That voice was not loud, yet it was enough to shake every great star sea. Five hundred years had passed, and Ye Fan had never once emerged into the world — many had begun to doubt whether he had been crippled in that battle on the path to immortality. No one could have imagined that on this day he would appear with such overwhelming force, causing the hearts of every clan to tremble.
In the past, he had carved out a name of peerless, unconquerable might — truly the foremost reaper of the heads of the Forbidden Zone Supremes, unrivaled beneath the heavens, feared by all.
Even now that a true Great Emperor had emerged, it seemed even his brilliance could not outshine Ye Fan’s radiance, which inspired awe in countless beings who dared not make an enemy of him.
The heavenly tribulation shook the void, and the eight wildernesses of the cosmos stirred in response. Ye Tong pushed forward again and again, transcending nine layers of heavenly tribulation and catastrophe — and then drew down even more terrifying lightning.
“Is he truly attempting to step into the realm of the Great Emperor?”
The world was stunned. This lineage of the Heavenly Court was truly too fearsome. Not only was there a Ye Fan holding down the fort, but his disciple had grown to such a terrifying level as well — what was to be done?
It was not just outsiders who felt this way. Even some of the Supremes within the Forbidden Zones revealed expressions of unease. For if things continued like this, Ye Fan would gain powerful left and right arms, and in the future he might truly come to flatten the Forbidden Zones.
At present, Ye Fan stood alone with limited strength and no allies. Even if he wished to make a great move, he had to consider the grave consequences. But if his disciples were to step into this domain one by one, what would he still have to restrain himself for?
Whoosh!
A divine light streaked forth, slashing toward Ye Tong — terrifyingly powerful, even surpassing the might of the heavenly tribulation.
An ancient Supreme had acted, though without revealing their aura. They simply shot out a ray of obliterating light, intent on disrupting Ye Tong and preventing him from smoothly touching the threshold of the Emperor’s realm.
Ye Fan’s great hand had already reached out, but then he withdrew it. When he had once crossed his own tribulation, he had teetered on the edge of death many times and endured all manner of hardship. He hoped his disciple could withstand the trials.
Clang!
A distant, resonant bell rang out. Ye Tong opened his mouth and expelled a divine bell — not a true physical bell, but one condensed from Solar Divine Essence and cast through the power of laws.
Pop!
The divine light was indestructible; it pierced through the great bell and caused it to explode into fragments across the heavens and earth, dissolving into a golden storm as the laws shattered into pieces.
And the divine light did not stop — it continued to charge toward Ye Tong, plunging him into a life-and-death crisis even as he faced the even more terrifying waves of lightning.
“Truly a heavy hand — just like how they once dealt with me back then,” Ye Fan murmured to himself, yet he still did not move. Beams of light crisscrossed in every direction, and Ye Tong unleashed all manner of secret techniques, surging and weaving through the sea of lightning, consuming the divine light’s power through the tribulation itself.
Boom!
Suddenly, an enormous palm of light came crashing down, blanketing the entire heavenly tribulation and covering all things beneath it.
Swish!
A jade ruyi streaked across the sky and struck downward. It appeared gentle at a glance, but looking closely, the wisps of radiance flowing from it were strand upon strand of starry rivers — a sight that left one astonished.
Ye Fan did not make a move. He merely observed carefully, watching to determine which Forbidden Zones they had come from.
Evidently, even existences as powerful as those within the Forbidden Zones were wary of Ye Fan’s wrath. They had all severed the connection to their divine manifestations — sourceless and rootless, impossible to trace back.
Four or five beams of light danced through the air, and Ye Tong coughed up great mouthfuls of blood, his entire body on the verge of tearing apart. He exploded apart thunderously several times.
The great tribulation continued. Ye Tong ultimately managed to evade those killing strikes, and as time wore on, all the beams of light and the weapons condensed from laws were ground away within the lightning.
He condensed Solar Divine Blood and let out a furious roar toward the sky. His reconstructed physique was incomparably robust. With a mighty leap, it was not only his physical body that soared — it was also a leap in realm.
He pushed hard toward the Great Emperor’s domain, striving to cross the threshold into that realm. Though it was extraordinarily difficult, he continued to push and attempt the crossing.
Boom!
Across heaven and earth, winds and thunder raged, dark gales howled, divine lightning rolled on and on, and the phantom silhouettes of immortals descended to wreak havoc in all directions.
The scene was brutal and terrifying, enough to make one’s hair stand on end. This was the unavoidable ordeal of Emperor ascension — and this was not even the true Emperor’s tribulation. Yet Ye Tong had painstakingly taken one step forward.
“Not good!”
Someone within one of the Life Forbidden Zones whispered, sensing that things had taken a grave turn.
With the Golden Crow Great Emperor present, no one else could become a Great Emperor. However, stepping halfway into that domain — or even achieving enlightenment through an unorthodox path — was something that could still be accomplished.
Once that happened, such a person could truly follow Ye Fan into great battle. One invincible Holy Body was already enough to unsettle everyone; if there were to be one more, all the Supremes would be unable to sit still.
In an instant, a divine sword was drawn from its sheath. A single sword was offered as sacrifice, clouds surged from all four directions, myriad living beings were slaughtered, and the star rivers were besieged!
That sword’s killing intent was overwhelmingly heavy. Someone had condensed a supreme divine law — even more terrifying than the previous attacks. It could slay a person in a single thought; not even a peak quasi-Emperor of the ninth heaven could withstand it.
Ye Tong resisted and kept dodging.
And at this moment, the killing light of the others was unleashed as well — all conjured from thin air and descending directly as suppression.
Ye Fan no longer remained indifferent. From the crown of his head flew a Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi, which descended upon the scene and blocked every attack. Inside its mouth, chaos roiled like a sea, swallowing all the killing light within.
What was most heart-stopping was the dark red bloodstains covering the cauldron — vivid red and glistening, projecting the shadow silhouettes of several figures. This struck terror into the hearts of all who saw it, for those shadows were none other than the Carefree Heavenly Lord, the Stone Emperor, the White Tiger Dao Master, the Beast God, and others.
Though Ye Fan had not yet become an Emperor, this cauldron had drunk the blood of multiple ancient venerables. Long since having evolved and awakened to a level that defied imagination, it dissolved all the killing light that came its way.
Without waiting for divine light to appear again in the sky, the Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi reversed course and vanished in an instant, descending above the Fire Mulberry Star, rumbling as it moved and sending terrible beams crashing down.
In that moment, every Golden Crow powerhouse on the Fire Mulberry Star trembled. Not a single one could bear that crushing pressure. Every living creature on the entire star collapsed to the ground.
They could not help themselves — they kowtowed, shaking with terror.
“What is the meaning of this, Dao Friend?” A vast expanse of molten rock stretched everywhere, covered in golden fire mulberry trees. A palace floated above it all, and an Emperor’s overwhelming majesty poured out in every direction, blocking the cauldron’s pressure.
“I hope that when my disciple crosses his tribulation, you will not interfere!”
“This Emperor has not acted,” the Golden Crow Great Emperor replied.
Even though he was the Great Emperor of the present age, his brilliance had been eclipsed by another, which made the entire Golden Crow clan deeply resentful. They had long been under orders not to provoke conflict, and so they kept themselves in check.
In their hearts, they were deeply unconvinced. Never before had they encountered an era like this one. Whenever a Great Emperor emerged, who would dare stand against them? All eight directions would come to pay their respects. Yet in this age, an anomaly had appeared — not a Great Emperor, yet he was revered throughout the world, enjoying the same glory.
The Golden Crow clan seethed with hatred and fury, yet dared not speak a word.
On the cliffs of the Undying Mountain, Ye Fan gave no reply and did not pursue the matter of whether the old Golden Crow had truly acted.
The Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi flew away, charging straight toward the Northern Dipper Star Domain.
Naturally, the events here shook the cosmos. It was the first time these two great Supremes had exchanged words, and many had already waited five hundred years for it — yet in the end, no battle came.
“The Holy Body is too powerful — he has stolen the glory that should rightfully belong to the Demon Emperor!”
Many whispered among themselves. For those who aspired to become Great Emperors, existing in the same era as Ye Fan was truly a wretched fate. Even Great Emperors would find it awkward, for he was simply too powerful.
“Perhaps he can be called the strongest Holy Body in all of history!”
Who would ever dare to overawe a Great Emperor like this? Never had there been such a person. Yet Ye Fan had done it — he suppressed and intimidated the Great Emperor of the present age, something that had never happened since time immemorial. When had anyone who had just attained the Dao not stood supreme and alone in all the world?
The Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi swept across vast stretches of star rivers and descended into the Northern Dipper Star Domain. The entire world trembled. That cauldron represented Ye Fan himself, and now that it had appeared here, its divine might was like an ocean.
All living beings quaked. Many more were filled with a melancholy longing — the Holy Body of those years had competed in the same era as them, yet now the gap between them was like that between heaven and earth. He stood alongside the Great Emperors of antiquity, his authority so immense that without even manifesting his true form, a single vessel emerging was enough to make all under heaven submit!
Everyone stared with wide, astonished eyes as they watched the cauldron charge straight toward the Immortal Mausoleum, its might erupting, vast and boundless chaos cascading down — as though it sought to destroy that place.
Afterward, the cauldron also visited the Spirit Ruins, the Primordial Ancient Mine, and other such places, unleashing its might there as well, presenting the appearance of one ready to wage war.
“This is… a warning to the Life Forbidden Zones!”
Throughout the cosmos, the elder patriarchs of every great powerful clan felt their mouths go dry — the impact was too overwhelming.
“Just how dominant must the Human Race’s Holy Body be?!” Someone outside sighed softly.
Cold snorts came from within the Forbidden Zones, yet none came out to confront him.
The Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi hovered above the Northern Dipper, suppressing everything there as it patrolled. Its dominance left every clan across the cosmos wide-eyed and speechless, their hearts filled with unease.
No one attacked Ye Tong again. He struggled with all his might, desperately wanting to leap forward and enter the realm of the Great Emperor. In the end, he managed to push part of himself through the threshold — but could not take even half a step further. The lightning finally ceased, causing him to let out a sigh.
After this incident, every clan across the cosmos was shaken. Ye Fan’s display of dominance and Ye Tong’s rise caused everyone to feel the awe of Heaven’s might — it was not to be provoked.
“Master, can you still not become a Great Emperor?” Xiao Song asked.
Several people came to the black cliffs — all of the next generation. Ye Fan shook his head and said, “Someone reached the Dao before me. I have been searching for a way to undo this.”
“I feel that Master could cut down that Golden Crow. Although he is very powerful, I believe Master is stronger!” said Yang Xi, who was always eager for battle.
“He is not the most fearsome thing. The most inscrutable is this very cosmos itself.” Ye Fan pointed toward the vault of the sky and said, “Now that a single Dao reigns supreme and ten thousand Daos have merged into one, it is nearly impossible to break.”
Five hundred years had passed, and Ye Fan had never once left the Undying Mountain. This left his disciples, as well as the Black Emperor, Dongfang Ye, and Li Tian, deeply puzzled — they had long assumed his wounds had not yet healed. Now, at last, they breathed a sigh of relief, for it seemed he had been contemplating a more profound path of Dao attainment.
“All of you, press your cultivation without slacking. In all things, be careful.” These were the final words Ye Fan spoke.
The words sent a chill through everyone’s hearts. It felt like a warning. Could something be about to happen? They all revealed expressions of doubt and unease.
“Master… is the great war about to begin?”
“Yes — the war of the Forbidden Zones is about to begin!” The brilliance in Ye Fan’s eyes flickered as he gazed into the vast and boundless star systems stretching before him.
“The war of the Forbidden Zones?!” Everyone was stunned — and then their blood ran hot, their pulses surged, and they trembled with excitement.
Ye Fan had once painted for them a sweeping, magnificent picture of that war. Could it truly be beginning now? Every one of them was tense yet filled with anticipation.
“It is not I who wishes to provoke conflict. Over these five hundred years I have made many deductions, and I have perceived that a great crisis is about to descend. Now that Ye Tong has crossed his tribulation, I am even more certain — someone has been seized by deep fear, afraid that I will flatten the Forbidden Zones one by one, and they are coming for me.”
Everyone was taken aback, and then a chill crept over their skin.
Surely it was not just a single Supreme who intended to act?
“They have been waiting all this time, hoping for a collision between me and the Golden Crow Great Emperor, so they could clean up the mess afterward. But I have never given them that opportunity.” Ye Fan said this with perfect calm.
“Master, this time — is it very dangerous? I must break through at once. On the day of my great completion, I will shatter their Emperor-grade weapons with my bare hands!” Yang Xi clenched both fists and declared.
“There is no need to worry too much. Who will slay whom remains to be seen. The Life Forbidden Zones today are nothing compared to what they were over a hundred thousand years ago. After the eras of the Vicious Man Great Emperor, the Void Great Emperor, and the Beginningless Great Emperor, the Supremes were drastically reduced in number. Our predecessors have already carved out a vast battlefield, and having endured two great immortality-path catastrophes, the number of Supremes that remain is truly not great. Within my lifetime, I shall certainly have the opportunity to sweep them all away!”
Everyone trembled. Sweep away all the Life Forbidden Zones? It sounded like a fantasy — no one in all of history had ever accomplished such a thing.
“Our predecessors shed the blood of Emperors, gave their lives, and set foot upon every great forbidden ground — they have long since laid a solid foundation. If I still cannot flatten them within my lifetime and leave the task to those who come after me, then I will have truly failed those Great Emperors who have already passed away!”