“Who are you people, daring to trespass into the Divine-Demon Forbidden Ground, coveting the supreme treasure liquid? State your names.” The leader was a heroic-looking man with three heads and six arms, thick black hair, radiating a powerful, oppressive presence.

All around, figures stirred — dozens of them arrived in the blink of an eye, sealing off the area, blocking Ye Fan and the others’ path, each wearing an unfriendly expression.

This was a forbidden ground that no one had dared approach for countless years, belonging exclusively to the Divine Realm, holding an earth-shattering secret — that it could produce Divine-Demon Liquid.

For all these years, the outside world had almost no knowledge of this. It had always been the exclusive property of the Divine Realm’s ruler, used to extend their lifespan. It was said that the laws and Dao fragments contained within rivaled even the elixir of immortality.

This place was of the utmost importance, allowing for no carelessness whatsoever — if it were ever exposed, everyone present would die. So every one of them was extremely tense, fearful that something might go wrong.

“We happened to be passing through here. We have no wish to start any conflict with you.” Pang Bo stepped forward and spoke. His build was mighty, standing a full zhang tall, with wheat-colored skin and a bright luster, thick black hair, and sharp, spirited eyes — his imposing bearing alone made others reluctant to underestimate him.

“I clearly saw you peering inside. Two beams of golden light shot into the depths of the restricted zone. Tell me, what did you see?!” Behind the three-headed six-armed man stepped a woman who appeared to be in her fifties, quite formidable, looking down at them with an air of superiority.

To call her an old woman would be inaccurate — her hair was still mostly black — yet to say she retained her charm, there were clearly crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. The golden hairpin in her bun trembled, glinting with crystalline light. Her face showed disdain, her brows arching, radiating an aggressive, domineering attitude as she said, “I’m asking you a question. Didn’t you hear me?!”

“What kind of shrew is this, coming from who knows where? Answer properly instead of accusing us of peering and using forceful words — what do you want?” Pang Bo said.

The moment the words “shrew” left his mouth, the woman’s brows shot up in fury, her crow’s feet stretching taut, her eyes turning cold as two bone-scraping blades — she hated nothing more than being called old. She barked, “Never mind anything else — seize them for me first!”

Clearly, among these several dozen people, aside from the three-headed six-armed man, she too was a leader with considerable authority. The moment she finished speaking, a dozen or so people rushed forward.

Long Ma stepped up, looking utterly full of himself, and said, “Someone’s being so arrogant, shouting orders to beat and kill us. When have we ever been bullied like this? Brothers, let’s go together and beat down that old shrew.”

The woman flew into a rage. A brash horse-demon mocking her like this — it was more than she could bear. She shouted, “Kill them for me!”

The dozen or so people immediately attacked, charging forward, each with deep magical power and formidable combat strength, capable of shattering heaven and splitting earth.

But the result left everyone stunned. The Twelve Saints let out a roar like a flood surging forth, pouncing on them, and in the blink of an eye devoured the group of attackers alive, leaving behind clouds of blood mist, the sound of bones being crunched echoing in the air.

“Crunch, crunch”

The Twelve Saints were fiercely savage, opening their bloody mouths wide and swallowing over a dozen people as blood-food — quite gruesome.

“Where did these monstrosities come from?!” The remaining people were horrified, retreating one after another.

Among these dozen or so people were Saints, though few — even the Divine Realm couldn’t mass-produce Sages. Given the gravity of this mission, they had sent only several dozen people, among whom were four Sage Kings, six Saints, and the rest were mere Dao-Executors sent to do their bidding.

In one bite, over a dozen people were devoured, including three Saints — such a battle record might not seem astonishing within the Divine Realm, but its bloody, ruthless efficiency was quite intimidating nonetheless.

“So it seems you’ve come for the Divine-Demon Liquid. If I’m not mistaken, you’re demons from beyond the realm.” an old man stepped forward, his face grim.

“Don’t go slapping labels on us randomly. Who’s a god and who’s a demon isn’t for you to decide.” Pang Bo said.

“I’ll give you one chance now — kneel and face the direction of the Divine Realm, repent to the god, or none of you will live!” a young woman stepped out. She was petite, with a delicate, baby-like face that looked like she was only in her teens, yet her chest was extraordinarily full, possessing an unusual allure. Of course, she showed no courtesy toward them at all, her expression cold and disdainful, without a trace of coquettishness.

The four leaders — the three-headed six-armed man, the old woman with the crow’s-feet wrinkles, the grim-faced old man, and the baby-faced, full-figured young woman — were all at the Sage King realm, possessing formidable strength.

“That’s quite a tone for someone your age. Telling us to kneel and beg forgiveness — are you joking? You’re still wet behind the ears — aren’t you afraid the wind will blow your tongue off from talking so big?” Pang Bo strode forward boldly, taking the initiative to close the distance.

“Something that doesn’t know when to die, thinking you have some skill — but before our Divine Realm, what are you? Die, all of you.” the baby-faced girl said coldly, colder and more forceful even than the wrinkled old woman, striking first as she charged forward.

“Kill!” the grim-faced old man also charged forward, immediately unleashing a Great Stele Palm — living up to its name, his fingers transforming into a black stone stele, letting out a heavenly rumble as it struck forward.

The attack was fierce — this was a powerful figure among the Sage Kings. All four masters moved together, closing in, intent on a decisive kill.

“Do you really think we’re sick cats? I’ll cut you all down.” Pang Bo roared. This time he held nothing back — Sage King ripples spread outward, and he transformed into a bronze-colored giant, demonic energy surging to the heavens.

At the same time, Long Ma also released his Sage King authority, taking on a rare solo fight, charging forward alone.

“Rumble!”

The two sides collided, and this place collapsed, releasing a terrifying roar.

“Tricky. These four have cultivated for countless years — they’re all ancient monsters, their realm deeper than ours. Not easy to deal with.” Long Ma shouted.

These four Sage Kings — some appeared relatively young, but their true ages were terrifying, and naturally, their strength was equally terrifying.

“Rumble!”

Ye Fan stepped forward, his whole body glowing, like a heavenly god on patrol, cold lightning flashing in his eyes — yet in the midst of stepping forward, he coughed up a mouthful of golden blood.

Aside from his Dao-wound, forcibly peering into the life-forbidden ground earlier had also injured him. This place held the burial grounds of countless gods and demons, each mountain manifesting an ancient symbol to suppress and kill any intruder.

“A sickly weakling wants to get involved too? Kneel toward the Divine Realm and kowtow, beg the god’s forgiveness, or be granted the destruction of both body and soul.” the old man shouted.

“The Divine Realm acts far too overbearingly and arrogantly — like a frog claiming to rule the sky, thinking it truly has such authority. Let’s put it to the test.” Ye Fan mocked.

Although golden blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, his combat strength remained unaffected. With a single punch, heaven and earth lost their color, a boundless sea of golden blood-energy shattering the world.

This result stunned all four of them. They avoided the brunt of the attack, unwilling to clash head-on. Clearly, they were all quite cautious, not reckless people.

“Retreat!” the baby-faced, full-figured young woman shouted, instantly appearing several dozen li away. The four powerful figures lined up together, coldly watching Ye Fan and the others.

“Your strength has exceeded our expectations.” the three-headed six-armed man said coldly, then tapped his forehead, a beam of light surging from the crown of his skull, sacred and dazzling.

“You don’t know when to die, and you have no one to blame but yourselves. Defying the Divine Realm — only death can atone for your sins.” the baby-faced girl sneered coldly, her petite body glowing with light, a beam also surging from the crown of her skull, benevolent and magnificent, as though a god were descending.

At the same time, the wrinkled old woman and the grim-faced old man did the same — beams of light also surged from the crowns of their skulls, as though summoning forth a deity, dazzling and blinding.

“What is this?” Long Ma and the Twelve Saints were all confused.

“Those who blaspheme the gods shall die!” all four shouted together. The four beams of light surging from their skulls merged into one, forming a humanoid being, as though cast from starlight, sacred and dazzling.

This was a terrifying figure, releasing a powerful pulse, along with a vague sense of will that swept across the entire scene, its voice resounding through heaven and earth.

“Who dares offend my authority?”

This voice was immensely vast, shaking the sun, moon, rivers, and mountains — truly like a god descending into the world.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others paled — this was a formidable existence, not something they could overpower through strength.

“Retreat now!” Pang Bo said in a low, urgent voice.

This humanoid being was entirely condensed from light, supremely powerful and vast, terrifyingly boundless. Though its will was vague, its body alone was terrifying enough to inspire dread.

“You’ve offended the god, and still you wish to flee? Kneel down, all of you, and accept death!” Behind them, the baby-faced girl, the old woman, the three-headed six-armed man, and the old man all shouted together.

“What is this thing? How did it come surging out from the crowns of their skulls?” Long Ma and the others were baffled, their hearts filled with confusion.

“Could this be the ruler of the Divine Realm? But how could it live inside their skulls, residing permanently in their hearts?” Pang Bo also had his doubts.

They dared not linger for even a moment — the humanoid being behind them was too powerful. That pulse alone was suffocating, capable of shattering heaven and splitting earth; wherever it passed, mountains and rivers turned to ash, sun and moon dimmed — a true god descended into the world, alive and manifest.

“Rumble!”

A giant palm of light struck down, smashing a thousand li of mountain range into a deep abyss, pitch-black and bottomless, nearly pinning the whole group beneath it.

“Hurry, don’t delay — use the Movement Mantra, or open a Realm Gate. This monster can’t be fought.” Long Ma shouted.

They finally understood why these four Sage Kings had been so arrogant and overbearing — they truly had something to rely on. This was genuine confidence backed by real power, able to summon such a humanoid monster — utterly unbeatable by force.

“Born from within their hearts, as if summoned forth, called by them ‘god’…” Ye Fan murmured to himself, sensing an extremely familiar aura from that humanoid being — he knew exactly what it was.

The power of faith!

This was an undying body forged from boundless mental power — in a certain sense, a supreme avatar, though perhaps it couldn’t even be called a full avatar, only a strand of one, since its power of faith wasn’t vast, and the will possessing it was quite vague.

This should be a hazy avatar bestowed by the ruler of the Divine Realm upon them, capable of fighting but far from perfect — certainly no match for that beam of light which had recently slain a great Saint.

“Since you refuse to surrender and be captured, what are you waiting for.” the four Saints behind them said coldly, chasing after them.

“No need to worry — I’ll break this avatar of faith.” Ye Fan suddenly stopped. Primordial Mother Qi surged from his forehead, strands of silk trailing down, and at this moment his radiance blazed forth, a boundless power of faith pouring outward from the mouth of his cauldron.

This was the power of faith gathered for him on Earth by his named disciple, the Young Celestial Master Zhang Qingyang, who had carried his cauldron across the world after Ye Fan established the Heavenly Court there.

Over all these years, the faith-power within the cauldron had grown ever deeper, forming a vast ocean, nearly reaching divine status, almost splitting into a cocoon to birth a god.

One could imagine that, on the other side of the starry sky, the Heavenly Court’s great teachings must now be flourishing tremendously, threads of faith-power crossing space, ignoring all distance, reaching his cauldron, with countless people chanting the name of Heavenly Emperor Ye Fan.

Now, he brandished the cauldron, smashing it directly toward that “god.” This deity possessed only a vague will, not truly a complete living being, and had little capacity for thought — it simply raised its fist and struck the cauldron head-on.

Clearly, this was disastrous — different faiths gathered different kinds of power, and between them existed a deadly toxicity, akin to water and fire being utterly incompatible.

“Rumble!”

The faith-power surged and gushed from within Ye Fan’s cauldron, instantly evaporating a great deal of it, vital essence scattering in all directions, mist billowing everywhere, rosy light filling the air, a massive explosion erupting.

Yet within the cauldron was like a vast ocean. The great cauldron flipped over, its mouth facing downward, as though hundreds of millions of dazzling starry rivers poured down, boundless and endless.

“Ahh…”

This god let out a howl, its humanoid body instantly turning hazy, half its body dissolving.

Its combat strength was beyond doubt, but it lacked true divine consciousness, being vague and unclear — merely a killing tool. And since different faiths were mutually incompatible, the destructive power was immense.

One could say that against a god forged from faith-power, the only effective method was to fight fire with fire, using its own Dao against it — nothing could be more effective!

Any other method would be nearly impossible to destroy it with, wasting vital essence and divine power for nothing. But spiritual faith-power was like a sword of divine punishment — perfectly suited to slay this man-made “god.”

“Ahh…” the humanoid being roared again, shaking the earth, its entire body growing hazy before collapsing.

This left the four Sage Kings behind them dumbstruck, their bodies turning ice-cold — this had never happened before. Someone had actually destroyed a strand of the god’s avatar, filling them with deep dread.

“Blasphemer, I will remember you!” that vague will howled, filled with unwillingness, its body shattering, dissolving into thousands upon thousands of streaks of light, scattering in all directions.

He had been created by all living beings, and it was with the will of all living beings that Ye Fan had destroyed him — essentially a clash between collective wills, utterly obliterating it on the spot.

“You…” the four Sage Kings’ expressions changed, and they turned to flee. This person was too terrifying — not only had he blasphemed the god, he had also slain a god!

Although this avatar was, to a true god, hardly significant — even relatively “weak” by comparison — it was still enough to shock them deeply.

“No one’s getting away!” Pang Bo was the first to charge back, and Long Ma and the Twelve Saints also began to encircle and pursue them.

“Rumble!”

Ye Fan flipped the Primordial Mother Qi Cauldron over, the vast power of faith surging back, crystalline and translucent, returning to and roiling within the cauldron, chaotic mist billowing from its mouth, vast and immeasurable.

“Splat!”

The great cauldron slammed down, and the old man’s expression changed — he failed to dodge in time and was struck directly, his bones instantly shattered, his body torn into pieces, flesh turned to pulp, blood mist scattering.

He was a Sage King — he couldn’t possibly die from a single blow, having various means of preserving his life, reassembling his body to continue fleeing. Ye Fan closed in and engaged in fierce combat with him. After over a hundred exchanges, he tore him apart. It had to be said, the old man was quite formidable, but in the end, he perished here in a spray of blood.

“You can’t do this — blasphemy against the gods, the consequences will be worse than death, spare me…” the baby-faced girl screamed.

But Pang Bo showed no mercy — with ruthless efficiency, he personally severed her beautiful head with his own hands, then pointed a single finger to shatter her primordial spirit.

The three-headed six-armed man roared, but was surrounded by Long Ma and a group of spirit beasts, torn apart alive and devoured completely.

“How dare you…” the old woman screamed in terror, but she too could not escape death. Pang Bo struck, his Demon Emperor Nine Slashes cleaving down, splitting her in two, blood gushing everywhere.

“Blasphemers shall die!” On this very day, a vast voice emanated from the Divine Realm, shaking the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, causing all living beings in the outside world to tremble.

Not long after, the god’s decree flew out — over a dozen people carrying the divine decree rushed in all directions, proclaiming to the world that all must jointly execute a young man named Ye Fan, his portrait even carved onto public notices.

On this day, the world was shaken, an uproar reaching the heavens.