The ruined city held few people, yet every race present possessed extraordinary natural gifts. After learning enough, Ye Fan and the others departed.

No great time had passed before a silver-armored war god descended from the sky, his entire body blazing with light like moonbeams — fierce and overwhelming — appearing directly before the city gates and shaking the whole area.

“Who destroyed the wanted notice?”

He could sense it through divine intuition alone — how formidable. It made many hearts quake, as though a violent tempest was approaching.

“It was Ye Fan of the human race, the Holy Body,” a Fire Thunder Bird said, and upon being stared down, answered truthfully.

“What — it was him? He even came here. Perfect — I’ll kill him together with that monkey and be done with it!” The silver-armored war god shot skyward and vanished in an instant.

But it was a pity — Ye Fan and the others had long since left this region, sailing toward the deepest reaches of the battlefield. This place was far too vast; suns and moons and stars here were as minute as specks of dust.

Boom!

In the void, a violent sound rang out. This battlefield began to tremble faintly. A nameless aura spread through it, bringing a sense of oppression and heaviness to this world.

“What is it? What is this?” Aboard the Black Pearl, the group pressed through the blood-colored mist, sensing this anomaly in a dimly lit world.

Then the great earth shuddered again, repeatedly. In the distance, clusters of stars dimmed. The intensely oppressive aura grew even heavier!

“Someone is undergoing tribulation — the Quasi-Emperor’s Great Tribulation!”

The Black Emperor’s expression was incomparably grave and solemn. From such a great distance, muffled thunder still reached them, and some stars were shattered by the impact of laws — this was a great heavenly punishment rare since antiquity.

By their reckoning, somewhere in the deepest reaches of the battlefield, someone had stepped into the quasi-emperor realm!

The distance was an astronomical figure — yet ripples could still be felt and waves still arrived. This spoke to the terror of the tribulation.

In that instant, not only did Ye Fan’s warship tear through space and race forward at extreme speed — others did the same, all charging in from every direction. The Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation was too momentous. A crowd of people rushed madly from all four sides.

People’s purposes differed. Some wished to witness this grand event with their own eyes — the Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation was rare since antiquity, one of the greatest events under heaven. They wanted to observe and broaden their understanding. Others had unclear intentions. The imperial children’s great war was unfolding, and whoever was about to rise was necessarily a great enemy. Some were stirred to thoughts of killing.

The battlefield was vast, the stars minute — a configuration beyond common sense. Across tens of millions of li one might not see a single figure, yet now people involuntarily converged upon a single direction.

“We’re here. We’re about to see who is becoming a quasi-emperor.”

Among Ye Fan’s group’s speculations were names such as Huang Xudao, Huo Qizi, and Shencan the Silkworm Dao Master — those imperial sons were extraordinarily powerful. After years of accumulation in a world transformed by great change, they should long have been ready to erupt.

And breaking through now was far easier than it had been hundreds of years ago.

“It may also be the one we least hope to see become a quasi-emperor — someone from a Life Forbidden Zone,” Pang Bo said. This was entirely possible — or it might even be the Thunder God, with whom they had already clashed.

From a great distance, people could already see infinite lightning radiance, interlaced chains of the Great Dao winding about, saturating the area and completely sealing it off!

The battlefield was barren — a scene of utter desolation. The mountain ranges below swayed, and some were leveled by impacts. These were the flesh and blood of ancient sovereigns, weathered and transformed into earth and stone. Even without any great emperor’s laws contained within, their essence exhausted, completely turned to dust — they could no longer truly be called an emperor’s body — yet they remained formidable material. Under ordinary circumstances in battle here, mountain peaks were difficult to topple.

Yet within this tribulation, within that terrible electrical radiance, common sense was shattered. Some mountain peaks were uprooted in their entirety and shattered below.

And compared to what was above, this amounted to nothing — because overhead, clusters of stars were dimming and detonating directly. Within the Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation, the lightning was brilliant and terrifying.

The sound of collapsing mountains and crashing waves sent even Great Sages’ hearts lurching with fear. The lightning there was unlike any other, tinged with blood and saturated with killing intent.

“What is that — who is it?”

Everyone opened their eyes wide. Hiding in different regions, they gazed toward the void — mouths dry, nearly unable to speak.

It was a terrifying sight that filled everyone with incomparable shock and awe: a purple great dragon hung in the void, wrapped in countless chains, bound and imprisoned there, enduring the lightning strikes.

It stretched tens of thousands of li in length, its body drenched in blood. Purple scales flickered, but their luster was gradually dimming. Bound by all those iron chains, it was fixed in place. Though it strained frantically to break free, it was to no avail.

Dragon aura was coercive, yet it was no match for the lightning pressure, which battered the dragon with fierce shaking. It wanted to break free from its bonds — but struggled greatly.

“What is happening?!” Many found this incomprehensible. Why would a true dragon be bound here, enduring the assault of heavenly tribulation?

People had come expecting to witness the Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation — yet this was what greeted them. One after another they were stunned. Was this not the Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation, but rather someone undergoing a dragon transformation?

Or perhaps the heavens had manifested a great sign — a dragon entering the world, being struck down by heavenly punishment, suffering its wrath here?

“It is this dragon that is undergoing the tribulation!”

Finally someone gave voice to the truth. This heavenly punishment was simply somewhat unusual compared to what people normally witnessed — but in fact this was the Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation.

Those iron chains, though appearing to be solid objects, were not so. They were all order divine chains — enormous iron chains woven from tribulations born of the void.

“The Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation has manifested its own Dao and woven restraining chains of law. As long as it breaks through the obstruction and severs the divine chains, it will have succeeded!”

Ye Fan and the others had arrived. The warship halted in the void, concealed by the heaven-deceiving formation inscriptions ten thousand li away — they did not approach too closely.

In fact, everyone had kept their distance, afraid the Quasi-Emperor’s Tribulation would spread and affect them.

The lightning here had long since dispersed the red killing mist. Heaven and earth were clear and bright — there was no need to worry about being unable to see the tribulation.

“Somewhat familiar!” Ye Fan immediately furrowed his brows, a vague sense of foreboding arising within him.

Boom!

Suddenly a terrifying sword light blazed — ten thousand li in length, piercing through heaven and earth, striking toward the great dragon in the void. Someone intended to kill it while it was undergoing tribulation!

Someone had acted, seizing this chance to take its life while it was enduring tribulation!

The battlefield was vast. All manner of people had come — not every one of them was forthright and aboveboard, intent on fair decisive combat.

Boom!

At the same moment, a mountain peak flew upward — brilliant and resplendent, crashing down toward that purple great dragon. Clearly it was a divine seal, now enlarged, transforming into a mountain to strike.

This was deadly. Two powerhouses had struck simultaneously, seizing this critical moment. It was imperative that nothing interrupt proceedings. Truly, if the blow landed — or if it disrupted the purple great dragon’s transformation — it could send it plummeting in cultivation, or even cause it to perish on the spot. The peril was absolute.

Suddenly, heaven and earth shuddered. Bell sounds rang out. Then another purple great dragon broke through space from the distance, pulverizing the sword light and the mountain peak on the spot.

Moreover, a tremendous divine pressure descended, rolling out in a mighty torrent — as though an ancient emperor had revived!

“So it truly is them — this race!” Ye Fan’s expression turned grave.

These were enemies — people of the Ten Thousand Dragon’s Nest. In the old days they had opposed one another. In the end, drawing upon the power of the old man known as the Human Demon, that entire race had nearly been flattened.

The purple great dragon that had appeared afterward had not entered the lightning sea — it was the Sacred Mark Purple Gold Ten Thousand Dragon Bell, an ancient emperor artifact!

In this age when imperial artifacts had nearly all shattered, the emergence of such a weapon severely disrupted the balance, threatening the safety of many.

“Could it be the Dragon Girl of the Ten Thousand Dragon’s Nest undergoing tribulation? The aura doesn’t match.”

Others were equally shocked. No one had expected an ancient emperor artifact to be held in reserve here, protecting whoever was undergoing the tribulation. Now who would dare act rashly? That was seeking death!

In this present age, the surviving artifacts of the emperor’s path were few in number — many had been destroyed in that terrible upheaval. This was now the highest form of deterrence.

“Roaarrr!”

Suddenly, a dragon’s cry shook the nine heavens. The purple dragon within the tribulation broke free of its bonds, shattering all the order divine chains. Its entire body drenched in blood, nearly beaten into a pulp — it had very nearly become paste — but it had succeeded.

“From this day forward, the world has gained a new quasi-emperor!”

Rumble!

An all-encompassing aura erupted. Radiance blazed across the purple great dragon’s body. It had survived this trial. The heavenly tribulation ended, and it began repairing its wounded body.

And then it transformed into human form — and this was no dragon girl. It was an old man with purple hair cascading over his shoulders and a slightly stooped figure.

His age was truly immense. Even as a quasi-emperor, his skin was still loose and slack, his face covered in wrinkles. Aside from his purple hair, which retained some luster, he could only be described as utterly ancient.

“An old dragon… Does the Ten Thousand Dragon’s Nest still have such a peerless fierce figure?”

Everyone was dumbstruck — scarcely able to believe any of this.

“It is him. To think he still exists in this world, and has become a quasi-emperor. There is no avoiding it — we are destined to do battle with him!” Ye Fan sighed, his expression grave.

This was Qian Lun Great Sage’s father from the Ten Thousand Dragon’s Nest!

In former days, Qian Lun Great Sage and his astonishingly aged old father had struck together, deploying an emperor-path artifact to suppress the Human Demon, Dongfang Tai Yi.

After the long passage of years, only Qian Lun Great Sage had appeared in the world. His old father had remained in a state of half-death, believed by many to have likely already passed in seated meditation.

Who could have anticipated that today he had become a quasi-emperor!

This old one, in former days, had personally sealed the Human Demon. He had allowed the Human Demon to live temporarily in order to obtain the Supreme Yin and Supreme Yang ancient scriptures as reference for his enlightenment toward the Dao.

Every indication pointed to the fact that this old dragon was fearsomely powerful beyond all reason — otherwise he could not have survived to now, let alone undergone tribulation in his aged and weakened state and emerged as a quasi-emperor.

“My son, your father has revived — I will avenge you!” His very first act upon success was to speak of vengeance.

In former days, the Human Demon had gone to settle accounts with their race. Borrowing Ye Fan’s Green Copper Cauldron to breach the Ten Thousand Dragon’s Nest, he had struck down Qian Lun Great Sage, forcing their entire race to flee the Northern Dipper.

At that time, the old dragon had been in a state of living death, and had not revived — carried away by the Dragon Girl. Now he had returned in true and mighty power.

“By the reckoning of the legends, setting aside the years sealed within a divine source, this old dragon’s true age must be around eight thousand years!”

An eight-thousand-year-old Great Sage should long since have died. Yet this old dragon had defied heaven and become a quasi-emperor. To achieve this breakthrough at such an age was, if not utterly unprecedented in all antiquity, was as close to it as could be!

A purple figure flew over. The Dragon Girl appeared — the diminutive Ten Thousand Dragon Bell hovering above her head, her bearing magnificent, looking down with disdain upon all heroes.

“Stride across the starry sky — slay every savage tribe! I sit waiting for that Human Demon to show himself!” the old dragon roared, his killing intent striking ten thousand li.

Everyone was shaken. Having just become a quasi-emperor, this old dragon was already this violent, his killing intent this heavy — truly rare since the beginning of time.

“Kill him!” the Black Emperor said coldly.

“Correct. Strike him down here!” Pang Bo agreed. This was an enormous calamity that had to be eliminated.

As for the wild man, cold light flashed in his eyes, and his expression grew incomparably grave. This involved the safety of his tribe — this old dragon was dangerous and had to be removed.

Ye Fan had never imagined that upon arriving at this battlefield, the first true hard battle would be against the Ten Thousand Dragon’s Nest — and against an opponent no one had expected.

“You wish to annihilate the savage tribes?” Right at that moment, an old man came walking from the distant sky — bare above the waist, wearing beast-hide clothing, carrying a great white bone staff, advancing one step at a time.

The old dragon’s eyes instantly stood on end. His body trembled with agitation as he said: “It is you — the Human Demon! To think you are also on this battlefield. All the better then. Let us settle this grudge once and for all — I shall send you on your way!”