The battle robe upon the Lord of Reincarnation blazed with light. Feather-transformed azure gold was an exceptionally rare immortal material. In this moment it was resplendent and dazzling. Great divine feathers flew outward — like the beautiful, long tail feathers of a phoenix — blazing with overwhelming brilliance.

His armor rang with a clear, metallic resonance. The battle robe woven of feather-transformed azure gold carried a supreme life force. Now fully awakened, its light illuminated all nine heavens and ten earths!

Only in the hands of a true great emperor-level figure would such a weapon fully unleash its utmost power — capable of elevating a supreme being’s battle strength to a terrifyingly extreme degree.

As an ancient supreme being, the Lord of Reincarnation had been struck by a palm. How could he let it rest? Naturally he would mount a powerful counterattack. They were the highest supreme masters — the true sovereign rulers beneath the eternal blue heavens throughout all history — and from time immemorial, no one could provoke or challenge them.

And when supreme being encountered supreme being, there would certainly be great trouble. Both were existences of this tier — who was truly invincible? If they were at odds, there would certainly be a life-or-death battle.

Boom!

Heaven shattered and earth cracked. The Lord of Reincarnation unleashed his world-overcoming divine power. In front of him, ten thousand threads of divine chains appeared. Each one set the heavens trembling. They transformed into brilliant shackles, seeking to bind the mistress of the ancient wastelands and suppress her.

Smack!

That lustrous jade palm pressed directly downward, colliding with the numerous shimmering chains that resembled phoenix feathers. The brilliance was impossible to look upon. The ten directions of the cosmos shook — an astounding impact.

This was a collision between supreme beings — extraordinarily rare throughout the ten thousand ages. Were it not for the coming of this great era, how could the world have witnessed it? There was simply no one who could have beheld it.

A violent great explosion erupted. The cosmos seemed to have been destroyed, returning to its primordial point. The former Big Dipper star region ceased to exist — directly leveled, ground to powder.

Countless stars exploded, transformed into a beautiful shower of radiant light that flew outward in every direction. This was a great annihilation beneath a spectacular display of radiant grandeur.

If supreme beings cast aside all restraint, the heavens would collapse and the earth would crack. The entire cosmos would undergo a great catastrophe. Nothing would be left.

Were it not for the mistress of the ancient wastelands’ other hand shielding below — protecting the life-ancient ground shattered into four — life here would certainly have been completely extinguished, nothing surviving.

This was the law and Dao of a supreme being. This time, the Lord of Reincarnation was fully prepared — unlike the first time, when he had been caught off guard. Yet even so, thousands of his brilliant order-chains of divine power were shattered!

That lustrous white palm could break through all things, sweeping everything before it like fallen leaves — impossible to resist. Even a supreme being as powerful as he had nearly suffered severe injury. The Lord of Reincarnation’s expression changed completely. His body blazed with light once more — even more intensely. His armor was submerged in primordial chaos energy. With a great roar, he charged back in to fight.

Though the white-robed woman appeared superlatively beautiful and utterly transcendent, she genuinely possessed a might that shook heaven and earth and moved ghosts and gods. Her lotus feet shifted — one step seemed to cross a thousand years, throwing time into disorder — and in an instant she was close at hand.

Her attack was simple and direct — still a palm strike — seeking to end the Lord of Reincarnation’s life. This overwhelming forcefulness caused even the other several supreme beings to change their expressions.

Hum!

The Lord of Reincarnation’s eyes emitted strange, eerie radiance. His brow bone gleamed crystalline and brilliant, shooting out ten thousand threads of immortal light that coalesced into terrifying runes, forming into an immortal blade that slashed toward the mistress of the ancient wastelands’ brow center.

Halt!

The immortal platform of the mistress of the ancient wastelands was dim. Her primordial spirit was peculiar — sometimes strong, sometimes weak, at times approaching complete nonexistence. Yet her physical body contained world-transcending Dao laws, capable even of encompassing a great cosmos, and harbored a wondrous divine consciousness force. She opened her mouth in a sharp cry — immediately a Dao diagram spread outward, sealing the heavens, blocking that immortal blade.

Simultaneously, her lustrous white palm pressed down once more. Close-range combat — striking directly toward the Lord of Reincarnation’s face.

Boom!

This was a contest of law against Dao — a comparison of each person’s comprehension and experience. A battle between supreme beings contained far too many dimensions. Every aspect was connected to victory and defeat.

Yet the mistress of the ancient wastelands’ physical body was exceptionally powerful. This time, unlike her previous casual strikes, she unleashed the resonance of the heavenly Dao — causing every great Dao throughout all the myriad heavens to submit.

This was a true path of absolute self-sovereignty. Even when facing a supreme being, it was like this — with me, there are no equals. To strike against a supreme being was to remain this composed and steady, regarding even them as insignificant.

Boom!

This clash was incomparably fierce. The Lord of Reincarnation had been undefeated his entire life — ranging freely across heaven and earth, he had never met an equal. Even in the ancient days of the great emperor’s road where heroes competed, he had swept all before him. But now, he suffered a tremendous shock. His right palm seemed to have been shattered, in extreme agony.

This was something that had never occurred in all the long ages. How could a supreme being feel pain? They had long since become unmatched in the world. When would they ever taste such bitter fruits? It was simply incomprehensible.

Moreover, this time he was sent flying sideways — spitting blood in great mouthfuls, his hair in wild disarray — and after falling, he staggered backward unsteadily. He had sustained a severe strike.

The right palm area was drenched in blood. The battle robe hand portion woven of immortal gold had shattered, breaking the bones of his hand, flesh pulped and mangled, white bone splinters exposed.

It was too astounding. He had actually been wounded in this battle.

“Do you mock me for being aged and weakened? I have never been defeated once in my entire life. Today, though I paid a price entering the immortal road, do you think I am without the power to fight? I come from the Reincarnation Sea. My entire life has been one of invincibility. Even at my most weakened, I can in an instant elevate myself and restore my absolute pinnacle battle strength!”

The Lord of Reincarnation’s voice was cold and without emotion. His face bore not a single ripple. He walked forward step by step, his aura growing ever more terrifying.

“It isn’t as though she hasn’t killed someone like you before!” From the cosmic depths, the perfected sacred body covered in golden fur said coldly.

When these words rang out, the ten directions of the cosmos shook greatly. Heaven and earth rumbled and roared. That white-robed woman moved like a soaring immortal — unworldly and transcendent — advancing forward.

The other several supreme beings all shuddered. Expressions of utter disbelief appeared on every face. “It is her — she has actually survived!”

Every supreme being had their own Dao. Having endured the ten thousand ages, it had never changed — even after having cut themselves down by one stroke, it remained so. Yet this person — even her own Dao had transformed, and so none of them had recognized her before.

That even her Dao had shed its old form and become new — how astounding this was. It sent chills through the soul. Too overwhelming. Even supreme beings were no exception — all their expressions changed.

“Without having taken that step — you have… actually also survived?!” The Lord of Reincarnation, for the first time, felt something sink within him. He was no longer as self-confident as before. This time, the most solemn and grave expression he had ever worn emerged upon his face.

It was as in those ancient days before he attained Dao — that night he had cut down all his great enemies, ranged freely throughout the cosmos, and battled across the eight wastes — when he had elevated his vital energy, spirit, and will to their absolute limit.

The Lord of Reincarnation was tall and imposing. Primordial chaos energy submerged his true form. Like a demonic god that had survived from the age when heaven and earth were first split, within the swirling mist he was still bathed in brilliant radiance — standing out especially terrifying and awe-inspiring in this frozen and dark cosmos.

Fewer ancient supreme beings held weapons in their hands. Those who had forged battle robes of immortal gold were fewer still. But each such person was invariably difficult to overcome in battle — for they valued protection above all else.

In this moment, his brow bone radiated light, illuminating the dark cosmos. Within that light, it was as though a deity sat in meditation, seated upon an immortal platform — cast in projection and illuminating all ten thousand ages. It was truly world-shaking.

Before him and behind him, a vast ocean appeared. It was an ocean formed of souls and spirits — one of the most terrifying places in the world. The Reincarnation Sea reappeared.

“I govern the reincarnation of all under heaven — I am the sovereign of this world. In ancient times, none across all nine heavens and ten earths could withstand me. In this generation as well, I shall not be defeated. My battle soul awakens — I shall annihilate all worlds!”

The Lord of Reincarnation walked forward. His eyes were unfathomably profound — within them lay visions of sun and moon perishing, stars falling, heaven and earth splitting apart. His body was submerged in primordial chaos, terrifying to the extreme.

The Reincarnation Sea turned. It was as though it sought to put the entire mortal realm through one cycle of reincarnation. In this moment, numerous stars were actually drawn toward it, absorbed into its depths.

Then more brilliant great stars fell. Galaxies cascaded down in rows. All were absorbed into the Reincarnation Sea. This was truly what it meant to be a sovereign — unmatched throughout all the world.

“You govern the reincarnation of all things below heaven. But what of the things above?” The white-robed woman spoke for the first time. Her voice was cold and sharp, yet it carried a magnetic quality. Had it not been so devoid of feeling, it would have been like celestial music — extraordinarily pleasing to hear.

“Then let us fight. A battle between supreme beings — to determine victory and defeat, and see who shall be the true sovereign of this world!” The Lord of Reincarnation bellowed. His dense, thick locks flew loose and wild. His azure-gold battle robe blazed with light. The deity within it also burned with fury — the portion shattered earlier, it too sought vengeance.

Boom!

The two of them crashed toward each other — to engage in the most pinnacle battle of all!

Beside them, the other four, witnessing this, all wore expressions of cold indifference. None moved. None said anything.

They were all supreme beings. In ages past, all had been sovereign rulers of the primordial universe. They would never stoop to fight as a group against a single enemy. For each of them was invincible. In their hearts, they held only themselves as the highest. How could any of them believe another to be the strongest in the world?

This was not arrogance — it was fact. In those ancient days, they had truly been exactly so.

“The Lord of Reincarnation has entered battle. We too must be on our way. Let us part here and each set out on our own.”

“The Lord of Reincarnation is in a precarious position — most likely his lifelong reputation for invincibility will fall this day.”

“The mistress of the ancient wastelands has a deficiency. Her divine consciousness is erratic. The Lord of Reincarnation should have nothing to fear.”

These few were all supremely powerful existences. This cosmos was no stranger to them. They had once governed it, once protected it, once battled across it. Recalling those glorious days of old, each of their expressions drifted into momentary reverie.

What a pity — those days were gone and could never return. They had changed.

There was no doubt about it. The supreme beings of the seven great life’s forbidden zones were either heavenly venerables from the age of myth, or ancient emperors, or human clan great emperors, or sacred spirit divine fetuses — every one of them with a staggering background.

By now, it was no longer any secret. The world had come to know.

At this level, they could not seal themselves within a source. Nothing in heaven or earth could preserve their immortal platforms in an undying state — for they were all too powerful. Nothing could truly suppress them.

The reason they had survived was that each possessed their own method of long life. And there was one additional prerequisite: they had each cut themselves down by one stroke. They had withdrawn from the imperial Dao position and fallen from that level. Otherwise, how could they have remained sealed until now?

Some, after falling from that level, could lie dormant for ten thousand ages — never emerging into the world — for as long as primordial life stones and immortal sources allowed them to remain sealed for immensely long stretches of time.

Some of these were individual human clan great emperors, some individual ancient emperors, and others besides. They had slumbered until the road to immortality opened, then awakened and emerged directly to contest the immortal path of this generation.

Naturally, those in such a state would be at their most weakened physical condition. And so, before the immortal road had even concluded, they had fallen — stark examples in plain sight.

Then there were others who, even using immortal sources and primordial life stones and other rare treasures for self-sealing, could not sustain it across too great a passage of time. Either time had run too long, or some problem had arisen in between — and they could hold on no longer. They awakened prematurely in ancient times, already aging toward death.

And from this had come the dark upheavals.

A single grain of sand, an entire world. A single blade of grass, a paradise. And so too with living beings. No matter how feeble and small, they all contained a great miracle within them. All harbored within their bodies the most precious substance in this world — life.

Those who were powerful possessed more of this substance. Those who were weak possessed comparatively less. Like grains of precious treasure, hidden within every living body.

When awakening prematurely in ancient times, to preserve their existence and extend their immortal being, they embarked upon the dark upheavals. Not limited to the Big Dipper — the eight wildernesses of the entire cosmos were their hunting grounds.

When the ancient sages from beyond descended upon the Big Dipper, some had discussed it and suspected that the source lay in the Big Dipper star region. It simply had not been confirmed.

Ancient supreme beings would not exhaust one location entirely. They selected targets with care, preserving some seeds of life in those ancient star regions — even as they drew upon life over long periods, maintaining their immortal platforms in an undying state, preventing the spread of cracks, repairing the wheel of life.

Of course, this was like an undying divine medicine — once used, its potency dropped sharply. The same quantity would inevitably become useless. The next time need arose, ten times or a hundred times as much would be required.

Hence, dark upheavals grew more terrifying with each recurrence. Every supreme being now needed to consume life measured in the hundreds of millions with each occurrence. The greatest among them had in total blood-washed hundreds of billions of living beings — such as the Stone Emperor.

Yet this could not allow them to live out a second era. It was merely a temporary measure — resisting the encroachment of the ages, holding back the withering of old age.

Life was the greatest miracle in the world. Yet it had also become the greatest source of calamity.

The supreme beings of the life’s forbidden zones launching dark upheavals — whenever a great emperor emerged, they naturally retreated with all speed. After all, they had fallen from that level and were unwilling to fight to the death.

But if the need for vital energy arose during the wild and desolate ancient ages — then there was no choice but to fight. There was simply no avoiding it. For in those wild and primordial years, great emperors emerged one after another. When one passed and their seat was empty, another would attain Dao — the eras of each were virtually unbroken.

Naturally, it was impossible that great emperors would truly meet face to face — for there was a time limit that affected the attainment of Dao. And even in eras without great emperors, there would still be perfected sacred bodies.

In those periods, the ancient supreme beings had no choice but to act. They simply had no options — they could not avoid it. And so the most terrifying dark upheavals had been brought about, resulting in massive battles soaked in blood.

Though ancient supreme beings had withdrawn from the imperial Dao position, if a human clan great emperor came to suppress and slay them, they could elevate themselves to the absolute pinnacle for a brief time, briefly reclaiming their former glory. Whether victory or annihilation was more likely — no one could say for certain.

Yet to do so carried an enormous price. Even if they did not die in battle — even if they defeated and destroyed the human clan great emperor — there was every chance they would wither away on their own after that battle.

After such a battle, even without dying in it, they had drawn upon the imperial and emperor Dao fruits they had severed. Only a rare few among the supreme beings could survive such an ordeal with fortune on their side.

Hence, were it not for the great emperors of the wild and ancient age emerging without cease, with perfected sacred bodies appearing in succession — there would not have been those most terrifying blood-soaked ages. For no one could suppress them then.

No one wished to engage in a great emperor’s battle — whether ancient supreme being or human clan great emperor, both faced the danger of falling.

And in those ages when no great emperor had emerged — it was truly too devastating. All of heaven and earth was stained red with blood — not limited to the Big Dipper. It had occurred in other places as well. Those were the tragedies of the mortal world.

The four supreme beings had once been masters of this world — lords of all beneath heaven — revered by hundreds of thousands of great clans across the cosmos. Yet now, looking back, what remained?

Perhaps within their hearts, there had been moments of sighing. But long ago it had all been submerged beneath cold indifference, replaced by emotionlessness.

They were no longer who they once had been.

The four ancient supreme beings looked one final time, each chose a direction, and prepared to set out — heading for different ancient and primordial domains to “feed,” poised to launch the greatest dark upheaval in all history.

The entire cosmos trembled. All living beings feared. All felt a sense of approaching catastrophe — of imminent world annihilation — an aura that filled each one with shuddering terror.

And some ancient domains had long since learned what had transpired in the Big Dipper star region. Certain masters of heavenly secrets had sensed the coming blood disaster and most terrifying age of chaos, and were weeping aloud.

“Great emperors of the human clan — please, awaken! This mortal world is to suffer torment once more. Who can save all living beings from this flood of suffering? Who can spare them from this blood disaster?! Waaah…”

“The Big Dipper is already a land of devastation and suffering. Supreme great emperors — awaken and return!”

“Waaah… Where is the Void Great Emperor? We are willing to pray for your return — willing to exchange our own lives for yours. Appear once more in this mortal world!”

The heartbroken cries of all living beings shook heaven and earth. It seemed as though the sound traveled to reach this realm — a resonance born from the spirit.

Suddenly, the mistress of the ancient wastelands struck — launching the most terrifying attack simultaneously against the four supreme beings who were about to depart!

She was white-robed and transcendent, her beautiful hair flowing in the wind, pure and otherworldly. Yet she was forceful to the very extreme. That was the power of a soaring immortal. Its radiance illuminated thirty-three layers of heaven, causing the entire cosmos to tremble — one person, to oppose five supreme beings alone!