Before the heavenly gate, Ye Fan, the Ten Thousand Dragon Emperor, the White Tiger Daoist, and the others fought in a frenzy of blood, the slaughter already burning at white heat. Every last person was severely wounded, their bodies soaked in blood, their very immortal platforms cracked and fractured.
Ye Fan was naturally the prime focus of everyone’s attention. All of them wanted to eliminate him in advance — but with the Immortal Ascending Cauldron providing defence, he had never fallen.
In truth, there was another crucial reason as well: Ye Fan possessed blood elixirs refined from the bodies of ancient supreme beings, comparable in efficacy to divine medicine. Had he not consumed them at critical moments, he might very well have been dead long since.
In this fierce and brutal slaughter, he had come close to death from severe wounds several times — yet each time he swallowed a blood elixir, he was restored to full vigour, brimming with dragon spirit and tiger vitality, giving him an enormous advantage.
Without them, he would already be a dead man. No matter how powerful a person was, they could not withstand the sustained, repeated bombardment of several supreme beings.
Through his several revivals, he had in turn changed the course of the battle — for he had worn the supreme being from the Immortal Mausoleum to the very brink of death. The peerless Emperor Dao master from the Immortal Mausoleum was drenched head to toe in blood, the flame of his life nearly extinguished.
This was because the supreme beings were also calculating against one another, constantly striking at each other in secret — true allies they were not. Hence even “one’s own people” fell within the scope of slaughter.
Beyond this, the White Tiger Daoist had also sustained grievous injuries.
And since the heavenly gate required a true Dao ascendant as the sacrifice, these two were gradually replacing Ye Fan as the primary targets.
The sounds of bones ground to pulp and blood spraying forth arrived. The supreme being from the Immortal Mausoleum was struck down by the combined assault of the group — bloodied and battered — Ye Fan’s contribution among them.
This was reality in its most brutal form. Allied one moment, turned upon the next. In this place, to show weakness meant to become everyone’s target and be cut down. There was an unspeakable irony to it.
Boom!
A great mass of flesh and bone along with a torrent of blood flew upward together, striking the immortal gate, making it blaze with brilliant light. A faint crack appeared, as though it had very nearly parted open.
Seeing this, the group seized the moment and struck with sudden ferocity — together they bombarded the heavenly gate, hoping to force it open and fly through.
At the same time, the Immortal Ascending Cauldron was also hammering against it on its own initiative, without needing anyone to control it. It sought to destroy this heavenly gate, to bear witness to an undying world, to see what lay within that other realm.
Alas, though the crack was brilliant and radiant, endlessly pouring out misty immortal light, it simply could not be forced open.
Someone attempted to transform themselves into a streak of light and slip through — but was met with a grievous blow. Transforming the body was useless; the invisible laws sealing the gate blocked all passage.
“It is not enough. Another Dao ascendant must be sacrificed.” The Ten Thousand Dragon Emperor said.
All eyes at once fixed upon Ye Fan and the White Tiger Daoist. The two of them were the most promising targets. If these two died, the remaining three quotas would be perfectly distributed, and they could all ascend to immortality.
The White Tiger Daoist smiled in bitter resignation. He knew he was in even greater danger than Ye Fan — for he was old and waning in strength. Having fought this long, he was nearly dropping out of the peak domain; he could not sustain it much longer.
“Fellow Daoists — throughout our lives, all our efforts… will they truly amount to nothing in the end? Is what we are doing now not even worthy of a common mortal? What a profound irony.” The Beast God said bleakly.
“Because we have no more chances. This lifetime is our final contest!”
“Some people can really endure — it seems they have made up their minds not to emerge in this lifetime, choosing silence still.” The Ten Thousand Dragon Emperor let out a desolate lament, looking toward the direction of the Northern Dipper.
This sent a violent shudder through Ye Fan’s heart. There were still ancient emperors who had not appeared, who had not manifested — the Forbidden Zones were not exhausted! This made the hair stand on end. What were those people waiting for — that they still did not acknowledge this lifetime?
Rumble, rumble…
The tribulation thunder was deafening. From behind, a great explosive sound arrived. A streak of golden light slashed through eternity, making every supreme being’s heart jolt violently.
“What audacity — to come here!”
“Barely just become a Great Emperor — not even Great Completion yet — and you dare intrude upon the immortality road, ruining our great matter!”
“You… are seeking your own death!”
The responses of the several supreme beings were all different, their words sharp and harsh. But immediately after, every one of their expressions shifted drastically.
The Golden Crow Great Emperor had not entered during the tail end of his tribulation crossing. He had barged in while the ferocious divine punishment was still blazing — extraordinarily terrifying. It was possible he could wound them.
The great tribulation rumbled, vast and immense, and shook them all with heart-palpitations. Their bodies resonated involuntarily, on the verge of being drawn into the divine punishment. This was a terrifying catastrophe. Though their hearts burned with indignation, in the moment they had no choice but to avoid the blade’s edge. A warning had sounded in their hearts — if they did not, they might truly capsize in the ditch.
The immeasurable divine tribulation spread wide, swallowing up this place without limit or boundary, shattering even the immortality road at the rear — it was overwhelming.
The others present, with the exception of Ye Fan, had all once crossed this most terrifying Great Emperor tribulation. Now caught up in it, whether or not they actively resisted, the moment they engaged, they might experience what they had felt in their youth when crossing the tribulation all over again.
Yet they were old now. Even sublimated, standing in the most powerful domain, they could not bear to endure such a thing all over again from the beginning — for it would persist for a very long time and exhaust the last of their strength. Though they raged and bellowed and berated, their hearts had no choice but to concede: this Golden Crow had calculated well. To charge in at this moment was truly something that made people feel they could not cope.
No one had anticipated that a single Golden Crow would change everything in this place.
The Golden Crow Great Emperor was brimming with soaring ambition — unwilling to accept being locked out of the immortality road and becoming a bystander. Before he had even fully achieved his transformation, he had charged forward, never pausing for a moment. He spread his wings and struck the heavenly gate, displaying a power that shook every person in the vicinity.
His vital blood filled the heavens. The Golden Crow Great Emperor, despite having sustained grievous wounds in the tribulation — bloodied all over — nonetheless burned with incomparable fighting spirit. He poured out everything he had and slammed into that gate.
And most terrifying of all: the endless tribulation lightning was descending, crashing entirely against the immortal gate — violent and explosive, shaking the very souls of all those present.
In this moment, every person was spattered with blood, passively enduring the lightning strikes. They wanted to resist, but feared drawing in the tribulation; to not resist was also unbearable.
Ye Fan, bearing the green cauldron, decisively retreated and moved away.
But the tribulation was too vast in scope. Throughout this process, he was struck continuously, which made him smile ruefully. In the past, he had used this very method to strike at great enemies from above and suppress opponents below. Who could have known that one day, someone would use it on him as well, and he would get to taste this particular experience for himself?
Even though he had always been unafraid of the sea of lightning — using heavenly thunder to temper his body — he had no choice but to temporarily retreat now. For this was the Great Emperor tribulation, the most terrifying lightning light in the entire world. If he were to invite this fire upon himself, the consequences would be deeply unpleasant.
He still wanted to contend for the immortality road — he had no time to deal with these things.
The other supreme beings also retreated, withdrawing to the edges of this false immortal domain. Fortunately, this place was spacious enough — rivalling a vast star system — and they watched from a cold distance.
In the process of retreating, every person was struck by lightning. They emerged in a sorry state, their skin split and flesh torn, blood flowing freely — for they had chosen not to resist with their full power, out of fear of drawing in the tribulation.
The Golden Crow Great Emperor cried out in a long peal, resonating with this entire world. Like an immortal king, he blazed with golden light in hundreds of millions of zhang all around him. He struck the heavenly gate multiple times, and used the tribulation lightning to bombard it.
Amid the thunderous crashing, the crack in the immortal gate widened somewhat — yet it was ultimately not moved.
Clang…
The great bell rang slow and resonant. The Golden Crow divine bell forged from the yellow gold of the Dao tribulation began to burn, its Dao waves pulsing through the crack, seeking to drive its way into the immortal domain.
“Overestimating your own abilities. You haven’t even reached true Great Completion yet — and you delude yourself with thoughts of immortal ascension. I’d say you don’t even know how you’ll die.” Several supreme beings laughed coldly.
The Golden Crow clan’s Great Emperor had arrived at just the right time — they planned to sacrifice him alive.
Without prior arrangement, everyone including Ye Fan was preparing to act, deploying forbidden techniques, intent on striking the old Golden Crow down before the heavenly gate and offering his blood as a sacrifice.
Yet Dao ascendants all possessed spiritual awareness — especially now, having received the recognition of heaven and earth, with the Golden Crow Great Emperor’s entire being washed in the Dao, his enlightenment arrived in an instant: he could not become an immortal here and now. And if he lingered further, great calamity awaited. He seized the endless tribulation lightning and wheeled around to depart.
“Kill!” The several supreme beings acted — but all changed colour as well. The immeasurable tribulation lightning arrived, and they were swallowed up once more.
Boom!
Amid brilliant blazing light, a fierce great battle erupted in this place. The several supreme beings felt somewhat aggrieved — they dared not strike with full power, for fear the divine tribulation would fall upon them.
But even so, this place came alive with the sound of heaven collapsing and earth splitting.
Pff!
The Golden Crow Great Emperor exploded apart, his body drenched in blood, golden feathers flying everywhere in profusion — yet he quickly reconstituted his form, let out a cry of anguish, and charged outward.
Clang…
The great golden bell swayed — then with a thunderous boom it exploded apart. His ascension weapon, barely born, was directly struck to pieces and destroyed, reduced to a sky full of golden fragments.
The blood of the Golden Crow Emperor splattered against the heavenly gate, making it thunder with resonance. The crack widened once more, as though it were about to open.
The demon race Great Emperor roared in fury. Wind and thunder raged, chaos lightning blazed, and he held nothing back — drawing down the tribulation, letting it descend upon everyone.
It had to be said: this gave people genuine pause.
But the several supreme beings — who were they? They had all traversed this very path themselves. They activated their forbidden secret arts and launched their assault once more.
Though the Golden Crow clan’s Great Emperor managed to escape, his body had been shattered three times in succession. Each time he reconstituted himself he was blasted apart again. Blood stained this place. But in the end he escaped, carrying away the shattered fragments of the great bell.
“Lucky to survive — though Great Completion may no longer be within reach.”
“He brought it on himself. Not yet a fully complete Great Emperor, yet daring to come and contend with us. His ambitions were simply too great!”
The several people behind laughed coldly without cease.
Suddenly, the Ten Thousand Dragon Emperor’s expression changed. He noticed that the corner of the White Tiger Daoist’s mouth was smeared with blood — and the White Tiger Daoist wore an expression of satisfaction.
The blood of the Golden Crow Daoist had not all ended up as a sacrifice on the heavenly gate. A portion had been consumed by the White Tiger Daoist, who had been positioned closest of all and had seized this opportunity. Originally he had been one of the primary targets of the group’s hunt — already severely weakened — but now, having supplemented himself with the vital blood and essence, he had nearly fully recovered.
“Friends, as you all saw — the Golden Crow was not yet at Great Completion, but even his blood had an effect, widening the gap in the heavenly gate considerably. What say we calm ourselves and first send the Holy Physique on his way?” The Beast God put forth this suggestion.
“No objection.” The White Tiger Daoist nodded. After drinking the blood he had regained his confidence, and was already composed, fearing nothing.
“Then it is agreed. We eliminate him first. From this point forward, no attacks on one another — this time the agreement must be honoured.” The Ten Thousand Dragon Emperor spoke, the purple-gold imperial weapon above his head flickering with terrifying light.
“Holy Physique of the human race — we are asking you to help us open this gate. You understand the consequences if you refuse.” The Phoenix Wing Gilt Trident blazed with crimson light, a ruthless shout emanating from it.
The four supreme beings cut off the immortality road, blocking Ye Fan in their midst, murderous intent laid bare on every face. They demanded he go forward and attack the heavenly gate — or face the consequences together.
Ye Fan’s eyes shifted and glittered. He raised a hand, and the green bronze cauldron descended, coming to rest in his palm — crystalline and translucent, radiant with jade brilliance, ten thousand threads of auspicious light.
Boom!
But before Ye Fan could make any movement at all, behind him that heavenly gate slowly — and on its own — swung open, revealing an extraordinary, vast, and immeasurable immortal world!