The Medicinal Refining Mountain — immortal energy spread throughout, as the sacred furnace hovered at the summit amid billowing clouds and blazing mist, a spectacle beyond measure. In just an instant, the trees and plants across the entire mountain flourished several dozen times over. Layered cliffs and strange rocks glowed with thousands upon thousands of threads of auspicious light, giving everything the shimmering feel of immortal waters.
The ultimate physique evolution fluid had been refined. The furnace lid had long since been opened. Within the bronze sacred furnace, the sacred fluid gurgled steadily, fragrance spreading in all directions, filling every part of the Medicinal Refining Mountain with sweet perfume.
This was different from the divine fluid extracted by the violet-eyed young woman and her companions whom Ye Fan had encountered outside the Undying Mountain — the fragrance was considerably more intense, owing to the elixir-refining method used to extract it.
Several azure true dragons coiled within the furnace, while several crimson divine birds spread their wings above the Fated Rock of Heaven, and several white tigers leapt upward…
Within the sacred furnace, dragon cries, phoenix calls, tiger roars, and qilin howls rang out one after another. Several species of sacred immortal beasts erupted with blazing radiance above the fused mass of divine minerals and raised their heads — remaining for a long while before finally fading away.
Heaven’s major figures soared into the sky, arriving at the summit of the Medicinal Refining Mountain in the first moment. Several sacred instruments appeared simultaneously to guard this place. Sacred-level warships descended countless threads of Dao markings in a curtain of light. Divine chains of order submerged the entire area.
They could not afford to be careless. Over the past month or two, there had been constant clashes with the Immortal Feather Clan and the Mo clan of the Shimo Sea, with many battles taking place.
Had a private agreement not been reached to temporarily quiet the turbulence, a terrifying all-out war might have already erupted. Even so, the Fan clan dared not lower their guard — now that the evolution fluid had just been completed, if someone were to plunder it, all their toil would have been for the benefit of others.
Boom!
Suddenly, outside the domain, sacred instrument fluctuations arrived — something had indeed occurred. One massive sacred warship after another came bearing down, hovering in the space beyond.
This small asteroid was not large — the Heaven Pure Land was merely a single continent, covered by a protective screen. Now the powerful fighters within could sense it: a supreme and deadly calamity was about to descend.
Ye Fan’s spiritual awareness was extraordinarily sharp. In this place, barring ancient Saints, he would confidently claim first place if anyone challenged that title. The hairs all over his body stood on end. He felt as though he had been locked onto by an ancient primordial beast — a terrifying premonition of destruction appeared in his mind.
“This is bad — something terrible is happening!” Ye Fan was deeply alarmed. Outside the domain, an unknown number of sacred warships had arrived, and it was feared that even ancient Saints had come. At the very moment the elixir furnace had been opened, they were making their move against Heaven.
This was a small asteroid, and not a very vast one. If the Fan clan’s defenses failed, it could easily be destroyed by sacred-level warships. The entire star could explode apart, bringing catastrophe to every living creature on it — and in all likelihood, very few would survive.
He was caught in the vortex of a life-or-death situation. He might face great disaster. The Dao rune beams from sacred warships might well bury him — even escape would be extremely difficult.
The Medicinal Refining Mountain had been relatively peaceful during these days, but on the very day the elixir furnace was opened, a peerless enemy had arrived — their intent was clear and unmistakable: they had come for the ultimate evolution fluid.
Fanzhou and several powerful fighters shouted commands and entered the sacred warships, charging toward the space outside the domain. In the process, the hovering sacred furnace was secured as the highest priority, instantly stored away.
The Medicinal Refining Mountain below erupted in chaos. People learned that the Immortal Feather Clan and the Mo clan of the Shimo Sea were attacking together. Those who had come harbored hostile intent — today, Heaven would face a great calamity.
Outside the domain, warships blanketed the sky in a vast sea of darkness, covering the entire ancient star. Warship after warship with cold metallic sheen had every Dao weapon and technological weapon aimed downward.
Rumble!
Battle erupted outside the domain. The Heaven Pure Land shook and trembled, and the entire small asteroid was caught in the assault. Every sacred mark carved by the Saint flared simultaneously, rising to cover the sky, temporarily blocking every attack.
But whether it could hold to the very end was deeply uncertain. The Immortal Feather Clan and the Mo clan came with tremendous force, deploying nearly every sacred warship they possessed — and their ancestral Saints appeared to have arrived as well.
Many people within the Pure Land went pale. They did not know whether they could survive. Heaven had offended two super-powerful factions, and now that the ultimate evolution fluid had been successfully refined, the great enemies had finally made their true move.
Boom!
In the distance, a massive beam of light struck downward. That stretch of land was instantly reduced to ashes. The ground sank, revealing a boundless black void.
This was a single strike from a sacred instrument — and the consequences were terrifying!
What followed was even more ferocious. Even with the Dao marks and various curtains of light covering the Sacred Land, not every blow could be stopped. Tens of thousands of sacred light beams poured downward. Without the ancient Grand Saint’s array formation as protection, this small asteroid would have been annihilated many times over.
Suddenly, a human silhouette flashed across the star domain, faster than every sacred warship combined, churning up a massive wave that nearly destroyed the entire outer domain in an instant.
Though still at an infinite distance, it reached out one enormous hand and covered the entire small asteroid beneath it — terrifying beyond reckoning!
Within Heaven, many powerful cultivators felt their courage shatter in terror. They nearly fainted from shock. What did this mean? A massive azure hand blotted out the sky, covering this ancient star — ready to crush it in a single grip!
The sight was terrifying and boundless — like a divine being awakening to destroy the world, to wipe out every living creature.
Outside, warship after warship that had been hovering beyond the small asteroid fell in succession — blasted away by a powerful shockwave, unable to withstand even a moment’s resistance.
There was no way to fight back against this. Anyone who charged forward would be ground to powder. Even a sacred-level warship could not offer much against it.
Because this was the Shimo Sea’s ancient patriarch making his move — a true, absolutely peerless powerhouse!
Boom!
In this most critical moment of life and death, from another stretch of the star domain, a massive black hand swept rapidly through the starry sky — like a divine chain striking out. It cut off the path ahead, blocked the azure hand, collided with it, and stopped it in its tracks.
The entire area instantly collapsed, becoming an endless void of black holes and abysses. This stretch of cosmic space fell into what seemed like total annihilation, torn to utter ruin.
The small asteroid was seized by the black hand and displaced laterally — an immeasurable distance — changing its position within the stellar coordinates entirely.
Ye Fan’s heart shook. Was this the work of an ancient Saint? Even for such a small asteroid, an ordinary ancestral Saint should be incapable of this, should they not?
“It’s the Ancient Saint War Body!” someone cried out, then shuddered uncontrollably.
Those who had not yet reached Sainthood could drive sacred warships; by the same token, ancient Saints also possessed powerful and fearsome weapons available to them — combinations of Dao markings and advanced technology.
The so-called Ancient Saint War Body was a type of powerful metal war figure, inscribed with every form of rune and divine chain of order. With a Saint entering and residing within, its might multiplied many times over.
This type of mechanized weapon could elevate an ancient Saint’s power to a truly staggering level — and this was also the reason why the Eternal Realm stood above all others, regarding itself as the supreme race.
In this star domain, Dao Severance cultivators drove sacred warships, able to project combat power at the Saint level — invincible in the cold and boundless cosmos, able to kill any who stood in their path.
It was precisely because of this that these people gained the possibility of cross-tier combat — extraordinarily formidable, and when traveling through the infinite star domains, entirely fearless even against the most terrifying opponents encountered along the way.
Reaching for the stars, moving stars to fill the seas — all of this unfolded before his very eyes. Ye Fan could only marvel, not daring to underestimate the Eternal Realm, growing all the more cautious and respectful of it.
He had already been about to deploy the chessboard array markings, yet now he held off — with ancient Saints stepping forward, this would surely turn into a summit-level dialogue. An all-out fight to the death was not necessarily inevitable.
Rumble!
Suddenly, from another stretch of the star domain, a massive purple hand reached forward, also moving to cover the small asteroid — to seize it in one grasp.
The jet-black hand struck out again, clashing with it. The star domain collapsed catastrophically, producing all manner of intricate and mysterious phenomena amid the thunderous, deafening roar.
In the end, several ancient voices arrived — as though cleaving through the sky from the primordial age itself to reach this moment. They were exchanging words amongst themselves.
Regrettably, the people within the Heaven Pure Land could no longer hear them. The several figures moved swiftly into the depths of the cosmos, unwilling to have others overhear what was being said.
No one knew what was discussed. Not long after, every warship that had besieged the outer domain withdrew, leaving not a single one behind.
The Shimo Sea’s Mo clan, the Immortal Feather Clan, and the Fan clan had all made mutual concessions and reached an agreement. In the end, a great all-out war was averted.
The turbulence subsided. Soon, word came that what had originally been said — eight of the younger generation would be eligible to receive the ultimate evolution fluid, with perhaps as many as twelve at most — had now been reduced to only four. The number had been sharply cut.
Everyone’s hearts sank at once. They understood immediately that the Immortal Feather Clan and the Shimo Sea’s people had set their terms and demanded a share of the precious bounty.
Within the Heaven Pure Land, the major figures all furrowed their brows and moved into action, each working to secure a spot for their own descendants — for a spot meant the possibility of a lifetime of brilliance and reaching the pinnacle.
Over the next three days, anyone with any kind of influence was rushing about in every direction, hoping to secure a bright future for their kin.
The major figures themselves needed no mention — they were certainly guaranteed places. The enhancement of their own combat power was the most critical matter of all.
Two days later, word spread: among the younger generation, Fantian, Fanxian, Fangu, and Fanmeng had secured eligibility. Every other young powerhouse went pale with profound disappointment, their hearts going cold.
“Young Master, you brought two types of supplementary divine materials from your family’s clan — and yet your name is not on the list? The Fan clan has gone too far!” In a courtyard, an elderly manservant’s eyes blazed with rage.
“It’s fine — wait a while longer.” Cao Qing smiled faintly, showing no anxiety whatsoever.
Half an hour later, a mysterious person entered their courtyard. It was an important figure from the Fan clan, who spoke with them in hushed tones — leaving Cao Qing a secret spot on the list.
Even after the visitor had departed, Cao Qing remained composed. The elderly manservant at his side visibly relaxed, saying: “The Fan clan has at least not let us down entirely.”
In the depths of the Heaven Pure Land, Fanxian was in dispute with her clansmen. Neither the open spots on the list nor the private arrangements included Ye Fan — the ultimate evolution fluid had nothing to do with him.
“Cousin, he is an outsider — why do you insist so stubbornly on this? Something like this, even our clan’s core disciples cannot all receive — who does he think he is!” A young man of the Fan clan said coldly.
“That’s right. If we use it to cultivate our clan’s own powerful fighters, we might fully awaken the most powerful bloodline and bring the Fan Heavenly Battle Physique back into the world. This is a priceless treasure. Even if it was through his efforts that we obtained the Primordial Life Stone — so what? Just give him some other form of compensation.” Another person added.
“Do you know what his constitution is?” Fanxian stood tall and graceful, her figure superb beyond words. Her gaze was fluid and alive as she said: “He may possess the legendary Indestructible Golden Body — one of the most powerful constitutions in the universe. Moreover, his bloodline has likely only been passed down for a dozen or so generations. Can you imagine what it would mean if a person like that had his bloodline fully awakened? Our clan would gain a being of boundless potential. If he were to ascend to Sainthood, every enemy facing his blade would tremble with dread. From what I know, this star domain of ours may be giving birth to several extraordinarily powerful individuals with the most formidable constitutions. If we secure him, he would be the perfect counterbalance.”
“What — he carries the bloodline of the Indestructible Golden Body?” The entire group was stunned.
“Very well — give him a spot!” Fanzhou had not spoken much until now, but at this moment he opened his mouth. His eyes shot forth two brilliant beams of light, his gaze sharp and predatory.
Half an hour later, a figure appeared in Ye Fan’s courtyard, solemnly handing him a purple gourd. Inside was the ultimate bloodline evolution fluid.
“Keep it safe. Many pairs of eyes are watching you, and quite a few are deeply resentful. They want to see what level you can evolve to — do not disappoint us!” It was Fanzhou himself, who had come personally to his courtyard to deliver the precious fluid.
When the courtyard grew quiet again, Ye Fan stared at the sacred fluid in his hand, then looked up toward the cosmos. He did not know what step he could evolve to — and yet his heart was filled with excitement and anticipation.