck at the first opportunity, grinding Ye Fan to dust. He felt boundless regret at being unable to do so.

“You will not have that chance. Even though you have become a Saint-level figure, that does not mean you are safe from falling. You had better worry about yourself.” Ye Fan said with a smile.

He paid the words no mind. What could be more thrilling than perfecting one’s cauldron of the Dao? His cauldron opened itself to receive all streams, absorbing every trace of the Mother Qi, as Dao markings interwove throughout.

“Number twenty-three, you had better keep your mouth properly shut. Otherwise this Seat will give you a pot sticker and follow it up with a donkey roll.” Long Ma rattled off a string of nonsense.

Even as he spoke he had raised his hoof, preparing to kick out and send Huo Tan to his doom inside the Bronze Immortal Palace — taking advantage of someone at their lowest.

“Don’t!” Duan De hurried to stop him, telling him not to act rashly.

That bronze palace, with its hundreds of millions of strands of immortal light, had already nearly devoured the Ancestor Kings. If they struck out carelessly, they too might be drawn inside.

“This balance cannot be disturbed. If they are fortunate enough to break free, they may. If their fate runs short, let them wait for death here.” The Black Emperor said.

The cauldron had instantly grown heavier by an immeasurable degree, yet having already been fully refined, its weight was not something Ye Fan had to bear. Thrown out now without even invoking any power, it would likely reduce an ordinary enemy to fine powder on impact.

“Boy, something this precious has fallen into your hands — you’d better compensate us with something, or else we split it evenly. If it were anyone else, this Emperor would have simply seized it.” The Great Black Dog clamored.

“And the things you pulled out of the celestial prince’s body after killing him — why haven’t we seen you hand those over?” Ye Fan laid his past conduct bare.

“Boundless heavenly grace be upon us — since this is your instrument of Dao, this poor Daoist is willing to let beauty be made whole. Just be sure to split a larger share of the enlightenment tea and the rest of what was taken from the palace of the Deathless Celestial Prince.”

“And my share…” Long Ma called out as well.

All three insufferable ones clamored together. Ye Tong was well-behaved and would never dream of laying claim to his master’s treasures.

Not far away, the three Ancient Saints seethed in silence, watching helplessly as a handful of juniors made off with the exclusive immortal materials of an Ancient Great Emperor — and were now brazenly discussing how to divide the spoils right before their eyes. It filled them with bitter fury.

Huo Tan especially felt ready to burst. That dragon horse kept calling him “number twenty-three” in a tone that was clearly nothing complimentary — squinting sidelong at him, treating him as though he were no Saint at all.

“Hmm…” Duan De furrowed his brows, as though he had detected something.

“Something is wrong. This Emperor’s formation markings have reacted. My heart is jumping out of my chest.” The Black Emperor changed color.

Without Sainthood, the means to protect one’s life were insufficient. They had naturally been cautious from the start, and before entering had set out all manner of formation markings. The moment any Saint arrived, there would be a warning.

The Black Emperor said nothing more. He produced the chessboard formation platform, opened the void, and plunged directly inside.

“What a pity — beneath the Bronze Immortal Palace lies a chaotic immortal ground, and inside there must be divine wonders.” Duan De was deeply reluctant.

“What a shame!” Long Ma was even more restless — but there was nothing to be done. A Saint had arrived, and they could only withdraw.

“I will take the Myriad Things Mother Qi back for now, and your heads as well — I will come and collect them in time.” Huo Tan said, his voice chillingly sinister.

“Imbecile — rest easy and wait for death.” A single sentence from Long Ma nearly choked him to death.

“Flash!”

A flash of light, and they were gone from the underground world.

In the distance, a mysterious fluctuation spread outward. A domain gate opened, and a woman with a full head of blazing red hair stepped out — tall, lithe, and powerfully built. She was a formidable member of the Ancient Tribes.

“The Blood Lightning Queen has arrived!”

Many cried out in alarm. This was a Saint King, one who had appeared at the Jade Pool gathering and had once dueled the Divine King Jiang — and today she had personally descended. The situation was growing larger and larger; even figures of this caliber could not remain seated.

She did not act rashly. She circled the abyss for a long time before taking a single step down. When she arrived at a distance from the Bronze Immortal Palace, she saw the three Ancient Saints entrapped.

“Boom!”

Half a quarter-hour later, a thunderous crash erupted as the Blood Lightning Queen burst upward. Blood spattered across her body, and she had nearly been shattered apart. Behind her, three more figures were in an even more miserable state — their fires of the primordial spirit on the very edge of being snuffed out, their bodies torn to shreds and scarcely recognizable.

“Aah…”

After surging up, every last one of them cried out, filled with rage. Below lay immortal wonders that could not be seized. A single immortal palace was enough to crush everyone to death.

Huo Tan in particular felt deeply aggrieved. He had been mocked by Ye Fan and Long Ma, watched helplessly as the Myriad Things Mother Qi was stripped away, and now this — the resentment and fury within him were beyond all words.

“Human race’s Sacred Body — I will certainly kill you. Not even a god’s revival can save you!” Huo Tan bellowed.

A great booming crash — the sound wave was like heavenly thunder, and many cultivators near the great tomb found their bodies cracking apart. Those of lower cultivation shattered completely, dissolving into blood mist. The saying that a saint’s rage leaves countless corpses strewn across the land was no empty words.

“Quite an impressive mouth you have. I only wonder — if the day truly comes when a divine being descends, how will you conduct yourself?” An aged voice drifted over.

Without sound or sign, the old Saint of the Stone Archway at Tianxuan Sacred Ground — Wei Yi — appeared, still as a pool with no ripples, standing there like a section of deadwood.

The Blood Lightning Queen tensed up instantly, her expression shifting. Among the Saints of the human race, not one was ordinary. At the Jade Pool gathering, a single white-robed Divine King had slaughtered one wave of Ancient Tribe Saints after another, leaving them drenched in blood and suffering grievous losses.

This old Saint was someone whose depths even she could not measure. Her heart pounded, and she did not dare make a reckless move.

Wei Yi stood there, silently calculated for a time, then furrowed his brows. Without another word, his figure blurred and he vanished into thin air.

At the very instant Wei Yi disappeared, he brought all the cultivators on the high ground along with him, transmitting them far away into the distant sky.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, the Bronze Immortal Palace shot up ten thousand zhang in an instant, surging out of the sinkhole. Immortal light in boundless quantities blazed like a sun, and within the palace, a blood-drenched word — “Immortal” — transformed into a beam of light, projected into the void, cutting across all of time.

The Blood Lightning Queen and Huo Tan and the others flew backward at speed, their joints cracking — they nearly shattered apart on the spot. Blood covered their whole bodies, and they had almost been crushed to death.

“What a palace — truly extraordinary beyond comparison. It is truly difficult to imagine who, from within it, struck open a great hole and punched their way out.” An aged voice rang out. The Grand Saint Huntuo manifested, appearing at the edge of the sky.

Behind him, several Ancient Saints followed in his wake, sharing his advance and retreat — evidently all determined to seize the divine wonders within the great tomb.

On the other side, a figure appeared among the human race — white robes billowing in the wind. It was Divine King Jiang Taixu, revealing himself at last.

The moment the peerless Divine King appeared, the scene instantly descended into upheaval. Numerous Ancient Tribe members trembled, and even some Ancestor Kings felt a chill run through their bodies. At the Jade Pool gathering, the Divine King alone had cut down their courage and will.

“Heh — this bronze palace has something to do with immortality. Why don’t we open it together and see what lies within?” Yet another figure descended — ancient and weathered. Quite a few people were alarmed. The Grand Saint of the Ten Thousand Dragons’ Lair had arrived.

A great emperor’s tomb had ignited a tremendous storm. Many Ancient Kings, and several Grand Saints as well, could no longer remain seated — they all wished to open it and obtain the secret of becoming an immortal.

“The tomb of a human race Great Emperor — outsiders will find it difficult to move…” Jiang Taixu murmured to himself.