Riding the overwhelming momentum of their great victory, the Celestial Court launched a pursuing campaign, killing their way into the territories under the Divine Court’s domain. They seized city after city and star after star. In a single day, several hundred resource star systems fell entirely under their control.

On this day, all under heaven was shaken. The world was left in stunned astonishment.

The war between the Celestial Court and the Divine Court had come to an end.

The Divine Court had come with ferocious momentum — and their million-strong army ended in utter collapse, suffering casualties too numerous to count. As for prisoners, more than several hundred thousand had been taken. Those who refused to kneel in surrender could only meet death.

Who could believe such an outcome if told of it? Yet it had truly happened, right before everyone’s eyes. The entire cosmos stood slack-jawed.

Every clan throughout the universe was deeply shaken. At first people refused to believe it. This had been the supreme Sovereign — leading a million-soldier divine army in an assault against a Celestial Court whose foundations were not yet fully stable. No matter how one looked at it, there could be no surprise result. Surely it would be a complete and thorough obliteration.

Who could have imagined that the moment battle commenced, the supreme Sovereign — who had been as imposing as a divine being descended upon the mortal world, looking down upon all creation — suddenly trembled and fled in abject panic, abandoning his troops and vanishing without a trace?

How could this be so? Everyone could not help but ask. Was the powerful Divine Court nothing but a paper tiger? Eventually, those with inside knowledge revealed the truth: an ancient Supreme had frightened the Sovereign into flight.

The moment this piece of news emerged, the world was shaken to its core. The Celestial Court’s foundations ran this deep? It truly struck people to the heart.

Some rejoiced while others were troubled. Reactions across the world varied considerably.

While wind and cold rain swept through the interior of the Divine Court, the Celestial Court rang with triumphant songs and roared with cheering voices. They had pursued the enemy across several star systems, crushing the Divine Army — sweeping away the stifling pressure that had built up for so long. It was like clouds parting to reveal a clear sky. They had finally let out that great, pent-up breath.

They had come close to driving all the way to the Divine Court’s headquarters itself — had it not been for concern that the Sovereign was still alive and that countless killing arrays were laid there, such that a forcible assault would likely cost far more than it was worth, they might well have. The Imperial Sovereign Palace might not have survived.

This was a great victory. The Divine Court’s treasuries across every domain yielded resources piled like mountains and seas, and all of it was being transported back — this was one of the greatest gains of all.

Most crucially, they had fought their way back to self-assurance and confidence. Even the Divine Court’s million-strong army had been shattered, and the morale of every celestial soldier and celestial general soared to the heavens.

Before this, they had retreated again and again, enduring for many years. Even if internally things had appeared relatively stable, there had been fears of waning unity and faltering hearts — and they had urgently needed a victory like this to sweep away the shadows hanging over them.

This campaign had crushed the Divine Army with overwhelming, irresistible force — and it had come at precisely the right moment. Every single celestial soldier and celestial general felt their confidence explode within them. No one would harbor doubts any longer, and no one would need to wonder about where they stood.

“We caught some big fish!” Dongfang Ye chuckled, his bronze arms bare, one hand gripping a spiked club, the other dangling a string of people, which he dumped out onto the floor of the great hall.

Among the captives were several men whose hair was as white as snow. Old as they appeared in years, they were unusually sharp and vigorous in spirit, their cultivation reaching terrifying heights. Some were not far from the Quasi-Emperor realm.

These were elders of the Divine Court — all of them important senior statesmen. Had the Human Demon not driven through with his supreme stone artifact and knocked them senseless, catching them truly would have been difficult, and they would surely have escaped.

“Old ones, before the battle started, you were the loudest of all — telling my master to bind his own hands and feet and present himself for punishment, and saying to offer up the Cauldron of All Things’ Mother Qi. You spoke with such breathtaking arrogance. Now then — what do you have to say for yourselves?”

Hua Hua was not the least bit polite, delivering several kicks to the old men right away.

Some of them straightened their eyes in fury on the spot. Their status was lofty; they had each been a supreme authority in their respective domains, and no one had ever dared to kick them.

“Not convinced?” Hua Hua’s bald head gleamed brilliantly. He grinned and delivered several more kicks to their backsides, sending them leaping in outrage.

Unfortunately, all their cultivation had been sealed, and there was nothing they could do. Every one of them could only grit their teeth and glare.

“Old ones, weren’t you very cocky just now? Jump again if you dare. Let me have a look at what races you all are. Hmm, this one is a vitality bird, this one is a heavenly horse demon, and this one is a transformation serpent — fine specimens, all of them. Rare bloodlines, every one. Enormously nourishing!” Dongfang Ye remarked.

At this very moment, the Holy Emperor’s son and Ye Fan happened to return. The Human Demon heard those words, and his eyes blazed with divine light. He stepped forward in a single stride, looming over the captives like someone picking up chickens, studying them intently. “Are they really those delicacies?”

Good heavens!

Those people were practically scared limp. Standing before this living ancestor — this god among gluttons, this primitive caveman among Quasi-Emperors — the whole group was so frightened they nearly fell to their knees.

In the next instant, every one of them went completely soft. They answered every question put to them, and volunteered ten answers for each one asked, bending over themselves to show how cooperative they were. Whatever principles or integrity they had once possessed — all of it was gone.

This left Dongfang Ye thoroughly exasperated. “Stop talking so much. Damn it, I haven’t even asked that question yet. Are you people compulsive talkers? I ask one thing, you answer one thing.”

“We caught quite a number of people — and some of real significance. The harvest is genuinely not small.” Ye Fan smiled.

“Ha ha! We caught a few treasures — big fish among big fish!” Li Heishui laughed loudly.

He walked in together with Li Tian and Yan Yixi. They commanded Quasi-Emperor artifacts and had naturally carved a path of absolute destruction through the battlefield, laying waste to all in their path. The Divine Army’s powerful fighters had scattered the moment they saw them.

These new arrivals were a group of powerfully built figures wearing royal crowns and robes embroidered with fierce dragon patterns. Their ages ranged from old to young, and every one of them wore an unpleasant expression, the veins at their temples visibly straining.

“A few treasures, don’t be upset now. Come — introduce yourselves to everyone.” Li Tian grinned.

When they heard themselves referred to as “treasures,” the fury of every one of them blazed to a peak. Livid rage mottled every face, and they ground their teeth until it seemed they might fall out as they surged forward. But their divine power had been sealed. Their techniques had all been stripped from them. They could not fight.

“Don’t be so stiff. Not willing to speak up — are you shy? Very well then, I’ll speak.” Li Heishui gave a strange smile and strolled forward. Pointing to one of them — a man whose hair had gone gray — he said: “This is the Fourth Treasure.”

Upon hearing this, the man whose strands of hair were already turning ashen shot him a look of such concentrated fury that cold light radiated from his eyes. Were he free to act, he would have hurled himself forward to kill him.

“This is the Sixth Treasure. This is the Eighth Treasure. And this is the Ninth Treasure.” Li Heishui smiled as he pointed out each one in turn.

By this point, everyone had already guessed their identities — especially Ye Fan and Hua Hua and the others, who had personally encountered the Ninth Treasure at the Fifth Imperial Pass.

“These are several of the Divine Court Sovereign’s sons! Ha ha ha… and they really are treasures indeed!” The Black Emperor burst into wild, howling laughter, saliva dripping freely as it set its sights on the scriptures stored in their minds.

The faces of all four turned iron-black, the veins at their foreheads on the verge of bursting. Every one of them burned with hatred — but what could they do? They were now prisoners.

The Divine Court had nine sons in all. Ye Fan had already killed one. This time, four more had been captured at once. Truly beyond anyone’s expectation.

“Honestly speaking, these fellows are genuinely very powerful. A pity they ran into us — and so they’ve been reduced to vegetables.” Li Tian grinned with a wicked smile.

Pang Bo returned, and he had carried back the Sovereign’s true dragon carriage. It was a terrifying Quasi-Emperor war vehicle. According to what the captured elders had divulged, the lord of the Divine Court had excavated it from a ruin — and it was one of the divine artifacts used to anchor the sect’s authority.

Now, the Divine Court’s Quasi-Emperor artifacts had been almost entirely lost. Perhaps only the Sovereign’s crimson dragon armor remained.

“So powerful — once refined and purified, our Celestial Court will have gained yet another divine artifact!” The Black Emperor exclaimed in admiration. It had a particular fondness for things like this, and could barely contain itself from pouncing on it immediately.

Ye Fan, the Holy Emperor’s son, and the Human Demon joined their strength together and directly roused the dormant deity slumbering within it. With three supreme powerhouses offering the sacrifice together, it naturally yielded — and was formally taken as property of the Celestial Court.

Their gains this time were immense. The warehouses of every territory they had seized yielded resources in limitless mountains and seas, which were transported back and more than made up for the losses incurred when the Black Emperor had gone on its frenzied artifact-forging spree and sacrificed the formation platforms.

A single battle shook all under heaven!

Every corner of the cosmos was stunned, and people could not help but reconsider their assessment of the Celestial Court’s true strength. Even the Divine Court had suffered a catastrophic stumble — their elites had been cut down by more than half, and the entire great power was on the verge of collapse. Now the Sovereign’s fate was unknown, sending chills through everyone. And the legend that the Celestial Court was backed by a Supreme-tier protector had spread far and wide, intimidating all those who harbored ulterior motives.

“Can this truly be so? That empress is still alive…”

“Do not act rashly for now. Let us wait and observe for a time.”

In truth, another fearsome force had originally been on the verge of making its appearance — powerful fighters from the Phoenix Nest had already mobilized, preparing to come and claim the heads of Ye Fan and the Holy Emperor’s son.

They understood deeply just how terrifyingly gifted both men were, and had no intention of giving them an opportunity. Their plan was this: if the Divine Army conquered the Celestial Court’s headquarters but failed to kill those two, the divine generals from the Phoenix Nest would immediately move to eliminate both powerhouses.

Yet the outcome of this battle had been so bizarre that even one of the Eight Great Divine Generals who had once followed the Undying Heavenly Emperor found themselves deeply apprehensive. On this day, that general had truly and keenly sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the direction of the Big Dipper, and cautiously withdrew.

In this battle, Ye Fan and his companions gained far more than they had ever imagined. After interrogating the several “treasures” and extracting information from their sea of consciousness, they obtained certain ancient techniques. When assembled and pieced together, they formed a complete copy of the Dao Sutra and the Scripture of Radiant Light — and the revelation shook the entire Celestial Court.

These were two supreme treasured texts. There was no need to speak further of the Dao Sutra — Ye Fan had built his foundation upon it. The Scripture of Radiant Light hailed from the Radiant Clan, and was an ancient emperor’s scripture. It recorded numerous profound and terrifying divine abilities and secret arts — especially the forbidden chapters, which captivated Ye Fan, the Holy Emperor’s son, and the Human Demon alike. They entered seclusion for many days.

They would certainly not walk the same path, but they could take these works as reference, use them to comprehend the nature of that level of attainment, and compare it against their own chosen roads — a process that would provide an enormous push forward.

Ye Fan could not help but reflect with a sigh. In the past, all the scriptures he had obtained were incomplete fragments — and he had even fared worse than his disciple Ye Tong in this regard, who at least possessed a copy of the Solar Immortal Sutra. He had read through it once, but it had never truly been his to find. Yet now, with a single battle, two complete scriptures had come to him at once.

For the Celestial Court, this was wonderful news. Important figures could all study and learn from them, while the general members could be taught as well — the overall combat strength and cultivation quality of the whole organization would be elevated.

“It turns out the Sovereign originally cultivated the Dao Sutra, and four thousand years ago came across a young man by chance and rescued him, for which he was given a copy of the Scripture of Radiant Light…”

This piece of information shook Ye Fan and the others. The Radiant Clan had an ancient emperor’s son — breathtakingly gifted — who had emerged into the world over four thousand years ago, only to mysteriously vanish sometime later.

The one the Sovereign had saved must have been him. But where had he gone? After searching thoroughly through the sea of consciousness of the several “treasures,” nothing significant was found. Their father had told them nothing of this.

Beyond this, they learned the Sovereign’s racial origins. His bloodline carried the blood of the Vermilion Bird — an ancient and powerful race that had, by the present age, almost entirely vanished from sight.

This battle concluded, and its influence spread far and deep. Every power in the Celestial Court’s vicinity trembled. Those clans that had seized strongholds and resource star systems from them came one after another, stumbling over themselves to offer apologies.

As for how to handle these clans, the militant faction within the Celestial Court argued that they should all be stripped bare from head to toe — the ringleaders executed, the remainder exiled.

In the end, after Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the Black Emperor deliberated together, they chose not to do this. The Celestial Court had only just risen to power, and methods this extreme might drive every faction to unite against them out of shared fear.

Of course, those who had kicked the Celestial Court when it was down, and those who had invaded and slaughtered without justification — the ringleaders among them were all suppressed. But this was carefully kept to a limited scope, serving as a deterrent.

All ten directions came to pay their respects. This expanse of the cosmos flourished and prospered, and the authority of the Celestial Court began to spread far and wide.

Four years later, the Sole True Path trembled. A long, resonant bell tone rolled across all under heaven. Every corner of the cosmos heard it — the sound of the bell shaking the four extremes and eight wastelands.

“Those people have passed through the Ninth Pass and reached the ultimate destination!”

What lay beyond the nine Imperial Passes? This was a question many had wondered at since ancient times. Everyone longed to know — for that place was bound up in the secret of attaining emperorhood.

The Undying Heavenly Empress had once done battle with a mysterious figure in the space beyond the nine Imperial Passes. In the end, both sides suffered severe injuries and departed. Yet even they had not truly entered the most secret of places within.

There were unconfirmed accounts claiming that only after passing through all nine Imperial Passes in blood and slaughter would that innermost place truly open, bathing everything in radiance.

Indeed — on this day, from the star domain beyond the nine Imperial Passes, countless threads of immortal light blazed outward in an enormous explosion, shaking the boundless cosmos.

There, thunder rolled and rumbled. Divine lightning wove through the air. Ancient mountains moved aside, and endless chaos surged and billowed. Amidst blazing electrical arcs and swirling mists, a mysterious world came into view.