“By any means necessary, no matter the cost — even if it is only a corpse, we must bring him back!” Such was the decision of the Fan Clan of the heavens. They understood Ye Fan’s worth better than anyone else.

An Indestructible Golden Body — no descendant of theirs, a bloodline pure and untainted — was among the most powerful physiques in all the cosmos. If cultivated properly, it could produce a supreme master who would shake the ancient and illuminate the present, capable of allowing the Fan Clan to reign supreme over all under heaven.

“We were too careless in the past. We failed to identify him in time as a first-generation Golden Body, and this is the consequence. Now we must find a way to make it right.”

Some among the Fan Clan were eager to draw Ye Fan’s golden blood — not merely to refine it in a simple sense, but to carry this bloodline forward, using it to transform the physique of their entire clan!

The ideal method, naturally, was a marriage alliance. By merging the Indestructible Golden Blood into their lineage, they might even awaken the dormant divine blood of the Brahma Heavens slumbering within them!

“If it succeeds, our Fan Clan may be able to reign supreme over the Eternal Realm within five thousand years and become the foremost power of all!”

“Indeed. Two divine bloodlines merging — if a mutation occurs, perhaps it could give birth to a true divine being!”

The Fan Clan was beside themselves with excitement. The value of a first-generation Indestructible Golden Body was beyond calculation — in their eyes it surpassed even the fourth-stage evolution fluid, and it had to be firmly secured in their grasp.

With regard to the ancient divine beings, they felt a reverence and awe. Those were existences utterly beyond comprehension — supreme and absolute. Even now, within the treasuries of several of the most powerful and ancient great powers in the Eternal Realm, certain divine bloodlines were preserved. In moments of great crisis, these could be drawn upon to forge several peerless warriors capable of turning the tide.

“This matter… perhaps only the Ancestral Sage can be called upon.”

Ye Fan’s single battle set the clouds and winds churning. A storm swept across the seas of Xianyu Star, and his name spread throughout the entire domain. One man alone had crippled three mothership fleets — the achievement was glorious, stunning to all who beheld it.

Some among the Qi Family’s direct bloodline fell into contention. Ye Fan’s night raid on the divine island and the killing of Qi Yun had struck a raw nerve. Some were furious and advocated butchering him on the spot, while others urged restraint, demanding they not make rash decisions.

Even farther away on the Eternal Main Star, Ye Fan had yet to arrive, but a number of great powers had already set their sights on him — all of them wanting to win him over, to gain this razor-sharp blade for themselves.

At that moment, the most furious of all was the Cao Family. On the Eternal Main Star they were extraordinary, dominating their region, with few daring to provoke or antagonize them.

“Useless trash! What good are you? Three mothership fleets — gone. Nearly wiped out entirely. You still have the face to be alive?!” An elder erupted with fury. Without question, the Cao Family had become a laughingstock.

The entire Xianyu Star domain was shaken. Though not all of it had reached the Eternal Main Star, certain great powers had already been paying close attention, and every single one was watching them become the joke of the day.

“A mere Dao-severing cultivator, not even an ancient sage — and yet you sent so many people and still suffered crushing defeats. What use are any of you? A pack of wine sacks and rice bags!” The elder grew louder and more incensed with every word.

Those below did not dare let out so much as a breath. This elder was on the verge of achieving sainthood and was one of the Cao Family’s most dominant and powerful figures. No one dared to argue back.

“Have you all gone mute? Why aren’t you speaking?” The elder was fiery by nature. Seeing them stand there in silence only enraged him further.

“Ancestor, the only option now is to ask the Ancestral Sage to emerge from seclusion. Otherwise there is no way to capture that ascetic cultivator. He has all manner of mysterious techniques — if he decides to flee, he will be nearly impossible to catch.” Someone screwed up their courage and spoke these words aloud.

On the Eternal Main Star, within a vast, barren, and broken wasteland, a silhouette appeared before an ancient divine idol and performed a deep bow of reverence. “We have discovered an ascetic cultivator. His bloodline is extraordinary — he is qualified to join our organization, ‘the Divine.’ In time, he may become a core member.”

“An Indestructible Golden Body… truly extraordinary. It appeared once, tens of thousands of years ago — it shook this entire star domain into trembling, unforgettable.” The divine idol emitted strange fluctuations, its voice ancient and weathered, inspiring awe and reverence.

Meanwhile, all parties reacted differently, undercurrents surging in the dark — yet Ye Fan paid them no mind. He pressed forward toward his own goals, and over those few days had traveled nearly every corner of Xianyu Star, searching for the traces and ruins left behind by predecessors of ancient times.

This was one stop on the ancient starry road, part of the trial grounds. Undoubtedly, the great sages of the past had all paused here — coming to know and understand this extraordinary realm would be of tremendous benefit to an “ascetic cultivator.” One’s thinking could be profoundly shaken and challenged.

“He killed Qi Yun. We can’t just let this go. If we don’t hold him accountable, won’t people look down on our Qi Clan as spineless? This isn’t magnanimity — it’s weakness!”

The Qi Family erupted into argument. The war faction demanded immediate action — find Ye Fan and bring him down. In their view, Qi Yun’s death was a humiliation to the entire family.

“He saved our clan’s cherished jade pearl. Many people know this. Even our enemies in the heavens know it well. Yet Qi Yun repaid that kindness with treachery, leading others to hunt him down. This was a muddled account to begin with. If we continue to press the matter, the outside world will certainly view us as dishonorable…”

Qi Kun and those of like mind were unwilling to act rashly. They hoped to find a stable and measured resolution.

“There’s nothing more to discuss. This man must die. Only by obtaining his golden blood can we wash away the shame!”

“Exactly. Since he dares to provoke us, he must pay with his life. He cannot be allowed to live any longer!”

In the end, the war faction left in a fury, acting on their own authority. They dispatched a large number of powerful warriors, and at once the entire Xianyu Star domain was thrown into a great uproar.

No one was greatly surprised. The Qi Clan were the half-sovereigns of this ancient star. A member of their direct bloodline had been killed — how could they possibly let it go? Action was inevitable.

However, Ye Fan’s mastery of the source arts was without equal. He altered his bearing and appearance, and no one could detect him. He strolled openly in and out of every city, entirely at ease.

“Can’t find him. This ascetic cultivator’s concealment technique is extraordinarily strange. Hidden among the masses of people, there’s simply no way to root him out.” The Qi Family’s war faction ground their teeth in frustration.

“We should invite the Ancestral Sage. I’ve heard that the Fan Clan’s ancient sage has emerged from seclusion — possibly intending to come here for that young man. We can’t let them take him away first!”

“Hmm. There’s another option — bring out the Supreme Immortal Mirror. Even if he’s hidden among a billion people, it will expose him.”

“Correct. Now is the time to use that mirror.”

The war faction of the Qi Clan was going to make a big move. They were sworn to find Ye Fan and take his life.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the Qi Family had produced a supreme Immortal Physique — unparalleled and peerless, sweeping through the surrounding starfields, undefeated in all the ancient ages. Several secret treasures had been left behind, one of which was an ancient mirror. It was not the most powerful among them in raw might, but its divine ability was absolutely unique.

Wherever it shone, all illusions and falsehoods would be torn away. Nothing hidden could escape its light. Its name was the Supreme Immortal Mirror.

RUMBLE!

A massive beam of light cascaded down. Ye Fan’s soul shuddered violently. He looked up in shock and saw a brilliant, resplendent radiance pouring down, swallowing him whole.

“What terrible light — emanating from an ancient mirror!”

Ye Fan’s heart lurched. He retrieved his green bronze for defense, then shot off like the wind, covering thousands of li in an instant, fleeing from that city.

However, before long, another cascade of brilliant light came pouring down, luminous and shimmering, stripping away all concealment and exposing him again.

“This young man does have some skill — but trying to evade the scanning of the Supreme Immortal Mirror is impossible.” The people of the Xianyu Qi Clan laughed loudly. They had locked onto Ye Fan.

BOOM!

Warships roared to life. One mothership after another rose into the sky. This was not a large planet — they could cover tens of thousands of li in an instant. Very quickly they arrived in the region where Ye Fan was located, unleashing divine light after divine light, launching a lethal barrage toward him.

“Cursed Qi Clan!”

Ye Fan was alarmed. Four cosmic motherships were closing in. He had no option but to run. He opened a domain gate and fled at full speed, heading beyond the domain.

But the Qi Family used the Supreme Immortal Mirror as their guide. A hazy immortal radiance flowed and shone, illuminating all that he was, following him beyond the domain. There was no way to shake them off.

Ye Fan found himself in serious trouble in this star domain. For the first time he felt this degree of difficulty — unable to shake them off no matter what. The Supreme Immortal Mirror was profoundly mysterious, capable of exposing his every movement.

“The distance is too close. If I deploy Wushi Great Emperor’s Heaven-Deceiving Formation Patterns, they may temporarily lose track of me — but the moment I move, I’ll be detected again. I need to create enough distance first.”

Ye Fan crossed the cosmos while the Qi Clan used spatial jumps to pursue him as well, launching a relentless pursuit that would not end until one of them was dead.

Ye Fan’s expression turned cold and hard. He prepared to descend into a field of meteorite-strewn space and begin fighting back. He still had some secret techniques — perhaps enough to deal a heavy blow to their motherships.

However, at that very moment, a fluctuation that made his heart tremble reached him. He knew things had taken a turn for the worse. An ancient sage had arrived!

“Not good — a figure of this level has been alerted!”

From deep within the star domain, a vast dark cloud appeared — a spectacular and awe-inspiring sight. It swept past countless stars at tremendous speed, advancing rapidly. A massive black hand reached forward, covering all the space of this starfield.

The four motherships shuddered — they were blocked!

Ye Fan’s heart went cold. He was indeed still at a distance from an ancient sage. Unless he ascended to the next level, there was no way he could match one.

The black hand moved to seize the four motherships and carry them away. A feat like this pierced the very heavens.

BOOM!

From another region of space, a massive cyan hand reached across and collided heavily with the black hand, blocking its advance. At the same time, a powerful shout rang out: “Old ghost of the Fan Clan — you dare come and run wild in my Qi Clan’s territory?!”

The black hand withdrew, then reversed course and reached toward Ye Fan, intending to carry him away. It was boundless in extent, blanketing the starfield.

Ye Fan’s face changed color. He entered his mech suit and let out a clear cry. Five-colored divine light swept across the star domain from behind him, radiance blazing brilliantly. At the same time he swung out a golden fist — six fist intents, peerless in the world!

An enormous crash rang out. Chaotic mist surged beneath the stars. Ye Fan tumbled through several somersaults and was knocked flying into the distance.

The black hand, however, shuddered — and failed to carry him away.

Everyone was stunned, particularly the people in the four motherships, all of whom were slack-jawed with utter incomprehension.

“Extraordinary — he can actually compete with an ancient sage!”

“Normally, even someone piloting an ancient sage’s war machine can project the might of a sage — but cannot truly fight like this against an actual saint.”

A ray of cyan Dao light was released. The cyan hand reached forward again, also trying to grab Ye Fan and bring him back to the Qi Clan.

From behind Ye Fan, the Golden Divine Treasury opened. A Dao Bell, a divine sword, a heavenly pagoda, a divine parasol — golden weapons of every kind flew out together, flooding the space ahead, colliding violently with the cyan hand.

“This young man has defied the heavens — can he actually trade blows with an ancient sage now?!”

“Our Qi Clan’s ancestor has arrived, and even he can barely hold his own against this man. What sort of combat power is this?”

The Qi Clan’s forces arrived in wave after wave, yet upon entering this region of space they all stood frozen, slack with disbelief. Ye Fan had thrown himself into an all-or-nothing posture — and he could contend with an ancient sage!

On the heaven’s side, the black hand made no further moves. It watched in cold silence from a distance. Faintly visible was a black silhouette standing in the depths of the cosmos, countless Dao traces interwoven into a terrifying domain field.

“He… held off an Ancestral Sage?” Deep in the star domain, the Fan Clan had motherships that had arrived as well. Fan Xian felt her mouth go dry, watching this scene in utter disbelief.