Ten years is significant — especially for ordinary people. In ten years, heroes may grow white-haired, and beauties may sigh over wrinkles born of age.

“The Divine Court keeps violating our territory — what is their intention? Withdraw at once!” A man in golden feathered robes spoke with an authority that was difficult to put into words.

In the cold void of the cosmos, two vast armies faced off — both sides innumerable, like mountains, like the sea, arrayed on opposite banks of the River of Chaos. Iron armor gleamed. Sword lights of the Dao stabbed painfully at the eyes.

“Who are you?” A muscular man on the opposite side holding twin halberds called out in a thunderous voice. He stood a full two zhang tall, muscles bulging, his arms several times thicker than an ordinary person’s thighs. He had a head of dark blue hair, eyes the size of copper bells — ferociously imposing.

“I am the Celestial Court’s Great Roc King!” The man in golden feathered robes had a powerful physique, brows like two long swords, an indescribable heroic air, with eyes like golden lanterns.

Upon hearing these words, the people of the Divine Court involuntarily drew in a sharp breath. Over all these years, the name of the Great Roc King had shaken the starry sky — to the people of the Divine Court, he was a nightmare.

The Great Roc King Fist he had created was heavy with force and mighty in momentum — capable of pulverizing the Milky Way with a single strike. The sun, moon, and stars would tremble with each thrust of his fist. He was boundlessly powerful — an existence who had long since proclaimed himself king in one region, who had carved out a magnificent and terrifying name for himself through genuine slaughter, cutting down many forces of the Divine Court. No Great Sage had been a match for him. He had not suffered a single defeat.

“The Great Roc King — a being who has proclaimed kingship. Good — let me see just how powerful you are. I hope you haven’t earned that name in vain!” The muscular man with the full head of dark blue hair gave a cold laugh, grasping his twin halberds and charging forward to attack.

He had come from an ancient wilderness on the frontier of the Divine Court’s domain — visiting this battlefield for the first time. Naturally he was unsubmissive. Toward the few existences within the Celestial Court who had already proclaimed kingship, he was filled with hostility, wanting to defeat them one by one.

“Everyone who has ever said such words to me is dead,” said the Great Roc King, his hands clasped behind his back. He appeared utterly indifferent, his entire body enveloped in blazing golden light, his eyes growing even more awe-inspiring.

“Just a roc bird — daring to proclaim kingship in one region and command the living lands there. Come offer me your life!” The muscular man roared. Instantly, wisps of white smoke billowed from his mouth and nose — primordial energy. His entire body radiated precious brilliance; his battle power surged to frightening heights.

“Swish!”

The twin halberds split the long sky open. The cold, dark halberd blades carved open the cosmos. He arrived at close range like a war god, the Dao power surging around him, its patterns spreading out like water ripples — every nearby dead star exploding apart.

As for the armies on both sides — they had long since retreated, fearing to be caught in the shockwaves. The muscular man was too powerful. When he swung his weapons, all things shattered and were ground to powder.

The Great Roc King moved simply — he turned his body sideways and stepped forward, not retreating a single step. His palm brushed against the halberd blades, like a great hammer striking, causing the twin halberds to hum and vibrate — they nearly shattered.

The blue-haired muscular man’s heart lurched. What had appeared to be a casual swipe had numbed his arms entirely. Truly, a being praised as one of the Celestial Court’s divine kings was terrifying. A note of alarm rose in his heart, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

The two fought. The two-zhang giant exuded streams of black smoke — like the hellfire of the underworld — growing ever stronger.

Yet the Great Roc King paid no attention. His golden feathered robes fluttered. His full head of golden long hair blazed like a torch. His entire aura bore down more oppressively than a mountain range.

“Kill!”

With a single killing cry, the Great Roc King transformed palm into fist. Golden light erupted from his entire body — the brilliance at his fist most dazzling of all. The force of his punch reverberated throughout all eight directions!

“Crack!”

The twin halberds let out a trembling cry. Crack after crack spread through them — and then they broke into four and five pieces, exploding apart in the cosmos.

Thud!

The Great Roc King’s fist drove forward with savage power. As it shattered the twin halberds, it simultaneously slammed into the muscular man’s body. That physique — originally two zhang tall and powerfully built — was now sent flying sideways like a puppet; a massive, bloody cavity gaped in his torso.

Boom!

A torrent of blood rained down. The muscular man was destroyed — annihilated beneath the Great Roc King Fist — without the slightest suspense.

The crowd erupted in uproar. Everyone was shaken — especially the forces of the Divine Court, who were struck with terror. This muscular man had been enormously powerful — supreme in one region, with the capability to contest supremacy on the One True Road — yet he had been recruited and pacified by the Divine Court instead. No one had imagined that so powerful a figure would be directly detonated by that man in golden feathered robes.

“Terrifying — the Great Roc King Fist is truly without equal. Even a supreme-level Great Sage can be easily cut down!”

“So powerful it defies comprehension. With no quasi-emperor emerging, who else can act as a counterbalance? He truly deserves to be called one of the Celestial Court’s divine kings — truly capable of reigning supreme in one region!”

People were stunned. The Celestial Court’s proclaimed king in golden feathered robes was too powerful — truly impossible to oppose by force. Every single person trembled and shook with fear.

“It is said that the Great Roc King Fist carries traces of the Heavenly Emperor Fist. In those years, this golden roc perched upon the shoulder of the Holy Physique Ye Fan and received inspiration — attaining enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Tree at the same time.”

When someone spoke of this old story, people could not help but furrow their brows. If this fist technique was already without equal — exerting incomparable oppressive force — what would the true Heavenly Emperor Fist be like? Every single person felt a chill run through their hearts.

“Kill!” The Great Roc King swept his hand forward. Behind him, celestial soldiers and heavenly generals surged in a black mass, charging ahead — and he led the vanguard, charging into the slaughter. Blood and shattered weapons flew together.

In another star region, a great battle was also underway. Long Ma was the first existence in the Celestial Court to have self-proclaimed kingship — governing one region. Now, facing encirclement and suppression, it showed no sign of alarm. It directly deployed the Eight Divisions Killing Array Platform, sweeping all four directions.

This had been given to it by its close companion the Black Sovereign, who had studied it carefully for many years and restored it to a Great Emperor Killing Array. Even using only two or three corners of the array, it was terrifyingly powerful.

Blood and wind of carnage swept through this star region. Long Ma fought until it was swept up in excitement, and directly stamped across the starry sky — deploying the “March” character secret technique alongside the Celestial Court’s great slaughtering divine art — assassinating the supreme leader of the army.

Even with the opposing side’s experts fighting at full strength — even having come specifically to encircle and suppress Long Ma — the death of the army’s great leading sage marked the complete collapse of their forces. Long Ma led its army in a counter-offensive, bathing the Divine Court’s various contingents in blood.

In the Purple Subtle Star Region, Yan Yixi and Li Tian faced enormous pressure. The Divine Court had been fixated on this place — it was the renowned Imperial Star, which had now become part of the territory actually controlled by the Celestial Court.

This time, an unparalleled powerful being came to attack, bearing in hand a divine weapon bestowed by the master of the Divine Court — forged personally by a quasi-emperor!

This became one of the most critical and terrifying battlefields. The quasi-emperor artifact radiated overwhelming power, pressing downward with boundless terror.

No one could resist it.

No one had expected the Divine Court to be this ferocious this time. Setting aside the non-appearance of the court’s master, the other factions had mobilized more than half their strength — they were truly set on exterminating the Celestial Court in a single stroke.

In former years, the Human Emperor had entered and taken control of the Purple Subtle Star Region, then reigned supreme over the cosmos, looking down upon all eight directions, leaving behind too many legends.

This time, the attack was too fierce. Yan Yixi and Li Tian both sustained heavy injuries. Isolated and vastly outnumbered, though they had consolidated the forces of this entire region, they still could not compare to the Divine Court.

The Divine Court’s main force had arrived. Among those visible alone, there were eight or nine Great Sages — how many more lurked in the shadows was unknown. The quasi-emperor divine sword rose and fell, utterly irresistible, slashing down one beam of cold light after another.

“Crack!”

Finally, the Divine Woman Furnace was destroyed — its exterior fractured, fragments peeling away and piling up.

Yan Yixi and Li Tian’s faces turned ashen. They could hold on no longer. Struck by a surge of quasi-emperor light that swept across their weapons, their primordial spirits were both injured.

“The Purple Subtle Star Region has been taken!” one Great Sage declared with a cold laugh, holding that quasi-emperor sword, standing arrogantly beneath the long sky, pointing toward the two of them — the martial brothers of the Dao of Human Desire — about to deliver the killing blow.

Yet at that very moment, an extremely terrifying wave of energy suddenly spread outward. From within the shattered Divine Woman Furnace, a brilliant immortal radiance poured out — and a small furnace rose up from within it, dazzling beyond all description.

It was only the size of an infant’s fist — crystalline and radiant. And from it, one stream after another of imperial majesty spread outward, shaking the mortal world!

“What — that is…” The people of the Divine Court trembled.

“Hum!”

The small furnace vibrated. Beams of light shook the heavens, tearing open the cosmos. Transformed into a strand of immortal radiance, it surged upward — and with a crack, directly shattered that quasi-emperor sword, causing it to crumble apart.

Everyone in the Divine Court was aghast. What weapon was this? The quasi-emperor sword forged personally by the court’s master was terrifyingly powerful — it had clearly already shattered the Divine Woman Furnace. How could yet another small one come flying out from within it?

“Ahh…”

One Great Sage cried out in misery — when the small furnace drew near, they were ground into mincemeat, crushed by the radiance cascading downward. How utterly astonishing was this?!

“This is a magical weapon approaching a Great Emperor battle weapon — considerably stronger than an ordinary quasi-emperor artifact. It has nearly transformed into an Emperor Weapon. How can this be?!”

The people of the Divine Court were horrified and retreated rapidly. But it was too late. Yan Yixi and Li Tian exchanged a glance, took control of this furnace, and struck down in all four directions — sweeping across the starry sky, leaving behind rivers of blood and mountains of bones.

Only today did they finally understand the ultimate secret of the Divine Woman Furnace. Truly worthy of being a weapon personally forged by the Eternal Cosmic Emperor as a gift for his dear friend, the ancestral master of the Dao of Human Desire — created with great deliberation and care. Concealed within it was actually a quasi-emperor weapon. Once danger was encountered, it would automatically emerge. And in ordinary times, it would not allow whoever held the Divine Woman Furnace to grow overly dependent upon it.

“The Divine Court has actually mobilized such a spectacle — unprecedented in three hundred years. Daring to launch a sneak attack — this Emperor has come!” The great black dog came charging over wildly from another region, the Celestial Court’s staff of authority suspended above its head, the light in its eyes terrifying.

Behind it, Duan De had also arrived — summoned by the Celestial Court’s people, for the pressure this time had been too great.

No one had expected the Divine Court to mobilize such enormous forces — clearly intending to exterminate the Celestial Court in a single stroke. And this was one of the main battlefields.

When they arrived, they found the Purple Subtle Star Region unharmed, with a quasi-emperor furnace rising and falling — and both of them were left dumbstruck.

“Bad — quickly go toward the direction of the Savage Star. The most terrifying army of the Divine Court is headed there. The wild man won’t be able to hold them off!” The Black Sovereign shouted.

Everyone’s expression changed. The Savage Star housed a secret formation leading into the Celestial Court’s headquarters — if it were breached, the consequences were unimaginable.

In that moment, not only they — even Long Ma, the Great Roc King, Huahua and the others guarding the Buddhist domain, all mobilized their forces and set out toward the Savage Star for rescue.

When they arrived, they saw endless blood and bone. Across the cosmos lay severed limbs and mutilated remains — corpses beyond count. Blood had completely dyed this place red: a scene like hell itself.

Every single person’s heart sank. An overwhelming feeling of oppression settled over them.

“Are Dongfang Ye and the others all dead?” Fear gripped the crowd.

When they descended upon the critical location of the Savage Star, the scene among the mountain ranges left everyone frozen in place — and then none of them knew what to say.

The wild man was busying himself back and forth, personally tending the roasting fires. He had killed too many — the races that had invaded from the Divine Court were many and varied, from all manner of clans. Now he was preparing a great feast.

Beside him, the old Human Demon grandfather was eating with great enthusiasm, being attended to with considerable comfort — how many roasted meats he had already consumed was impossible to say.

“How is the food, elder ancestor?” Dongfang Ye inquired. This time everything had depended entirely on the Human Demon. When the Divine Court’s main force came killing, if the Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi had not suddenly appeared, this place would certainly have been leveled — no one could have resisted that sea of divine soldiers.

With the Human Demon’s arrival, everything changed completely. Those people could not descend upon this star — even Great Sages could not do so. After that battle, they had all become food for the old Human Demon.

“Tastes fine — fair enough. Almost full,” the Human Demon said, belching contentedly.

People were dumbstruck. Every last soldier of that army who was not of human bloodline had been eaten by him.

“This is a mixed stew — flood dragons, divine tigers, blood luan birds, and other races’ powerful warriors all thrown into one great cauldron to steam and boil, then seasoned with our Savage Tribe’s most special spices. The flavor is exquisite. This time I made it into a pot of broth — come, taste it quickly.” Dongfang Ye attentively brought over a great cauldron — modeled after Ye Fan’s Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron and forged in imitation of it. It had now become a soup pot.

Everyone was speechless. They had just been worrying — yet unexpectedly, this was the outcome. The Divine Court’s vast army had all become prey for the Human Demon, and now resided within his stomach.

This was simply beyond all comprehension.

In this battle, the Divine Court had mobilized enormous forces — yet this was how it ended. While leaving people shaken, it also made them want to laugh.

This was the first great confrontation between the Divine Court and the Celestial Court. The scale had originally been set to be enormous — yet unexpectedly it had fizzled out like thunder without rain. The result exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Yet this affair put people on high alert. The contradictions between the two great organizations had grown irreconcilable — severe enough to have generated a mobilization on this scale. Otherwise, why would such a sweeping campaign have been launched?

Throughout the cosmos, the atmosphere grew tense. Now that there had been one great campaign, there would certainly be a second — and perhaps not too long from now.

“The Celestial Court has gone too far — provoking the Divine Court, annihilating our great army. Is this a desire for all-out war?”

“Divine Court — do you have any shame at all? You clearly came to sweep us into extinction. Having been beaten back in crushing defeat, you now put on the face of the victim.”

Now that such events had occurred, all manner of clamor was of course inevitable. The entire star region was unsettled, thick with the smell of gunpowder.

In the areas bordering the Divine Court and the Celestial Court, turmoil reigned. Some people fled, fearing to be caught up in the campaigns of the two great organizations.

By this time, people suddenly realized — the Celestial Court had actually grown this powerful. It dared to contend with the Divine Court.

In former times, the master of the Divine Court had kept an extremely low profile. Having not participated in the blood battle against the supreme being, perhaps feeling unable to face the world, they had consistently not appeared. Yet their great organization had never slowed its expansion — having long since grown into a colossal entity. After all these years, it inspired dread in all.

No one had imagined that more than three hundred years later, the Celestial Court would have quietly grown to this point — able to fight a battle against this colossal entity.

The areas bordering the two organizations were turbulent and could find no peace. Everyone watched with keen attention: how would the final confrontation between the two great organizations unfold?

The focus of gazes gathered here had even temporarily surpassed that of the One True Road — this had unmistakably become the most closely watched focal point of the present day.

“Ye Fan has emerged!”

“What — after fading from the Imperial Road in disgrace and retreating into seclusion for ten years, he has appeared again?”

“Where is he?”

“He has gone toward the star region bordering the Celestial Court and the Divine Court!”

These pieces of news seemed to sprout wings — spreading everywhere in the first possible moment, even transmitted through certain special channels into the One True Road, stirring the hearts of all.

Ye Fan’s body had a hidden ailment. Something had gone gravely wrong with him. He could no longer fight on the Imperial Road and had been forced to withdraw. Yet he had always been regarded by certain people as an unpredictable factor. No matter what state he was in — the moment he appeared, one had to be on full alert.

A Blood Crow crossed the cosmos — tens of thousands of zhang in length. Upon its back stood several figures. One of them was Ye Fan himself — who had retreated into seclusion for ten years — now appearing once more.

“The Holy Physique Ye Fan has come!”

“It’s truly him!”

This was a great city, settled upon a desolate star. The star itself had no vitality — it was a dead star.

Yet since ancient times, this great city had been extremely flourishing, with a constant flow of people coming and going. It sat at the intersection of several great star regions — a place of special significance.

Many powerful cultivators passed through here — some to exchange scriptures, some to sell divine materials, some to purchase secret weapons. From ancient times to the present, it had never fallen into decline.

And now, it remained just as lively as ever. Though situated between the Divine Court and the Celestial Court, the number of powerful cultivators had not truly diminished by much. There were many longstanding residents.

“Ye Fan has come — and on the other side, the Divine Court’s great army is pressing at the border, watching this place with covetous eyes. Does he truly dare appear like this?!”

The Divine Court had massed vast forces at the border region, pressing down with a suffocating weight of pressure. Among them were supreme-level experts; someone held a quasi-emperor artifact; and one of the Divine Court’s vice-heads had even personally descended.

It was under this pressure that Ye Fan appeared — making his way to the frontier, showing up in this great city — sending a chill through people’s hearts.

“What is he doing — does he intend to face the Divine Court’s entire great army alone?!”