Yao Guang — a prodigy of heaven-defying genius — had arrived at the threshold of the Quasi-Emperor realm. No matter the moment, he had always radiated warmth, like a luminous deity whose very hair was dyed in golden light, leaving those around him basking in his presence as if touched by the gentle breath of spring.

Yet now he had shattered apart. Even in the moment before death, he had waved to everyone around him, that brilliant smile forever frozen and suspended in the void — deeply imprinted upon the memory of all who witnessed it, impossible to forget.

“Dead. Just like that, he’s gone…”

“I don’t believe it. This is Yao Guang we’re talking about — how could he die? A peerless genius who, without yet becoming a Quasi-Emperor, had already grasped the divine abilities of one!”

Even the Great Black Dog was dumbstruck with disbelief, unable to accept the outcome, its face filled with astonishment.

Yet the truth lay plainly before their eyes. That tall, upright body had shattered apart, five-colored divine blood spraying in all directions — brilliant and resplendent, yet heartbreakingly tragic.

As Yao Guang’s physical form disintegrated, the chaotic energy that had enveloped him instantly scattered into thousands upon tens of thousands of streams, each one carrying a distinct resonance of the Dao.

In the end, that physical body — one that none of his peers save the Sacred Physique Ye Fan could hope to destroy — was utterly annihilated. It crumbled inch by inch, dissolving into a mist of blood, without leaving behind even a single gleaming white bone. One could only imagine how ferociously intense the clash between the two had been.

“Wait — some of the primordial energy is indestructible?!” People’s expressions shifted with surprise as, in an instant, thousands upon thousands of light streams burst forth from within that blood mist, each merging with a separate surge of chaotic light.

Within each strand of primordial energy, a different Dao principle manifested, and faint silhouettes of bodies flickered into view — these were the gifted individuals whose essences had been devoured by the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art.

The crowd’s hearts trembled. How many different physiques were there? Yao Guang, mighty as he was, had accomplished this — fusing the primordial essences of countless constitutions in pursuit of the Chaos Physique!

“One, two…”

Someone began to count, and found it was neither more nor less: precisely six thousand four hundred distinct primordial essences. The sheer magnitude of this left people utterly speechless.

“Most of them weren’t killed by him — many carry the aura of death, taken from corpses in graves. Only a small portion were slain by his own hand. It seems his heart wasn’t as ruthless as one might have imagined.”

The crowd mourned Yao Guang, a brilliant Emperor Star of his generation — the loss of such an unparalleled Emperor candidate felt like a waste beyond words.

People noticed that while the chaotic streams numbered ten thousand in total, the primordial energy strands numbered only six thousand four hundred. Together they did not form a complete whole — three thousand six hundred strands remained missing.

“Does this mean the true Chaos Physique requires at least ten thousand primordial Dao essences to converge before it can be born?” Everyone drew a sharp breath. What a staggering truth — utterly terrifying.

Yet Yao Guang had walked remarkably far down this path. By all accounts he had already undergone a complete transformation into an invincible physique, and for the time being, among peers of the same level, only the Sacred Physique Ye Fan could have shattered his physical shell.

“How terrifyingly strong. If a true Chaos Physique were born, what kind of power would it wield? If Yao Guang had continued down this path, how fearsome would he have become?”

“Yao Guang was a proud man. He did not wish to continue along this road and become the Chaos Physique — he wanted to transcend it, convinced that he alone was the strongest.” Suddenly, someone within the city spoke these words — one of the original inhabitants.

Li Tian and Yan Yixi nearly had their eyes bulge out of their sockets. It was that bearded man again — he had returned, appearing once more to offer his commentary on the battle.

“Yao Guang had already realized that continuing further was no longer a case of a man controlling the Dao, but the Dao controlling the man. This method had shackled him — the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art had turned against its master. Unless he could take an even greater step forward — truly transcending, truly transforming, truly breaking free — there was no path ahead.” The bearded man spoke with a grave expression, his eyes blazing with the light of insight, having seen through to the truth.

“Yao Guang wanted to walk his own road — to shatter the demonic body and cast away the Chaos Physique. Regrettably, he fell.” Others sighed softly.

Ten thousand streams of chaotic energy collided as six thousand four hundred strands of primordial energy fused together in an instant. In that single moment, an extraordinary radiance erupted, illuminating the entirety of the cosmos — and a silhouette appeared.

The crowd was startled. Yao Guang had reappeared. He had emerged once more. The six thousand four hundred streams of primordial energy had merged as one, melting together to form a new silhouette of supreme splendor.

“I knew it — how could he die so easily? The Indestructible Heavenly Art hasn’t even revealed itself yet. Is this its manifestation? Has a divine fetus emerged from within the demonic body, reborn?” The Black Emperor murmured to itself, its expression becoming incomparably grave.

Everyone was stunned. This was not the end — it was only the beginning? The shock of it shook them to their core.

But reality once again defied their expectations. Yao Guang reappeared, his presence radiant and supreme — yet in the instant he gazed upon the crowd, with a sharp crack, he exploded into six thousand four hundred streams of light that shot outward in all directions across the cosmos.

It all unfolded in a way no one had anticipated. Each strand of essence surged toward a different coordinate in a different direction, blazing brilliantly in all their glory — before finally, completely, and utterly vanishing without a trace. Nothing remained.

Everyone stood dazed, turned to stone.

The starry sky dimmed. Ye Fan returned to the city.

The bearded man had vanished once more — already gone. Li Tian and Yan Yixi were going mad with frustration, utterly at a loss. This mysterious full-bearded figure was truly exasperating.

Within the city, no small number of people had disappeared. While Ye Fan and Yao Guang had battled their way out into the cosmos, some of the Emperor Path contenders whose hearts had grown uneasy had slipped away — afraid of being called to account.

A faint, cold smile played at the corner of Ye Fan’s mouth. He shook his head. He had no desire to give chase, and let those people flee. Contrary to his expectations, Yin Tiande was still there — he had not left, still standing in place without the slightest sign of departing.

The Divine Lord was also present, expression indifferent, having made no move to flee.

“I never even made a move — wouldn’t it be pathetic to just leave like this? Though the timing isn’t ideal for a confrontation, I can’t simply walk away without doing anything.” Yin Tiande spoke with a self-deprecating tone.

He was not particularly imposing in stature, yet he carried a Dao resonance that seemed born of nature itself — like an ancient Emperor descended into the mortal world. Within his otherworldly bearing lay a sharpness that lay dormant yet coiled, commanding reverence from all who sensed it.

In the Ziwei Star Domain, his younger brother Yin Tianzhi had once challenged Ye Fan and been slain. After that, he and Ye Fan had clashed again over the Divine Scripture of the Gods. This man had killed even the father of his sworn brother in pursuit of that scripture — ruthless and calculating, he was no trifling figure. And what was more, he had touched upon the realm of the Divine Prohibition — the first person Ye Fan had ever encountered who possessed such a thing. Even across the entire cosmos, how many such individuals could there be?

Yin Tiande was about to make his move. This sparked heated discussion among the crowd. He was a figure of supremely terrifying power — since setting foot on the Emperor Path, no one had been able to withstand his edge.

He stepped forward and ascended into the starry sky. Violet energy surged and rolled for thirty thousand li, shaking heaven and earth. He turned and gazed back at Ye Fan from afar, having prepared himself for battle.

Ye Fan said nothing. He simply ascended directly into the heavens.

“Why now? He’s on the verge of entering the Quasi-Emperor realm at any moment — why would he choose this moment for a battle? Waiting just a while longer would be the ideal time.” Many people wore expressions of bewilderment.

Could the precedent of Yao Guang not give him pause? He still chose to press forward — the likely outcome was only one: death in battle.

“ROAR——!”

With a great roar from Yin Tiande, the stars trembled. That frame of his — not particularly massive — was somehow more awe-inspiring than even a giant. From atop his head, three streams of pure energy burst forth, and three figures identical to himself charged forward to kill.

This was a supreme divine technique of the highest order, capable of instantly amplifying one’s combat power — manifesting three Dao-selves identical to the true body and deploying them in battle, capable of turning the tide in an instant.

The fact that Yin Tiande used this trump card right from the very first move made clear that he regarded Ye Fan as the strongest adversary he had ever faced.

Three incarnations of Yin Tiande surged forward together. One formed the Celestial Venerable’s Sacred Seal, one wielded the Dao Venerable’s Sacred Vase, and one unleashed the Emperor Fist, releasing supreme Dao principles as he charged ahead.

Three figures pressing forward — supreme and mighty — their aura, the power that made blood boil with excitement, shook the starry sky, threatening to shatter the spirit and mind of every witness.

How terrifyingly powerful was Yin Tiande — how fearsome his combat strength. This was the heartfelt cry of every single person present, each one utterly stunned. This was the true might by which he had reigned supreme along the Emperor Path!

Like Yao Guang, he had one foot placed within the Quasi-Emperor realm, ready at any moment to truly undergo his tribulation, becoming a Quasi-Emperor of the highest order, overlooking this vast cosmos from above.

The one forming the Celestial Venerable’s Sacred Seal was solemn and majestic, suppressing all evil, sweeping away every adversary in the world, making ten thousand Daos bow in submission.

The one holding the sacred vase was awe-inspiring without compare — the celestial vessel in hand capable of containing all things under heaven and earth, intending to refine the enemy before it into nothing.

The one unleashing the Emperor Fist was the apex of firmness and yang energy, like an immortal flame burning, roaring fire wreathing his body, the cosmos collapsing beneath him.

Any one of these powers alone was beyond the reach of this age — enough to leave other Great Saints broken and defeated. This was a supreme being who had touched the threshold of the Quasi-Emperor realm. No other could match him.

Yet for all their might, these three Dao-selves failed at this moment — they were stopped.

Ye Fan struck. A single palm cleaved through eternity; a dazzling beam illuminated the four cardinal extremes of heaven and earth. Simple and unadorned, it transmuted decay into the divine. As his right hand descended, the three Dao-selves crumbled inch by inch, and then detonated.

Blood and bone scattered in all directions. It was a sight of despair. Even an assault this powerful from Yin Tiande had been rendered useless — dissolved with a single palm.

“BOOM!”

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted, stunning the cosmos, shaking the starry sky where the Fifth Emperor Gate stood, making the very souls of all present shudder without cease.

“A Quasi-Emperor — another Quasi-Emperor!” Many people cried out in alarm.

They looked ahead to search for the figure — and everyone froze. It was Yin Tiande’s true body. At this moment, it was emanating an unmatched and supreme might.

“How is this possible — how did he become a Quasi-Emperor all at once?” Many people refused to believe it.

“No, he’s not a true Quasi-Emperor — but it seems he has that level of combat power!”

“It’s… the Divine Prohibition!” The Black Emperor was startled, and it spoke the truth aloud.

Every person who possessed the Divine Prohibition was destined to become a supreme being who shook the cosmos. Such individuals would, in the end, be not far from invincible throughout heaven and earth.

Yin Tiande was precisely such a person. He’d had the opportunity to flee earlier but had not gone — instead he had been silently circulating a profound technique, triggering the Divine Prohibition, waiting until he succeeded before engaging in battle.

For he was unwilling to simply retreat. He wanted to prove it — that he could move against the current and fight against a Quasi-Emperor, that he was the strongest being in the cosmos among those of his level.

“RUMBLE——!”

An intense battle erupted. Two silhouettes crashed together — one with boundless Dao methods, sweeping across the heavens, chains of divine order drowning out the starry sky, causing countless stars to detonate. The other with a matchless physical body, using his very flesh to bear witness to eternity, reducing all to ruin, shattering ten thousand Daos.

Wave after wave of light detonated. Star after star was pulverized to dust. This was a catastrophic battle — two forces slamming into each other with ferocious intensity.

The crowd was left dumbstruck. What manner of situation was this? Had a Great Saint risen to such heights — daring to pit the Divine Prohibition against a Quasi-Emperor physique?

“The Sacred Physique Ye Fan also possesses a Divine Prohibition. If he were to unleash it…” Someone voiced this truth aloud. Just the thought of it was terrifying.

“What a pity. In the end, Yin Tiande has not become a Quasi-Emperor. He cannot defy the heavens!”

In a blaze of brilliant radiance, Yin Tiande went flying, his entire body drenched in blood. Though he possessed the Divine Prohibition and could theoretically fight against a Quasi-Emperor, when it came to actual combat, he proved unable to prevail.

He was very nearly reduced to powder — his entire body caved in and ruined. He struggled to use divine techniques to restore his shattered form.

Ye Fan pressed in, intending to cut this man down.

BOOM! With a sudden eruption, a burst of violet light exploded outward — a violet gourd, crystalline and translucent, its body flowing with vivid violet light so lustrous it seemed to drip. It possessed the power to devour the heavens. It was a Quasi-Emperor artifact!

The light in Ye Fan’s eyes flashed. For the first time in this place, he deployed the Heavenly Emperor Fist, shaking the vast heavens, erupting with his most powerful battle intent — and with a sharp crack, the violet-gold gourd shattered to pieces.

The outcome made every single person’s hair stand on end. Their scalps went numb, cold sweat breaking out all over them, all of them struck with profound dread.

That was a Quasi-Emperor artifact — and it had been shattered with a single punch!