Clang!

Ye Fan’s fist collided with the massive black halberd, sending it reeling.

The great purple dragon dove down — this was unquestionably the greatest threat. An ancient Imperial vessel was terrifying. Who could face its edge?

If Ye Fan had not had the Chaos Azure Lotus in hand, he too would have had to flee. Three great bloodlines of Ancient Emperors appearing together, plus an Imperial vessel pressing down to kill — it amounted to a death trap from which no one could escape.

The three-leafed azure lotus was verdant and glistening, chaos qi drifting mistily around it. Ye Fan grasped it and drove it into the great dragon. The purple true dragon posed the greatest threat — he had to hold it back first before he could do anything else.

Hum!

The Imperial Dharmic vessel roared, like a vast waterfall cascading down, extraordinarily formidable. Ye Fan swept the Chaos Azure Lotus, which brushed out tiny points of green light, breaking through the Imperial Dao laws.

There was no earth-shattering great collision — just this simply. The azure lotus was mysterious and fiendishly strange. With three leaves it broke ten thousand techniques, sweeping everything aside.

Though the endless waves of Dao energy were boundless, none could approach Ye Fan’s body. The Dragon Lady could not break through. Even with the supreme Imperial weapon in hand, she was helpless.

This was astonishing. The Dragon Lady had a sensation of striking a punch into soft mud — her fury was useless. She simply could not break through the lotus.

The one fortunate thing was that the azure lotus had no offensive capability — it could only defend passively. Otherwise, given its fiendish nature, it would certainly have been considerably terrifying.

The Dragon Lady withdrew her hand and stood in the sky, her expression dark and shifting with indeterminate light.

Rumble!

Stars seemed scattered chaotically through the air. Divine radiance was everywhere, and blinding light was everywhere. The Golden Heavenly Lady’s secret arts fell like rain — though the raindrops were unusual, being various golden Dao vessels.

Ye Fan swung out the Heavenly Emperor’s Fist like a blacksmith pounding iron — clanging continuously, violently clashing with those weapons, deafeningly loud.

The sky was filled with golden fragments — formed from laws, but indistinguishable from the real. In their previous battle, the Golden Heavenly Lady had suffered greatly. Today she returned with force.

Three great bloodlines of Ancient Emperors appearing simultaneously — anyone who witnessed this had to grow solemn.

The Old Man Demon also emerged from the warship, fixing his gaze on the three as he looked them over. He was selecting a target, preparing to begin a great slaughter.

Ye Fan had no choice but to keep his attention fixed on the Dragon Lady — because she had an Imperial vessel in hand. The Chaos Azure Lotus was necessary to hold her back, or it would seriously threaten the safety of the others.

The atmosphere was tense, so oppressive it seemed as if breathing itself would stop.

Thud!

Suddenly, at this critical moment, the void cracked open. The five-colored altar on the Black Pearl flickered, and the Black Emperor and Hua Hua returned. At the sight of the purple Imperial Dao dragon coiling in the heavens above, they went blank — staring like they had seen a ghost.

The Black Emperor blinked its large copper-bell eyes, came to its senses, and immediately hollered at the Golden Heavenly Lady: “Little sister, did you bring enough clothes?”

Everyone was petrified, not quite knowing what to make of it.

In the past, Ye Fan had once chased the Golden Heavenly Lady running naked. That was a shame that could never be erased.

Sure enough, the Golden Heavenly Lady flew into an immediate rage — flustered and exasperated, she unleashed a massive wave of secret arts, like a rain of apocalyptic meteors shattering heaven and earth, smashing down toward them.

“Hey, dragon clan — did you bring more meat? Though that old dragon really didn’t taste good.” The Black Emperor’s toxic tongue was truly incurable. On the spot, it sent the Dragon Lady into a fury, driving her to activate the Imperial weapon and send it killing toward them.

“Hey, you arrogant little thing who keeps putting on airs — what are you so proud of? Three hundred years ago, your godfather was killed. What are you even jumping around for now?” Another sentence that made faces change color. The Black Emperor never stopped ruining people.

The Spirit of the Divine Tomb’s expression immediately darkened. It swung the great halberd and came to kill again.

“Master, let’s get out of here. Don’t worry about them for now. Someone is trying to seize our Heavenly Court. Let’s go eliminate them first!” Hua Hua said.

This time, the Black Emperor’s five-colored altar had managed to work without error, and their round trip brought back such a piece of news.

“What?” Ye Fan was startled. While continuing to resist the attacks from above, he asked whether there had been any casualties.

“None. The Lei Shen brat ran to our Heavenly Court to weather his tribulation — hoping to wipe out everyone at the Heavenly Court headquarters. But Xiao Nannan sensed it and scared him away.” Hua Hua revealed the truth.

Ye Fan’s expression immediately turned ice-cold. When they first arrived at this battlefield, they had already encountered Lei Shen. He had not expected this person to be so vicious — running to their rear and striking at their base.

This person was no simple figure. Being able to locate the Heavenly Court’s foundational seat was itself remarkable. But the idea of weathering a near-Emperor tribulation there was truly vicious.

In the great battle over three hundred years ago, the Lord of the Divine Ruins had fallen. This lineage bore a deep enmity with Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and Jiang Taixu — but to go this far, seeking to eradicate the innocent members of the Heavenly Court by any means necessary, was a ruthlessness that inspired true fury.

“There is no choice — he must be eliminated first!”

Such a person was without scruples. Leaving him alive would certainly be a great source of trouble. Ye Fan immediately boarded the near-Emperor ship, intending to rush to the Heavenly Court headquarters.

“Don’t even think about leaving!” The Dragon Lady was relentless, activating the Imperial Dao vessel to suppress them.

Ye Fan paid her no attention, driving the five-colored altar with full force, causing it to levitate. Then the entire near-Emperor ship sank into the altar. Ye Fan covered the rear, the last one to enter.

“They actually left the battlefield!” The Spirit of the Divine Tomb froze, wanting to give chase but then stopping.

“What does it matter? Go and finish them off!” The Golden Heavenly Lady said. Her head full of golden hair burned like a torch, and solar golden essence flowed all over her body.

“Right — let’s kill them!” The Dragon Lady was of the same mind and shared her conviction.

They fixed their eyes on the five-colored altar, carefully deducing its coordinates. Then the Ten Thousand Dragon Bell shook open the void, and they passed directly through the void gate.

At the Heavenly Court headquarters, though people had been alarmed, no one was injured. The moment Lei Shen arrived, Xiao Nannan sensed it and involuntarily flew over toward him. Lei Shen’s expression changed drastically, and he forcibly suppressed his near-Emperor tribulation before fleeing far away.

“I hope he chokes holding it in!” Li Heishui cursed.

“He successfully weathered the tribulation. In the Immortal Star System, people witnessed an ocean of thunder lightning, terrifying beyond measure. A creature like the lord of heavenly punishment advanced to near-Emperor.” Qi Luo said.

“I will go kill him!” Ye Fan said. He despised this person — fighting him directly would be one thing, but going to the rear to strike at the Heavenly Court’s members was another matter entirely.

“Big brother, Nannan wants to go with you.” The little girl came running over in unsteady steps, panting, her large eyes like black gems glittering brightly.

Ye Fan naturally would not let her follow. The little one’s power of deterrence was the very foundation of the Heavenly Court’s security. In this age of chaos, who knew how many villains might appear.

“I’ll go too.” The Old Man Demon showed a mouthful of snow-white teeth and said.

“Old man, let’s have a competition to see who finds him first and cuts him down.” Ye Fan laughed.

“Good!” The Old Man Demon nodded in agreement.

They had barely finished speaking when both vanished from where they stood — tearing open space and rushing toward the deepest reaches of the star system.

“Poor kid!” The Black Emperor shook its head and sighed. To be hated by two freaks — what good end could there be?

“Master is truly furious this time. He will definitely begin a great slaughter, killing that vicious Lei Shen until body and soul are both obliterated.” Hua Hua pressed its palms together and recited the Buddha’s name, its face full of compassion.

The Heavenly Court members were all terrified. That was a Prince from one of the life forbidden zones — his origin and his own cultivation were both fearsome beyond imagination. Yet these two spoke of it so lightly, saying they would go hunting him.

All the heavenly soldiers and divine generals were a little stupefied — they were actually going to hunt a near-Emperor? This was the stuff of myth!

With such powerful guardians protecting the Heavenly Court, this lineage — how could it fear not growing strong? In time, they would certainly blaze brilliantly, and the lingering unease in everyone’s hearts completely vanished.

Because the several leaders were far too powerful. As time passed, it would only be a matter of time before they reached the pinnacle of this cosmos, standing at the highest peak!

Perhaps these heavenly soldiers and divine generals would go down in history, illuminating ancient and modern times alike. Establishing an immortal divine dynasty seemed like no problem at all.

In recent times, star domains everywhere were unstable. All races were unsettled. This was an age where powerful figures emerged in abundance — a foreseeable era of extreme brilliance had arrived.

It was not unusual for the strong to be everywhere, because people already had a premonition.

Yet with the emergence of powerful figures from before the Ancient Era, a powerful unease welled up in people’s hearts. When the Immortal Heaven Empress returned, it completely ignited the suspicion and fear lurking in people’s hearts.

“The Phoenix Nest has reappeared — the Immortal Heaven Empress intends to claim the position of the foremost power in all under heaven!”

“She is a terrifying woman. The Phoenix Nest has only just awakened for a few years, and already she is patrolling everywhere, gathering the foundations left by the Immortal Heaven Emperor, preparing to dominate the eight wastelands.”

She could even temporarily set aside the hatred for her son’s death in order to rein in the surviving members of the Eight Divine Generals — the depth of this woman’s lust for power was plain to see, causing many people’s flesh to creep.

The one fortunate thing was that someone seemed capable of matching her — otherwise she would not have gone to such lengths, conscripting the formerly divine-ascended figures of old, preparing for a decisive battle. She had a sense of urgency.

“Is it the Lord of the Divine Court? Is he about to achieve the Dao? Is the Immortal Heaven Empress worried, wanting to seize the time to cut him down before he achieves the Dao?”

This was what the vast majority of people speculated. Other than this, who else could cause the Immortal Heaven Empress to be so urgently pressing, setting aside all else to meet a supreme enemy head-on?

The Immortal Star Domain was a place of taboo — many ferocious and powerful creatures lived there. Ye Fan came, tracking down Lei Shen’s whereabouts.

But here, he came away empty-handed. And he did not enter the sealed land at the center of that radiant great star. There were too many uncertain factors here, and he did not wish to invite unnecessary complications.

In another region, the Old Man Demon was also in motion, searching for the near-Emperor Lei Shen.

Several days later, news came from another star domain: Lei Shen had destroyed a Heavenly Court branch hall, turning an entire great star into a land of tribulation, holding nothing back in a complete annihilation.

Though that place was desolate — a frontier under the Heavenly Court’s dominion, with few heavenly soldiers — it was still a tragedy, filling people with fury.

“He believes the Divine Ruins is a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den, that no one dares intrude there, and so he acts without restraint out here. Sooner or later, someone will flatten it!” The Heavenly Court’s people were furious.

Half a month later, both Ye Fan and the Old Man Demon returned, standing guard between the Heavenly Court’s various divisions and conducting patrols.

At last, Lei Shen reappeared. He unleashed heavenly punishment, coming again to massacre — intent on wiping out the Heavenly Court’s living strength.

This time, the Black Emperor was well-prepared. The formation patterns set up in advance took effect, capable of pinpointing location and transmitting signals. Even across hundreds of light-years, the altar at Ye Fan’s side lit up, pointing the way.

Swish!

He tore open the void and vanished in an instant.

Boom!

On this day, heaven and earth erupted. An entire star domain was nearly sunk, and a near-Emperor level blood battle erupted.

“I wanted to give you a surprise — kill all your subordinates cleanly. I didn’t expect you to return from the battlefield. Then let’s settle this here.” Lei Shen said coldly. Having become a near-Emperor, he was brimming with confidence.

At this point, there was nothing more to be said. They went straight into a blood battle. Ye Fan swung his leg in a sweeping kick, aiming to sever this person at the waist.

“The wrath of the Thunder Laws, bearing the will of heaven — breaking ten thousand techniques, destroying ten thousand things! Holy Physique — today only one of us will leave here alive!” Lei Shen roared, his killing intent sweeping through ten thousand ages.

He was not purely acting out of private grievance either. Hunting the Heavenly Court’s members and truly encountering Ye Fan — he also wanted to fight a glorious battle. Because the Emperor Path in the end had to be decided by true strength.

For someone as self-confident as himself, how could he shrink back at the very beginning of this Emperor Path — with all the Imperial Princes emerging together? He was determined to carve out a sky of his own.

Boom!

The answer given to him was a fist, shattering the endless thunder lightning. Ye Fan bathed in the radiance of lightning and advanced rather than retreating, killing his way to close range.

“Holy Physique — to be born in this Golden Age, to have encountered so many opponents — this is our fortune, and our misfortune alike. Let us fight!”

Lei Shen howled wildly. The electrical light blazed even more fiercely. Dao script covered every inch of the sky as the full might of an Imperial blood near-Emperor erupted — shocking the mortal realm.

“Fortune or misfortune — all of it lies within this single age!” Ye Fan did not underestimate his enemy, fighting with full force.

Streams of lightning cut across all directions, rending the cosmos. Starlight blazed forth and then was extinguished, like immortal blossoms blooming and withering — a funeral song for life and death, a bloodied and flaming solitary path wrought in one.

Lei Shen unleashed his full power, pressing down upon Ye Fan with his true strength — intent on carving out a brilliant starry sky, to prove his undying path.

This was a contest of strength — a life-and-death confrontation between two Imperial Prince-caliber figures. There were no schemes, no tricks — only a cruel interpretation of what the Emperor Path truly was.

In the brutal great battle, blood flew. The tribulation lightning dimmed. The thunder representing heaven’s punishment, though boundless in power and branded with endless Dao scripture, was at last detonated by Ye Fan.

Lei Shen flew upward and backward, cracks spreading all over his body. Blood bloomed in that instant. His entire being exploded with a splurt — blood and gleaming white bone fragments flew upward. He died under Ye Fan’s Heavenly Emperor’s Fist.

With all the Emperor’s Sons emerging together, the great decisive battle for the Emperor Path had barely begun its curtain-rise — and it was already this brutal.

The Old Man Demon stamped his foot. He had arrived a step too late, unable to prevent it. He watched Lei Shen explode to pieces and let out a sigh.

“Next time, I won’t let you make the move!” The old man said furiously.

Rumble!

Between the Nine Emperor Passes, a great stele slowly emerged from within chaos. Ye Fan’s name brightened considerably, while Lei Shen’s name grew permanently dim.

The stele was covered densely from top to bottom with many names. The Golden Heavenly Lady, the Old Man Demon, the Holy Emperor’s Son, Dao Yi, Huo Qizi, the Old Madman, the Phoenix Void Dao, and dozens of others also shone brilliantly — all were individuals of enormous potential on the Emperor Path.

The moment the battle between Ye Fan and Lei Shen came to a close, such a great stele appeared between the Nine Emperor Passes — astonishing to behold. Many people were bewildered, not knowing who had erected it.

Almost on the same day, a great battle of even wider scope erupted. The Immortal Heaven Empress fought someone in bloody combat beyond the Nine Emperor Passes, shaking the cosmos.

People felt that terrifying pressure — as if they had returned to the moment of the dark chaos. Those fluctuations were far too immense, sweeping across the mortal realm.

To think there was a great battle of this caliber. Everyone was stunned. Was the Immortal Heaven Empress in a decisive battle with the Lord of the Divine Court? This was the suspicion in every person’s heart.

Ye Fan sensed it, yet was unafraid. Even without being a match, at the near-Emperor realm, he had the ability to flee and hide — that was something he could accomplish.

The Dragon Lady and the Golden Heavenly Lady came. The Spirit of the Divine Tomb also appeared — with killing intent billowing to the sky — appearing in this cosmos, having rushed over from that battlefield.

Ye Fan sensed them. There was nothing more to be said. He knew that from this day forward, even if he wished to show mercy, he would have no such option. A blood-stained Emperor Path extended beneath his feet. There was no choice, no way to refuse. He had to advance, treading upon the bones of one great enemy after another!