Bright blood, lustrous bone shards, shattered weapons — all sliced through the air, painting a canvas of devastation.
Iron soldiers and horses, cold light illuminating battle-armor. A battlefield has always been cruel. Heads soaked in blood flew one by one; the unwillingness and despair in their eyes could never be captured by brush and ink.
Life after life extinguished. Life cheaper than grass. Roads paved in blood and bone — the battlefield offered the truest illustration of this.
This was an age of extraordinary upheaval, rare in all the ages. Ten thousand clans emerged together, turning heaven and shaking earth. The rise of any clan — or any individual — could not pass without turmoil.
From the battle’s start to now, even Ye Fan had been injured. That no golden blood-energy had overflowed did not mean he had not fought with all his life. He had given everything, every miraculous technique blending into the Dao traces.
On the road he advanced, blood and bone flew everywhere. Slaughtered to this stage, his eyes had long gone red. He pressed forward, bathing in a rain of blood.
Ye Fan was certain that people had long since suspected it was him who had returned. Even with the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist and all his various phenomena blended inwardly rather than truly manifesting, one could still glimpse the truth.
He concealed his true body to avoid drawing more of the ancient clan’s forces to kill him. In the battle at the Heaven-Severing Mountain Range back then, he had made a name that shook the world — but it had also made certain factions of the ancient clan hate him to the bone.
Boom!
Ye Fan launched a punch. The Eight Divisions of Divine Generals’ great army exploded apart in swaths. Vicious energy swept outward. Screams of unwillingness and defiance shook the sky. Blood and flesh flew in all directions.
His true body had entered the stone embryo — essentially wearing it as a sacred garment, blocking the sky-filling magical treasures and blades. Where he passed, mountains of corpses formed without cease, tumbling down in waves.
Even so, Ye Fan had long been wounded. Several Half-Sages bearing Sacred Artifacts launched attacks of terrifying ferocity, tearing through the void to cut him open.
Ye Fan did not know how many he had killed. A battlefield was always this cruel. To come out on top, the heart had to be as hard as iron — no mercy, no pity. The slightest softening of the hand and you would be killed.
Fear had crept into the Heavenly Imperial Son’s heart. The person across from him was not afraid of death — charging in like a demon-god, the bearing that swallowed mountains and rivers pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
“Everyone get up there and kill him!” The Heavenly Imperial Son shouted.
The Eight Divisions of Divine Generals were fearless before death. Seven or eight in ten had been cut down in this battle. Yet the survivors still charged. Above all, there were Half-Sages carrying Sacred Artifacts launching attacks.
Two black arrows hung suspended in the air, guarding above Ye Fan’s head. Both hands gripping the dark-gold long spear, he swept through ten thousand troops. Blood rain poured down in great sweeps. Severed arms and dismembered limbs were beyond counting.
At this stage of the battle, Ye Fan could not possibly retreat. Even trapped in encirclement with serious wounds, he pressed forward in his charge. At last he faced another powerful Half-Sage. The man came down with an ancient-looking shield in hand — sacred energy coiling around it, heavier than a mountain range.
Crack!
Ye Fan’s blood-energy was no longer as vigorous as before, yet he forced himself upward. Both eyes shot out two torch-like beams of light. He gripped the spear and thrust forward with full force, harmonizing with his phenomena to deliver his most powerful blow. The ancient shield shattered.
“Ahhh…”
A great cry rang through the long sky. The razor-sharp spear tip drove into his chest. The Half-Sage’s body shattered into four or five pieces — he died on the spot. Blood splashed in every direction, his eyes full of despair.
On the other side, the Sacred Imperial Son was also fighting for his life — like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, killing in all directions. An iron staff swept back and forth, sending Eight Division soldiers tumbling with shattered bones and snapped tendons. He strode forward in great steps. Though his physical condition was not ideal, a pent-up fury burned in his chest and gave him the bearing of a mountain — making even the distant Heavenly Imperial Son involuntarily step back.
“There is no time.” Ye Fan said to himself.
Not a single instant could be wasted. Ji Zi was risking his life to hold the line — exiling Huang Xu Dao, Huo Lin’er, and the others into the infinite void. Those people might kill their way back at any moment, shattering his body.
At this moment, Ye Fan’s phenomenon manifested once more. Every form was indistinct, yet the power was absolutely dominant and domineering to the extreme. It ground many of the Eight Divisions of Divine Generals into non-existence, cutting open a bright and open expanse of sky — a stretch of emptiness appeared ahead.
“Kill!” Battle cries shook the heavens. The great army charged forward without fear of death.
“Rise!”
Ye Fan let out a great cry. His phenomenon deployed. He launched the Sacred Imperial Son forward, piercing through the void, sending him directly to the Heavenly Imperial Son’s side.
“Sacred Imperial Son — how can you threaten me? I’ve drunk divine liquid and am nearly restored. Watch now as I kill you!” The Heavenly Imperial Son had also grown fierce. With his life at stake, he had no choice but to go mad.
Clang!
The brilliant Undying Heaven Blade and the jet-black great staff clashed. A metallic resonance spread throughout all six directions, its vibration nearly causing many spectators’ souls to fly from their bodies. Two ancient imperial sons began their battle for supremacy.
Ye Fan deployed his phenomenon, feet executing the Character Secret of Speed, and reached the extreme limit of velocity. It was as though time itself had come to a standstill. He moved through the void, closing in with swift urgency.
Yet the Eight Divisions of Divine Generals were everywhere at this point. Several Half-Sages blocked with their lives. Although the Character Secret of Speed could traverse every corner of heaven and earth, reaching the ultimate limit of swiftness —
There were simply too many people. Wherever he appeared, a battle erupted. Several Half-Sages had abandoned all thought of survival, their spirits wrapped around his body — a fighting method that ended only in mutual annihilation, following him like a shadow.
Boom!
In the distance, the void shattered. Huang Xu Dao broke free, transforming into an immortal phoenix — pulverizing the blue sky.
A flush of red appeared on Ji Zi’s plain face. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He had sustained no light injuries. Someone had finally escaped from the world of his secret technique.
At the same moment, two other heavens shattered. Huo Qizi and Huo Lin’er broke free one after the other, killing their way out of the void, escaping the “quagmire.”
“Hahaha…” The Heavenly Imperial Son laughed with cold indifference, his killing intent surging. Full of confidence now, he called out: “Nothing can change this! You are powerless to turn the tide — every one of you will die here.”
Ji Zi’s figure was unsteady. He coughed up blood and stumbled backward. More and more people had broken free. Huang Xu Dao and the three ancient imperial sons now pursued in Ye Fan’s direction.
“Sacred Imperial Son — I’ll behead you first today, then offer the rest of you to the heavens as a sacrifice. Not one of you will leave here alive!” The cruel smile hung at the corner of the Heavenly Imperial Son’s mouth.
Heaven blade gleaming white, slashing and cleaving in all directions — splitting heaven and earth into dozens of halves, the cosmos shattering. The blade-light was peerless and matchless. The Heavenly Imperial Son was full of fighting spirit, unleashing his true combat power in full. He became terrifyingly formidable.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Wang Teng drove the golden ancient war chariot grinding across the sky. He held a golden war-sword and cleaved it downward at Ye Fan. The brilliant sword-light illuminated eternity.
Clang!
Ye Fan wheeled. A thrust of the spear shattered the sword-energy. A strike from across the air — the dark-gold long spear swept across heaven and earth, carving out an immortal divine radiance.
Pff!
Wang Teng coughed up great mouthfuls of blood. His body shook and swayed. He nearly fell from the golden ancient war chariot, and hurriedly retreated hundreds of zhang.
Hiss!
A light like a venomous serpent came shooting forward, aimed at the back of Ye Fan’s skull. Heaven and earth collapsed. The might was terrifying. Ye Fan tilted sideways — the blow fell on nothing. That human cultivator of unknown identity flashed once and disappeared, vanishing into the distance.
“Kill!”
Huang Xu Dao, Huo Qizi, and Huo Lin’er struck out — they were going to entangle him again. Ji Zi coughed out another great mouthful of blood and went in pursuit, but could not immediately block all three.
“Hahaha…” The Heavenly Imperial Son’s gaze became even more fearsome. He laughed with cold cruelty, sweeping his eyes across everyone. He knew victory was within reach.
“Break!”
Ye Fan roared aloud. He executed the Character Secret of Speed at the cost of everything, pushing it to the extreme. Beneath his feet, endless Dao markings spread outward and suddenly interwove all the way to the Heavenly Imperial Son.
Swish!
The two of them became two streaks of light and vanished — disappearing from the battlefield in an instant. Ye Fan had pushed this secret technique to the present limit of what he could wield, nearly dissolving himself into light — and in doing so, he brought the Heavenly Imperial Son along with him.
“Not good!” Many of the ancient clan cried out.
Ye Fan and the Heavenly Imperial Son appeared simultaneously in the sky dozens of li away, locked in fierce battle. Ye Fan’s essence, energy, and spirit climbed to the very peak and limit. He killed until his blood boiled. The Heavenly Imperial Son roared. He swung the Undying Heaven Blade. Brilliant white light surged to the nine heavens — yet he was pressed back without cease, actually being suppressed and beaten down.
Ye Fan attacked with killing intent, the spear slicing open the Heavenly Imperial Son’s scalp. Were it not for the Sacred Artifact protecting his body, that single blow would have taken off the top of his skull.
Ye Fan had a fury bottled up inside him. His speed grew faster and faster. After executing the Character Secret of Speed, his body had nearly transformed into a beam of light — beating the Heavenly Imperial Son until all his bones cracked and resounded without stop. He vomited blood again and again, sent sprawling several times.
In the distance, spectators gaped, their eyes wide. The son of a god had truly had it terrible today — beaten by three champions in succession, each one more ferocious than the last.
“Kill!”
A distance of several dozen li was nothing. The Eight Divisions of Divine Generals came charging like a tide. Huang Xu Dao, Huo Qizi, and the others were fast as a thunderbolt — they arrived in the blink of an eye.
“Go to Zhengxian City!” Ye Fan silently transmitted to the Sacred Imperial Son, Ji Zi, the Black Emperor, and the others — for he sensed that a Sage might be about to arrive.
At this moment, Ye Fan’s mastery of the Character Secret of Speed had reached a state of miraculous intuition. Beneath his feet, dense Dao markings spread out, weaving into a brilliant expanse of light. In this instant, the secret technique advanced to a wondrous state.
Ye Fan summoned a formation platform. Using the inconceivable light emanating from the Character Secret of Speed, he wrapped the Heavenly Imperial Son in an instant and entered a spatial gate — vanishing from the battlefield.
“What — this is terrible!” The entire ancient clan was thrown into a panic.
No matter how numerous the Eight Divisions of Divine Generals and the Half-Sages, they were powerless to reverse this. How could they possibly act? The enemy had wrapped the Heavenly Imperial Son and crossed over — heaven alone knew where they had gone.
At the same moment, the Sacred Imperial Son, Ji Zi, the Black Emperor, and the others all opened spatial gates simultaneously and vanished from this heaven and earth.
Boom!
At almost the same instant, an ancient and sacred might erupted from the distant horizon. It shattered the entire heaven and earth — yet it could not change any of this.
Ye Fan had already understood during the battle. With something this enormous having transpired, it would most likely draw an extraordinary figure, who at the critical moment might well intervene and cause everything to fall to ruin at the last step.
By crossing the void now — vanishing in an instant — even a Sage could not necessarily locate them immediately. Switching to a different battlefield would allow the Heavenly Imperial Son to be killed far more effectively.
And throughout this process, the two were locked in fierce battle as well — fighting to the death within the dark nothingness, nearly shattering the spatial tunnel open.
Ye Fan raised his phenomenon, stabilizing everything — covering them both within it for a life-or-death battle.
The Heavenly Imperial Son possessed the first bloodline constitution under heaven — not an undeserved reputation. He blasted out various lights to block the phenomenon’s assault. Several times he nearly escaped into the infinite void.
In the end, a flash of light and shadow — they reappeared in the real world, within a mountain range outside Zhengxian City.
“Heavenly Imperial Son — where will you run now!” Ye Fan put away the dark-gold long spear. He came forward immediately with a Six Paths Reincarnation Fist. His golden blood-energy surged to the heavens — a thunderous boom submerged everything before him.
“So it truly is you!” The Heavenly Imperial Son was shocked and furious. He fought back desperately — but from the very depths of his being, he was already afraid, clearly at a disadvantage.
Pff!
Within the boiling golden battle-energy, the Heavenly Imperial Son’s pair of arm-bones nearly snapped. He coughed up great mouthfuls of blood and was sent flying.
“Stay right where you are!” The Sacred Imperial Son appeared, stepping out of a spatial gate in one stride — arriving precisely as the Heavenly Imperial Son was sent flying over. He raised the great iron staff and brought it crashing down.
Bang!
The Heavenly Imperial Son cried out in agony. He was nearly broken in half at the waist. His entire body went into convulsions.
Another spatial gate opened. Ji Zi walked out. Without a word, he struck with a great Tablet-Slamming Palm. It drove the flying Heavenly Imperial Son’s ribs — who knew how many were broken — and sent him rebounding back.
The Heavenly Imperial Son cried out in pain. His entire body was drenched in divine blood. Since emerging into the world, he had swept all before him — in these many years he had reigned over the Eastern Desolation, looking down upon the world. Who had dared to contend with him?
Yet today he was in such a terrible state — tormented and battered by three great champions one after the other, nearly beaten to a pulp.
Boom!
Ye Fan held back nothing. His golden blood-energy boiled. He swung his right leg and swept it out horizontally, sending the Heavenly Imperial Son flying hundreds of zhang in an arc. Bones shattered across his entire body in multiple places.
In the next instant, the Black Emperor, Ye Tong, and the others came charging through the spatial gate. Upon seeing this scene, every single one of them let out an ecstatic howl. They rubbed their hands together in eager anticipation.
Ye Fan, the Sacred Imperial Son, and Ji Zi surrounded the Heavenly Imperial Son and proceeded to beat him thoroughly. Every strike sent divine blood spattering. Cries of pain never stopped.