Ye Xian was only four or five years old — a sweet, rosy little girl full of life and energy. The moment her seal was released, she let out a joyful cry and fluttered up like a small butterfly.
“Grandfather, you’ve finally let Xian’er out.”
Ye Fan smiled, dotingly ruffling her hair, then began to impart techniques and explain the Dao to her, urging her to cultivate diligently.
In his sixth lifetime, Ye Fan was only just beginning. His black hair flowed loose, his eyes shone like a vast ocean of stars, his body gleamed with crystalline light and drifted with immortal radiance. Having abandoned the Chaos Physique and returned to the original source, he was truly peerless beneath the heavens.
In his previous lifetime, he had pioneered the Great Dao of Chaos and composed a scripture, and now he had passed all of it on to Ye Xian, instructing her to practice it diligently.
Out in the wider world, one man had already shaken the entire universe with his might. Though he was no more than fifty or sixty years old, he had already become a Chaos Saint, sweeping all before him and overawing the mortal realm. Those of higher cultivation came to hunt him down, yet the Chaos Physique always managed to slip away — surviving each crisis through narrow escapes, growing mightier with each passing day as he roamed the celestial roads.
Everyone was astounded. They sensed that a truly extraordinary supreme prodigy was rising — that the brilliance of a mythic age was being reborn, poised to forge a path to immortality and an undying future.
Time flew swiftly, the sun and moon turning like a loom.
The little girl, Ye Xian, had grown up. Ye Fan sent her out of the Heavenly Court to train quietly in various places. As she continued to grow, her fearsome reputation gradually spread far and wide.
“The Chaos Physique from the Heavenly Court has also emerged into the world — what does the Celestial Emperor intend? Could he really be letting them contend with each other in the same era?”
People were stirred. This lifetime was destined to be far from peaceful.
The Chaos Physique from the outside world was named Wang Bo. No one knew his origins. He had once said coolly that his parents were neither a Grand Yin Physique nor a Grand Yang Physique — a statement that left many dumbfounded.
When Ye Fan learned of this, he nodded and murmured to himself, “Of course. Just like the first generation Sacred Physique — it need not necessarily be inherited through the parents’ sacred bloodline. It can be born innately.”
The Celestial Emperor quietly deduced the situation and was deeply shaken. This person had origins of the most extraordinary and world-shaking kind. Only someone as formidable as Ye Fan could part the mist and calculate that he had come from the age of myth.
Using forbidden methods to divine further, Ye Fan’s brow gave a slight twitch. This was actually a dead man — now reappearing in the world.
“He was once slain by a Celestial Venerable, yet his primordial spirit underwent nirvana and did not truly perish. In the end, he survived, sealing himself away until this very day — only emerging now that his immortal essence had been exhausted.”
Ye Fan sighed softly. This was indeed the Chaos Physique from the age of myth — one who had not yet reached full growth back then and had never attained the Dao, yet had already grievously wounded an ancient Celestial Venerable and nearly claimed the life of a peak-level emperor. What manner of legend was that? Those battle exploits were still spoken of among mortals to this day.
“His physical body was sealed within the Northern Dipper and transformed into five great continents, becoming a supreme five-colored sacrificial altar, preserved for use in breaching the immortal road. To think that he could deceive an ancient Celestial Venerable back then — his primordial spirit underwent nirvana and fled, sealing itself away within the source.”
At that level of power, with the primordial spirit undying, it was naturally possible to recreate a Chaos flesh body. Only the passage of time could extinguish him.
“In this lifetime, he has severed his cultivation and begun anew on the path of the Dao. Is he aiming to reach the most glorious peak imaginable?” Ye Fan murmured softly.
Wang Bo — an innately born Chaos Physique — shook the world with his accomplishments. From beginning to end, he deliberately controlled his rate of cultivation and placed great emphasis on building a solid foundation. Even so, he still became a Great Saint after more than a century. The fastest cultivator in history had reached Great Saint in around a hundred years, and had he truly set his mind to breaking that record, it would clearly have been no trouble — but he chose not to.
The terrifying nature of the Chaos Physique was beginning to show its first signs. As he cultivated, ten thousand Daos all revived together, every one of them resonating with him. Within his closed-door cultivation site, Dao imprints blanketed every surface, rumbling and roaring.
During this time, a quasi-emperor once came to block his path — and still he departed with perfect composure.
Ye Xian had long since grown up as well. Ethereal as an immortal, she overflowed with the energy of chaos and had overawed the starry sky for more than a century. At last, she met Wang Bo for the very first time. Their gazes met — and they immediately fought.
That battle was naturally a crushing defeat for Ye Xian. Her time spent cultivating the Dao was shorter than his, and she had no way of knowing that she faced a terrifying figure who had shaken both the heavens and the earth back in the age of myth. In the end, she escaped through the chaos formation-patterns that Ye Fan had pioneered and passed down to her — returning to the Heavenly Court soaked in blood, barely alive.
The little girl was stubborn and refused to admit defeat. After returning, she said not a word — simply healed her wounds and immediately threw herself back into cultivation. Only when Ye Fan came to find her did Ye Xian emerge from her closed-door retreat.
“Grand-teacher, that person carries a heavy killing intent. I sense he is very dangerous — like someone who wishes to destroy all things.” Ye Xian spoke truthfully.
“Long ago, he died at the hands of a Celestial Venerable. He struggled through nirvana, and many years passed before his Dao wounds were truly healed. Sadly, his enemy was already gone by then. In this lifetime, he will most likely challenge every supreme existence — there is a fire burning within him.” Ye Fan spoke slowly, gradually revealing the man’s origins.
Ye Xian listened, and her eyes went wide with shock.
“This time, he actually held back. Otherwise, you most likely would not have come back.” Ye Fan said. Though he had been sitting cross-legged within the Heavenly Court, he had watched that battle with his own eyes.
“Was he testing Grandfather’s reaction?” Ye Xian asked.
“Yes. You needn’t overthink it. I sent you out into the world simply because I wanted him to temper you. Everyone says the Chaos Physique is invincible beneath the heavens — he is the finest opponent you could have for growing up.” Ye Fan revealed the truth.
A hundred years later, the two supreme Chaos Physiques met at the peak for a life-or-death duel once more. Ye Xian was defeated again. Her opponent had lived two lifetimes and cultivated from the very beginning — his terrifying power was enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.
She escaped again through nine deaths and one life. Though she knew he would not truly deliver the killing blow, and that Grandfather had been watching over things the entire time and would not permit a tragedy — she was still furious, and buried herself in bitter cultivation once more.
Fifty years later, the two clashed at the peak again. Powerful fighters from across the entire universe came to watch.
This time, Ye Xian still suffered heavy wounds — yet she also forced Wang Bo to cough blood. She had, at last, managed to injure him slightly.
And so it went, with the two of them facing off in peak duels every few decades or a century. Ye Xian advanced by leaps and bounds, growing rapidly, until she could just barely hold her own against him. But Wang Bo was also frighteningly capable — using that span of years to thoroughly master, through keen observation, the Chaos Scripture that Ye Fan had pioneered and passed down to Ye Xian.
From that point on, in this radiant great age, all others became supporting players. Only the two Chaos Physiques stood as equals, undefeated beneath the heavens.
Ye Xian went from a streak of total defeats to a streak of narrow ones, gradually closing the gap. Her battle experience had long since become incomparably rich. And since they were both Chaos Physiques, once either of them achieved a true breakthrough of insight — who could truly surpass whom?
With the Celestial Emperor’s guidance as well, Ye Xian finally fought Wang Bo to a draw at the age of seven hundred. Their contests during that span were all like this, and even after another hundred years passed, their battle records remained more or less equal.
The entire world was astounded. In that final century of rivalry, even the world’s greatest fighters combined could not have involved themselves in those two individuals’ clash — they were nowhere near a match. That era belonged solely to those two.
And both were deliberately holding themselves back — otherwise, they would most likely have already successfully ascended to emperorship long ago.
At this point, the Celestial Emperor called Ye Xian back and forbade her from fighting any further, intending to personally seal her away for the future.
“Grandfather, I was about to become the Chaos Great Emperor — how could you do this?” She pouted in indignation.
“You will have your time to become an emperor.” Ye Fan smiled.
Ye Xian’s eyes went wide. She knew that Grandfather, the Celestial Emperor, had been preparing all along to break into the immortal domain. Hearing this news now, her heart stirred at once, and a premonition took hold of her.
“Is there hope?” she pressed.
Ye Fan shook his head. “The road is still being walked. If I sense that something has gone wrong, I will make sure to arrange a path forward for all of you in advance.”
And with that, the contest between the Chaos Physiques concluded in a draw. Only one remained in the world — Wang Bo — reigning supreme alone through the years that followed.
A thousand years later, Wang Bo attained emperorship. Ten thousand Daos fused together. Principles burned. The entire world blazed with rosy clouds. The mortal realm trembled.
So this was what it looked like for a Chaos Physique to attain the Dao? It was supremely extraordinary — ten thousand Daos harmonizing with him entirely. He truly had the bearing of one undefeated beneath the heavens. Perhaps the Celestial Emperor had truly met a challenger at last.
Yet no sooner had the word “challenger” entered people’s minds than they all shook their heads. The Celestial Emperor was one of a kind — the creator of miracles the ancient world had never seen, invincible and unconquerable.
Ten thousand years later, the Chaos Physique was at the height of his power, having reached the absolute peak of this lifetime and achieved a supreme sublimation. He proclaimed himself the Chaos Celestial Emperor.
Everyone felt that a great battle was coming. The very name he had taken was clearly pointed — there was only one person in all the world who could be honored as Celestial Emperor.
Five hundred years later, Wang Bo ascended to the Heavenly Court and issued his challenge. That day had finally arrived.
The entire world erupted in shock and anticipation.
And yet — the battle was not as spectacular as people had imagined. The Celestial Emperor did accept the challenge, did make his move, yet ended the fight swiftly, sending the Chaos Physique flying across to the desolate reaches of the universe.
Their cultivation was so far beyond ordinary that no one could tell exactly how many moves had been exchanged. Some said Wang Bo was defeated in merely three strikes. Others said eight. The consensus was that no more than ten moves had passed before the outcome was decided — a result that shook the entire great cosmos.
“Indeed — the Celestial Emperor’s battle power is beyond reckoning!” People could only exclaim in awe.
Ye Fan had seen through the Chaos Physique in his previous lifetime and then severed all of it away, shedding that skin to be reborn. He had long since returned to his original source — he no longer had need of this kind of chaos bloodline.
“A single Celestial Emperor can stand against multiple emperor-level experts — including the Chaos Physique.”
Everyone understood now. The Chaos Physique’s fearsome strength had served only to throw the Celestial Emperor’s world-shaking divine might into sharper relief — and had become the very unit of measure by which his true power was gauged.
After this battle, the Celestial Emperor traveled far away, descending upon a certain star and sitting before a large grave mound. A heavyset man climbed up with great effort and had barely poked his head over the top when he let out a pig-slaughtering shriek: “A ghost!”
He tumbled and rolled back down into the pit. After quite a long time, he climbed back up — covered in dust and grime — and stared at Ye Fan for a long while. Once he was certain this was really still the living Celestial Emperor, he spat out four words with indignation: “You are truly deranged!”
“To become an immortal, I have no choice but to keep living.” Ye Fan sighed.
“Have you come to understand something?” Duan De asked.
“Yes. These past years, I have been studying the immortality elixir and have discovered something alarming. They appear to be immortals — one after another — who have fallen.” Ye Fan revealed a staggering truth.
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire span of ancient time seemed to tremble.
Duan De’s face went pale. “Both you and the female emperor of the ancient forbidden zone discovered this — which means it is almost certainly true. She once divided the Nine Wondrous Divine Herbs into nine individual plants and studied them for many tens of thousands of years.”
“It is not that we cannot become immortals — it is that something has gone wrong in that realm.” Ye Fan sighed, and took his leave of Duan De.
“Is that the reason you have waited so long?” Duan De called out from behind him.
The Chaos Physique suffered a crushing defeat, yet he did not collapse. On the contrary, he made a terrifying decision: to sever himself once more — just as Ye Fan had severed away the Chaos Physique entirely — sealing his cultivation away and beginning anew on the path of the Dao.
For his lifespan was still abundant.
And in that same year, Ye Fan undid another individual’s seal and released the divine child. Though the little fat boy was conceited, and had been somewhat led astray by the Black Emperor and Li Tian, he possessed a truly peerless natural endowment.
“Ha ha ha ha! I, the Great Emperor Yufeng, have finally seen the light of day! Not even that wicked Celestial Emperor can stop my stride — I shall reign supreme over the heavens, overlooking the eight desolate corners of the world!” The moment the little fat boy appeared, he planted his hands on his hips and crowed arrogantly.
In response, Ye Fan simply smiled — then reached out, lifted him by the scruff of the neck, and gave his backside a thorough smacking.
“Ow, that hurts! That chaotic old dog is gone, that scoundrel Li Tian is out of the way too, so how can someone still be hitting my rear end?! I am furious!”
In this lifetime, Ye Fan imparted great techniques to him and helped him grow rapidly — ultimately sending him to face the Chaos Physique in battle, to be tempered through that trial.
In the years that followed, the entire world was left reeling. The Heavenly Court was too frightening — not only was that Chaos girl child earth-defying in talent, this little fat boy was equally astonishing.
When the little fat boy had truly grown and come into his own, he dominated heaven and earth. He battled Wang Bo all the way to the age of eight hundred, and that too ended in a draw.
Of course, had Ye Fan not held him in check, the divine child would absolutely have broken into the emperor realm. He was exceptional — a spiritual consciousness born from the Immortal-Forging Cauldron, with potential that was staggeringly vast.
A spiritual consciousness from an immortal artifact taking human form — not one whit weaker than a Chaos Physique.
After this, the divine child was sealed back into the source once more, never to emerge again.
The Chaos Physique broke through his sealed state and returned at last to the emperor realm, issuing his challenge to Ye Fan once more — yet again suffering a great defeat. According to accounts, even then it did not exceed ten moves.
Wang Bo lived to beyond twenty thousand years of age. His vitality was like an ocean. With one furious roar, he went to do battle on the immortal road — attempting to force it open. In the end, he vanished within a blaze of blazing light. He breached a passage through and stepped forward — yet at the last, only a scattering of ash remained behind in the cosmos.
During this span of years, Ye Fan forged two swords — their killing aura billowing to the heavens, stunning the great cosmos. Together with the four swords left behind by the Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable, the six swords were complete.
After that, he re-refined and re-consecrated that formation diagram, pushing it to the absolute peak of sublimation and transcending its former state — surpassing everything it had once been.
The Heavenly Court was inwardly shaken. This could only be called a miracle. The Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable was the founder of the character-combination technique, with mastery over formation diagrams that was unrivaled throughout all of history. And yet the Celestial Emperor had now supplemented and re-consecrated that diagram, incorporating two additional swords into it — an act that could only be described as something that would astonish even an immortal.
Shortly afterward, Ye Fan released the Little Holy Ape and the granddaughter of the Old Yellow Fang one after another, sending them out to undergo trials — pushing themselves to the highest realms before being sealed away once more.
“What is the Celestial Emperor trying to do?” The outside world buzzed with speculation.
Within the Heavenly Court, Ye Fan sat surrounded by six hanging killing swords, above his head the re-consecrated formation diagram drifting in suspension. He murmured to himself: “If the Chaos Physique Ye Xian, the little fat boy nurtured by the Immortal-Forging Cauldron, the young silkworm who has lived a second lifetime, the Little Holy Ape, and Old Yellow Fang’s granddaughter all attain emperorship — each holding one killing sword — could they seal away one Celestial Emperor?”
Ye Fan knitted his brows. Beyond the five young ones, he needed to select one more person.
“The Celestial Emperor must be planning something major!” Everyone in the outside world was making this same deduction, for they had seen him send out — one after another — several children of world-shocking aptitude from the Heavenly Court to be tempered, and they sensed he was preparing for some great action.
Yet against everyone’s expectations, the Celestial Emperor went still after this, and everything grew calm.
The Celestial Emperor’s reign had endured three hundred thousand years, and the Celestial Emperor’s imprint nearly collapsed entirely — at one point spreading out across every corner of the universe, piercing through ten thousand Daos, sending the world into convulsive trembling.
“What? The Celestial Emperor nearly perished?”
“The Celestial Emperor nearly dissolved into the Dao and ceased to exist!”
The countless races of the universe were shaken to their core.
Within the Heavenly Court, all was shrouded in grief and desolation.
It was indeed the truth: Ye Fan had nearly perished. Though he had managed, with great difficulty, to survive into his seventh lifetime, the Celestial Emperor’s imprint was unstable — and he had remained unconscious ever since, unable to regain his senses.
Xiaosong, who was responsible for guarding the Heavenly Court, emerged into the world. He spent a hundred years studying the situation, yet could not identify the cause. His master had already grown young again and successfully survived into the seventh lifetime — so why could he not awaken?
In the end, Xiaosong went to a forbidden zone, undid the seal there, and carried out a great mass of immortal source — within which was sealed a black dog.
Looking closely, one could see it had grown very old. Its fur had faded to a grayish-white, and it had grown considerably leaner and smaller than before.
Xiaosong woke it, then broke open the seal of the immortal source.
After a long time, the Great Black Dog finally came to its senses — immediately shouting and asking whether immortality had been achieved.
Xiaosong shook his head, explaining Ye Fan’s condition from beginning to end. He felt that since the Great Black Dog had followed the Beginningless Great Emperor, it had seen much and experienced much — perhaps it could see what was wrong.
“Mwa ha ha ha ha!” To his complete surprise, the Great Black Dog burst into unrestrained laughter upon hearing this — without a trace of worry or sympathy, its eyes gleaming with a crafty light.
“What are you laughing at?” The guileless Xiaosong was puzzled.
“Nothing. For a problem like this, handing him over to this Emperor is the right call. Mwa ha ha ha! He’s finally fallen into my hands! Heh heh…” The Black Emperor’s laughter was laced with arrogance and satisfaction — as though some long-cherished desire was at last about to be fulfilled.