All around, massive trees soared into the heavens, their trunks as thick as mountain ranges, their branches coiling like azure dragons as they wound upward into the sky, lush and verdant. One by one, these towering ancient trees loomed over entire mountain ranges, pressing them down beneath their canopy.

Wild beasts roamed freely, stirring up waves of mist and cloud, making the Ancient Proving Ground feel all the more vast and primordial — a land untouched since the beginning of time.

A golden-winged giant dragon swept across the sky; an azure divine phoenix cried out to the nine heavens, appearing only briefly, its sacred might sweeping across the ancient grounds and sending a wave of terror through all who were present.

Yet Ye Fan had thrown himself into a fierce battle against several foreign race experts, moving from one mountain range into a stretch of marshland, destroying countless desolate peaks in the process and rousing one ancient beast after another.

“You may be strong — stronger than we anticipated — but did you really think that just because we dared to strike, we would have come without a way to deal with you?”

One of the foreign race experts let out a strange, cackling laugh, his face now twisting into an undisguised expression of savagery as he revealed his true appearance. He looked far younger than one might have imagined — this was no ordinary being.

His body was humanoid in shape, but at the center sat a human head, its face covered in densely packed jade-green scales, with a wide gaping mouth lined with tusks and a head of vivid green hair. On his left shoulder grew a silver wolf’s head — ferocious and malevolent, its jaws stretched wide and dripping with killing intent, divine radiance swirling around it. On his right shoulder grew a crow’s head, black as ink, dark mist billowing from it as the stench of death radiated outward; when its beak opened to cry, the sound rang out like the toll of a funeral bell.

The others were equally grotesque in appearance — none of them were human. They were terrifying races from the depths of the star sea, and each one possessed world-shaking divine abilities.

These foreign race beings served as Di Tian’s most capable lieutenants, every one of them capable of slaying an Ancient Sage. Together, they were forming a formation called the Six-Direction Spirit-Suppression Array — an absolutely fearsome technique.

“What does it matter how extraordinarily gifted you are? Can you surpass a Saint King? This technique was created by the ancestor of Young Lord Di Tian, designed specifically to counter peerless powerhouses. Today, you have nowhere to flee — not to the heavens above, nor to the earth below.”

The foreign race being with three heads let out a cold, sinister laugh. The crow’s head let out a series of cawing cries, grating and shrill, rumbling like tolling funeral bells. Every living thing — every blade of grass and every creature — that was touched by the dark mist was reduced to cinders, and ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers were turned into a land of death.

Ye Fan had not allowed himself to be surrounded. He activated the Word-Technique of Movement, and beneath his feet, rune after rune flickered to life, blazing with brilliant divine radiance, moving like a streak of golden lightning.

“Is there any better time to submit and offer up the Source of the Dao? You would do well to understand that opportunities are fleeting — miss this one, and you will live to regret it.”

Primordial Magnetic Immortal Light surged and danced in all directions, like a cascade of brilliant stars falling from the heavens, repeatedly forcing these foreign experts onto the back foot and keeping them scrambling. Ye Fan fought with wild ferocity, unleashing the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist in all its devastating force, his movements steady and assured as he consistently remained outside the range of the Six-Direction Spirit-Suppression Array.

The battle drew the attention of many onlookers. Numerous trial participants were stirred from their rest — some standing atop soaring mountain peaks, others hovering in the sky — watching from afar in silence.

Night Wuhun, the second-in-command among the Thirteen Riders of the Desolate Heaven, narrowed his eyes and watched from a distance, clad in blue-gold battle armor and gripping a great halberd, cold and detached, ready to act at any moment.

Guan Cheng stood in another section of the ancient grounds, his face expressionless, knuckles white as he gripped a bronze spear, his unblinking gaze fixed ahead. Watching Ye Fan sweep through all directions and rage through the wilderness, he could not help but be reminded of that person from long ago — the same aura of unmatched supremacy that swallowed mountains and rivers whole. It was too similar.

Ouye Mo, Tuoba Yu, Kutou Tuo, Yu Xian, and the others were all roused as well, taking up positions among the rocky peaks and ancient veins to observe the battle in earnest.

Ye Fan, alone, gripping a black spear, waged war throughout the Ancient Proving Ground. Every single onlooker was shaken to their core. With each thrust of his spear, the Dao itself thundered in response.

His black hair billowed like a waterfall behind him, his eyes blazing like lightning. Each strike shattered a mountain range, rendering even the suppression seals and restraining inscriptions useless, turning countless ancient grounds to ash and rubble. His divine might was peerless.

But these six foreign experts were simply too powerful. Theirs was an invincible combination — hardly suited for merely slaying trial participants; they were a force capable of hunting down Saint Kings.

The one fortunate thing was that Ye Fan had not been surrounded. If the formation had closed around him, no one who came to his aid would have made any difference — his fate would have been sealed.

This formation was incomparably terrifying. To fall inside it was to invite death. The only path to victory lay in fighting outside it.

“Young Lord Di Tian has received the acknowledgment of heaven and earth — he is destined to become an Emperor. But you have not been accepted by the heavens above. Do you still not understand the gap between you?”

One of the foreign experts sneered, trying to make Ye Fan face reality and bow his head.

“You can change your fate. If you stand at the side of a great Emperor, you will be graced with his glory. There is no need for you to fall dead on the Emperor’s Path.”

Both sides erupted into a blaze of light that swept across the mountains, churned through divine lakes, and roused one ferocious desolate beast after another, filling the air with a bone-chilling tension.

“Follow in the footsteps of Young Lord Di Tian — this is your chance to change your destiny. Understand that opportunities are fleeting.”

This group possessed absolutely terrifying combat strength, yet even against Ye Fan, they had run into difficulties. He was a bone that would not be easily chewed.

The battle dragged on for a long time. Ye Fan furrowed his brow — he could feel himself on the verge of losing control of the power building within him. At any moment, he might break through and attain sainthood.

“I can sense it — you are about to become a saint. That presents something of a danger for us. Since you refuse to seize this opportunity, we have no choice but to snuff out a genius.”

With that, they all cried out in unison. An ancient, simple wooden box materialized in the air above them. The six foreign experts refined it together, sending forth wave after wave of bizarre light — countless tendrils, penetrating everywhere.

The box shattered, releasing streams of immortal radiance that rained down upon Ye Fan, enveloping him completely. He looked like a great cocoon, wrapped tightly within.

What was this? Those watching from a distance felt their skin crawl as a terrifying power began to spread — a power so sinister and wicked it made the air itself feel wrong.

“The residual bones left behind by a Great Sage at the moment of his Dao dissolution, ground to powder by a supreme divine artifact, combined with secret materials from across the myriad heavens, and refined into Dao Dissolution Powder. No matter how great a hero you are, once this touches you, you will have no choice but to dissolve into the Dao.”

Those cold, detached words sent a chill through everyone who heard them. This was an ultimate killing weapon. What was the most terrifying thing in the world? Dao dissolution was undoubtedly one answer — even the greatest ancient Emperors were eventually dissolved into the Dao after their deaths.

“You wanted to become a saint? Very well — let us dissolve you into the Dao instead! Even if by some miracle you survive, you will never be able to attain sainthood again — not for all eternity!”

Those cruel words made many hearts run cold. This method was viciously wicked — these foreign experts were truly ruthless. To sever a person’s hope of ever becoming a saint was a fate worse than death.

In the plaza of the Second Human City, the Grand Commander Yu Han was watching this scene play out in the Ancient Proving Ground through an ancient mirror. The corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile.

“Move. Retrieve the Source of the Dao.”

“Your orders, Grand Commander!” Over a dozen veterans stepped forward, each one radiating battle energy in surging waves — seasoned fighters who had clawed their way back from countless battles, men who had crawled out from piles of corpses.

“Take this ancient mirror with you. It is the ancient artifact that governs this proving ground, and it can harness the forces of heaven and earth to suppress your enemies.” Grand Commander Yu Han extended the ancient mirror toward them.

Yu Han instructed them that this artifact was only to be used at a critical moment — for it consumed an enormous amount of vital essence, and prolonged use would drain a person’s body dry.

Inside the Ancient Proving Ground, Ye Fan and Long Ma had been trapped within the cocoon. Even a Saint King who came into contact with such a thing would die in regret, unable to escape the fate of Dao dissolution.

But in this moment, Ye Fan displayed extraordinary divine ability. The nine ancient characters from the Dao Sutra blazed brightly, flying one by one from within his forehead bones and encircling both him and Long Ma at the center, keeping the Great Sage Dao Dissolution Powder from touching their bodies.

The nine ancient characters blazed with brilliant clarity, radiating immortal radiance that made him appear sacred and imposing — even Long Ma felt a tremor stir within its heart.

Then, Ye Fan’s brow flickered again, and the nine ancient characters that the divine spirit of the Solar Sage Emperor had transmitted to him also manifested, taking shape on his luminous white forehead bones, emerging one after another.

The nine Emperor-characters from the Dao Sutra shielded his body, while the nine ancient characters from the Solar Immortal Sutra began to strike back. A scorching divine power capable of destroying all things surged forth — and with a thunderous boom, the Great Sage Dao Cocoon shattered.

Everyone was stunned. This was entirely unexpected. The Dao Dissolution Cocoon had been crafted from the residual bones of a dissolving Great Sage as its primary ingredient, supplemented by secret materials from across the myriad heavens — a forbidden artifact — and yet it had failed to hold Ye Fan.

At that same moment, chaos erupted in the outside world, and Ye Fan was himself startled. Over a dozen veterans were jointly offering up an ancient mirror and moving against the six foreign experts. Mountains split and seas heaved, blood mist filled the air — both sides were paying a heavy price in blood.

When he broke free from the Dao Cocoon, it immediately sent shockwaves through both sides, and they each halted their fighting.

In an instant, Ye Fan understood everything. Grand Commander Yu Han had deliberately allowed the six foreign experts in to deal with him, and had then sent his best subordinates to arrive at the critical moment — all in order to reap the final reward.

In that instant, the eyes of every combatant fell upon him. It was a terrifying killing intent — everyone wanted the Source of the Dao that was on him. At this point, there was no longer any need for pretense.

“You all deserve to die. When I return, I will pay each of you a visit and take your miserable heads.”

With that, Ye Fan turned and left without looking back, activating the Word-Technique of Movement and vanishing more than a hundred and fifty thousand miles away in a single instant.

He was now in serious trouble. He could no longer suppress the power building within him — at any moment he would break through and charge into sainthood. He needed to quiet his mind and prepare to face the Heavenly Tribulation.

The Saint’s Tribulation was the most life-threatening ordeal any exceptional individual who reached this stage would ever face. There was no room for carelessness or negligence.

And more than that — Ye Fan’s Heavenly Tribulation would be unlike anyone else’s: extraordinarily fierce, demanding all the more care and caution.

“We cannot let him go. We absolutely cannot allow him to attain sainthood!”

“At any cost, we must disrupt his ascension. We will not let him succeed!”

The six foreign experts shouted in fury. They could not allow this to happen, and they mobilized every means at their disposal to track him down and stop Ye Fan from becoming a saint.

The dozen or so veterans did not give chase. Instead, they retreated into a valley and combined their power to offer up the ancient mirror, hoping to use it to control the Ancient Proving Ground and locate where Ye Fan had gone — yet after countless attempts, they could find no trace of him whatsoever.

By this time, Ye Fan had already laid down a Heaven-Deceiving Formation array, and his true body was seated within the Green Cauldron, using it to suppress himself.

He needed to bring his body and mind to a state of absolute stillness and clarity, in order to face the unimaginable Saint’s Great Tribulation that lay ahead. This was the most critical step of his life. He could not afford a single mistake.

“This proving ground is far from the ideal place to undergo tribulation. If I were to attain sainthood here, it would truly be a shame,” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

He thought of the star sea he had briefly glimpsed when he had broken through this proving ground with all his strength not long ago. He steeled his resolve and said, “I will break out of this cage and take a look at the outside world. I can clearly sense the aura of an ancient Emperor there — that place must be ideal.”

Ye Fan sat cross-legged within the Green Cauldron, gradually calming his mind, and spent a full day and night regulating his breathing — without being forced into a breakthrough.

“Good. Now let us break out and see what lies beyond. When I return as a saint, I will settle accounts with each of you!”

With that decision made, he rose to act.

Long Ma was wholeheartedly in agreement. It too wanted to find that ancient land and attain sainthood there.

It was a pitch-black night. All was silent. Ye Fan had made every preparation.

Boom!

Hooves thundering across the great expanse, a man and a horse defied the heavens and ascended. Ye Fan, holding his black spear in one hand, pierced through the celestial vault. The Six Paths Reincarnation Fist was unmatched across all the world, dominating heaven and earth, and it shattered the cosmos itself.

The Holy Warfare Sacred Art, Phenomenon Fusion… Ye Fan unleashed technique after technique, soaring ever higher, like a peerless overlord crushing the Ancient Proving Ground beneath him as he broke through into a dazzling realm of glittering star rivers.

Perhaps it was destiny — at that very moment, only one person witnessed this scene. Once again, it was Guan Cheng.

He opened his mouth wide in shock, seemingly on the verge of saying something, but his throat moved and moved again without producing a single sound. His face turned deathly pale, as though all strength had drained from his body at once, and he collapsed to the ground where he stood.