This was a cycle. The Perfected Hegemon Body Cang Lan let out a desolate sigh in his final moments. Before his death, what he thought of was not the glory of his long life — but the scene from long ago when he had killed the Perfected Holy Body. Just like today — only the roles were reversed.

“So this day has come for me as well!”

These were his final words, filled with desolation, filled with unwillingness, filled with despair. He was old — no longer what he once was. He could no longer defeat the young Holy Body.

Moreover, a foreboding rose in his heart — that this generation’s Holy Body was extraordinarily powerful, perhaps unprecedented. Even if he himself had been restored to his peak, the odds were that he would still not be a match.

“Spit!”

With one finger pressed down, Ye Fan struck. The Primordial Spirit that had already been torn apart had nowhere to flee. It was cleaved to ash. One generation’s supremely powerful master of hegemon’s blood reached the end of his life.

A Perfected Hegemon Body was dead — known as the hereditary nemesis of the Holy Body bloodline, truly extraordinary in power, yet ultimately having arrived at the terminus of his life.

This was undoubtedly a storm unto itself. Ye Fan, by his own power, had killed an ancient supreme exalted being. He had truly set foot upon the road of invincibility. From this day forth, he had risen — and possessed the qualifications to devour the universe and reach for supremacy over all beneath heaven.

Simple to say — but the impact of this was incomparable, immeasurably vast.

Every supreme exalted being was the mightiest figure of an era. And now, one had been killed. This was a great event that shook the entire universe — destined to be recorded in the annals of history. This was a divine war.

Having slain a supreme exalted being — all beneath heaven was stunned!

An event of this magnitude shook every domain — the entire world trembled. Every cultivator understood what it meant. The Holy Body’s momentum was now fully established. Few in this world could stand against him — at the very least, no one alive today could match him at his peak.

There had been times when, amidst darkness and chaos, supreme exalted beings emerged and none beneath heaven could check them — inevitably resulting in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, hundreds of millions of living beings put to death, the wails of all creation, helpless.

Yet now — a supremely powerful hegemon’s blood master had been struck down and killed, without a trace of suspense!

It was no Great Emperor. It was no ancient exalted one. It was simply a young and powerful being of the current age, whose years of cultivation were not even all that long — a sign that the Holy Body’s radiant path had begun!

This would be his era. A mighty figure standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the supreme exalted ones had entered the world.

Throughout every corner of the universe, all manner of tremors arrived. The supreme exalted beings within the Forbidden Zones of Life fell silent — yet breathtaking light blazed in certain eyes, fixing upon this place.

On the Hegemon Body’s ancestral star, countless living beings wept and wailed. One of their ancient ancestors had died — unrivaled throughout heaven for untold ages, in the age of darkness and chaos, facing peak-path masters head to head and shining with incomparable glory.

Yet now — his end came in such desolation, blood staining the river of stars.

Within the hegemon blood’s ancestral cave, a powerful tremor billowed out. Someone was about to blast open the heavens, soar into the sky, and go kill Ye Fan.

“Wait — he has already reached the ninth tier, at the absolute pinnacle. If we go now, it is the same as letting him cross the tribulation first, then striking at the most critical moment!” Another voice rang out, carrying no trace of emotion.

“He will not be allowed to cross it smoothly!”

In that instant, the laws of the Grand Dao throughout heaven and earth fell into disorder, dissolving into chaos. Strange phenomena occurred at Ye Fan’s tribulation site — someone was interfering, attempting to alter the Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation.

“Roaaaar…”

At the same time, other peak-path powerhouses made their move. They let out great booming Dao-roars, which transformed into great waves of heavenly sound rolling in, disturbing the tribulation, interfering with Ye Fan’s path to Dao attainment.

Because many revelations, many immortal Dao brand-marks were contained within the thunder tribulation — and they did not wish for Ye Fan to receive them in completeness.

Boom!

The thunder-light erupted, indifferent to the will of any supreme exalted being. The world-shaking great tribulation arrived at last — unchanged, only arriving ahead of schedule.

This tribulation was far too terrible — its power boundless. Almost from the very instant of contact, Ye Fan’s flesh flew apart, his bones stark and bare, nearly struck to pieces.

This was a divine punishment that could threaten a Holy Body’s life — rarely seen since ancient times!

Ye Fan was not afraid. The Self-Preservation Character Secret circulated, and his entire body blazed with light — his flesh instantly becoming crystalline and indestructible, radiating auspicious light. His Primordial Spirit was likewise like a divine lamp, settled and unwavering.

His vital blood was invincible. In the very first instant, he repaired his injured body, restoring himself to peak condition!

The supreme exalted beings within the Forbidden Zones of Life withdrew their hands, watching with cold eyes — observing his great tribulation. Some of those gazes were very cold, their states of mind turbulent.

Some were contemplating: today, Ye Fan must absolutely be destroyed. If not, there would never be another opportunity. Clearly, the inhabitants of the hegemon blood’s ancestral cave would hold this position.

“Boom!”

The great tribulation intensified. In the sky, nine Daoist sanctuaries appeared, majestic and imposing, awe-inspiring and overwhelming, positioned in different directions — each carrying one tier of heaven as they came, ultimately stacking upon one another.

“The Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation!”

Someone within the Forbidden Zones of Life sighed, their expression changing slightly. The Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation — also known as the Nine-Tier Heavenly Great Tribulation — had in all of history been crossed by only a handful of people. Not even all peak-path powerhouses had witnessed it — it varied from person to person. And clearly, it was extraordinarily powerful.

The nine Daoist sanctuaries were ancient and time-worn, situated across the nine tiers of heaven. Within each sanctuary, a being sat cross-legged, gazing down from above — some supremely majestic, some sharp as a blade, some vacuous and drifting, some blurred and indistinct — each with a different aura and quality.

The Nine Tiers of Heaven had arrived — nine Daoist sanctuaries suppressing the thunder-sea!

Boom!

Ye Fan received the most terrifying attack. The first to strike — with one great hand that underwent hundreds of thousands of changes in an instant — sealing off every path available to him, its killing technique invincible, evolving endlessly.

This was actually the Radiant Battle Sacred Method, brought to a state of divine perfection. One could say it was capable of recreating the apex of the immortal realm, demonstrating that profound essence to the utmost degree.

Ye Fan’s expression changed. In the dim distance, he understood who he had encountered.

He resisted with everything he had, charging upward against the flow, intending to fight his way into that Daoist sanctuary.

Hum!

On another side, a Daoist figure’s brow blazed with great light — his Primordial Spirit emitted immortal light that was imperishable, transforming into a great cascading divine waterfall surging toward him, to sever his Primordial Spirit.

This was the Fore Character Secret blazing with power — boundless in its law and Dao, capable of moving the other shore of the starry sky with a single thought, severing gods and seizing souls, impossible to guard against.

Ye Fan was certain — he had encountered the Nine Great Celestial Sovereigns of the mythological age. Their laws and Dao had transformed into the nine tiers of heaven, branding their Dharma-bodies here, to obstruct his path.

So this was the Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation — these nine beings appearing simultaneously!

This was more terrifying than the appearance of Great Emperors in the past. Because they possessed the Nine Secrets — representing the absolute apex of nine different domains. Between them, there was the capacity for fusion. Once they merged as one, they could slay gods if gods stood in the way, and slay immortals if immortals stood in the way.

They were not isolated. They were not scattered. They could be smelted into a single unified whole!

This was world-shaking. Without experiencing this kind of tribulation, one could not fathom how terrifying it would be for nine supreme sovereigns to appear together — to be called the fearsome Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation was a name it fully deserved!

The one thing to be grateful for was that they had not stood up from their seats — they remained cross-legged within the sanctuaries at all times. If they had risen, even the resurrection of an Exalted Emperor would have led to certain death. No exceptions.

Human power has its limits. No matter how powerful a single person is, it is impossible to withstand the Nine Great Celestial Sovereigns of the mythological age single-handedly. Even an immortal would shrink from this!

Ye Fan held nothing back. His strength surged to the absolute limit. Even covered in blood all over, he did not retreat a single step. His thick black hair spread loose, his tall and powerful body radiating precious brilliance — he began a great battle against the ancient sovereigns.

Their strength actually shifted in accordance with Ye Fan — the stronger he became, the stronger the nine grew, always keeping pace with him, always able to match him in battle!

“Boom!”

Shocking thunder annihilated time. The Nine Secrets emerged in abundance. Heaven and earth shifted violently, threatening to transform into the primordial battlefield of the opening of the heavens.

This was an ill omen. If things continued this way, Ye Fan would simply be exhausted to death. Yet this was not the first time he had been in such a passive position — he had once battled the Nine Emperors and already had experience.

People are alive. A heavenly tribulation is fixed. There are loopholes to be found. He moved freely among the nine sanctuaries, summoning forth both his Departed Self and his Dao Self.

Ye Fan did not suppress his cultivation level — instead he brought his full battle power to the absolute pinnacle, standing at the very threshold where a Perfected Holy Body was about to ascend to a higher level.

He was testing his own Dao fruit!

“This is…” There were existences within the Forbidden Zones of Life who furrowed their brows in the shadows.

Was that still a junior who had just entered this domain? No — it was a Perfected Holy Body remade at the apex of its peak, tantamount to having attained the Dao — stepping into that most mysterious and profound state of all.

An equal to the supreme exalted beings!

Only those three words could explain it. Ye Fan would not be much weaker than them. He was already capable of matching ancient supreme exalted beings in battle — having reached the most gloriously brilliant peak of his entire life.

One step further, and he would shatter the eternal — create a miracle!

“Leaping across two tribulations, and nearly stepping into the third — unprecedented in all of history!” Someone within the Forbidden Zones of Life exclaimed in astonishment, the light in their eyes blazing and burning, nearly unable to sit still any longer.

If allowed to grow unimpeded — he might open a future unlike anything that had ever existed!

And among them, some were destined to stand against Ye Fan — enemies, with causes planted in the era of darkness and chaos hundreds of years ago. One side had to fall.

But the timing was not right yet — they had to wait. The moment Ye Fan showed weakness, revealed fatigue within the great tribulation — that would be when his blood would stain the river of stars.

Ye Fan was undergoing the tribulation, and this was only just beginning — the Nine Great Celestial Sovereigns had already appeared to strike him down. And no one knew what would come after!

He was covered in blood, and had sensed the danger. One moment of carelessness could spell his end — he could die within the lightning tribulation.

One could imagine — what lay ahead would be even more terrifying. This kind of great tribulation was extraordinarily difficult to pass through. Yet he had no choice but to cross it — for it was bound up with every aspect of his life: his glory, his life, his loved ones and close companions. He could not fail.

Ye Fan saw that while the nine Celestial Sovereigns all bore human forms, they were not all of the human race. Each had their own strange and distinctive features. Clearly the accounts handed down to later ages contained errors — some among them belonged to races of a very particular kind, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

“Hahaha…”

From the underworld came the sound of great laughter — it belonged to the First Divine General of the Ancient Heavenly Court, Chuan Ying. He too had made a move. He sensed that Ye Fan was undergoing the Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation — a rarity that had appeared only a handful of times throughout all of history — and he laughed without cease in heartfelt joy, launching into wild and unrestrained combat.

His laughter became eternal, resonating through the river of stars below. The black hells shuddered violently as he blocked the Netherworld Emperor’s emergence. Heaven and earth crumbled — a fierce and brutal battle.

After this day, he disappeared — and the Netherworld Emperor never arrived at the site of Ye Fan’s tribulation.

Ye Fan walked nine deaths for every life. The Nine-Layered Immortal Tribulation was worthy of its name. Nine sovereigns made their move, their power the same as Ye Fan’s — each wielding heavenly law that surged like a flood, each possessing one of the Nine Secrets — they were on the verge of shattering all indestructibility and seeking life everlasting.

At the end, all nine secret techniques swept in together. Ye Fan was shattered several times — even as powerful as he was, he could not withstand it. In a trance, he saw the faces of those nine beings — and they looked exactly like himself.

Nine people with power identical to his own, each executing one of the Nine Secrets, nine immortal arts united as one — incapable of nothing, cleaving open heaven and earth, leaving him grievously wounded.

The battle continued. Several times he came close to the complete annihilation of both body and spirit.

He understood: even though the nine occasionally revealed faces identical to his, they were absolutely not himself. It was a Celestial Sovereign who possessed the Fore Character Secret making a move, striking his Primordial Spirit, causing him to suffer illusions.

“Spit!”

Ye Fan shattered again. This great tribulation was unprecedented — far too arduous. Never before had he been in such danger. It surpassed everything in the past, because these nine sovereigns were a unified whole.

“Kill!”

Ye Fan let out a great roar. Every secret art he possessed was unleashed — the Nine Secrets, the extraordinary phenomena, the Wushi technique, the Transcendent Immortal Formula, the Heaven-Swallowing Method — evolving every last classical mystery, doing battle with the ancient sovereigns.

In that moment, his immortal arts were ascending. His techniques and Dao were merging. His combat skills and his emperor-level methods were fusing — all of them as one, being smelted within a single crucible.

He himself had always been creating new paths through cultivation — able to reach this step by forging a different road with his own efforts. Within his body, the classical texts were inexhaustible. In that moment, they blazed with immortal light that would not perish. His Dao was about to take form as an embryo — waiting to break free from its cocoon!