Deep within the mountain range, all was still. Every powerful fierce beast and savage dragon had gone into hiding — sensing a suffocating pressure and impending catastrophe. Occasionally an unusual bird let out a mournful cry and fled into the far distance.

The leaves on the trees rustled and swirled, spinning down in disarray. A killing chill hung in the air, like deep autumn blending into harsh winter sweeping through this place.

The atmosphere was tense enough to stop one’s breath. The fleet of mother warships appeared hundreds of li away — like a million mountains of hell stretching across the horizon, enough to make a person’s heart nearly stop cold.

The icy hulls gleamed with frigid light. The vessels were densely packed — surging forward like lead clouds — and beneath the lead of three mother warships, they sealed off and encircled the mountain range.

Ye Fan had of course already detected them. Opening his Celestial Eye, he could see the oppressive black mass in the distant sky that made the heart recoil.

Crack!

A beam of crimson light shot out hundreds of li, sweeping toward Ye Fan. Cao Lin gave the command with an icy expression, and battle began. Wherever the crimson light passed, mountains crumbled and lakes dried up — a blinding, terrifying display.

Ye Fan had no choice. He entered his pale-blue mecha, transforming into an Ancient Saint. Wielding a blue great bow, he locked cold, gleaming eyes forward.

“Cao Family — you have gone too far. This is an intolerable affront!”

Ye Fan gripped the great bow with both hands, emanating a torrential wave of power. This was a sacred weapon — crystalline and dazzling, the bow several meters in length, radiating a terrifying aura.

Ye Fan shifted his position, dodging tens of thousands of light beams. With a great shout, he drew the bowstring taut, his entire body blazing with ten-thousand-meter radiance, aiming at what lay before him.

Like a volcano erupting, like a boundless ocean bursting its banks — a soaring, awe-inspiring surge of energy rose up, illuminating all of eternity, piercing through the long river of time.

With a sharp cry, Ye Fan released the bowstring. A wave of power that made bones and flesh tremble rolled through all eight directions. The arrow left the string, a brilliant beam of light like a blue ocean spreading outward.

Boom!

That single arrow struck a warship five hundred meters long. In an instant, light surged to the heavens in a violent explosion, shattering sky and earth. Where the arrow had struck, black holes appeared continuously — a connected expanse of them.

The devastation was catastrophic. Around it, numerous smaller ships were all caught in the blast. Under the expanding shockwaves of that sacred arrow, they detonated in a chain, one after another — like the end of the world.

“Fall back!”

Orders rang out one after another from the three mother warships. Energy shields were raised and the ships pressed forward, sheltering the fleet, then releasing devastating beams of destruction.

Mother warships of that power were capable of shattering this ancient star outright. Aimed at Ye Fan, naturally the result was a catastrophe — like a tsunami, a raging force that swept the heavens and shook the earth.

Their defenses were extraordinary — once the energy shields spread out, nothing outside could break in. For an enemy, there was only despair.

If Ye Fan had not possessed the Movement Rune technique, he would have perished. The divine power of three mother warships was too immense, capable of sweeping through endless star domains, enough to make even saints change color.

Moreover, six Ancient Saint Mechas stood in the sky, advancing together — wielding golden divine swords, black dragon lances, and purple celestial blades, slashing forward in concert.

This was an immense battle. The sky boiled and broke apart. Chaos energy itself was beaten out — the space could not bear the weight of such terrible force.

As for that mountain range — the moment Ye Fan shot skyward, it crumbled inch by inch into fine powder. Nothing was left.

“Ye Fan, give me back my brother’s life!” Cao Lin was seductively beautiful, but at this moment her face was somewhat twisted. She screamed in a sharp voice. She was Cao Qing’s elder sister. Last time she had brought the mother warship here and suffered terrible losses, fleeing in humiliating defeat.

Ye Fan did not answer. He vanished from where he stood, concealing himself with Heaven Court secret techniques and Heaven-Deceiving Array runes, and charged forward.

At close range, he swung his golden fists and hammered hard against a mother warship’s energy shield — a world-shaking crash — but regrettably, it spread like ripples on water. He could not break through.

That mother warship bore countless Dao runes interwoven with luminous patterns across every surface. Their light could not be unraveled, which was precisely why such a vessel earned the distinction of a powerful mother warship.

Beam after beam of light swept down together. The sky above was five-colored — flowing with radiance, every type of divine light bursting forth. It looked dazzlingly beautiful. Any single beam was extinction-level.

Ye Fan fell back — shifting left and right, varying his position in every direction — piloting the Ancient Saint war machine in fierce resistance.

Three mother warships sealed the sky. Their supreme defensive shields descended, blocking Ye Fan’s every attack, while the mother warships and their dense fleet of escorts could shoot at the enemy without restraint.

Ye Fan had no wish to stay and fight. He summoned the Chess Formation Platform, intending to escape — but the enemy saw through his plan. Three mother warships fired over a hundred million threads of light, cutting off the void.

This method was simple and devastatingly effective — pure brute force, obliterating all technique. Supreme divine power cut the void into countless pieces. Ye Fan could traverse space, but would break out into open air immediately.

“Cultivator from beyond the domain — you are finished. Give me back my nephew’s life!” A middle-aged man roared — the mother warship he was on intensified its assault.

“I want to use your golden divine blood to make an offering to my brother’s spirit. I’ll grind your bones to dust and scatter them over his grave!” Cao Lin also screamed in a sharp voice, filled with venom and hatred.

Ye Fan’s expression remained unchanged. He kept attacking, trying to break through the blockade — but the mother warship fleet’s radiance was like an ocean, confining and blanketing this entire area. It simply could not be breached.

Qi Yun wore a sinister smile. “Looks like he’s finished. Today he’ll meet his end here. We might as well lend a hand — after all, we did accept their bounty, which was a divine mineral. Can’t let this young man walk away alive.”

A mother warship surged forward, joining the battle. All four sides were now sealed. Ye Fan’s situation grew even more desperate — he was trapped in a death ground.

“That’s the Qi Family’s mother warship!” Ye Fan’s expression turned cold.

“Ascetic cultivator from beyond the domain — would you be willing to join us? Perhaps we have a way to get you out.” Suddenly, someone transmitted a message in secret. In the distance, an Ancient Saint Mecha appeared, watching the battle from a high vantage point.

“Who are you, and what are your terms?” Ye Fan asked.

“I come from an organization called the Divine. Only supreme powerhouses of their age can be ranked within it. We often venture beyond the domain to gather divine minerals and have need of ascetic cultivators like yourself,” that mecha transmitted through divine sense.

“If you want me to join, you’ll first have to show me your power. Sink one of these cosmic mother warships for me,” Ye Fan said.

“Your demand is too much. I’ve already made contact with another member of the Divine. He says he wants to test you — you must put on an extraordinary display before it’s worth our while to intervene.” The response came from inside the Ancient Saint war machine.

Ye Fan’s expression went cold and indifferent. He paid that so-called “Divine” member no further attention.

The situation grew more and more desperate. If nothing changed soon, he would almost certainly perish here. Four mother warships were compressing the space — and even with Heaven Court’s concealment arts and the Heaven-Deceiving Array runes, he could no longer avoid them.

Five-colored divine light flashed. Five swords slashed in rotation, cutting a great portion of the energy shield apart — but it sealed back up almost immediately. He could not break out.

Rumble!

Heaven and earth broke open as Ye Fan launched the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist — likewise shattering the shield and pushing forward over ten li — but the reappearing shield swept him back again.

“Your display has been extraordinary. You have the qualifications to join the Divine. But we want to see more of your potential. If it’s impressive enough, you’ll become a core member.” That member of the Divine transmitted the message.

Standing alone against four mother warship fleets — for any Dao-severing cultivator, this would be the stuff of mythology. It could be called a divine act. That was why even this mysterious organization had acknowledged it.

Ye Fan sneered inwardly. No matter the circumstances, he could only rely on himself. The other side still would not move to help — wanting to see his trump cards, was that it? Plainly, they could not be counted on.

Open up!

Ye Fan activated the Soldier Rune at full power, treating one mother warship along with its dense fleet of escorts behind it and its blazing shield as a single entity — exerting every ounce of his ability to take control and move it aside.

Boom!

The sky trembled. The mother warship fleet shuddered. The seemingly impregnable energy shield surged with turbulent waves!

Everyone was stunned. What immense and terrifying power was this? From that distance, controlling an invincible fleet of mother warships — it was like lifting an ancient life-bearing star from the ground.

Because within it there were countless supreme Dao traces, every thread binding heaven and earth. Who could shake that? It was a colossus capable of sweeping away star systems!

Ye Fan did it.

Even the distant members of the Divine were startled, murmuring to themselves: Does he truly have the potential to become a core member?

As for Cao Lin, Qi Yun, and the others — they were all completely dumbfounded, frozen in place. This was in every sense of the word a supreme feat of strength and will that towered over heaven and earth!

“Is he… even human?”

“How did this ascetic cultivator train? This is truly shocking beyond words!”

Many people gawked, watching the scene in utter disbelief.

Rumble!

Blood spilled from Ye Fan’s mouth. What he was doing was inconceivably difficult. Powerful as he was, he could not sustain it for long against the heavens.

The void was clearly sealed. The energy shields had isolated everything. Yet he forced them all aside by sheer will. Some of the warships lost their balance and crashed into each other, erupting in dazzling light, one after another destroyed.

Boom!

Ye Fan hurled a mother warship aside, charging out of the encirclement — spitting a mouthful of golden blood. He had fought his way out from the supreme killing trap formed by four mother warship fleets.

“Unbelievably strong — even this couldn’t stop him from escaping? Impossible!” Many major powers had been watching, and at the sight of this, all were thoroughly overwhelmed.

“Who was that person earlier? They seemed to belong to that terrifyingly powerful organization from the Eternal Main Star — the Divine. Good heavens, could it be that this ascetic cultivator has caught the eye of the Divine?”

Ye Fan had broken out from four mother warship fleets — for most who witnessed it, it was nothing short of a miracle.

“Don’t let him go! This person is terrifying — his potential is boundless. If he escapes, there will be no end to the trouble he causes!” Qi Yun bellowed. For the first time, he felt genuine fear.

The Cao Family had not yet given chase when Qi Yun had already led his mother warship fleet in pursuit — even more eager than the people from the Eternal Main Star. Because, simply put, he was afraid.

“Right — kill him! He cannot be allowed to escape!” Cao Lin also shouted. Three mother warship fleets gave chase with relentless determination.

Yet no matter what they tried, they could not close the distance. Ye Fan broke free of the danger zone, charged through a domain gate, and traversed away.

“This ascetic cultivator is powerful. He has the right to join the Divine.” The two members of the Divine from the Eternal Main Star looked at one another and rendered their judgment.

Ye Fan had spat golden blood, but his constitution was extraordinary — he recovered in moments, his vital energy fully intact.

That very night, he infiltrated the Qi Family alone. Using secret arts and Heaven-Deceiving Array runes to conceal his aura, he drifted like a ghost and ascended one of the suspended divine islands.

The island bristled with sacred marks and divine runes capable of defending against Ancient Saints. He stepped forward on the Movement Rune technique — and passed through without incident, not a sound, not an alarm.

“This person is powerful. Among ascetic cultivators, he must be an invincible existence among those of the same level. His future achievements will likely tread in the footsteps of ancient divine beings. I must find him. If I don’t eliminate him, I will never eat or sleep soundly.”

On the island, Qi Yun’s expression was ugly. Ye Fan had escaped this time — he was shaken to his core, having personally witnessed the other’s terrifying power. A shadow had settled over his heart.

He had assembled a group of powerful subordinates and was now in deliberation, resolved to track Ye Fan down and kill him.

“No need to look. I came to you myself.”

Ye Fan stepped forward on moonlight, expression cold and indifferent, advancing step by step — the image of a divine being walking toward them.

“You…” Qi Yun was stunned. He had not imagined that anyone could dare such audacity — invading the forbidden territory of the Qi Clan. This place could defend against Ancient Saints.

Immediately, someone shot skyward, intending to summon reinforcements, transmit warnings, and rally the full power of the Celestial Feather Qi Clan to kill Ye Fan.

“Not one of you leaves.” Ye Fan covered hundreds of meters with a single step, cutting them off high in the sky. With a sharp noise, he wrenched off the heads of two people who had risen skyward — blood-soaked — and hurled them to the ground.

Those remaining were silenced in terror, every one of them trembling from head to toe.

“Tonight I pay you a visit. Tomorrow night, I’ll go and sink the Cao Clan’s mother warships!” Ye Fan spoke in a tone cold as death, advancing step by step like a demonic god.