The ancient stone skin of the immortal tomb cracked apart. Crystal as a glasswork tower, it burst with radiance and shone with brilliance — like the most magnificent thing in all the world.
Rosy clouds in ten thousand streams, auspicious light in a thousand rays — nearly translucent, as if formed from the most precious seven-colored gemstones in existence — utterly dreamlike.
Before, it had been ancient and unadorned. But now, in the light of day, it was as if a divine moon had arced across the sky, silver brilliance cascading down, sacred radiance enveloping all in a haze.
Faced with those two torch-like gazes, Ye Fan locked down heaven and earth with his source arts, isolating himself from the immortal tomb, and retreated like lightning into the crowd.
Every person was thunderstruck. No one could remain calm. This was no ordinary stone — it was an immortal tomb. A naturally formed ancient tomb harboring a living creature was nothing short of world-shattering.
Could an immortal spirit truly be emerging into the world? Or had a creature within an ancient tomb achieved nirvana and been reborn? Or was another ancient king making its appearance?
After the shock came boundless terror. Everyone retreated. Though the aura was sacred, perhaps in the next moment blood would flow like rivers.
“Fall back!”
“Get away from here!”
Many people cried out in panic, their expressions filled with alarm as they rushed toward the distance — not wanting to linger a single moment longer, as if fleeing from a primordial beast.
Today, everyone had had their eyes opened wide — every manner of rare treasure had been witnessed, miracles had been seen — but now they faced the possibility of a life-or-death calamity.
“It’s coming out!”
“It’s coming out from the immortal tomb!”
Many people’s calves cramped. They could barely move their feet, unable to flee — for at that moment, the sky above seemed to press down, descending continuously, as an enormous Pressure Aura descended upon them.
Panic and confusion erupted, as people struggled to flee and preserve their lives.
A strange creature emerging, its might so intensely blazing — people could not help but tremble. This was a soul-deep Pressure Aura, like a being of higher station looking down upon scurrying ants.
The great master of the Ji Family was the first to act. He spread his five fingers wide, and five arcs of electric radiance shot out, interweaving into a divine net that wrapped around the immortal tomb, intending to drive it into the array markings at the center.
Those were the Dao-inscriptions they had carved for the blood sacrifice altar. Yet this stone had not yielded a living king as expected — the immortal tomb had produced a shocking, unforeseen development.
Splat!
The electric radiance shattered. The sound was not loud, yet the energy fluctuations that broke apart carried a bone-chilling force. From within the immortal tomb, a hand reached out and crushed the divine net in an instant.
The great master of the Ji Family’s strike had accomplished nothing. He had failed to drive it into the center of the array markings. The immortal tomb remained motionless, and a pair of powerful hands gripped the edges of the crack, forcing it wider.
Crack!
The immortal tomb cracked apart completely. Two arms emerged first, while those two gazes blazed even more brilliantly — glittering like two bright lanterns.
“The arms are covered in hair — this is certainly no immortal spirit. What kind of creature is this?”
“Golden fur, human-shaped arms — what kind of creature is this?”
…
The crowd fled rapidly, crying out as they went. Many of the faster ones had already vanished without a trace. Yet even more chose to remain watching from a high distance in the air.
The stone workshops of the holy lands had clear rules against flying, but at this moment no one gave it any thought — preserving their lives was what mattered most, and all had soared into the high sky.
Clang!
The Imperial Uncle of the Great Xia made his move. Nine streams of true dragon qi surged from his body, surging and roaring like true great dragons, coiling around the nearby area in an instant.
Nine dragons coiled around the tomb, lifting it off the ground, driving it into the Dao-inscription space, attempting to transmit it into the Celestial Prison of the Divine City.
Hum!
The void trembled like a great drum being struck, vibrating continuously with a low resonant hum. From within the immortal tomb, two beams of light shot out, swallowing the dragon qi and slowly dissolving the nine true dragons — dispersing them into nothing in midair.
“Those were its eyes — and they’re this terrifying?!”
“Its twin eyes can dissolve dragons — what kind of creature is this, so immensely powerful?!”
Even some of the older figures were made uneasy by this outcome, cold chills running through them repeatedly.
All the holy sons and holy daughters wore grave expressions, standing in the air, gazing intently without blinking. In particular, the crown prince of the Great Xia looked incomparably stern, his sharp eyes fixed upon the immortal tomb.
Boom!
Suddenly, Xu Tianxiong — the third greatest outlaw — made his move. He flipped his palm and struck downward. A great seal materialized beneath his palm and fingers, with dragons and tigers locked in contest across it, dense with Dao-inscriptions.
The seal was ancient and unadorned — its weight beyond reckoning — slowly pressing down toward the immortal tomb. In that moment, everyone present felt a sensation of suffocation, as though they could barely breathe.
Boom!
The creature inside the immortal tomb used no clever techniques whatsoever — it simply threw a punch directly. That palm covered in golden fur flashed with golden brilliance, as if possessing the power to shatter the heavens.
As that fist was thrown, the void shook like a scroll of painting — trembling with a rustling sound, as if it could be torn apart at any moment — pushing the masculine and domineering quality to its absolute limit.
Bang!
The golden, fur-covered fist struck the ancient and unadorned seal, and a tremendous sound rang out. The eardrums of those watching from the distant sky hummed and rang, and many people could not stand steady, nearly tumbling from the high air.
The seal slowly disappeared — shattered into silence and dust — while that golden furry hand trembled slightly as well, hovering alone in midair, before slowly withdrawing.
Three holy lord-level figures had each made their move. It was clear they had already assessed the situation. In their dignity as great masters, they chose not to swarm it together — but they had spread out to surround it from different sides.
And the creature within the immortal tomb showed no urgency to charge out recklessly either — it seemed to be deliberating. This was clearly no mindless beast that knew only slaughter.
The Scarlet Dragon Old Daoist stepped forward two paces. The creature within the immortal tomb seemed to grow unsettled — with a boom, it tore the ancient tomb apart completely and strode out.
“This kind of creature is…”
From the distant sky came a chorus of exclamations. This humanoid creature radiated extraordinary presence, carrying a high and soaring battle will.
It was not particularly large — less than five chi in height — but it was immensely solid, possessing a human body densely covered in golden fur, glittering brilliantly.
Though not imposing in stature, it possessed overwhelming physical strength. Every movement and gesture seemed capable of plucking down stars from the sky — and even a slight motion warped the surrounding void.
It resembled an ape, though closer to a human being. Only the dense golden fur made it difficult to classify as human. Standing there, it projected an air of supreme dominance — as if to say: who in this world could compare to me?
This was an innate Pressure Aura — as if it were a superior being standing atop the clouds, looking down with contempt upon all creatures between heaven and earth. A pair of eyes radiated golden light, blazing like torches.
“The legendary monkey — Sun Wukong?” The thought arose in Ye Fan’s mind as well, though of course he only entertained it — he would not truly believe it.
At the creature’s feet lay a heap of cracked divine source fragments, glittering with five-colored light — dazzling to behold — yet they could not overshadow its commanding presence. Its fiery golden eyes swept across everyone, causing hearts to tremble.
In this moment, it was the only thing that existed between heaven and earth. Whether it was the fragments of divine source or the divine maiden nearby — all were ignored. Every person tensely watched it alone.
This was the first living creature that had been cut out from stone in over a hundred thousand years — a truly living, powerful ancient superior being, possibly even a king.
The expressions of the Yao Guang people shifted drastically — not only because their losses were severe, but because the emergence of this powerful creature filled them with unease. It was very likely capable of demolishing the entire stone workshop.
The immortal tomb had been displayed here for no one could say how many years. Ever since it had been rejected by the source arts grandmaster, no one had paid it any attention. No one could have guessed there was a living creature inside.
And what was more — it was evident this creature had long since awakened, it had simply not yet chosen to emerge. It was fortunate it had been cut out today. Had it suddenly leapt out on its own one day, who knew what great chaos it might have caused.
Bang!
Suddenly, the great master of the Ji Family struck again. A massive pitch-black hand materialized, blotting out the sky and covering the sun — the entire stone garden was blanketed beneath it.
The black hand stretched across the void, like a dark cloud pressing down — the Void Palm Seal — compressing the void until it continuously caved inward.
The creature clad in golden fur let out a low and resonant roar, opened its mouth and released a beam of golden light that streaked toward the Big Dipper — an aura so powerful that every person watching trembled.
The golden light it spewed from its mouth braced against the black hand, like thunder crashing through the heavens, reverberating across the Divine City — like a great star destroyed within the stellar realm — terror taken to its absolute extreme.
The Scarlet Dragon Old Daoist’s ancient Daoist robe billowed in the wind as he stepped forward one pace at a time, his expression one of shock. “This is a royal bloodline of the ancient Primordial age!”
“A royal bloodline?!”
Upon hearing those words, many people drew a sharp breath. Even more fled at high speed, wishing they could hide at the far edge of heaven. Ancient kings were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns — comparable to Great Emperors in their majesty.
“Brother Daoist, are you certain it is of royal bloodline?” Xu Tianxiong, the third greatest outlaw, asked.
The Scarlet Dragon Daoist nodded. “It is of royal bloodline — but that does not mean it has yet become an ancient king. If I’m not mistaken, it has not yet fully grown.”
“A royal bloodline of the ancient Primordial age, still not yet fully matured…”
People were even more astonished. Even before reaching its peak, it already possessed such awe-inspiring combat power — if it were to truly become an ancient king, what manner of might would it then command?
“This is the Battle-Saint Ape of the royal bloodlines of the Primordial age — a born sacred being of battle. Even in the Primordial age itself, no more than two or three could be found!”
The Scarlet Dragon Old Daoist spoke these words, making everyone present even more shaken. A sacred ape born for battle — from the name alone, its status was unmistakable.
At this moment, the Battle-Saint Ape’s bearing also reflected its transcendence. Fiery golden eyes, high and soaring battle will, looking down with contempt upon all four directions — every gesture seemed capable of shattering the heavens.
An un-matured king — a born sacred being of battle — even several of the great masters were stirred. If it could be subdued now, what kind of accomplishments might it achieve in the future? The mere thought of it was staggering.
The great master of the Ji Family made his move. His Sky-Severing Fingers snapped out, and five true dragons took form, surging forward, intent on binding the Battle-Saint Ape.
Bang!
The sacred ape blazed with golden light across every inch of its body — every strand of fur crystalline and gleaming — radiating an air of solemn and majestic grandeur. It was simple and direct: a single punch thrown forward.
Pop!
A sound of shattering rang out across the stone garden. This Battle-Saint Ape, still not fully matured, shattered five true dragons with a single fist, dismantling a supreme secret art recorded in the Void Ancient Scripture.
“Truly a born sacred being of battle!”
Everyone was shaken. This sacred ape could break the heavens with its strength — not imposing in stature, yet possessing the force to topple mountains.
In the distance, Ye Fan had not flown into the high sky. He was watching from outside the bamboo grove with Li Heishui, feeling that the flow of blood through his body had accelerated slightly. He quickly suppressed it, concealing it within himself.
The Scarlet Dragon Daoist stepped forward, extending a blood-red great hand and reaching toward the Battle-Saint Ape.
As he made his move, the expressions of the other great masters all changed — they feared this ancient royal bloodline might be subdued by him.
The Battle-Saint Ape’s color changed as well. Golden fur rose across its entire body. The divine power within circulated through nine revolutions, and nine streams of divine radiance flashed across its body surface — growing ever more blazing and intense.
“The Nine Revolutions Heavenly Technique of the Battle-Saint Ape clan!” The Scarlet Dragon Daoist dared not be careless. Red dragons coiled across the great hand, releasing dragon roars that resounded throughout heaven and earth.