The Central Province’s First Ancestral Vein remained — it had not been entirely destroyed. From that opening, auspicious clouds and immortal light poured forth in brilliant radiance. A stone fetus floated and sank within.

The Feathering Great Emperor!

Those assembled were struck as if by thunderbolts. To witness with their own eyes such a heaven-defying sight — an ancient great emperor, still living? It exceeded all understanding. Nearly three hundred thousand years had passed since that era.

Among the mountains, ancestral temples stood one after another — vast and grand, ancient and natural. Some blazed with five-colored mist. Some were branded densely with scriptural characters. Sacrificial music and chanting rose together, creating an atmosphere of infinite grandeur.

These auspicious sights, arrayed around the ancient opening, made it even more otherworldly. The stone fetus was indistinct — roughly human in shape, seemingly seated in meditation, coarse and unrefined — yet undeniably, in this moment, it had become the center of all heaven and earth.

This was a stone shell. Something was being incubated within — hearts beat furiously at the thought. Was it truly the Great Emperor, guarded by these two ancient sages?

The Feathering Great Emperor — debate over whether he ever truly existed had endured throughout the ages. Was he now proven real? An extraordinarily ancient Great Emperor, leaving behind undying traces.

“This can’t be possible! Even Wushi Great Emperor is no more — how could he still be alive?” The large black dog refused to believe it. It dared not cry out, so it raged in Ye Fan and Qi Luo’s minds with its spiritual transmission, voicing its doubts.

It had followed a truly ancient great emperor and understood such beings deeply. It had always firmly believed Wushi had not died — that he had gone to the immortal domain — and simply could not believe anyone had lived this long in this world.

“Surely this isn’t the most terrifying living ancestor in all of history?” Duan De’s mouth twitched. Since laying eyes on the Yin Spirits, he had very consciously set aside the Nine Depths Fetal Relics and the rest. Against something like this, no one had any solution.

He voiced his thoughts — still through spiritual transmission, of course. Over two hundred thousand years ago, the Feathering Divine Dynasty had almost certainly made enormous and world-defying moves, causing all of this.

“They must have gone mad back then — most likely trying to annihilate the entire Central Province, sparing nothing, all to nourish the stone fetus — the legendary Feathering Great Emperor?” Even Duan De couldn’t be certain.

Yet something nagged at him. The large black dog was right: no one could live this long — not even an ancient great emperor. It was too fantastical.

And he wasn’t the only one harboring doubts. Others also sensed something ominous. The Wind Clan’s Supreme Elder Sacred Lord especially, who stared hard at the stone fetus.

“Doesn’t it look like a divine being in a womb to me?” someone murmured — a suspicion shared by many. After all, it was a stone fetal body. Heaven only knew what was inside the shell.

It was entirely possible. The First Ancestral Vein, a land of immortal blessings since ancient times, had gathered the essence of an entire great domain. If nothing had ever been born from it — that would be the real surprise.

“Why do you still wait? Why do you not kneel before the Feathering Great Emperor and offer your apology?” The two Yin Spirits’ voices were cold. Young in appearance, the sound that came from them was coarse and aged.

Everyone’s uncertainty deepened further. Whether this stone fetus was a divine being or the Feathering Great Emperor, no one could say. Hearts were beating frantically.

“Even if the Feathering Great Emperor survived, it is not impossible. The founder of the Source Heaven lineage once said: human power has limits, but heaven and earth endure forever — the boundless tribulations, too, abide eternally. One who truly understands heaven and earth is, in principle, capable of not dying.” A Dragon-Seeking Geomancer from the Central Province offered this.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred. The progenitor of the Source Heaven had spoken such words? He had joined the path midway and figured everything out himself through exploration and bitter contemplation — he had no idea.

“Hmph. I don’t believe the Feathering Great Emperor is still alive. If he were, how would the subsequent Great Emperors have emerged — and how could he have watched the Feathering Divine Dynasty be destroyed without intervening?”

Among those who had fought their way through this journey, many had died — not a few consumed by Yin Spirit descendants. Their children or parents were full of bitter hatred, and in this moment spoke without restraint.

Clearly, the Yin Spirits had not been planning to rebuke them. Hearing this, they gave repeated cold laughs and said, “If not for the Great Emperor, how would we have returned to this world? The means of an ancient great emperor are not something your kind can imagine.”

This was a mystery — though not entirely unsolvable. They could have learned of their previous lives through other means. But this tone still sent a chill through everyone’s hearts.

“Whether the Feathering Great Emperor exists at all remains a question. Why was there never any fame spread through the world about him in those days — no record of him anywhere in historical texts? The story is full of holes.” To dare question two ancient sages openly was the very definition of having a death wish. The speaker was the son of the sect leader whom the Dao acolyte had crushed with a single finger moments before — completely beyond caring.

“The Feathering Great Emperor kept a low profile. Though he walked the world for many years, he rarely manifested visibly before others. Who else could compare?” the female Dao acolyte said.

“You are mistaken! There has always been a rumor in the world: even if the Feathering Great Emperor truly existed, he was not human — he was most likely a divine being who had attained the Dao.” The man grew extremely agitated, having lost his father and with eyes now red, saying whatever came to mind.

Everyone shuddered. To question ancient sages was something few had the courage to do — it invited death at the slightest provocation.

“What nonsense are you speaking?” The two Dao acolytes said with chilling coldness — clearly furious, as if he had blasphemed the name of the Feathering Great Emperor.

“Hmph. This rumor is not widely known — but I can’t believe it’s only our lineage that has heard it.” The man seemed entirely reckless: “It was precisely because of this that after the Ruthless Great Emperor attained the Dao, his very first act was to wipe out the Feathering Divine Dynasty with one palm strike — and then slash through the Heaven-Severing Mountain Range with a single sword!”

This was an earth-shattering revelation. No one had expected him to say such a thing. Many had never heard this secret at all, and were astonished beyond measure.

“The idea that the Feathering Great Emperor was a divine being doesn’t hold up.” Duan De murmured, shaking his head. The information he had gathered from ancient tombs pointed unambiguously to a human — there could be no mistake.

And yet — he also knew that the Heaven-Severing Mountain Range was the supreme immortal territory of divine beings. The rumor was indeed that the Ruthless Great Emperor alone had leveled it, leaving behind the barren wasteland it was today.

At this moment, the two Dao acolytes’ expressions had grown dark as stagnant water. The female acolyte waved one hand — the man who had been speaking was instantly sent flying, plunging into the highest temple’s small world.

“All of you — go in and offer your apology!”

These two ancient sages who appeared so very young had made their move. With a sweep of their sleeves, even those bearing sacred weapons were helpless — after all, the level of existence before them was something else entirely.

Only the undying heritages of Da Xia, the Jiang Family, and the Nine Li Clan remained relatively composed. They simultaneously activated their peak Emperor weapons, guarding with caution.

“Everyone, please step inside. This is the former First Ancestral Vein of the Central Province. If you unleash your peak Emperor weapons here and accidentally disturb the concentrated dragon energy essence beneath the earth, you may well cause an area spanning millions of square kilometers to collapse and sink!” The two Dao acolytes said without expression.

A chill ran through everyone. Was this a threat — or a warning? Ancient sages standing in this particular place, stirring the First Ancestral Vein — if they truly intended to destroy it, that would be a great catastrophe.

Yet with peak Emperor weapons in hand — and not just one — though they felt unease, they were not as utterly helpless as the others. For a single Emperor’s strike could force even a sage to flee rather than endure it head-on, and opportunities to strike could be seized.

“No matter. We stand together. With several Emperor weapons now manifesting in the same era, unless the Great Emperor himself is revived to suppress us, even a sage cannot withstand us all.” A Sacred Lord spoke — he genuinely didn’t believe the Feathering Great Emperor was still alive. Even if they entered, with Emperor weapons in hand, they could fully shatter all thirty-six tiers of ancestral temples and slice through the void to leave.

All had entered the thirty-sixth tier temple small world. Not a single person had rushed into the ancient temple complex radiant with rosy mist and ten thousand strands of auspicious light. All stood watching before the dragon opening, gazing at the stone fetus as it floated and submerged.

“Great Emperor — your offerings have arrived. Among them, several Emperor weapons. This will be a grand feast. We call upon you to return. Awaken and rise…” The two Dao acolytes stood blocking the stone doors, lips moving in continuous murmur, as though reciting an ancient and sinister incantation. The sound alone made every scalp prickle.

Beneath everyone’s feet, lines of Dao patterns began flickering, blazing to life with brilliant divine radiance — carrying a strange, demonic fluctuation. Immediately someone cried out: “The stone fetus is trying to drain all the vital energy from this heaven and earth, reducing us all to dust — we cannot sit here and wait for death!”

“Damn these two Yin Spirits! They had no good intentions from the start — they want to kill us all and use us as living offerings! The so-called Feathering Great Emperor has long been dead!” The Black Emperor shouted, stirring everyone to strike together. With the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar in their possession, they feared nothing.

But then something astonishing happened. A golden sacred sword slashed straight down — and in one blow, split the stone fetus clean in two.

Everyone was dumbstruck. The stone fetus — supposedly incubating the Feathering Great Emperor himself — had been cleaved open in a single strike. And not even by an Emperor weapon. No one could believe it.

“What — how can this be… Great Emperor!” The two Dao acolytes cried out, charging into the ancient opening where immortal light and dragon energy billowed forth together, to look upon the two halves of the stone fetus.

Feather-like shards of light floated outward one after another. The two halves of the stone fetus were hollow — no figure within. Only this scattering light remained, and a faint thread of imperial majesty spreading outward.

“He has Feathered away!”

“Even if the Feathering Great Emperor once dwelled within — he has already transformed and departed. He has dissolved into the laws of heaven and earth!”

Many cried out in astonishment. This was the light-rain of one who had transcended. Even if a supreme existence had once lived within the stone fetus, he had long since dissolved into the Dao, vanishing into the laws governing all things.

“Impossible. Six thousand years ago, the Feathering Great Emperor revived from the ancestral vein, and awakened us as well — granting us our memories of past lives, charging us to guard the highest sacred temple. Where has he gone now? How could a sacred weapon possibly have shattered his stone fetus? It simply cannot be!”

The two Dao acolytes screamed with desperate fury, unable to accept this reality. They cried out the Great Emperor’s name again and again, their pupils standing on end — on the verge of losing themselves to madness.

“He must be in the deepest part of the ancestral vein!”

The two ancient sages who appeared so very young transformed into two streaks of light and vanished into the ancient opening — charging toward the deepest reaches of the Central Province’s ancestral vein to find their answer.

Everyone stood there dazed. No one had anticipated this outcome. Mouths hung open; no one could speak.

“The two Dao acolytes were certainly deceived by someone — though they had it coming, attempting to offer us up as living sacrifices. Even so, it is clear that six thousand years ago, some terrifying existence was here. And that being was deeply ruthless — most likely a formidable divine creature. How else could one have deceived two Dao acolytes of such power?” The Black Emperor rendered its verdict.

“Stop waiting — time is short! Go claim the broken green cauldron!”

“The deepest part of this ruined ancestral vein likely shelters a powerful divine being — hurry and copy down the Feathering Immortal Sutra before it’s too late!”

People made their judgments. There very likely was a supreme existence here — action was needed immediately, or there would be no time to claim anything this place offered.

“Hum—”

A blinding light swept in, striking simultaneously at Ye Fan and the Monkey King — cold air piercing to the bone marrow.

“Crown Prince of Heaven — you’re not leaving today!” the Monkey King roared, swinging his great staff, hacking forward to cut down the Crown Prince of Heaven’s guardians and the rest.

“Slice—”

A razor-sharp sword beam flew in, aimed at Ye Fan’s skull. His eyes blazed with divine light. His golden fist shattered all killing intent — then with a ringing clang, he activated the Soldier Character Secret Technique and cut down the ancient clan expert, snatching the sword as he did and walking forward, holding it pointed downward.

There were over a dozen ancient clan powerhouses among them — several had attained the Path of Severance — forming a killing formation as they pressed forward to exterminate Ye Fan.

“You dare try to trap me in a formation here?” Ye Fan’s gaze was utterly cold. One stomp of his foot, and the dragon energy beneath the earth boiled, transforming into a Source Heaven Divine Formation that spread rapidly outward.

“Splat—”

One ancient clan being was reduced to a cloud of blood mist on the spot — both body and spirit annihilated. Ye Fan stepped forward on the Walk Character Technique, plunging into the crowd as though entering an empty field.

“In this place, I am invincible against all of you!” Ye Fan gripped the blood-dripping divine sword and slashed in all directions — sword energy soaring to the sky. In barely an instant, four heads went flying, primordial spirits destroyed, bodies and heads separated.

His black hair hung loose over his shoulders. His gaze was icy, his steps determined. One step at a time he advanced, forcing the group of ancient clan powerhouses to retreat — this was the Source Heaven Adept’s main battlefield. They had no way of comprehending it, for they simply did not know.

Ahead, the ancient temple complex radiated immortal light of every kind — brilliant auspicious mist, bursting divine radiance — sacred and serene, like the palace hall of a primordial deity.

The ancient clans went berserk. They had come for the green cauldron and surged forward to find it.

The human cultivators too were roaring. The insights of ancient sages had taken the form of tangible characters branded into the void above the temple complex, mysterious and brilliant. Ancient characters flickered, one after another. Divine impressions left by ancient sages trembled and resonated with the Dao.

This was a place that drove people mad. No one could remain unmoved. Obtaining even one thing here would benefit them for an entire lifetime.

Even the temples without glowing lights and Dao resonance stirred people’s hearts — countless figures lunged forward, knowing those sites might be worth more still, with sealing power contained within.

In those days, the Feathering Divine Dynasty had dominated half the Central Province, invincible in all directions — not even this ancient star could halt their advance. They had stepped out into the star sea.

Ye Fan moved like a demon lord, slaying ten enemies with each sword stroke. The ancient clan members from moments ago had all fled — not a single one dared block his path. Any who struck from the shadows were sliced apart in dozens of pieces, blood and shattered bone flying.

Ji Ziyue followed close behind him. The Black Emperor, Qi Luo, and the others were close behind as well. The Old Blind One, Duan De, and Dongfang Ye went to help the Monkey King.

Pang Bo said, “Be careful of Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman. I have a feeling this place will become a field soaked in blood. Today, if we don’t spill rivers of blood, this will not end. If we truly manage to ascend the Five-Colored Sacrificial Altar, we must cut down every great enemy there — we absolutely cannot let the fighting carry over to Earth. That would bring an enormous catastrophe.”

As everyone fought and charged toward the highest ancestral temple, an old man appeared soundlessly at the stone doors of the final small world. Any ancient clan member present would have been greatly shocked — for this was none other than Huntuo Great Sage.

“Feathering Great Emperor — is he truly still alive? Here, I do indeed sense a thread of an ancient great emperor’s presence…” He held a divine shrine in his hands, staring again and again at the stone figure inside.

“In this present age, sages do not manifest openly. What have you come here for?” Another person who was frail and indistinct, standing not far away — this was Gai Jiuyou.

Huntuo Great Sage turned. “I have only come for the thing within this First Ancestral Vein. I fear it will wash the world in blood.”