“He is… meeting an imperial Dao sacred weapon bare-handed!”
Few words, only several of them — yet the ocean of the universe shook as though physically struck. The very voices of the people trembled; witnessing this in person, how could one not be shocked?
In the universe, Ye Fan was now like a great Roc spreading its wings, now like a true dragon traversing the sky. His supreme flesh made various transformations as he battled a sacred imperial weapon.
“It is because of that green lotus.”
“Could it be… truly the Green Emperor?”
This conjecture, once voiced, made not a few people shudder violently. It was too terrifying. The one who had broken the myth in the later wilderness ancient era, the sole person to attain the Dao, had only been dead ten thousand years. What had changed, causing a lotus like this to appear?
What secrets lay within — every person sank into deep thought, and the more they thought, the more fearful they felt. Clue after clue pointed toward one conclusion that stopped the breath: the death of the Green Emperor had something wrong about it!
The battle in the field captured every person, pulling at the nerves of the most powerful beings. Ye Fan, like a god descended to the mortal world, swung his Emperor’s Fist against the sacred imperial weapon forged from divine-mark violet gold. The clanging was deafening.
Ye Fan could not possibly match imperial Dao laws by force — but the Chaos Green Lotus held them at bay for him. Yet this in itself was enough to illustrate the matter clearly: his flesh was far too powerful.
For otherwise — how could he, how would he dare do this? Anyone else attempting such a duel would have their body shattered to a pulp of blood.
That he did so — though his palms and fingers bore bloodstained marks, his finger bones had not broken. He was experiencing the power of a supreme sovereign’s weapon, feeling out its pulse!
Fist and lotus as one — he could stand proud across the stars, experiencing the might of an ancient emperor, comprehending the traces of toughness and undying strength they had left in the river of the world.
This collision brought him tremendous gain. With his heart, he looked upon that unattainable peak and gazed far ahead at how distant the road truly was.
Waves surged within Ye Fan’s heart. The Emperor’s path was without end. Piercing through the mist, he glimpsed a vast, boundless, immeasurably grand world — yet, regretfully, its end could not be seen.
The Dragon Maiden’s face was chalk-white. Her opponent’s dominance and fearlessness had deeply shaken her. Her mind could not be stilled. This person was too powerful — she seemed to see a young great emperor rising. He had that same spirit as her father — they were the same kind of person!
“For the sake of cultivation, they can strike upward to the ninth heaven, descend into the ninth abyss — all to attain the Dao and ascend to immortality…”
Her Dao heart had wavered. She felt deeply the sensation of helplessness: if she could not kill Ye Fan today, having missed today, she would never again have the opportunity.
Even wielding an imperial Dao sacred weapon was useless. What else could she do? She still had various forbidden secret arts — techniques founded by the great ancient emperors, as well as forbidden domains she had explored for herself. But she knew they would not work; they could do nothing to that man. Because even an imperial Dao sacred weapon was useless now — what could be stronger than that?
A heart that could not be still presaged the outcome: defeat was certain. The Dragon Maiden stared at the green lotus, unwilling. If not for it, the result would surely have been different. Even if Ye Fan were dominant, he would probably have been forced to flee.
Whoosh!
The Dragon Maiden turned and left. She knew she could not continue. The reason she had not yet been defeated was because the imperial Dao sacred weapon was in her hand — not her own battle power.
If she continued, she would inevitably make a mistake. By that point, something terrible might happen, and the fate of Shen Ming and the Golden Celestial Maiden — blood spilled across the stars — might be replicated on her.
The Ten-Thousand-Dragon Bell was a sacred imperial weapon; naturally its power was unmatched. In an instant it pierced through the universe, striking out a secure path of chaos, and she stepped inside and walked forward.
Ye Fan naturally gave chase — he would not let her leave just like that.
Since they were enemies, since the battle had begun, there must be an outcome!
Green lotus in hand, Cauldron of All Things’ Primordial Qi above his head, he transformed into a beam of flowing light in pursuit. The Circulating Qi Word Technique was deployed to its utmost; the river of time seemed to pause for him.
And at the same time, the Weapon Word Technique activated — he attempted to interfere with the imperial Dao sacred weapon, to gain control over and alter it.
Boom!
Suddenly, heaven and earth overturned. A black immortal iron staff split open space and came crashing toward the Dragon Maiden. The Holy Prince had moved; the black iron staff trailed brilliant rosy light, auspicious radiance billowing.
This path was blocked. The Dragon Maiden’s face changed drastically; in an instant she again tore open space, traveling toward the distance.
But then — a resonating boom. She had barely moved when a terrifying aura erupted. A stone vessel broke open the universe, bearing a great world-shaking force and suppressing everything with the ancient imperial aura of an ancient emperor — incomparably powerful.
It was the Divine Tiger’s stone vessel, now in the hands of a wild-haired, disheveled savage — who smashed it down.
The Human Demon. It was actually Dongfang Taiyi. After disappearing for many years, he had appeared again, returned to this battlefield!
He had been trapped within an incomplete Emperor Formation at the edge of the universe, where he comprehended the Dao, challenged the formation’s gates, and fought against a terrifying race for many years. At last, he had survived and emerged — his strength raised another great stride.
Upon returning, he took the stone vessel directly from the Holy Prince, keeping a close eye on things, stationed in the shadows to prevent the Dragon Maiden from escaping.
The Dragon Maiden’s heart sank. So even trying to leave was this troublesome. The imperial Dao sacred weapon had clashed against the Chaos Green Lotus and consumed a great deal; right now it was not in a state of autonomous recovery. She understood the danger.
Ye Fan advanced, step by step. Though the green lotus had also lost its luster, his own body was powerful enough — and that was the root of his dominance in this moment.
“Kill!”
The Dragon Maiden cried out. Upon her peerless face was written absolute resolution. Her beautiful hair flew, her graceful immortal form radiating holy light. Blood seeped from her brow and dripped onto the imperial Dao sacred weapon.
She was performing a sacrificial offering, to awaken the weapon once more. On one hand, she hoped thereby to preserve her life and slash out a path of survival; on the other, she hoped to once again see her father — even if she died here, she wanted, in her final moment, to see that familiar, towering silhouette.
Without question, this was a terrifying blood battle. The Chaos Green Lotus was forced to emit light again; a jade sea reached to the sky, covering the universe. The might of the imperial Dao and the laws of the Emperor’s Dao bloomed together. This place became a land eternally without stars. Many years later, it would be enshrined by future generations as a taboo land of annihilation.
The outcome was fated. The imperial Dao sacred weapon was beaten dim; the divine beings were about to enter slumber. The world witnessed a terrifying green lotus — it was this fearsome, holding its own against the extreme Dao, keeping the fight to the very end!
The green lotus’s defensive power had no equal, outlasting the imperial Dao sacred weapon until it dimmed.
With one final roar, the Ten-Thousand-Dragon Bell shattered the jade light, attempting to take the Dragon Maiden and flee. The result was that Ye Fan swept the green lotus across it — the Dragon Maiden tumbled down, her beautiful hair scattering loose, her luminous white face filled with despair. She knew she could not go. This would be her final look at this world.
Sadly, all that met her eyes was darkness — not even starlight was visible, all of it had been destroyed, leaving only void.
“Father, where are you?” Tears slid from her eyes. She called out and awakened the imperial Dao sacred weapon — she was about to die, and had been unable to see the ancient emperor’s phantom again. She carried regret in her heart.
Ye Fan raised his right hand and pointed it ahead.
In this moment, there was no right or wrong.
Having been enemies in this life, mercy was impossible. Her one gesture had shattered several stars — the Celestial Court had suffered considerable losses. Adding the grudges from before, the enmity could no longer be resolved.
If he released her, Ye Fan himself had no fear — but the people at his side would inevitably face enormous threats, just as those few great stars had been shattered in a single night.
He would not allow this woman to do such a thing again!
Ye Fan struck. The Heavenly Emperor Fist blasted forward!
Puff!
A tragic crimson flower bloomed. A peerless Celestial Maiden fell. One more of the ancient imperial bloodlines was gone. Scarlet drops scattered, a rain of blood across the long sky — and then everything faded away.
In Ye Fan’s heart, there was no joy. He faced it all in silence.
This road was long, and it was cruel. Who could say how many more would die before the fighting was done? To walk forward treading upon blood and bones was the burden of an entire lifetime, and also an endless desolation.
Today, he had won, and so he lived. Had he lost, he would be the one dead.
Perhaps, in the future, he too would fall — even worse, becoming a passing spectacle on someone else’s Emperor’s path. All the glory that came before would become smoke and cloud, setting off someone even more powerful.
But so long as he still lived, he would forge ahead, making himself stronger. He had lost too many people. Some could never be brought back; he had been powerless to save them.
Qin Yao, for instance. Or the God King Jiang Taixu. In those moments, he had hated his own powerlessness. Now he wanted to grow strong — to guard every person by his side, to keep them from becoming a pitiable blood-colored spectacle in this great era.
He would advance. Against enemies, he would show no mercy. Even if reviled by all the champions, even if the whole world was his enemy — so what?
They were enemies from the start. He would strike without feeling, erasing all hidden dangers that could threaten the people around him.
He would fight onward to the end, killing his way through. Even if great enemies filled the land, even if the stars were ablaze with war throughout the universe — he would know no fear, and would fight his way to victory!
“My road. My Dao…” Ye Fan glimpsed a corner of the future — it was destined to be arduous. The road to becoming an emperor would never be calm; it would be a mountain landscape dyed in blood.
As for the Forbidden Zone battle — perhaps one day it would begin again. And then there was the immortal road, also veiled in uncertainty.
In this age, in this life, so long as he continued moving forward, he would advance toward that goal. He would encounter ever more fearsome enemies. How was he to face them?
Ten thousand paths colliding, a blood-colored journey — since cruelty was fated, then the only way was to break free and stand at the absolute pinnacle. Not for himself alone, but for those at his side. He would be victorious in a hundred battles, never defeated, looking down upon all under heaven.
The Ten-Thousand-Dragon Bell vanished into the boundless universe and flew away — it could not be stopped. In truth, it could not be kept; without a true Emperor’s weapon in hand, the passively-defending green lotus alone could never seal it.
This battle was over. In the hearts of many across the stars, surging waves were stirred. The battle’s impact was immense. The Holy Body’s dominant rise, with the record of slaying three great ancient imperial bloodlines, announced to the world his return!
This battle had occurred too quickly. From the opening of hostilities to now, the fighting had been fierce, yet it had not lasted long. Great powers in every corner of the universe had not yet learned of it.
Only those who had rushed to this battlefield and witnessed it all in person were trembling.
This was stunning news that needed to be transmitted back immediately — to inform their own people. Otherwise, their own side might make a grave error. The Holy Body, at this moment, could not be provoked.
In the dark universe, some departed in a flash, daring not to delay, afraid of causing a great catastrophe.
“Are our forces still mining that resource star of the Celestial Court’s that we seized? Send it back immediately — don’t ask why. Be quick!”
“What about that stronghold we captured? Abandon it at once — no more words. Only because it belongs to the Celestial Court!”
One person in charge after another was in a panic. Some were well-informed; news of the battle in the universe had been relayed back, and certain clan heads could no longer sit still.
“Clan head — we have already defected from the Celestial Court and withdrawn from the territories under their rule. Are we to submit to them again? We already killed an entire squad of their celestial soldiers — can this still end peaceably?”
“My lord, you were the one who ordered the capture of that Celestial Court stronghold. How can the blame fall on me? You are the one who personally slew that celestial general.”
…
Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, and the Human Demon returned simultaneously, all unharmed, stirring immense panic. People suddenly realized that the Celestial Court — this enormous behemoth — was even more terrifying than they had imagined.
The expected decline had not come. The several of them had returned alive!
And yet — there were also eyes that opened, profound as the sea, swirling with chaotic mist as though at the moment of heaven and earth’s creation. Opening and closing, they shot out terrifying light that pierced the universe and gazed far away toward the Celestial Court.