The Golden-Winged Little Peng King cut a powerful figure — hair wild and disheveled, brimming with untamed ferocity. The pitch-black Desolate Halberd in his hand unleashed a blanket of fierce, murderous energy as he strode through the void, pressing forward.
Boom!
The Desolate Halberd shuddered, and the void itself nearly collapsed beneath the pressure — heavy as a mountain, bone-chilling, like some living ancient beast that inspired primal dread.
Thud!
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King struck. His golden hair whipped wildly, both brows upturned, his eyes blazing with cold light. He charged forward with the Desolate Halberd raised, as though hoisting an entire black mountain and cleaving it downward.
Ye Fan stood still as a boulder, motionless as an ancient pine. Above his head, the cauldron rested in serene antiquity as the Primordial Mother Qi cascaded down like silken ribbons or curtains of rain — his body one with the Dao.
Rumble!
The Desolate Halberd was terrifyingly heavy. When it cleaved downward, the black halberd shaft twisted the void into warped distortion, and a tsunami of terrifying energy surged outward.
At that moment, Ye Fan finally moved. He balanced the Primordial Mother Qi Cauldron above his head and moved like a sea dragon — tilting his body to one side, half-turning to evade the black halberd blade, then extending his right arm and swinging his golden fist in a fierce strike against the Desolate Halberd.
Clang!
He clashed against the Desolate Halberd with his bare hands. The golden fist connected with the black weapon, producing a sound that could split gold and crack stone — enough to make one’s scalp tighten and ears ring.
Boom!
The Desolate Halberd released a surge of vicious, murderous energy, like a savage beast that had been sealed away — indestructible, possessed of a demonic nature that set hearts trembling.
Hum…
The Golden-Winged Little Peng capitalized on the momentum and swept horizontally. The Desolate Halberd roared like a vast, dark abyss, its black light flickering as it cleaved toward Ye Fan — releasing an eerie, demonic sound like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of gods.
Ye Fan shifted sideways, dodging the blade’s edge, forming hand seals with both hands and striking at the Desolate Halberd.
Clang!
A golden palm the size of a millstone slammed against the Desolate Halberd with a thunderous crash, and the surrounding void dimmed.
Space itself warped — yet the Desolate Halberd couldn’t be moved at all. A weapon forged and refined by a demon clan powerhouse was truly indestructible. Though sealed away, it remained a peerless weapon that simply could not be shattered.
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King let out a long battle cry. His golden hair cascaded like a waterfall, shimmering with a strange, otherworldly radiance. He thrust the Desolate Halberd forward, and its pitch-black blade pierced through heaven and earth.
Hum…
The ear-piercing demonic sound chilled the soul. Killing intent filled every direction, and those watching from afar felt their hearts tremble with fright.
Clank — ding — clang — clash…
Ye Fan parried with his great golden hand, trading blow after blow against the Desolate Halberd in rapid succession. The reverberating crashes were terrifying to hear. The two of them were locked in a duel to the death.
The battle was supremely fierce. At first, Ye Fan did not deploy his cauldron at all, fighting bare-handed, his blows sending arcane light spilling in every direction with killing intent that soared to the heavens.
The Desolate Halberd was too fearsome. Even with his Archaic Sacred Physique, Ye Fan’s fists ached sharply — at his current level, he could not batter aside a weapon forged by a demon clan powerhouse.
They fought from high in the sky down into the clouds, scattering the cloud banks with their shockwaves, then descended onto a great mountain range.
Boom!
The Desolate Halberd crashed down onto a mountain peak with a single blow — heavy as a great range — instantly collapsing one corner of the summit with a thunderous rumble, sending boulders tumbling down.
Clang — clash — ring…
They fought their way into an interconnected network of lakes, instantly raising sky-high waves as the lake water surged upward into the air, forming a misty expanse of water that blurred visibility in every direction.
Boom!
Ye Fan threw one punch and scattered the billowing water vapor throughout the sky, sending the Desolate Halberd shuddering repeatedly.
From the sky to the clouds, from the ground back up to the heavens — the Desolate Halberd’s demonic might grew stronger and stronger, as though it could crush the firmament itself.
Ring, ring, ring…
Suddenly, ten thousand swords rang out as one, their sword energy like a streak of light piercing the clouds!
One hundred and eight thousand swords rang out in unison!
Behind the Golden-Winged Little Peng King, one hundred and eight thousand Peng Feather Swords launched simultaneously — brilliant as divine rainbows, their chill aura oppressive and bone-biting. Even those watching from afar felt as though they had been cast into an ice cellar.
Countless streams of sword energy shot outward, sweeping forward in a devastating horizontal arc toward Ye Fan.
The attack came without warning — an endless tide of killing intent crashing like raging waves upon a shore, nearly impossible to evade.
This was the Heavenly Peng Clan’s great killing technique. Against an ordinary cultivator, this would shred them to pieces — infinite sword beams tearing apart everything in their path, utterly impossible to block.
But Ye Fan had been on guard all along. He had deliberately refrained from deploying his cauldron precisely because he feared this kind of ambush strike.
The cauldron suspended above his head trembled gently, and the Primordial Mother Qi cascaded down, forming a curtain of deep yellow and mysterious darkness that screened the front of Ye Fan’s body.
Clang, clang, clang…
Tens of thousands of sword energy streams stabbed forward, all striking the silk-ribbon-like deep yellow qi — nearly every one of them shattered on impact. The few that slipped through the gaps were neutralized by Ye Fan’s treasured physique.
Boom!
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s thick brows stood on end. He raised the Desolate Halberd high and cleaved downward with full force — in that moment, it was as though heaven and earth were splitting apart, as though ten thousand mountains were being pressed down at once.
Clang!
It was the first time the Desolate Halberd had collided directly with Ye Fan’s cauldron. The deafening sound set the void itself trembling, and the terrifying shockwave suppressed all directions.
Spit!
In the distance, many lesser demon beasts spat fresh blood, their faces ashen. Quite a few toppled to the ground — this world-shaking blow had sent shockwaves washing over them all.
Roar…
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King let out a long roar. His tangled hair flew wildly as his momentum surged abruptly. Gripping the pitch-black Desolate Halberd, he stomped and cracked the void, striding forward with powerful steps.
Clang — clang…
Gripping the Desolate Halberd with both hands, he continuously cleaved downward, targeting the cauldron again and again. His demonic energy soared to the heavens — his divine might shook the earth!
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King was unstoppable. Swinging the Desolate Halberd, he drove Ye Fan back several li, battering the Primordial Mother Qi Cauldron so that it rocked continuously.
Seizing the advantage, he pressed his attack relentlessly, intent on breaking through Ye Fan’s defenses in one overwhelming push and cutting him down.
At present, though the Primordial Mother Qi had been refined into a cauldron, it had not yet interwoven with the brand of the Grand Dao — it was still far from being an extreme path weapon, merely sufficiently sturdy.
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King gripped the Desolate Halberd and cleaved downward continuously, his might flooding the heavens. At the same time, the one hundred and eight thousand great swords behind him churned heaven and earth, shooting out endless streams of sword energy.
From afar, everyone watched in shock. An offensive of this magnitude was utterly devastating — any cultivator at the Dao Palace Secret Realm would be instantly reduced to ash. No one could possibly withstand it.
The ferocious might of the Desolate Halberd was world-shocking, its vicious killing energy saturating every inch of space. Combined with the simultaneous movement of one hundred and eight thousand great swords, this was a terrifying great killing technique.
Clang — clang…
Ye Fan was driven back six or seven li by the Desolate Halberd. The Peng Feather sword energy submerged the dark yellow qi, forcing him to retreat again and again.
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King had seized the initiative. His offensive grew even more ferocious as he wished nothing more than to cleave Ye Fan dead with the Desolate Halberd in a single blow.
“These two fierce individuals can both reign as kings within their own level — this kind of fierce battle transcends what their cultivation realm should be capable of.”
“The Golden-Winged Little Peng King is truly extraordinary — no wonder he has hopes of walking the path of the Great Emperor!”
“In a certain sense, this could be considered a qualification battle for the path of the Great Emperor!”
“The Golden-Winged Little Peng King is spine-chilling. If he can truly slay an Archaic Sacred Physique at the same realm, he will surely become a Demon Emperor in the future!”
The Desolate Halberd formed the spearhead and the one hundred and eight thousand great swords served as support — shaking heaven and rattling earth. Against anyone else, body and spirit would long since have been annihilated. High in the sky, Ye Fan retreated again and again, clearly at a disadvantage — yet he remained composed.
“The Primordial Mother Qi’s root source belongs to me. I want the ancient sacred blood to dye the long sky red!” The Golden-Winged Little Peng’s eyes were filled with frenzied killing intent — savage and untamed, soul-stirring.
The Desolate Halberd crushed the void, swung down, cleaving toward Ye Fan — and the one hundred and eight thousand swords resonated in unison!
Ye Fan could not free his hands, primarily because of those Peng Feather swords. When the one hundred and eight thousand great swords trembled together, tens of thousands of streams of sword energy would always pierce through.
This was an inconceivable innate divine technique. The Heavenly Peng Clan was favored by heaven — once this great killing technique was unleashed, not even a thousand troops and ten thousand horses could escape, for it was an indiscriminate area attack. How much more so when targeting a single person!
He had not deployed the Departed Fire Divine Furnace. The black flames were limited, and he did not want to waste them — for his opponent had reached the realm where Peng feathers could regenerate and the great swords were indestructible.
“Let your sacred blood run dry!” The Golden-Winged Little Peng King bellowed as the Desolate Halberd hammered down, shaking the void and intensifying his might to ever more terrifying levels.
“Do you truly think you can kill me?!” Ye Fan let out his true fires as well. His black hair whipped about wildly, his eyes bursting with cold lightning as he threw a punch that blasted the Desolate Halberd away.
“Of course I can kill you. Sacred blood… the taste I crave!” The Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s wild nature broke loose fully. His killing intent was dense and ferocious as the Desolate Halberd cleaved again, and the vault of heaven trembled.
“Whether you slay me or I slaughter the Heavenly Peng — that will be revealed very soon!” Ye Fan roared. He removed the cauldron from above his head himself, no longer using it as a defensive shield for his body.
Boom!
Ye Fan sacrificed the cauldron. Deep yellow qi permeated the air as the Primordial Mother Qi Cauldron instantly expanded to nine meters in height — ancient, majestic, and atmospheric — pressing down in suppression toward the Golden-Winged Little Peng King.
“Without that cauldron shielding you, I’ll see how you block my one hundred and eight thousand swords!” The Golden-Winged Little Peng King bellowed, gripping the indestructible Desolate Halberd and smashing it toward the great cauldron.
Clang!
The Primordial Mother Qi Cauldron and the demon clan powerhouse’s weapon — the Desolate Halberd — collided in a world-shaking, earth-splitting clash.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave rolled through heaven and earth like a tsunami, instantly surging outward in all four directions.
Ah…
In the distance, onlookers were stunned. Many of the lesser demon beasts vomited blood and staggered back in retreat.
Ring, ring, ring…
One hundred and eight thousand great swords rang out in unison. Tens of thousands of streams of sword energy burst forth, piercing toward Ye Fan as heaven and earth shook.
Ye Fan had originally intended to hold some hidden cards in reserve — but the Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s valor was boundless. That he could compete with an Archaic Sacred Physique forced Ye Fan to begin showing his hand.
He had to demonstrate his strength and overwhelm his opponent. He made his decision swiftly.
Among the Nine Secrets, one had still not been revealed. He decided to continue holding it in reserve — it was a great secret technique vital to his life, and this was not the time to expose it.
Everyone knew he had an Archaic Sacred Physique, and they had certainly studied the records and legends about this physique type. Keeping that hidden card would be somewhat difficult.
Ye Fan let out a sharp cry, and his body trembled. His treasured physique flickered as a phantom image of a green lotus materialized, hovering beside him.
When the one hundred and eight thousand great swords slashed downward, the three-leaf green lotus barely managed to hold them back — shattering every stream of sword energy!
“This is…” The Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s expression tightened — but he immediately let out a battle cry.
Tens of thousands of streams of sword energy crisscrossed, piercing through to close range. The sky was filled with divine radiance.
The green lotus swayed, propping up a curtain of light. The sword energy crashed against it — it looked as though it could shatter at any moment, yet it could never be broken through.
“Indeed — how could an Archaic Sacred Physique be merely physically powerful!”
“It’s said to be able to counter and suppress phenomena. This must be one of the manifestations of the Archaic Sacred Physique’s innate talents!”
At that moment, Ye Fan moved. He had no desire to be on the passive defensive — this green lotus was deeply mysterious, and he had never fully understood it, born alongside him within his Wheel Sea.
Ring, ring, ring…
Ten thousand swords sliced down. The green lotus swayed, its curtain of light hazy and dim, looking as though it would shatter at any second — yet it never extinguished.
Ye Fan charged to close quarters and struck with full force. The Primordial Mother Qi Cauldron descended, beginning to suppress the Desolate Halberd!
Clang!
The two weapons collided with an ear-splitting sound that reverberated for tens of li.
The nine-meter-tall great cauldron had deep yellow qi cascading from within it — heavy as a great mountain range, pressing downward continuously.
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King gripped the Desolate Halberd and cleaved at the cauldron. His ferocious might flooded the heavens as the two weapons clashed in a violent collision.
Cauldron like a divine mountain range, Desolate Halberd like a demonic mountain — they struck brilliant sparks as though a comet had struck the earth, releasing endless violent energy that surged in all four directions.
Clang — clang — clang…
Point against edge, divine mountain range against demonic mountain!
Ye Fan blocked the one hundred and eight thousand great swords and focused entirely on the great battle against the Desolate Halberd-wielding Golden-Winged Little Peng King.
The physical endurance of both fighters was roughly equivalent, and each possessed earth-shaking techniques. After fighting to this point, victory and defeat were about to be decided.
After several hundred exchanges and more than a thousand major collisions, the Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s complexion had grown unsightly. He felt his arms going numb, finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his grip on the Desolate Halberd.
The nine-meter-tall great cauldron was immeasurably heavy, carrying the might of thunderbolts. Every time it suppressed downward, it sent his body shuddering violently.
The Desolate Halberd could withstand it — but he himself was beginning to struggle. His opponent’s divine power was inexhaustible, flowing endlessly as though it would never run dry, which frightened him deeply.
Boom!
At that moment, Ye Fan reached out with one great hand and seized his own cauldron directly — no longer driving it with his divine sense, but using it as a weapon to personally smash downward.
Thud!
Ye Fan grabbed the great cauldron and brought it crashing down with savage force, directly sending the Golden-Winged Little Peng King blasting away.
They had fought to this point and both were exhausted — but Ye Fan had the upper hand. His divine power flowed uninterrupted, still circulating freely.
Thud!
He grabbed the great cauldron and suppressed downward again, striking it against the Desolate Halberd with a heaven-collapsing, earth-splitting sound.
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King was sent blasting away. Blood seeped from his mouth and nose — this savage force was beyond even his powerful physique to endure.
Thud!
Ye Fan pressed forward. With the great cauldron in hand, he struck again — like Mount Tai pressing down from overhead!
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King spat a mouthful of blood and fell backward, blood staining the long sky. He could barely maintain his grip on the Desolate Halberd.
“The Golden-Winged Little Peng King, who had hope of walking the path of the Great Emperor — he has actually been defeated…”
“The invincible Golden-Winged Little Peng King is about to be suppressed!”
“The Archaic Sacred Physique has truly lived up to legend — an undefeated myth. What a pity that it can only stop at the Dao Palace Secret Realm.”
In the distance, everyone was shocked, their feelings mixed as they murmured among themselves.
“Beat that bird-man down! Wasn’t he so arrogant? Break his bones!” Tu Fei shouted, feeling like he had finally gotten revenge.
“Set him on fire! Roasted little bird — my favorite!” The great black dog clamored as well.
Nearby, many demon beasts revealed killing intent. This was their territory, and regardless of how the Golden-Winged Little Peng King had conducted himself, he was one of their own.
Moreover, he was a ruler of boundless potential, capable of dominating his entire generation. Even if he could not defeat an Archaic Sacred Physique, that was understandable.
No matter how powerful Ye Fan was, he could only stop at the Dao Palace Secret Realm and could never again compete with the Golden-Winged Little Peng King. This young demon king would have no rivals in the future — he would walk his own imperial path.
Clang!
High in the sky, the battle entered its final stage. Both had fought for so long that neither could endure much longer.
But at that moment, Ye Fan’s divine power suddenly surged to a boil. His body blazed with magnificent radiance as he gripped the great cauldron and launched the final suppression.
Clang — thud…
Nine successive great cleaving strikes — the great cauldron gripped in his hand and brought crashing down nine times.
With the final thunderous impact, the Desolate Halberd was knocked flying from his opponent’s grip. The Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s arms went numb, hanging uselessly at his sides, and he toppled downward.
Heavenly Peng blood threaded with gold stained his body red, and his Heavenly Peng physique trembled from the shockwaves.
“Golden-Winged Little Peng King — do you submit?!”
Ye Fan charged forward, cauldron raised in suppression. His disheveled hair flew wildly, divine light blazing from his eyes, his momentum impossible to stop.
Boom!
The Golden-Winged Little Peng King was sent blasting away in a single blow. He let out a fierce screech and transformed into a golden Heavenly Peng dozens of meters in length, revealing his true form.
Whoosh!
Ye Fan activated the old madman’s footwork techniques, instantly shooting upward. He planted himself atop the Heavenly Peng’s true form — which gleamed as though cast from pure gold — pressing the cauldron down with his left hand in suppression while hammering with his golden fist in his right!