The boundless universe, the brilliant stellar river — vast and endless. Ye Fan stood within the cosmos, surrounded on all sides by emptiness and the void.
The universe is sometimes Desolate and sometimes radiant with color — a contradictory unity.
Ye Fan felt the immensity of the vast cosmos for a long while without moving. He was adjusting his own state of being — both flesh and spiritual will needed to reach their optimal condition.
For he understood: this time, he could absolutely break through. The shackles that had plagued him for more than half a year were about to be shattered — the moment to charge forward had arrived.
Under normal circumstances, the further a cultivator progressed, the more arduous every step became. If one stage required ten years, then the next might demand thirty, or even fifty.
How long had it been since his last advancement? Only one or two years — yet here he was, about to break through again. This could be called nothing less than a miracle!
In the void of the cosmos, he took out the five-colored divine bottle, pulled free the stopper — and a brilliant radiance surged upward, transforming into a cloud of luminous vapor that enveloped him, becoming streams of five-colored divine light.
Here it comes — the effect is truly tremendous! Ye Fan marveled.
In that moment, the five-colored divine bottle continued to emit billowing clouds and mist — all of it formed from the liquid — surging outward of its own accord, flowing into his body.
He was like someone who had consumed the fruit of immortality: every pore across his body opened and closed, fine wisps of rosy light flowing in and out, flickering and fluctuating — making him flow with brilliance, radiant and dazzling.
Rumble, rumble!
A tremendous sound arose. The golden blood within his body surged into a boil, spontaneously emitting divine sounds of thunder and lightning — the resonance shaking this entire region of the cosmos, giving rise to all manner of extraordinary phenomena.
Crack!
No heavenly tribulation, no fluctuation of divine power, no particular technique or divine art — simply the self-reactive response of his flesh. His golden body was pulsing in a rhythm, as though performing some mysterious body technique, and the void cracked open.
This was an extraordinarily terrifying sight. There was no destructive tribulation punishment — only Ye Fan’s flesh trembling — yet merely this ordinary quaking that cleansed his blood and flesh was enough to split the spatial fabric of the cosmos!
Ye Fan blazed with light across his entire body. Streams of golden electrical radiance surged outward — as though one bolt of primordial thunder after another had struck him. In truth, it was nothing more than his own flesh radiating light.
Before long, his bones began to shift as well — as though replacing blood and reforging bone. His body thundered from within — more vast than a great river in full surge, louder than towering waves of a sea tide.
His body emitted boundless light, becoming the sole presence in the vast emptiness of the cosmos. No sun, moon, or stars existed any longer — only himself, the most brilliant of all.
Boom!
The next instant, the pulse of his body and the blazing of its golden radiance grew still more terrifying. His flesh’s primal force shattered the true void, transforming this place into a black hole — swallowing all light in an instant!
The third-grade evolution liquid was a wondrous substance — having completely dissolved the divine natures of the Celestial Destiny Rock, the Fallen Star Withered Vine Heart, and the Primordial Destiny Stone, blended with far too many Great Dao fragments.
Its effect was staggering. This was a glorious illumination — in one single moment, causing a person to feel as though they had lived for hundreds of millions of years!
From flesh to spirit, Ye Fan received total nourishment. Countless Dao markings covered him as he beheld the secret of the world’s creation. Being here in the cosmic stellar river brought him even closer to this Dao. He closed his eyes in concentration — comprehending the Dao, tempering his divine sense, baptizing his blood and flesh, forging his divine bones — step by step, walking toward a unique Great Dao, going ever further.
He observed the paths of those who came before while walking his own Dao. He perceived the secrets of the cosmic starry sky, experienced his own fruit, and forged his own extraordinary body and Dao cultivation.
Bang!
The five-colored divine bottle exploded. All of the evolution liquid burst forth simultaneously — transforming into a cloud of celestial energy, truly as though an ancient divine being had refined an immortal elixir — mysterious and of overwhelmingly potent medicinal effect.
Milky-white celestial vapor coiled and drifted, then spread into radiances of every color, submerging Ye Fan within them. The profound sounds of the Great Dao rang out — shaking this region of the cosmos, rumbling endlessly.
Finally, the black hole disappeared. The bones all throughout Ye Fan’s body resonated. His divine sense had been honed to absolute refinement — the tiny golden figure seated cross-legged within his brow was without the slightest imperfection, crystalline and translucent.
A terrible bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, crashing down upon him. The heavenly tribulation had begun. He had finally broken through!
None of this was unexpected — for lately he had long since felt this coming, lacking only a little to shatter the final shackles. Now, with the third-grade evolution liquid in hand, there had been no suspense whatsoever — advancing one stage had become an immediate reality.
This was a terrifying world of thunder seas — vast and overwhelming, descending from the boundless reaches of the cosmos above — as though a divine realm existed up there, keeping meticulous control over all of this, making it appear so fearsome and awe-inspiring.
Lightning was everywhere. Each bolt tore through the void, illuminating the dark cosmos into a resplendent brilliance — transforming it into a realm of divine glory!
Ye Fan began facing a world-shaking great tribulation, yet he did so with composure, without the slightest panic or sense of crisis. He tempered his flesh within the thunder storms, baptized the tiny golden figure, forged his own cauldron markings, growing stronger without cease.
Indeed — he could sense it clearly. He had grown many times more powerful. An all-encompassing advancement. Whether it was his spiritual perception or his combat power, all of it had entered an entirely new realm. He had even touched upon a trace of a saint’s aura and authority.
The great tribulation had begun — domineering and unbounded. This was a spectacle of the starry cosmos — as though stars upon stars were exploding, becoming a terrifyingly spectacular and magnificent cosmic canvas.
“Gods — what am I seeing?! Has a war between divine beings broken out there? Have countless star rivers been destroyed?! Why is it so glorious and terrifying?!”
On the Eternal Prime Star, atop a grand astronomical observation platform, a man cried out. He had inadvertently captured this scene, and the feeling that struck him was one of boundless, overwhelming awe.
Though the distance was extreme, their technology was unmatched, and they had captured the spectacle of lightning interwoven with torrents of stars — a grand and magnificent cosmic wonder.
“This is truly difficult to believe — these are bolts of lightning, occurring in the cosmic void. My gods, am I dreaming? It is actually happening! Oh, no — within that radiance there seems to be a silhouette. Is he a demon? How can he withstand a force like that?”
At the same time, in other parts of the Eternal Prime Star, others had also caught sight of this spectacle — all of them shocked, discussing it animatedly.
Unfortunately, no one could make out the figure within. The heavenly tribulation was terrible — infused with divine markings of the Great Dao. No matter how it was reconstructed through technological means, it remained futile.
“Not even an ancient saint would necessarily cause this much commotion. Could it be, as the legends say, that an ancient divine being has revived from the darkness of the cosmos, and is now returning?”
On the Eternal Prime Star, many were in doubt. Some uploaded what they had seen to the star network, and it spread rapidly throughout the entire world, triggering a great debate.
True experts were shaken — all of them horrified. They were certain this was someone enduring a heavenly tribulation. If their reading was correct, it was the most terrifying kind: the Primordial Chaos Tribulation, the Five Elements Tribulation, the Grand Yin Tribulation — all varieties combined into a single great tribulation. Even a saint might perish within it.
“Go and see quickly — what astonishing figure has emerged? We will not interfere — we will simply observe in silence.”
Ye Fan’s tribulation had startled even the people of another distant star domain — the Eternal Prime Star — separated from this place by star seas of extreme distance, yet still triggering a wave of tremendous controversy.
He had no idea he had become the center of attention, drawing the notice of countless people at the heart of this cosmos. That great star was boundless and vast, its population counted in units of hundreds of millions, its civilization developed to the highest extreme — whether in the Dao or in technology, it flourished without bound. Thus, some of its people were able to perceive wondrous sights at the deepest reaches of the cosmos.
“Young Master, we have engaged the Shadow Stalker. His tracking technique is first among the Immortal Feather Star Sea. He possesses a unique innate ability — he can perceive the location of any target by the power of his heart alone. He has never failed.” The gray-robed elderly manservant was reporting to Cao Qing.
The Shadow Stalker was a mysterious powerful figure whose divine ability was innate. Using his heart to perceive, he could discover the whereabouts of any person. Many people had engaged his services over the years. His price had grown higher and higher — there were very few now who could afford to hire him. To obtain the Indestructible Golden Blood, Cao Qing and his associates had spared no cost in engaging him.
In truth, this was indeed an extraordinary individual. In the domain of tracking, if not the first in the Eternal Kingdom then very close to it. While Ye Fan was enduring his tribulation, the Shadow Stalker was in the process of a spatial jump, feeling his way toward this star domain.
He was a supremely powerful figure, commanding an ancient saint mech — and his arrival naturally stirred certain fluctuations. That powerful aura made it difficult to breathe.
Yet before the heavenly tribulation, this all seemed not particularly significant. Ye Fan perceived it in the very first moment, spotted the mech standing ten zhang tall in the distance — highly advanced and terrifying, inscribed with numerous Great Dao markings, equipped with the most advanced spatial jump technology crystal plate.
Boom!
Ye Fan charged forward in the very first moment — an instantaneous kill. The arrival of someone commanding an ancient saint mech was absolutely a powerful threat. His primal instinct had sensed a hostile intent.
The Shadow Stalker was stunned. Emerging from the star gate, he immediately beheld a heavenly tribulation of such immensity — momentarily stupefied, he saw the tribulation drawing near and retreated in the very first moment.
But it was too late. The tribulation was oceanic in scope, sweeping down to cover everything — immediately causing sparks to fly from the ancient saint mech, which took a heavy blow!
Bang!
Ye Fan transformed into a bolt of golden lightning, tearing through the void and arriving beside the mech. Using the heavenly tribulation to blast open the war armor — simple and brutal — he sent the Shadow Stalker half to death, then seized him.
The mech was in ruins. The Shadow Stalker was struck down!
While countless people on the Eternal Prime Star watched with attention and the star network buzzed with heated debate, Ye Fan’s tribulation drew toward its conclusion. In an instant, traversing an untold number of li, when all the lightning finally disappeared, he carried a battered mech across the cosmic expanse and vanished entirely.
For he feared the massive commotion of the tribulation had attracted too many people over this extended period — that would only mean greater trouble.
In truth, it was exactly so. Not long after he vanished, saint warships from the Eternal Prime Star made spatial jumps to arrive here — to observe, to investigate. But unfortunately, they found nothing.
Cao Qing… wants to kill me, to obtain my golden precious blood. This time, I will see it through with you to the end!
Between Ye Fan’s last advancement and now — only one or two years had passed. Yet he had broken through again, standing upon the eighth minor stage of the Slash of the Dao. This could only be called a divine miracle!
For under normal circumstances, he would have required thirty more years — perhaps even longer.
In this very moment, every inch of his flesh and blood shimmered with precious radiance, filled with power capable of crushing all who stood at the Dao-Slashing realm — he even felt capable of challenging an ancient saint.
Having successfully crossed the tribulation, his strength had ascended to a new pinnacle!
Ye Fan felt that this star domain was his place of Dao attainment. If he could find the fourth-grade — or even the fifth-grade — evolution liquid, he might be able to keep advancing without end, breakthrough after breakthrough, without limit!
Ye Fan carried the battered mech back to the Heaven Pure Land. Without a single word, he headed straight toward Cao Qing’s courtyard — making no attempt to conceal anything. He was going to begin his slaughter.
“Oh? You are still alive. You vanished from the Fan Clan’s sacred ground — I thought you were already dead.” Halfway there, an obnoxious voice reached him. The moment Ye Fan returned, he ran into Duo Luo — this was a provocation.
Beside him, an elderly woman followed. A flash of killing intent crossed the hollows of her eyes — her gaze extraordinarily cold and sharp.
Ye Fan’s expression darkened at once. His spiritual perception was frightfully sharp — he confirmed that the elderly woman was the very person who had piloted the black mech and ambushed him within the sacred ground.
“Your life really is tenacious. Though whether you can survive the next time — that remains to be seen.” Duo Luo burst out laughing with brazen arrogance, supremely haughty. He tilted his chin up and walked away, leaving Ye Fan with the back of his head.
“I have endured you for a long time. Now I can finally act.” Ye Fan pressed forward.
“What do you think you are doing? This is the Heaven Pure Land’s sacred ground. I am Fanxian’s cousin — if you dare harm me, you are seeking death!” Duo Luo watched him warily, but remained as domineering and arrogant as ever.
Pfft!
A flash of blood-red light. Ye Fan moved with incomprehensible speed. A bolt of golden lightning cut through the air — and the head of Duo Luo, who stood at the third heaven of the Dao-Slashing realm, went flying. Blood splattered high into the air.