Wuu, wuu…

A desolate horn cry rang out from a corner of the cosmos — upon a wild, untamed star, a youth clad in animal skins, walking through the mountains, opened his eyes. He gazed up toward the far horizon and murmured softly to himself: “After so many years, to hear a war horn sound again — truly, that is no small thing.”

Then he set down the prey on his shoulder, turned toward a thatched hut in the distance, retrieved a black hardwood bow, picked up a stone staff, and vanished from where he stood.

Boom. Boom…

The deep, muffled drumbeats rumbled. All four extremities of heaven and earth, all eight corners of the cosmos shook once more. The Heavenly Emperor’s Summoning Drum was being struck — its sound like a wild bull charging and stampeding across the earth, rolling and thundering, ear-splittingly loud.

The sound was vast and overwhelming. Suppressed for just a moment by the horn, it immediately roared back to life — like surging waves crashing against a shore, resonating with the cosmos itself.

“We have no choice — this is the Heavenly Emperor’s summons. My ancestor swore an oath, and the words of that curse have been branded into the blood of all who came after. If we do not go to war, calamity will befall us.”

Voices rang out from across the land, all of them shocked — that after ten thousand ages had passed, the oaths of the old era had been invoked once more.

In the ancestral land of the Great Strength Bull Demon Clan, a divine statue enshrined high above trembled violently, blazing with ten thousand feet of radiance, like a heavenly god in the throes of wrath. Several elder bulls strained with all their might to resist.

Their blood burned within them — like blades slashing through dry wood, as though their very selves would come undone. An ancient voice echoed through their ancestral land: “Abide by your oath — your divine soul shall not scatter. Heed my summons — fight for the sake of life…”

It was like an ancient incantation drifting down from a time long past, carrying with it a vast and primordial solemnity, terrible and astonishing, setting the listener’s blood to boiling. Those who obeyed saw their power surge and ten thousand feet of light burst from their bodies; those who resisted found themselves engulfed in tribulation fire, assailed by inner demons, and tormented beyond endurance.

This upheaval unfolded across countless corners of the cosmos. The divine blood oaths that ancient ancestors of old had sworn to the Heavenly Emperor had never dissipated — they were branded into the blood itself, binding all descendants with their power.

The result struck terror into hearts and set many great clans to changing color, gathering at their ancestral lands to deliberate on countermeasures, straining to resist.

What were they to do? This was a question many powerful clans faced.

The ancient Heavenly Emperor’s Drum had sounded in this era. Should the old war factions answer the call or not? It was an agonizing decision — if they had any choice in the matter, no one wanted to be drawn into a war of annihilation.

Wuu, wuu…

The Emperor Sovereign’s war horn rang out with a desolate, mournful cry, piercing and powerful — suppressing the sound of the Heavenly Emperor’s Drum and easing the desperate straits of many great clans, bringing them some measure of relief.

Many powerful individuals rushed toward the direction of the Emperor Sovereign’s war horn, seeking to shelter beneath its protection in resistance against the Heavenly Emperor’s Drum.

“A decision must be made — there is no more time to delay!”

One was the Emperor Sovereign’s horn, the other the Heavenly Emperor’s war drum. Both sounding simultaneously — every clan needed to make its choice swiftly. The delay could not continue.

“Answer the summons of the Immortal Heavenly Emperor and advance to battle!”

“Strike out! Enter the cosmic battlefield — for the oaths of our ancestors, for the promises of guardianship made in ages past — march toward the Heavenly Path!”

After much struggle and deliberation, no small number of great clans mobilized, charging toward the direction from which the Heavenly Drum sounded, heeding the summons, committing themselves to the most terrible and brutal war of all.

Squad after squad of powerful warriors carved through the stars and flew toward the star domain of the Phoenix Nest. In the end, their figures became a dense, overwhelming tide blanketing the sky. It was a great flood of a force, converging from all directions. Star gates opened one after another, turning this region into an ocean of powerful experts — and the battle had not even truly begun, yet the oppressive atmosphere had already been driven to its absolute limit.

The great Phoenix Nest blazed crimson as blood, constructed from Phoenix Wood, spanning the cosmos. A beautiful, devastatingly striking woman stood atop it, several divine generals at her flanks. She was a figure of transcendent, unparalleled grace — and her cool, calm voice rang out over the entire domain.

“The glory of the Immortal Heavenly Emperor is undying through ten thousand ages. And yet there are those who seek to trample it underfoot. What shall we do? Naturally — we fight to the last, to guard the honor of the Heavenly Emperor!”

“Fight!”

Below, the response was a wave-overturning, boundless roar. The entire region of space trembled. The sound carried to distant reaches, across endless star domains, setting all living beings to shivering.

Countless powerful warriors bellowed in unison, their voices merging into a thunderclap that sundered the heavens, shaking the entire cosmos in its roar!

At that moment, the Immortal Heavenly Empress on the Phoenix Nest began beating the drum herself, summoning the generals. Her figure was graceful and elegant, slender and stunning, her white jade arms bared as she beat the drum with earnest focus, possessed of an ethereal and particular kind of elegance.

The drumbeats were deep and resonant — like a rolling ocean rending the heavens asunder, surging upward and spreading to every corner of the cosmos, until at last they became like the killing cry of a million great armies, howling across heaven and earth.

The rhythm was terrifying. Every powerful warrior nearby blazed with divine light in their primordial spirit, their hot blood boiling, surging and pumping through their veins — every last one of them burning with the urge to charge into battle that very instant!

And across every corner of the cosmos, the reaction was even more extreme. Struck by the war drum’s summons, swept by the divine sound, all trembled and resonated with it — every powerful clan that had once sworn a demon-heart oath could barely hold on. To refuse to come would be to risk walking the path of self-destruction.

“Fight for the Immortal Heavenly Emperor — spill blood beyond the realm, sunder the heavens, fight!”

Like a flood bursting its banks, powerful warriors from every land could no longer contain themselves and howled in rage. Yet more unparalleled figures set out in great throngs, unable to hold back any longer.

The Immortal Heavenly Emperor had once been venerated as a supreme god by countless great clans across the cosmos — omnipotent, seated high upon the nine heavens. And now all of this had come rushing forth. In that distant past, truly, there had been far too many who revered him.

On a barren and desolate star, an elderly man with white hair was working the land — plain coarse cloth on his body. He let out a long, quiet sigh, set down his tools, walked to a stone stockade not far away, led out a lame horse, swung himself up into the saddle, and in an instant a thread of dawn light erupted from where he stood. The old man and his ailing horse vanished together.

Not long after, he appeared within the great army gathering near the Phoenix Nest — utterly unremarkable, his clouded eyes carrying a sense of cherished memory, the imprint of bygone years. He gazed up at the slender silhouette standing atop the Phoenix Nest, his expression faintly complex.

The Immortal Heavenly Empress seemed to sense something and snapped her head around — yet what she saw was nothing but empty void. No shadow remained. And none of those nearby perceived anything unusual either.

Wuu, wuu…

The Emperor Sovereign’s war horn swept past like a great wind, like a hero’s roar — mournful and crying, carrying within it a vigorous, commanding power, resonant and grand, as though an ancient god from the primal heavens were summoning the heroes of the world, striding from the vast, mist-shrouded ends of the ancient earth, carrying a breath of the wilderness.

The horn grew louder. It naturally drowned out the war drum resounding through this region, and many came swarming toward it from every direction, seeking its shelter.

And moreover, many ancient war factions, stirred by the horn, began to gather — these were the tribal divisions of the divine generals of the old Heavenly Court, now awakened, many of them moved to emotion.

“The glory of the Emperor Sovereign — invincible, undying — shall not be desecrated even after ten thousand ages. None may provoke him. The Immortal Heavenly Emperor, that sinner, shall be called to account!”

Someone bellowed in furious indignation, screaming with unbridled anguish, vowing to fight to the death and sweep clean the humiliations of the past, that the Heavenly Court might once again blaze with resplendent brilliance.

Rumble, rumble…

Ten thousand cavalry charged. The powerful warriors converging here were by no means fewer than those gathering at the Phoenix Nest. Wild cavalry howled, iron armor rang and clashed, war spears shimmered with cold light, a million-strong army rallying together.

Among them stood a youth clad in animal skins, a black hardwood bow slung across his back and a stone staff in his grip. He stood within the sea of people, his eyes clear and bright, gazing at the war horn the divine elder was blowing — and something shifted in his expression, as though he had fallen deep into memory.

Ten thousand ages pass in the blink of an eye; the world’s cookfire smoke has scattered and reclaimed the sky. Separated by endless ages, the Immortal Heavenly Emperor’s Summoning Drum sounded and the Emperor Sovereign’s war horn cried — shaking the stars, throwing all under heaven into upheaval.

The land seethed with energy. Many great clans set out, determined to join the battle!

Before the Heavenly Court, Ye Fan, the Black Emperor, Pang Bo, and the others were all moved to contemplation. The influence of those two former supremes had been too immense. With one beat of the drum and one cry of the horn, they had overshadowed every lineage of the current era, their latent followers truly vast beyond measure — and even after so many long ages, they could still muster their forces! So many of the world’s inherited traditions had been outshone by those two in a single moment.

What was foundation? This was foundation — one command issued, and even after millions of years had passed, those who answered still filled the sky, war factions stretching across the cosmos, the whole world in motion because of them.

“When will our Heavenly Court be the same — one rallying cry, and all under heaven will dare not refuse!” Pang Bo declared.

“There is no time to think about that now. This situation has exceeded our expectations, and we must prepare for the worst. Black Emperor — stay at Xiao Nannan’s side, not a single step apart. Together with her, guard this place!” Ye Fan said by way of reminder.

This battle was unavoidable. The great war was certain to erupt!

Time flashed like a bolt of lightning — as though a thousand years had been crossed in an instant. War had come. The mobilization order rang out across the cosmos, killing intent blanketing the heavens.

On a divine island, Ye Fan stood alongside the Wood-Chopping Elder. Behind them stretched a limitless army, and in another direction were the people of the Divine Organization, with the divine elder still blowing the war horn, summoning the descendants of the old Heavenly Court’s scattered and surviving followers still living in the world.

“There is no choice. Today, there must be a battle!”

“In the ages of old, the Immortal Heavenly Emperor betrayed the Emperor Sovereign — he struck from the shadows and caused the ancient Heavenly Court’s attempt to ascend to the immortal realm to fail. He is the sinner of ten thousand ages, and the whole world should rise to condemn him!”

“Dust seals the ages — ten thousand years have turned — yet the Immortal Heavenly Emperor’s lineage still refuses to relent. They think to stir up war again? Not this time. In this age, there will be no compromise, no running from this fight. The ancient Heavenly Court may have fallen, but its fighting soul has never faded. We will settle the cause and effect of past lives and this one — in one decisive battle!”

Many roared in fury. The divine elder was stirred to passionate fire, his snow-white beard and hair flying, his very body trembling as he called out with furious intensity, declaring the opening of the great battle.

The void collapsed. Star gates appeared in row after row after row. Every war vessel, iron cavalry, and more set out and charged forward!

“Bathe in the blood of the gods, tread upon the bones of demons — let us wage the most glorious battle of all!” The Phoenix Nest’s forces screamed and howled on their side as well. The Immortal Heavenly Empress’ words rang out sharp and resolute, stirring the morale of her forces.

For at that moment, star gates bridged the distance — the great battle was here, unavoidable — and an endless army had arrived to cut through them.

Hum!

An entire island flew forward. Ye Fan and the Wood-Chopping Elder stood upon it, looking down upon all creation with proud indifference, their enormous auras unleashed without restraint, rushing outward in all directions.

In a flash, every person on the island vanished and charged toward the Phoenix Nest. Both Ye Fan and the Wood-Chopping Elder released their immense qi presence, pressing against the Heavenly Emperor’s forces.

“We meet again — but this time, you are nothing!” The Divine General Kuntian charged forward, coming to intercept Ye Fan, endless killing intent written across his face. His aura was many times denser than it had been not long before — mighty in a way that seemed almost abnormal, sending everyone’s heart leaping.

“Be careful — he must have consumed the remnants of the Nine Revolutions Immortal Pill. The medicine has fully dissolved, healing his injuries, and may have allowed him to reclaim something close to his true combat power from the primordial age!” warned Quasi-Emperor Shan Huang — an old rooster who had attained the Dao, who had once stumbled into a collapsed immortal cave dwelling and consumed something of this kind. His sensitivity to such an aura was unmatched.

Everyone’s heart clenched. That the Phoenix Nest possessed remnants of the Nine Revolutions Immortal Pill was truly heaven-defying!

“In that primordial age, when our eight divine generals marched out, who could oppose us? We have slain quasi-emperors on the verge of attaining the Dao in the ninth layer of heaven — what does someone at the sixth layer count for?!” Kuntian bellowed. The divine power within his body surged like a boundless ocean as he charged forward in fury. The last time, he had nearly been killed by Ye Fan, and he regarded it as the most bitter humiliation of his entire life.

“Here, today — I take your head,” Ye Fan said. Only those nine words.

The great decisive battle had arrived!