The Five-colored Peacock was by no means weak — quite the opposite, it had few rivals among the younger generation, extraordinarily powerful. It had reigned supreme in a foreign domain, cutting down every rival on one of the ancient roads, walking a path paved with corpses and bones, leaving behind it a sea of blood formed from fallen rivals.
Before coming to this Sacred Road of Myth, it had been a legend in its own star domain, hailed as invincible among the younger generation!
Now, torn in two by Ye Fan’s bare hands, drenched in blood, it seemed like something out of an illusion, leaving onlookers unable to believe their eyes.
Ye Fan’s thick black hair hung loose across his chest and back, his eyes deep and profound, threads of cold lightning flickering from within. He tossed aside the two halves of the corpse, standing at the center like a terrifying divine demon, seeming to look down with contempt upon every powerful figure from every ancient road across the myriad heavens and domains.
This was a kind of overwhelming intimidation, one that profoundly shook the hearts and minds of everyone present!
The Five-colored Peacock was not weak — had it fought carefully, seriously, with all its strength, no one could have finished it off in a single strike. That it fell here was due partly to its own carelessness, and partly to Ye Fan concentrating a hundred lethal techniques into a single strike, delivering a decisive kill in an instant.
Just as the old madman of legend, had he fought seriously against the Stone Man Sacred Spirit Ao Mang, might have needed several hundred exchanges — yet instead he charged forward fearlessly and shattered him with three punches!
Today, Ye Fan did the same, carrying an air of swallowing mountains and rivers whole, bowing to no one. His golden blood boiled the moment he moved, his presence bearing down upon the very clouds, the four seas rising and falling because of him. Black waves crashed against the high heavens, nearly knocking down the sun, moon, and stars. He condensed an invincible resolve into a single instant, unleashing his strongest strike to slay the Five-colored Peacock!
Beneath the Bodhi tree, comprehending the Dao, Ye Fan had destroyed the universe within his own body, exploding star after star, severing river after starry river, reforging his golden flesh and blood along with his pristine white bones, leaving only a single true form — how could he not be powerful?
This was not merely a simple strike of the flesh, but one requiring the perfect union of body, scripture, and secret technique, elevated to the highest possible intensity in a single unleashed kill.
Thus, when his strongest true form emerged, his body curving like a dragon, it split heaven and earth and tore apart the invincible peacock, blood raining down, cementing the supreme reputation of the human Sage Body.
This battle was merely the opening skirmish — the prelude to Ye Fan’s great war against the Young Supremes of this age, a fight to reclaim the name of Supreme, for under heaven there could be only one who bore that title!
From this day forward, the great ancient domains would begin to stir, and the title of the strongest would slowly begin to change. This battle would become the spark that ignited the great storm to come.
The divine fox’s eyes flashed with terror — the pagoda it had unleashed had been blocked and shattered with a single arm by Ye Fan. Naturally it was shaken; what kind of combat power could accomplish such a feat so effortlessly? This was a divine demon!
Most crucial of all, the Five-colored Peacock, whose strength rivaled its own, had been struck down on the spot, and this made its scalp crawl — it had happened in the span of a single exchange.
Thinking back to what they had just said, believing this man had been wounded during his tribulation, that he was merely a fraud unworthy of the name, unable to withstand a single blow — every word had come back to bite them.
The divine fox’s eyes glinted with cunning; in a flash it vanished, speed astonishing, retreating behind the Fourth Young Lord of the Golden Serpent. It had no wish to become a sacrificial blade for the four golden bodies, to charge in first as cannon fodder.
However, it had underestimated Ye Fan’s speed, and underestimated even more his resolve to kill it, along with his invincible spirit — Ye Fan moved straight toward it, charging at the Fourth Young Lord of the Golden Serpent.
“You…” The divine fox was terrified. Ye Fan had moved after it, yet arrived before it, cutting off its path and blocking the space between it and the Fourth Young Lord.
What tremendous courage it took to make such a move — to stand with his back to the four powerful Golden Serpent Young Lords, blocking the divine fox, effectively surrounded on all sides.
Ye Fan moved with the bearing of a dragon and the stride of a tiger; with every gesture, sun and moon seemed to turn, countless great stars flickering, as though a Heavenly Venerate were passing through — it deeply shook the divine fox, who turned and fled.
Though it had four powerful allies not far away, it could not bring itself to face Ye Fan’s invincible aura. This presence made it tremble, stripping away any desire to contend for supremacy.
This was true invincible majesty, a great presence cultivated over time. Ye Fan had not even truly struck the killing blow yet, and already his enemy’s will had crumbled, his confidence shattered.
In some sense, this kind of presence was even harder to cultivate than true combat strength — it required the deep fusion of essence, energy, and spirit, elevated to the very peak, before one could begin to release even a fraction of one’s original majesty.
Ye Fan carried within him an unshakable belief in victory, an invincible will. Facing many enemies, he had charged in alone, unafraid even to stand against a thousand armies single-handedly, looking down upon the assembled heroes.
It was precisely this cultivated invincible presence that shattered the divine fox’s spirit, causing it to flee for its life, losing its composure — and this, too, was the very reason it was doomed to die.
However fast it moved, could it possibly outrun Ye Fan? Leaving the Fourth Young Lord of the Golden Serpent behind was only hastening its own death.
Behind them, the four Golden Serpents flew into a rage. Ye Fan had charged in alone, and this arrogant, invincible aura had not intimidated them at all — instead their blood boiled, fury rising.
This was an insult to them. A single man, alone, daring to face all four of their supreme selves — under heaven, no one had ever dared such a thing!
“It’s not only you who underwent tribulation — half a month ago, we did as well. Today we take your life!” The Second Young Lord of the Golden Serpent was the first to give chase. He had seen the pattern — in a battle between equals, no one in this world could kill a Peacock King in a single strike. That had been Ye Fan’s strongest, most decisive kill, a feat that could not be repeated a second or third time.
“No!” Just then, the divine fox’s terrified scream rang out ahead, for Ye Fan had caught up to it, cornering it with nowhere to run, no path to hide.
It, too, realized its mistake — how could it flee? The stronger the enemy, the more it should have stayed to buy time, letting the Fourth Young Lord fight to the death — otherwise this would become an unsolvable threat in the future.
But it was too late. Ye Fan’s whole body blazed with treasured light. This time his manifested form was not merely the simple curve of a dragon, but transformed into a golden Taiji Immortal Diagram, its every vision on full display, as though three thousand divine demons were chanting scripture, all crashing down together in a single strike.
The fox’s face drained of all color in terror. Such might, such combat power, such overwhelming presence — who could withstand it? And it was again his strongest attack, meant to claim its life in a single blow.
The divine fox naturally refused to accept its fate, unwilling to fight to the death, hoping instead to stall for time. The lesson of what had just happened left it filled with dread, terrified of being torn apart in the void, of dying on the spot.
But Ye Fan gave it no chance. His movement technique had reached the very peak of speed, pressing against its body as he struck — what had been a gap of several dozen feet now closed until the two seemed fused together, inseparable.
Who could engage the human Sage Body in close combat? There were such people — those with the blood of the Heaven-Defying Overlord coursing through their veins, for instance — but they were exceedingly rare, and the divine fox was clearly not among them.
“Ahh…” One of its arms was seized by Ye Fan, and with a sickening crack, crimson blood sprayed in all directions as the limb was torn clean off. The divine fox screamed, its divine soul suppressed, thrown into chaos.
One could say it was a single misstep leading to a cascade of further missteps. It had walked itself, step by step, onto the road to ruin, its heart filled with fear, overwhelmed by Ye Fan’s presence, unable to truly fight back.
In truth, for someone who had claimed supremacy on an ancient road, who had become a peerless powerhouse, to show such a performance was rare indeed.
Of course, this also revealed, from another angle, just how terrifying Ye Fan’s invincible presence truly was — enough to make an enemy this powerful tremble in fear, something that, if spoken aloud, other rivals would scarcely believe.
“Spare me, and I will repay you even at the cost of my life,” the divine fox cried out, its eyes filled with terror.
“Are you certain you would keep such a promise?” Ye Fan let out a low shout of the Dao, striking directly at its divine soul, laying bare everything within its mind, hiding nothing.
“Ahh… no!” The divine fox screamed in terror, knowing it was finished — its innermost thoughts had been seen through, and there was no path left to survival.
“Harboring hidden malice, intending to take my life one day, cunning and vicious — I cannot let you live!” Ye Fan flipped his hand and struck downward. The divine fox’s skull shattered instantly, crimson blood and pale brain matter splattering in all directions, its divine soul reduced to ash.
“This…” In the distance, many onlookers who witnessed this scene froze in shock — that had been a supreme powerhouse of an ancient road, yet before Ye Fan it had been like a mere chick, struck down without ceremony.
Boom!
In the distance, the sounds of tribulations continued unabated — several others were undergoing their own trials, drawing on the power of heaven and earth to make the Bitter Sea surge violently.
Thunder rolled on without end, lightning flashing across the sky, all of it astonishing — while on this side, Ye Fan turned back to face the Golden Serpent Second Young Lord, about to engage in battle.
“Long worm, don’t think you can bully us with numbers — Lord Pang has arrived, come and meet your death.” Pang Bo charged forward, his bronze skin radiant with treasured light, intercepting the Golden Serpent clan’s supreme figure.
“This one stands here — you will not run wild in my presence!” Long Ma struck a pose of arrogant defiance, looking down on the assembled heroes, and with a cry, the Twelve Saints rushed forward as one.
“Clang!”
Not far off, the Golden Serpent Second Young Lord spat out a beam of immortal light — a serpent sword, forged within the bones of a million corpses, said to be capable of slaying immortals and gods alike.
This was a golden evil blade, tempered with the blood, bones, and soul-fire of a million living beings, said to carry boundless malevolent energy — a sword born of great calamity. If it so much as grazed an enemy, opening even the smallest wound, that enemy would instantly turn into a pool of putrid blood.
This blade was evil and vicious to the extreme, and to forge it, the Golden Serpent Second Young Lord had wiped out an entire clan of divine apes from another ancient road, slaughtering every last member, using them all as blood, bone, and soul-fire for the sword’s tempering.
The Golden Serpent Eldest Young Lord had not moved. Even with Ye Fan displaying such overwhelming strength, he did not rush to act, merely watching coldly. The Third Young Lord was held back by Pang Bo, while the Fourth Young Lord was being led into a “duel” by Long Ma and his group.
“Boom!”
Heaven cracked and earth split, ghosts wailed and gods howled, as the entire black ocean erupted, boiling up into the very universe, knocking entire stars from the sky, terrifying beyond measure.
Everyone was shaken. Many powerful figures were swallowed by the black waves, some managing to fight their way back up with the aid of their treasures, escaping certain death.
“What’s happening?” Everyone was stunned.
Waves surged toward the heavens, stars falling like flying sand and rolling stones, some shattering apart in the void.
Beneath the black Bitter Sea, a terrifying divine light burst forth, shooting skyward and transforming into a divine bridge that raced swiftly toward the distance, reaching all the way to the far shore.
People stared in shock — the divine bridge had appeared, the magnificent sight they had all hoped for, yet never dared believe possible!
Heaven and earth shifted violently, the Bitter Sea a vast expanse as the Life Springs erupted — not just the nine known springs, but a far greater expanse transformed into divine essence, merging as one, constructing the heaven-reaching divine bridge, plunging into the far shore of the gods.
For days on end people had continued undergoing tribulations, and even more great sages had struck at the Bitter Sea. Though insignificant compared to the vast sea, like mere mosquitoes flitting about, in the end they had roused the sleeping giant.
“Cross the divine bridge, reach the far shore of the gods!” Ye Fan shouted, calling out to Pang Bo, Long Ma, and the other Twelve Saints — this was no time to fall behind, for who knew how long the bridge would last.
Ye Fan activated the Movement Mantra, bringing the whole group across in an instant. In addition, using his supreme magic power, he blocked the Golden Serpent Second Young Lord’s path of retreat, refusing to let him leave.
Boom!
Waves surged toward the heavens; the construction of the divine bridge was terrifyingly violent, sweeping everyone off their feet. The many powerful figures gave everything they had to fly upward, standing at last upon the dazzling, boundless divine bridge.
Great waves crashed skyward — this was nothing like crossing an ordinary bridge; it felt as though they were being swept up by divine tides and hurled toward the opposite shore, into some unknown void!
Standing upon the radiant divine bridge, no one needed to move at all — it was as though they had turned into rainbows, flying directly toward a distant, deep expanse of the heavens.
In an instant, the gate of the void swung wide open. This was another world entirely, no longer the ancient domain of the Bitter Sea — they were drawing close to the true far shore of the gods!
Some tried to seize the Life Spring essence, but it was all in vain — by then the springs had transformed into light, and it was precisely this transformation that had allowed the heaven-reaching bridge to form, shattering one domain to reach another.
It pierced straight through the void, as though spanning an entire ancient star domain — no one could say how far it was from the Bitter Sea; they were no longer even within the same domain.
Only then did everyone realize, with mounting shock, that crossing the Bitter Sea to reach the dwelling place of the gods was never meant to be a crossing of some tangible black ocean at all — it was meant to lead them straight to the Heavenly Court.
“Hmm!”
Upon this divine bridge, the Golden Serpent Second Young Lord was locked in fierce combat with Ye Fan. He sensed that something was wrong — he had been separated from the other three supreme Golden Serpents, and now stood entirely alone.