Turmoil never ceased in the starry sky. Great battles broke out every day, and renowned experts fell time and again. This very day, a Great Sage had been slain in a duel, shaking the entire Primordial Domain.
The Mythic Ancient Road grew ever more brutal. Recently, another great wave of people had arrived, with powerhouses from every clan pouring in endlessly, stepping into this place from countless ancient domains, all hoping to reach the Other Shore and behold the gods.
As for the ambitious ones, their true goal was the Tree of Life.
The Mythic Primordial Domain grew ever less peaceful. The withering of life and the blooming of blood flowers played out daily, until people grew numb to it, having seen far too many corpses.
“There’s a lead on the Bitter Sea!”
That day, a piece of news swept through the starry expanse like a hurricane, stirring countless cultivators into excitement. Endless armies of ancient beasts surged forward, and the entire dark universe trembled.
After repeated calculations, the Heavenly Secret Divine Master had deduced the Bitter Sea’s whereabouts and marked out its approximate coordinates, sending the hearts of all the heroes racing once word got out.
This was truly earth-shattering. Since ancient times, even the mightiest rulers among the ancient beasts had spent untold effort without ever finding the Bitter Sea. Throughout history, only a handful had entered the “Other Shore” through extraordinary fortune.
“It’s been calculated — it lies on the far shore of the starry sky.”
Everyone went mad, setting out at once, rushing toward another ancient land — though still within the bounds of the Mythic Primordial Domain, never leaving it.
The exact location was never revealed, but people knew the general area, and they followed those who understood the details.
Along the way, blood flowed enough to float logs — countless battles broke out. The Gray Flood Dragon, Golden Toad, Heavenly Dog, and Roc — four Beast Sovereigns — joined forces, gathering life energy in preparation for crossing the Bitter Sea.
Besides them, overlords from other ancient domains acted on their own, without alliance, likewise stirring up storms of blood.
Meanwhile, transcendent beings who had entered from the Human Clan’s Ancient Road — the Bull Demon King, the Sacred Spirit, the Human Clan’s Dao Guardians, and others — were also preparing for battle, occasionally clashing with the Beast Sovereigns along the way.
These were all Great Sage-level figures. Their battles alone could make stars fall and moons sink — world-ending in scale, awe-inspiring and terrifying, forcing others to flee far away.
This was a desolate stretch of starry sky, devoid of any clues — there wasn’t even a single planet fit to land on. The vast expanse of stars was bleak and barren.
When the heroes arrived, they found not even a drop of water, let alone an endless bitter sea. There was nothing at all.
“I’ve been to this ancient domain before — there’s never been any ocean here. How could it possibly be here? Was the calculation wrong?” one ancient beast overlord questioned.
This place was too barren; even the stars were sparse. It was the coldest, most desolate dead zone — worlds apart from the Bitter Sea people had imagined.
“The Other Shore and the Bitter Sea are both hidden within a dark heavenly domain beyond our reach. It must be opened before it can be perceived. Otherwise, if it could be seen at a glance, it wouldn’t have remained untraceable for eternities.”
An elder in azure robes stepped forward, protected in the center by the Great Sages. Even those from rival factions made no move against him — instead, all of them guarded him.
“It should indeed be within this ancient domain — that much shouldn’t be wrong.” He was a Heavenly Secret Divine Master, so aged he barely looked human anymore — white hair, white beard, bones thin as firewood, his face a mass of wrinkles without a trace of luster.
“Since it’s here, please, Divine Master, calculate once more and determine the exact location of the heavenly domain. Perhaps our combined strength can force it open,” one Beast Sovereign said.
The Gray Flood Dragon, Golden Toad, Bull Demon King, Stone Man, and others all nodded in agreement, waiting for the old man to complete his final calculation before they would forcibly pry open the Bitter Sea’s location.
The old man was skin and bones, his face sallow — clearly a man with little life left. He sighed softly, then began his silent calculations.
A Heavenly Secret Divine Master was a transcendent existence capable of divining fortune and misfortune, foreseeing fragments of the future — but doing so would severely damage their own life-root. Under normal circumstances, they would never defy heaven’s will this way.
The stakes concerning the Other Shore were simply too great. The Great Sages had begged the old Divine Master to come out of seclusion, promising great blessings for his descendants — only this persuaded him, a man with so little life left, to attempt the divination.
All of this was based on clues manifested from the moment Azure Phoenix Daoren had achieved the Dao and asked Heaven upon his transformation. Without that, no Divine Master — not even a true god descending — could have accomplished this.
For nine straight days, the old Divine Master sat cross-legged in the dark universe, motionless as though he himself were transforming into the Dao, while fragments of life essence and Dao occasionally flew from his body — he was consuming himself!
It was a terrifying sight — fragments of the Dao tore directly from his Immortal Platform, his body growing ever more withered, his blood qi wilting, his frame shrinking inward.
The various omens and Dao traces that had manifested when Azure Phoenix Daoren sat in transformation, along with traces of the Bitter Sea, now appeared faintly around him — the old Divine Master’s calculation had reached its critical moment.
“I see it — a vast, boundless Bitter Sea, right there!” His eyes suddenly snapped open, shooting out two beams of the most brilliant light, locking onto a distant stretch of starry sky.
At that same instant, those brilliant eyes exploded on the spot, turning into blood-mud and splattering everywhere — a sight so ghastly it made scalps crawl.
This was Heaven’s Punishment! A person could witness divine miracles and heaven’s secrets while living in this world, but they could never speak of them.
The old Divine Master let out a muffled groan, his eye sockets sunken and hollow, no eyeballs left within. He carved words into the void with his hand, tracing out the celestial coordinates.
“Pfft!”
His fingers snapped and shattered, turning to bloody pulp, and both his arms followed, crumbling away, gone entirely — a sight too horrific to bear.
“You all should know — my life is ending,” the old Divine Master said, his voice trembling.
He had calculated the location of the Bitter Sea and revealed its coordinates, but in doing so had exhausted the entirety of his lifespan and could no longer remain in this world.
“You may go on your way in peace. From now on your descendants shall enjoy great blessings — so long as we live, he shall become this ancient domain’s favored son.”
Several Great Sages spoke up one after another, making their promises.
“Crack!”
The old Divine Master’s Immortal Platform collapsed, fragments of the Dao flying out, and then his entire body exploded, beginning its transformation into the Dao. Great bolts of lightning descended from the sky, all striking down upon him.
This was Heaven’s Punishment — he had incurred Heaven’s wrath.
People’s hearts turned cold with dread — this truly was uncanny. Cultivators who defied the heavens, who refused to believe some hidden power ruled over all, who sought only the path of eternal life — yet what they had just witnessed made their hair stand on end.
“Perhaps this is a kind of rule. Ancient curses, Dao laws, cosmic order — these things can resonate with one another. If touched, they may trigger some strange disturbance in heaven and earth, which appears to be a form of divine punishment,” Ye Fan murmured to himself, interpreting the eerie scene through his own understanding and insight.
But there was no direct evidence — it remained only a speculation.
Boom!
The dark universe shattered, starlight exploding outward, as the Great Sages struck together, tearing open a rift in the stretch of sky the old Divine Master had finally pinpointed.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Almost instantly, people heard the sound of ocean waves, sweeping across the vast sky, as though facing a boundless expanse of water.
It came pouring out from that rift, wave after mighty wave surging forth.
Crack!
An immortal ruler flew up — the Stone Man wielded his Heaven-Measuring Ruler, unleashing a brilliant glow. Forged from immortal tears and green gold, it could strike the Nine Heavens above and shake the Nine Serenities below — its might was overwhelming.
The rift widened, and part of the vast ocean became visible, shaking everyone to their core. This was a heavenly domain hidden within the void, a true space, part of the universe itself — now manifesting.
The other Great Sages struck again as well, and especially once the gleaming Diamond Bracelet flew from the Bull Demon King’s hand and shattered the barrier, a vast entrance to the heavenly domain appeared.
“It’s appeared — it’s truly the Bitter Sea! We can use this to reach the Other Shore!”
“A vast Divine Sea — the legend really is true. Is the far shore truly where the gods dwell?”
The place erupted, everyone’s emotions surging, all rushing forward to view this sea up close.
The Great Sages naturally took the lead, the first wave to charge in, and beheld a vast, magnificent, boundless expanse of water — as though they had arrived at the edge of the universe.
This was the most primordial Sea of Heaven and Earth. Compared to it, an individual was far too insignificant — not even worth a speck of dust.
The heroes filed in one after another, and to their shock found this place was truly enormous — could this even still be called an ocean? It rivaled entire star regions in scale, with stars rising and sinking within the sea itself!
Such a sight had never been seen or heard of before. Great stars turned in the sky above, some falling into the sea, stirring up waves a hundred thousand li high — terrifyingly overwhelming.
“This is… mythical. How could such a scene exist? This sea could swallow stars whole — it’s no smaller than the entire Mythic Primordial Domain.”
This was a continuation of the universe, a vast, undiscovered expanse of space, one that could be called a Star-Sea Domain — impossibly grand and boundless.
Once here, people spread out, no longer needing to worry about competing with the Great Sages for a path. Since the place was so enormous, why not simply cross the sea from here?
No one rashly ventured to cross, not even the Great Sages — all of them observed carefully, for people are always filled with reverence toward the unfamiliar and mysterious.
The seawater was black, containing some mysterious power within, making the hearts of all the Sages stir uneasily. There even seemed to be traces of pure Yin essence contained within the Bitter Sea.
This was no small matter — perhaps deep within the ocean lay a true Yin Spirit Domain. What an immense power that would represent.
There were no living creatures in the water — at least none visible so far. Not a single blade of water grass, no shrimp soldiers or crab generals, not even a single fish could be seen.
“Something’s wrong with this water!”
When an ancient beast fell into the water, it thrashed violently and rapidly began to sink. Even with a body of profound cultivation, it was useless — it was swallowed whole by the Bitter Sea.
“This water is too terrifying — it can turn even a powerful cultivator into an ordinary mortal! Once you enter, your entire cultivation and mystic power will vanish!”
Even the Great Sages’ expressions changed, filled with wariness toward this Bitter Sea.
Two days later, people began crossing the sea — not to reach the Other Shore, but merely to scout ahead. They flew a hundred thousand li out, and every one of them turned back.
“There’s a suppressive Dao law above the Bitter Sea — a person’s divine power drains away rapidly.”
This was extremely bad news, deepening everyone’s worry as they stared blankly at the Bitter Sea.
Some began carefully carving formation patterns, preparing to open domain gates for long-range teleportation, hoping to probe the coordinates of the Other Shore and reach it directly.
In the end, it failed. Even the most powerful Formation Masters frowned — there was no way to cross the void here; the Dao patterns dimmed and all became ineffective.
They could only cross by sea, unable to pierce through the void.
“Huh, what’s that — an ancient ship!” Someone discovered an ancient vessel in one part of the sea, magnificent and towering, like a small mountain.
“I understand now — only a ship like this can carry someone to the Other Shore.” People recalled certain legends: the ancients who entered the dwelling place of the gods had all crossed the sea by ship.
According to legend, these ships had been left behind by the gods themselves — the only tools capable of crossing the sea.
In an instant, several Great Sages descended onto the ancient ship, driving it forward with their mystic power. Like a true dragon riding wind and cleaving waves, the ancient ship transformed into a streak of floating light, charging into the pitch-black ocean.
Not long after, several more ancient ships were discovered, and naturally all fell into the hands of Great Sages. They charged into the Bitter Sea — the ships moved so fast that they eventually pierced straight through space itself, vanishing from the sea’s surface.
Days later, the crowd on the Bitter Sea’s shore grew anxious. All the Great Sages had traveled far, none remained — even one or two young Supremes had crossed the sea — yet those left behind found it hard to locate any more ancient ships.
“Search — this sea is so vast, I refuse to believe there are only a handful of ships. The gods should have left them scattered across every region.”
Sure enough, more ancient ships were gradually discovered, naturally sparking bloody battles as people fought to board them.
Half a month later, Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and Long Ma stood on a blood-soaked deck, having slaughtered a group of plunderers who had rushed at them, and pressed onward into the Bitter Sea.
Once the ship reached its maximum speed, a void passage appeared. The ancient ship sank into it, and when it reappeared, it was already hundreds of thousands of li away — this was only a brief pause before it accelerated again, sinking once more into a void passage.
No one knew how many tens of thousands of li they had traveled before the ancient ship began sailing across the sea itself, no longer passing through void passages.
“Huh, there’s a broken ship ahead — only the deck remains floating. Where are the people who were on it?” Pang Bo said, alarmed and uncertain.
Ye Fan looked closely and drew a sharp breath — they had seen this ancient ship before. Two Great Sages had claimed it half a month ago, setting out — yet it had been destroyed here.
There was plenty of blood on the wreckage, with powerful residual energy spreading out — the blood of Great Sages. It seemed those two had met with grave misfortune.
“Who could have done this? Could two Great Sages have fought each other?” Long Ma pondered, staring at the wreckage without pause.
“It doesn’t look like a clash between Great Sages. The threat might come from within the sea itself — everyone stay alert,” Ye Fan said.
“What is that?” Suddenly Pang Bo pointed ahead — deep within the black water, a purple light flickered, gradually rising to the surface.
A corpse!
It was a body that had been dead for who knew how many tens of thousands of years, the purple light radiating from the blood within it — utterly terrifying. It drifted across the sea’s surface, floating past them.
Ye Fan’s heart shook violently, a strange sense of connection welling up within him — this corpse was no ordinary thing. It had to be an Overlord Body; that particular blood stirred a resonance within him.
Of course, this couldn’t be an Overlord Body of the current era — it had clearly died at least tens of thousands of years ago, and in life it must have been supremely powerful, its majesty still perceptible even now.
It drifted silently away, growing ever more distant, but Pang Bo’s face turned grim as he muttered, “I clearly saw his eyes crack open just now — purple light shot out, then closed again, and he became a corpse once more. Did you see that?”
“I saw it too, but he must be a corpse without doubt — perhaps something strange happened to his body,” Ye Fan said in a low voice.
Pang Bo nodded. “Let’s be careful. There’s actually an Overlord Body’s corpse lying within this Bitter Sea — how terrifying.”
Rumble!
Suddenly, a great danger descended — several massive holy arrows tore through the sky, streaking toward the ancient ship, one nearly nailing itself into the Golden Lion.
“Someone’s ambushing us, trying to destroy the ship — to sink us in the Bitter Sea and reduce us to mortals before a miserable death.”
In the distance, a large ship appeared, upon which stood three terrifying figures: the Blood Beast, the Gold-Devouring Beast, and the Heaven-Swallowing Beast, all exuding overwhelming bloodlust.
These three ancient beasts were all primordial exotic species, young-generation Supremes of extreme power. Now allied together, they had encountered Ye Fan and his companions at sea and launched their attack.
“Blood Beast, it’s you again — old scores and new debts, let’s settle them all at once!” Pang Bo shouted.
The three ancient beasts all transformed into human forms, standing on the ancient ship, each drawing a bow and loosing arrows, every shot producing a sound like wind and thunder — more than enough to reduce an entire mountain range to ash, let alone a single ship, however special it might be.
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others struck back, their fists shattering arrow after arrow. Then Ye Fan’s eyes turned cold, and a massive bow appeared in his hand — one he had forged after reaching the Sage King realm, its arrows made of Sacred Bone, flying out in an instant, splitting heaven and earth as he launched his counterattack!
“Woooo…”
A strange howl sounded as another ancient ship approached — it was the four young lords of the Golden Serpent Clan, flying over to join the fray.
And behind them, from the rear of the Bitter Sea, the Divine Clan’s Heavenly Maiden Shen Lan, the descendant of the Primordial Divine Demon named Sang Gu, and the Bronze Ant King had also arrived, standing together on the same great ship.