Dongfang Ye awakened. His entire being instantly became like a heavenly sword unsheathed — a sharp and fierce aura had gathered about him. Both eyes fired twin beams of divine radiance dozens of zhang in length. Refined in such harsh conditions, he had grown only sharper and more deadly with each passing hardship.

Everyone was deeply moved. What had once seemed like a permanent parting — a parting from which they had never expected to meet again — had somehow, against all odds, ended in a reunion while all still breathed. Having survived life and death together in those days, the warmth of meeting again now filled every heart.

“Open!”

Ye Fan and the others struck together. The Heaven-Devouring Demonic Vessel shot out a streak of dark light — slender as a thread, yet its might was as vast as an ocean — scattering more than a thousand traces of the primordial heroic spirits’ divine principles and freeing Dongfang Ye.

The wild man leaped to his feet. Immediately he let out a long, resonant howl that shook the entire primordial battlefield, setting this stretch of land trembling. The energy in his voice stretched on long and unbroken, like a heavenly river tumbling down from the heights.

“Wonderful — Brother Dongfang, I am so glad you are unharmed. Otherwise I would never have known peace for the rest of my life.” Li Heishui rushed over to him. In those days the wild man had waded into the fray for their sake, holding back the great enemies of the Purple Sky Capital and the Divine Spirit Valley’s lineage, slaughtering until blood and bodies rained from the sky.

Everyone rushed forward. Dongfang Ye was equally moved. He was especially astonished when he saw Ye Fan — he had witnessed with his own eyes when this man had left the world, and had never expected to see him again.

Old companions reunited — there were more words to exchange than time allowed. Having faced death, one understands that as long as one lives, there is nothing else to ask for. There are things one can only truly treasure after having experienced them.

“The reason I could survive was entirely thanks to the holy bone Brother Ye once gave me. I fused it into the wolf-fang club in this place, and fully restored the ancient holy weapon.”

Long ago when they stormed the immortal palace world together, they had discovered within the Golden Crow’s nest the immortal-tears jade scroll inscribed with fragments of the Sun Scripture, as well as the sole true bone left behind when a sage dissolved into the Dao — and these had been divided between Ye Fan and Dongfang Ye.

This place held all manner of divine principles — all manifestations of primordial heroic spirits, endlessly cycling, persisting for hundreds of thousands of years. They could be said to be ancestral-king-level Dao radiance. Tempered in this crucible without ceasing, the ancient tribal weapon had merged with the Dao bone and was restored to its original state.

“This ancient weapon is truly astounding — born from the hands of the War God of the Southern Ridge. From this day forward, the wild tribes have one more generation-spanning holy weapon!”

At this moment there was one person who was far from pleased — and that was Duan De. He stared at Dongfang Ye and looked him over again and again, and he found that this wild-looking, ragged man was wearing his things from head to toe.

The wooden hairpin stuck through the man’s hair was definitely his — it had been dug from a royal mausoleum and was carved from black phoenix wood.

As for the divine-thread jade armor that Dongfang Ye wore, there was even less need to mention it. That had once been Duan De’s own armor, looted from an ancient imperial tomb, with formidable defensive power.

What truly enraged the unscrupulous Daoist most was that Dongfang Ye’s socks were also his — woven from heaven silkworm silk — and even the nearly disintegrated shoes on his feet were his as well. All of them were precious treasures.

Back then, Ye Fan and Dongfang Ye had stripped Duan De bare, leaving him with nothing but a pair of underpants. The wild man had been indiscriminate, scooping up all manner of odds and ends of treasure.

“Daoist, I have missed you dearly after all these years apart. My deep thanks for your divine-thread jade armor — had it not been for that, I would have been shattered to pieces.” The wild man said with an honest and guileless expression.

Duan De’s nose wrinkled. He said: “That account will be settled later!”

“Though I’ve been freed, I truly feel a little reluctant to leave this place. It is a cultivation sacred ground — pain and joy in equal measure.” Dongfang Ye said.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

All manner of radiance flew about — it was an ocean in which divine principles were interwoven, and thunder roared without ceasing. Without an ancient generation-spanning holy weapon to shield the body, even a perfected supreme king who entered here would be reduced to ashes.

It was a terrifying sight, as though a hundred or more primordial sages were locked in fierce contention, each displaying the most essential divine principles of their lives in violent opposition.

“This is an excellent place for refining weapons!” The Black Emperor said.

“Refining weapons…” Everyone turned their gaze toward those divine principles. These were all sage-level — if they could be transcribed and branded into weapons, the benefits would be boundless.

“Even if a Wellspring Heavenly Master came here, passing through this region would be extremely difficult. We may be able to remain briefly and refine our own weapons.” Duan De said.

They had been able to enter quickly only because they possessed half an imperial weapon and one corner of the Wushi Killing Formation. Otherwise every step would have been a killing trap, and they could never have advanced so swiftly.

“True — let us remain here. When it’s time to leave, we’ll have the Black Emperor engrave one corner of an imperial transmission formation to traverse the void.” Ye Fan said.

In the end, everyone sat cross-legged. Each took out their best weapon and immersed it in the divine principles. The monkey was the most decisive — he placed his pockmarked black iron staff at the heart of the Dao principles, where it was immediately subjected to a barrage, lightning flashing in all directions.

BANG!

Li Heishui was the most speechless of all. He attempted to bring out a holy-sovereign-level weapon — it turned to powder on the spot and scattered in the wind.

Yet the most astonishing display of all came from Ye Fan’s cauldron. Nine strands of primordial chaos energy housed within it all awakened simultaneously, transforming into dragons, phoenixes, flowers and birds, fish and insects, all heaven and earth — gathering in the divine principles of the ten directions.

The Myriad Things Mother Cauldron rumbled and roared. It sank and rose within the various Dao radiance, subjected to their baptism, struck from every side — yet it remained undying throughout, absorbing the laws of heaven and earth.

“That cauldron… is absolutely astounding!” Everyone present was astonished, their eyes all fixed on what lay ahead.

Within the cauldron, nine strands of primordial chaos emerged from its walls, drawing in all manner of divine principles — as though forming divine embryos, bizarre beyond all measure, gradually growing in strength.

Nine Dao markings extended, evolving into grass and trees, transforming into flowers and birds, fish and insects, becoming kirin and immortal phoenix — ten thousand forms and ten thousand shapes, all things of heaven and earth present within them.

Ye Fan also gave a start. A sudden recollection came to him — these were the nine strands of primordial chaos he had branded into the cauldron during the very first time he had overcome the heavenly tribulation after breaking through the Sacred Physique Curse.

It was not that he had never seen primordial chaos radiance before — but that occasion had been wholly extraordinary. Nine mysterious strands of primordial chaos lightning had struck him and then struck the cauldron, and had remained permanently branded into the cauldron walls thereafter.

“This is the nurturing of a divine embryo — the first and indispensable step toward becoming an extreme Dao imperial weapon. Within the cauldron a divine spirit is being nurtured, with primordial chaos as the shell — and this divine embryo is truly astonishing!” The Black Emperor said.

To acquire a generation-spanning holy weapon and above, one must nurture one’s own “divine spirit” within the weapon — purified through heavenly tribulation, evolved through the Great Dao. These are indispensable steps.

“Those nine strands of primordial chaos markings are extraordinary. They contain fragments of the Great Dao, and the divine embryo being nurtured within them is of no ordinary kind!” Duan De also wore a grave expression.

“Is it possible for me to forge an unparalleled king’s cauldron here?” Ye Fan said.

“That is not the optimal choice. A primary weapon should resonate with one’s own self — advancing together at every step, as arm and finger, inseparable.” The Black Emperor advised.

“Precisely. At this moment, you and the cauldron should advance one step together in the Dao, in accordance with the Dao — only then does it have the possibility of becoming an unparalleled weapon.” Duan De also nodded in agreement.

Ye Fan understood in an instant. The “one vessel that breaks ten thousand techniques” in the Dao Scripture, the weapon-forging arts of the weapon character formula — all of this surfaced in his mind at once, and he began to concentrate on refining the cauldron.

The nine strands of primordial chaos took on all manner of forms — divine phoenixes, black tortoises, crimson sparrows, grass and wood and fish and insects — presenting in endless variety, evolving into unfathomable Dao workings, utterly mysterious.

The divine principles preserved here from the primordial era were beyond counting, and the cauldron absorbed them madly, transcribing who could say how many imprints — all entering into the nine strands of primordial chaos Dao markings.

“Within a ten-zhang radius, a true vacuum has formed — every Dao principle has been absorbed by the markings within the cauldron!”

“This central battlefield spans five hundred li in every direction, filled throughout with ancestral-king laws and Dao radiance. If the cauldron were left to drift here for several years, it might absorb the whole of it clean!”

Everyone was astonished. The result was one that shook the heart.

The cauldron showed no outward change. It was as though the divine embryo within had been internalized entirely into the primordial chaos markings, with not a trace of excess energy leaking out — no different in appearance from any ordinary day.

“Worthy of being the exclusive sacred vessel of an ancient great emperor. Setting aside all else, based on the cauldron’s present bearing alone, it is destined to become a generation-spanning holy weapon in the future.”

To evolve into an imperial weapon is incomparably difficult — only a great emperor who has attained the Dao has the possibility of forging one. After all, only in the case of Yao Guang did a self-generating dragon-marked black gold cauldron once appear in all the world. Miracles cannot be replicated.

“Young one, I have a suggestion for you. Based on the cauldron’s present bearing, it may be possible in the future to forge it into an unparalleled imperial weapon!” The Black Emperor suddenly said.

“What suggestion?”

“In the future, when you have the day of attaining sainthood, come to this primordial battlefield to overcome your heavenly tribulation…” The Black Emperor had barely half-finished speaking when it was collectively scorned by everyone present.

“Don’t listen to its nonsense — is it not just trying to get someone killed? Who would dare overcome a heavenly tribulation in a place like this? That’s purely seeking death!”

“Countless great wars of the primordial era played out here. The most terrible of all took place in this very location — at minimum several hundred sage-level powerhouses fell here. Their divine principles have yet to disperse to this day. To overcome a heavenly tribulation here is to pull the Dao radiance of all these heroic spirits into it together. What kind of might would that be? Who could endure it?”

This was the simple truth. Unless an ancient great emperor were resurrected, to have all the laws of the ancestral kings resonate together would be equivalent to several hundred sages simultaneously undergoing heavenly tribulation. Even a perfected Sacred Physique could not withstand it — this was nearly an annihilation-level event.

“This may be the only feasible method of forging an extreme Dao imperial weapon without attaining the Dao.” The Black Emperor said with a sigh.

According to its reasoning, using heaven and earth as the furnace, the essence of the divine principles of several hundred sages as the fire, and drawing down the most terrible heavenly tribulation of the Sacred Physique to strike the cauldron with a thousand temperings — only then would there be a possibility of the cauldron becoming an extreme Dao imperial weapon.

Undeniably a mad scheme — yet who could withstand such a terrible heavenly punishment? Even a Sacred Physique would face near-certain death. It would be equivalent to enduring the most terrible assault of several hundred sages, and the heaven’s merciless obliteration at the same time.

“A fine thought — yet there is no time for further discussion. I sense that they have come.” Ye Fan said gravely. Through the boundless ancestral-king divine principles, he seemed to perceive a pair of terrifying eyes — watching this place from the darkness several hundred li away, as sharp as knives.

The Wellspring Heavenly Master had come. A terrifying energy spread outward, and the entire primordial battlefield trembled — mountains and earth pulses quivering as though alive, on the verge of boiling.

“Black Emperor — now everything rests on you. You must engrave one corner of an imperial-level transmission formation.” Ye Fan said quietly.

“Little Ye…” Li Heishui cried out.

“Ah — Brother Ye, you…” Yan Yixi’s expression also changed.

At the same moment, Duan De reacted the fastest of all — almost by reflex, he whipped out a ghost-binding rope and moved to bind Ye Fan. The action was extremely swift and practiced.

Ye Fan stepped back and held out both his hands before his eyes. His voice trembled: “I… what is…”

He could barely believe his own eyes. His hands were slowly growing red fur — stark and shocking, hair by hair, profoundly unsettling. His hands trembled uncontrollably.

“How can this be? What has happened — what is wrong with you?” The others were all horrified, power suddenly unavailable.

“The inauspicious signs of the late years… yet I should not have reached that point…” Ye Fan was horrified, and could not suppress a shout. He felt as though every inch of his flesh was in pain, especially on his face, where something was continuously pushing its way through.

The others’ hair stood on end. The Ye Fan before them was becoming terrifyingly different — red fur was emerging even on his face. He was becoming no different from the red-furred creature they had encountered earlier.

“The inauspicious signs… have appeared on me?!” Ye Fan cried out. Then his entire body’s golden blood energy boiled over, and he began to struggle with all his might against it — he could not possibly yield his own body.

BOOM!

Golden flames blazed fiercely, engulfing him entirely, and one by one the red hairs were shed — yet every time the last of them fell away, new red fur would grow again, daunting to behold.

“Let the Wushi Formation markings slay!” The Black Emperor cried out, using the formation markings to confine Ye Fan within, helping him exterminate the bizarre force.

“The Heaven-Devouring Demonic Lid — suppress!” Duan De also called out in a low voice, bringing out the demonic lid and trailing down streaks of dark light to bury Ye Fan beneath them.

Ye Fan’s golden blood burned fiercely, and at last every strand of red fur was fully purged — all falling away. He was gasping heavily for breath — yet he sensed that the inauspicious signs still hung over him.

Indeed, the moment the Wushi Killing Formation dissipated and the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Vessel flew upward, his face was once again like needles being driven into it. Blood-red hairs were growing out continuously.

“Ye Fan…”

“The inauspicious signs of the Wellspring Heavenly Master have appeared on Ye Fan!”

The monkey, Li Heishui, and the others were helpless — there was nothing they could do to assist. The only option was to suppress him permanently with an imperial weapon, or confine him within the Wushi Formation markings.

“None of you come near — I’ll get through this on my own!”

Ye Fan sat cross-legged in the void. The Dao Scripture, the Western Emperor Scripture, and several other sacred texts sounded simultaneously within his body — like the chanting of the Great Dao, reverberating throughout heaven and earth. He sat in serene and solemn brilliance, radiant in every direction.

The red fur on his body’s surface died away and grew back, dying away and growing back — over and over again. His expression kept shifting — serenity and anxiety alternating — as he fought with all his strength.

A cold and chilling laugh arrived — like metal plates grinding against each other, deeply unpleasant, making every hair stand on end. In that eternal darkness, a pair of eyes — merciless and gloomy — coldly observed this place.

“Become… a Wellspring Heavenly Master… at the end of your days… I will come to receive you…” A gloomy and penetrating voice reached them, as terrifying as a demon escaped from the underworld, uttering words that shook the world to its core.

BOOM!

Ye Fan’s body gave one final great shudder. Golden blood energy blazed like a flood into the sky, drowning the high heavens. At last every trace of the inauspicious signs was driven away — the red fur fell and did not grow again.

“Perhaps… without waiting for your late years… in the not-too-distant future… I will come to take you with me…” The gloomy voice was like the weeping of a malevolent ghost, broken and faltering, each word forced out with extreme difficulty.

Everyone felt the cold travel from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet. A creeping chill rose wave after wave from the spines of all who stood there. Was this a destined fate? It felt like a final judgment.

Was this how every Wellspring Heavenly Master departed from the world?

“Move!”

The Black Emperor carved out a pattern of intricate, elaborate formation markings with desperate speed. Everyone stepped forward onto it — a flash of radiance, and they vanished from where they had stood.

When the light appeared again, they had come to a world of floral fragrance and birdsong, with towering peaks and great mountains in every direction, full of vitality.

The Southern Ridge!

From the Northern Region they had leaped a distance of who knew how many tens of thousands of li, crossing vast domains to arrive in an entirely different stretch of land.

“That was truly terrifying. Let’s not rush to return — let it be a few days.” The Black Emperor said with lingering dread. The inauspicious signs of the Wellspring Heavenly Master had cast a shadow over every heart.

Several days later, Ye Fan painstakingly extracted a piece of green copper from the sea of bitterness and suppressed it within the immortal platform. Better safe than sorry — he needed to be on strict guard.

This time he had resisted strongly and no genuine inauspicious signs had taken hold — but the next time would be impossible to predict. By the time one became aware of something bizarre happening within oneself, it might already be too late.

“Sacred Physique — dare you face me in battle? I, Yuangu, will slay you in the Northern Region!” Half a month later, a piece of news spread across all five domains — an ancient imperial son had issued a challenge to the human race’s Sacred Physique, causing an enormous uproar.

The entire Eastern Desolation boiled over, and the news spread rapidly in all directions.

“Battle!” Ye Fan had only one word in response.

“This is bad — Yuangu has severed the Dao. He has already entered the third realm of immortality, and he wants to use you to test his blade!” Dongfang Ye had returned to the Southern Ridge like a dragon returning to the sea, bringing great joy to the various wild tribes. He had learned this news through his clanspeople.

“Severed the Dao…” Ye Fan stood atop a mountain peak in the Southern Ridge, gazing far into the distance, his thoughts turning inward in silence. An ancient imperial bloodline that had severed the Dao — that was a tremendously terrifying thing. His battle power would be incomparable, unrivaled among those at his level.

“Let me go — I’ll kill him first!” The monkey said, every golden hair on him gleaming, bright and brilliant.

“No need. This battle, I will fight myself — and I will take his life!” Ye Fan said, his words final and immovable as iron.