In the final tier of the temple small world, the clamor of battle shook the heavens. What had been a luminous and serene world was now wreathed in a haze of blood. In just this brief span of a quarter hour, no one could say how many cultivators had fallen. Every sect had sent reinforcements — unlike before, when numbers had been limited to a few — so this place was thick with powerful experts.
“Ah—”
The Sacred Son of the Dao Unity Sacred Ground fell — a cry of anguish escaping him, eyes filled with refusal to accept it, not even knowing who had killed him. His life had been full of promise, yet he died in this ruin without ever becoming the supreme lord of his sect.
“Splat—”
A female living fossil of the Jade Pool was cut in two. Her primordial spirit could not escape, dissolving into a shower of beautiful light where she stood — body and soul both erased.
This place was merciless. To compete for the sacred treasures within the ancient temples, all manner of powerful figures displayed their might without restraint, pressing forward recklessly, every divine ability laid bare.
“That is the Four-Kill Technique of the Primordial Spirit — wasn’t it long lost? How does someone still know how to use it?” Qi Luo was astonished, staring at a distant flash of brilliant light. Swaths of people fell — bodies unharmed, but primordial spirits turned to dust.
Among the mountains, all manner of rare arts and wondrous techniques erupted. Everyone had brought out their ultimate trump cards — both to protect themselves, and to outpace the others and be the first into the temple of their choosing. Treasures almost certainly lay within — obtaining even one article, or glimpsing a single page of scripture, would be enough for a lifetime of benefit.
This small world contained eighty-one ancient temples. Every one held something extraordinary — and so every one had become a battlefield. Astonishing killing intent exploded from all sides. Blood and shards of bone were everywhere. With everyone having come this far, no one would retreat.
The fighting was most savage around the grandest central hall — the heart of the entire small world. Not only were the powerful human cultivators at war there; every powerful figure from the ancient clans surged toward it as well, each striving to be the first inside.
The primordial clans especially — great kings and imperial bloodlines — had gone absolutely berserk, killing to the point of red eyes, shouting and bellowing. All of them frantically searched for the incomplete green cauldron, regarding that treasure as their lifeblood.
The human cultivators, while aware of that cauldron’s unimaginable significance, had not anticipated how desperately these great royal and imperial clans — who had ruled the earth since primordial times — would cling to it. They cared nothing for their lives, paving the road forward with blood and bone.
This had become a field of carnage. Corpses covered the ground, blood flowed in rivers. Holy and serene ancestral temples were now shrouded in a layer of killing energy, mingling with every manner of sacred radiance in a deeply unsettling display.
“Ah—”
This was the overture of death. Everything had only just begun. Lives extinguished. Vast numbers of powerful experts fell. People went mad for the immortal hoard of the Feathering Divine Dynasty.
Battle cries shook the heavens. Waves of cultivators continuously poured into the small world. Blood ran freely. Bones piled into mountains. Treasured artifacts filled the sky in brilliant, blazing light. People forgot everything — all that existed was slaughter and scrambling. Everyone wanted the immortal treasures.
For Ye Fan, sacred texts and the insights of ancient sages were precious — but nothing compared to the secret of crossing the star domains. He did not charge toward the grandest hall at the center. Instead, he entered what appeared to be a repository of ancient records.
Of course, even this place was not easily entered. While it might not hold the supreme ancient cauldron, it contained no shortage of ancient volumes — and so drew great crowds of its own.
Sacred texts surpassed everything else in value. Lost arts of unknown variety might be found within. Perhaps there were even secrets accumulated by the Feathering Divine Dynasty in their search for immortality. Every sect sought to carry all of it away.
“Crack—”
Ye Fan led the way, a single punch sending several ancient clan members stumbling forward with broken bones and snapping tendons, resounding with bursting sounds throughout their bodies. None could withstand it.
They finally pushed into one temple hall and searched throughout. The wall bore a section of text, emitting strands of sacred light — and even a crimson divine chain undulating upon it.
“This is a strange and unusual secret technique — seems extremely difficult to cultivate. No matter, we’ll take it all!” Qi Luo made his move, fingers sharp as blades, carving into the stone wall. The effort was immense. A formation array was embedded within, protecting the ancient temple — it could not be easily damaged.
Several were astonished. Over two hundred thousand years had passed — even ordinary sacred weapons had already corroded away long ago. Yet this still held. Qi Luo brought out the Hell Soul-Suppression Tower and swept out a beam of light at full power, finally managing to cut away that section of wall.
“Old timer, you’ve got nerve — keep that up. Remember, let me be the first to read it when we get back. I’ll carve a mountain-guarding formation array for you in return.” The large black dog said.
They were certain the others would ransack everything like a swarm of locusts, leaving nothing behind. If not for half-sages having already tried and failed to remove entire ancestral temples, not a single blade of grass would remain in this final small world.
“Let’s go — keep looking. We must break into their scripture repository. I believe the secrets of how to cross the star domains are there.” Pang Bo said.
Ye Fan led the charge once again. The Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron hovered above his head. The God-Scourge Whip was in his hand. God or Buddha — nothing could stop him. No one could match him for even a single exchange.
In this moment, Ye Fan held nothing back. His cultivation surged to its peak state — on the verge of severing the Dao at any moment. His golden blood energy soared skyward, brilliant as a sacred emperor.
And the Source Heaven Technique had been comprehended to an entirely new level. The rank of Heaven Adept was not terribly far off. Dragon energy surged up from beneath his feet, forming chains of Order that wound around his body — as if granting him the wings of an undying phoenix, free to roam the world.
One step covered tens of meters. In nearly an instant he entered the next temple hall. Dozens of powerful figures noticed him — every face changed. The reputation of the human Sacred Physique now shook all under heaven. Who among them did not feel a surge of dread? Who dared meet him face to face?
“We have so many of us…” One person bellowed. Yet every other person retreated, vanishing from the hall in moments.
Ye Fan showed no mercy. He wanted to return home. The hope — perhaps — was right before him. If the scripture repository could be found, he would be on the road back. Anyone who blocked the way was his enemy.
Both eyes shot two blazing torrents of golden light onto one person’s immortal platform — that person let out a scream on the spot, half a skull dissolved away. A violent death.
“How is this possible — there’s still half an incense stick left unburned. That cannot be.” Even Qi Luo was stunned, staring at the incense burner beneath the divine statue at the center of the hall.
Ye Fan and Ziyue were equally puzzled and came forward to look closely. This hall contained very little: only a few prayer cushions, and at the center, a stone figure enshrined — identical to the one seen in the shrine earlier, only much larger.
The incense burner below was cast in purple copper, carved with clouds, mountains, flowers, birds, fish, and insects. Smoke rose from it, carrying a sandalwood fragrance that brought a strange calm to the mind — helping one enter a state of Dao very quickly.
“This is no ordinary incense — this was made from the most spiritually potent branch of a divine tree. It doesn’t truly burn. It draws on the dragon energy from deep below the earth.” The large black dog had followed Wushi Great Emperor after all — its insight surpassed that of ordinary people.
This was a place of worship, nothing else within. Yet the large black dog left no gourd unpicked wherever it passed — it chomped down and heaved the incense burner away, storing it within a spatial device.
Ye Fan’s group passed through four ancient temples. Their combination of power had few rivals. When they entered the fifth, a fierce battle finally broke out — meeting a formidable opponent.
For this place held the insights of an ancient sage. The ancient characters branded into the void were plainly visible — a crowd had gathered here, all intent on claiming this scriptural wisdom.
The moment Ye Fan entered, a group immediately stepped back, none willing to cross blades with him. Yet here were those who had severed the Dao — and the ancient clan’s powerful figures were also numerous. Abandoning the insights of a sage was impossible.
Immediately a sheet of light swept toward him, transforming into a web of Order chains. Ye Fan’s black hair flew loose. His Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist — supreme and world-shattering — struck out. Heaven cracked and earth shattered. Six hazy and ancient universes began to manifest, instantly enveloping the assembled enemies.
In barely an instant, many were blasted into chunks of blood and splinters of bone, then evaporated into a flash of light — completely erased from this world.
Those who had severed the Dao roared in fury. Among the ancient clan there were also powerhouses from the Primordial Lake’s imperial bloodline, who harbored deep hatred for Ye Fan — retreat was impossible. All pressed forward.
Ye Fan let out a great roar — the Buddhist true word “Om.” The several people directly in front instantly burst apart, shattered into pieces. Many spat blood and flew backward. None could withstand it.
“BOOM—”
At the same moment, lines of pattern-veins surged from beneath Ye Fan’s feet. From his crown chakra erupted dazzling light. This was the Source Heaven Wondrous Technique — behind him, Source Heaven divine chains interwove into a radiance that resembled the divine wings of an undying phoenix, sweeping across all those who had been injured and sent flying.
“Splat—” “Splat—” …
Many were pierced through by blood-colored divine chains — driven through the brow’s immortal platform. None could hold firm. A chorus of anguished cries erupted, and nearly every person who had charged forward fell.
“Flash—”
A brilliant shaft of immortal light came flying from the other side, striking from a flank directly at Ye Fan. The killing power was staggering. Even the several undying Dao-Severers who had survived flinched, quickly making way for it.
“Bang—”
Ye Fan struck back with a sword-finger slash, but his body shuddered violently. He knew immediately who had arrived. This was the power of the Feathering Immortal Technique — in the old days, even as a Sacred Physique he had suffered greatly against it. In the great battle at Qinling he had bled badly and sustained severe wounds. This was the supreme wondrous technique of the Ruthless Great Emperor.
“Clang—”
The great doors of the ancient hall were blasted open and came spinning through the air — several Dao-Severing sovereigns were knocked back by the force.
Hua Yunfei, dressed in blue, appeared — transcendent and otherworldly, like a banished immortal, his expression untroubled. Standing shoulder to shoulder with him was Li Xiaoman — white as snow, black hair flowing, cheeks like jade, walking forward with elegant grace.
Behind them followed an old man — a half-sage. His terrifying strength was no less than Qi Luo’s. His entire form was cloaked in shadow.
“That’s him — the one who appeared not long ago. On him is the aura of one who has long been in the company of a peak Emperor weapon.” The large black dog said.
“Li Xiaoman, how do you have the face to come before us?!” Pang Bo cried out, fury written across his face. They had come together from the same place across the sea — and now faced each other as mortal enemies.
“Quite audacious of you — in that battle, this Emperor was nearly killed. And you still dare appear before me?!” The large black dog tore its gaze away from the half-sage and fixed it on Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman.
“Since I dared to come, I have no fear.” Hua Yunfei remained unafraid, serene as an immortal drifting on the wind.
Ye Fan stepped forward — standing directly before Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman together, expression utterly calm. “The time has come. Let us bring this to an end.”
Hua Yunfei, Li Xiaoman, and the half-sage all stepped forward together. A powerful force surged from them, causing the entire ancient hall to tremble.
Qi Luo narrowed his eyes, staring hard at the half-sage. Within the crack at his brow, killing light flickered. The few surviving Dao-Severers, seeing this, had no choice but to fall back — this place was no longer theirs to enter.
“Since we’ve come, we intend to settle things with you.” Hua Yunfei advanced. Li Xiaoman came forward too, radiating killing intent.
“I alone will suppress and slay both of you.” Ye Fan’s black hair stirred in the air. His eyes crackled with cold lightning as he walked forward, alone.
“Let me fight alongside you against these two — I’ll deal with Li Xiaoman.” Ji Ziyue stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, her violet robes floating lightly, otherworldly and serene.