Endless great stars shattered into fragments, cascade after cascade of star rivers were forever reduced to dust, countless ancient domains fell into ruin and became stellar wastelands, and many star systems were devastated and destroyed.
Imperial blood scattered across the cosmos. No one knew the precise details of that battle, yet many legends were left behind — for years upon years, people sang of the glory and tragic lament of humanity’s supreme being, Gai Jiuyou.
Some said that in the final instant, he had proven his Dao, transforming into a great Emperor, only to then dim at the absolute pinnacle — like a firework blooming, brilliant for a moment before walking into darkness and vanishing.
Others said they had witnessed the supreme being, caught in the chaos of the dark upheaval, being forced into the Ultimate Sublimation, drowning that entire star domain in his radiance.
Still others said they had glimpsed a cluster of immortal fire burning, incinerating the Dao marks of all the heavens, burying everything, leaving nothing behind.
The outstanding hero of a generation, Gai Jiuyou, vanished from the mortal world. After that battle, he was never seen again, leaving behind boundless sorrow and grief that continued to be spoken of for countless years.
In the depths of the cosmos, an immortal melody drifted on and on. A white-clothed woman with tear-stained cheeks played in solitary sorrow the transcendence melody for crossing tribulations, filled with profound grief — sending off her own master. She was Xia Jiuyou.
On the cosmic battlefield, the fighting continued, but now only Ye Fan remained. There was utterly no hope left. The entire heaven and earth was blanketed in gloom and desolation.
At this point, who could check and balance the Stone Emperor and the Heaven-Forsaking Supreme? There was no longer any opponent capable.
Ye Fan was drenched in blood. He had fought until his body was in ruins, his divine power exhausted, without a shred of combat strength remaining. Looking upon this outcome, he felt powerless despite his will — filled with unwillingness and bitter fury!
Boom!
An imperial weapon exploded and was smashed apart, yet it also blasted forth a powerful wave that left both Supreme Beings half-drenched in blood, nearly crippling them.
With no hope remaining, despair set in. The imperial weapons’ frenzy had reached an extreme — they would bring mutual destruction. For the two Supreme Beings, this was an exceptionally dangerous signal.
Only the two of them remained. The five imperial weapons of the ancient Supreme Being had all been destroyed. Facing the rage of these imperial soldiers, they would find themselves in mortal peril.
“Clang!”
From the distant sky came the ringing of a sword. A killing sword arrived trailing boundless torrents of blood-light — a new imperial weapon had joined the fray.
It was one of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Lord’s killing swords!
Then came a second immortal sword flying forward, its blood-light sweeping away the stars, stretching across an unknowable number of light-years, breaking through the cosmic restraints to arrive in an instant.
The Black Emperor roared in fury and opened its mouth, spitting out a third killing sword. The blade bore the brand of immortal slaughter, dripping with blood, causing the entire expanse of the cosmos to shudder.
In the depths of the star sea, a monkey who greatly resembled the Sacred Prince stood up, released his palm, and a killing sword resonating with his aura — already merged with him — soared into the air, transforming into a beam of eternal light that came slashing forward.
Boom!
Four killing swords arrived together, swinging into motion, erupting with dazzling brilliance that slashed downward, lending the imperial weapon an additional surge of power.
And, in that very instant, from a distant star system within a vast and magnificent expanse of ocean, a Dao formation map flew up, accompanied by the sound of chanted sutras echoing in succession, appearing just behind the four killing swords.
This was a formation map refined from immortal materials, engraved with the supreme Dao marks of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Lord. Combined with the four swords, it was no ordinary battle formation — it was a true killing instrument capable of genuinely wounding a Supreme Being.
In an instant, the four swords fell into position, forming a peerless killing formation. With a thunderous crash it released a dazzling radiance that slashed down upon the Stone Emperor’s body, producing a resounding metallic ring and triggering fierce resistance.
At that moment, the other imperial weapons all joined the formation as well, entering into it to deliver the killing blow.
The Stone Emperor and the Heaven-Forsaking Supreme truly changed expressions. If they could not return to their most absolute pinnacle state, they might face a blood calamity.
Streams of blood flew from their bodies — this was no longer the original killing formation. The addition of so many imperial weapons had made it far more powerful than before!
Both men were forced to fight with everything they had in a final, desperate blood struggle.
“The creator of the word-secret technique — the representative who constructed the supreme killing formation within — it is truly fearsome. What a pity that the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Lord is not here to preside over it. No one fully comprehends those most profound and complex immortal script and Dao marks, so the power cannot reach its maximum.”
Though the Stone Emperor was severely wounded, he steadied himself. Without the true master conducting it, he did not believe he was trapped in a situation of certain death, and he launched a counterattack.
With a wave of his hand, an equally terrifying killing formation appeared — surging with murderous energy to the heavens. This was a blood formation nourished by devouring ten thousand living beings. He had yet another hidden move.
In this moment, blood energy surged to the heavens, rolling and boiling, drowning this star domain.
And then, lifting his hand, he reached out to seize Ye Fan — for at this time Ye Fan was severely wounded, having fought himself half to ruin, and with no blood to power the Beginningless Scripture, he could no longer invoke the imperial Dao laws.
“Blood-sacrifice my formation!” said the Stone Emperor.
Ye Fan offered no resistance, and only when the hand drew near did he speak: “Here, let me offer the sacrifice!”
Boom!
He was extremely fierce and unyielding. He directly caused his own body to detonate, intending to drag half of the Stone Emperor’s life along with him. And a Dao-dissolving force spread outward — he intended to let his own blood burn to ashes, leaving no life substance behind for the other to take.
The Stone Emperor let out a muffled grunt. His arm split apart and nearly blasted off, while Ye Fan was already torn into four or five pieces, on the verge of walking toward self-destruction amid the light rain of Dao-dissolution.
“Wishing to die — it is not that simple. You die only when I allow it; you live only when I allow it. Your life and death are mine to decide!” The Stone Emperor’s expression was cold. He repaired his arm, brilliant radiance bloomed from his brow, and he opened his mouth and spat a mouthful of blood, which extinguished that Dao-dissolving light rain directly.
Then, raising his hand, he pulled Ye Fan’s fragmented body back together and threw him into the blood formation, saying: “I’ll spare your life, to suffer within the sea of blood.”
Ye Fan gave a wretched laugh. Even wanting to self-detonate had not fully succeeded — he had only injured his opponent’s arm. His Primordial Spirit was too weak; without imperial Dao laws, he was simply too far behind.
In a certain sense, he truly was nothing more than an ant. Even having crawled into the body of a great dragon, he could not defy the heavens.
He knew his life was nearly spent, that he would soon be leaving this world. There was laughter, there were tears — the people and events of the past all surfaced in his heart, one dynasty after another, one scene after another.
He did not wish to give up just like this. If there were still an opportunity, he would still choose mutual destruction — using the force of shattering his own body to make the enemy’s blood splatter across three thousand feet.
From the distance, Laozi and Shakyamuni came rushing back from the depths of the endless star domains, hurling several broken great Emperor battle formations into the center of the battlefield!
This place grew even more violent. Clearly the situation had deteriorated to an extreme degree and was losing all control, causing even the two Supreme Beings to furrow their brows.
Deep in the distant star sea, upon a meteorite, Duan De was covered in blood. Beside him was a tattered sutra from which formation markings spread outward, stained with blood. He had nearly sacrificed himself through blood-ritual, and was gritting his teeth as he spoke: “The true blood of the Heavenly Lord that I worked so painstakingly to refine — just as it was beginning to emerge, now all of it must be offered up. What an enormous loss. Not even digging up several great Emperor tombs could compensate for this!”
He wailed with heartfelt anguish and misery.
He was performing a blood sacrifice. The Heaven-Devouring Demon Cover floated within the formation markings spreading from that tattered sutra, as the mysterious runes and power formed from blood-light called out to the Demon Cover to awaken.
This was no ordinary revival of an imperial weapon — it was awakening the latent consciousness within it!
For this was no ordinary imperial weapon. It had been formed from the skull of a brilliantly talented Female Emperor. What Duan De sought to revive was not the imperial weapon itself, but the Female Emperor’s latent consciousness and latent power!
Finally, he sacrificed half of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Cover, and cried out: “Supreme Female Celestial Emperor — I have paid half my life. Please be united. Go!”
He murmured incantations, the chanting like rolling thunder that shook the star sea. Half of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Cover flew up, rushing into the depths of the cosmos. In that instant, the other half sensed it and came flying over in a flash.
With a thunderous boom, the two halves merged into one, and dimly the silhouette of a woman whose Pressure Aura commanded heaven and earth appeared — materializing in a hazy emergence!
This was the most peculiar imperial weapon in all of heaven and earth, refined from the flesh and blood of a great Emperor who had used their own body as immortal material to forge a matchless imperial weapon.
And the self — had escaped from within it as a divine embryo!
Hmmm—!
It charged into the cosmic battlefield, and it was nothing like a weapon at all — more like a truly living great Emperor, arriving in an instant.
In the massive shockwaves, the Heaven-Forsaking Supreme went flying sideways. He revealed an expression of utter disbelief. His entire body was covered in cracks. He arduously wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said: “Is this an imperial weapon, or a person? This is rather uncanny!”
The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme struck out, thrusting forward — yet after the Demon Jar merged, the hazy phantom of a woman truly materialized before it. Her divine might was world-dominating. With one stomp downward, the four directions crumbled, causing his body to tremble.
“It is merely an imperial weapon — can it really defy the heavens? It is not as if she has come in person!” The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme let out a great roar and rapidly escalated his combat power. Yet the woman before the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar had brilliant radiance blazing from the center of her brow, shooting out ray after ray of rosy light that counteracted his power entirely.
Boom!
Most importantly, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar began to glow. A colossal killing formation materialized, spreading across the sky, drowning this entire place.
Added to the broken formations sacrificed by Laozi, Shakyamuni, and others, this place had become a death ground. The Dao marks of various great Emperors surged forth together, growing terrifying beyond the extreme.
The Beginningless Scripture — which had previously grown quiet — absorbed the blood of the Void, the Boundless Universe, and several Supreme Beings that drifted here, and once again began to glow. It flipped open a mysterious page, and battle formations interwove to construct another great formation.
“These are merely weapons — do they wish to slay emperors too? You cannot defy the heavens!” The two Supreme Beings both shouted, but the situation was far more dire than they had imagined — many times over.
Every imperial weapon began to glow, and drawing upon the massive surging waves of this place, they summoned the various remnant great Emperor battle formations scattered throughout the cosmos, all pressing down upon this location.
Certain broken formations that had long been buried and could no longer appear in the world, in this moment — stirred by the roars of so many imperial weapons and the boundless spreading of immeasurable divine power — revived one after another, rising from the ground and pressing down toward this place.
“Roar!”
The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme could bear it no longer. With no path of retreat, no choices remaining, in this moment he underwent the Ultimate Sublimation. His Dao climbed at a tremendous speed, reaching an absolute pinnacle, blooming with undying radiance.
The surrounding broken formations all exploded into pieces — unable to suppress him!
Even the Stone Emperor’s blood formation collapsed, for its materials were insufficient to withstand this world-dominating Pressure Aura. The entire cosmos trembled, and countless great stars exploded one after another.
The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme made no attempt to conceal this divine might — he seemed capable of stomping the entire primordial cosmos to pieces with one step!
The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme was in despair. He had never imagined that, just before the slaughter feast was about to begin, he would be pushed to this point — forced into the Ultimate Sublimation, becoming a world-dominating ancient Emperor of supreme age, with no one able to stop his advance. But it also meant that not long after, he would self-destruct at the height of his most brilliant radiance.
Whether Ye Fan should feel comforted or sorrowful, he was not certain — this Supreme Being was destined to die, yet the cost was far too high.
“Heaven-Forsaking Supreme, you make this sacrifice while the Stone Emperor sits and waits for your Ultimate Sublimation — do you not feel any regret?” Ye Fan spoke.
A pair of ice-cold eyes swept across, and countless star domains dimmed in their wake. These were the true world-dominating imperial Dao laws, without a single flaw. The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme’s expression was cold as an ice sculpture.
Yet he did not strike out at the Stone Emperor.
At this moment, apart from the formation map of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Lord, the formation constructed by the Beginningless Scripture, and the formation laid down by the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar, all others had been destroyed.
The waves of ancient Emperor laws swept across the six directions and eight wastelands. Many imperial weapons floated within the formation maps, but the beams of light sweeping toward him could no longer truly wound him!
Who in all the world could match him?
With a true ancient Emperor manifested, the nine heavens and ten earths held no more opponents. All living beings suffocated under this oppressive atmosphere, trembling in its grip without a single thread of hope.
“Mutual destruction!”
From within an imperial weapon on the verge of shattering came the furious roar of a divine figure who materialized — an old man, his body streaming with Dao radiance, as though blood itself was burning within him. He was the first to charge forward, and then of his own accord detonated, unleashing an impact at the level of a great Emperor.
He chose death, advancing without the slightest hesitation, becoming the most brilliant flame of light.
“Boom!”
The Heaven-Forsaking Supreme’s imposing frame shook — but killing him was far too difficult, with no hope of success. Not even a single drop of blood was spilled from him.
This was the authority and power of an ancient Emperor — transcending all things in the mortal world, truly unrivaled under heaven. As long as he existed, no force could kill him.
“A humiliating life is worse than a glorious death!”
Another imperial weapon underwent sublimation, becoming translucent throughout, extraordinarily crystalline — choosing death, letting itself bloom like a firework for one final struggle.
This was not a broken imperial weapon but a complete one — and yet it too had walked this path.
“Boom!”
The imperial weapon flew forward and exploded into smithereens, annihilated without remainder. Its radiance illuminated all of past, present, and future, awe-inspiring the entire cosmos — becoming a massive torrent that surged forward, slashing toward the ancient Supreme Being.
Yet the Heaven-Forsaking Supreme had returned to his absolute pinnacle. Though he shook violently and ceaselessly, when the radiance finally dispersed he still stood there unshaken. Though his life was limited, in this moment he was unrivaled under heaven!
His body was draped in chains of divine order. He swept across the cosmos, battling the multitude of imperial weapons in a desperate struggle.
“The dark upheaval, with no hope, the dawn lost — is this fated?” Ye Fan gave a light sigh — no sorrow, no fury. In the massive explosion just now, he had already escaped the blood formation.
His expression was tranquil. Watching the tragic and heroic sight of the imperial weapons detonating, he seemed like an outsider, and softly murmured: “Let my soul and bones be buried here as well.”
He cast one last gaze into the depths of the cosmos, then resolutely and decisively began to burn. Using the Beginningless Scripture’s formation as a shield to keep the Stone Emperor at bay, his body then became an undying torch.
It was the Flawless Holy Body burning — and then his frontal bone split apart, blasting out the most vivid flower of his life-essence blood, drawing the Dao-Ripple Immortal Robe to shatter alongside it. It crossed the formation markings constructed by the Beginningless Scripture and charged toward the Stone Emperor.
Heaven and earth fell silent. Though the most brilliant radiance was blooming, Ye Fan could no longer see it. The flowers of life-essence blood rained down, flooding his own eyes and obscuring all sight as he disintegrated — the light of blood-mud and shattered bone struck the Stone Emperor’s body.
The world grew dark. He could not see. He could not hear. Perception dispersed.