“Ah—!” Duoluo barely managed to let out a brief, urgent cry before his head went flying. Blood sprayed in all directions, and his face was frozen in an expression of sheer terror—he had never imagined that Ye Fan would truly dare to strike, without a single moment of hesitation, swift and absolute.

His headless body pitched forward and collapsed into a pool of blood, a pitiful sight—cut down just like that.

The severed head tumbled away at an angle, trailing blood as it went. The expression of horror on his face remained fixed, filled with disbelief.

“No!” His primordial spirit flickered within the skull, desperate to burst free. Driven to the extreme of fear, it shrieked, wailed, and howled.

The old woman nearby was equally stunned. This was the Heavenly Pure Land. Duoluo had been a remarkably gifted and immensely talented imperial relative—a distant cousin of Fan Xian—and yet someone had just severed his head.

She immediately summoned a black suit of armor, took control of it, and launched a frenzied assault on Ye Fan, trying to stop his next move. But it was already too late.

Ye Fan’s golden finger struck the blood-soaked severed head with a single sharp tap, causing it to explode on the spot. Blood and brain matter splattered in all directions. The panicked primordial spirit instantly lost its foothold—the moment it emerged, it was severed by a single finger thrust, letting out one final, wretched shriek before dying on the spot.

“You killed Young Master Duoluo—how dare you! You will pay in blood for this. A life for a life, blood for blood!” The old woman went berserk. With this having happened, she could not escape blame.

Ye Fan was decisive and efficient. The instant he finished killing Duoluo, he immediately retrieved the Shadow Assassin’s battered suit of armor, stepped inside it, and engaged the old woman in battle.

This was an ancient saint-level instrument of war—extraordinarily expensive to produce. Even top-tier major powers possessed very few of them, because forging one required an almost unimaginable price; the materials alone were enough to ruin an entire clan.

“Boom!”

One of Ye Fan’s mechanical arms emitted wisps of smoke-like Dao markings as it clashed head-on against the old woman’s strike—a combined contest of close-range force and mystical power.

Though this suit of armor was battered and worn, it could still display a portion of its might, enough to hold out for at least a short while.

“Hum!”

The Great Dao thundered. The old woman drove her black armor forward. In her hand appeared a dagger radiating black light in every direction. The moment it sliced through the void, countless Great Dao runes flickered to life—its power was immense, like a tidal wave!

True ancient saint-level armor was mysterious and formidable. Only the direct descendants of kings and lords could wield it—terrifyingly powerful. Though made of metal, it had been inscribed with the most complex and arcane partial runes of ancient deities, allowing it to unleash the might of a saint.

Clang!

One of Ye Fan’s mechanical arms was severed. The battered suit of armor was no match—stripped of its weapon and with more than half its Great Dao runes destroyed, its defensive capability had dropped sharply.

“Boy, go to hell. I will use your blood to offer sacrifice to Young Master Duoluo!” The old woman’s eyes burned red, filled with hatred. She wanted to tear him apart immediately.

“Old woman—it was you the last time too, trying to kill me and seize the third-stage evolution liquid. Today I’ll settle both debts at once—I’ll send you on your way.” Ye Fan evaded. Though the armor was outmatched, it could still release the power of a saint, enough to hold on for a while longer.

“Clang!”

Ye Fan struck with his remaining mechanical arm, sweeping it across the black armor’s chest and forcing it back several steps, then launched a series of heavy blows, beginning a fierce counterattack.

Great Dao runes flickered. While the clash of saint-level mystical power was secondary, the main event was close-quarters combat. Ye Fan attacked continuously, targeting several vital points on the black armor, aiming to break through its defenses.

The old woman let out a strange cry, calling for backup, trying to pin Ye Fan down and prevent him from escaping—because she had realized this young man was far too troublesome. He could hold his own against her while piloting a wrecked suit of armor.

“Clang!”

Ye Fan’s suit of armor was nearly disintegrating, emitting wisps of smoke, seemingly on the verge of explosion. After sustaining continuous high-intensity combat, it had already been on the brink of falling apart—and now it was even worse.

“Boy, you’re finished!” The old woman was bloodthirsty. She licked her lips, let out a venomous sound, and came hacking down with her dagger.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, the right leg of Ye Fan’s battered armor swung high and, as it swept toward the enemy, exploded—releasing a blinding flash of light that blasted a massive hole in the black armor’s chest.

All of this had been Ye Fan’s deliberate design—using the explosion of the saint-level armor to heavily wound his enemy. The old woman’s expression changed instantly on the spot. This was equivalent to a holy weapon detonating, and she had suffered a devastating impact.

Various Great Dao runes flickered. Even the sheen of the black armor dimmed considerably. She staggered backward, nearly flung clear out of it.

But before the sound of the explosion had even died down, it rang out again—and this was no ordinary explosion. It was the terrifying shockwave released by the destruction of Great Dao runes, capable of cutting down supreme experts.

“Ah—!” The old woman let out a pained cry and spat up a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, Ye Fan’s battered suit of armor had nearly run its course—completely torn apart. He burst free from within and charged directly at the black armor.

Before the old woman could steady herself, he plunged into the black armor through the massive hole in its chest, using the Black Arrows to protect his body and shield himself from the holy rune shockwaves.

“Boy, you—!” The old woman’s face turned savage. She had never imagined Ye Fan could be this ferocious, forcing his way this close to her.

“Old one, I’ll send you on your way!” Ye Fan was ruthless. He reached out one golden palm, grabbed her by the throat, and hauled her straight toward him.

Formidable as the old woman was—having reached the Half-Saint realm—she was utterly no match at such close range. No one could contend with the Immortal Golden Body at this distance. Venom filled her eyes as she struggled violently.

But the outcome was never in doubt. To be closed in on by the human tribe’s Holy Body was an absolute nightmare!

“Splat!”

Ye Fan ripped her head clean from her shoulders. Blood surged high. He then shattered her primordial spirit and hurled every scrap of flesh and bone out of the armor.

“Who is causing this carnage in the Pure Land?” Those in the distance had noticed the massacre here, and many people came flying over.

In particular, a manor estate nearby—the residence of Duoluo and his subordinates—had been alerted by the old woman’s earlier cry for help, and the people inside had already been stirred into motion.

A fierce light flashed in Ye Fan’s eyes. Seeing a group of people closing in to surround and kill him, he seized control of the black armor and charged with great strides into the manor estate, beginning a wholesale slaughter.

In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. Severed limbs and broken arms went spinning through the air. Bone fragments streaked with blood went shooting in every direction. It was a terrifying massacre.

How could this group hope to stop Ye Fan? Unable to kill him, they were cut down in turn instead, and within moments the entire group crumbled, scattering in all directions to flee.

Ye Fan’s expression was cold. Time was limited. He could not afford to linger too long here. He tore open the void and shot straight toward the distance, seeking out Cao Qing to settle accounts.

This man was sinister and ruthless, having come after him multiple times. This time he had gone so far as to spare no expense in hiring the Shadow Assassin to slaughter him and seize his precious blood—and that had truly ignited Ye Fan’s fury.

Nestled among beautifully scenic mountain forests that looked like a painting stood several palace halls—magnificent and lovely.

The gray-robed elder said: “That outsider truly does have some ability—to slip away from the Pure Land without a sound. But this time he has ultimately reached the end of the road. The Shadow Assassin’s tracking techniques are virtually unmatched in the world. By now he has most likely already lost his life.”

“I don’t care about anything else. All I care about is whether his body of golden blood can be brought back.” Cao Qing’s expression was icy, like a carved figure of ice.

“That should be no problem,” the old manservant said.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out from the mountain forest. One of the palace halls was shattered. A black-and-gold suit of armor standing seven zhang tall appeared, holding a dagger, hacking toward this location.

“It’s him—he actually came back alive!” Two beams of cold light burst from the eyes of the gray-robed old manservant.

A layer of frost bloomed across his entire body. A vast shower of snow went flying in all directions, ringing with a metallic clang, and a blue suit of armor standing eight zhang tall appeared. He stepped inside it and swiftly completed the arming sequence.

This suit of armor was incomparably powerful. Its entire surface shimmered with a pale-blue metallic luster, its lines exceptionally smooth—clearly a fearsome instrument of war, considerably superior to Ye Fan’s black suit of armor.

“Young Master, please leave this place. I will reduce him to a slow and agonizing death,” the old manservant said, his voice ice-cold.

“Strip away his Immortal Golden Blood for me. I want to tread upon his bones as I evolve into the supreme constitution!” Cao Qing’s voice was dark and chilling. He departed without hesitation.

“Old one—Cao Qing—don’t think either of you is getting away!” Ye Fan raised his hand, releasing a massive beam of light that shot toward the direction Cao Qing had gone.

The gray-robed old manservant reacted with lightning speed, driving the eight-zhang pale-blue metallic armor in an instant sidestep, raising a curtain of light to block the strike.

“Boy, you’ve been running and running, but this time you’ve delivered your own golden divine blood right to our doorstep. You’re dead!” the old manservant taunted.

“Whoosh!”

Ye Fan said nothing. His expression was cold. The black dagger in his hand sliced through the open air, sending out a trail of dark light; holy markings spread everywhere, and mystical power rapidly expanded outward.

“Clang!”

A savage smile curled at the corner of the old manservant’s mouth. He wielded a blue demon-blade, and it collided with the black dagger—instantly cleaving it in two.

Ye Fan was taken aback. Both were ancient-era suits of armor, but the opponent’s was clearly in a league of its own—rare beyond measure, far more powerful, a truly supreme instrument of war that surpassed his own.

“Boy, offer up your precious blood and then die!” The old manservant charged. This suit of armor was exceptional in both its mystical power fluctuations and its sheer durability.

“Crack!”

Ye Fan raised one black iron arm to block, but it instantly buckled—the pale-blue armor’s blow caving it in by a large chunk. In both mystical power and structural strength, it simply could not compare.

In the battle that followed, the black armor suffered blow after heavy blow. Ye Fan’s heart tightened. He realized it would be necessary to seize this ancient saint-level suit of armor—it was a peerless battle-treasure among instruments of war.

Large sections of the black armor were caved in, dented and pocked all over. Many runes had been destroyed. Whether in terms of mystical power or close combat, it was being thoroughly outclassed.

Clang!

The pale-blue armor driven by the old manservant was slender yet powerful, possessing a certain elegance and forcefulness. It was extraordinarily formidable. A barrage of mystical attacks nearly obliterated all the Great Dao runes on Ye Fan’s suit.

Boom!

And most critically of all—the blue demon-blade the old manservant wielded was terrifying. It nearly cleaved Ye Fan’s armor in two. Electrical sparks erupted everywhere, lightning danced wildly, and the sound of crunching metal filled the air.

Whoosh!

Ye Fan drove the black armor like a hunting leopard bursting forward—his back nearly caved in, on the verge of full disintegration. The black armor was a full tier below the super saint-level suit.

Even sheltered inside the instrument of war, he was nearly caught by the sweeping, all-encompassing saint-level mystical power. His expression changed.

Ye Fan pressed deeper into the mountain terrain. His target was Cao Qing—he had sensed that Cao Qing had not gone far, and so he momentarily broke away from the pale-blue armor and gave chase.

“Crack!”

One of Ye Fan’s armor arms was severed by the blue demon-blade. Dao markings shattered. A storm of thunder and lightning surged, leveling an entire mountain range.

And it was at this very moment that he spotted Cao Qing—merging with the void, concealed within the celestial dome above. Any other person would have been utterly unable to detect him. But Ye Fan had trained in the Heavenly Court’s secret techniques, and his assassination methods were among the rarest in the world.

“Splat!”

Ye Fan launched a strike. Great Dao ripples expanded outward and shattered the celestial dome.

“No—Young Master!” The old manservant sensed Ye Fan’s deadly intent and rushed to intervene, stretching out a pale-blue curtain of light to stabilize this patch of heaven and earth. But he was one step too slow.

High in the sky, Cao Qing spat a large mouthful of blood. His body was battered and broken, nearly reduced to a lump of pulverized flesh. An unknown number of his hidden treasures were destroyed in the process—but he had just barely survived the saint-level power.

“Kill him for me—slaughter him!” Cao Qing roared in fury, his expression dark and sinister, as he made a rapid retreat into the distance.

The gray-robed old manservant let out a long howl and drove the pale-blue armor to its absolute limits, pushing every one of its capabilities and power outputs to the maximum. He came close to tearing Ye Fan’s armor apart limb from limb, and very quickly reduced it to wreckage.

“Boy, you’re finished!” the old manservant snarled.

“Om!”

Suddenly, Ye Fan let out a great roar, using the black armor’s last remaining saint-level Dao inscriptions to release that single resounding syllable.

An ancient saint-level suit of armor could unleash the combat power of a saint. By using its supreme Dao markings to drive this sacred syllable, and seizing the moment when the old manservant had lowered his guard—certain of victory—Ye Fan caught him utterly off guard. It was like a demonic sound boring straight into his mind, stunning him into a daze, his consciousness thrown into chaos and nearly collapsing.

“Boom!”

Ye Fan struck with explosive speed, charging directly at the pale-blue armor—like a hawk spreading its wings and soaring through the nine heavens, ferocious beyond measure.

He was not charging recklessly to his death. He had long been planning this strike. The Great Dao ripples of the pale-blue armor had momentarily been interrupted. He called upon the Source Arts, intending to sink into it from the outside.

The Source Arts were mysterious indeed. Through their supreme profundity, he could use his physical body to enter a saintly spirit stone core—and over all these years, as he had grown ever more masterful, it now came naturally to him. He could force his way into an ancient saint-level suit of armor.

Had the old manservant’s mind not been left in a daze, he would never have dared attempt it—the terrifying saint-level mystical power would have been too great a risk. But now, things were different. The old manservant was temporarily disoriented, his power interrupted.

Even so, Ye Fan was taking a tremendous risk. If the old manservant came to his senses midway, the saint-level Dao markings could very well grind him into nothing.

But the main reason he had to do this was that the armor was supremely powerful—he had nearly been killed by it multiple times and had no choice. And beyond that, he wanted to claim this undamaged instrument of war for himself. With it in his possession, he would have the confidence to sweep through any opposition in this region.

The outcome was smooth. Ye Fan used the sacred sound of the “Om” syllable released by the ancient saint-level armor to strike directly at the enemy’s consciousness, nearly shattering the old manservant’s immortal platform. He transformed into a streak of golden lightning and successfully sank inside the armor. A trace of cold, cruel smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

“You—!” The gray-robed old manservant finally came to his senses. He was terrified out of his wits—he had witnessed firsthand the terrifying might of Ye Fan’s physical body.

“Old one, weren’t you the one who wanted my life?” Ye Fan taunted.

“No!” the gray-robed old manservant cried out, fighting with all his might.

But the outcome was merciless. With a splat, Ye Fan twisted his neck and snapped it. Blood poured freely in an instant.

In the end, a cold corpse was hurled out of the armor. Ye Fan took control from within, and the supreme ancient saint-level instrument of war was now his.

“What happened? Who is running wild out here?”

“Whoever it is—how dare they come to our Heavenly Pure Land and commit such a massacre!”

From all around, countless people came flying in, surrounding this stretch of mountain terrain as many powerful figures appeared.

“It’s him—it’s actually that young man! Good. You’ve finally appeared. I will take your life in revenge for my grandson!” The Half-Saint, Xuan Linfeng, drove his ancient armor forward and laughed coldly.

In addition, Duoluo’s grandfather who had been in secluded cultivation now appeared. His expression was as dark as deep water. Upon learning that both his grandson and the old woman were dead, his eyes blazed with fire.

A group of powerful figures appeared, including members of the Brahma clan from the Heavenly Pure Land, closing in to surround Ye Fan.

Fan Xian had also arrived. Her legs swayed as she moved—pale and flawless, like a beautiful serpent-woman approaching in full, devastating splendor. Standing at her side was Cao Qing, his expression cold, saying nothing.

Ye Fan held the blue demon-blade and drove the armor straight toward Cao Qing, intending to take his life.

“Ye Fan—what do you think you’re doing?” Fan Xian demanded.

“Killing him!” Ye Fan pointed the blade at Cao Qing.

“You will not. I will not allow you to run rampant here and slaughter the innocent. Someone stop him!” Fan Xian snapped, and a group of powerful fighters moved to intercept him, blocking his path.