This was an age of supreme brilliance — an age of unprecedented prosperity. There were simply too many extraordinary individuals. All the accumulated talent of ten thousand ages had erupted in this single lifetime, radiant beyond all imagination.
In this era, bloodline after bloodline emerged. Genius after genius rose to prominence. In any other age, each would have caused tremendous upheaval.
Yet in this age, the stars blazed in their multitudes. People had seen too much. Even the offspring of forbidden zone masters had been slain one after another. Even the sons and daughters of ancient emperors had not escaped. People had grown numb.
“How fortunate, to have been born in this age — to witness glory taken to its utmost extreme, to have seen even a contemporary Great Emperor defeated. To have lived through such an era fills one with excitement.”
“How unfortunate, to have been born in this age — to have encountered so many extraordinary talents. Strong as I am, I too have become unremarkable among the masses. What a sorrow that is. If I had been born in another age, I would have been unmatched under heaven!”
These were two kinds of sighing — representing two completely different types of people. They said it all.
Time passed swiftly. Several hundred years had gone by. Ye Fan was now two thousand seven hundred years old. Within his long life, this was not particularly significant. This stretch of years was not long, yet the mortal world had cycled through quite a few generations.
During this stretch of time, a number of things had occurred.
In those days, Ye Fan’s single word — “immortality” — had set many hearts racing. In the end, one supremely powerful figure, convinced of his own strength, followed his example and entered the Ancient Forbidden Land to seek an audience with the Female Emperor. He received no response. He then boldly leaped into the abyss, forcing his way in for a visit. The result was a crystalline jade palm that struck out, reducing that powerful figure to a spray of blood mist.
“And he was someone at the ninth level of the quasi-emperor realm…”
The world was shaken. After that, even those stronger than him did not dare come seeking an audience. The Ancient Forbidden Land returned to its tranquility, and no one disturbed it again.
People understood: in this world, there was only one Ye Fan. He was one of a kind. Not everyone could seek an audience with the iron-willed Great Emperor.
“Ah—!”
A great roar. Deep within the universe, a white-haired old man raged toward the sky. As he did so, he shed his form continuously — from old age to middle age, then to youth once more.
All five of his Secret Realms were blazing with light. Within each Secret Realm sat a miniature version of himself, cross-legged, eyes wide open, beams of light surging heavenward.
He was the Old Madman, attempting to force his way to the Dao and become a Great Emperor!
Boundless tribulation lightning struck down. A dazzling sea of lightning swallowed him whole. This was a vast heavenly tribulation. His time was running short. He tempered his spirit, his void, and his Dao, gathering his last reserves of essence blood for one final, all-or-nothing strike.
Becoming a Great Emperor meant one’s lifespan could reach ten to twenty thousand years. Failing meant one would most likely dissolve into dust, with nothing remaining.
“Master, can Old Grandpa Madman succeed?” Yang Xi asked.
Ye Fan was silent. With one person having already become a Great Emperor, it was very difficult for others of the same generation to cross that threshold. That curse had never been broken since ancient times.
The Monkey, the Mountain Phoenix, Long Ma, Pang Bo, the Black Emperor, and many others had all come. They watched in silence.
Countless great tribulations flashed past. In the end, the vault of heaven shattered. Ten thousand Dao streams pressed down together in a thunderous assault upon the Old Madman — a single overwhelming suppression, with ten thousand streams sounding in unison. This was utterly irreversible.
Ye Fan’s expression changed. In this lifetime, many had attempted to defy the heavens and become Great Emperors. But none had drawn backlash as severe as the Old Madman’s. It was because he had cast everything aside — either become a Great Emperor or turn to ash. The recklessness and ferocity were extreme.
Boom!
Ye Fan acted. He placed himself at the center of the scene, manifesting a supreme secret technique to act in the Old Madman’s stead, drawing all the lightning toward himself — a forbidden secret art that redirected the entire tribulation.
This was extraordinarily dangerous — more terrifying than the original tribulation. Yet Ye Fan bore all of it, enduring on the Old Madman’s behalf the kind of backlash that defied all imagination. Even he, powerful as he was, had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. It was appalling.
Ye Fan could only do this, for the Old Madman was truly too old now. He was no longer the man he had once been — when his blood had been vigorous and he had strode across the heavens with overbearing might covering all the world.
Now, the Old Madman was truly elderly. He was already over nine thousand years old.
“If I cannot fall in battle, then let me die upon the Emperor’s path. That is the finest end one could ask for,” the Old Madman said.
Ye Fan would not have agreed to that. Gai Jiuyou had left. The White-Robed Divine King had left. In the past, he had been powerless. Now he stood unrivaled under heaven — he would never simply watch and let the old man die.
Amid the rumbling, Ye Fan endured the suppression of ten thousand Dao streams, coughing up great mouthfuls of blood. Yet… he withstood it. He endured through sheer will!
After this tribulation, Ye Fan felt that time was growing ever shorter. The life force of those around him was dwindling.
And this act of defying heaven’s punishment also shook the entire universe. Many extraordinary individuals coexisted in this age, each striving to carve out their own path. All of them were deeply moved.
“Someone is challenging Master again? This time, I’ll go!” Ye Tong said.
Over these several hundred years, challengers had come one after another — some genuinely peerless experts, others not particularly outstanding. The weakest among them had just become a Saint King. Yet Ye Fan had accepted only one challenge among all these; the rest he had left to his disciples.
The reason was no great mystery — it was simply that he had seen exceptional talent. That particular person had been remarkable. Ye Fan pressed down with a single palm, sensed his will and his Dao in the contact, pulled back his power, and sent him flying with a smile — then bestowed upon him a passage of scripture.
Before long, Ye Tong walked back in with a peculiar expression and said: “Master, this one you should go receive yourself.”
Dao Yi had come to challenge Ye Fan. This was someone who had shown him kindness — during the era of the dark upheaval, Dao Yi had lent him the Dao-Channeling Divine Robe to protect his life. That imperial armor had ultimately been shattered.
Over all these years, Ye Fan had been ceaselessly searching for fragments of that imperial robe, hoping to repair it and return it to Dao Yi. Unfortunately, he had failed.
He rose and walked outside, a rueful smile on his face. Of all the people to have come — why this one? When the turmoil in the forbidden zones had been pacified, Dao Yi had also lent him aid.
On reflection, over these several hundred years, the Golden Crow Great Emperor had received even more challenges than Ye Fan — more frequent, wave after wave of experts coming to test their strength in great battles.
If not for Ye Fan restraining her, Yang Xi would have run off to join the commotion long ago.
One could say the Golden Crow Great Emperor was endlessly harassed. Through all these years, the Fire Mulberry Star had known no peace. Perhaps it was because Ye Fan had once defeated him, setting an example for others to follow.
“Brother Ye need not feel uneasy. I have come purely for a mutual exchange of pointers. Strike as you should — there is nothing to hold back on,” Dao Yi said with a smile.
“Very well!” Ye Fan nodded. He understood. At this level of cultivation, advancing further was extraordinarily difficult. Some hoped that in a supreme battle, they might gain something.
On the mythological battlefield, a great duel unfolded.
Surging presence. The Eight Wildernesses trembled. Dao Yi had found an unconventional path to the Dao — a true and genuine success. This even startled Ye Fan, who had to take the matter seriously.
This battle was of great consequence. Powerful figures from every direction rushed in to watch.
Fire light filled the sky. Divine law covered all under heaven. The entire universe shook. Heaven and earth quaked violently.
The battle was incomparably fierce, leaving spectators breathless and dazzled.
In the end, Dao Yi lost. Ye Fan withdrew his power at the right moment and used his own essence blood to heal Dao Yi’s wounds to his Dao — and moreover, manifested a portion of divine law to help Dao Yi comprehend the method.
“In the end, I have lost,” Dao Yi sighed.
“You have lost to the shackles of this heaven and earth,” Ye Fan said.
“And yet you were never constrained by them,” Dao Yi said.
“Wait some time. I will invite Brother Dao Yi to join me in attempting to defy the heavens,” Ye Fan said.
This battle was of great influence, lifting the curtain on great duels to come. After that, many began to arrive and challenge Ye Fan, wishing to fight him.
The Golden Crow Great Emperor finally let out a long breath — not knowing whether to feel fortunate or sorrowful.
A hundred years later, within the Undying Mountain, Ye Fan’s eyes snapped open. His aura grew even more powerful. Above his head, ten thousand Dao streams cried out in lamentation.
Everyone was shaken. In this moment, across every corner of the universe, people felt an inexplicable presence. All trembled involuntarily. Was this… someone about to become a Great Emperor?
Before even crossing the tribulation, an inexplicable great tribulation aura had already enveloped the entire universe, causing the four seas of stars to shake without end.
“It’s coming from the Heavenly Court!”
“It must be the Holy Body, Ye Fan!”
“Is he about to defy the heavens? In an age suppressed by a Great Emperor, he can actually reach this point — is he truly going to defy the Dao and be transformed into a fully realized Great Emperor?”
People could scarcely believe any of this. The Emperor, Zhang Bairen, and Taichu were all stirred into action, awakening from their closed-door cultivation, opening their eyes — brilliant beams of light piercing through the heavens.
“Master, you have truly done it — able to defy the suppression of all the ten thousand Dao streams of heaven and earth, and now truly become a Great Emperor?” Ye Tong was utterly astounded.
Ye Fan nodded, yet his expression was deeply solemn.
In this moment, Xiao Song and Yang Xi also rushed to his side. Then the Black Emperor, Pang Bo, Li Tian, and all the others came surging in as well.
On the Fire Mulberry Star, the Golden Crow Great Emperor’s expression changed. He felt an inexplicable aura — wave after wave of palpitations in his heart. His Dao, merged with the will of heaven, was actually trembling at this moment.
He could scarcely believe it. Someone was going to become a Great Emperor — to coexist with him in the same age? This… had never happened since ancient times!
By the time things reached that stage, every supremely powerful figure had realized it: Ye Fan was going to defy the heavens, pioneering a divine miracle that had never existed since the beginning of time. He was going to become a Great Emperor. The light of the great tribulation flickered, rumbling and resounding.
“He is truly worthy of being called the greatest Holy Body in history. He is extraordinary!”
Commotion erupted from every direction.
Yet within the Heavenly Court, there was an uncanny stillness. For Ye Fan had announced something that left everyone stunned.
“Master, are you saying… that the several of us will cross the tribulation and become Great Emperors together — that you intend to tear open the shackles of heaven and earth for us?”
“That is correct.” Ye Fan nodded. His expression was grave. This was the result of his deductions over many years. He had already reached the critical threshold. He would defy the heavens and shatter the suppression of the ten thousand Dao streams — and then bring several people through the tribulation together.
In this moment, Ye Fan used his divine sense to split open the universe. He summoned Dao Yi and the Monkey, and had someone go invite the Old Madman and the Man Devil.
The two old men lacked sufficient blood and essence, and should by rights have been approaching the end of their lives and seated in their final meditation. But Ye Fan had forcefully renewed them with his own essence blood in a ritual cleansing — so they still endured, though they spent most of their time in closed-door cultivation.
No one had imagined Ye Fan would be this audacious, this bold. It was simply beyond comprehension — powerful to a degree that bordered on absurdity.
“This is too dangerous. Master, you have no problem becoming a Great Emperor through the tribulation on your own. But if you do this for our sake, it will most likely go badly wrong.”
Xiao Song and Ye Tong deduced it together and reached their conclusion: it would be extremely dangerous. Ye Fan faced the constant risk of having both body and soul destroyed.
“Rest easy. Nothing will happen to any of you, and I have my own way of protecting myself,” Ye Fan said.
Time pressed. This was the first assault upon the road of immortal longevity — also the first step. Ye Fan hoped it would succeed.
Dao Yi came. The Monkey came. Jiang Tingting came. The Man Devil came. The Old Madman came. Upon learning of Ye Fan’s plan, all were stunned.
“Time is short. Let us begin!” Ye Fan said.
Above the vault of heaven, lightning blazed without end — ready at any moment to crash down.
“Very well. Then let us stake everything on this one throw — and create a legend that has never existed before!”
In the end, everyone agreed. How many chances does one have in a lifetime to wager everything on a single throw? Multiple Great Emperors standing together, emerging into the world at once — if they succeeded, it would be a divine miracle that had never existed since the beginning of time.
“The road of immortal longevity begins with this first step!” Ye Fan said silently within his heart.
Then they vanished from the Heavenly Court. The whole group charged toward the wilderness at the edge of the universe, and there began to weather a tribulation the like of which had never existed before!