A warship sailed through the cosmic void, leaping through dimensional tunnels at the absolute peak of speed.
This vessel had been forged after Ye Fan attained his quasi-emperor physique. Together with the Black Emperor, he had laid down a supreme grand formation across the starry sky, drawing in numerous solar stars to extract the most primordial fire essence, using it as the tempering catalyst.
The materials were exquisite — obtained from Yin Tiande’s purple-gold gourd, which as a quasi-emperor artifact had been absolutely without issue. The formation inscriptions within it remained intact and undestroyed. After Ye Fan and the Black Emperor studied and refined it thoroughly, they hammered it into the hull of the ship.
Afterward, drawing upon the primordial fire essence of the sun and referencing the killing formations of ancient great emperors, they engraved countless Dao inscriptions. Through ten years of ritual consecration, they endured innumerable waves of heavenly tribulation.
The original quasi-emperor artifact had been successfully remade, and had even evolved further — its divine might now even more formidable.
The divine spirit within had been subdued by Ye Fan; that had been the most dangerous element of all. Now it was fully brought under the service of the Heavenly Court. This ship was the finest vessel for traversing the cosmos — in an instant it could break into another star domain.
At the ship’s prow was also a Blood-Red Iron Hammer, which had likewise been forged through a hundred rounds of tempering. Its cracks had been healed, and it had ultimately been remelted once more, undergoing a clear evolution as well.
With it present, the warship’s offensive power surged in a straight line. Two quasi-emperor artifacts working in concert — any powerful figure who laid eyes on them would find themselves with a headache.
The vast cosmos stretched boundless and immeasurable. Even with this quasi-emperor vessel possessing divine speed and the ability to travel through dimensional tunnels, there was no possibility of reaching that battlefield in a short time.
The cultivator who had sent word died just a few days later — his Immortal Platform collapsed, leaving behind a map of coordinates that was not entirely clear. Ye Fan and the others sailed with full power, continuously tearing open space, rushing at full speed toward that battlefield to rescue the Holy Prince.
“How does it feel like we’ve crossed through the wilderness and arrived in an entirely different cosmos?”
They were astonished in their hearts. They had already crossed an uncountable number of star systems, and had even traversed a vast region of primordial chaos — it was as though they had broken through the very limits of this cosmos and leaped beyond it.
Primordial chaos billowed around them. They were like the opening of heaven and earth itself, cleaving out a passage by sheer force. It continued for over half a month before starlight became visible again, and they sailed into a new expanse of cosmic sky.
“How did these people agree on a meeting place in such an ancient realm? What kind of battlefield is this — was it left behind by the previous generation, or did they discover it themselves?”
After breaking into this galaxy, Ye Fan and the Black Emperor collaborated once again, beginning yet another round of forging — tempering the quasi-emperor vessel and the battle hammer. Clearly the destination was dangerous; they needed to comprehensively raise the group’s combat power.
Ye Fan himself had no concerns, but the Black Emperor, Dongfang Ye, Pang Bo, Li Tian, Yan Yixi, Li Heishui, Ji Chengdao, Hua Hua, and others had all come along. They needed an exceptionally sturdy ancient vessel for both defense and offense.
This time, they brought out the Immortal Tear Green Gold and Phoenix Blood Red Gold stored in the Heavenly Court’s treasury, smelting them respectively into the hull of the ship and into the blood hammer. This directly caused the artifacts to blaze with radiance, and the divine spirits within trembled — trembling with excitement. They evolved and sublimated of their own accord.
“Considerably stronger than before.”
For once, the Black Emperor was magnanimous, neither coveting nor seizing. It melted all the divine gold into the two quasi-emperor artifacts, even transmitting the incomplete killing formation of the Beginningless Great Emperor to the two divine spirits within.
Of course, this was not without reason. In the end, this terrifying warship was christened by it as the Black Emperor.
“It’s not even black!” Dongfang Ye objected.
“Can’t we just paint it black? The way it is now is too conspicuous. True treasures return to simplicity — within the ordinary lies the extraordinary.” The Black Emperor quickly painted both the ship and the hammer black.
“The Black Pearl is still the most reliable name. Far better-sounding than that nonsense ‘Black Emperor,'” Pang Bo said.
“Exactly — a brilliant pearl in the cosmic sea. What a fine name,” the wild man agreed.
In the end, this ship bore both names: the Black Emperor and the Black Pearl. Covered with heaven-deceiving formation inscriptions, it sailed into a vast and boundless expanse of starry sky, approaching that ancient battlefield.
When they truly arrived in this region, everyone was petrified. What lay before them defied all common sense. Deep within the sea of stars, a colossal island floated — immense beyond measure.
Whatever suns and moons and stars, whatever brilliant galaxies — before it, they were far too minute, like specks of dust. This was no island. It was plainly a clod of primordial chaos earth that had not been shaped when heaven and earth first opened.
“This is the battlefield of the imperial children? Isn’t it far too vast? Finding someone in there would be like searching for a needle in an endless ocean.”
“Its shape is strange — like half a torso!”
It could not be perceived in its entirety by the naked eye, for it was simply too enormous. Drawing upon the Dao inscription ripples emanating from the quasi-emperor artifact, they spent a considerable amount of time before finally tracing out the full silhouette of this colossal island.
The enormity of that body was utterly terrifying!
“I understand now. This is very likely the legendary remnant body of a supreme one. An ancient sovereign sat in meditation and passed away here, becoming the battlefield for later generations.”
They had guessed at the truth. This was clearly a peerless powerhouse, and the ages since his death were so distant that even the emperor’s Dao laws and killing intent had nearly dissipated entirely.
One had to know that an emperor’s body was imperishable, enduring alongside the world. For it to have come to this state — completely transformed to earth and stone — heaven only knew how long it had existed.
“This history is far longer than we imagined. Heaven knows when it began. That someone of such world-surpassing caliber existed so early — it is truly frightening!”
They speculated that this was at the very least a Heavenly Sovereign or Dao Sovereign of the age of myth — extraordinarily ancient.
“The killing energy here is exceptionally dense. This place is strange. It fills one with dread. Everyone, do not stray from the ship recklessly!” the Black Emperor warned.
They boarded this great island. The moment they drew near, they saw red mist — murky and boundless, veiling everything ahead entirely.
Even the Black Emperor, stretching its body out to probe, felt a surge of alarm. This red mist was far too terrifying. Even it could feel the enormous pressure, enduring an impact like hammers chisel-striking in succession.
Though the laws and killing intent once contained within the emperor-level body had dissipated, for some reason this place had formed a terrifying killing energy that eroded one’s physical body and seized one’s heart and soul — extraordinarily dangerous.
This was a death ground!
They observed carefully and confirmed there was no vitality here. This scarlet killing energy was extremely harmful to the human body. An ordinary Great Sage walking through it for an extended period would be reduced to ruin.
Unless one possessed exceptional natural gifts and transcendent bloodline, it would be nearly impossible to remain here for long — one would inevitably be dissolved into a puddle of pus and blood.
“This is indeed a battlefield prepared for the imperial children. Others can barely endure it — unless one is extraordinarily gifted.”
The warship was dark and unassuming, not conspicuous in the slightest, and had been covered with heaven-deceiving formation inscriptions. Ordinary people would have difficulty seeing through to its true depth and power.
They advanced cautiously, slowing their pace. After traveling tens of thousands of li, all four directions were utterly still and silent — not the slightest sound.
This mist was formidable — it blocked the Heavenly Eye’s vision and severed divine sense from searching. Powerful as they were, they could only see a few li before reaching its boundary. Here, one felt a sense of utter isolation, as though entering a sealed and forbidden realm.
Could not see. Could not hear. Could not probe. Here, they were like ordinary mortals, their search range limited, unable to gaze into the distance — a deeply unsettling feeling.
“Although this killing mist is extremely harmful to the body, if one can endure it, it may also serve as a form of tempering — one could forge an indestructible body from it.”
Dongfang Ye devoted himself to body cultivation. His tribal physique was astonishingly solid — weaker than a Holy Body, yet far surpassing ordinary humans. He was the first to leap out, following alongside the warship, using it to temper his body.
The others sat at the prow of the ship, opened the vessel’s defensive barrier, and drew in a portion of the killing energy to circulate around their bodies, also attempting to temper themselves.
“Oh? Uncle, you can fly now?” Ji Chengdao said in astonishment. His spirits had improved enormously of late — since his mother’s return, he had become far more radiant.
Ye Fan stood suspended in the void, moving alongside the ship. He was not tearing through space, nor was he leaping — he simply floated above, flying of his own accord.
Everyone was startled, and then broke into expressions of delight. Had Ye Fan broken free of his shackles? It seemed he had taken a very solid step forward.
“I can fly — but it is not through the order divine chains of the past. It is an ability newly born in me now. This is a kind of innate human capability, brought about by the continuous opening of the treasure gates within my own blood and flesh,” Ye Fan said.
At this moment, the primordial power within his body circulated in a misty and boundless manner, causing him to develop a portion of divine abilities.
Everyone was astonished. They felt he was walking further and further down this path. Though he had not yet awakened his former laws and Dao, having new progress was equally promising. When the time came, he could assault both sides simultaneously — and one day he would surely break free of all shackles.
“Careful — something is following us!”
Suddenly, the Black Emperor quietly gave warning. The Black Pearl had detected it: behind them, an unknown creature had disturbed the ripples emanating from the quasi-emperor artifact.
Ye Fan had of course sensed it a step ahead, perceiving it through instinct. However, he had not acted, for fear of startling it before the moment was right.
That creature drew too close, and everyone on the ship became aware of it. Ye Fan vanished from his spot, tore open the void, appeared behind them in the scarlet killing energy, and struck directly.
Pop!
He shattered it in a single blow. It was an ancient beast — formed entirely by the condensation of killing energy, with no true physical body. As his palm descended, it dissolved back into killing energy and dispersed.
Yet he had clearly sensed it as a living creature — of Great Sage-level combat power. How could it have no true physical form?
“This is no simple place. One must be extremely cautious!” Ye Fan warned.
Fortunately they had refined a quasi-emperor vessel and additionally armed themselves with the Blood-Red Iron Hammer. Here, those tools would prove their worth.
The Black Pearl warship sailed forward. A colossal cliff face blocked the path ahead — soaring into the starry sky, utterly astonishing. The ship ascended in altitude, intending to cross over it.
“Oh? Someone once stood at the summit of this great peak, leaving behind traces!”
They discovered that someone had artificially carved out a Dao platform here — perfectly level. Someone had sat in meditation upon it in recent years.
“There is blood!”
It was a type of emperor’s blood that shimmered with luminous radiance, pulsing with ripples of Dao laws, and had never dried — still possessed of powerful life force. Even the scarlet killing energy had not been able to fully corrode it.
“This blood was left behind several years ago!”
They deduced as much from the traces of how the blood had fallen — astonishing in itself. Without question this was the blood of an imperial child, for no other blood would carry such divine quality.
Ye Fan bent his head and examined it again and again. “This is the blood of Huang Xudao. He has grown far more powerful than before — beyond all measure!”
Huang Xudao, who had come from the Phoenix Blood Mountain — a man who harbored no distracting thoughts and lived solely for the Dao. Exceptionally powerful. He had vanished for so many years and had also arrived at this battlefield.
That he had spilled blood here meant his injuries were clearly not minor. This place was truly brutal — who knew whether he lived or had died.
“Could he be the one who fought Monkey?”
“No. There’s none of Monkey’s aura here.”
Suddenly, Ye Fan’s eyes turned cold. His heart sensed something. He exchanged a glance with the others, and everyone boarded the ship.
Behind them — far, far in the distance — a pair of cyan eyes opened: emotionless and frigid.