The Dragon Horse trod upon the heavens, fire dancing across its entire body, its scales like phoenix-blood red gold gleaming with crystalline brilliance, radiating light in all directions. From its head grew two dragon horns, and its pair of eyes glared furiously at Ye Fan.
This dragon foal was excessively proud. Dozens of times it charged forward, its basin-sized hooves driving straight down toward the top of Ye Fan’s head, shattering the vault of heaven with each strike. Breath poured from its mouth and nostrils in the form of coiling dragon serpents, and its dragon-elephant power showed no signs of exhaustion.
Ye Fan watched with clicking admiration. The Dragon Horse’s might surpassed what any ordinary person could imagine — it was actually able to clash evenly with him. This was absolutely an anomaly, a divine steed born of the heavens and earth, utterly peerless.
He made a careful assessment: the Dragon Horse’s hooves could shatter the moon, its strength comparable to a meteorite colliding with the earth. Trampling a Cult Master — a Dao-severing existence — to death would cost it no effort at all. Things like moving mountains and filling seas would be useless against it.
The Dragon Horse let out another long neigh. The mane at its neck danced like leaping flames; crimson light flickered across its entire body, its divine magnificence beyond compare. Despite having taken a few palm strikes from Ye Fan, a trickle of blood had seeped from the corner of its mouth — but otherwise it was unharmed.
It was brimming with vitality. With each bound of its four feet, every mountain peak within a range of dozens of li was trampled into dust and brought crashing down, its strength utterly astounding.
It charged again. This time, as it leapt, divine light seethed and boiled, flooding the entire area. The two dragon horns on its head rang out with a clear metallic resonance, slashing out countless thousands of crimson sword waves that razed the entire terrain to level ground.
Little Pine, medicine basket on its back, had taken cover on Ye Fan’s shoulder, staring wide-eyed in absolute amazement, deeply envious of such overwhelming power, muttering and chattering away to itself.
Each strike Ye Fan delivered was heavier than the last, yet this Dragon Horse was fully capable of absorbing the force. One could only say it was a truly extraordinary specimen, unheard of in the world — wholly deserving of its title as a divine foal born of heaven and earth.
“Roar—!”
Suddenly, a snarling cry rang out from the distance. Blood-red auras surged up on the horizon, and three beams of light shot up into the sky like three blood-colored pillars holding up the heavens, piercing through the nine-layered sky.
Ye Fan’s eyes blazed with intensity. He could see that three Dao-severing figures had arrived. The immortal vein of Kunlun was truly astonishing — there were four kings in total, which one couldn’t help but find surprising.
In the distance, sand and stone flew, several mountain peaks were even ripped up by the roots and sent spinning through the air, and black clouds pressed down like the bottom of an iron pot.
Little Pine was frightened, its expression tense. It clutched its small medicine basket, settled down obediently on Ye Fan’s shoulder, and wrapped one small paw around his collar, gripping it tightly and refusing to let go.
Even if four Dao-severing figures came charging at him simultaneously, Ye Fan paid them no mind — in this part of the world, no one capable of wounding him had yet been born. However, events took a turn he hadn’t anticipated. The three ancient demon Dao-severers and the Dragon Horse were not on the same side — upon seeing it in difficulty, they came charging at the Dragon Horse to attack.
The Dragon Horse let out a long neigh, and the fire blazing across its body grew even more intense. Its entire body turned crimson red as blood, smoke and blazing clouds seethed, and from its mouth and nostrils it exhaled column after column of dragon-shaped breath.
Seeing this, Ye Fan stepped back to one side and refrained from intervening. Four beast kings clashing within the immortal vein of Kunlun — he was quite content to watch.
Demonic aura surged toward them — not like any gas, but more like a mountain range pressing down. No one without Dao-severing cultivation could withstand it. The golden lion and the old flood dragon had long since vanished without a trace.
“Moooo—!”
A bellow like that of a great bull rang out, and an enormous figure like a small mountain came charging, its entire body golden yellow, a pair of horns growing from its head, ramming forward with force. This was a Bull King. Its fur radiated light, strand by strand; it stood a hundred zhang tall, and moving at this speed its force was devastating. Its pair of great horns came driving toward the Dragon Horse in a goring charge.
On the other side, a black ape strode across the land, black fog roiling about its entire body, also standing a hundred zhang tall, roaring like a divine deity. In its hand it gripped a long broadsword, its dark light cold and menacing, and brought it hacking straight down.
The third being was a Daoist figure who had chosen to take human form. He wore a purple gold crown and had a sallow, wax-yellow complexion, looking sickly and feeble — yet he was the most alarming of them all, for in his hand he held a black dragon-headed spear that radiated an aura striking dread into the heart.
This was the foundation upon which they dared to attack. The Daoist figure gripped the spear and led the assault on the Dragon Horse from the center, causing it considerable wariness — it had no choice but to leap and dodge, dealing with all three at once.
Ye Fan opened his Heavenly Eye and looked toward the black metal long spear in the Daoist’s hand. His heart gave a sudden lurch. What was this weapon? It actually gave him a cold sensation in his flesh and bones.
“Dragon Horse — this spear has been activated today, and your defeat is certain. Yield up the Fire God’s Cavern!” The Daoist shouted. A column of dark light shot up from the black body of the spear, piercing through the clouds and into the sky.
The three Dao-severing kings were all powerful, not weak in the slightest. By virtue of this black dragon-headed spear, the Dragon Horse had been forced into a passive state, worn down and beleaguered, facing mortal peril.
Ye Fan did not intervene. He stood to one side with Little Pine, watching with cold detachment. Four beast kings battled within Kunlun’s immortal vein; the fighting blotted out the sun and moon, darkened heaven and earth, and the demonic aura cut across thousands of li.
“Hmmm—!”
Suddenly, the black long spear gave a tremor. That world-stunning aura was extinguished, sinking back into darkness, all dark light drawn back and vanished.
The Dragon Horse let out a long neigh, fire blazing and jumping across its entire body. In an instant it recovered its full power, scattering the eight directions’ demonic aura. The bright and open universe was restored.
As both sides faced off, the Dragon Horse’s eyes were full of disdain — supremely arrogant, glaring at the three beast kings, casting a particularly contemptuous, sidelong look at the sallow-complexioned Daoist figure.
The golden Bull King, the hundred-zhang black giant ape, and the Daoist exchanged glances, then turned and walked away. They had come relying on the black long spear for the killing blow, but had never expected to fall just short of success — the divine might had not held out for long.
The Dragon Horse counterattacked with speed surpassing lightning. Thunder descended from all ten directions; fire flashed everywhere. Beneath its four hooves crackled bolt after bolt of lightning as it rode the very light itself.
“Crack!”
The divine steed was supremely swift and ferocious. With a single tread, it shattered the golden Bull King’s bones and tendons. Then, a flash of light from its dragon horns shot out a sheet of Dao traces, blasting the black giant ape so hard it vomited fresh blood and crashed down to the earth.
“Boom!”
Finally, it reared up on its hind legs. Its two front hooves came stamping down like the great seal of a celestial emperor. The Daoist met the blow with his black long spear, but was still sent flying sideways — the web of flesh between his thumb and forefinger split open, blood seeping from all over his body.
Ye Fan nodded in approval. Worthy indeed of a Dragon Horse raised by heaven and earth itself, born of no common stock — facing Dao-severing kings of equal rank, it crushed them effortlessly, winning with ease.
Given this level of combat power, as a being at the third level of the Immortal Realm, there was almost nothing in the world that could suppress it. What it had been wary of earlier was nothing more than that black long spear.
The Dragon Horse was completely contemptuous of these three beast kings. It sent another hoof flying at the Daoist — though it held back from delivering a killing blow. The relationship between them appeared to be a complicated one.
“Clang!”
Ye Fan activated his Word of Soldiers secret technique, and in an instant drew the black long spear to himself from across the distance. The weapon was jet black throughout, with a true dragon coiled upon it. He didn’t know what metal it had been forged from — the shaft was heavy and dense, weighing several tens of thousands of jin. The tip was keen and sharp, yet dim and without lustre.
Ye Fan held it in his hand, gave it a light swing, and a powerful surge of force pressed outward, piercing through the void itself. He drove it forward with force, and from dozens of li away, a mountain in the distance was bored clean through and reduced to flying ash.
Ye Fan could not sense any particular Dao principles from it, yet this weapon was clearly extraordinary. He put force into bending it — but he could not break it. It was supremely sturdy.
One should know that, for Ye Fan, the weapons of ordinary kings were generally incapable of harming his body and could be easily destroyed. They were nothing to speak of.
Other than the Dragon Horse, all three beast kings felt their hair stand on end. Watching Ye Fan’s effortless movements — like those of a divine being — as a single spear thrust turned a great mountain dozens of li away to instant ash, they recognized the display of a supreme expert.
The Dragon Horse had a premonition that things had taken a bad turn and tried to flee — but Ye Fan had made his true move. He activated his Word of Motion secret technique, and in the next moment was seated astride the Dragon Horse’s back, radiating the might of thunder and lightning.
This divine steed, born of heaven and earth, instantly erupted in fury. It had always been incomparably proud — how could it endure having a person ride upon its back? Every divine ability and Dao principle it possessed was unleashed at once, its entire body blazing with torrential immortal light, burning fiercely.
Yet Ye Fan sat steady on its back, holding the dragon-headed spear, as though rooted in place — immovable as a mountain. Every law, every secret technique thrown at him was completely ineffective.
The Dragon Horse roared in fury. Clouds rose and fell in the sky; mountain ranges trembled in the four directions. It raged and charged, shattering who knows how many sacred peaks, destroying dragon vein after dragon vein — yet it could not shake the “adhesive plaster” upon its back.
Ye Fan had made up his mind to subdue this horse. Ancient texts recorded that divine steeds could only be obtained by the sacred emperors of high antiquity. It was utterly extraordinary — as if representing a certain heavenly fortune. He wanted to someday trample star domains with this mount.
He had just tested it moments ago: the Dragon Horse’s speed was second only to his Word of Motion secret, capable of pursuing lightning and catching the sun, possessing an extreme velocity unrivaled in the universe, swift beyond imagination.
The Dragon Horse had not yet yielded, but the three beast kings at the side had all gone cold with fear. They expressed goodwill toward him and offered to gift him the black dragon-headed spear, even revealing the spear’s origins.
This spear was extraordinarily mysterious — it had actually come flying in from outside the domain and embedded itself into Kunlun’s immortal vein, bringing with it a clump of Fire God Source. No one knew what kind of divine object it was.
Ye Fan was astonished. This spear truly had an extraordinary origin. Coming from outside the domain meant there had certainly been a life-or-death battle between powerful figures in the starry sky, and a weapon had been sent flying in the process. This was in all likelihood a sacred-level divine object! After so many years with no one coming to retrieve the weapon, the original owner was likely in grave danger.
The golden Bull King, the Ape King, the Daoist, and the Dragon Horse had originally maintained a mutual non-aggression pact and even had a certain degree of rapport — but they had ultimately fallen into conflict while competing for the cavern formed from the Fire God Source. Disputes had broken out ever since.
The dragon-headed spear had fallen into the Daoist’s hands. The Fire God Source had merged with Kunlun’s immortal vein and transformed into a strange form of energy, creating a cavern — cultivating within it would yield double the results for half the effort.
Ye Fan sat astride the Dragon Horse, and no amount of struggling from it could make any difference. He remained as unmovable as Mount Tai. He extended a hand and clenched it with force — the earth rumbled beneath them, a column of fire leapt up, and a blindingly brilliant divine radiance rose to the surface.
“So this is the Fire God Source — but what exactly is it?” He stared at that mass of liquid — blazing and viscous as lava. When it came into contact with spiritual energy, it could transform into wisps of vital light, filling the body with ease and comfort, capable of accelerating one’s cultivation.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Fan cleaved off one half and stored it in the cauldron, leaving the other half for the three beast kings. Then he patted the Dragon Horse on the head and said: “You and these three are old acquaintances — wouldn’t it be simpler to just split it evenly like this? I’ve claimed your half for you. Come with me.”
The Dragon Horse was furious and refused to submit. Ye Fan gripped the dragon-headed spear and shook it, then drove it forward with full force. With a boom, the mountain range ahead vanished entirely, reduced to ash by a single strike.
“Though you are a divine steed born of heaven and earth, your cultivation and natural talent are still too weak. Come with me — I will let you trample through star domains.”
The Dragon Horse was still completely unwilling — one hundred and twenty percent against it — but the adhesive plaster upon its body could not be shaken off no matter what, and moreover its body was no longer under its own control. Its legs moved of their own accord, carrying it forward toward the place where the hope of immortality was being nurtured.
Little Pine jumped in front of the Dragon Horse, pulled a precious herb from its small medicine basket, and held it out as an offering of goodwill. The result was that it was nearly trampled underfoot by one hoof — fortunately the little creature was sharp-witted and leapt out of the way with a whoosh.
Two days later, Ye Fan arrived at the deepest part and laid eyes on the sacred earth where the hope of becoming an immortal was being nurtured — yet he could not advance a single step further, for he was still lacking the ninth fragment of the terrain map.
Ahead, the scene was breathtaking and utterly stunning. The place where an immortal was being nurtured could now be seen.
The terrain here defied all reason — something Ye Fan had never once encountered in his entire life. More than ten thousand mountain peaks clustered together, encircling a mountain valley, each peak shaped exactly like a dragon’s head, as though formed by nature itself!
Every one of those dragon mouths was exhaling quintessence outward — immortal energy billowing and rising in curling mists, gathering at the center of the valley — profoundly mysterious beyond all description.
Ye Fan stood stupefied. At first he had assumed the dragon heads had been carved by human hands, the workmanship god-like in its craft — but upon closer inspection, he was shaken to his core. These had been shaped by the forces of nature itself.
More than ten thousand mountain peaks, nourished by the life essence of one ancient star after another, had themselves become spiritually aware over time, transforming into supreme world treasures, possessing their own autonomous divine wills!
One could say these ten thousand-odd mountain peaks had been born naturally from heaven and earth — all of them dragon heads, the result of countless ancient stars working together to nurture them over who knows how many ages since the beginning of time.
More than ten thousand dragon bodies lay coiled beneath the earth’s veins, with only the dragon heads raised high, positioned at the surface, exhaling the various essential energies of heaven and earth to nourish the immortal truth within the immortal-nurturing ground.
“Inconceivable!”
Ye Fan exclaimed in wonder. The terrain here was truly extraordinary beyond measure. Even if it ultimately failed to nurture the hope of immortality, these ten thousand-odd true dragons would eventually come to life — every one of them had already developed a divine spiritual will.
These were the hopes nurtured from the exhaustion of many ancient stars. Once these dragon heads came alive, it would be the magnificent spectacle of ten thousand dragons soaring into the sky at once.
“They exhale their quintessence together, this way completing another — transformed into an immortal-nurturing ground. This truly is a heaven-defying method.”
Ye Fan murmured to himself, then shivered with a sudden, bone-deep chill. This method seemed to surpass even the Heavenly Master of Origins — a still deeper understanding of terrain and earth patterns. These dragon heads had absolutely been cultivated by exploiting the forces of nature — what kind of figure could have accomplished all of this? In a single instant, many thoughts flooded his mind.
A million years ago, only one great force had possessed such power — the Celestial Court!
The Heavenly Master of Origins’ lineage was shrouded in mystery, its origins unknown. Could it truly be traced back to an even more ancient primordial era?
Ye Fan thought of one possibility: if the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains had been guided by the Celestial Court, descending upon one ancient star after another — then who had provided them with the method to do so?
Could it be that the ancient Celestial Court had possessed an existence that surpassed even the Heavenly Master of Origins, who had provided them with this very concept, giving rise to this immortal-nurturing process stretching across millions of years?
Ye Fan gave himself quite a fright. His thoughts raced and leapt, and in a flash he had arrived at many conclusions.
Later, the emperor of the Celestial Court had died, the divine generals of the various domains had fallen into chaos, and all of this had naturally been put on hold — or rather, had run into serious trouble.
Was the Feathered Transformation Divine Dynasty the remnant force of the former Celestial Court?
In the next moment, Ye Fan thought of the Heavenly Master of Origins’ final years, then recalled the scene of the tens of thousands of yin soldiers borrowing passage. If that was so — could it also be connected to the ancient Celestial Court?
“This is the immortal-nurturing ground, and I have actually succeeded in reaching this place — I’ve already gone further than Rong Cheng Shi. It would truly be regrettable to simply turn back now.” Ye Fan’s eyes shone with a brilliant light.
He fixed his gaze upon the ten thousand dragon-headed mountain peaks. True dragons coiled and ascended, soaring and overlapping in countless tens of thousands, the dragon heads raised high in unison, crying out with one voice — all of them born of dragon energy. At the center within the immortal valley, an endless expanse spread out, surging auspicious energy, countless hundreds of millions of rays of rosy light, immortal radiance shooting outward beam after beam.
What lay at the center of all that? Ye Fan longed desperately to see it.