The two Killing Saints’ expressions changed. Cut grass without removing the roots, and it will grow again with the spring wind — if all the Celestial Court’s remnants escaped, who knew what year or month it would be before they could be rooted out.

Swoosh!

They attacked with frenzy, unleashing one devastating killing technique after another in rapid succession. But the great formation before them blocked the way, and they could not break through in such a short time.

The Silver Moon Ancestral King was burning with anxiety — even more frantic than the two Killing Saints. Having already moved against the Holy Emperor’s Son, yet failing to wipe everyone out here, if word of this leaked out, the elder Saint Ape on Mount Sumeru would be furious — the consequences were unthinkable.

The small world was collapsing. Source arts, ancient killing formations, and Saint’s brands all intertwined in one place, piercing through the walls of chaos and constructing a passage.

The people of the Celestial Court broke through successfully and began activating formation platforms. Dao marks spread out in sheets, domain gates appeared, and they prepared to traverse the void.

In that moment, several of the old, wind-worn elders of Heaven Village wept with clouded tears, their murky eyes filled with desolation and reluctance, murmuring without cease.

“The ancient Celestial Court… the last realm it left behind… is destroyed as well. We are unworthy. We could not preserve anything.”

Wrinkles heaped upon their faces, their lives nearly spent, grief filled their hearts. The final memory had been shattered by others — every vestige and relic of the Celestial Court’s past was no more.

“Seniors, come. Before long, we will surely rebuild the Celestial Court upon the ruins of Hell and the mortal world!” a younger descendant urged.

“We will remain with the Celestial Court’s ruins… to be buried here is the best choice. All of you, go quickly!” The murky eyes of several old men radiated a strange light. One by one, they seemed to be filled with a surging vitality.

“New life is born from ashes; perfection is achieved through rebirth — everything can start anew.” Yan Yixi said this; he had often played chess with these few elders and had received guidance from them.

“We were already going to die — at most, we have half a year left to us. To be buried here is best. All of you, go quickly.” The elders urged them on.

“The fourth stage of evolution fluid has been refined — it can allow you to break through, and extend your lives.” Qi Luo said.

“There’s no need to waste it. Leave it for the children. Even if we took the precious liquid, we could hardly become Saints — we would only linger a few more years.”

These wind-worn, candle-guttering old men were seeking death, because what they said was the truth — their vital energy had long since run dry, their bodies rotted and withered to the point of ruin. Now their only wish was to be destroyed together with the last ruins of the Celestial Court. They would not leave.

Looking at the old tears streaming down their faces, the desolate twilight of their final years before them, many people fell silent.

“Tianqi Grandfather…” Little Sparrow wept bitterly, clutching an old man’s hand and refusing to let go, attempting to drag him away.

“Jingshan Grandfather, I don’t want you to be like this… come with me!” Ye Tong stepped forward as well, supporting a trembling old man with both arms.

These several elders had watched them grow up, patiently teaching them countless things. In every sense, they were their closest kin.

Gu Fei and Gu Lin also stepped forward, taking hold of their hands and refusing to release them.

“We elders are old and cannot go on. We simply want to find a burial place we love. An assassin should fall amidst the flash of blades, should lie down in a pool of blood — but we are too old. Our hands can no longer grip a sword…”

“Grandfathers…” Little Baldy Huahua wept bitterly, tears streaming in strings, clinging to one of the elders with all his strength and refusing to let go.

“What are you doing? Everyone must die. To be buried here — for us, this is the best ending.” One elder stroked a sword with a rough, callus-covered hand — yet it trembled in his grip, already unable to hold the three-foot blade and stride across a battlefield.

Everyone fell silent, respecting the choice of elders like Tianqi and Jingshan. With so little life remaining, to be buried here was a kind of peaceful, soul-stilling resting place for them.

“You are hope itself. The Celestial Court will surely rise to greatness…”

Their hands could no longer hold a sword, yet the three-foot blades still rang out — clear and resonant in their hands, thrumming and singing, accompanying them as they walked into the collapsing small world together.

Clouded old tears. Stooped, hunched silhouettes. Battle robes dissolving into flying ash. A three-foot blade, finally broken… all buried together in the firelight.

Everyone took one last look, stepped through the domain gate, and were gone. The ancient Celestial Court’s grounds perished.

“Will we have such a day?” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

Even the greatest of heroes has a twilight. Even an invincible ancient Saint has a final age when vital energy runs dry and the body can no longer act.

He thought of the blood on Sacred Cliff — what surpassing, world-dominating heroism the Great Accomplishment Sacred Physique had embodied in its prime, yet in the end, those final years had been so desolate.

When white hair takes root, when vital spirit declines, when the eyes lose their keenness, when the body grows old, when holy blood runs dry and no longer boils — what choice would he make?

Ye Fan could not explain why his heart suddenly stirred with a faint tremor, as though he had glimpsed a corner of the future. In his old age — would there be such a desolate scene? And by then, where would his friends be? The Great Accomplishment Sacred Physique could live more than ten thousand years — perhaps by that time there would be only an aged, decrepit self remaining. Would he still be able to hold a sword and face his enemies?

Southern Range. A land of primeval wilderness — enormous trees blotting out the sun, ancient vines obscuring the sky, apes crying out, tigers roaring.

Many savage beasts prowled about, impossible to name. A colossal fierce bird swept across the sky, crushing a mountain peak with a single claw, wrenching apart a python stretching a thousand zhang in length and swallowing it whole.

A strange beast in the swamp opened its mouth and inhaled, pulling down the clouds in the sky. Countless beast-kings nearby were sucked into its maw.

In the deepest reaches of Southern Range, all manner of prehistoric creatures lurked — peril at every turn. Even the people of the Demon Emperor Palace and the Savage Tribe seldom ventured here.

Jade-green ancient dragons spread their wings, blotting out vast ancient forests. Golden great rocs let out long cries, and a hundred mountains swayed together.

This was where Heaven Village had settled, resting and recuperating. Every person was strengthening themselves, striving to break through barriers and achieve breakthroughs.

The fourth stage of evolution fluid had been completed — in great quantity, for they had obtained enormous amounts of divine-natured minerals from which sufficient precious liquid had been extracted.

“Tianqi Grandfather…” Little Sparrow wept, her fair, white face streaked with tears, her large eyes swollen and red.

Ye Tong’s eyes were also brimming with mist, standing silently on one side. Gu Fei and Gu Lin shed tears, blaming themselves — they had failed to calculate the arrival of the two Killing Saints, their ability to divine the heavenly signs of Saints coming up short.

“Hell, mortal world — every last one of you deserves to die…” Little Baldy Huahua was also wiping tears from his eyes.

“What are you crying for? Those few elders departed peacefully. They chose to slumber there — the best comfort you can offer them is to work hard and grow stronger!” Li Heishui said.

“Indeed. We will storm the two divine dynasties, overthrow Hell and the mortal world, and use that to honor those elders!” Ye Tong stood up and returned to her breakthrough cultivation.

Ye Fan did not immediately have them take the evolution fluid. Their cultivation realms needed to be consolidated — after all, it had not been long since they had severed the Dao, and they needed to carefully experience and comprehend the fruits of that breakthrough.

“Waaah…” From deep within the forest came the anguished wailing of the Silver Blood Dual Emperors, being hunted to the ends of heaven and earth by a large black dog, enduring hellish tempering and training.

When Li Heishui heard it, his scalp went numb. He hurried off to take the evolution fluid and break through — he felt that if he didn’t seize the time, he might end up being surpassed by the Black Emperor’s two disciples.

It had to be said: the Silver Blood Royal Tribe truly lived up to its name as the uncrowned emperors. Though no ancient emperors had ever emerged from their lineage, their bloodline power was overwhelmingly formidable — not weaker than an imperial clan.

With the evolution fluid assisting them, their bloodline power was completely activated, its might transcendent — their strength could only be described as skyrocketing.

In the days that followed, the depths of the mountain range were filled with the incessant sound of thunder. Dongfang Ye, Li Tian, and the others successively broke through their barriers, all surviving their tribulations and elevating their battle power.

Boom!

A thunderous roar shook the earth. Rocks shot through the air, demonic clouds blotted out the sun, and killing intent cleaved through nine layers of sky.

Everyone drew a sharp breath. Killing Saint Qi Luo was actually undergoing tribulation. His flesh and blood, washed and refined by the evolution fluid, brimmed with the force of life — his strength had risen another small step.

“That old man was provoked. The fourth stage of evolution fluid wasn’t sufficient for a breakthrough on its own, but years of accumulated cultivation combined with the resentment and indignation in his heart drove him to forcibly rise another small step. If one day he becomes a Saint King, no one should be surprised.”

A Saint undergoing tribulation is a terrifying sight — the surrounding area became tribulation ash, and no one could approach by so much as a single step. In the end, he succeeded in enduring through it.

Heaven Village was not large in population — only a few hundred. Aside from the eldest few like Tianqi and Jingshan, there were several elders of a slightly younger generation who, now aided by the evolution fluid, were like withered trees encountering spring — they achieved successive breakthroughs, without question becoming the sovereign figures at the Dao-Severing tier.

Among them, Old Knife Handle achieved the greatest result. He had already severed the Dao previously; in terms of cultivation realm, he already surpassed Li Heishui and the others. Now he advanced directly to become a Great Accomplishment King.

“That damn Black Emperor is almost becoming a Saint already — faster than anyone!” Long Ma wore an expression of jealousy, envy, and resentment all at once, puffing out white smoke, flames surging all over its body.

Dongfang Ye and the others were equally at a loss for words. That dog was truly an extraordinary existence — by its own account, it had been desperately suppressing its realm, otherwise it would have advanced long ago.

“This Emperor broke down and rebuilt, rebuilt and broke down again — and has now built once more. The goal is to consolidate every step to bedrock. Being at half-Saint is nothing to boast about.” It spoke without any sense of shame.

But no one could refute it, because it genuinely had the capital for such arrogance. Back in the day, it had gone toe to toe with Ye Fan in a close-range physical battle — and had not come out the worse, the biting and tearing ferocious as anything.

Now, with its realm steadily advancing, this creature’s monstrous physical body had grown even more outrageous. It made people wonder if it was truly the Demon Emperor’s own offspring, for its bloodline power was not weaker than Ji Zi’s or the Holy Emperor’s Son’s — it dared to engage anyone in a pure physical battle.

“From now on, this Emperor will never run again. Let anyone come and try to kill me — I’ll bite them to death!” The Black Emperor wore a large floral-patterned shorts, standing upright on two legs, forepaws clasped behind its back — the very picture of a dog walking and acting like a person — with an utterly haughty expression.

It had now reached the half-Saint realm, absolutely capable of matching a Saint. With the ancient methods passed down by the Beginningless Great Emperor, it could break through the barrier of the Saint domain.

Long Ma, too, was monstrous to an absurd degree — having broken through to the Great Accomplishment King realm. Give it enough time, and becoming half-Saint would be no difficult matter.

After all, it was an auspicious beast — said to be a mount that only ancient Great Emperors could possess, unique in all of heaven and earth.

Years ago, on the other shore of the starry sky, its cultivation had already been a notch above Ye Fan’s. At that time it had already been a sixth-level heaven Dao-Severing demonic horse. Now with the evolution fluid, it had naturally advanced further.

The Black Emperor offered a reminder: “Be careful — anyone who seeks to prove the Dao and become a Great Emperor must not use the evolution fluid to become a Saint. That final step must be achieved through your own enlightenment. Otherwise, it will affect your future achievements.”

Long Ma harbored no small ambition, and for that very reason had halted at the ninth-level heaven of Dao-Severing, not making further progress. Otherwise, perhaps it would have gone even further — and might have genuinely encountered a chance to become a Saint.

Among everyone present, Dongfang Ye was absolutely a formidable figure. He and his brother Dongfang Man were known as the Savage Tribe’s God of War Physiques. Setting aside cultivation and enlightenment, among the human race, in terms of raw physical strength alone he was second only to the Sacred Physiques.

And now, this savage’s ferocity remained as ever. His cultivation had not fallen behind over the years, and aided by the evolution fluid, he had reached the eighth-level heaven of Dao-Severing.

Naturally, the evolution fluid was still effective for him — given enough time, there was no question of his becoming half-Saint. However, the savage felt it wise to stop here, not advance too rapidly, consolidate gains after strengthening, and make further progress at a later date.

Yao Yuekong, possessing the Heaven Demon Physique, was likewise extraordinary — also halting at the eighth-level heaven of Dao-Severing, for the same considerations of future development.

Yan Yixi and Li Tian had each reached the eighth-level heaven of Dao-Severing as well.

Li Heishui, Jiang Huairen, and Wu Zhongtian had stabilized at the sixth-level heaven of Dao-Severing, not daring to advance further — all of it reserved for the future.

With evolution fluid available, they could slowly absorb and digest it in the days to come. Becoming half-Saints would be no problem — it was only a matter of time.

Everyone was eagerly awaiting the emergence of Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and the Holy Emperor’s Son from their seclusion, because they all knew that once those three rose another level, they would absolutely be capable of fighting Saints!