The battle of the gods erupted — so sudden, throwing the Divine Domain into massive upheaval, an unimaginable calamity.

The transition between old and new gods had always been bloody and brutal — unless the old god personally designated a successor, heaven and earth would turn into a battlefield of carnage, the ground stained red with blood.

The Divine Domain was vast, yet it nearly shattered entirely — two terrifying pressures erupted, launching a fierce confrontation, boundlessly terrifying, like crashing waves against the shore, like an ocean pouring backward into the nine heavens.

“So the statue was true — it really is you, Qingming, the loser who once competed with me for the divine throne, and you’re still not dead!” the old god roared. He stood upon the divine altar — though his outward faith-power was dim, his body glowed from within, still dazzling.

“You’re wrong. I am not Qingming — that was my grandfather. He never had the Tree of Life, and could not have lived a second lifetime as you have. I am Qingyu Tian, and I have come to send you off, to reclaim everything that belongs to my clan!”

This was a heroic middle-aged man, identical to the divine statue secretly enshrined by the various clans — imposing and majestic, surveying the world with disdain, his eyes deep and profound, his tall frame carrying an intimidating dignity.

“Rebellious traitor, usurping the throne — his heart deserves death!” the old god roared, striking forward with a single palm, covering the sky and blotting out the sun, shocking the Great Sages beyond the domain.

It seemed as though he had taken that final step — his strength was terrifying enough to be alarming. Yet upon closer inspection, it did not quite seem so — there were still traces to be found; it did not resemble a Quasi-Emperor realm.

“BOOM!”

Qingyu Tian showed no fear, soaring upward to meet the blow head-on with his bare hands, without a trace of fear, calm and composed, shouting: “Back then my grandfather was the Godchild, yet you usurped the throne, murdered the old god, and hunted down my clan! You are the true usurping traitor — today I shall execute you, and return the Divine Domain to a clear and bright heaven!”

Not only did those from beyond the domain shake with shock, but the Divine Domain itself fell into an uproar, and the natives were even more deeply shaken — every clan recalled an old, forgotten matter.

The old god’s ascension had been far from honorable — he had murdered his predecessor, seized the divine throne, and driven away the former Godchild. A long span of time had passed, nearly buried in the sands of time.

The old god who lived through two lifetimes had outlived all his contemporaries. He had every intention of covering up this dishonorable past, and naturally it was not widely known — only the old elders of the great clans knew of it.

The old god shouted: “Traitor, your return is useless. Your clan came from beyond the domain and once sought to overthrow the Divine Domain — you deserve death. I have set things right, and my name shall go down in history with honor.”

Everyone was confused — who spoke the truth, and who spoke falsely? But at this moment, none of that mattered — strength would decide everything.

“Old wretch, even the supreme divine artifact refuses to heed your command — isn’t that proof enough? Wait until I truly set things right and restore the Divine Domain to a bright and clear heaven!” Qingyu Tian roared.

The two clashed fiercely, fighting with all their might, shattering the entire heaven and earth — the Divine Domain fractured into pieces, on the verge of total destruction.

Just then, a low mountain, together with the most ancient palace atop it, released a terrifying divine force — vastly greater than even the ocean or the sea of stars — instantly stabilizing the Divine Domain and repairing the cracks.

“This is…”

Everyone was shocked — this was the most ancient mountain in the Divine Domain, said to have existed alongside the world itself — as long as this world had existed, so had it.

It was not tall, nor conspicuous, but no one dared to defile it — this was the Divine Domain’s supreme sacred mountain, even more sacred than the ancient mountain where the Tree of Life grew.

Atop it stood an ancient palace, said to have coexisted with the world, never having collapsed, existing since recorded history began. It was not the most magnificent structure, but it was absolutely the most mysterious — even the God himself, under normal circumstances, could not set foot within it.

This low mountain was the symbol of the Divine Domain, just as Mount Sumeru was to Buddhism, and this ancient palace held a status equal to the Great Thunderclap Monastery — except here, there were even more taboos, forbidding anyone from lingering.

The mountain’s body was ancient, every inch bearing cracks, and at this moment it suddenly began to glow — from the crevices flowed forth a vast, immeasurable power of faith, supremely magnificent.

This was not the accumulation of a single generation’s god, but the sedimented faith of all the gods since ancient times — as long as believers faced the Divine Domain, mental force would come flying in.

In a sense, this mountain held more accumulated faith-power than any single god had ever possessed — year after year, day after day, even though it was but a mortal mountain, its whole body now cracked, it had become a place of utmost sanctity and divinity.

Thus, sacred mental force gushed forth from its cracks, shaking the Divine Domain in all directions — many could not help but bow in worship. It was this ancient mountain that had saved the Divine Domain, stabilizing the world.

In the sky, the fierce battle raged on, the two contenders clashing, shattering the void, the destruction spreading to the cosmos itself. Had it not been for the ancient divine mountain within the Divine Domain, whose faith-power was too vast, continuously surging forth, stabilizing earth, fire, wind, and water, the land below would surely have been utterly destroyed.

“Terrifying — one foot has nearly stepped into the Quasi-Emperor realm, but in the end, he has not truly broken through!” This was the judgment made by the Great Sages from beyond the domain.

“They really are formidable — unrivaled within their own domain, able to sweep the world. But twenty years ago, to slaughter our fellow Great Sages like that shouldn’t have been so easily achievable.” They grew doubtful.

Perhaps it could only be explained by the God having wielded the supreme divine artifact — otherwise, given his cultivation, which was not truly Quasi-Emperor, it would have been impossible for him to execute several Great Sages like that.

BOOM!

The stars in the sky were shattered. The two soared into the battlefield beyond the domain, the fighting growing ever more terrifying — the sky cracked, the earth split, ghosts wailed and gods howled.

“Old wretch, after all these years you truly haven’t made any progress — your cultivation has forever remained stagnant here. Today I’ll send you on your way, and end the Divine Domain’s dark rule!” Qingyu Tian grew ever more confident. He raised his hand, plucking stars and seizing the moon, his power enough to shake the gods, unstoppable, forcing the God into repeated retreat, falling into a disadvantageous position.

“Rebellious traitor — do you truly think I cannot deal with you? All these years of restraint were only to lure you out. Today I shall suppress and kill you!” the old god bellowed.

Suddenly, a divine sound shook the world, resounding like a great bell, and the old god’s dim faith-power abruptly flared to intense brilliance. He unleashed boundless light, supremely sacred.

His gray-white hair danced wildly, his eyes like two flashing blades, every pore of his body spraying sword-qi, each strand stretching hundreds of li, boundlessly terrifying.

The old god achieved a true, unstoppable display of divine might, invincible, advancing with overwhelming force, intent on crushing Qingyu Tian.

Everyone was shocked. The Great Sages from beyond the domain gasped in cold breath, finally understanding how he had been able to slaughter Great Sages — this faith-power, added to his body, had pushed half of him into the Quasi-Emperor realm, nearly establishing a foothold in that realm.

This was the wondrous use of faith-power — forcibly pushing himself into another realm that countless Great Sages throughout the ages had longed for but could never reach — Quasi-Emperor!

“In my eyes, so-called conspiracies are nothing but a joke. Before absolute power, all of you are nothing but clowns, not worth a single strike!”

The old god spoke coldly, his entire body engulfed in boundless light, only a pair of pupils shining like golden lamps, shooting out two beams of differing light, his blurred silhouette appearing boundlessly terrifying.

The supremely sacred and divine faith-power surged forth again, covering the sky, sweeping in with overwhelming force, nearly turning Qingyu Tian to dust!

Touched by even a hint of the word “Emperor,” even nearly becoming Quasi-Emperor, was an insurmountable chasm for a Great Sage, something no human power could resist, no Sage-level power could withstand.

Everyone’s hearts turned grave — this old god truly was capable of enduring. All these years, despite being doubted and rumored to be dying, he had never revealed the truth, all for the sake of luring the snake out of its hole today, to strike down his enemy in one blow.

“WHOOSH!”

Yet, events unfolded contrary to everyone’s expectations — Qingyu Tian did not die. From his own body erupted the same dazzling light and boundless faith-power.

“Do you think I don’t understand faith-power? How could all your years of accumulation possibly be depleted? I merely wanted to cut off your future path, to keep the coming faith-power from belonging to you,” Qingyu Tian roared.

Sacred radiance shone from his entire body, causing the battlefield beyond the domain to rumble and shake — stars and moon fell together, the sun’s light dimmed, as if this entire heavenly expanse was about to be destroyed.

“Your lineage… you established a faith tradition in another ancient domain, lit a divine flame, and proclaimed yourselves gods?” the old god was shocked — this was a true god’s return, far more troublesome and terrifying than he had imagined.

“Indeed. Three generations of my family have worked hard, establishing an even vaster ancient land of faith, stronger than yours!” Qingyu Tian roared, charging forward.

“So that’s it — you possess a divine status. The supreme divine artifact, out of regard for your lineage and your grandfather’s friendship, has withdrawn,” the old god murmured to himself.

“So you are certain to lose. Prepare to die!” Qingyu Tian roared.

At the same moment, several Divine Elders within the Divine Domain suddenly used their power, shattering the old god’s divine throne. The same thing happened at the ancestral grounds of every great clan — the old god’s divine statues were shattered into pieces, destroyed by others.

This was an attempt to sever his roots entirely, to cut off the source of his faith.

“You…” the old god was furious, never having expected so many to betray him — his subordinates had stabbed him in the back at this critical moment.

Most terrifying of all was the destruction of his divine throne within the Divine Domain, which shook his very mind and spirit — the boundless pure faith-power stored within his body became unstable.

“BOOM!”

This battle nearly lost all suspense — the old god suffered a great defeat, his faith-power almost entirely scattered, his whole body burning, turning into a streak of light that vanished into the cosmos.

Qingyu Tian took control of the Divine Domain, obtained the divine throne, and became the ruler of this era.

Clearly, the old god could no longer stir up trouble — old and weakened, his faith-power nearly entirely scattered, he now had no ability to contend for the Divine Domain.

The Great Sages from beyond the domain frowned — although the old god had fled in defeat, a new god had ascended within the Divine Domain, which was not good news for them. That supreme divine artifact, the Formation Chart of the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerate, would hang over their heads like a Asura Sword — should they be discovered, death was certain.

However, events took a turn no one had anticipated, and did not end there. That very day, the old god returned, entering the forbidden ground that produced Divine Demon Liquid.

This was a terrifying place — over all these years, only the God had been able to enter and leave; no one else could.

“They say the Divine Domain is the land of the True God, but if you are not a god, you have no idea of its true origin. This is nothing but a prison marked out on the ground — this is a cursed land. Once entered, faith becomes shackles, and the bloodline of the Divine Domain is destined to be eternal prisoners!”

The old god murmured to himself, walking forward step by step.

“The Ancient Emperor of old, an existence that made every god fear him. His corpse, his corpse-qi, can make the curse redouble. Before, I did not dare come to this place, afraid that my whole life’s Dao fruit would return to nothingness. But now, I don’t care anymore — I will have the traitors of the Divine Domain die alongside me!”

The old god revealed his true form — no divine light protecting him, just an emaciated old man, truly aged and weakened, his hair gray and white, his flesh without luster, his blood and flesh withered, vastly different from his usual sacred appearance.

He knew how to enter and exit the forbidden ground, treading upon the correct path, going straight in, avoiding the terrifying divine-demon runes, approaching that massive coffin.

“AHHH…” He let out a howl, his whole body in agonizing pain, his remaining faith-power burning into light. That massive coffin seemed to possess a kind of magic, causing his entire body to shake violently, blazing light surging skyward.

Streaks of Dao-marks seeped from the Ancient Emperor’s coffin, turning the faith-power into flying ash, like moths in flame, ceasing to exist.

The old god nearly destroyed himself; at the critical moment, he steeled his resolve and cast aside his entire body’s faith-power, completely losing his divine throne.

“You shall all be buried with me!” he roared loudly, his hands sweeping through the air, one terrifying trajectory after another appearing. He then drew out a strange divine tablet, shattering heaven and earth, striking out a massive void hole. He tore open his own chest, blood flowing continuously, dripping onto the Nine-Layered Coffin of the Mythic Age, trying to open the coffin.

“What a pity, to lose a true Ancient Divine Tablet,” he murmured to himself.

That massive hole connected directly to the Divine Domain — clearly he intended to have the coffin suppress the Divine Domain, destroying all faith-power there, erasing the divine throne, leaving the world godless from then on.

“What is he doing? Where are Ziyue and Ji Haoyue? Could they be about to appear?” Pang Bo asked, puzzled.

Ye Fan said nothing, watching closely. They had happened to arrive here, wanting to check on the Ji siblings, never expecting to witness this scene instead.

“BOOM!”

That day, the Divine Domain shook violently — a massive void hole appeared, an ancient coffin lying across it, boundless Dao-patterns hanging down, erasing endless faith-power!

“AHHH…” Everyone within the Divine Domain screamed in terror.

“PUFF!”

Qingyu Tian, who had just ascended to the divine throne, was sent flying, his body ablaze — the boundless faith-power within him had turned into the most terrifying flame.

“The Nine-Layered Ancient Coffin of the Mythic Age, burying an Emperor… how could such a thing appear in the Divine Domain?” Qingyu Tian cried out, his whole body cracking apart, his light of faith turning into the most terrifying hellfire, transforming him into a great living torch.

“No!” Everyone cried out — some who were called Divine Elders, some who were Hall Masters of sacred palaces, and some Sacred Maidens, all worshipped by the mortal world, holding divine thrones, enjoying incense and offerings, refining faith-power.

At this moment, they too suffered devastating blows — this was an unimaginable calamity, sweeping across the entire ancient domain.

“AHHH…” As the Divine Elder closest to the Ancient Emperor’s coffin turned to ash, everyone else was shocked to the extreme, all fleeing for their lives, rapidly expelling the faith-power within their bodies, because it was this very thing that was burning.

And now, this was fatal — it could kill a god!

Everyone was shocked, including the great powerful clans from beyond the domain, who, upon receiving the news, all rushed over, watching this all unfold with stunned expressions.

Many already knew that the Nine-Layered Coffin of the Mythic Age had descended upon the other shore, sinking into a certain forbidden ground, but no one knew this was actually the strongest weapon against the Divine Domain.

Those within the Divine Domain suddenly understood — no wonder the old god had grown increasingly low-key over the years, never venturing deep into that forbidden ground, and even when the Divine Demon Liquid appeared, never going to drink it.

At this time, Qingyu Tian, the various Divine Elders, Sacred Maidens, and several Hall Masters were all fleeing, doing everything possible to expel their faith-power, while simultaneously summoning the supreme divine artifact, using the array chart to fight against the Nine-Layered Coffin.

“Why is this happening — why would the Emperor’s coffin come to suppress our Divine Domain?”

“It’s… the old god. He’s gone mad — it’s really him who’s returned, wanting to perish together with all of us.”

The people of the Divine Domain were terrified, all screaming.

The old god’s hair was disheveled, his chest split open, dripping his very heart’s blood — one drop worth a hundred drops of divine blood. He had never had many drops of it within him, and now he had exhausted them all.

The Nine-Layered Coffin needed to be nourished with sacred blood and the like to open, and now it had already opened several layers. He was clearly intent on opening it completely, destroying this place entirely.

“You stole my divine throne — you shall all die!” He laughed tragically and wildly.

BOOM!

Qingyu Tian exploded — the faith-power within his body was too vast, utterly inexhaustible, burning and exploding before the open massive coffin.

And the old god too, like a moth in flame, was about to turn to ash!

“The God is dead. From this day, the Divine Domain shall be godless!” Many people’s blood began to boil within their bodies.

The Bull Demon King, the Saint Spirit, and other Great Sages all appeared, their expressions shifting unpredictably!

Sanggu, the Golden Serpent Lord, Diedian, the Great Demon God, the Heaven-Devouring Beast, the Divine Clan Celestial Maiden, the Gold-Devouring Beast, and others all appeared as well, their expressions changing in ways impossible to fathom.

They knew that with no god left in this world, that meant no one could suppress them any longer — an age of chaos had arrived, and the Tree of Life within the Divine Domain, along with the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerate’s Formation Chart, would stir up a storm.