A sixteen-foot Bodhi tree bore witness to ages past and present. Its emerald leaves covered the branches, crystalline and vivid, turning over the passage of years. In a single flash, the flow of time seemed to slip past the fingertips like a hundred lifetimes rushing by.
A lifetime spent cultivating the Dao, a lifetime spent comprehending the Law — the price paid for invincibility across the ages was a field of corpses stretching to the horizon.
The moth’s obsession with throwing itself into the flame, the candle’s last splendor before the wind snuffs it out.
He had comprehended the peerless Law of the world, yet it could not withstand the flow of time. A lifetime of ultimate brilliance could not conceal the mottled tears and blood of years gone by. Looking back, the whole world had fallen silent, and he could find no one from his own generation.
In this moment, Ye Fan felt as though he had drifted into an illusion — as if ten thousand years had passed, and he stood alone atop the ultimate peak, a few earthen graves scattered about, the whole world vast and hazy. In his twilight years he no longer knew what he needed; like a candle guttering in the wind, he looked back on his life and found only a single sigh carried away on the breeze.
His great enemies had turned to ash, beauties now slept beneath burial mounds, old friends had returned to the yellow earth, and he would never see them again — all his former acquaintances had fallen silent.
This feeling was terrible. It made his heart tremble, made him feel the desolation of ten thousand ages, and he wanted nothing more than to roar at the heavens, to shatter this murky mist and welcome in a flourishing new age.
Was it real, or was it illusion? Was it merely a mirror-flower, a moon in water, or had he truly stood at the ultimate peak of his own Dao and glimpsed a corner of the future on the far shore?
A mournful melody rang out, disturbing his heart, saddening the autumn air, until nothing remained but boundless desolation.
What was happening? Beneath the Bodhi tree, Ye Fan jolted awake. Why had he seen this corner of the future? His body was as unshakable as bedrock, his heart as still as calm water — how could he have glimpsed such a scene from afar?
Boom!
Light poured from Ye Fan’s entire body, golden runes carving themselves one after another across his skin. Countless great stars turned to ash, myriad starry rivers collapsed into ruin, leaving only this single true form — for he had smelted away every fruit of the Dao he had gathered.
His golden flesh and blood pulsed with rhythm, his bones resonated in unison as if beating out a battle hymn, ringing out clear and resounding. Throughout his body, along the boundless meridians and acupoints, golden immortal mist bloomed, dazzling and brilliant.
Yet at that moment, a vertical eye split open on his forehead, and in a daze he glimpsed reincarnation — that scene from what seemed like the past.
“So this is a heretical demonic thought. I have never encountered such a thing before, and today it has finally come upon me.” Ye Fan murmured, unwilling to believe what he had seen.
Without another word, he began to evolve his cultivation from the Wheel Sea secret realm onward, all the way through to the Four Extremes secret realm, manifesting his own Dao, his own Law, his own convictions, refusing to be moved by outside influence.
“My Dao, my Law — I am invincible. I do not believe in a next life, nor do I speak of the past. How could there be reincarnation? How could I glimpse such a desolate scene ten thousand years hence?!” he roared.
Ye Fan stretched out his limbs, splitting heaven and cleaving earth, cutting down the demonic thought in his heart, severing every trace of chaotic intent, and restoring his own clarity.
“That’s bad — what he just saw might truly have been a hazy glimpse of the future, but Ye Fan refuses to believe it. He firmly believes he is invincible in this life,” Long Ma murmured.
“Could it be that we were affected too, and that’s why we saw the illusion born of demonic thought — only he himself realized it was false, and that’s why he had to break it?” Pang Bo pondered, sensing something amiss.
“This is far too strange. We have no way to judge it, and thus no way to warn him — doing so might only mislead him. As things stand, it is we who have become confused first,” the Golden Lion said.
Everyone present shuddered upon hearing this. All of them sat cross-legged in the void, questioning their own hearts and seeking the Dao, trying to break through the illusion.
“You need not force yourselves,” Ye Fan snapped. “This is my own vision. I do not believe in it — I speak only of the present life. You need not sink into it. Look upon it as you would snow or moonlight; regard it as nothing more than a passing breeze.”
Several of them trembled and retreated, standing a safe distance away. The Life Spring bubbled and surged, its brilliance flowing freely, while four dark-red slaying swords lay quietly submerged within it, condensing the aura of a great calamity.
“We need not dwell on it. That was Ye Fan’s own Dao and vision. True or false, it will be forgotten the moment it passes,” Pang Bo murmured.
In the end, only a single indestructible golden body remained beneath the sixteen-foot Bodhi tree. Everything else had vanished. Ye Fan had shattered every illusion; his mind held no more thoughts, free of worry, free of care.
The golden radiance withdrew inward, and calm returned to the place. Ye Fan stood alone as the Bodhi tree swayed, its countless green leaves rustling as they turned, like a river flowing off into the distance.
“It’s done. Ye Fan’s comprehension of the Dao has reached completion,” Pang Bo said with a smile.
Long Ma, the Golden Lion, and the others gathered around as well, seeing that Ye Fan had returned to simplicity, his blazing light withdrawn back into his body. They knew that his three years of comprehending the Law had come to an end, and that he had truly achieved something.
To everyone’s surprise, Ye Fan, who appeared calm, walked forward — but after only nine steps, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood with a soft splatter, golden radiance blazing, a sight that made hearts clench.
“Ye Fan, what’s wrong?!” The group cried out in alarm, rushing toward him.
A cauldron rose and sank, dripping down the mother-qi of all things, while countless spirits appeared, shielding Ye Fan at the center and stabilizing his injured body.
“Could his comprehension of the Dao have failed?” Pang Bo started, sensing that something was wrong.
The Twelve Saints’ hearts sank as well. For a cultivator, the most terrifying injury of all was a failure in comprehending the Dao — one that would destroy the very foundation. Nothing was more severe than this.
The Dao Ye Fan had just displayed was far too terrifying — shattering the entire universe of the human body, leaving behind only a single true form, awe-inspiring to behold. But it was also perilous in the extreme; the slightest mistake could have meant the utter annihilation of body and spirit.
“Could he really have encountered a calamity?” Long Ma muttered.
“There’s no serious harm. You needn’t worry,” Ye Fan said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was clearly injured, and everyone grew worried.
“What exactly happened?” Pang Bo asked.
“The Dao is not yet complete. The Four Extremes Scripture still has gaps. This Dao is too overbearing, and it wounded me,” Ye Fan said.
Everyone understood at once. What Ye Fan had just displayed had indeed been overbearing in the extreme, directly destroying the universe within the human body — something no ordinary person could ever accomplish.
It could truly be called a defiance of heaven’s will; it would have been strange if he had come through unscathed!
Moreover, it had only been a few years since he entered the Sage King realm — there was no way he could achieve perfection in one leap. The scripture required further refinement; it could not be completed overnight.
Everyone let out a breath of relief, though seeing the golden bloodstains still lingering at the corner of Ye Fan’s mouth, they remained somewhat worried. That something could injure him was by no means a simple matter.
“Are you really alright?”
“Just a bit of Dao injury — nothing worth mentioning,” Ye Fan said.
“Dao injury…” Black Bear Saint, Scorpion Saint, and the others all shuddered. This was no small matter — Dao injuries were the hardest to heal, and many ancient great sages had met their end sitting in meditation from just such a wound. More often than not, there was simply no cure.
“No need to worry. It’s only a scar from the Dao — nothing much. Back then, I was once rejected by the great Dao itself, far worse than today,” Ye Fan said.
Beside him, threads of lightning flickered faintly in and out of view, seeping into the Life Spring of the Ancient Celestial Venerable — a sign that a Heavenly Tribulation was coming!
“You’re about to face a tribulation?”
“Having comprehended the Dao today, I’ve taken some injury. I’ll go bathe in the Thunder Tribulation Sea — perhaps that will help mend this crack,” Ye Fan said.
Whether it was the Golden Lion or the Nine-tailed Crocodile Dragon, all Twelve Saints were left speechless. Others feared Heavenly Tribulations, yet here he was intending to repair his wounds while advancing his realm through one.
Before departing, Ye Fan and the others carefully examined the four slaying swords, confirming they could not be taken, then approached the cave dwelling where the Six-eared Macaque had sat in meditation until its death — that too proved fruitless, and they could only sigh softly.
Each of them retrieved their treasures to store some of the Ancient Celestial Venerable’s Life Spring essence — a supreme elixir capable of raising the dead and regrowing flesh on bone, of great use to cultivators.
The group carried the Life Spring essence with them and rose up over the sea’s surface. Others needed ancient ships to sail these waters, but they no longer had to worry, for with such a great quantity of the Ancient Celestial Venerable’s divine essence, they could easily withstand the Black Bitter Sea.
Over these three years they had never once emerged into the outside world; beyond, the winds of change had swept through, and countless had died. Corpses could often be seen falling and drifting in the Bitter Sea.
“I’m going to face my tribulation. Be careful,” Ye Fan said.
The Twelve Saints nodded and laid down the heaven-concealing array patterns left behind by Emperor Wushi, hiding their tracks so they could watch Ye Fan’s tribulation from a distance without fear of being discovered.
This stretch of sea was quiet; ordinarily no one passed through, as most people gathered near the Life Springs, hoping to seize the Ancient Celestial Venerable’s divine artifacts and secret manuals from within.
“Boom!”
Ye Fan’s tribulation began. The calamity was every bit as vast as imagined, shaking the four directions and drawing the attention of the many powerful figures nearby.
And as it happened, someone else was undergoing a tribulation in another direction as well. The distance was great, but judging by the sense of power, it was no less than Ye Fan’s own — one could faintly make out a golden flood dragon stretching across the sky, thicker than a mountain range, terrifying beyond measure.
Long Ma cursed and slipped away to see who was undergoing tribulation with such tremendous force — surely one of the mightiest experts at the very peak.
“A golden flood dragon, bearing some semblance of a true dragon — this is royalty among the flood dragon race. I wonder which ancient domain it hails from.”
They dared not draw too close, for several other powerful beings stood guard there for the golden flood dragon’s Sage King, watching closely.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, thunder rolled from yet another direction, deafening and immense — the Heavenly Tribulation there was vast beyond compare. They discovered a third group undergoing tribulation, likewise guarded by powerful protectors.
“Something’s not right. How could this be such a coincidence, everyone breaking through at the same time?” Pang Bo found it strange.
One of the Twelve Saints transformed into a bolt of lightning and sped off into the distance to investigate. Before long he returned with a startling piece of news. It turned out the various races had come to an agreement: those about to break through would undergo their tribulations within the Bitter Sea, piercing through the black ocean to activate the Ancient Celestial Venerable’s Wheel of Life, causing the Life Springs to erupt fully and thereby construct a divine bridge leading to the far shore.
“A bold idea — quite groundbreaking!” Pang Bo sighed.
Over the past half month, more than a dozen people had already undergone their tribulations, each hoping to stir up great waves and cause the Life Springs beneath the Bitter Sea to erupt, but none had managed to construct the divine bridge.
“Boom!”
Ye Fan’s Heavenly Tribulation was without equal in the world. At his current realm, absolutely no one could surpass it — it was simply too vast, and as it unfolded it drew the attention of all four directions.
Too far away to know what was happening, people could not accurately judge the tribulation, and many began rushing toward the site.
“Could it be him?!” The crowd’s hearts leapt as some recognized Ye Fan — vanished for three years, and now, unexpectedly, he had returned and broken through, undergoing his tribulation right here.
By the time these people arrived, Ye Fan had already completed his tribulation. The Mother-Qi of All Things Cauldron had swallowed the sky-filling tribulation light, chaotic lightning etched upon its surface, lending it an air of primordial grandeur.
This was not the Heavenly Tribulation faced when ascending into a Great Secret Realm, and thus no ancient Emperor had appeared. Comparatively, Ye Fan had passed through it with relative ease.
More than twenty years had passed since he reached the first layer of the Sage King realm. In that time Ye Fan had undergone tribulation twice before; this was now his third, advancing through two layers at once to reach the fifth heaven of the Sage King realm.
As tens of thousands of feet of thunder-light dissipated, Ye Fan descended, threads of golden blood at the corner of his mouth, which made Pang Bo and Long Ma’s hearts sink.
“Ye Fan, are you alright?” Pang Bo asked, startled.
“This is your first time being harmed during a tribulation — no wait, that Dao injury, you never managed to mend that crack?” Long Ma was shocked.
“It’s fine. This injury can’t stop me,” Ye Fan said, wiping the golden blood from his lips, his eyes clear and bright, showing no sign of weakness.
“So this is what a human Sage Body amounts to — injured even during a tribulation! And this is supposed to be worthy of the title Young Supreme? Truly laughable. Second Young Lord of the Golden Serpent, you claimed this was a formidable rival, but he’s nothing more than this — what a disappointment.”
In the distance, six figures approached swiftly, like rainbows cutting across the sky, streaking with brilliant light as they descended upon the sea, bearing down on Ye Fan and the others.
The Fourth Young Lord of the Golden Serpent stood at the center, flanked by two young powerhouses neither of them had seen before — clearly having arrived from other ancient star domains over these past three years, each one a supreme figure of their own domain, the strongest among the trial-takers of their respective ancient roads.
One of them was a peacock, though now transformed into human form, immensely powerful, with five-colored divine light radiating from behind its back, exuding a terrifying pulse.
The other bore a pagoda in his hands; his true form was a divine fox, its eyes cunning and treacherous, clearly not one to be trifled with.
“Second Young Lord of the Golden Serpent, are you certain this is the human Sage Body you spoke of? You didn’t deceive us? So unremarkable — injured with a Dao wound just from a tribulation, and this is supposed to be our enemy?!”
The peacock and the divine fox stood arrogantly in the middle of the group, their faces showing contempt, feeling they had been deceived by the Golden Serpent clan’s Second Young Lord.
The other Golden Serpent Young Lords began to doubt as well — none of them had ever heard of a Young Supreme suffering a Dao injury from such a minor Heavenly Tribulation. How could someone like that possibly be a formidable rival? Had they overestimated Ye Fan before?
This clearly did not match his reputation. A truly powerful figure would never suffer a Dao injury from such a minor tribulation. Had they truly misjudged him in the past?
The Second Young Lord of the Golden Serpent’s eyes turned, golden light flashing. He found it hard to believe — in their battle years ago, his own flesh had suffered no small amount of pain, agony that was difficult to bear.
“Second Young Lord, I admit I am not your equal, but you’ve exaggerated this enemy. Let me handle him — allow me to slay this so-called rare bloodline,” the Five-colored Peacock said, exceedingly arrogant.
The Second Young Lord of the Golden Serpent said nothing. The four Golden Serpents all watched coldly, staring at Ye Fan, wanting to see for themselves.
Hiss!
The peacock spread its wings, its feathers dazzling, five-colored divine light sweeping outward in a direct kill strike, weighing hundreds of millions of jun, intending to crush Ye Fan the moment it arrived, without so much as a probe.
“On the same fifth minor tier of the Sage King realm, and you dare challenge me?” Ye Fan said coldly.
With a boom, he took a single step forward, and heaven and earth erupted in wind and thunder, lightning flashing across the sky. Even with golden blood staining his collar, he carried an air of overwhelming majesty, like a divine demon incarnate!
“Even someone injured during their tribulation dares to show off in front of me — how laughable!” the Five-colored Peacock sneered, the divine light behind it growing even more intense as it struck downward.
“Bang!”
Ye Fan struck, decisive and domineering, stretching out his limbs as the Four Extremes of his body blazed with light, instantly causing the heavens to crack and the earth to split, the Bitter Sea surging skyward as though about to smash down entire stars.
“You…” The Five-colored Peacock’s expression changed, unsettled by the sight before it.
“Boom!”
The divine fox struck suddenly, unleashing an ancient pagoda that transformed into thirty-three tiers, bearing down to crush Ye Fan and save the peacock. For it had seen that this divine might truly carried an air of dominance unrivaled under heaven, an aura that bowed to no one.
Alas, it was too late. Ye Fan cut through in a single stroke, his body curving like a dragon in flight, slicing through the five-colored divine light. His true form closed the distance and, with a bare hand, seized the Five-colored Peacock, tearing it in two with a splatter, blood raining down as it was struck down on the spot.
“Ahh…” The Five-colored Peacock let out a shrill, tragic cry.
“What is a Supreme? In this world, there is only one!” Ye Fan said coldly.
Then, with a sweep of his arm, he sent the descending pagoda spinning back the way it came, shaking violently before exploding with a boom, no longer under the divine fox’s control.
“You…” The divine fox’s face drained of color in terror.