The five-colored mask concealed that peerless, beautiful face; radiant light flowed around her, and paired with a pair of autumn-water eyes, it lent her an unconventional charm. Feng Huang’s figure was graceful and slender, and she stepped forward with elegant, swaying steps.
“Greetings, Brother Ye.” She spoke, quite calmly, though her eyes no longer held that arrogant brilliance of the past—she had put away all her pride.
Ye Fan returned the courtesy. As for the past, he held no resentment. In years past, the Wind Clan’s princess had been proud as a young phoenix, holding her head high, showing disdain toward everyone—such demeanor and attitude were tied to the environment in which she’d grown up.
The Wind Clan’s Holy Master sighed inwardly. Originally, he could have grown quite close to Ye Fan; in the future, the entire Eastern Wastes and the whole world would have belonged to them, stamped with the Wind Clan’s mark. But now, whatever he might say, it was too late.
This was a place where all sorts mixed together—naturally all kinds of people were present, including many from the ancient clans, all stopping to watch, many whispering among themselves.
“That’s the Wind Clan’s princess, a pearl of the Eastern Wastes. Since childhood she was discovered to have rare talent, cultivating at astonishing speed, advancing a thousand li in a single day. However, she was too arrogant and proud, never giving any man a second glance. Back then she made a mistaken decision.”
“You mean when she refused the marriage alliance? Otherwise a future Great Accomplishment Holy Body would have been bound to the Wind Clan’s chariot.”
“And now, Ye Fan has surpassed her, ranked alongside the Ancient Emperor’s direct descendant, with a path ahead of him full of glory, unstoppable by anyone. Though she is a heaven-gifted talent, she still falls somewhat short in the end.”
…
Hearing these discussions, Feng Huang clenched her fists, her slender, jade-smooth fingers turning slightly pale. But in the end, she let out a sigh, filled with a sense of powerlessness.
Now, among their generation, who could still contend with Ye Fan for supremacy? Only the Ancient Emperor’s direct descendant remained unrivaled, already standing at the very pinnacle of the rising generation, with few able to match him.
This time, only Ye Fan, along with the Holy Imperial Son, the Divine Silkworm Daoist, the Heavenly Imperial Son, and Huang Xu Dao—people of this caliber—had the qualification to enter the Central Prefecture Ancestral Temple directly. This was recognition from the entire world, placing them on par with the masters of the Divine Dynasties.
As for everyone else of their generation, no matter how heaven-gifted or astonishingly talented, they would have to fight their own way through, competing to earn a qualification to enter—including Feng Huang herself.
It had only been a bit more than a decade, yet Ye Fan could already stand as an equal rival to the various Holy Masters, matching them everywhere he went—seniority no longer mattered at all.
Moreover, this was merely a change in status. As for cultivation level, the various Holy Masters likely had to bow their heads before him now—this was a height difficult for anyone of the same generation to reach.
Feng Huang felt a wave of bitterness. When had such a transformation begun? Even her grandfather, a dominant ruler of his generation, now had to walk alongside Ye Fan as an equal, speaking with considerable caution rather than looking down from on high—this was a powerful shock to her.
“Do we really need this much Yama Earth?” Ye Fan turned and asked Duan De.
Fat Duan De was cut from the same cloth as the big black dog—whenever he spotted something good, he couldn’t walk away from it, and once it was in his hands, getting him to give it up again was next to impossible. He kept shaking his head, insisting it was barely enough.
Ye Fan could tell right away there was clearly plenty to spare—this shameless bastard wanted to skim some off for himself, hoarding it for future use. He quickly reached out and broke off a small piece, handing it to the Wind Clan’s leader.
The stall owner’s cultivation wasn’t high, and his weapon-refining skill was nothing especially deep, but he had a good eye nonetheless—he had long understood that what they were after was his material, not the finished item, and he gave a bitter smile, watching this treasure forged from blood-mud get pinched apart this way, feeling an indescribable mix of emotions.
Feng Huang accepted the Yama Earth, standing alongside her grandfather, watching blankly as Ye Fan and the others departed, a swirl of complex emotions rising in her heart.
“Every step on the cultivation path is difficult.” The Wind Clan’s Holy Master sighed softly.
The valley was quite spacious, with many stalls, and even some floating palace pavilions belonging to various financial powers, all offering rare treasures here—one could say the Central Prefecture Ancestral Temple’s influence was truly immense.
A man blocked their path ahead, his hair a deep sea-blue, his bearing extraordinary, standing alone against all of Ye Fan’s group, like a divine mountain looming there.
His eyes were extremely bright, like two divine lanterns, seemingly able to see through another’s very soul. His physique was robust and tall, brimming with masculine power, radiating a ring of divine light that wrapped around his body—one could say this man had a truly extraordinary bearing.
Some people, even standing amid a vast sea of crowds, could be picked out at a glance as different from everyone else—there was no doubt the man before them was exactly such a person, transcending the ordinary masses, drawing countless eyes, possessing an imperial bearing, like an immortal, ancient deity.
Huo Qizi!
Even without having met him before, upon this first encounter Ye Fan immediately guessed who this was—the Ancient Emperor’s direct descendant from Fire Qilin Cave, his aura even more intense and powerful than Yuan Gu’s, comparable to the Monkey’s.
That was the blood of an Ancient Emperor. Ordinary people wouldn’t notice, but to Ye Fan’s ears it roared like a tsunami—he sensed an overwhelming latent potential, as though a Great Emperor lay dormant within this man’s body, ready to revive at any moment!
“Yama Earth.” He uttered these few words—he had come purely for this rare material, blocking their path.
The Ancient Emperor’s direct descendants were extremely formidable, considerably stronger than the eighth-generation descendant of Yuan Huang. The Monkey’s terrifying bloodline power wasn’t a unique exception—true Imperial Son-tier figures were all like this.
…
In the Eastern Wastes, within the Taixuan Sect, one hundred and eight main peaks stretched majestically, purple qi steaming upward—a sign of a great sect’s flourishing prosperity.
A man in blue robes, transcendent and otherworldly, stood outside the Taixuan Sect’s gates, like a banished immortal, gazing far into the distance at the one hundred and eight main peaks, his eyes finally settling on the most magnificent one among them.
“Farewell, Star Peak that gave me life and raised me. I will now journey far from here. If I still have life left when I return, I will make Taixuan rise above this entire ancient star. I will break the shackles of fate, struggle forward with my own blood, and will surely return one day!”
Hua Yunfei murmured softly to himself, then muttered under his breath: “Let the world insult me, hate me, slander me—one day I will shatter it all!”
Within the Taixuan Sect, a sigh drifted from Zhuo Peak, a voice sounding in his ear: “Come back.”
Hua Yunfei was startled, then abruptly stepped back, quickly moving away, saying: “No, I will wash away everything, kill through all my enemies!”
At Yao Guang Holy Land, before a great black cauldron, a young man stood alone, hands clasped behind his back, black hair loose and flowing, gazing far toward the Central Prefecture, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as though surveying the chessboard of the entire world.
The Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron crackled with thunder and lightning, radiating wisps of extreme Dao divine might, yet it caused this man no harm whatsoever—as if born to be in perfect harmony with him, unapproachable by others, though he himself was an exception.
The corner of the Yao Guang Holy Son’s mouth curled into a cold smile. In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood, and the very next moment he was seated calmly on the throne that only the Holy Master of Yao Guang was permitted to sit upon—no one in the vast hall dared say a word.
In the Eastern Wastes, an ancient hall was built from the skulls of countless kings, its floor paved with holy bones that shimmered with an undying light—this was the World of Men!
An aged voice sounded, like a demonic tone from the Nine Serenities piercing into one’s brain, making people tremble, saying: “This hall still lacks something. I have thought and thought, and realized the only thing missing is the Holy Body’s skull.”
“Please, Killing Saint, rest assured—we will surely take his head, never letting him escape again, washing away this humiliation, making the hall’s killing aura even more intense!”
Almost simultaneously, from within the ancient halls of Hell, the murmurings of a demonic god emerged as well, killing intent surging through past and present like a vast ocean churning.
“Through killing shall the Dao be proven…”
In the Northern Territory, atop a tall mountain, the Heavenly Imperial Son gazed toward the Central Prefecture, his eyes glinting coldly, sneering repeatedly, muttering to himself: “I have arrived!”
Across every corner of the various ancient races and every great holy land of the human race, on this day all were mobilizing urgently, experts setting out one after another, rushing toward the Central Prefecture!
…
In the valley outside the Central Prefecture’s ancestral vein, the big black dog bared its teeth and said: “You want to fight all of us alone?”
“My elder brother didn’t mean it that way.” Huo Lin’er appeared, her sea-blue hair flowing behind her, her body pure white and jade-like, like a jade sculpture too beautiful to be real.
She was the sole direct daughter of the Ancient Emperor, of noble bloodline, already having traveled far along the cultivation path, her strength unfathomably deep. Countless eyes among the various ancient races kept watch on her, and even the Great Sage Hun Tuo had once proposed a marriage alliance for his own great-grandson on her behalf—young elites from every clan, the most promising among the kings, all wished to marry into alliance with her.
“Is that so? I think he actually wants to stretch his muscles with us—I don’t mind obliging him for a round!” the Monkey said forcefully.
“Brother Ye, Holy Imperial Son, we meet again.” Huo Lin’er smiled in a most enchanting way, the corners of her mouth curving upward, a mouthful of snow-white teeth flashing beneath red lips, radiating an intoxicating charm, her sea-blue hair shimmering like rippling water.
Ye Fan returned the greeting—one doesn’t strike a smiling face. Moreover, in a certain sense, Fire Qilin Cave was terrifyingly formidable, home to two direct-line children of an Ancient Emperor, enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.
However, Huo Qizi remained rather indifferent, seeming to have no particular goodwill toward them. They had come here after receiving word that Yama Earth was available, but unfortunately Ye Fan’s group had already secured it first.
“Ah well, actually we’re allies—in the end we’re both ascending the same sacrificial altar together.” Huo Lin’er smiled brilliantly, saying that a powerful ancestral king within their clan, at the moment of entering samadhi, had glimpsed a corner of the future, seeing them fighting side by side.
Ye Fan’s heart tightened. He suddenly thought of a possibility—this time, could there be others who would cross the star域 alongside him to leave this world? What kind of people were they, friend or foe hard to determine—he absolutely could not let the chaos of battle be dragged to the other shore!
“Actually, we came here with no other intention. If we truly do end up colliding once we’re inside, let’s not turn on each other.” Huo Lin’er said, and without asking for any more Yama Earth, departed together with her elder brother.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Central Prefecture’s ancestral vein opened, with every powerful ruler from every path making an appearance.
Li Tian, Yan Yixi, Li Heishui, Wu Zhongtian, Jiang Huairen, and others ultimately chose to remain outside—this was a warning from the old assassin Qi Luo, and also an order from the Thirteen Great Bandits, clearly having sensed something. If they could avoid entering, it was best not to take the risk!
This was because, just in the qualification battles alone, several formidable experts had already perished. Anyone able to enter must be a truly ruthless individual, and the ancient temple within was shrouded in ominous yin energy—it was genuinely bone-chilling.
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, the Monkey, Duan De, the Black Emperor, Old Blind Man, Qi Luo, and the others went in together. Even Tu Tian did not enter. The Divine Maiden Furnace and the Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda were naturally both carried along with them.
“Wait, count me in too.” The Wild Man appeared, having rushed over from the Southern Ridge to join them, secretly informing them, bringing along his Wolf Fang Great Club, a peerless heirloom weapon!
With extreme Dao weapons, several heirloom holy weapons accompanying them, this group’s courage instantly surged, fearing nothing.
At the last moment, Ji Ziyue appeared, insisting on joining the group, softly saying to Ye Fan: “I want to see you off.”
The ancient ancestral temple, sealed for over two hundred thousand years, was finally being entered by someone. Aside from the main gate, there were also many smaller doors arranged side by side, all providing entry.
People rushed in eagerly, with the first wave numbering several hundred, all powerful experts. Yet at that very moment, something utterly terrifying happened—screams of agony erupted one after another.
The stretch of the ancient temple grew even darker, pairs of eyes lighting up, then gradually dimming. Most of those who had entered had died, their bodies withered dry, turned into human skins—even their bones had been consumed by something.
“This is bad!” Fat Duan’s expression suddenly darkened.