A person who had reached this cultivation level was simply like this — supremely confident in their invincibility through all ages, holding no one but themselves in regard. Without a character like that, they would never have reached this point in the first place.

Such personalities were not uncommon in the mortal world either. Those who failed naturally became objects of ridicule, while those who succeeded shone with glory for ten thousand miles — dominant throughout their entire lives. That arrogance, in turn, became a distinctive trait of their character.

The Perfected Hegemon Body, Cang Lan, was clearly the latter. He was unrivaled throughout the world — and that was connected to his character. This was simply who he was: perpetually overflowing with confidence, always this way — eyes that held no one else in regard.

“Peacefully cross your eighth-tier quasi-emperor tribulation. If you don’t, killing you would feel like dirtying my hands.” He said quietly, his face carrying cold indifference. The words were unpleasant to hear, but in a certain sense they were also the truth.

He had walked through this very step himself. He had long since achieved a kind of unconventional Dao attainment, and had personally slain a Perfected Holy Body with his own hands. When facing someone at the eighth tier of heaven, he naturally had the grounds to say such things.

“Hahaha… Hahahaha…” Ye Fan laughed heartily — though his fists were soaked in blood, he remained utterly bold and unrestrained. “You still don’t know how the word ‘death’ is written. Today, I will lift your severed head and let you see it up close for yourself!”

The Perfected Hegemon Body’s expression cooled. “If you have no wish to live longer — if you seek a quick death — then I shall grant it!”

Boom!

In the arena before them, the grinding disc grew ever more terrifying. The phantom-figure upon it became increasingly real — this was the will of the Grand Dao of heaven and earth, its divine might the greatest in the world.

Ye Fan met it with a single punch — both of them were left with torn flesh and shattered blood, white bones exposed in stark rows, crimson blood spraying freely, falling in all directions.

“There is blood, there is flesh, there is form and spirit — could there truly be some kind of specter? I refuse to believe it. It is nothing more than the lightning engraving the spirit of a once-powerful being. Die!”

Ye Fan let out a great shout. Every pore across his body opened wide — his flesh radiated immortal brilliance, and his hands formed seals. In an instant, he discharged an aura that sent shockwaves through the mortal world.

His left hand swept through the void, carving a rune into the empty air. With a great boom, the character “时“ — time — appeared, shattering heaven and earth. The sound of a river of time rushing past filled the air.

In the area around it, time grew disordered, heaven and earth blurred — it was as though nothing existed any longer, as though everything had been cast into the ocean of ages, completely overturned.

And his right hand formed a seal, carving through the air as well — an enormous rune was etched into the void in the same fashion, the character “空“ — space — appearing. The universe collapsed, the starry sky convulsed.

The power of space diffused outward, overturning this place, causing all of heaven and earth to tremble. It was a force capable of uprooting and demolishing — the vast sky broke apart and reassembled, changing in accordance with Ye Fan’s right hand.

The Perfected Holy Body’s face immediately changed color. This technique was far too terrifying — the left hand represented time, the right hand represented space. Combined, would they not be “宙“ and “宇“ — time and space, the very fabric of existence?

What kind of grand ambition and vision must it take to create such a secret technique?!

The Perfected Hegemon Body Cang Lan’s face turned frigid. He recognized that if this secret technique continued to evolve, it would inevitably become extraordinarily fearsome — the equal of the Nine Secrets — with a future that was staggering to consider.

Indeed — Ye Fan pressed down with his left hand and thrust out with his right. Before him, time became disordered and space exploded, sending the phantom-spirit stumbling violently backward, coughing blood from its mouth.

“Boom!”

Then Ye Fan brought both hands together in union — as though traversing the primordial expanse of the universe, condensing within himself the mysterious yellow essence of heaven and earth. In that moment, it was as though he stood at the moment of Creation!

Heaven and earth exploded. The World-Grinding Disc pressing down above began to show cracks — an terrifying splitting sound rang out — and then it shattered.

Just like that, it was destroyed. The power of the Great Five Elements dispersed completely. Ye Fan’s golden Primordial Spirit flew skyward, swallowing up all of that five-elemental immortal light along with the thunder tribulation. The cauldron did the same, rising and falling there, devouring the shards of the World-Grinding Disc — the cauldron’s body looked ever more ancient and unadorned.

As for his physical body — there was no need for conscious control. Every pore across his entire body opened wide, and every single cell became like a bottomless pit, devouring the five-elemental divine tribulation.

That terrifying great tribulation — the grinding disc forged from condensed power, upon which even the will of the Grand Dao had descended, manifesting as a phantom-spirit — had been shattered by Ye Fan in the critical moment with a blow from both hands!

The phantom-spirit also dissolved, seized by the golden Primordial Spirit, swallowed whole in one bite, refined into immortal essence.

He did not waste a single drop of power — he refined it all, absorbing it into himself, using it to temper his being and replenish the vast stores he needed. This was simply something unheard of, enough to shock the world.

Who would dare do this — to “plunder” a heavenly tribulation like this? Greedily swallowing it all, not leaving a blade of grass, not wasting even one portion — it made no sense at all, because for anyone else, simply surviving would be the challenge.

The Perfected Hegemon Body Cang Lan’s eyelids twitched incessantly. He sensed something was wrong — the opponent’s strength was too great, exceeding the scope of the eighth tier, seemingly on an entirely different great step!

“Impossible!” His gaze blazed, staring at Ye Fan without cease.

He could scarcely believe it. It was known throughout the world that each successive step of the quasi-emperor’s final tribulations was more difficult than the last — one could not leap across tiers, could only cross them one layer at a time.

Since ancient times, setting aside unverified legends, there had never been a single verified instance — never had anyone been able to skip across tiers during the final eighth or ninth layer tribulations. One could only advance step by step, one level at a time.

Everyone needed to accumulate. That was a myth, ironclad and unshakeable!

And yet — why did he feel a flutter in his chest right now? Why did he sense a threat? A powerful sense of crisis arose in his heart. His sharpest divine instincts told him: something had gone very wrong.

“Boom — rumble!”

Above the eight-tier heavenly tribulation, yet another world-shaking divine punishment descended — of a magnitude so vast it defied imagination, blanketing this place entirely, penetrating through the thunder-light of all eight tribulation layers.

The sight of it was enough to chill the soul!

This light of annihilation, as though fallen from the immortal realm, destroyed all things — everything would be leveled and reduced to dust.

The great tribulation descended, obliterating the original eight-tier divine punishment, shattering a great world of thunder-sea — and a higher level of immortal power appeared, wreathed in drifting currents of chaotic mist.

It was a vast, billowing wave — mysterious and profound, stretching endlessly before the eyes, at times faint and translucent, at times drifting and ethereal, at times surging like an immense ocean.

The most ancient primordial laws were diffusing outward, seeking to reopen the heavens and remake the earth — to destroy everything here!

The Perfected Hegemon Body Cang Lan drew a sharp breath. He refused to believe what he was seeing, yet he was forced to acknowledge it — someone had truly leapt across two tribulation tiers, shattering the myth.

It was so unreal — like something out of a dream. His jaw dropped, eyes staring wide. A living, breathing example stood before him, confirming the legend.

The Perfected Hegemon Body Cang Lan stepped back, not genuinely touching that divine punishment. Though he too had once experienced it, he was unwilling to recklessly step inside.

“The ninth tier of heaven… Perfected!”

His eyes blazed with breathtaking radiance, like heavenly fire burning fiercely. What had happened today — perhaps it was unprecedented in all of history!

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Blood-light erupted from within Ye Fan’s body, his flesh vibrating. His left hand formed the Eternity Seal, his right hand the Universe Seal — they collided and produced the most brilliant light of all. With a great resonating hum, his blood and bones underwent drastic transformation, ascending yet another level — his vital energy flooded the sky, submerging the universe.

Time and space collapsed — the river of time pierced straight through!

The scene here was terrifying beyond words. Ye Fan forcibly climbed to a higher level, surpassing those who came before him in history, accomplishing what even the Hegemon Body found impossible to believe — defying all logic.

His cultivation level had not been concealed when he faced the First Divine General, but crossing his tribulation alone, in the presence of the Perfected Hegemon Body, he had still held something in reserve.

He himself was strong enough, so dealing with the eighth-tier heavenly tribulation had not required excessive effort. Now he had drawn upon the boundless ninth-tier great tribulation!

“So what of the ninth tier of heaven? I trod upon it long ago.” Cang Lan grew calm. After all, he was a supreme exalted being who had once reigned over an entire great age of the world.

That said, he refused to be careless, standing fully prepared — for Ye Fan’s monstrous performance had exceeded all his predictions. Leaping across two tribulation tiers was an event unprecedented in all of history.

In the past, there had been such legends as well — the Ruthless Man, the Void, Wushi — but none had left behind any evidence.

Because, in the past, there was also another legend: the immortal bell sheltering, the Desolate Pagoda covering the sky. And now, Ye Fan — this was the real, verified case!

As a supreme exalted being, Cang Lan was most sensitive to situations like this. He knew: Ye Fan’s future potential was boundless. Perhaps he truly could break the curse — perhaps the Holy Body would succeed in becoming Emperor!

“Boom!”

The ninth-tier world-shaking great tribulation was, true to its name, world-annihilating in every respect. Heaven was thrown into chaos and the earth was set in motion — thunder-light swept through all things, the vast sky cracked in four directions, and every living being and thing in all of heaven and earth was obliterated.

Powerful as Ye Fan was, he nearly was struck to pieces on the spot in that very first moment of contact. In just one encounter, his flesh went flying in all directions, blood rained down, white bones were exposed — a sight terrifying to behold.

Ye Fan’s body nearly shattered apart, some parts exposing stark white bone — a horrifying scene. Many people throughout history had reached this step, yet all of them died within the lightning tribulation.

The world never lacked for outstanding individuals!

But Ye Fan’s tribulation vastly surpassed others’ “ninth tier of heaven.” The power of the thunder-light rivaled the stuff of myth — proportional to his own strength. In all of history, this tribulation ranked among the most powerful that had ever been.

Yet — after that immense thunder-light fell, it suddenly stabilized, surging within the void, no longer striking down.

And what’s more, this place took on an air of serenity. Strands of immortal energy drifted and wound through the air, creating a sensation as though one were about to shed one’s mortal shell and ascend as an immortal.

This was no illusion. A great downpour of light-rain scattered down. Ye Fan radiated light from head to toe — his wounds closed in that very instant, and his vital blood grew even more vigorous.

“Could this be… the appearance of… the Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation?!” The Perfected Hegemon Body was stunned. When a cultivator’s tribulation bears the word “immortal,” it absolutely signifies something extraordinary — something that shakes all of history and brilliance throughout the ages.

He felt that the great tribulation was building — that the legendary Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation was truly about to appear. The thought of this descendant of the enemy bloodline caused his expression to grow increasingly grim and cold. Now was a good time — better to resolve this sooner rather than later!

The thunder-light ceased to appear, condensed high above the heavens. Only immortal mist drifted, and a rain of light fell. Cang Lan charged forward, swallowing great mouthfuls of the light-rain, every pore across his body opening wide, greedily absorbing these golden droplets.

“You are old.” Ye Fan made no move to stop him — only those three words, cold and merciless.

And those three words alone made Cang Lan’s body shudder. He wheeled around instantly, his gaze sharp as the edge of a blade, fixing upon Ye Fan — the other’s words had struck straight into his heart.

He craved life essence, yearned for this immortal rain — all so that he could live a little longer. But if he had been the same age as the young man before him, would he be doing this?

The other had only just begun to rise, his vital blood surging like the ocean — he had no concern for any of this at all. Three words left Cang Lan’s mind unsettled. The other was right. He was no longer young.

“Hehehe… Hahahaha…” Cang Lan laughed heartily, his full head of violet hair dancing in reverse. He pressed forward, saying: “What does your bloodline amount to? It’s not as though I haven’t slain a Perfected Holy Body before. They were nothing but a heap of worthless bones that witnessed my glory — I slaughtered them into submission!”

“Weak inside. You’re done.” Ye Fan’s words were brief.

“Is that so? Then — die!”

Battle erupted. Both sides immediately deployed their most forbidden divine techniques from the very beginning. Perhaps what would normally require several hundred or several thousand exchanges to decide now — they each hoped for a result in an instant.

The Perfected Hegemon Body summoned nine divine forms simultaneously, which then merged together as one — and astonishingly, the result was a Battle Immortal!

The result was supremely terrifying — enough to stun anyone. The reason he had once dominated all beneath heaven and stood unrivaled throughout the universe was not without cause.

Around Ye Fan, extraordinary phenomena arose in abundance. His left hand held the Eternity Seal, his right the Universe Seal — he cleaved open time and space, and clashed ferociously against both the Battle Immortal and the Hegemon Body’s true form.

“Spit!”

Blood sprayed through the air — Ye Fan’s shoulder was pierced clean through, a string of terrifying blood-blossoms bursting upward. Yet without even turning his head, he charged straight forward.

And behind him — far more blood fell. The Perfected Hegemon Body’s entire arm was torn apart, hanging by barely a layer of skin, nearly severed from the shoulder entirely.

But what was most terrifying of all was this: Ye Fan’s extraordinary phenomena united as one, condensing into the form of a Heavenly Emperor — identical to himself — looking down upon the world with absolute supremacy, treading the Battle Immortal beneath his feet.

He forced the Battle Immortal to kneel beneath his tread, pressing him down until the head bowed toward his own knees — all while shouting: “Submit!”

And Ye Fan himself turned his own body around, fixing cold and merciless eyes upon the Hegemon Body’s true form, saying:

“Exactly who is submitting to whom?!”