“The Little One is truly astonishing. In roughly a hundred years or so, she has grown to this level — something rarely seen throughout the ages.” Ye Fan said, still remembering the scene from back then. A golden eggshell had cracked open, and a tiny fluffy creature had emerged — no bigger than a fist, like a small round ball of fluff, impossibly adorable. And yet now she stood as a Saint King-level powerhouse.

The campfire crackled and danced. Everyone turned to look at the Lightning Phoenix Bird, which made the Little One rather flustered. She lowered her head shyly, her divine feathers radiant, and buried herself beside Ji Ziyue.

“With the Demon God Flower to aid her, she truly leapt forward at a frightening pace — it gave both me and my brother quite a shock,” Ji Ziyue said.

This little creature had cultivated for far less time than anyone present, yet she was already a match for every single one of them. That alone had shaken the Divine King Ji Haoyue deeply, and for quite some time, he had not been able to stop marveling at it.

“At this rate, she will surpass every young supreme on the Ancient Path,” Pang Bo said.

Ji Ziyue shook her head. “Over these many years, she has come to sense something. After listening to the ancient scriptures of the void and the Great Emperor’s notes, her focus now lies in tempering her Dao Soul — she is no longer chasing breakthroughs in realm.”

“That is the right approach — the foundation must be solid.” Ye Fan nodded.

“Her foundation already seems extraordinary. Her future achievements will surely be exceptional. But speaking of it — breaking through to several levels of the Saint King realm in under a hundred years — doesn’t that stand as something almost never seen throughout history?” Pang Bo asked.

Everyone shook their heads together. It was undeniably fast — but it was impossible that it was the fastest record.

“According to the records, there was once someone who cultivated to the peak of the Great Saint realm in under a hundred years. That name was written into history — that is the fastest record that has ever been documented,” the Golden Lion said.

“That fast?!” Even Ye Fan was stunned. What kind of speed was that? It was almost beyond comprehension.

His own cultivation had been rapid enough — a hundred and some tens of years, breaking through to the deeper levels of the Saint King realm. He hadn’t been much slower than the Little One, by that measure.

“Yes — that is the fastest record with written documentation. As for terrifying records that were never written down, that is impossible to say,” the Black Bear Saint said, shaking its head.

“What was this person’s name? Which Great Emperor was this?” Pang Bo asked.

“His name was Du Mu. Not only was he the most dazzling genius of his era — he was also one of the individuals with the most powerful innate bloodlines in all of history. He came from the Divine Race,” the Golden Lion said.

“I’ve never heard of a Great Emperor by that name,” Pang Bo said, puzzled.

“That’s because his entire life, he never advanced a single step beyond the peak of the Great Saint realm,” the Black Bear Saint interjected.

“Du Mu — so it was him.” Ye Fan nodded. He had read many ancient texts and had come across that name before — he simply hadn’t known the man was such a figure, a revered king of the Divine Race.

“How could that be? Does that mean he spent a hundred years reaching the peak of the Great Saint realm, and then spent the rest of his life unable to advance even half a step further?” Long Ma said, baffled.

“A rapid cultivation pace does not guarantee that one will ultimately attain the supreme Dao fruit,” Ji Ziyue said with a soft sigh, going on to offer several more examples.

In ancient times, there had once been someone who became a Saint at just over twenty years of age — shaking the entire world and stunning all factions. Acclaimed as a heaven-defying prodigy, his final achievement turned out to be nothing more than the Saint King level.

There were also those who blossomed late, starting out poorly but later surging forward relentlessly — giving the impression of a setting sun that suddenly blazed bright again. Those who reached the Great Saint level and the Quasi-Emperor level were not hard to find among such examples.

It was said that in the most ancient of eras, there had once been someone who barely managed to attain sainthood at five thousand years of age. Through bitter, grinding cultivation, they ultimately attained the Dao and achieved the Emperor level at just over six thousand years old — unrivaled across an entire era.

In general, those who became Great Emperors tended to break through during their prime, when their vital energy was at its strongest. To become an Emperor at just over six thousand years of age was itself something almost unseen throughout history.

Many examples demonstrated that those who advanced swiftly in the early stages of cultivation enjoyed significant advantages — but that did not guarantee they would all attain the supreme Dao fruit. And those whose early aptitude was mediocre, whose progress was slow — they were not necessarily destined for a path of hardship. It was entirely possible for them to rise above the rest later on and achieve great things through late blooming.

“So Little One, you must remain humble and cultivate with dedication. An early rise counts for nothing. The true barrier is the breakthrough to the Great Saint level — throughout history, nine out of ten gifted prodigies have come to a quiet, disappointing end.” Ji Ziyue advised the Little One earnestly.

The Lightning Phoenix Bird’s divine feathers shimmered brilliantly, its eyes dark as black gemstones — and yet in that moment, it bobbed its head over and over like a little chicken pecking at grain, listening to Ji Ziyue with absolute obedience.

“Ahem. By that logic, I suppose I’m destined to achieve Emperorhood at six thousand years of age. Truly a helpless fate,” Long Ma declared without a trace of shame.

“Your skin really is impossibly thick,” the Little One muttered.

“It absolutely has to be!” Long Ma felt no shame whatsoever — quite the opposite, it was proud of the fact. In its view, anyone living in this world had to have thick skin, or they would suffer for it. It had endless real-world proof to back this up.

That night, they talked for a long time. The Twelve Saints were greatly encouraged — falling behind now meant nothing. There was no need to rush the rise.

Besides, their cultivation speed was truly not slow. They were simply a little behind someone like Ye Fan — a monstrous exception who defied all reason. Their advancement to the next level was only a matter of time.

If all of them were like Ye Fan — charging forward from the very back, rapidly overtaking one young supreme after another — those figures would probably kill themselves out of sheer despair and fury.

One or two such individuals was not unusual. But an entire group of them? What would that leave for all the other most powerful beings in the world?

At dawn, a brilliant red sun leapt above the mountaintops, painting the morning mist in a cascade of colors. Only after a long while did the clouds and rosy hues slowly fade away.

Ji Ziyue led the way toward where her brother had gone into seclusion — with the entire group wrapped in a Heaven-Deceiving Formation, invisible to any outside eyes.

Through the conversations of the previous night, they had learned about the experiences of the two siblings.

Over these many years, Ji Ziyue and her brother had crossed paths with almost no one else. Ever since catching traces of the Nine-Layered Coffin, they had been tracking it through the void — chasing after the Void Emperor’s ancient coffin wherever it drifted.

The ancient coffin recited scriptures, but no one else could hear them — only Ji Ziyue and Ji Haoyue. From their very first encounter, they had known: this was the burial coffin of their ancestors.

The two siblings were not lacking in imperial scriptures — they had full mastery of the Void’s profound mysteries. But over the long journey of following the coffin, they had gathered what amounted to casual personal notes and reflections — equivalent to cultivation insights. The value of such writings was beyond measure, on par with imperial scriptures themselves, and of incalculable significance.

Over these many years, the ancient coffin had soared across the cosmos, delving deep into many ancient lands and witnessing countless sacred wonders of the world. Some of those ancient domains still bore marks left by the Void Great Emperor in his youth — as if retracing his own journey.

In the end, the two of them climbed atop the ancient coffin and entered together, arriving at this place. The divine demon liquid had proven to be the most extraordinary fortune imaginable — over the course of dozens of years, they had been reborn over and over, transformed from the inside out.

This liquid not only transformed a person’s constitution — it also granted access to ancient inheritances. Within it were fragments of the Great Dao left behind by three thousand divine beings and demons of the most ancient eras, a vast collection of countless scriptures and records.

Of course, each inheritance was incomplete — there could be no perfect wholeness. What remained were imprints of blood essence, spirit, and bone that had persisted in the world, now manifesting once more.

Ji Ziyue had placed something on her brother without him knowing, allowing her to sense his safety from a great distance. She pointed proudly toward a mountain peak. “I suppressed him deep within the earth’s veins, surrounded by interlocking formation arrays. Unless he advances in cultivation, he cannot escape.”

Everyone exchanged glances. Poor Ji Haoyue — ever serious-faced, ever strict with his younger sister — had finally been thoroughly dominated by this girl. No one could begin to imagine what expression he would wear when he emerged.

No one was going to disturb him. Undergoing the transformation of the divine demon liquid was a deeply personal process — how long it would take depended on the person, and for some it might take quite a long time.

They settled in to keep watch, waiting patiently. In the meantime, Ji Ziyue produced a small purple jar and moved to share its contents with Ye Fan and Pang Bo — inside, unmistakably, was the divine demon liquid.

The moment the lid was lifted, a wave of clear fragrance burst forth. Crystalline droplets shimmered and glittered with light — and then, one after another, ghostly figures surged out, like divine beings and ancient demons roaring aloud, rushing forward in an overwhelming tide.

“Hold onto this carefully — it may prove enormously useful in the future,” Ye Fan said. Pang Bo nodded in agreement.

They had each received their share of the Immortality Medicine and the divine fluid left behind by the Azure Emperor, and their progress in recent years had been extraordinary. They no longer needed to rely constantly on such external aids for breakthroughs. What mattered most now was creating their own Dao — comprehending their own techniques and paths.

Half a month passed, and Ji Haoyue had still not emerged from seclusion. He remained in his breakthrough push. Through source art, Ye Fan could see a great cocoon deep within the earth’s veins, rising and sinking slowly, radiating a powerful aura.

Of course, only source art at that level could perceive even that much — the area below had been buried beneath endless layers of formation arrays, invisible to any ordinary eye.

Deeming it unsafe, Ye Fan laid down a Heaven-Deceiving Formation on top of it all, sealing off the area completely.

During this time, the Golden Serpent Elder, Sang Gu, the Divine Race Celestial Maiden, the Corpse Fiend, the Heaven-Swallowing Beast, and Di Tian had all appeared nearby. Even Great Saints had been seen sweeping through the region — clearly drawn there by someone.

“Who is so vicious, actually luring Great Saints here? If this keeps up, an accident is almost certain to happen.” Pang Bo said.

Some of the Great Saints were directly shattering the landscape, striking indiscriminately across mountains and ancient ridgelines. If one of those strikes landed here, Ji Haoyue would be blasted out of his seclusion.

Another day passed. Qi Tian, the human race’s path-guarding figure, appeared — a faint, hazy shadow cutting straight through the region without stopping.

That was already the sixth Great Saint. It was plainly obvious that someone was drawing them in — otherwise there was no possible explanation for so many of them appearing in this one area.

Boom!

In the distance, rocks and sand flew in all directions, smoke and dust billowing in great waves. Mountain peaks were obliterated like ash as a divine map swept across the sky — the killing formation diagram of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable, an unstoppable sweeping force. Even its mere shockwaves reduced countless mountains and rivers to smoldering ruins.

The one fortunate thing was that the divine elder drove it away in another direction and it did not sweep through here. Otherwise, Ye Fan would already have been considering forcibly digging Ji Haoyue out and carrying him off.

“He’s about to emerge — I can feel that my brother has awakened. The cocoon is about to crack!” After over twenty days had passed, Ji Ziyue sensed it.

At that moment, the Little One’s expression filled with worry. She looked toward Ye Fan and asked whether he had ever offended Ji Haoyue. This puzzled him, and he asked why.

“Haoyue Brother said he wants to kill you. He’s about to wake up — you should probably leave now.” The Little One said earnestly, her concern entirely genuine.

“Stop saying nonsense.” Ji Ziyue gave her a light tap on the head.

“It’s true. All these years, the thing Haoyue Brother said most often was, ‘I’m going to kill that kid — one day I will find him on the other shore of the starry sky.’ I once asked him who this person was. His expression went very dark and he said ‘a scoundrel.’ Later, when he was muttering to himself, he said the name Ye Fan.” The Little One spoke with complete sincerity.

Ji Ziyue — for one of the rare times in her life — actually flushed. She affected great interest in the sky above, pointedly ignoring the looks from Pang Bo, Long Ma, and the others. It was perfectly clear: Ji Haoyue’s fury had been on behalf of his little sister, and he had been intending to settle the score with Ye Fan.

Long Ma had been waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity and had absolutely no intention of letting it pass. It made a long, exaggerated sound and said, “Big brother-in-law wants to kill his brother-in-law to prove his Dao — is there no justice in this world? Ye boy, I suggest you give him a thorough beating the moment you meet him, so he understands that bigger fists are the only real truth.”

Ye Fan raised a hand to suppress it at once upon hearing its outrageous nonsense. Long Ma leapt out of the way immediately, wearing the expression of a shameless creature completely unbothered by any threat. “Beat the big brother-in-law senseless — that’s the real truth.”

“Little One, open your mouth — time for your divine demon liquid.” Ji Ziyue produced the purple jade jar and called the Lightning Phoenix Bird over.

Long Ma immediately adopted its most shameless expression and came trotting over eagerly. “I’d say that when you meet a brother-in-law like this one, a good thrashing is absolutely necessary. In a moment I am going to lend my full support to that Brother Haoyue I’ve never met — I feel a deep connection with him already. He and I are clearly kindred spirits.”

Everyone looked at it with contempt. The creature’s brazenness was truly staggering. Even Long Ma’s own followers — the Twelve Saints — put on expressions that said I don’t know this person and backed away from it.

Boom!

At that moment, the heavens cracked and the earth split. The earth’s veins exploded open. Boulders shot into the sky like arrows. A massive divine cocoon erupted from deep within the earth and surged into the high air, wreathed in immortal mist, its surface covered in a web of fractures.