Ye Fan held the divine crystal in his hand. Within it burned a small flame — overflowing with a vigorous life-force breath. This was the supreme foundational fire of a true Great Emperor.

He immediately entered seclusion. He placed that flame inside the Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi and subjected it to hundreds upon thousands of rounds of refinement, tempering and sublimating it through secret techniques.

For this was the quintessence of an Emperor — the very root of that heart-of-heaven imprint — and no matter what, it had to first be thoroughly cleansed and refined. After about an hour had passed, Ye Fan appeared with one hand cradling a flame of immortal fire, its radiance making the very palm of his hand appear transparent, with blood vessels and all clearly visible within.

Hiss!

Ye Fan pressed that flame into the center of Ye Tong’s brow, burning away several of the seals and shielding his sea of consciousness, causing that place to blaze with brilliant light as the flame fused into the disciple’s flesh and blood.

“Master, how is it?” Yang Xi, Hua Hua, and the others looked on anxiously.

“Ye Zi, you must save our little Tong Tong!” Li Tian, Yan Yixi, and the others were all stricken with grief.

Ye Fan nodded, but did not speak.

For several consecutive days, Ye Tong remained in a coma, sinking into the deepest layers of dormant slumber as a means of self-preservation.

And Ye Fan had also executed great divine arts. For several days, people across all regions of the cosmos felt a terrifying surge of great Dao divine laws, shaking every domain.

Everyone was alarmed. They knew that Ye Fan was executing techniques, but the power was too extraordinary — absolutely chilling in its profundity. Seven hundred years had passed without anyone seeing him fight with all his might, and they had not imagined that his cultivation had grown to a level even more refined and staggering.

In the end, he left in silence, heading straight into the Northern Dipper and descending into the Primordial Forbidden Zone.

Everyone’s hearts clenched with dread. What was Ye Fan intending to do? Could it be that, driven to fury by his disciple’s impending death, he intended to level the Forbidden Zone?

Even the ancient venerables within those forbidden grounds were startled. This was not an unreasonable suspicion — for he had such “precedents” to his name. He had already leveled the Reincarnation Sea and the Undying Mountain!

The whole world was alarmed. Yet when Ye Fan entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone and approached the Primordial Ancient Mine, no great battle broke out.

The chaotic air churned above it. From within the mysterious ancient mine, auspicious light flowed, nearly drawing all the sun, moon, and stars in the sky inward — an awe-inspiring sight.

“You should know that standing off like this and forcibly borrowing from the Immortal Source and the Primordial Life Stones — one day you will pay ten times the price!” A cold voice rang out.

“I am willing to wait.” Ye Fan walked out, cradling a massive Immortal Source and a Life Stone carved into the shape of a coffin, and flew off directly toward the Northern Dipper.

Everyone stared blankly — and then understood. Ye Fan had no other option; he intended to seal his disciple within the Immortal Source, to wait for the day when the calamity could be resolved.

At the same time, people felt the full weight of his determination — he had dared to come and take the stones from the Primordial Ancient Mine!

And indeed it was so. Ye Fan used his supreme divine power to transform the Immortal Source into liquid form, intending to seal and entomb Ye Tong within it.

“Elder Brother!”

“Ye Tong!”

Many cried out in sorrow, unable to accept this outcome.

At the final moment, the Golden Crow Great Emperor sent over another flame of foundational Emperor’s fire. Ye Fan expressed his gratitude, carefully refined it, and injected it into Ye Tong’s body — then sealed him away.

Just like that, one of the most gifted and brilliant figures of the generation was to temporarily vanish from this world. The Heavenly Court was immersed in grief, spending many days in an atmosphere of sorrow.

When this result spread to the outside world, it caused an enormous stir. Everyone was talking about it — some sighing, some rejoicing, some sorrowful, some gloating — and the private reactions of people varied greatly.

Without question, the Golden Crow Great Emperor’s conduct was admirable. The world believed he possessed true breadth of spirit and had not displayed pettiness over the friction that had once occurred between the Golden Crow clan and the Heavenly Court. He bore himself with the demeanor worthy of a Great Emperor, and many were filled with admiration and deference toward him, growing ever more respectful.

The powerful figures on the Fire Mulberry Star, restrained by the Demon Emperor’s directives, did not gloat even once. Their relationship with the Heavenly Court actually eased considerably, and there were even signs of reconciliation.

“The Golden Crow Great Emperor is truly worthy of being one who has attained the Dao!”

Many sighed and sang his praises.

The world was in turmoil, stirring up a great wave of upheaval.

Within the Undying Mountain, atop a black cliff, Ye Fan stood at the very forefront, gazing into the distant horizon. He had not spoken for a very long time.

“Master, do you have confidence in this battle?” Behind him, Yang Xi asked in a low voice, his eyes bright and clear.

“I have obscured the celestial workings two or three times, while they have many in number. Over all these years, they should have long since steeled their resolve and made their preparations,” Ye Fan said.

Just as he had said — a battle was inevitable. For Ye Tong had fallen, and he had lost the support of his greatest ally. The Forbidden Zones had been preparing for years and would not let such an opportunity slip through their fingers.

Yang Xi frowned and said, “The Golden Crow Great Emperor’s sending of the Emperor’s foundational fire was a good thing for Elder Brother — yet it also shattered the Forbidden Zone Supremes’ dream of having him and Master clash in battle. I believe that is also a reason why this war will begin ahead of schedule.”

“Master…” From a distance, Hua Hua came flying over, his expression anxious, and said, “Some of the Forbidden Zone scions have returned to the Northern Dipper. Cries of shock are ringing out there — it seems they have made a great gain.”

His smooth, bald head gleamed, yet his face was written over with worry. Some of the Forbidden Zone scions had been away for years, and they had been completely unaware of it all.

“Do not blame yourselves. There are ancient venerables within every great Forbidden Zone. For them to conceal the celestial workings is effortless,” Ye Fan said in consolation.

“I am furious — with the great war approaching, why have I not yet reached the ninth heaven? I cannot be of any use to Master!” Hua Hua beat his chest with rage, hating himself for having been slack in these years and never being diligent enough. He had sufficient talent, but always found it difficult to truly devote himself to cultivation.

“You little brat, are you trying to show off?” Dongfang Ye, Li Tian, Pang Bo, Yan Yixi, and a crowd of others all arrived.

Li Heishui gave Hua Hua’s bald head a direct slap and said, “If you feel your realm is too low, what does that leave for me to feel?”

“Elder Brother Ye Tong…” Behind them, Xiao Song opened his mouth.

At those words, everyone on the cliff fell silent.

“Ye Zi, this time — you are not planning to go fight alone again, are you?” Pang Bo asked. His strength was formidable, but to contend against an ancient Supreme in great battle was still far beyond where he stood.

“All of you can set your minds at ease. This time, we will at the very least level one Life Forbidden Zone!” Ye Fan said resolutely, his words ringing with iron certainty.

Everyone was startled. Seeing how confident he was, they finally breathed a long sigh of relief, cutting through the gloom that had settled in their hearts over these past many days.

“This time, let us go on the offensive against the Forbidden Zone! If we cannot take on the big ones, can we not still seize the young cubs of the Forbidden Zone?” Someone spoke up.

On that day, the Heavenly Court vanished entirely from the boundless star sea, disappearing without a trace.

The entire world was shaken!

People realized that something of great magnitude was about to happen. Could it be that they were truly going to war against the ancient Supremes? Ye Fan had once done something like this before — concealing all his heavenly soldiers and generals, then unleashing a great slaughter on the path to immortality.

Everyone had the premonition that a tremendous storm was coming.

“Holy Body Ye Fan, are you growing impatient?” A cold, indifferent voice rang out from the direction of the Northern Dipper Forbidden Zones.

The entire sky trembled. Everyone was filled with dread. They knew their ill premonitions had come true. The winds and clouds were rising again — the war of the Forbidden Zones was truly about to erupt!

The Spirit Ruins, the Immortal Mausoleum, and others all rumbled and stirred. The aura of Supremes permeated the air, shaking the entire Northern Dipper Domain — like a surging, boundless ocean that struck the heart with awe!

It could be seen: within the Immortal Mausoleum, an ancient beast raised its head — shaped like a divine lion, its entire body flickering with crimson light. It walked out from a massive cracked tomb, bearing upon its back an old woman in peculiar garb.

This place was known as the Immortal Mausoleum. Everywhere were hill-sized burial mounds, massive beyond reckoning, from an era impossible to verify or trace back to. Though they were great tombs, once they cracked open, an immortal aura seeped forth. The blood-red divine lion blazed from head to tail with dazzling crimson light, carrying this peculiarly dressed, sparse-white-haired old woman as it strode forward — her aura striking the whole world with dread.

“To think that it is the Immortal Matriarch who has emerged from the Immortal Mausoleum — truly unexpected. She is still alive!” Someone from another Forbidden Zone sighed.

“It has long been said that the Immortal Mausoleum is the most mysterious of all. It may be the immortal burial grounds left behind from the chaotic primordial era, even predating the age of myth. The Immortal Matriarch achieved emperorship early in the ancient age and has long been in seclusion within it — making her a figure shrouded in mystery.”

At the same time, from within the Spirit Ruins, immortal hues blazed brilliantly, ten thousand auspicious rays spreading in every direction. An ancient war chariot flew out, vast chaos qi unfurling around it. Seated cross-legged atop the chariot was a middle-aged man, black hair cascading over his shoulders, his vital energy powerful and surging, his eyes blazing like electric fire.

“It is the Spirit Sovereign!” someone cried out in astonishment.

The Spirit Sovereign — formerly known as the Spirit Emperor — was a supreme spirit being. He was not one who had achieved the Dao from a stone figure, but rather one whose flesh and blood body had been formed from a strand of primordial pure essence.

Had Long Ma known, he would surely have been alarmed — for they were the same kind, both spirit beings nurtured to life by the essence of heaven and earth. The difference was that one had taken the form of a horse, and the other the form of a human.

The Spirit Emperor had been in seclusion within the Spirit Ruins for ages. He had been sleeping without a trace of old age, and instead gave the impression of overflowing with powerful vital energy. The moment he emerged, he shook the mortal world.

“The Mythological Battlefield — let the fighting begin!”

The war chariot rumbled and chaos qi surged. The Spirit Emperor spoke, and directly vanished from the Northern Dipper.

Throughout the cosmos, Ye Fan said nothing more. He stepped forward directly and made his way to the battlefield — for this battle was inevitable from the start, and delay would not help. The other side was very likely to directly trigger another dark, chaotic upheaval.

The Mythological Battlefield. This was a vast expanse of the star sky where emptiness and desolation were the eternal themes. Here, there were almost no complete stars — all had been shattered into fragments.

Everywhere were meteorites. Everywhere were star ruins. This stretch of the cosmos had long since been battered into wreckage.

Most astonishing was that one could occasionally find enormous corpses here, lying across the blue sky of the ancient ages, undying through all of time — though their vital blood had long since drained away completely.

All essence lost, only the form remained.

Ye Fan was silent. This place held not only the ancient remains of every clan’s ancestors — he also discovered the remnants of Holy Body lineages. It was easy to imagine how brutal the fighting here had once been.

These skeletons, every last one of them of immense and storied origin, were very likely the supreme ancestors of some great clan. To bring any of them out into the world would absolutely shake all of humanity, and to trace them carefully would call forth tales of extraordinary, glorious legends, one after another.

Of course, this could not have been the result of a single battle. It was the accumulated result of everything from the mythological era up to the present day.

“Young man, you are very powerful. In my memory, you would rank among the top one or two strongest Holy Bodies in all of history — but you are also exceedingly arrogant!” the Spirit Sovereign said.

“Alas, Grandma too was once admired by all, revered throughout the world. Looking back now, it was all a great dream.” The Immortal Matriarch gave a faint sigh, then continued, “In those days, I was at the height of my beauty and grace, unrivaled beneath the heavens, full of vitality and life just as you are, believing there was nothing in this world that I, a divine maiden, could not accomplish.”

A nostalgic expression crossed her face as she spoke these words. It struck everyone who heard them as profoundly strange — for she now had loose, sagging skin, utterly ancient and decrepit, with nearly all her teeth fallen out, making for a most unsightly appearance.

“In the end, it was all just a dream.” The Immortal Matriarch suddenly snapped open her clouded, aged eyes and fixed her gaze on Ye Fan. “Young man, you are breathtaking — but since you have come, you will die!”

“Who does not die, in the end?” Ye Fan replied.

“But your wife and daughters have attained immortality!” Another silhouette appeared, encircling Ye Fan and closing in from all sides.

“It seems you are all brimming with confidence. Are you not afraid of repeating the tragedies of the past?” At this moment, Ye Fan too revealed a fierce and piercing killing intent. In those years, he alone had slain multiple Supremes.

“Would we have acted without the certainty to kill you, after everything that has happened?” A fourth figure appeared.

A foreboding dread rose in Ye Fan’s heart. After all four had gathered, it made his hair stand on end — he perceived a danger of the gravest kind. For a moment, as though in a trance, he seemed to glimpse a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with even immortals lying dead.