The pressure was immeasurably vast.
Everyone felt as though a great mountain had been planted in their chests — they could barely breathe, their divine souls on the verge of collapse.
Those with ambitions toward the imperial path fell into the deepest silence. This was like an insurmountable mountain blocking their way forward, offering no glimpse of hope.
Whether it was the Holy Emperor’s Son or Ji Zi, both were visibly shaken. They had never known that in this age someone had walked this far.
They were the direct sons of an ancient holy monarch and a Great Emperor respectively. No one understood better than they did how extraordinarily difficult it was to truly walk that path. It could not be reached through the mere accumulation of years — without heaven-defying talent, without brilliance that dazzled across ten thousand ages, there was no point in even dreaming of touching the steps of that domain.
To say nothing of actually ascending those steps and truly pushing open that door — it was almost impossibly difficult. From antiquity down to the present, of all the sons of Great Emperors, virtually not a single one had attained the Dao. Not one had crossed that threshold.
Regardless of this person’s origins — whether an imperial son or born of common stock — he already towered above all nine heavens and ten earths. There was nothing more to consider. He surpassed every great figure of the present age.
If this person became a Great Emperor, all hope for the people of the world would be extinguished. Was it possible for two Great Emperors to emerge in a single era?
In the days when Ye Fan was still weak, he had once believed that in a different sky, a different ancient ground of life, the concurrent existence of multiple emperors might be possible. But as he grew ever more powerful, his conviction began to waver. Every indication pointed to the same conclusion — it was exceedingly difficult.
To attain the Dao outside the same location — that was feasible, except that what would be attained was a quasi-emperor’s realm, not a true Great Emperor who had transcended the pinnacle of absolute completion.
In the end, the mightiest figures across all the many heavens and myriad realms would converge on a single narrow bridge — contending over a single road, fighting for that one and only qualification.
Unless something extraordinary occurred — unless it was the sort of mythical age belonging to an Emperor Sovereign — only then might it be possible to shatter the fetters of heaven and earth, and see multiple emperors coexist.
Of course, this was merely conjecture and not necessarily true — for even now there was no direct evidence to confirm that the era of the Emperor Sovereign definitely saw the simultaneous existence of multiple Great Emperors.
The brown-haired Great Sage’s face wore an air of cold indifference. He said not a word, yet his bearing conveyed everything — standing with his back to the world, supremely confident. Behind him stood a being on the verge of ruling the entire cosmos. Even if he were to stand within a Forbidden Zone of Life, he would not necessarily face any mortal peril. No one would dare touch him.
For he now represented a supreme being. He was an imperial envoy. No one dared to move against him.
“Ye Fan, whether you accept this decree or not — this is not a bad thing. The Emperor holds you in high regard and wishes to entrust you with an important mission.” The brown-haired Great Sage spoke again.
What level of power must one have to dare come here and recruit a human sacred physique? After all, Ye Fan was already a Great Sage. His future potential was beyond limit — who could direct him?
And yet now such a person had truly appeared, stating outright that he intended to assign him an important duty — not even afraid that Ye Fan might turn against him. It was the expression of absolute self-confidence and self-assurance.
“What Emperor? Is he stronger than this Heavenly Emperor of mine?” The Divine Child shouted indignantly. Young though the chubby little thing was, his confidence was overflowing.
Ye Fan walked forward step by step, his expression utterly cold. Someone wished to take him on as subordinate — and even if that person was on the verge of becoming a Great Emperor, it was something he found deeply unacceptable.
“Do not be so self-assured. Do not forget — he has yet to cross that threshold. Remember: until the day one truly attains the title of Great Emperor, a single day remains full of variables. It is not certain that there is no one in this heaven and earth who can stop him.” The Black Emperor said coldly, though its own expression had grown considerably grave.
A creature who once followed in the footsteps of the Great Emperor Wushi saying something like this naturally sent a shudder through everyone.
“Is there truly such a person? I genuinely cannot think of anyone in this world who could stop the Emperor. At this point, no one can touch him.” The brown-haired Great Sage was supremely confident.
He pointed to the thirty-three-story blue immortal gold tower above his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint cold smile. “Even if someone could temporarily take this tower — it would be useless. The supreme lord perceives all things across the cosmos and can traverse all six directions in an instant. No one can so much as brush a single hair on his head.”
Perhaps the so-called Emperor did harbor genuine intentions in recruiting Ye Fan. Yet this person was clearly acting on private motivations as well — with hostile intent. Otherwise he would not have chosen this particular day to deliver the letter of decree. The deliberate timing was designed to provoke.
The Holy Emperor’s Son laughed coldly. “You are far too sure of yourself. When my father attained the Dao in those days, he never carried on with this sort of grand display — a single decree to make someone with a future capable of challenging Great Emperors kneel and serve? I suspect he simply doesn’t trust Ye Fan and wants to keep him close where he can watch him.”
Whether it was him or Ji Zi, both had the standing to say such things — their fathers were true Great Emperors, and they had the final say.
“The Emperor of the Divine Court holds you in high regard. He wishes to bestow upon you the title of Heavenly King and make you sovereign over an entire domain within the Northern Dipper Star Region. He hopes you will not refuse — and not make a mistake you cannot undo.” The brown-haired Great Sage fixed his gaze on Ye Fan and spoke.
The Divine Court — this divine dynasty’s name was being spoken in the Northern Dipper Star Region for the very first time. All the sacred beings who had come from across the many heavens and domains were seized with astonishment, and then broke into discussions.
“The Master of the Divine Court’s attainment borders on the miraculous. His power exceeds all in the present age. If he truly were to act, he would be invincible beneath the heavens. Deep within the cosmos, various Great Sages have voluntarily submitted to him as disciples and are carving out territory on his behalf.”
“This is a force without equal — it will sweep across all six directions, with ambitions to unify all beneath heaven and above earth.”
Some among the crowd had heard of the Divine Court, for its influence was already enormous. It had already established dominion over certain ancient domains, its power resounding throughout the cosmos.
Ye Fan’s heart tightened, and understanding dawned within him. This was not the first time he had heard of the Divine Court. He had clashed with them before — when he went to the Ziwei Star Region to search for Xiao Nannan, he had nearly uprooted their entire organization there.
In those days, the ancient divine dynasty of Ziwei had been struck down and replaced by this organization from beyond the domain, which had become the dominant power in that region.
The master of the Divine Court, following in the footsteps of the ancients, desired to rebuild the Ancient Heavenly Court of the mythical era and recreate the splendor of the Emperor Sovereign’s time. Even back in the Ziwei Star Region, Ye Fan had suspected that behind the Divine Court stood a supreme and mighty quasi-emperor — yet he had not imagined the reality would exceed even his expectations.
“Was it your so-called Emperor who instructed you to deliver this letter today?” Ye Fan asked coldly, then answered his own question: “I suspect not. If I am not mistaken, you have a deep connection to the Great Sage I eliminated in the Ziwei Ancient Star Region. You staged all of this deliberately today — to provoke me to anger, and then have the Emperor behind you make his move.”
“You know that you once killed a Great Sage like that?” The brown-haired Great Sage finally erupted, no longer concealing the hatred in his eyes — the cold ferocity at their depths was boundless.
“When others do not offend me, I do not offend them. He brought it on himself.” Ye Fan said.
The thirty-three-story imperial tower hung high overhead, cascading trails of Mother Qi. The eternal blue gold shone with a radiance that could illuminate the rivers and stars of the cosmos. The brown-haired Great Sage stood beneath it, his expression growing darker and darker by the moment. Confident in the one behind him — a being on the verge of becoming a Great Emperor — he feared nothing here. He was not even afraid that the Ji Family, which had produced its own Great Emperor, could do anything to him.
“Then accept the decree!” He said with cold finality. Things had escalated step by step to this point. To have Ye Fan accept the letter now was to force him to bow his head — to compel him into submission under duress.
This was an act of deliberate provocation. He was exploiting this opportunity to enrage Ye Fan — hoping to use another’s blade to eliminate the one he considered his great enemy.
The Holy Emperor’s Son, Dongfang Ye, the Black Emperor, and all the others were indignant, seething with rage. Even Ji Zi, a man of few words, had gone cold — stirred with the urge to act.
This was simply too outrageous. The Master of the Divine Court may have genuinely intended to recruit Ye Fan, but he certainly could not have intended anything this lacking in courtesy. This had gone far beyond the pale.
On a betrothal day, forcing Ye Fan into this position with step after calculated step, in full view of all — it was all orchestrated by this brown-haired Great Sage, who had maneuvered the situation to humiliate Ye Fan publicly and provoke him into open opposition.
“You believe that just because someone about to become a Great Emperor stands behind you, I do not dare touch you?” Ye Fan’s expression turned ice-cold, and he walked forward step by step — saturated with killing intent.
The brown-haired Great Sage’s heart lurched. He grew even more vigilant, continuing to drive the imperial tower above his head. “I am merely a letter carrier. If you wish to defy the Emperor’s will, you are welcome to.”
“Boom!” In a single motion, Ye Fan brought out the Green Copper Cauldron, unleashing a wave of Great Emperor might and pressing forward with it — striking directly and without hesitation.
The crowd cried out in shock. This was the weapon of an Emperor Sovereign — holding within it the secret of ascending to immortality, born of Kunlun’s nurturing, having once caused the heavens and earth to tremble and setting off countless upheavals across the ages.
Every tribe and clan coveted it. Every eye burned with desire as they gazed at the green cauldron. Now it radiated a gentle luminescence, with ten thousand living beings manifesting upon its surface, and the primordial beginning’s aura rising from it in great billowing clouds.
“What are you doing — do you intend to defy the Emperor? Are you not afraid of the annihilation of your entire clan?!” The brown-haired Great Sage shouted. The thirty-three-story imperial tower above his head blazed with brilliant blue-gold radiance — thousands upon thousands of streaks of it, blinding to the eye — the most perfect masterwork of the heavens above.
“You are only a letter carrier. I would naturally not stoop to arguing with someone like you, a mere errand runner.” Ye Fan said calmly.
The brown-haired Great Sage heard these words and erupted with fury. Who was he — a patriarch sovereign over an entire domain — and yet the man across from him truly treated him as nothing more than a messenger. That utterly dismissive tone — as though he were a lowly servant doing odd jobs — without a shred of consideration. Contempt of the most absolute kind.
“However, even a letter carrier must know the proper courtesies. You have offended me so brazenly — I will not kill you for it, but your transgressions cannot go unpunished.” Ye Fan said with sharp coldness.
The crowd erupted in murmuring. To say it out loud like this was to truly treat this Great Sage as a servant — not regarding him as a peer or an equal-ranked powerful being.
The brown-haired Great Sage was furious. His eyes grew colder and colder. Today he had come relying on the force of the Divine Court’s master to crush Ye Fan’s dignity. He had not expected the man to be far more unyielding than he’d imagined. Even with the Emperor on the verge of attaining the Dao, Ye Fan still refused to yield.
“Since you have come to deliver a letter — I would actually rather hear what the Emperor has to say. Crawl over here and read the letter aloud.” Ye Fan’s expression was serene, and he spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
The crowd was stunned. Then one by one, strange expressions spread across every face. Ye Fan was resolving this crisis with sheer dominance — without missing a beat, without bowing his head, yet without making a mortal enemy of the Emperor either.
Li Heishui, Dongfang Ye, and the others all broke into smiles, leaning forward to watch the brown-haired Great Sage.
The brown-haired Great Sage’s heart lurched, and then a chill spread through every inch of his body — sensing that something had gone gravely wrong. By having him crawl over and read the letter on his knees, Ye Fan was doing something subtly but devastatingly clever — completely dismantling his scheme.
This way, Ye Fan would not lose any dignity, and he would not be making an immediate, irreversible break with the Emperor. All the humiliation would fall squarely on the brown-haired Great Sage alone.
In truth, the entire situation had been engineered by the brown-haired Great Sage himself — seeking to exploit the Emperor’s power, coercing Ye Fan and driving him toward a dead end.
With this move, even if word spread to the Emperor, nothing could be said against Ye Fan. The brown-haired Great Sage would simply have suffered humiliation for nothing. Indeed, the Emperor might find himself even more impressed with the human sacred physique.
The brown-haired Great Sage’s expression immediately darkened. He could not allow this to happen. For the moment, the best thing to do was leave this place.
But it was easy to come and hard to go.
Ye Fan’s Green Copper Cauldron bore down in suppression. At the same time, the Monkey swung his black immortal iron staff in a direct strike — his imperial might surging, having long since grown weary of looking at the brown-haired Great Sage. And Ji Zi raised his Void Mirror to attack — setting aside his relationship with Ye Fan for a moment, this was his home, and a host’s “courtesy” must be observed.
The blue-gold imperial tower shuddered, Mother Qi bursting forth in a display of extraordinary power — nearly on par with a true imperial weapon. And because its master was still alive and existed within the present age, it would gain limitless might in addition — for this weapon was continuously awakening, continuously alive.
Yet beneath the combined suppression of three imperial weapons, it could not hold out. The weapon tore directly through the void in an attempt to break through and escape.
“Crawl over here and read the letter.” Ye Fan pressed forward.