Beneath the starry sky, radiance blazed brilliantly. Every strand of Ye Fan’s hair flew in the wind, Dao traces appearing within them. He bathed in the sea of stars, standing tall between heaven and earth.
The sacred furnace had exploded — shattered into pieces. Heaven and earth fell into silence. Not a single person could find words. Had Yao Guang been defeated? Many people could barely bring themselves to believe it.
“Master!” Li Qingzhou cried out. Though he knew that what lay there was only a Holy Light body and not Yao Guang’s true flesh and blood, he still could not help but cry out in anguish.
“Defeated — Yao Guang was actually defeated. This person is truly too powerful.”
“A heaven-defying king has appeared from nowhere — the ranking of the greatest human cultivator in the path-severing realm is about to change!”
Only at this moment did people finally find their voices, every face filled with shock, expressions of astonishment written all over them. This outcome had surpassed everyone’s expectations.
For so many years Yao Guang had reigned supreme under heaven, building an invincible reputation long established — never once having suffered defeat in a fair duel. Today that unbeaten myth was shattered!
“Just now, Yao Guang harmonized with the Dao and transformed into a sacred furnace that towered between heaven and earth — clearly drawing that man inside, intending to reduce him to ash. How was it that he was instead defeated?”
Those who had revered Yao Guang beyond measure for his years of dominance over the Eastern Wilderness found this result impossible to accept.
Throughout heaven and earth, a massive torrent of debris swept across the landscape — the shattered fragments of the sacred furnace transformed into flowing energy that cut through swaths of soaring mountain peaks, nearly leveling the wilderness to flat ground.
Holy light and cloud vapor rose steaming in all directions. Divine energy rippled across the four fields as people’s hair stood on end with cold dread.
“Shattering Yao Guang with a spear — this achievement will surely shake the Five Regions and astonish all the world!”
Clang!
Amidst the clamor of voices, a resonant vibration rang through heaven and earth — a sound that could pierce gold and crack stone, echoing throughout the vault of heaven. The exploded sacred furnace fragments reversed course and flew back together, reassembling into one.
The cracks upon the furnace walls healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Blood aura and holy light surged skyward once more with the momentum to swallow mountains and rivers.
The crowd was astonished — and then many erupted in excitement. Yao Guang’s methods defied the heavens. It seemed another fierce battle between dragon and tiger was guaranteed, filling them with even greater anticipation.
“My master will not be defeated!” Li Qingzhou clenched his fist, his heart extraordinarily tense.
Ye Fan’s true body watched with cold eyes from the sidelines. He understood full well how terrifying Yao Guang was — because the transmission of the remarkable man had not been displayed in the slightest. What had just transpired was not a true display of Yao Guang’s real strength.
Of course, Ye Fan himself had not made use of his own world-defying secret techniques either, holding something in reserve. Naturally he had no fear.
“Go to the Divine Battlefield of the Fallen Gods for the decisive battle.” Yao Guang made a statement that caught everyone completely off guard — rather than striking again immediately, he transformed into a streak of holy light that flew away, shooting toward the horizon.
Ye Fan gave a cold snort. Treading upon a River of Stars, he crossed the vast sky in an instant and disappeared beneath the vast night, surging forward into the distance.
“The Divine Battlefield of the Fallen Gods — it is immeasurably far from here, and ordinary people cannot enter at all. It is said that gods once fell in battle there, the conditions within harsh and terrible, with battle spirits wailing ceaselessly throughout the year.”
The thought was chilling, yet everyone gave chase regardless — though how could they possibly compare with Yao Guang and Ye Fan? All of them were left far, far behind.
“Roar—”
Demon gods howled with fury. Terrifying phantom silhouettes drifted in movement — the indestructible battle will of ancient warriors, never dissipating.
The Divine Battlefield of the Fallen Gods lay under darkened stars and dim moonlight. The ground was a vast expanse of blood red and scorched earth. This place was barren of all life — a dead and desolate wasteland.
At this moment, Yao Guang and Ye Fan arrived one after the other, feeling the powerful killing intent all around them, the indestructible laws of ancient powerhouses interwoven here, transformed into a demonic land where the living dared not tread.
Under ordinary circumstances, no one dared come to this place at all — to speak of venturing deep within it was even more unthinkable, as the danger of Dao dissolution lurked at every turn.
Legend held that in ancient times the great sages of this world and divine spirits from beyond the domain had engaged in battle here — shaking heaven and earth, moving ghosts and gods to weeping — and in the end perishing in a scene of terrible carnage, every powerful figure falling.
The divine blood had stained this land red, their ultimate laws never dispersing, woven throughout this place. Every night, the howling of gods and demons could be heard.
Yet Ye Fan and Yao Guang found a path around the ancient laws and plunged into this forbidden ground — here they would do battle and determine victory and defeat.
Yao Guang had reverted from the sacred furnace back to his human form. His expression was unreadable, eyes deeply profound, as though seeking to pierce through to the depths of Ye Fan’s very soul.
“Could it be… that it is truly you who has returned.” He opened his mouth calmly. In his hand appeared a sword, gleaming in the moonlight like a pool of clear autumn water.
“I thought you would employ the remarkable man’s secret techniques — but it seems you intend to decide victory and defeat with a sacred weapon. However you choose, I will accompany you.” Ye Fan replied, and two black ancient arrows materialized before him.
The Dao Body he had forged with the One Breath Transforming Three Purities secret technique was extremely powerful, but it had a time limit. The two of them had exchanged blows very quickly earlier, and though not a great deal of time had been consumed, he could not continue to delay — a resolution was needed immediately.
“Beyond the significance of this duel, I wish more to verify your identity.” Yao Guang said. The long sword in his hand was resplendent beyond measure — like moonlight illuminating a thousand lakes, rippling with shimmering light.
Rumble!
A blazing light directly submerged heaven and earth. This was a sacred weapon, and its terrifying fluctuations spread across the four wilds, dispersing quite a few of the ancient laws within this forbidden ground.
This power was devastating. As long as one had not become a Saint, one could not contend against saintly might — this was a supremacy that dominated all of heaven and earth. Even a Half-Saint was no different, for after all they were not truly Saints — the Saintly Domain Barrier blocked all — allowing them only to barely manifest a few wisps of saintly might.
Ye Fan possessed eight Forbidden Zones, and had only barely managed to break through the Saintly Domain Barrier, placing him in the same category as a Half-Saint — blocked below a true Saint, naturally unable to directly contend against it.
Whoosh!
He pinched one black arrow between his fingers and drew it forcefully. Dark radiance surged like a mountain flood bursting free, rising instantly and colliding with the sword light that was swallowing heaven and earth.
Simultaneously he held the second black arrow to protect his body, guarding against the sacred weapon’s excessive power from injuring his form — attacking and defending in tandem, composure unshaken.
Heaven and earth were entirely detonated. This was the confrontation of sacred powers — horrifying to all the world, shaking the cosmos. If anyone had been present at this moment they would surely have trembled and fallen to their knees.
Saints stand supremely above all else, transcending the scope of humanity and beyond defeat. The weapons they forge are naturally the same — once they revive, they cut through all things.
Ye Fan’s black arrows were secret treasures. After journeying west through the Hangu Pass and going through dozens of great and small battles, they had long been tested and proven — fully capable of contending against sacred weapons. He had no concern about them being damaged.
Black arrows against sacred weapon — the Divine Battlefield of the Fallen Gods was cleaved open, torn into patch after patch of black void abyss, severing the eight wildernesses!
In this moment, all secret techniques and forbidden arts were useless — only sacred power was eternal. This was the reason the great sages stood so supremely above everyone else. That power alone was sufficient to suppress all living beings.
Hence arose the saying: beneath the Saintly Dao, all things are filth.
“Saint” has transcended beyond the category of “human.” Only upon reaching this stage does one have the resources to cross the cosmos, to contend in the universe — a qualitative transformation of the highest order.
Like a fish leaping to become a true dragon!
In this moment, all else was illusory. Only the clash of sacred weapons could allow one to sense the eternal power — both combatants engaged in fierce contention, driving the divine power and Dao cultivation throughout their entire beings.
Without question, reviving a sacred weapon required power of incomparable and immense proportions. If one’s cultivation was insufficient, one might be consumed alive, the body withering to a dead husk.
Ye Fan’s One Breath Transforming Three Purities technique achieved its most invincible expression in this moment — for this Dao Body was as powerful as the true body itself, virtually another version of himself. The source of the Human Sacred Physique was like an ocean!
“It is indeed you!” Yao Guang roared. He understood in the first instant — Ye Fan had returned! He had appeared once more upon this land.
“That is right, it is I — to settle with you the battle and grievances left unresolved fourteen years ago!” A clear cry rang from Ye Fan’s mouth as he charged forward gripping the black arrows.
Upon learning his opponent’s identity, Yao Guang felt a powerful inner stir. Deep within his eyes lay something utterly terrifying — sun, moon, and stars cycling through their courses, the spectacle of a River of Stars being annihilated rising to the surface.
He drove the sacred sword with all his might, cleaving through heaven and earth. His entire being nearly transformed into a divine being — yet his Holy Light body was not his main form, and his full Dao cultivation could not be entirely expressed.
But Ye Fan at this moment, unconstrained now that his identity had been revealed, unleashed the ocean-like golden blood aura from within his body to submerge heaven and earth. Instantly unstoppable and irresistible, he drove the black arrows forward — nothing could obstruct him.
Rumble!
The black arrows harmonized with the Dao, piercing through the vault of heaven. They transformed into a streak of dark radiance shooting forward, punching through what lay before them — like a black ocean surging in turbulent waves.
Clang!
The black arrow feathers struck the sacred sword, the sound reverberating through the heavens. The shockwave was unstoppable, severing the vault of heaven — the ten directions obliterated!
Yao Guang was sent flying, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth — not true blood, but a manifestation of his Dao essence shattering. Were it not for the sacred sword’s radiance shielding his body, not even bones would remain of him — not a single fragment.
He turned and left. Without his true body, he could not draw upon his true forbidden power. And his opponent’s Dao Body was profoundly strange — it stood here as though the true body itself, the blood within its body surging and crashing like collapsing mountains and roaring seas, the sound deafening, divine courage beyond all withstanding!
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Ye Fan gave relentless pursuit. He had no desire to let this Holy Light body escape — his intent was to slay it here.
In the distance, people had just arrived at this location when they saw the two figures crossing the sky in the opposite direction, surging toward a place even further away. Everyone was filled with stunned amazement.
Unfortunately, with a Divine Battlefield of the Fallen Gods lying between them, there was no way to immediately follow. The laws of the ancient sages blocked this land.
Yet though they could not follow in the first moments, the people had witnessed the fact of one pursuing and one fleeing.
“What — Yao Guang has been defeated and is being hunted by that person!”
“How can this be? Who is this person, to have defeated the unbeatable Yao Guang?!”
Everyone was petrified, staring at all of this in utter disbelief. They had thought Yao Guang might turn the tide and ultimately defeat his opponent — no one had imagined he would be routed in complete defeat.
“No — how could my master be defeated?!” Li Qingzhou’s breathing became rapid and unsteady.
Yao Guang drove the sacred weapon forward at full speed — traveling with extreme swiftness, nearly crossing the heavens themselves. Yet Ye Fan, black arrows in hand, could tear open the void at will, recklessly employing the Traverse Word Secret technique, swiftly closing the distance.
Killing this Holy Light body had little strategic significance — Ye Fan’s primary goal was to seize this sacred sword. This was a sacred weapon passed down through generations!
And the reason Yao Guang fled was also to protect this weapon — not wanting it to fall into enemy hands. Were it not for that, what did it matter to sacrifice a light body?
“You cannot escape — I will not let you return to your true body’s side!” Ye Fan was not yet ready to face the Celestial Emperor’s Son, and did not want people to know he had returned.
Whoosh!
Heaven collapsed and earth split apart. Both black arrows shot forward, aimed directly at the sacred sword — it was as though all the stars of the heavens swayed and trembled, on the verge of falling.
Across ten thousand mountains, every peak that soared into the clouds was reduced to dust above its midpoint. All that the black arrows passed through, nothing was left behind.
This sacred sword was holier than the stars and moon above, its radiance shooting in all directions — forged from the Silver Moon Divine Jade of the Nine Heavens divine jade lineage, crystalline and brilliant, magnificently beautiful beyond description.
Clang!
The black arrows struck it again and again in rapid succession, the sound deafening. Yao Guang finally could hold on no longer — his entire arm shattered apart, his body tore through the void, blood spraying from his mouth as he was sent flying.
Clang!
Ye Fan was swift as lightning. His Traverse Word technique was peerless in all the world. With both black arrows he suppressed the silver-radiant sacred weapon, causing the divine spirit within it to fall into slumber.
“Sacred weapons are not easy to seize — unlike secret treasures such as the black arrows. Once the divine spirit within revives, it will be a catastrophe of the highest order!”
Ye Fan judged that the safest approach would be to suppress it within the Green Cauldron first — most likely he would be unable to make use of it for a short time.
“Yao Guang — where do you think you’re going!”
Ye Fan retrieved the sacred sword, stepped on the Traverse Word technique and gave chase, cornering the severely wounded Yao Guang and forcing him into a dead end.
By the time the people arrived at this location, they witnessed this very scene: Ye Fan standing alone beneath the starry sky, both hands pulling — and Yao Guang was torn into two halves. The blood of his shattered Dao essence spilled outward, staining the long sky red!
“What — he with his bare hands… killed Yao Guang’s Dao Body!”
The crowd was shaken. For fourteen years without a single defeat, Yao Guang — today his Dao Body had been split in half before everyone’s eyes, torn apart by another person. The entire expanse of the starry sky fell into dead silence, every single person standing there in a complete daze.