Like a divine sun hanging in the sky, as Ye Fan flew up onto the divine altar, his entire body radiated golden brilliance, as if a sun were releasing undying radiance, an overwhelmingly powerful force surging forth.

His left hand formed a mudra, and the myriad stars of heaven appeared. His right hand clenched into a fist, commanding life, death, and reincarnation. He resembled an immortal king descending upon the ninth heaven, supremely divine and sacred, dazzling beyond compare.

The Blood Beast let out a roar, and behind him an endless sea of blood surfaced, as if he commanded the Asura realm itself, a ruler of that world, standing atop the sea of blood, his aura swallowing heaven and earth.

He had not yet revealed his true form at this moment, instead appearing as a red-haired Daoist, his hair disheveled and wild, his eyes like a beast’s, his palm controlling the cosmos, containing rivers and mountains within, bearing down to suppress Ye Fan.

Ye Fan’s golden fist commanded life, death, and reincarnation, shattering all who stood in its way—even a world contained within a palm was no exception, pierced straight through on the spot.

A shattering sound rang out—an entire world had been destroyed!

It had to be said, the Blood Beast was extraordinarily terrifying. Though the world within his palm collapsed, causing the void there to cave in and warp, he himself remained unmoved, his blood-colored hand clashing head-on with Ye Fan’s golden fist.

With a rumbling boom, blinding light erupted between the two, like countless stars exploding, sparkling brilliantly, eternal, surging in all directions.

This place was the True Phoenix Tower, said to be the true body left behind by a Quasi-Emperor who failed his tribulation, eternal since ancient times. Otherwise, in any other location, even the stars in the heavens above would have been shaken loose.

The Blood Beast was extraordinarily powerful, one of the strongest variant species among the ancient primordial ferocious beasts, his physical body able to contend with gods and demons. Only such a bloodline could withstand one of Ye Fan’s punches without exploding apart.

This also confirmed, from another angle, that the young paramounts of the starry ancient roads had not earned their reputations undeservedly—otherwise, how could they have risen above countless other sages?

Below the divine altar stood over a thousand people—these were no ordinary trial-takers, but the strongest of this generation from every race! All talented heroes, having risen to the top from among hundreds of millions of living beings, yet now they could only look up at the dozen or so figures on the high platform.

It took an entire race to produce a single young paramount—this alone spoke volumes.

Ye Fan’s golden fist and the Blood Beast’s palm collided repeatedly. The red-haired Daoist’s body trembled, blazing bolts of lightning appearing throughout the void. Ye Fan surged forward, attacking another opponent, quickly switching targets, striking at the Earth Corpse.

There, yin energy surged skyward, ghostly mist billowing, as if the King of Hell had opened the gates of the underworld, descending upon the mortal realm.

“Clank, clank!”

From between the Earth Corpse’s fingers, several thick iron chains appeared, gleaming black, cold and eye-catching, like shackles used to bind ferocious beasts in the depths of hell, now serving as his weapon.

He was an ancient corpse who had achieved the Dao through cultivation, once buried in a place of extreme yin energy, absorbing yin energy day after day over the years, gradually developing spiritual intelligence, achieving his present transformation.

Clang!

Ye Fan struck bare-handed, snapping one of the thick chains—his golden palm indestructible, capable of destroying even Sage King-level weapons upon contact.

Yet the Earth Corpse’s body proved unimaginably tough, his physique unyielding beyond expectation—a true indestructible vajra body. Even as Ye Fan formed mudras and struck against him, only white imprints appeared, without collapsing.

To become one of the young paramounts of this generation, there truly had to be a reason—no one here was ordinary; every one of them possessed unique insights in their cultivation.

Clang, clang…

Like a blacksmith hammering iron, Ye Fan’s left hand formed mudras, the myriad stars of heaven flickering, his right hand clenched in a fist, ten thousand strands of golden divine light clashing violently with the Earth Corpse.

This kind of power, this kind of dominance, this kind of intensity, left every young paramount present shaken—an indestructible vajra body facing off against an undying golden body.

Boom!

Finally, Ye Fan alternated strikes between his left palm and right fist, completely shattering every chain on the Earth Corpse’s body, as if breaking into hell itself and destroying his divine weapon.

But the Earth Corpse truly was extraordinarily powerful—he himself remained unharmed, exhaling yin energy, black mist billowing skyward, unyielding and formidable.

Everyone below the divine altar was shaken. They were all far beyond ordinary trial-takers, the strongest of this generation from every race, the most powerful group of all—yet at this moment, they deeply felt their own fragility.

Had any of them stood in Ye Fan’s place, they likely would have been pulverized into fragments of bone and pools of blood by a single punch!

At this moment, everyone’s heart grew solemn, too terrified to speak. It now seemed correct that they had chosen not to challenge Ye Fan themselves—only those on the divine altar could contend with him.

On that high platform, the Gold-Devouring Beast, Sanggu the demon god’s descendant, the Sky-Devouring Ancient Beast, the Bronze Ant King, and others all bore traces of blood, having experienced similarly fierce battles just moments ago.

Every young paramount who had ascended to this platform had done so through genuine strength, fighting their way up through bloodshed. Aside from the four Golden Serpent Lords, this included the Divine Race’s celestial maiden Xin Lan, Diyi Tian, and the stone-figure Sage Spirit—all had bled.

Within the True Phoenix Tower, many powerful warriors from every great ancient realm, belonging to different races, each unrivaled within their own world, found that here, no one submitted to anyone else. In a sense, everyone here would eventually face the entire world as their enemy—they would need to defeat everyone else to reach the summit of the road to emperorship.

Ye Fan had arrived last. Those below hadn’t dared test him, but this didn’t apply to those on the divine altar—having fought their way up through bloodshed, having become paramounts through this method, they naturally couldn’t sit idly by and watch someone else ascend easily.

Ye Fan’s reputation among the Human Race meant nothing here—he had to pass this test, earn recognition from other races through genuine strength. Some on the divine altar naturally hoped he would fall, reducing one more competitor.

“Clang!”

Ye Fan’s golden fist and the Earth Corpse’s black fist collided—the heavens shattering, the earth splitting, as if two divine metals were violently clashing, the impact so severe some people’s eardrums nearly cracked.

“What exactly was this fellow’s previous life—how could his physical body possibly be this strong, actually able to contend with Ye Zi’s body? This doesn’t make sense at all,” Pang Bo said, his expression grave.

The Earth Corpse was too powerful, causing Diyi Tian, the Divine Race’s celestial maiden, and the four Golden Serpent Lords all to change expression. Such an unrivaled physical body was rare indeed at this level of cultivation, even in ancient times.

Ye Fan needed no further explanation. The Blood Beast, too, was understandable, being from the most ancient bloodline—in primordial times, this race could contend with gods and demons, incomparably powerful.

But the Earth Corpse was simply too bizarre. Many suspected the ancient corpse’s previous life must have held some extraordinary identity—otherwise, how could this be possible?!

Ye Fan’s eyes turned cold, fully unleashing the true meaning of the Six Paths of Reincarnation—one punch opening heaven, splitting earth, commanding life and death, mastering reincarnation, causing several ancient cosmoses to rotate.

The Earth Corpse was sent flying backward, yet did not explode apart. His entire body actually radiated boundless Buddha-light, sutra-chanting sounds emanating from within.

His bearing became solemn and dignified, like an enlightened high monk, the sound of Zen chanting unceasing, resounding throughout heaven and earth, as if countless heavenly bodhisattvas and ancient Buddhas were blessing and protecting him.

Witnessing this terrifying scene, everyone froze in place, then felt their hair stand on end, an icy chill running through their bodies, a wave of dread washing over them.

Was his previous life a supreme Buddha himself?

Clearly, this punch from Ye Fan had been too overwhelming, nearly harming the Earth Corpse’s very source, awakening dormant primordial divine power hidden within his body, surging forth.

“Amitabha!”

Ancient sutra-chanting sounds rose one after another, like a primordial Dao-sound, deafening, causing every soul present to tremble, unbearable to withstand.

“His origins are too great!” Everyone was shaken. Ancient images surfaced one after another behind the Earth Corpse—in ancient times, he himself had been worshipping some ancient Buddha, imperial aura flowing, shaking countless eternities and heavens.

The ancient corpse’s previous life had served Amitabha Buddha himself—if not an enlightened monk, then a disciple of Amitabha Buddha—this was simply astonishing to hear!

Everyone was petrified, thoroughly shaken.

Boundless Buddha-light radiated from the Earth Corpse’s body, illuminating undying brilliance, but immediately an anomaly occurred—a sacred transformation, and all the auspicious light instantly turned pitch black, becoming corpse-energy.

The chanting of countless heavenly bodhisattvas and ancient Buddhas all changed—the Earth Corpse converted it into death-energy, his entire body turning icy cold, the boundless sacred radiance transforming into black light that consumed him.

He resembled a dhuta ascetic monk, all his hair having fallen out, precept-scars visible upon his head, yet his entire body was pitch black and glossy—no longer possessing a trace of Buddhist serenity, having fully become a great demon.

“What rebirth is there, what past is there? A human life, once over, returns to emptiness. Amitabha, this final chant—I am myself, hard to seek reincarnation.” His body, shattered by Ye Fan, fully healed under the nourishment of the black light, his indestructible vajra body advancing to an even higher level, his entire body pitch black and gleaming!

The Earth Corpse retreated and bowed to Ye Fan, saying, “Even when this world blooms two identical flowers, they only share the same form. You witnessed this flower at its most brilliant moment. My thanks!”

Everyone’s hair stood on end in dread—this truly was an ancient monk from the age of Amitabha Buddha, his corpse preserved within the earth’s veins through the ages, only now achieving enlightenment. His battle with Ye Fan had awakened the Buddha-light dormant within him from his past, causing a complete transformation—Buddha turned demon, growing even more powerful.

The Earth Corpse retreated, returning to his place upon the divine altar.

With a rumbling boom, Ye Fan and the Blood Beast clashed head-on, forcing this ancient beast to reveal his true form—his entire body blood-red, as if cast from crimson gold, massive scales clanging loudly. He resembled a wyvern, yet upon closer inspection also resembled a giant scaled bat, his true body several thousand zhang long, now condensed to a single zhang, charging and clashing, his mystical power boundless and overwhelming.

Ultimately, he too retreated, transforming back into the red-haired Daoist upon the divine altar. This had only been to make things difficult for Ye Fan—not wanting him to ascend the platform easily. If he could deliver a certain-kill blow, all the better, but if it required an actual fight to the death, no one truly wished to see it through to the end, especially with over a dozen other young paramounts watching with predatory interest all around.

“Ye Zi, have you used as much as eight-tenths of your strength?” Pang Bo asked quietly, using this to gauge the strength of those present.

Ye Fan replied, “They too have held back—they won’t fight to the death here. It’ll be on the starry ancient road where we cross paths again that we’ll settle the matter of life and death.”

Upon the divine altar, Sanggu, descendant of the primordial demon gods, rose to his feet. His black hair was dense, hanging like a waterfall down to his waist, his eyes glittering like stars. Blood marked his body, clearly having fought his way up. He now stood and said, “If you wish for my recognition, you need only withstand one palm strike from me.”

He merely stood there, and already the myriad stars trembled—supremely powerful, the sole pure-blooded descendant of the primordial demon gods to appear in tens of thousands of years.

Everyone’s hearts leaped—this was a genuine descendant of the primordial demon gods, his body as hard as divine iron, his mystical power vast as an ocean, the most terrifying of all.

“There’s no need, is there? I’ve fought him before.” The Divine Race’s celestial maiden Xin Lan spoke, her entire body radiating light, divine blood roaring within her, releasing undying power, as if standing high above the ninth heaven.

Purely in terms of bloodline, the primordial demon gods and the descendants of the gods were close relatives, only separated at some unknown point in time—both among the strongest races.

Sanggu, descendant of the primordial demon gods, was supremely dignified. Upon hearing this, he nodded and said, “Very well.”

He ultimately did not make a move.

“We all fought our way up here. If you want my recognition, simply putting on an impressive display of power is enough.” The Bronze Ant King spoke.

His true form manifested, standing about the height of a man, his entire body bronze-colored—a divine ant, this race possessing innate divine strength by nature; anyone who understood this would feel dread!

And now, as the paramount of one stellar region’s ancient road, his unrivaled divine strength could no longer simply be described as astonishing. With a rumbling boom, his seemingly unimpressive frame, the moment he stepped forward, nearly cracked the True Phoenix Tower itself.

One must understand—not even the most terrifying heavenly tribulation could destroy this ancient wutong tree.

Ye Fan reached out one golden hand—heaven and earth rumbled as he blocked that ancient bronze-colored palm he had manifested. In this moment, the myriad stars of heaven all trembled.

Both possessed unrivaled divine strength, capable of grasping the sun and moon with a raised hand, leaving everyone present changed in expression—even the four Golden Serpent Lords were no exception!

“You’ve passed.” The Bronze Ant King withdrew.

Each of the four Golden Serpent Lords remained calm and indifferent—they were the very best among this group, the four supreme paramounts combined, who could possibly oppose them?

At this moment, they said nothing—this too was a form of attitude, essentially acknowledging Ye Fan’s unrivaled divine strength.

No one else tested him further. Ye Fan alone had contended with several young paramounts, matching them in their own respective fields of expertise, with such overwhelming dominance that his strength was beyond question.

Ye Fan ascended the divine altar, looking down upon those below, proclaiming the rise of yet another paramount, his status recognized by the strongest dozen or so, standing alongside them, respected and feared by all the heroes below!

It had to be said, no one here held an undeserved reputation—they were all genuinely powerful. The Divine Race, the Sacred Blood—each one made people tremble; killing any single one of them would require paying a bloody, painful price. If not gods or demons, then Sage Spirits… enough to instill dread in anyone!

At this moment, no one dared challenge them.

Pang Bo strode forward and ascended this lofty divine altar as well, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ye Fan, immediately drawing several cold snorts.

Those below watched silently, not daring to provoke casually, but those above had no such reservations. Someone let out a chillingly cold laugh, killing intent evident.

“Isn’t this platform getting a bit crowded? Not everyone can stand here—not everyone can enter the mythic ancient road!”

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan fixed his gaze on the speaker and said coldly, “Indeed, it is getting a bit crowded. How about this—I’ll kill one of you, and Pang Bo can take their place!”

His gaze then swept across several people, settling on the Blood Beast—the very same primordial ferocious beast who had first provoked and fought him.

“I’ll handle this myself!” Pang Bo spoke up, carelessly stepping forward and pointing, ready to take the initiative and issue a challenge.

“Forget it—we have little time left. Let’s exchange blood quickly and assemble the ten strongest ancient bloods. I can’t wait any longer for the Tree of Life.” Sanggu, the extremely dominant descendant of the demon gods, spoke, stopping others from fighting further—clearly his words carried significant weight.

“Comparatively, I’m more interested in the Nine-Tiered Coffin from the mythic era. I’ve heard there are still living beings sitting cross-legged atop it, traveling alongside the coffin on the ancient road.” The Third Golden Serpent Lord spoke.

This made Ye Fan’s heart shake violently—living beings sitting atop that great emperor’s coffin? This stirred up boundless waves within his heart.

“Does anyone wish to contend with us for the Nine-Tiered Coffin of the mythic era?” The Second Golden Serpent Lord’s mouth curled into a cruel, cold smile as he swept his gaze across everyone present.

He was powerful and self-assured, having bathed an entire region in blood, making all the assembled heroes’ hair stand on end—even the dozen or so young paramounts present held apprehension toward him.

“I’m quite interested in the Tree of Life as well.” The Eldest Golden Serpent Lord suddenly spoke. He had been closing his eyes until now, and at this moment his eyes suddenly shot out two beams of supremely sharp golden light, making all the assembled heroes shudder involuntarily.

The dozen or so young paramounts each considered themselves supreme and unrivaled, and naturally none would back down, each letting out a cold snort in turn.

“See you on the mythic ancient road,” Ye Fan said coldly.

“Indeed—there will surely be a battle then!” Everyone spoke up one after another.