Having spoken those words, the golden holy ape ended the Silver Moon Heavenly King, a flip of the hand crushing him to death. Blood ran freely as a genius of a generation among the ancient clans fell.

The warriors of every race and every faction felt a chill from head to toe. The Silver Moon Heavenly King was the kind of dazzling figure who, in the not-too-distant future, might very well have become a Great Saint — and just like that, he was killed.

Crack!

At the same moment, the golden holy ape’s finger swept forward. The several other Ancestor Kings also cried out, likewise dissolving into a rain of blood — all killed, not a single one surviving.

“Show mercy…”

The aged voices of the elderly Clan Elders from Fire Qilin Cavern, Scarlet Phoenix Mountain, and the others echoed out — yet all they could do was watch as the final scene of blood became reality.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha was decisive. Every follower of Great Saint Kun Zhou was slaughtered — not one survived. Only a mist of blood lingered and drifted.

Outside Zhenxian City, people felt suffocated, not daring to exhale. This was a blood-soaked conclusion — a warning bell struck for many.

Having descended from Mount Sumeru, the Fighting Buddha showed no mercy. He struck with ferocious precision and swept all enemies before him.

The several elderly Clan Elders of the Imperial Clans all had blue veins jumping at their brows, but at this point, what could be said? It had already happened. Was one to go and blame the Victorious Fighting Buddha? That would accomplish nothing and would only earn his enmity.

“In the Imperial Dao Contest, the heroes and warriors of every faction struck against my nephew. I will not dwell on that. But if Saint-level Ancient Kings, disregarding their standing, use their power to oppress and bully the weak — then I can only respond in kind.” The Victorious Fighting Buddha said.

Upon hearing this, people understood. Everything the Victorious Fighting Buddha had done was simply to protect his nephew — a show of force, a warning bell struck for the Ancestor Kings.

For so many years, the Victorious Fighting Buddha had not intervened in his nephew’s life and death matters — the time had not yet come. But now that Ancestor Kings had inserted themselves, he descended from Mount Sumeru.

With the Victorious Fighting Buddha acting this domineeringly — having even slain Great Saint Kun Zhou — who would dare cause trouble again? From this point on, the Saint Emperor’s Son would have absolutely no one daring to bully him.

The Battle Saint Ape lineage now had only two living members — and yet it was a lineage that could not be provoked within the Imperial Clans, standing among the most powerful.

“A powerful Imperial Clan with only two people… Sigh!”

Many people sighed inwardly. This lineage was truly powerful — even with so few members, it remained standing and undefeated.

“Nor do I wish to see any Saint-level Ancient King pick a quarrel with my nephew’s friends.” The Victorious Fighting Buddha added, his gaze sweeping across Ye Fan and Ji Zi.

With these words spoken, it was the equivalent of issuing them each a protective talisman. When the Victorious Fighting Buddha opened his mouth, it carried the force of an inviolable decree.

Having just killed Great Saint Kun Zhou outright, no one would dare go looking for trouble with Ye Fan and the others — this one battle was enough to shake the world into trembling submission.

“I invite the various Dao Brothers to visit Shencan Ridge for a gathering.” The elderly Clan Elder of the Shencan Clan extended an invitation to the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Huntuo the Great Saint, the Golden King, the Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest, and the others.

“That would suit my intentions perfectly.” Huntuo replied.

The elderly Clan Elders of Fire Qilin Cavern, the Primordial Lake, and Scarlet Phoenix Mountain also all nodded in agreement.

Today’s events were equivalent to shaking the very heavens. The complete annihilation of the Eight Division Divine Host, the fall of Kun Zhou — these were momentous events that would shake the entire world. The supreme figures standing at the absolute pinnacle needed to sit down and speak.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha put away his Emperor-level weapons, his dharmic form returned to one body, and departed together with the great powers.

“Uncle…” The Saint Emperor’s Son called out.

“Walk your own path. Fight your way through your father’s Imperial Dao Heaven Marks. Uncle is old — time is short — but I will do my best to clear some obstacles from your road.” The old monkey transmitted these words in secret, carrying within them a trace of age and weariness. His back and spine were no longer as straight as they had once been.

“Uncle…” The Saint Emperor’s Son’s voice choked. He knew that the Fighting Buddha’s iron-blooded slaughter had all been for his sake — a demonstration of force, a bell of warning.

“Uncle, please take the divine essence soon.”

“Those things… can wait.” The old monkey and the other great powers disappeared.

Outside Zhenxian City — complete silence.

Then, after a moment, the place erupted. With the great powers gone, people no longer felt so oppressed. The powerful warriors of every clan exhaled in relief. Voices filled the air.

Today’s momentous events would seem to many like a dreamlike scene — destined to set the world into an uproar.

“Great Saint Kun Zhou is dead. He survived the Primordial Age, yet he could not withstand the Battle Saint King’s reckoning. A Primordial grudge of ages past has drawn to its close.”

“How mighty the Victorious Fighting Buddha — carrying the same bold spirit as in the Primordial Age. After years in seclusion on Mount Sumeru, the very moment he stepped back before the eyes of the ten thousand races, he killed his great enemy and swept away the Eight Division Divine Host…”

Shencan Ridge, Scarlet Phoenix Mountain, and the other Imperial Clan contingents dispersed. The various great royal clans also departed one after another. Today’s momentous events left every clan’s leadership needing to return and deliberate carefully.

Ye Fan, the Saint Emperor’s Son, Ji Zi, and the others also departed. There was no reason to linger in this place of conflict. They stepped through a domain gate and vanished from the world.

One great battle had drawn to its close!

Yet the world did not grow calm. As news spread to every corner, countless cultivators were in discussion.

The Heavenly Emperor’s Son’s death had been no more than the fuse for a deep Primordial grudge of ancient Great Saints — merely a catalyst. The chain of upheaval that followed was something no one had expected to be so fierce.

Every part of the world was in ferment. Though the human race had not been drawn into the conflict, still, countless cultivators could not calm themselves. The Great Saint war beyond the domain shook the world.

“The Victorious Fighting Buddha is too valiant — worthy of being the Battle Saint Emperor’s own younger brother!”

“This is what a peerless supreme expert looks like — made real in this battle. Sweeping all enemies, gazing down upon the world.”

The impact of this battle far surpassed everyone’s imagination. Even the most remote regions were in discussion, and the news spread even beyond the seas.

“The world is going to become turbulent. The path to immortality is about to open — who knows what manner of beings will emerge? The Saints of the outer domains are probably close to arriving as well.”

It was not only the human race who was concerned — even the ancient clans were in private deliberation. In this great age, anything could happen. A Great Saint could die today; an entire Imperial Clan could be extinguished tomorrow.

With the path to immortality opening, an unimaginable great era was approaching. The world this year would no longer know peace, full of the unknown.

Southern Region. Guanghan Palace.

The sound of strings drifted gently, the singing graceful and melodious. This was a magnificently golden hall, especially otherworldly beneath the misty moonlight.

Similar in nature to the Temple of Wondrous Desire, Guanghan Palace was one of the great houses of entertainment in the Eastern Desolation — an ancient and venerable tradition of its own.

After the battle, Ye Fan, the Saint Emperor’s Son, and Ji Zi returned to the Southern Region. Their entire bodies unwound with relief as they climbed the steps of Guanghan Palace and drank together.

No talk of romance, no particular motive — simply letting their taut nerves relax. They raised their cups and drank together. This battle had vast implications, beginning because of them and ending with the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

“Speaking of the immortal realm, tales of the road to heaven — through ancient campaigns and battles, every Great Emperor has faded to nothing…” The Black Emperor pounded a great drum with vigor, completely drunk, weeping and laughing as it sang.

A big dog without any dignity whatsoever, weeping and singing — leaving people at a loss, followed by a heavy silence.

From ancient times to this day, what had cultivators striven for? The ultimate purpose was to become immortal. But who had truly done it? That remained unknown.

“Did Wushi the Great Emperor, eighty thousand years ago, force open the gates of the immortal realm?” Ye Fan asked.

“I don’t know…” The Black Emperor was filled with boundless sorrow, deeply drunk, its eyes full of the desolation of ages past.

All of them were drunk.

“I was sealed within a divine source at that time — I truly do not know what happened. That day came so suddenly…” The Black Emperor murmured in a low voice.

“No matter how invincible and supreme Wushi the Great Emperor was, he too had a day of growing old. From the moment he appeared in the world, to defeating every enemy, to sweeping through the Forbidden Zones of Life — tens of thousands of years passed. No matter how powerful a person is, they cannot resist the passage of time!”

The Black Emperor grew ever more sorrowful, genuine emotion spilling forth. Tears rolled down as it spoke of the thing buried deepest in its heart.

“In this heaven and earth, nothing can seal away a Great Emperor. I watched with my own eyes, within the divine source, as he slowly grew old…”

The Black Emperor was full of resentment, pouring liquor down its throat.

“That was Wushi the Great Emperor — undefeated for an entire lifetime, sweeping the nine heavens and ten earths, matchless throughout the ages, invincible and solitary through it all — and in the end even he could not resist the impact of the river of time. I watched with my own eyes as he entered his twilight years…”

In this world there existed divine sources — yet even they could not slow a Great Emperor’s physical aging. Their emperor’s blood was too powerful; it could not be sealed!

“He was Wushi the Great Emperor — the most dazzling and dominant figure throughout the ages. He… could also grow old!” The Black Emperor cried out in agony, rambling on, unable to accept any of it.

“Did you know — before he had even become Emperor, he caught an Emperor-level weapon barehanded, killed a Holy Spirit, magnificent and commanding, invincible beneath heaven? And yet he… also grew old.” The Black Emperor wept.

It had followed Wushi the Great Emperor, been sealed within a divine source, and watched everything unfold with its own eyes — watching the world’s most powerful being enter his twilight years, filling it with grief, pain, and bitter sorrow.

“In the eyes of the world, Wushi the Great Emperor had power beyond limit — nothing beyond his reach. Yet he too had a day of growing old. His blood and vital essence waned, and he sat alone in Purple Mountain, walking toward the twilight of his life. For someone invincible beneath all heaven — how heartbreaking a thing that was!”

The Black Emperor wept, its genuine feelings laid bare.

It was only a common beast. When Wushi the Great Emperor found it near starvation, he took it in, brought it along, and allowed it to grow to an inconceivable level.

Wushi the Great Emperor was to it what a parent or family member would be — a bond so deep it could not be described in words.

It was drunk, murmuring on, speaking of many things unknown to the world.

Eighty thousand years ago, Gu Tianshu had arrived, entered Purple Mountain. Wushi the Great Emperor had sealed him within a divine source, telling him to wait until this age, hoping he might be reborn and enter the immortal realm.

Also eighty thousand years ago, Wushi the Great Emperor had little life remaining. After living for tens of thousands of years, the final hours at last arrived.

“He put me into deep slumber. Gu Tianshu also fell into a daze. He himself went to defy heaven and make one final contest. I do not know… whether he succeeded.” The Black Emperor murmured to itself.

Afterward, atop that magnificent Dao platform, only a patch of ash remained. Both it and Gu Tianshu had been left with a foreboding premonition.

Though hope remained in their hearts, they felt the outcome was likely to be cruel.

Ye Fan and Ji Zi could make their own judgment from its words. In the depths of the large black dog’s heart, pessimism was the dominant feeling — it simply did not speak of it outwardly, refusing to let itself believe.

Ye Fan felt a deep sorrow within. Though he had never met Wushi the Great Emperor, he had learned much through various legends and accounts, and the impression left on him was: transcending the divine, capable of all things, everything within his reach!

Yet this supreme and lofty Great Emperor had also had a day of growing old — and that left him wondering who in the world truly could achieve eternal life.

“Great Emperor — you were too proud. You would never bow your head. Perhaps there was a way to go on living, yet your backbone was too unyielding, saying you disdained clinging to life. You insisted on entering the immortal realm in your most powerful form. And yet… I will never see you again.” The Black Emperor shed tears.

Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and the Saint Emperor’s Son were all shaken — all of them fixing their eyes upon it.

“Gazing toward the immortal realm — a dream as vast and bleak as the blue sky, white hair flowing loose, the azure sea and blue sky run dry, ten thousand ages, thirty Great Emperors — how many sages and wise ones lie now in dust and ash…” The Black Emperor wept.

This was an unprecedented age of great flourishing. The path to immortality was about to open, its arrival imminent. What lay ahead was unknown — no one knew what would happen.