Yin Tianzhi stanched the bleeding from his severed arm. His gaze was bone-chillingly cold. His five-colored dragon robe flapped violently, and the purple-gold crown binding his hair gleamed brilliantly. His expression was murderous.

Since his emergence in the world, no one but his elder brother had ever overpowered him with a single technique in a contest of physical bodies — having his arm ripped off with an outstretched hand. Blood rushed to his brain with rage.

He pointed forward with one finger, and his entire arm turned crimson red, shedding its skin to become a phoenix wing. Auspicious brilliance surged upward, the scarlet radiance blinding to the eye.

Ye Fan sidestepped to evade it. The enchanting red light brushed past him, piercing through a stone mountain without stopping — a divine rainbow shocking the sky, passing clean through thirty-six mountain peaks in succession, each one punctured through and through, the holes perfectly round, front and back visible.

That single finger strike carried extraordinary power, condensing a trace of immortal divine nature — indomitable, unstoppable, capable of annihilating all living things.

Yin Tianzhi’s pupils turned blood red, like two demonic blades, intimidating to behold. His momentum was like the blazing sun. He spread all ten fingers wide, and streaks of crimson radiance shot out one after another.

Every finger was like a scarlet sky-sword — vivid red and glistening, crystalline and blinding, divine radiance streaming out like silk ribbons, perforating this small world until it was utterly unrecognizable.

Ye Fan retreated from the sharpest edge of the assault. After careful observation, he formed hand seals with both hands and struck decisively — sending the Heaven-Overturning Seal crashing down directly.

With a thunderous boom, the entire canopy of heaven was flipped over. This was the great Dao divine seal passed down through the human race — the higher a cultivator’s comprehension of the Dao, the greater its power.

The seal was vast as the blue sky — perfectly square, like the jade seal of the Heavenly Emperor descending — annihilating all things. Dragon auras cascaded down like rivers, incomparably more powerful than it had been in the past.

All who stood in its way were swept aside!

The Heaven-Overturning Seal — like the sky collapsing — with a single strike, all the crimson radiance became fleeting smoke and was reduced to ash, every trace of it extinguished!

Yin Tianzhi was crushed beneath it until his bones cracked and groaned. He was sent flying dozens of zhang, smashing through a stone mountain and being buried beneath it.

He had bathed his physical body in the blood of the Undying Divine Phoenix — his shell was so terrifyingly fearsome that among those of his generation it was nearly impossible to find a rival. And yet now he was being crushed in return.

Ye Fan pressed forward. He formed the Human King Seal, like the sovereign of the human race presiding over all under heaven. This great Dao divine seal swept over ten directions, striking down everything in sight, erasing the shattered mountain from the earth — not even rubble remained.

This stretch of land was barren of all life. Not a single thing remained. It was completely bare. The towering ancient peak had vanished without a trace.

In the distance, the wild flood dragon had resumed the form of the young attendant, staring with his jaw dropped, his face white as snow. How formidable was Yin Tianzhi’s physical body — even the master of the Eight Sceneries Palace himself had praised it — and yet someone was overpowering it!

“What kind of monstrous physique is this? Could it be that ancient and legendary war-emperor body spoken of by our master?!”

The young attendant was horror-stricken. If Yin Tianzhi died, when the master of the Eight Sceneries Palace emerged from seclusion, even the attendant would face a catastrophe from which there would be no escape — neither heaven above nor earth below could shelter him.

In the distance, the ground split apart. Rocks flew skyward like signal fires — a vast and endless expanse of debris blotting out the sun and moon.

Yin Tianzhi burst out from within. Just before, he had been utterly suppressed. Ye Fan’s Human King Seal had leveled the ground, and he had been powerless to resist — so he had burrowed underground and drilled out from this direction.

His expression was frigid. This was something that had never happened to him before. He had never suffered such a crushing defeat. The Undying Phoenix Blood — that heaven-defying divine substance, rare across countless ages — had transformed him, shed his mortal shell, and birthed an indestructible body. Yet it still could not withstand the person before him.

“The Purple Qi comes from the east, surging thirty thousand li!” Yin Tianzhi shouted. An ocean of purple qi swept in from the east in an instant, flooding the space above and below — supremely noble, overpowering to heart and soul.

“Laozi’s inheritance!” Ye Fan was startled. This was a heaven-defying technique of that ancient sage — one that had manifested when Laozi passed westward through Hangu Pass.

A sound like a great tidal wave rang out. Purple qi surged from behind Yin Tianzhi, as though tens of thousands of ancient stars had plummeted together, all their light gathered into one.

It was also like an ancient demon venerable of ten thousand years, appearing across the heavens — demonic energy flooding the sky, rampaging across all ten directions. Every inch was purple brilliance, every inch was purple flame.

The surging purple qi engulfed Ye Fan, seeking to refine and dissolve him. Many stone mountains were vaporized, turned to smoke — utterly impossible to endure.

This was a terrifying offensive secret art. Yin Tianzhi had received only a portion of the inheritance from his elder brother, yet even so, it was enough to look down upon all under heaven.

Anyone facing such a supreme secret art would be utterly dismayed. An entire stretch of towering ancient peaks was being vaporized, disappearing like water vapor — terrifying to witness.

Ye Fan showed not a shred of contempt. On the contrary, his expression grew heavy with gravity. Using his own body as a seal, he stirred the traces of the Dao and manifested a golden Tai Chi circle to contend against the Purple Qi Coming From the East divine art.

One sword cry after another, one phoenix cry after another, resounded within the purple light. The flash of blades and swords — an Undying Divine Phoenix soaring and weaving through the purple mist — all of them crashed against the golden circle.

Yet it was futile. Ten thousand techniques were like passing clouds, gone in an instant. Ye Fan remained unmoved, having blocked the assault. And after steadying the situation, he began walking forward step by step, pressing ahead.

With every step, this entire sacred land shook as one — as if an ancient deity were moving its feet, as if even the blue sky itself were about to be pressed down.

Yin Tianzhi’s expression shifted. He had no desire to contend with Ye Fan in a contest of physical bodies anymore — having suffered two consecutive great disadvantages, his heart was shaken. He swiftly retreated, resolved to fight with Daoist techniques instead.

“Tai Qing Single Breath — Primordial Chaos Slash!”

He dissolved into emptiness as he retreated. But from the sky above, a single breath of Tai Qing energy descended, and from it chaos was born — manifesting as a strand of Primordial Chaos Divine Principle several thousand zhang in length that came crashing straight down.

It had to be said, this was an incomparable offensive holy technique. Ye Fan continuously varied his combat methods to contend against it. Between the two of them, flames erupted in all directions — divine radiance shot everywhere, chaos churned and surged in a battle of incomparable ferocity.

Yin Tianzhi was capable of roaming the world and contending with the heads of major religious orders — truly world-shaking for one of his age. Yet in the end he was no match for Ye Fan, and a great golden hand struck him into spitting large mouthfuls of blood.

Even having bathed his physical shell in phoenix blood and received a portion of the Tai Shang secret arts passed down by his brother, he was still no opponent. The primary reason was that Ye Fan possessed the Holy Physique and had reached the second level of the Immortal Platform — utterly incomparable to an ordinary religious leader.

“So phoenix blood amounts to nothing more than this!”

“Just what kind of physique do you possess?!” Yin Tianzhi demanded. He was truly astonished. Ye Fan could overpower him with physical body alone, matching and surpassing his phoenix-blood-refined shell.

“What physique one has is not what matters. What truly counts is the individual themselves.” Ye Fan laughed coldly, pressing forward, striking with dominance once more.

“You are right — physique, identity, none of it matters. What matters is cultivation and the person themselves. Today, I will make you understand: the Eight Sceneries Palace is a divine land beneath heaven, and none may trespass against it.” Yin Tianzhi roared.

At this moment, his bearing became solemn and majestic. A single breath of Tai Qing energy surged out before him, manifesting and evolving into a Dao sword, and in an instant it slashed forward.

Ye Fan remained perfectly at ease, shattering it with a punch — but the Dao sword regenerated, endlessly refusing to die.

“Are you stalling for time?” Ye Fan laughed coldly, continuously shattering the Dao swords, then pressing forward with the Word-Stepping technique.

“Let me show you the unspoken secret of the Eight Sceneries Palace — and with it, I will cut you down!” Yin Tianzhi let out a cold shout. He was finally ready.

Above his head, three auspicious clouds appeared. Then from within the crown of his head, three strands of immortal light burst forth, continuously transforming, evolving toward human form.

“One Breath Transforms into the Three Pure Ones!”

From a distance, the young attendant cried out in shock — he had not expected that even this supreme divine technique had been passed on by the master of the Eight Sceneries Palace to his younger brother.

Ye Fan’s heart also shook. This was no external avatar — this was a true manifestation of the self. In terms of combat power, it far surpassed an avatar, equivalent to several versions of oneself fighting simultaneously.

Hiss!

The three strands of immortal light merged with the auspicious clouds and transformed into three Daoist figures. Each one was identical to Yin Tianzhi, striding forward in great steps.

Ye Fan’s heart tightened. For one Yin Tianzhi to appear in the world was already extraordinary enough — yet now there were suddenly three of him. Anyone would be unsettled.

The four true selves were not avatars — they fought as one, sharing mind and purpose, each one primary, none secondary, attacking in unified coordination.

“Submit your life!” Yin Tianzhi was supremely confident. If one of him could not defeat Ye Fan, would three more of himself still not be enough?

Clang!

Above Ye Fan’s head came a soft ringing sound. The Mother Qi of All Things streamed down, and the cauldron hovered in the air above. He did not call upon the flames of the black gourd, but instead wished to rely on his true strength alone — to test the progress he had made over these seven years.

“That’s it — that’s the Mother Qi of All Things! My elder brother wishes to consecrate a Mysterious Yellow Pagoda of Heaven and Earth. You’ve brought it here at just the right moment.”

The four Yin Tianzhis — one held a cyan sword, one had an ancient pagoda hovering above his head, one spat out a precious mirror, and one shook a great bell.

These four great killing weapons were unleashed together at their peak combat power to strike down Ye Fan. Sword radiance, bell waves, mirror light, and pagoda body rotated in a cycle — cold light illuminated their iron-like forms.

Ye Fan’s expression grew grave. No one could endure facing four supreme experts simultaneously. He fought with all his strength — holding the God-Striking Whip in hand, with the Mother Qi of All Things descending above his head — engaged in fierce and desperate combat.

The several figures moved with lightning speed, nearly tangled together, their power flooding the heavens, killing intent permeating the air — locked in a struggle with no clear winner, fighting with their very lives.

Though Ye Fan was in a perilous situation, he had already perceived that Yin Tianzhi seemed anxious — as if desperate to end his life at once, he had lost his composure.

At last, he understood why. Two of the true selves suddenly made a faint pop sound and swiftly dissolved, transforming back into two wisps of clear qi.

“So-called One Breath into the Three Pure Ones — it turns out you could barely form even one Purity. And you thought you could eliminate me with this?!”

Ye Fan laughed coldly. After transforming himself into the Tai Chi, he unleashed a dragon-shaped wave, clanging against and cleaving apart the ancient pagoda. Then, with great sweeping offensive force, he charged forward.

In the end, after five hundred exchanges, he wielded the God-Striking Whip and shattered one of the Yin Tianzhis, dissolving it into a wisp of clear qi — while the other fled directly.

“Trying to flee? Didn’t you want my Mother Qi of All Things?” Ye Fan gave chase without relenting.

Within the Xuandu Cave, a vast and blazing brilliance surged upward. Intricate formation patterns appeared across the surface, and at the same time a void realm opened — a new heaven and earth revealing itself within.

Yin Tianzhi and the young attendant rushed inside. Ye Fan was blocked at the entrance, stopped by the formation patterns. In the brief moment he caught a glimpse inside, he saw four characters within the void realm: “The Tai Qing Sacred Realm.”

“This truly is Laozi’s place of cultivation!” Ye Fan’s heart was solemn.

Moreover, he activated the Heavenly Eye and gazed as deeply as he could into the depths — and there he saw an ancient set of halls, simple and natural in their antiquity.

“Is that the Eight Sceneries Palace?!”

The void slowly closed. Ye Fan could not enter. His heart was far from calm — there was certainly an inheritance of Laozi within. If he could obtain it, it would greatly enhance his combat power.

“Forget it. He still has an elder brother, who must be far more powerful. That one is Laozi’s true inheritor. I have only just arrived in the Purple Tenuity Ancient Star Region — for now, it would be best not to provoke them.”

Ye Fan turned and left. He wished first to understand this world — of which he knew nothing. A land from the mythology of ancient China ought to hold countless secrets beyond counting.

Yet no sooner had he turned around than a great shout came from behind him: “You’ve run wild in the Eight Sceneries Palace, and now you think you can simply leave? Either serve here for eternity, or die on the spot.”

From within the Tai Qing Sacred Realm, Yin Tianzhi shook his hand and unleashed a gleaming iron diamond vajra, hurling it outward — splitting the heavens and cracking the earth!

Ye Fan sensed an enormous danger. This weapon was extraordinary. Could it possibly be the diamond vajra that Laozi had forged when he passed westward through Hangu Pass?

At that moment, he actually had the sensation that he was powerless to resist. So that was why this fellow had retreated — he had gone to retrieve this vajra. No wonder he had grown arrogant and loud again.

“Country bumpkin! Although our master is in deep closed seclusion, he has left behind a sacred object. A single weapon is enough to crush you to death!” The young attendant also joined in taunting.

“Crush your grandfather, smash your great-uncle!” Ye Fan’s face darkened. These two just deserved a beating — they deserved to be struck down a hundred times over. Their faces might as well have had the words “hit me” written across them.

Boom!

Without further thought, he raised the black gourd and activated its blazing divine flames. In an instant, nine-colored misty threads surged to fill the sky, engulfing everything before him.

“Ahh—” The young attendant cried out, instantly becoming a blazing flood dragon, then a charred husk, shrieking and wailing in agony.

“Ahh—” Yin Tianzhi fared no better — flames ignited across his entire body, and even the Purple Qi from the East was useless. In an instant, he became a man of fire.

The terrifying diamond vajra — gleaming and crystalline, like a star in the celestial vault — came flying toward him, utterly fearsome, cracking both heaven and earth as it approached.

Yet Ye Fan was filled with eager anticipation. He activated the Word-Soldier technique, having made up his mind to seize this treasure and examine it — to see whether it truly was the vajra forged by Laozi as he passed westward through Hangu Pass, and what secrets it might hold.