“You… how dare you!” The violet-eyed young woman’s slender brows shot upward, her almond-shaped eyes wide with fury. A flush of crimson spread across her luminous, jade-like skin — she was seething with rage. A mere native had locked her in chains and was treating her like a battle pet.

Clink! Clang!

The divine chain gleamed like a strand of red agate, coiled around her swan-like neck. Ye Fan gave it a firm tug, pulling her toward him and making her his prisoner. “The audacity has only just begun,” he said.

The violet-eyed girl stumbled, nearly pitching face-first to the ground. It was a humiliation beyond imagining — to be captured by her own prey, and handled in such a manner. She burned with both shame and fury.

BOOM!

The Diamond Chakra that had been sent flying by the black arrow reversed course and returned, expanding to the size of a millstone. Gleaming white and radiant, its slightest tremor caused the very void to collapse. This was a sacred artifact in the truest sense.

Ding!

Ye Fan swept the black arrow across in a single motion, sending dark light flooding across the sky and batting the Diamond Chakra aside. Yet the weapon’s terrifying might only intensified — within the circular ring, a black hole took shape, devouring all things. It sought to swallow Ye Fan whole. Various instruments within the spacecraft disintegrated into dust and were drawn inside.

Ye Fan’s heart gave a sudden lurch. This truly resembled the divine power of the Diamond Chakra belonging to Laozi. Could it be that this quasi-emperor from ancient China had once appeared in the Eternal Kingdom?

He considered shooting the black arrow into the black hole, but feared it would genuinely be consumed. When sacred artifacts clashed, entire regions could collapse — the carnage would be catastrophic.

RUMBLE!

He hurled the Green Copper Cauldron straight into that black hole, refusing to believe it could swallow an immortal cauldron. The Diamond Chakra would most likely shatter on its own. And indeed, recognizing the threat, the Diamond Chakra darted away in an instant.

Zheng, zheng…

A pleasant metallic resonance rang out. The Diamond Chakra suddenly broke apart, dissolving into a brilliant cascade of light that poured into the body of the violet-eyed girl Ye Fan had captured.

Light danced across her skin. The Diamond Chakra, having shattered, had reassembled — transforming into a mysterious suit of armor that encased her entirely, turning her into a figure of silvery-white metal.

The Diamond Chakra appeared small, but the volume it reassembled into bore no proportion to its original size. It formed a humanoid figure of metal, several times thicker than ordinary battle armor.

BOOM!

The violet-eyed girl’s power surged by an incalculable measure. She broke free from Ye Fan’s grip and swung her silver fist forward in a strike that could rival the force of a sacred artifact itself.

What was this? Could a sacred artifact transform — become a Sacred Armor? Ye Fan was stunned, his expression shifting with astonishment. The cultivators of this system were truly difficult to read.

He used the black arrow to deflect the radiance emanating from the Sacred Armor and launched a counterattack. His physical body now rivaled that of a saint, and even with the Sacred Armor donned, he felt no fear. His golden fists struck the silver-white metal figure with resounding clangs.

In the distance, every onlooker’s hair stood on end. Was this truly a human body? It could match a saint-level metal warrior. Its durability had reached a level that defied all reason.

RUMBLE!

The violet-eyed girl, clad in her metal Sacred Armor, steadied herself for the moment. She began channeling the Divine Markings of the Great Dao, unleashing waves of sacred light in an attempt to destroy Ye Fan — this was the power of a sacred artifact!

Ye Fan had only just recaptured her, and he had no intention of letting her reverse the situation. Sensing the surge of a terrifying aura, he made no elaborate moves — he simply seized the Green Copper Cauldron and brought it crashing down upon her, smashing through her defenses in an instant.

BANG!

She was too close — there was nowhere to dodge!

The Green Cauldron descended. Cracks split across the silver-white Sacred Armor, and then it collapsed entirely. The violet-eyed girl was sent flying from the impact. Silver light flashed, and with a soft, clear ring, the armor reassembled itself into a flawless Diamond Chakra.

With a brilliant flash of light, it vanished back into the violet-eyed girl’s body.

Not far away, a terrifying aura surged as a massive figure came charging in to rescue her — a metal giant ten zhang tall, wielding a great sword, slashing straight for Ye Fan.

Ye Fan’s eyes widened. Inside this metal giant, a silver-haired young man was seated, operating it from within. The giant radiated a faint trace of sacred might.

Clang!

The great sword swept down. Ye Fan blocked it with his fist, sending out a shower of sparks that sent the ten-zhang giant reeling backward. He then pressed forward, throwing punch after punch until the great sword bent, then shattered.

“This is a half-saint battle armor forged from the pinnacle of weapon-refining combined with technological science — how can it not hold up even for a moment?”

“Worthy of the legendary Indestructible Golden Body. The power of flesh and blood is terrifying. A golden body surpasses any divine garment or mech — it is the most powerful weapon!” In the distance, the middle-aged man with golden hair cascading over his shoulders stared in disbelief.

BANG!

With Ye Fan’s fists flying, the ten-zhang metal giant was dented and battered beyond repair, then disintegrated, falling apart in every direction.

Even a half-saint-level battle armor could not withstand his bare body. Ye Fan swept everything aside like withered leaves, reducing it to a pile of metal chunks scattered across the floor in utter ruin.

RUMBLE!

The golden-haired middle-aged man emerged driving the mightiest battle armor aboard the spacecraft — the crystallization of both Dao instruments and technological genius. The metal warrior was akin to a divine deity dwelling within the spacecraft’s sacred artifact, unmatched in power.

It stood sixteen feet tall — not especially imposing — but its entire form gleamed with brilliant gold, its design inspired by the concept of the sixteen-foot golden body. Yet it was no merciful Buddha. In its right hand it gripped a golden war spear, and in its left a golden ancient shield. Sacred might surged from it, sweeping across in all ten directions.

“This is the Heavenly Saint Armor developed by our Eternal Kingdom — let’s see how you deal with this!”

The golden-haired middle-aged man drove the sixteen-foot golden figure forward, thrusting the golden war spear through the void, charging in for the kill. The golden ancient shield in his other hand was not for defense — it too was a weapon for attack.

He was utterly convinced that no matter how powerful Ye Fan’s body was, and no matter that he possessed a broken relic of an ancient deity, he was no match for him. Through careful observation, he had deduced that the broken magical artifact left behind by that ancient deity emanated no divine principles — which meant it was nothing more than a sturdy conventional weapon, not the most terrifying kind of immortal treasure!

“I wear the Heavenly Saint Armor — I can unleash sacred power. I wield the Divine Markings of the Great Dao. Let’s see how you resist this!”

The golden war spear pierced heaven and earth. The golden ancient shield crushed all ten directions. Though the sixteen-foot golden figure was only somewhat larger than an ordinary human, its movements were swift and agile — fast enough to dazzle the eye.

Ye Fan retrieved the Sacred Spirit Stone Fetus, and it was as though he too had donned Sacred Armor. What he feared was not the battle armor itself, but the saintly laws it could manifest — and so he transferred his true self into the Sacred Spirit Stone Fetus.

The golden-haired middle-aged man’s expression changed on the spot. He had not expected his opponent to also possess saint-level armor. Fighting inside the spacecraft was extremely dangerous under these circumstances — he had no room to maneuver freely.

BOOM!

What frightened him even more was that Ye Fan lifted the Green Copper Cauldron and came smashing it down — far more terrifying than any golden war spear or golden ancient shield.

Fighting inside the spacecraft was tantamount to close-quarters combat, and the outcome was beyond question. The sixteen-foot golden figure was nearly shattered by Ye Fan’s blows. The golden-haired middle-aged man fled in disarray, driving the “deity” enshrined within the spacecraft’s sacred artifact away in defeat.

The rest of the crew were either dead, wounded, or had fled — resistance had completely crumbled.

“Let go of me!” The violet-eyed girl struggled violently. Light blazed across her entire body, her slender jade figure seemingly bathed in moonlight, pristine and soft, with divine principles radiating in all directions.

The cultivators of their world had developed their principal cultivation in the laws of the Great Dao, and they possessed a unique understanding of it. Their offensive power was extraordinarily formidable, and combined with technology, they had become an unfathomable system.

Clang!

Yet Ye Fan was virtually unrivaled within the Severing Dao realm — no one could do anything to him, especially in close combat, where all who faced him would end in defeat.

The moment the violet-eyed girl moved, he gave the divine chain a single tug. She immediately let out a soft cry, her body going limp, collapsing downward, and every trace of her divine principles was suppressed.

Thwack!

Ye Fan gave a sharp pull, hoisting her upside down, then dropped her beside the violet-haired young man. Both leaders had now become prisoners.

The vast main control room of the spacecraft stood nearly empty. Aside from these two, everyone else had either escaped or been eliminated. Ye Fan fixed his gaze upon them and prepared to search their divine consciousness.

At the far end of the void, inside the sixteen-foot golden figure, the golden-haired middle-aged man and the others had gone pale. The Indestructible Golden Body was this fearsome — they had believed this an opportunity for great fortune, yet had instead stumbled into catastrophe of this magnitude.

Decades earlier, they had encountered a terrifying being beyond their domain. They had fought until the entire star domain collapsed. Even the sixteen-foot golden deity enshrined within the saint-level spacecraft had been gravely damaged, and they had crash-landed on this ancient star. They had barely managed to repair the spacecraft — yet now, unfathomably, they had fallen into another great disaster.

“This native — he is much like that Lone Heart Arrogant from years past. Fortunately the catastrophe arrived a step early. If left unchecked, he would certainly have brought a great calamity in the future!” one person said, voice trembling.

The others all turned ashen. Within the Eternal Kingdom, the mere mention of those three words — Lone Heart Arrogant — was enough to make many change color. That native who had been captured and brought back was also one of the universe’s strongest constitutions. Using their resources, he had advanced by leaps and bounds, ultimately defied the heavens, killed his way out, and triggered a great upheaval throughout the Eternal Kingdom.

“Fortunately, the deity enshrined within the saint-level spacecraft is not too severely damaged this time — unlike the last incident. Even if we lose that enormous hull, it’s not hopeless.” Someone sighed.

That sixteen-foot golden giant was the most precious thing aboard the spacecraft. As long as it remained, all would be well. Given suitable materials, another saint-level spacecraft could be constructed — all the core Dao markings were enshrined within the golden deity.

Despite standing only sixteen feet tall, it contained the most terrifying spatial laws within it, capable of holding an entire mountain within a mustard seed. All the people who had escaped were housed within it, yet it still felt spacious.

“But the two Royal Highnesses have been captured by them — this is a serious problem. How can we rescue them?” A blue-haired young man furrowed his brow.

They knew full well the fearsome authority the Heavenly Martial King wielded within the Eternal Kingdom. If anything happened to his son and daughter, they would have no hope of ever returning — death would be their only fate.

“It doesn’t matter. The two Royal Highnesses are not fated to die young. As long as their primordial spirits remain intact, a new physical body can be replicated for them at any time.” The golden-haired middle-aged man said.

Suddenly, his expression changed in an instant, as though something had just struck him. “Terrible — the most precious thing aboard the spacecraft has been left behind! We didn’t bring it out!”

He clutched his own hair with both hands and let out a low, agonized roar, then slumped where he stood, like a man drained of his soul.

The others were equally dumbstruck, and then erupted all at once in a chorus of howls, every face twisted with anguish and regret, beating their chests and stamping their feet in the manner of those who had lost their dearest.

“We endured untold hardships. We drifted through the dark and desolate reaches of the universe for so many years, finally gathered every manner of ore and mysterious ancient medicinal herb, and at last refined the most powerful bloodline evolution fluid — and in the end… it’s been lost!”

“Ahhh…”

The entire group cried out in anguish and fury. If the two Royal Highnesses died, so be it — they simply would not return to the Eternal Kingdom. But if the most powerful bloodline evolution fluid was lost, it would be impossible to refine again within their lifetimes.

All those years drifting through the dark reaches of the universe — what had they been striving for? They had blown apart one desolate star after another, searching for those legendary ores.

Those ore types were rare to a degree that defied comprehension. Across the vast and infinite star field, there were barely a handful of ancient stars that truly contained them.

When they did occasionally discover some, they could only mine the tiniest quantities. Within the Eternal Kingdom, there was a saying: one would sooner search for materials to forge the divine artifacts of deities than seek out these ores.

Because they were simply that scarce!

And the ores required were not one variety, but several. Searching through the desolate cosmos for endless ages with little to show for it — if one was fortunate enough to chance upon a single type, that was already extraordinary.

Yet this expedition of theirs could be said to have received a blessing from heaven and earth. Over these years, they had, against all odds, successfully mined several varieties — nearly the complete set.

Along the way they had encountered every manner of danger, because blasting open certain desolate stars sometimes awakened unfathomable things with devastating power.

Through hardship beyond measure, through countless brushes with death, their final excavation had been on an ancient star teeming with life — where they had discovered a trail leading to the remnant residue of immortal pills left behind by ancient deities.

There, they had waged a brutal and savage war against a tribe of terrifying natives. This tribe was a fearsome race that worshipped ancient deities and wielded an extreme-path divine weapon.

These natives, through their primitive worship, could summon the power of divine beings. Combined with their own cultivation and Dao arts, they had nearly brought about a catastrophe for the expedition. Had they not taken extraordinary measures at the final moment and stolen the prize away, there would have been no way out at all.

Even so, on that ancient star they had lost nearly seventy percent of their forces and had one saint-level ancient vessel destroyed.

But the gains had been immense. They had finally stolen away the remnant residue of the immortal pills left behind by ancient deities, and every requirement for the refinement had at last been fully resolved.

After crash-landing on this ancient star, they had worked day after day, year after year for decades on the refinement — and had only just succeeded, when this catastrophe struck!

The golden-haired middle-aged man snapped his head up, eyes bloodshot. “Go. Before he figures it out, rush back to the central laboratory and take it back. I doubt he yet understands what this so-called most powerful bloodline evolution fluid truly is!”

The sixteen-foot golden figure moved swiftly. Wielding mastery over spatial laws, it entered the interior of the enormous spacecraft in an instant and shot out a divine radiance capable of confining all matter, intent on moving the entire laboratory.

What awaited them, however, was a single black arrow — blazing with sacred might. The sixteen-foot golden figure was blown through with a gaping hole. They cried out in grief and fury, forced to retreat.

“What liquid is this?” Ye Fan pressed the violet-haired young man forward, his other hand guiding the violet-eyed girl — beautiful as an elfin spirit — into the main laboratory.

Before them lay a pool, built of stone. In this central laboratory where technological radiance glimmered and mysterious instruments lined every surface, the sight of this unadorned, natural stone pool — a return to simplicity — filled him with puzzlement.

“Why do I feel like I’m about to undergo a tribulation?” Ye Fan was suddenly struck with a start. Steam rose from the pool and surged toward him, and he felt as though he were on the verge of a breakthrough.

“Why does it have to come now, of all times? Let me think — which worthless ancient saints want me dead lately? How many great ancient clans have put bounties on my head? I might as well run to their doorsteps to undergo my tribulation.”

Ye Fan felt it was necessary to contact Wei Yi, Kill-Saint Qi Luo, and the others and have them guard him covertly from the shadows. It was even more urgent that he contact the Great Black Dog and have it go scout out some degenerate ancient saints.