A group of powerful creatures came charging in. Their primordial, untamed aura was world-shaking, converging into a torrent that swept through the burial ground of gods and ghosts with a thunderous roar.
“Who dares come here to seize the ancestral artifact?!”
Amid a tremendous roar, an eight-armed giant appeared. Sinews like coiling dragons and serpents wound across his body, powerfully protruding. He stood ten zhang tall with eight arms, his hair wild and tangled like overgrown weeds, his eyes like copper bells, shooting out beams of cold, piercing light.
He opened his mouth in a sharp cry, and the vault of heaven shattered directly overhead. Blood energy surged from the crown of his head, flooding upward, a rainbow of power spanning the sky.
This was an incomparably terrifying giant, an outstanding figure among Ancient Saints. The one thing that put minds at ease was that he was not a stone embryo — he was not a Sacred Spirit.
The eight-armed giant came charging forward in great strides. Each of his eight arms held a weapon. First, a massive axe descended like a hanging galaxy, its blade edge radiating a dazzling chill that stretched vast and wide.
Then a massive divine spear, a brilliant great saber, a divine hammer crackling with violet lightning, and more fell in succession — all surging forward together in a direct assault on Ye Fan.
Om!
Ye Fan cried out in a soft tone — a single shout of the highest six-syllable Buddhist mantra — sending a wave of Dao resonance rippling outward. In an instant it became vast as an ocean, crashing forward.
Crack!
The massive axe with its chill-radiating edge split open with cracks, then suddenly exploded, shattering apart in midair. The eight-armed giant’s movements also stalled, struck by a powerful impact.
BOOM!
Ye Fan struck without reservation. In this moment, nothing held back, he lunged forward to deliver a killing blow. A world-shaking war might be descending — he had no desire to be trapped in this place of rising winds and gathering clouds.
He transformed into a dragon-shaped curved line — nothing could withstand him. His golden blood energy and his physical body were the most terrifying weapons. The long and sharp war lances of over ten zhang, the brilliant great saber, the violet lightning hammer, and more — all shattered inch by inch beneath Ye Fan’s physical body, ground to powder.
His body was harder than sacred artifacts, imbued with an immortal power, golden divine light blazing — sweeping away all before him.
Ye Fan threw a fist, directly punching clean through the eight-armed giant’s last remaining weapon — the Great Luo Sacred Shield.
With a crack, the golden fist, heavy as hundreds of millions of jun, penetrated the ancient shield. The sacred artifact shattered rapidly, falling in pieces.
The eight-armed giant was stunned. What manner of physique was this — to consecutively destroy his most prized possessions, reducing the divine artifacts forged with his lifeblood to rubble?
This was a human even more “ferocious and wild” than their giant race. His golden blood energy was overwhelming — and the fist was already through, colliding with the giant’s enormous palm with a thud, punching clean through it. Blood spattered everywhere.
“Auuu!”
The eight-armed giant howled in pain. It had all happened too quickly — his opponent was unstoppable, coming in with sheer force, punching through every obstruction.
Indeed — even his massive physical body was punched through. First both arms shattered and blood poured freely, then his torso.
Ye Fan transformed into a dragon-shaped curved line. Within the Sea of Suffering Wheel, the Taiji Immortal Diagram rang out. The Chaos Azure Lotus merged with his physical body, temporarily separating from the Dao diagram.
In that moment, body and azure lotus jointly formed the curved line of the Dao, merging and fusing together, becoming a dragon shape that swept through the air.
Pfft!
Torrents of blood rained down. The eight-armed giant let out a pained cry and stumbled backward — only to suddenly discover that his body had been cleaved by that golden curved line, cut into several segments.
“Aah—!”
He let out a thunderous cry that shook heaven and earth. All of this was too terrifying — he was an outstanding figure among Saints, yet before this member of the human race, he was so utterly fragile.
With one last soft sound, his enormous skull exploded. Blood dyed the heavens crimson — his body and spirit obliterated.
“Rooaar!”
Behind the eight-armed giant came several more ferocious beasts, each one of immense power, their ferocious flames towering to the sky.
Not a single one of them was to be trifled with. All were sacred beasts, each one domineering, coming in for the kill — their blood energy rolling and surging upward from within them, soaring into the heavens.
“Kill!”
Ye Fan roared, leading Long Ma and the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon in a charge. They unleashed a killing assault. The situation was critical — there was no telling what was happening outside, and they needed to resolve this in the fastest time possible.
“Moooo—!”
A massive bull covered in blood-red fur bellowed with thunderous force, yet in its battle with Ye Fan, dozens of golden fists rained down upon it and ultimately it met its end in bitter defeat — its powerful sacred body pulverized.
Pfft!
Ye Fan then struck again with heavy blows. Five divine swords rose from behind his back, chaos sword energy spraying in all directions, slashing a nine-headed sacred bird to a mass of bloody pulp.
Feathers flew in all directions, blood splashed everywhere. The place had become a killing ground of asura-like slaughter. Long Ma and the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon also finished off their opponents — several powerful sacred beasts all slain, not one surviving.
“Three of these sacred beasts were powerful figures from this ancient living star. To think they had all pledged themselves to the Sacred Spirit — which shows how desperately critical the situation has become,” the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon said.
Without any delay, they charged out of the burial ground of gods and ghosts. As Ye Fan came through the great gate, he took the golden divine egg from the sacrificial altar and stored it away.
This was an extraordinary divine egg containing the Dao fruit of an entire lifetime from a Great Saint. It had been stolen by that wild fox and used to open the burial ground of the mythological age. It would be a terrible waste to leave it here.
“Strange — the situation doesn’t seem as bad as we imagined.”
Once they escaped this burial ground and walked out of the barren, lifeless Great Moon Slope, they found that no war had erupted to destroy the entire star domain.
They crossed vast wilderness, traversed great marshes, passed through many places, and gathered information in depth — learning that the atmosphere had tightened to the absolute limit. War could erupt at any moment.
“The supreme Sacred Spirit from beyond has come, leading a vast army. Now no one can escape this star domain — the entire stellar void has been sealed off!”
“Two days ago, a terrifying stone embryo sacred effigy manifested between heaven and earth, overawing all the powerful figures of the human race. It pressed down upon all living beings until they could barely breathe. A great catastrophe has come.”
Hearing these reports from several powerful figures, Ye Fan’s heart sank. Calamity was rising — soon to sweep across this ancient star domain.
The one piece of good news was that the guardians of the human race seemed to have arrived as well, standing off against the supreme Sacred Spirit somewhere in the stellar void.
This was also the fundamental reason why the invincible Sacred Spirit had not struck immediately. These days the human race had not been idle — the guardians had come long ago and were now making their presence known, standing against the Sacred Spirit.
In the days that followed, Ye Fan had no way to enter the stellar void to undergo tribulation. Doing so would very likely mean colliding with the army led by the Sacred Spirit — certain death.
Long Ma said, “We have no choice but to endure and bide our time. The star domain is certainly riddled with ambushes on all sides. War could ignite at any spark now — I shudder to think what level of devastation it will reach.”
Ye Fan nodded, then turned to ask the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon, “The people I asked you to find — any news?”
All along the way, he had been quietly gathering information on Pang Bo, Ji Ziyue, the Southern Demon, and others. He dared not do so openly — he feared bringing calamity upon them.
Word that the Sacred Physique from the Burial Emperor Star had arrived had already spread across the stellar ancient path. He did not mind exposing himself and becoming the focus of attention. But he could not allow those old friends to become targets of scrutiny — that would be extremely dangerous.
The Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon shook its head. “So many years have passed — who could remember who has come and gone? I asked many ancient beasts, but none had any impression.”
Human cultivators and sacred beasts generally kept out of each other’s way. During trials, both sides would deliberately avoid each other, and major conflicts rarely occurred.
Ye Fan fell silent. In the previous cities, he had quietly learned that Pang Bo, Ji Ziyue, the Southern Demon, and the others had certainly set out on the path and had likely remained here for some years. But that now appeared not to match — they had left few traces.
“Perhaps there is one elder who might know something.” The Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon then led Ye Fan to a swampy area beside a cluster of lakes.
The place was shrouded in water vapor, the marshes silent — no fierce birds or vicious beasts dared approach, as though they were filled with reverence for this location.
The Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon spoke quietly: “An elder resides here. It is said this elder is not much younger than the now-departed Great Saint-level Tyrant Dragon sovereign, having lived through ages beyond reckoning.”
“Truly remarkable — living longer than a Great Saint?!” Long Ma was astonished.
“The greatest strength of this race is that they outlive all other races by far,” the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon explained.
A turtle elder of the turtle clan who had lived for over seven thousand years made its home in seclusion here. In terms of raw power it might not command supremacy, yet in longevity even the great Dragon Saint bowed in admiration.
This elder of the turtle clan was quite unpretentious, living in a mud-swamp cave — suffused with miasma, dark and damp — which it happened to enjoy.
Everything went smoothly. The Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon requested an audience. The elder summoned them inside without putting on airs or holding racial prejudice.
“In my lifetime, I have spent half my years asleep — that is why I have lived so long. I fear you come to me with questions only to be disappointed,” the old turtle said in a faint, listless voice.
Like a mountain of stone, it lay still in the depths of the mud-swamp cave. It had not moved for many years. Its shell was covered in moss, and in some places, weeds had even taken root.
Ye Fan sighed, bowed in respect, and prepared to take his leave. This outcome was not unexpected.
“Hmm — this young woman, I feel I may have seen her somewhere.” Suddenly, the old turtle spoke, pointing toward the image of Ji Ziyue suspended in the void, then looking at her elder brother Ji Haoyue.
Ye Fan was greatly startled. “What? Please, elder, tell me more.”
The old turtle said, “That time, when my spirit roamed the great void, I caught a glimpse of these two people in pursuit of an ancient coffin — but it was only a fleeting glance before they were gone.”
Whether it was Ye Fan or the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon, both believed without question that the old turtle must be a formidable figure — otherwise, how could it dare to send its spirit roaming through the great void?
For one’s divine sense to leave the body and embark on a long journey through the cosmic stellar void — only those who had approached or reached the domain of a Great Saint dared attempt it. It was extremely dangerous.
After all, the depths of the universe were filled with too many uncertainties. Should an accident occur, obliteration of the spirit would be the consequence.
“That was a coffin buried above the nine heavens from the mythological age — supremely terrifying. I believe it must contain a Great Emperor. Even from a great distance I tried to investigate it, but was nearly swallowed into it, barely escaping with my spirit intact,” the old turtle said, still shaken with lingering fear.
During that journey, it had caught sight of a man and woman giving desperate chase to the ancient coffin. In a fleeting glimpse, it had only overheard fragments of their words — then its divine sense was wounded, and it had no choice but to end its spirit journey through the great void.
“What did they say?” Ye Fan asked.
“Void… ancestors… ‘As we follow the ancient path, perhaps we shall encounter the ancient coffin again.'” the old turtle said.
Hearing this, Ye Fan could not help but reflect deeply. Ji Ziyue and Ji Haoyue had walked the ancient path and had unexpectedly encountered the coffin of the Void Emperor.
This was an astounding development that deeply moved him.
Ye Fan still remembered those scenes — the spectacular sight he had witnessed in the stellar void when setting out from the Eternal Main Star: so many warships, all chaining a single ancient coffin, yet every one of them had collapsed and crumbled.
He had never imagined that the two great moons of the Ji Family had also encountered the Void Emperor’s coffin in the stellar void — encountering their ancestor.
“Along the stellar ancient path…” the old turtle said.