“You… at such a young age, with no respect for your elders, you dare to speak to us like this—I’ll discipline you on behalf of your elders!”
One elder swept a great sleeve forward, sending it striking straight for the Monkey’s face—as if to knock out his teeth and humiliate him.
That elder’s cultivation had surpassed the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. At their level, if this blow connected, even divine iron would split apart—let alone a body of flesh and blood.
“Boom!”
The Monkey was utterly unafraid. He casually raised his palm and swatted it out—the Sacred Light of the Dou Zhan Sage blazing forth like a rainbow, his entire body dyed in a golden radiance.
“Crack!”
That elder’s great sleeve instantly became a tattered fishing net, torn to shreds by strands upon strands of golden vital energy, the sleeve fluttering about like butterflies.
“Who are you?!” The elder retreated swiftly, sensing that something had gone terribly wrong—a mountain-like pressure bore down upon him.
The Monkey’s speed was too fast. The sacred light of the Dou Zhan Sage flashed and vanished. He stepped forward with great strides, his golden great hand pressing downward, drawing away all the vital energy in the surrounding area.
“Boom!”
That elder’s arm bent backward all at once—the Monkey had slapped it broken with a single palm strike. Cold sweat broke out on the spot.
“Relying on age to bully the young, and even daring to strike my face!”
The Monkey was extremely hot-tempered. As a member of the Dou Zhan Sacred Clan, he feared neither heaven nor earth—a palm strike came crashing down.
“Thud!”
With one slap he sent the elder flying, then brought another palm down—pounding the elder directly into the earth like a stake being driven into the ground.
“You think you’re qualified to discipline me? Not even if an ancient sage were reborn would they have that right!” The Monkey’s fury erupted.
His origins were truly astounding—he absolutely had the confidence to say such things. His father had been the Dou Zhan Old Sage Emperor of the primordial era, who had looked down upon all under heaven and been unrivaled across ten thousand ages.
In the past, even that supremely magnificent father of his had never spoken to him like this. Naturally the Monkey would not tolerate such arrogance from a Purple Prefecture elder.
“Acting as though he’s an ancient emperor reborn—daring to try and discipline this lord? The old fool must have a death wish!” Li Heishui muttered.
“You… junior…” The elder who had been driven into the earth also burned with rage, struggling violently to free himself.
“Slap!”
The Monkey said not a word and walked straight over, landing a great open-handed blow, then said coldly: “You dare discipline me in my father’s name?”
“Stop!” Several nearby elders rushed forward together, all striking out simultaneously, snatching toward the Monkey.
The Monkey’s golden eyes shot cold lightning. He paid them not the slightest heed. His great hand swung in broad arcs, landing more than ten successive slaps—the elder buried in the ground was beaten until he spat blood in great mouthfuls, utterly wretched and disheveled.
“Hum!”
The void trembled. The several old men were all enraged. Their great hands blotted out the sky as they pressed to suppress him, all closing in from every direction.
“Boom!” “Boom!”…
The Monkey was fast as lightning, meeting each of them with a palm strike in turn—the sacred light of the Dou Zhan Sage burst outward, illuminating all the surrounding lakes with a brilliant radiance.
“Stagger, stagger, stagger…”
All of them retreated together, their arms going limp at their sides. Even joining forces they could not stop the Monkey—every one of them was injured!
“Who exactly are you?!” They knew this was absolutely a terrifying existence—most likely even more powerful than a sacred lord by several degrees.
One had to understand—these were no ordinary Grand Elder overseers. They were all already half-step Grand Masters. Yet they had had no means of resistance whatsoever. Had this person wished to kill them, he certainly would not have needed much effort.
“I do not wish to kill anyone in the Jade Pool—all of you, get lost!” The Monkey opened his golden eyes, his might towering and his arrogance absolute.
All around, the various Sacred Sons, Sacred Maidens, and heirs of supreme great sects all stood slack-jawed and speechless. Who was this person? To dare berate even half-step Grand Masters like this.
“Terrifying—half-step Grand Masters suppressed with a raise of the hand!”
“When did such a figure appear? No less than a supreme sacred lord—yet he looks like he’s not very old at all!”
At this moment, not to mention Xiang Yifei—even Yao Guang showed a changed expression, gazing fixedly at the Dou Zhan Sage Ape, lost in thought.
As for the others—not one of them was unmoved. Each person felt uneasy. The Monkey appeared to be roughly the same age as them, yet possessed such combat power—this was somewhat frightening!
“You…” Several of the elders trembled with fury.
“What about me? If you still haven’t disappeared—next time you dare address me in the tone of an elder, I will beat every one of you into pulp with a single rod strike!” The Monkey swept his gaze across them.
A young man who appeared to be only about twenty years old—defiant and unruly, looking down upon half-step Grand Masters of the senior generation with contempt—such a scene had not occurred for who knew how many years.
“Very well, very well, very well!” The several elders turned and walked away, casting savage glances back as they left.
“Still daring to leak killing intent?” The Monkey, unlike ordinary people, possessed an extraordinarily keen spiritual awareness. He said not a word and sent another great palm swatting over.
“Slap!” “Slap!”…
The several elders tried to resist—and every one of them was slapped flying. Bones shattered throughout their bodies in multiple places. They flew out like scarecrows, sent hundreds of zhang away.
Several of them nearly tumbled into one of the lakes, landing in wretched sprawls on the ground, coughing up blood in great mouthfuls, their faces turned pale—all of them wearing expressions of profound shock.
“Brother Ape, how powerful, how mighty!” Jiang Huairen grinned from ear to ear, barely stopping himself from bursting out laughing.
All around, the onlookers were filled with reverence and awe. Facing such a powerful being, not a single person dared approach.
“The Dou Zhan Sacred Clan…” In the distance, beside one of the lakes, a young woman in purple murmured softly—unheard by anyone. She was the embodiment of all the beauty and spirituality of heaven and earth, with purple aurora wreathing her body.
“Innate Dao Embryo!” Li Heishui cried out in a low, startled yelp.
“Little sister-in-law—the mother of the second Beginningless!” Liu Kou was even more direct.
Nearby, everyone fell silent. They had all heard the rumor about the Innate Holy Body and Dao Embryo—who could have imagined that several of them were truly mulling it over. As they looked toward Ye Fan, everyone’s expressions turned strange.
The Sacred Maiden of the Purple Prefecture—ethereal as an immortal—turned and walked away, as if she wished to avoid any encounter with them. She moved with undulating grace, her garments trailing behind her, transcendent and detached from the mundane world.
“This brother here is…” The Sacred Son of the Great Yan Sect, Xiang Yifei, spoke up. He felt unsettled—he had not expected Ye Fan to have such a formidable expert by his side.
The Sacred Son Dao Yi was also paying close attention, eager to know who the Monkey was. He and Xiang Yifei exchanged a glance, then both stepped forward to ingratiate themselves, probing with oblique questions.
The Monkey was not inclined to engage much with them, leaving the group of people who had swarmed over feeling quite embarrassed. They dispersed with restless displeasure.
Ye Fan perceived a flash of cold, sharp killing intent that vanished in an instant. With his divine sense so powerful, he had acutely detected its origin.
“The Sacred Maiden of the Myriad Origins Sect!”
In the distance, a young woman sashayed away—her silhouette graceful, her bearing attractive, and her appearance quite beautiful.
Beside her, Yao Xi walked in company—like a fairy from a painting, with bright eyes and white teeth, her jet-black hair falling to her waist, agile and otherworldly.
“I finally understand why the Beginningless Emperor ended up with enemies everywhere. Kill one, and a whole patch more come along—always undefeated, always forced to keep killing…” Ye Fan sighed.
All around, everyone shuddered. He already bore the title of the Sacred Sons’ slayer—was he about to start killing again?
Five days later, the Jade Pool grand gathering began. The pure land buzzed with excitement—great lords came visiting from all eight directions, powerful figures from across the world converged, and all manner of remarkable and reclusive individuals appeared one after another.
The Jade Pool grand gathering—also known as the Peach Banquet—was convened once every five hundred-odd years. Powerful figures gathered in abundance, all coming together to attend the celebration.
However, this occasion differed somewhat from the past. It involved certain strange stones for all the heroes to observe.
“This truly feels like an immortal’s gathering!” Ye Fan exclaimed in wonder.
It was a cluster of floating jade towers and magnificent palaces. All around were lotus pools and flowering trees. Clouds and mist drifted below their feet—as if they stood in a celestial realm.
People arrived constantly on clouds, every single one a figure of great renown—it truly seemed like immortals attending a gathering.
“The Royal Uncle of the Central Prefecture, the Ancient Hua Emperor’s Uncle, has arrived.”
“The master of the North Pole Ice God Palace has arrived.”
“The divine monk who ferries souls across from the Western Desolation has come to call.”
“The War King of the War God Hall of the Southern Range has arrived.”
…
Great figures appeared one after another. All manner of divine chariots blazed with radiance as they rolled through the high sky—like the divine conveyances of the gods.
Surveying the scene, every carriage was drawn by flood dragons, with descendants of the phoenix bird flying overhead—each great beast extraordinarily powerful, every one of them remarkable.
“Look at that—the one with the shaved head, whose back is wreathed in layer upon layer of divine halos. His cultivation is truly fearsome,” Liu Kou pointed out.
“Keep your voice down—that is a divine monk from the Western Desolation. His cultivation is truly terrifying. He’s probably already attained the rank of arhat, or perhaps even a venerable master.”
“The North Pole Sacred Palace—isn’t that the ancient holy land situated atop the farthest icy wastes of the Northern Plains? They’re separated by such a vast distance, yet even their palace master has come. The Jade Pool truly commands great respect.”
“The War God Hall of the Southern Range—it is said there are secrets of attaining godhood within. Even their War King has come.”
Not just Li Heishui and his companions—even others were engaged in discussion. Great figures continued to appear, arriving from all over the world, and many remarkable and extraordinary individuals among them.
Here, celestial music rang out in unison and all manner of divine birds and auspicious beasts were on display.
Upon the white clouds, palace halls spread out in clusters, extraordinary flowers bloomed in abundance, spirit herbs carpeted the ground, immortal mist swirled and rolled—yet reached no higher than the knee. Many cranes and luan-birds soared through the air, while longevity apes cradled peaches and poured wine.
“How does this feel like arriving at the Celestial Palace from the myths…” Ye Fan marveled.
“Brother Ye…” Not far away, a clear and bright laugh rang out, and a young man clad in golden battle armor strode over—it was Jin Chixiao, the heir of the Golden Family of the Northern Plains.
“Ha, Brother Jin!” Ye Fan stepped forward to meet him—though in his heart he laughed coldly. That man had appeared on that blood-soaked night and summoned a deity from the Way Palace into the Beginningless killing formation, which Ye Fan had destroyed.
Behind him, an ancient golden war chariot rumbled along, engraved with ancient and weathered markings, drawn by nine flood dragons—it pulled to a stop in the distance. The elder patriarch of the Northern Plains Golden Clan had arrived.
Jin Chixiao had come along in attendance. Seeing Ye Fan now, he was exceedingly warm—unaware that Ye Fan had already cultivated the Divine Eye and had long since clearly perceived the killing intent within his heart.
“We must share a drink together later,” Jin Chixiao said with a great laugh and went off with his clan’s patriarch.
“If one had not cultivated the Divine Eye, it truly would be difficult to tell genuine intentions from false ones…” Ye Fan fixed his gaze on the man’s retreating back and shook his head.
“The human race’s supreme Grand Master, Nangong Zheng, has arrived!” someone cried out loudly.
With these words, everyone was greatly astonished. Even some of the great figures rose from their seats within the jade towers and magnificent palaces and looked out.
Clouds and mist surged and billowed, petals danced and drifted—every one translucent and gleaming. A great road paved with crystalline flower petals stretched straight in from the distant horizon, its fragrance permeating the air.
The legendary human race Grand Master—Nangong Zheng—was said to cultivate the Art of Longevity, using plants and trees as his home and wondrous flowers as his food. He was never without spirit herbs by his side.
“Nangong Zheng has appeared again…” Not a single person was not shaken.
There had long been rumors that he had entered nirvana five hundred years ago. Yet who could have imagined that he appeared in the world again several years back?
And then it was said he had entered the Ancient Bronze Immortal Hall together with a group of living fossils from the Eastern Desolation and had not been seen since. Yet today, amazingly, he appeared once more.
“No wonder the senior figures have always called him the undying Nangong Zheng!”
Everyone wanted to know whether he had truly entered the Ancient Bronze Immortal Hall, and what kind of encounter he had experienced there.
“I was fortunate to escape from the Immortal Hall,” Nangong Zheng said with a long sigh.
These words astonished everyone even further—he had truly entered that dreadful bronze hall. One had to understand that the place was the grave of the most supremely powerful figures of the age. Yet he had come out alive.
Numerous great figures came forward to receive him—surrounding him like stars around the moon, ushering him into the Celestial Palace—all wishing to know what had happened.
“He also escaped. I wonder if he went deeper than Ji Ziyue and myself,” Ye Fan said in astonishment.
“The immortal character is a killing machine that runs through all of antiquity—within the mystery lies heaven and earth, the blood of the ancient emperors…” Nangong Zheng’s words drifted out.
A shock ran through Ye Fan’s heart. The other man had absolutely made it into the depths of the Ancient Bronze Immortal Hall and had seen the immortal character carved in imperishable holy blood. Could it be that he had passed through what lay behind the mysterious gate?