Blood bloomed three thousand feet into the air — a vivid testament to what Ye Fan was enduring. Trapped within an inescapable killing formation, he had been struck by hundreds upon hundreds of sword energies, his body ravaged by grievous wounds.

The situation had reached its most desperate extremity. Numinous Treasure Heavenly Lord stood peerless across all of history, and in the art of formation inscriptions, none from ancient times to present had ever surpassed him. His formation diagram contained boundless killing intent, driving four swords to slash with devastating force — capable of shattering even a Great Emperor.

Ye Fan was drenched in blood from head to toe. The wounds covering his body were terrifying beyond words; no fewer than twenty holes pierced him clean through, front to back. Crimson blood sprayed in every direction — each drop possessing the power to bore through a quasi-emperor.

“A cornered beast may still fight, but its struggle is in vain!” The Spirit Emperor said coldly.

They now held absolute command of the situation. The greatest killing formation in all of history had been deployed, presided over by four sovereign-path powerhouses. It could be said to be invincible beneath the heavens — no one who came would be spared.

“Fight!”

Ye Fan roared, his hands shifting through seals as he activated the Battle Saint Method. A blazing crimson divine furnace soared into the air — the Eternal Universe Furnace — radiating firelight that scorched entire star regions into ruin. Then an ancient mirror rose up and hovered above his head, casting down immortal radiance. Next, a razor-sharp immortal sword shot forth: the Supreme Emperor Sword manifested, cleaving through heaven and earth…

Weapons of ultimate dao emerged together, slamming into the killing formation. Ye Fan exhausted every technique at his disposal in hopes of dismantling it.

Yet none could breach the barrier of the formation inscriptions — all were ground to nothing by the sword light.

And at this moment, the formation diagram thundered and rumbled. The world seemed to melt away in a trance, as the Heaven-Reaching Killing Formation’s murderous energy permeated all.

The four gates of the formation grew increasingly terrifying. Not only did the four vicious swords tremble, but the other four weapons had also completely merged into the formation — their power multiplied severalfold.

Shhk!

From one of the formation gates, the Spirit Emperor’s silver divine saber shot out. Saber energy surged like a sea, slashing toward Ye Fan’s body.

The Cauldron of the Mother Qi of All Things had long since crumbled. The saber energy flooded through and crashed into Ye Fan’s body, causing him to shudder violently. He stumbled backward again and again, leaving a trail of bloody footprints suspended in the void.

Amplified by the formation diagram, the silver saber’s might had grown by untold multiples. Nothing could withstand it — the instant the saber energy entered his body, Ye Fan nearly exploded apart.

Hmmm!

A bowstring’s vibration rang out. A divine beam shot forth — from the Corpse Emperor’s great bow hanging upon another formation gate. It unleashed a dazzling ray of light. Ye Fan struck at it with his bare hand, shattering the beam, but the bowstring kept trembling. Endless streams of light poured down like a great canopy, immediately leaving him overwhelmed.

Pu. His shoulder was pierced through. Then his waist, abdomen, chest, and thighs were struck in succession, bored through by those terrifying beams of light — only the dozen or so arrows aimed at his skull were shattered.

Ye Fan had fallen into a desperate abyss. The killing formation lived up to its name — it could truly be called unparalleled across ancient and modern times, impossible to break. If this continued, he would certainly die.

The “Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram” that Pang Bo had never stopped thinking about had truly appeared — the most lethal killing array since antiquity, now running at full power. At this moment: slay the gods if gods block the way, murder the immortals if immortals stand in the path!

At this moment, all four immortal swords took flight, leaving the formation gates and entering the formation’s interior to kill Ye Fan directly, while the other four weapons remained behind to guard the formation.

Each immortal sword dripped with fresh blood, the reek of carnage washing over everything. To face any one of them was like standing in the midst of a blood ocean — scarlet light surged skyward, vast and boundless beyond measure.

No wonder people throughout the ages had said these swords could slay immortals, could slaughter immortals. The aura was too violent, the killing intent incomparable. Searching through all emperor-grade weapons, none could match them.

The four most ferocious weapons of antiquity transformed into four blood-red rainbows, weaving through the air and leaving endless Dao runes in their wake. They clashed violently against Ye Fan, and in the end shattered him — killing him until he burst apart!

Watching Ye Fan reconstruct his true body in a single thought, all four Supremes were shaken. For the first time, they felt how impossibly difficult a Sacred Body was to kill — its life force was simply too powerful.

“Is he deliberately bathing himself in blood, seeking to comprehend sword intent? He is looking for death!” The Spirit Emperor sneered coldly.

“Such audacity — trying to swallow sword intent with his own blood, still not knowing when to die even at this juncture!” The Immortal Crone said with a bone-chilling tone.

Ye Fan had indeed begun to feel a sense of helplessness. This vast killing formation was impossible to break through. No matter how heaven-defying your power might be, under the presiding control of four Sovereigns, you could only endure calamity here.

At this moment, the blood he had shed earlier — scattered throughout the void — began to glow all at once. It arranged itself into strange, intricate patterns, evolving into divine Dao principles.

“You’re forming Dao seals from your own blood to help yourself comprehend? Even if you drain every drop of Sacred Blood, it is useless. Trying to defy heaven can only lead to death!” The Great Peng Emperor sneered, driving the formation harder and pressing the attack.

Ye Fan sighed inwardly. He felt deep admiration for Numinous Treasure Heavenly Lord — these formation inscriptions were truly unmatched across all of history. They were impossible to break through.

Boom!

He knew that continuing like this would certainly mean death. His entire body began to blaze with light — including even the shattered cauldron. Divine phenomena, the Nine Secrets, the Heavenly Emperor Fist, the Five Element Divine Light, and every other secret technique and profound truth — all erupted together, intertwining as one.

Then, primal chaos energy surged violently, crashing with explosive force. Radiance broke through eternity itself, refining the void-sky here and wrapping around Ye Fan, forming a crucible.

Ye Fan was evolving his own Dao in the midst of desperation, transforming near the edge of Dao-dissolution, evolving toward primordial chaos — striving to ultimately transcend and emerge free.

The furnace nourishes a hundred sutras; immortal sutras burn; fire tempers the furnace; refine from within an unsurpassed precious body.

This was a terrifying transformation. Ten thousand Daos resonated together, dissolving into runes that sank into the chaos fire, refining the furnace-cauldron — to burn out a “True Self.”

Long ago, when Ye Fan had battled the Carefree Heavenly Lord and been driven into peril by his supreme divine speed, he had similarly evolved his own Dao in that manner — swallowing the external attacking force.

But now, the danger surpassed even that battle. Death could come at any instant. Once again, he evolved the great Dao of his being to resist.

This method was extremely dangerous — walking along the very edge of Dao-dissolution. To call it nine deaths out of ten would be an understatement. There was every possibility he would become chaos itself, returning forever into the natural order of heaven and earth.

Yet — the furnace nourishes a hundred sutras, accommodating ten thousand Daos. This method was truly terrifying, devouring all power and converting attacking force into furnace fire, tempering the flesh-and-blood precious cauldron that ebbed and surged within.

Clang, clang, clang…

Ten thousand sword energies, all four immortal swords vibrating with a resonant ring — sword energy carrying bloodlight, carrying chaos energy — struck that furnace cauldron all at once, ringing with a metallic din.

At this moment, their ability to harm Ye Fan had diminished. Every beam of light sank into the cocoon of radiance, becoming part of the furnace fire, forging that true body.

This result made all four Supremes draw sharp, cold breaths. This technique was truly heaven-defying — could it actually break the greatest killing formation since antiquity? Impossible. This formation was unbreakable by anyone.

Especially under the presiding control of the four of them — if it were truly broken, then Ye Fan would genuinely stand on par with a Battle Immortal.

Rumble!

The Great Peng Emperor made his move. His bearing was breathtaking — tall and powerfully built, a head full of dense golden hair billowing wildly, even his pupils golden, radiating an awe-inspiring might. At this moment, brilliant light exploded from his brow. The golden whip disengaged from the formation gate and plunged directly into the killing formation, collapsing the heavens and earth, striking to kill Ye Fan.

This world-shaking blow was not only amplified by the formation diagram — it was also the Great Peng Emperor’s ultimate strike. With both effects combined, it was enough to astonish all of history, ancient and modern alike.

Boundless golden light boiled and surged. The golden whip descended like a living god of war, cleaving through the chaos energy and striking Ye Fan’s flesh-cauldron body with a thunderous crash.

Pu. He was shaken so violently that he coughed up great mouthfuls of blood. One wound after another appeared across his body’s surface, then his body was torn apart — barely managing not to explode.

“Kill him! He cannot hold on much longer — give him no opening!” The Great Peng Emperor’s eyes burned with frenzy. This madman carried an ineffable savage wildness and killing intent.

All four drove their divine power together, pushing the formation diagram to its limit. The four immortal swords revived to their ultimate state — blood-red and dripping — the blurred patterns on their blades manifesting in sharp clarity. They were killing immortals!

The scene was terrifyingly astonishing. Within a vast immortal domain, the formation diagram and four killing swords wreaked destruction on all sides. Bloody light shot up to the sky, dyeing heaven and earth crimson.

Now the formation diagram bore down. The four swords carried this supreme might as they slashed down together, cleaving through the chaos. Ye Fan’s flesh body finally could bear it no longer — it was hacked apart once more.

The divine sound of the Dao rang out. Chaos light surged violently. With great difficulty Ye Fan reconstructed his true body once more. All manner of light swirled and danced, forming a smelting furnace that wrapped around him and enclosed him within.

The sutras chanted without cease — like three thousand Buddhas reciting scripture, like a hundred thousand divine demons howling, like all the ancestors of antiquity performing sacrificial rites — mysterious and terrifying. A powerful aura was spreading and expanding.

“You little rascal. Even at death’s door you’re still thinking of perfecting your own Dao, wanting to make us your furnace fire. Should I call you a cultivation maniac, or just someone who doesn’t know the heights of heaven and the depths of earth?” The Great Peng Emperor thundered.

Ye Fan was indeed audaciously bold. Even in the midst of peril he remained this way — still evolving his supreme techniques, using all things and all sources as his furnace fire to temper his flesh-cauldron body.

“He has genuinely grasped some sword intent. And after our secret techniques struck him, they too were absorbed. If this goes on much longer, he may actually transcend and break free — it’s not impossible!” The Spirit Emperor frowned.

“He is a rare genius. Calling him the strongest Sacred Body in history would not be excessive. Pity he has no more chances. Even if he has now absorbed and refined part of our profound truths, he still cannot break the greatest killing formation of ancient and modern times — and with our techniques and Dao layered on top, his death is certain.”

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The Divine Ruins, the Primordial Ancient Mine, the Immortal Mausoleum, and the Heavenly Burial — that is, the Burial Sky Island — all four Forbidden Zones bore down together, resonating with the formation diagram. Supreme formation inscriptions spread out, seeking to suppress Ye Fan to death right where he stood.

With all these methods deployed at once, no one could withstand it. Even though Ye Fan was a heaven-born genius who had opened that form of Dao, the chaos energy burst apart, the furnace cauldron destabilized, and he was on the verge of being torn to pieces.

“Overestimating yourself — you think you alone can resist the greatest killing formation and our combined assault?!”

The overall situation was settled. All four Supremes let out a breath of relief. In just a moment more, Ye Fan would certainly die. Yet this enemy had truly shaken their hearts — the fact that he had held on this long was somewhat heaven-defying.

The furnace fire forged and nourished. The sutras thundered and rumbled in their vastness. Within the crucible, the flesh-cauldron body bore wound after wound. Though he was doing everything possible to absorb ten thousand Daos and comprehend the profound truths of the four Forbidden Zones, he was ultimately on the verge of being unable to hold on.

No one had ever dared to be this audacious — borrowing several sovereign-path powerhouses as training partners, drawing on their supreme profound truths to temper his own being, converting them into Dao fire. It was nothing short of dancing with his life in his hands.

Suddenly, Ye Fan let out a long cry, shattering the chaos light cocoon. Then with a shake of his hand, a scroll of immortal treasure appeared — obtained from the chaos dragon nest of years past, the place where the Ruthless Man had buried the coffin.

The moment this scroll unfurled, a flame of immortal fire — composed entirely of runes — appeared. It scorched ten thousand ancient star fields into ruin, dissolving a portion of the killing formation’s boundless murderous energy.

“You actually collected the immortal fire!” The Corpse Emperor was startled.

This was the immortal fire from the tenth level of the Fire Domain. The Desolate Pagoda had once drifted within that place, borrowing it to temper itself and repair its fractures.

Later, it had fallen into the sealed ground of the Ascension Star.

The existences within the Forbidden Zones were somewhat wary of this fire, for everyone who had possessed it in the past had not met a good end.

This time, they had gone to seek it out — but in the end had failed to obtain it. They had never imagined it had been collected by Ye Fan.

The Spirit Emperor’s expression changed immediately. “With the immortal fire’s origin source, that means your disciple may have a chance — may not be completely crippled after all!”

“You are wrong. I was never crippled!” A great shout rang out from the void. Ten thousand feet of golden light erupted. Ye Tong, like a golden sun, came crashing forward — and with a thunderous boom struck directly toward one of the formation gates to begin the killing.

“Even if the two of you, master and disciple, arrive together, you still cannot break the greatest killing formation. You will both die!” The Great Peng Emperor sneered coldly.

Boom!

Yet his words had barely fallen when a fist force of extreme ferocity and absolute dominance came thundering in, plunging into the formation gate, sending him flying, blood spraying everywhere.

A figure appeared — hair wild and disheveled, body powerful and towering, a peerless master of this age. It was the Old Madman, unseen for many years!

“One person isn’t enough — can four people pluck the immortal swords from your four formation gates?”

Another voice rang out like a thunderclap from the heavens. The Human Demon appeared, wielding a great club of white bone. He swung it down and smashed it into another formation gate, sending the Immortal Crone flying, coughing up great mouthfuls of blood.

This sight left the mortal realm thunderstruck. No one had expected this to happen.