Five more years had passed.

Mingqing Pass — once a great stronghold in the universe, governed under the Heavenly Court’s dominion — had now become a leaderless territory, casting the hearts of its people into turmoil.

Some said the Divine Court was coming to strike. Others claimed the Dragon Clan’s Celestial Maiden would arrive, wielding an imperial-grade divine weapon to slaughter all who stood before her, and that the Heavenly Court, unable to withstand the onslaught, had retreated in advance.

The entire ancient star held only a single city, and only because a variety of five-colored treasure trees grew there, capable of bearing crystalline stones used to construct five-colored sacred altars — making this place a site of great importance.

“The Heavenly Court is truly finished. One of their leaders failed to comprehend the Dao and most likely perished. That human demon has vanished as well. The Heavenly Court will surely fall from grace — we’d best leave quickly.”

In an age of chaos, hearts grew restless. Many lost faith and departed through the domain gates, fleeing to distant lands.

“This place borders the Radiance Clan. Their Azure Gold Divine Refinement Vessel may have shattered, but the deity within survived. And rumor has it an unrivaled master holds court there — they’re expanding. Could they be planning to annex this place?”

Hearts trembled with unease, and cultivators grew deeply unsettled. And on that very day, powerful members of the Radiance Clan truly did arrive, announcing they would take control of this territory. From that point forward, Mingqing Pass fell under that clan’s dominion.

Throughout the universe, various great powers were seizing upon such opportunities — annexing star systems rich in resources, plundering and extracting with reckless abandon. For everyone sensed it: an age of chaos had arrived, and they were stockpiling at a frantic pace.

“This is the Heavenly Court’s territory. Their people may have temporarily withdrawn, but you cannot simply swallow it like this.” Some were unwilling to accept it.

“The Heavenly Court? They’re done for — on the verge of collapse. From this day forward, this place belongs to the Radiance Clan. Those who defy us or provoke us will be killed without mercy!” The commander who had descended here spoke coldly, his words utterly without compassion.

This was but a single reflection. Across the universe, the territories the Heavenly Court had once held were being lost at a rapid pace — vast swaths of land encroached upon and devoured by others.

For over three hundred years, the Heavenly Court had flourished. Numerous Great Saints had emerged, and their celestial soldiers and generals numbered in the hundreds of thousands — their might shaking all eight directions, their gaze sweeping across every great star domain. But now everything had changed. With the emergence of ancient imperial heirs and the concurrent rise of quasi-emperor figures, an organization without such leaders to hold the line no longer had any hope of dominating the world.

“Another stronghold lost. These people’s appetites grow larger by the day.” Within the Heavenly Court’s headquarters, Li Tian laughed coldly.

“What can we do? If we gather our forces and refuse to strike out, they’ll grow bolder and bolder, taking inch by inch.”

Within the Heavenly Court, hearts were unsettled — yet no one moved to counterattack. Over these years, the Heavenly Court had grown into a colossal entity governing many star systems. But now, with quasi-emperors dominating the age, their former glory seemed to dim. Ye Fan had encountered problems, and the old human demon had gone hunting — he had not been seen for several years, and the outside world had even spread rumors that he had fallen. For now, lying low was perhaps the wisest choice.

Forces that had once been relatively amicable — those they had dealt with and maintained decent relations with — were now stirring with ambition. Some had already begun devouring their strongholds one by one, making every face within the Heavenly Court grow dark with displeasure.

The situation was stronger than any individual. Under current circumstances, the Divine Court had not yet launched a full-scale assault, and yet other powers were already growing restless.

“The Dragon Maiden has come again — she’s appeared wielding an imperial-grade divine weapon, seeking out the Heavenly Court’s headquarters. Word is she has achieved a new breakthrough. It seems this time she intends to annihilate every last one of us.”

Within the Heavenly Court, many furrowed their brows.

The Celestial Maiden of the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest wore an expression of cold indifference. Above her head floated a massive purple dragon as she traversed one expanse of starry sky after another, countless stars falling away behind her. She had already made arrangements for her clanspeople, and she departed with a calm heart.

She held no fear that the human demon would appear again to threaten her people’s safety. She had come this time to turn heaven and earth upside down — to sweep away every last enemy.

“This star was once one of the Heavenly Court’s major stars. It is said to be rich in purple copper essence, and their celestial soldiers’ armor was largely forged from metals extracted here.” An attendant offered the introduction.

The Dragon Maiden said nothing. She extended a single finger and pressed it downward — her imperial blood boiled, and that finger rapidly expanded, crashing down to bear upon the star below.

Crack!

That blue star shattered in an instant, annihilated utterly by the quasi-emperor’s overwhelming strike. Though most of the Heavenly Court’s people had already withdrawn, a small number remained behind, mining copper essence. Their end was pitiable — every one of them perished.

The moment news spread, the entire region erupted into chaos. The Dragon Maiden had come again, and her power was so overwhelming that everyone felt the premonition of a storm about to descend — a final, decisive battle drawing near.

Whether the human demon had truly died in battle remained uncertain. His long absence had stoked the suspicions of many, and now those rumors multiplied even further.

Almost on that same day, other major strongholds in the region were swiftly carved up among the various clans — plundered for divine iron, source ore, and more.

“Who could have imagined the Heavenly Court would fall this quickly? It seems that in this age, without a quasi-emperor, everything is hollow. Without a figure of that caliber holding things together, nothing can stand!”

Now, great organizations like the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and the Divine Court all needed to have quasi-emperors among their ranks to hold their place in the first tier — without one, there was simply no defense against an opponent’s assault.

In another region, things were equally grim. The Golden Celestial Maiden had arrived. She had no interest in destroying stars, but she openly declared her intention to eliminate every member of the Heavenly Court — to leave no one alive.

She issued her Aura of Power, warning the celestial generals to withdraw from the Heavenly Court as soon as possible. Should she bring her forces through to strike, she would sweep them clean in a sea of blood — annihilating their entire lineage.

Those clans that had originally been friendly with the Heavenly Court — some of whom had even operated under its banner — now fell utterly silent, one after another withdrawing their allegiance. Some even turned against their former allies, moving to strike down other Heavenly Court members.

Of course, these were only peripheral members. The true core of the Heavenly Court had long since retreated.

Even so, it gave everyone the feeling that the Heavenly Court was on the verge of collapse — and the pace of that dissolution was accelerating, as though it could no longer be stopped.

Outside, the world churned in turmoil, hearts beset with fear.

Shen Ming had also come. Like a phantom, his methods were savage and brutal. He had severed an ancient road the Heavenly Court had built and washed an entire stretch of land in blood — sending a chill through the hearts of all who heard.

Amid these internal and external crises, news arrived from the Divine Court as well. The Emperor’s second son had stepped forward, declaring that action would soon be taken — war against the Heavenly Court, to reclaim territories he claimed rightfully belonged to them.

In truth, this was nothing but a pretext. The Heavenly Court had never attacked the Divine Court and had always remained on the defensive. They simply wanted an excuse to destroy it.

This was, naturally, a momentous affair. Many speculated whether it was the Divine Court’s Emperor who had blocked the Undying Celestial Queen — and now, with his second son stepping forward, a great war was about to ignite, stirring yet another storm.

The Divine Court’s Emperor had nine sons in total, all of them immensely powerful. For the second son to step forward without the Emperor’s sanction was something no one would believe even if beaten to death.

The situation was crumbling. The human demon, Dongfang Ye, had accidentally stumbled into the desolate fringes of the universe and been trapped within a vast formation array, where he encountered a dangerous exiled race — and had since been locked in a long and grueling battle to break free.

Qi Luo tossed the Divine Court’s war declaration onto the table, his expression dark. Things were deteriorating — sliding ever further in the wrong direction. With great enemies at the door and quasi-emperors bearing down upon them, if the headquarters were exposed, all of them would be in mortal danger.

“Don’t worry. With Little Nannan here, even if they manage to find this place, they’ll be frightened right back where they came.” Huahua said.

Smack. The Black Emperor brought a paw down on his bald head. “When have we ever been this pathetic — needing a little girl to shelter us? Don’t you feel ashamed?”

“I’m just thinking about worst-case scenarios!” Huahua protested.

Everyone’s expression was grim. Multiple powerful enemies were closing in with relentless pressure, and the Divine Court had even issued a declaration of war — this was an unprecedented crisis.

“This is forcing this Emperor to go mad!” The large black dog’s expression darkened. “Prepare all the materials. I’ll engrave every last piece into Great Emperor killing arrays. One or two fragments might not harm a quasi-emperor — but what about several thousand? Several tens of thousands? So what if it burns through divine materials? Worst case, we go back to being penniless — back to where we started!”

The Black Emperor was ready to unleash his fury, prepared to squander the accumulation of centuries — everything to be engraved into incomplete Great Emperor killing array platforms. When the time came, every celestial soldier and general would have one in hand, and they would bury their enemies beneath sheer overwhelming numbers.

“That’s over three hundred years of accumulation — resources mined from countless star systems — all destroyed in a single battle?” Some felt their hearts ache.

“That’s exactly what we’ll do. They want to be arrogant? Let them see what it means to be a true spendthrift. We’ll burn through divine materials and bury them alive!” The Black Emperor declared viciously.

“I’ve already dispatched people to the Thousand Curtain Island, the Ancient Tomb, Mythic Ridge, and other star domains said to contain ancient great tombs of antiquity. I trust we will find Duan De soon and borrow the Heaven-Swallowing Cover from him.” Li Heishui said.

In the great battle of years past, the imperial-grade weapons had nearly all been destroyed. The Heaven-Swallowing Demon Vessel was unique — incomparably strong and resilient — and had emerged undamaged, surviving intact.

The vessel’s body was in Tu Fei’s possession. As a fellow junior bandit, Li Heishui could naturally borrow it from that great outlaw. All that remained was to secure Duan De’s half.

“Senior Uncle, the Holy Prince, should also be returning soon. When the time comes — we’ll make them pay dearly!” Ji Chengdao said.

While the Heavenly Court’s people were making urgent preparations for war, on a distant star — before a cascading silver waterfall — Ye Fan still sat in meditation. Ji Ziyue kept quiet watch nearby, having built herself a small dwelling not far away.

Ye Fan was in the midst of transformation. Five full years had passed. The scriptures within his body resounded ceaselessly, and every inch of his skin had been branded with runes — remnant traces from ancient sovereigns intertwined with his own laws, tangled together before gradually resolving into chains of divine order.

These divine order chains were like solid iron shackles — a real, physical curse binding him in a prison. For five years he had transformed and struggled ceaselessly, straining to break free of his bonds.

“Ziyue, go back. I feel the time has come.” On that day, Ye Fan transmitted his voice.

“Understood.” Ji Ziyue nodded. She said nothing more and did not linger — understanding the situation completely, she stepped into the domain gate and vanished from this place.

“What?! Master is about to break through?” When the Heavenly Court’s people received this news, Huahua was stunned — and then the entire Heavenly Court erupted in excitement.

“This seat hasn’t arrived too late, has it? We’ll smash their faces wide open!” Long Ma and the Golden-Winged Great Peng returned — they had spent these years exploring an ancient domain from the Age of Myth, and now they had finally come back.

“Not too late. We need to prepare some contingencies. Ye Fan must not be disturbed during his breakthrough.” The Black Emperor said.

In truth, there was no longer time to prepare anything. That very day, a deep and muffled thunderclap erupted from the depths of a distant star domain. At first, the outside world took no notice — but this heavenly tribulation was simply too terrifying. It persisted for days on end, an unfathomable length of time.

Moreover, the shockwaves spread outward with tremendous violence, startling ancient sages who were merely passing through.

Though the Black Emperor and the others had arrived, they had no time to lay any contingencies in place — there was simply no way to stop the vibrations from spreading outward.

“All of you, leave at once. Don’t worry about me!” Ye Fan — his entire body bound by chains of divine order — roared out, issuing an absolute command, forbidding them from approaching and telling them to disappear immediately.

The Heavenly Court’s forces hesitated for only a brief moment — then their great army surged like a tide through the star gate and withdrew.

“It’s him — he’s undergoing tribulation again. Has he actually escaped his predicament? What a pity — there won’t be another opportunity!” Someone came racing toward the scene, intent on disrupting Ye Fan’s tribulation.

“It won’t be so easy. Do you truly think you can escape the shadows of the past and forge your own path forward? No — this must end now!”