This was not yet Ye Fan’s ultimate phenomenon — it was merely one transformation along the way, evolved to this stage for now.

This “domain” could not be traversed. It was blanketed by Ye Fan’s Law and Dao, and even a soul rushing upward was useless. The moment it ascended toward the high heavens, a Golden Crow wreathed in immortal light came flying toward it, ready to devour it.

Shen Ming wailed in anguish. He knew he was finished, that he was about to fall. What a lamentable life — he had lived through the era of darkness and turbulence, survived encounters with human race great emperors, never perishing. Yet now, he was to die in this age.

When his forebears attained the Dao, they stood paramount under heaven; even after severing a portion of themselves, they remained supreme, capable of dueling the great emperors of antiquity. And he, the descendant of such a person, had been defeated. That itself was a humiliation.

He raged to the point of madness. He had always been proud and lofty, looking down upon the world with great ambition, belittling lesser heroes under heaven. Yet now he had come to this end.

“Ahh—!” He struggled, unsubmissive, roar after roar shaking the heavens, thrashing within the phenomenon.

People began to feel some sympathy for Shen Ming. He was born the child of a supreme being — who would dare provoke him? Who could challenge his edge? And yet now he was like a bird trapped in a net, struggling in vain.

Ye Fan was too powerful. Standing there, his phenomenon swallowed the universe; this place had become his main battlefield, governed by him.

The Golden Crow crossed through the sky and pecked fiercely at Shen Ming’s soul, causing him bone-deep agony. His radiance dimmed; divine light as red as blood scattered outward — he had been gravely wounded.

Then a horned dragon soared skyward, vaulting over the primordial mountains, flying across the vast wilderness forests, striking the high heavens. A flash of crimson light — and another great chunk was missing from Shen Ming’s soul.

Was it over? Shen Ming let out one long, desolate sigh. A son of the Forbidden Zones, brought to such a state — he had not a shred of strength left to resist. He was utterly defeated.

From outside, the Golden Celestial Maiden launched attacks, and the Dragon Maiden wielding her imperial Dao sacred weapon also tore open the cosmic void, attempting to dismantle Ye Fan’s Quasi-Emperor divine domain and rescue Shen Ming.

But it was all in vain. Nothing landed. Ye Fan kept moving — the Circulating Qi Word Technique was peerless under heaven, touching upon the domain of time, evading layer upon layer of assault, crossing a hundred thousand miles in a single moment.

Along with his phenomenon, he traversed the universe in tandem, avoiding both women’s attacks. Every strike could only land upon a vast illusory shadow — not a hair of him was ever touched.

When the true imperial Dao fluctuations surged toward him, Ye Fan still held the Chaos Green Lotus in hand. One sweep, and the imperial Dao laws were broken, heaven and earth opening anew, ten thousand living beings extinguished.

“I am defeated…”

In the last moment, Shen Ming was filled with desolation. He struggled no more. That fist-sized figure was seized in the beak of a Vermillion Bird and swallowed in a single gulp; light scattered like a rain of blood.

Ye Fan’s phenomenon dissipated. On the spot, only two half-open sections of the body remained, along with piece after piece of shattered Quasi-Emperor divine furnace fragments.

What a lament — a great ancient emperor’s son, felled here, ending his life. In antiquity he had blazed with brilliant glory; in this era, he met a person he should never have met, and so his end was dim.

Many fell silent, unable to find words.

“Now those are good things!”

Only the people of the Celestial Court could still speak. Shen Ming had severed one of their ancient paths, so these people felt not a drop of sympathy — they fixed their eyes on the furnace fragments and the body lying in its pool of blood.

This was an ancient beast that had manifested its true form — enormous, its Quasi-Emperor blood radiance dazzling, every part of its body a treasure that any great faction would envy.

“Ancient supreme blood flows within — some of it can be refined and extracted, turned into a great human medicinal elixir. This is a supreme divine object!” the Black Emperor declared.

Though many eyes burned with desire in the shadows, and various great factions stirred with temptation, the moment they saw Ye Fan’s cold, emotionless gaze, it was like icy water poured over their heads — their impulse extinguished at once.

He had dared to slay the descendant of an unsurpassed being within an immortal mausoleum. What was Ye Fan incapable of?

A ring of clashing resounded in all directions. The Golden Celestial Maiden moved. One battle shook the starry sky. Her body was radiant with rosy light — like a golden volcano erupting. Flying knives, a golden gourd, a divine bell, a Dao pagoda — all emerged, transforming into ancient symbols branded upon her body. In an instant, she was clad in golden battle armor, its brilliance searing to behold.

This was a fusion of several forbidden secret arts. She had deeply felt Ye Fan’s terribleness. This person was no longer an enemy that one person alone could face — he was destined to make every ancient emperor’s child shudder. He was a peerless great enemy that all descendants of supreme beings must now face; he would stand in the way of many people’s paths!

The Golden Celestial Maiden fought with her life, deploying every means available to her — otherwise, she felt there was no hope.

And she had made preparations: if absolute annihilation proved impossible, she would flee at once — for forcing herself to fight to the bitter end would only mean dying for nothing.

Rumble!

Golden runes flickered, attaching to her body surface, merging with her form to become piece after piece of extraordinary armor. Each piece had life — as though one deity after another had taken up residence within her body.

Clang!

A single casual strike from her was a terrifying blow. She drew a golden dragon sword from behind her back; it truly transformed into a golden furious dragon that charged toward Ye Fan.

The immortal sword was merciless, cleaving the void in two!

A soft clang rang out as Ye Fan’s cauldron surged forward to intercept, blocking the attack. She had not broken through — but she was not discouraged. Her whole being crashed forward.

On her left shoulder, the golden gourd transformed into armor runes that swirled and out flew a divine being. On her right shoulder, the Dao bell transformed into armor blazing with brilliant light, from which surged an ancient god. The golden lotus blossom brand upon her chest shimmered, and from it rushed five elemental divine beings…

Gods encircled her body. Numerous golden Dao sacred weapons adorned her person, setting her apart like a golden immortal sovereign. It was a kind of splendid and magnificent brilliance.

Who could command such might — with one ancient deity after another accompanying her, enshrined in the center? Even great emperors of antiquity had carried this kind of overwhelming power.

The Golden Celestial Maiden launched her strongest attack: body, Law, Dao, and gods merged into one to kill Ye Fan. The dark universe around them had long since seen its stars destroyed — yet now, one after another, bright points appeared, even more blazing than before.

Those were the gods, and toward the end they grew ever more numerous!

Boom!

A supreme assault that made every soul tremble.

“Such a powerful forbidden domain — countless secret arts fused and layered into one, a single strike to stun the gods!” People’s scalps went numb even as they could not help but marvel.

Ye Fan did not retreat. His Cauldron of All Things’ Primordial Qi hung above his head, and he advanced straight into it, meeting the gods head-on — a brute collision, without the slightest wavering.

He was like a roaring great furnace blazing with fire, shattering the rosy light of heaven, like the King of all Gods. That aura caused every heart to pound.

A thunderous crash — a mighty collision. All the gods were suppressed. The cauldron above Ye Fan’s head absorbed every attack; within the cauldron’s mouth, chaos was as deep and fathomless as a sea, impenetrable to the eye.

Suddenly, the chaos sea within the cauldron sent up surging waves, blocking these attacks!

As the gods descended into the world, they scattered in an instant, then surged in from all four directions. The heavens fractured; this place became a roiling mass, a source of destruction.

From the cauldron’s mouth, primordial qi descended in strands like curtains and cascades of waterfalls, veiling Ye Fan’s true body — within, he was completely unaffected.

The Cauldron of All Things’ Primordial Qi had truly come into its own. Now it could suppress one entire heaven, its defensive power astonishing. The gods charged together, golden light obliterating the world — yet not even the smallest gap could be opened.

The Golden Celestial Maiden’s overwhelming assault was failing to produce any effect. Her heart sank. Ye Fan’s power truly exceeded all expectation. This was too dangerous.

That cauldron made every gaze burn with intensity. It was without question an extraordinary treasure among Quasi-Emperor vessels — rare since antiquity.

Hum!

Suddenly, the curtains of primordial qi hanging from the Cauldron of All Things’ Primordial Qi were torn apart — the gods broke through. The Golden Celestial Maiden was stunned. How had things changed so quickly? She had been on the verge of retreating.

Boom!

She had no choice. Every rune on her body blazed as she charged in — having opened Ye Fan’s turtle shell, as it were, she naturally would not give up the opportunity.

The gods were expressionless, radiating light from head to toe, driving toward the kill, slashing forward!

“Now!” the Dragon Maiden called out softly and also made her move. Extreme Dao radiance blazed as the imperial Dao sacred weapon shot out. The violet dragon rapidly shrank, reducing to a single zhang in length, its scales bristling, the bell tone unceasing.

Clearly visible upon each small bell segment that had become the dragon’s bristling scales were wave patterns — terrifying without measure.

Ye Fan’s expression remained cold. A light flashed from his brow as he sacrificed the Chaos Green Lotus, sweeping it toward the reversed dragon scales, fighting in reverse to block the ancient imperial vessel.

At the same time, he let the Golden Celestial Maiden come inside — then, like a supreme peerless demon lord, he met all the golden deities and weapons head-on with brute force. Between his palms and fingers, one imperial weapon after another appeared in true manifestation.

The Void Mirror, the Hengyu Furnace, the Supreme Grand Sword, the Western Emperor Pagoda, the Beginningless Bell — one after another, conjured by him through the Sacred Ape Battle Technique, simulating a few strands of extreme Dao might.

Having reached the Quasi-Emperor realm, the strength of his body and his divine power had risen to a staggering degree. Now, using such secret arts, their power had grown by who knew how many times over!

Boom!

The golden gourd, divine bell, Dao pagoda — all were sent flying, even directly shattered on the spot, unable to match these imperial weapons.

For the Weapon Word Technique was also in motion. In this moment, all the various golden sacred weapons were seized and held fast. Even though the Celestial Maiden herself had reached the Quasi-Emperor level, it was not enough — she was suppressed outright.

Only now did the Golden Celestial Maiden understand: she had not broken through the Cauldron of All Things’ Primordial Qi’s defenses — Ye Fan had let her in of his own accord. Otherwise, that enormous cauldron above, supremely strong and imperishable, could never have been broken through.

Knowing this now came too late. She tried to tear open space, but she could not retreat. How could Ye Fan let her go? He instantly confined heaven and earth and drove toward her to kill.

The gods roared. Those golden figures blanketed the sky, all charging toward Ye Fan. This was a mutual-annihilation attack — all the ancient gods exploded. The energy violently surged and burned, toppling the universe.

Yet Ye Fan used only a single fist. Brilliant light erupted, sweeping across his front. Every divine being was obliterated — whether self-detonating or roaring as it charged forward, all were reduced to ash in this single moment.

When the Heavenly Emperor Fist was unleashed, every god became cinders. All were annihilated, not one surviving!

The Golden Celestial Maiden’s face turned deathly pale, drained of all color. This outcome left her in despair. Her opponent’s strength was enough to look down upon her from above. She had not fled — this had been suicidal.

But even if she tried to flee — could she truly escape?

The Dragon Maiden was furious. Even wielding the imperial Dao sacred weapon, she could not kill Ye Fan — and there was also that monkey. The blood in her veins felt ready to explode, but there was nothing to be done about it. A deep sense of helplessness was born within her.

And she had an ominous premonition about her own fate as well. Was it time to retreat?

The Golden Celestial Maiden’s fate was already sealed. At this moment, no one could change it for her. When the golden sacred weapons and radiance upon her body all exploded, she knew: in this lifetime, her figure would never appear again.

Hum!

The Cauldron of All Things’ Primordial Qi trembled and drew the Golden Celestial Maiden inside. Light exploded from Ye Fan’s brow, and his entire body radiated boundless light. In this moment the universe was shaken. He operated the sacred weapon and began the process of refinement.

Pop!

A soft sound, like a flower blooming — a scattering of tribulation ash drifted out from the cauldron. It was not the birth of a life, but the withering of one. From this world, the Golden Celestial Maiden was no more.

On the Emperor’s path, the strong triumph and the defeated perish. Those who truly attain the Dao walk, for the most part, upon a road of corpses and bones. Behind them lies blood-soaked ground, mountains of white bone stretching beyond sight.

This path is precisely that cruel.