The immortal path had come to its end. The conclusion left people regretful and astonished, defying everyone’s expectations.
And this final battle — the ferocity of its fighting surpassed even what anyone had imagined. The heavens cracked and the earth split, ghosts wailed and gods howled, and swathes of the star river went dark.
The four great supreme beings sought to destroy Ye Fan, for they had utterly lost all hope. Moreover, they had already ascended to their limits, and could not endure this age any longer. They needed to vent and take revenge.
And Ye Fan also wished to eliminate them, fearing the arrival of an unprecedented dark upheaval.
They slaughtered their way from one domain to another, with no end in sight, no quarter given. Now there were no more words. Only letting the enemy fall — until the blood ran dry.
Every onlooker was stupefied. Could Ye Fan hold his own against four supreme beings alone? This was like something out of myth — too unreal to believe.
“Impossible. Unless an emperor sovereign were reborn — how could he possess such battle power?”
“It is the Immortality Cauldron — it has awakened. Reforged and returned to the world.”
The Immortality Cauldron thundered and clashed, striking again and again, radiating ten-thousand strands of green radiance throughout the cosmic star river, drawing upon the life essence of the great universe, enduring the assault of all four supreme beings.
In the end, it enveloped Ye Fan at its center, absorbing every attack directed at him. Ye Fan needed only to urge the cauldron forward — he did not need to fight the supreme beings at close range.
Four individuals of great emperor caliber — their full power was enough to annihilate star domains. Yet even the four of them combined could not shatter the Immortality Cauldron.
“Kill…”
In the end, the sounds of shattering emperor-path artifacts reached across the void, and blood splashed across the stars.
No one knew the full details of the brutal battle. The universe stretched vast and boundless, and the far edges were beyond reach. All five combatants had fought themselves into a state of utter madness.
Spit!
Ye Fan coughed up great mouthfuls of blood — even through the cauldron, the shockwaves had shattered him once. His entire body was riddled with wounds, Dao-marks interweaving as they worked into his flesh.
“CRACK!”
In the end, even the Immortality Cauldron could bear it no longer. Cracks appeared across its surface. This was a battle of brutal force, each strike meeting another head-on — and it had deliberately sought opportunities to take those hits, all for the sake of breaking free.
The four great supreme beings were also drenched in their own blood. And most critically — time was running out. They would soon fall from their ascended state and cease to exist altogether.
Yes — this time there was no suspense. Even if they could devour infinite life essence, it would do them no good. They had endured far too many ages, and had already ascended. Unless a miracle occurred, nothing could change the outcome.
BOOM!
Across the boundless heavens, a star domain exploded. Meteors shot outward in every direction. A vast chaos spread as the star domain was sent into full boiling turmoil.
“Will this battle destroy the world?!”
Every living being trembled. The ferocity of this battle was no weaker than the most terrifying dark upheaval. At this rate, the fabric of the universe itself would be torn apart, and every race would suffer catastrophe.
It was all too obvious: the battle’s range was expanding continuously. In the end, quite a few life-bearing star systems would inevitably be caught in the devastation.
“Ah…”
At last, one supreme being let out a final howl. He departed from his ascended state and plunged from the pinnacle. Every strand of the ten-thousand zhang radiance across his body transformed into darkness. He was struck by the Immortality Cauldron and exploded apart in the sky.
“CRACK!”
The cracks on the green bronze cauldron grew wider and wider, on the verge of disintegration. The remaining three supreme beings attacked with savage fury — even if they died, they wished to drag Ye Fan down with them.
In their eyes, Ye Fan deserved ten-thousand deaths. He had shattered their hopes of immortality. If they could not cut him down with their own hands, they would die furious and unsatisfied.
“BOOM!”
In the end, brilliant radiance swept outward. The Immortality Cauldron exploded — finally disintegrating after having deliberately invited collision after collision. Fragments scattered in all directions, rushing out toward the far reaches.
The divine spirit broke free. A long cry rang out. It ascended to the very limit of its being, then sent a single branded mark to Ye Fan — before its own form cracked apart and the terrifying aura within it rapidly faded.
One supreme law after another flew away, dissolving into streams of flowing light that disappeared into the cosmos.
A white and chubby little toddler broke free — appearing to be only two or three years old, filled with bewilderment. It had taken on human form, becoming a true living being.
This was a cycle. In the end, it had transcended from within the cauldron after all. The emperor sovereign’s contingency had been rendered useless.
Ye Fan scooped the toddler up with one hand, then sheltered it within the battered and broken Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron, sealing it within the immortal platform between his brows, protecting it with everything he had.
Today, had it not been for the Immortality Cauldron, there was no way he could have stood against all four supreme beings. He was still of a younger generation — he had not truly achieved emperor-hood, and could not have possibly withstood the combined assault of four emperor-path powerhouses in open battle.
Yet it was precisely the existence of the Immortality Cauldron that had changed everything. Ye Fan alone had suppressed this great upheaval, leaving them to die with their regrets.
“Ah…”
Another supreme being screamed. He fell out of his ascended state, his entire form dimming as he went dark. Ye Fan struck him with a single punch, disintegrating him into a mist of blood — nothing left.
Naturally, the blood essence of both fallen individuals was claimed by Ye Fan as well — he left none of it for the remaining two, lest they use it to extend the time before their death.
The tide had turned decisively. The remaining two let out long sighs. Four individuals, and not one of them had been able to cut down Ye Fan — what face did they have left? They had all once been emperors of the most ancient era, without equal beneath the heavens. That they would see such a day as this…
The curtain fell on the immortal path. In this final battle, no one knew exactly what had transpired. Only radiance was seen spreading outward, and the far reaches of the universe erupted in total collapse!
A small number of the most powerful clans, watching through ancient formations, caught glimpses of flickering shadows — and heard desolate howls and defiant songs.
The battle was over. For a long time, no one dared approach to see the outcome.
Not until half a month later did anyone work up the courage to go and look — and what they found was a scene of utter devastation. Countless shards of shattered stars. Blood had dyed the universe red.
That blood belonged to the supreme beings. When their bodies exploded, they might have scattered across an area the size of a star system — yet now not a single complete fragment of bone or flesh remained. Nothing but a vast crimson stain, a sight too horrific to endure.
“We have found the flesh and blood of the supreme beings — can it be refined into divine immortality pills?”
Those who had come here were trembling all over, hearts filled with a mixture of hope and terror.
“What of Holy Body Ye Fan — could he have fallen in battle? That would be a terrible loss.” Someone else murmured.
“At least the dark upheaval did not come to pass. No one could have imagined that the outcome would be like this.”
As some of the powerful arrived, the quiet was broken. Many sought to collect the imperial blood, intending to refine it into longevity divine pills.
“Wait — there is a body over there, there is a person…”
Suddenly, everyone was horrified. Amid the endless rubble of broken stars, a shattered corpse stirred, slowly sitting upright. Its entire body was covered in terrible wounds.
It had seemed nearly devoid of life — like the dead. But the moment it sat up, a powerful heartbeat rang out naturally, shaking out in all directions, sending distant onlookers stumbling backward in shock.
“Spit!”
Many people coughed up blood and fled at top speed.
Because the figure was far too terrifying. The aura he radiated naturally and involuntarily was already more than they could endure. It stunned all who witnessed it — this was the might of an ancient great emperor.
“The Holy Body of the Human Race did not fall. He won this decisive battle!”
The news spread like a tide sweeping across every corner of the universe, shaking the world. The achievement was far too glorious — almost mythically unreal.
Ye Fan’s life force slowly revived. He dragged his wounded body upright and stood in the starry sky. He had waited half a month, and still no one else had appeared. He gazed across this terrible battlefield. Four supreme beings had died — yet his heart was hollow and empty.
“Heaven has protected the world — the Holy Body has won, and the dark upheaval has not come to pass!”
“Ye Fan, the Heavenly Emperor, is undefeated!”
Cheers spread from every direction. Around the outer edge of the battlefield, a portion of powerful observers watched, filled with awe, their bodies trembling.
Ye Fan looked at all of it in silence. Then he raised his hand and swept it across this stretch of the universe, drawing in every remaining trace of blood essence to himself, taking it all into the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron.
The battlefield was shattered. Numerous weapon fragments lay scattered about — but most had been utterly destroyed, even their divine gold and immortal materials reduced to worn-out scrap, stripped of their original sacred nature.
In this final battle, the supreme beings had gone completely mad, merging themselves with their weapons, spending everything — and in doing so had burned away all the sacred essence within.
Usable weapon materials were few and extremely limited.
As for the green cauldron’s fragments, their spiritual nature had not diminished at all — they had not lost their immortal gold properties. But this time, having been shattered again, they were incomplete once more. Even someone as powerful as Ye Fan could only recover a little less than half, with the rest scattered throughout every corner of the universe.
“Ha ha… ha ha ha…” Ye Fan burst out laughing — a laughter that broke into violent coughing, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes, too, were blurred with moisture. In the end, it had come to this.
Those who had sought immortality had failed to achieve it and were all dead. Those who had no desire to become immortal had entered the Immortal Domain.
What kind of ending was this? Truly the greatest irony in all of heaven and earth.
“Ziyue…” He called her name softly. They had been parted just like this. The next opening of the immortal path would not come for a million years — how would they ever meet again?
Thinking of her goodness, thinking of her face, Ye Fan let out a long desolate sigh. To be separated between heaven and man like this forever — how could he accept it?
He still remembered every detail of their first meeting. She had been so lively then — great bright eyes, little gleaming tiger’s teeth, always so optimistic, spirited, and adorable.
And then there had been partings too. Gazing at each other across the starry sky, her making a wish beneath the night sky, waiting for his return.
The laughter and voices of days gone by, the faces and mannerisms of the past — they felt as though they were only yesterday. Yet they could never truly appear again.
And Xiao Zi — always more apart than together, for Ye Fan was often in seclusion or journeying outward to seek enlightenment, rarely able to accompany her. Now even seeing this lively and adorable daughter of his would be difficult.
His wife and daughter had achieved immortality, creating a miracle unprecedented through all the ages — that ought to have been cause for celebration. Yet Ye Fan staggered on, stumbling and unsteady, drifting through the universe without knowing which way to turn.
“The immortal path severs the soul — a dream, nothing more. And still you fight among yourselves?!” Ye Fan laughed and wept and roared in the same breath, shaking the eight wastes, his voice carrying to the life restricted zones.
“We thank the Holy Body for suppressing the dark upheaval and sparing us all from catastrophe!”
Ordinary cultivators could not hear his cry — it had been directed at the supreme beings alone. They were celebrating. People believed that after this battle, the universe would be peaceful for a long time to come, with nothing more to fear.
Ye Fan, his entire body dripping blood, staggered back. He broke the seals on all nine Chaos Realms, and the Celestial Court’s forces reappeared in the world.
He had left standing orders before departing: unless he returned, all were to remain in hiding without exception — for no one knew what would unfold within the immortal path battle, nor when it would end.
“Master, you are wounded!”
“Ye Fan, what happened — are you all right?!”
A crowd surged forward.
“I am fine. A few years of recovery and I will be fully healed — there is no need to worry.” Ye Fan said. He had long since suppressed the outward flow of his blood energy and divine power.
“Where are our teacher’s wife and Xiao Zi? Why have they not returned?” Several of his disciples had already felt a premonition of something terrible. Everyone looked over at once.
“They became immortal.” Ye Fan wanted to smile, but a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.
“What — became immortal?!” Everyone was stunned.
“Ye Fan, are you all right?” His closest brothers and sisters were all deeply worried.
“I am all right. While the restricted zones still stand, I will be indestructible. In this lifetime, I will fight to the very end!” Ye Fan’s words rang like iron, his gaze radiant and brilliant, stirring something deep within each and every one present.