The atmosphere in the Northern Dipper was extremely tense — this was a standoff between Great Emperor-level powers, and a world-shaking tempest could erupt at any moment, so suffocating that people could barely breathe.

A cold snort rang out. In the end, no one emerged from the three great Forbidden Zones. The Divine Ruins had become history — they had not been able to act in time back then, and now there was no longer any need. The storm of battle subsided and the winds dispersed. The Divine Ruins had been leveled, consigned henceforth to the smoke and clouds of the past. The gods within that Forbidden Zone could never again appear in this world.

Ye Fan turned around and looked at the beautiful silhouette standing atop the Ancient Bronze Immortal Palace. His heart surged with waves of emotion. By now, how could he not know who this was? The most ruthlessly talented Great Emperor of all antiquity!

She was clothed in white, tranquil and ethereal. That quality of hers could not be found elsewhere in the world — still as a maiden in repose, yet once she turned ferocious, even the great cosmos would tremble.

More than two hundred thousand years had passed, yet her grace and splendor remained unchanged, and the passage of time had left not a single mark upon her. Her condition left people astonished — even the supreme beings within the Forbidden Zones did not know of it.

This was a path of transformation that would stun the immortals themselves — a Demonic Body that shed its shell and gave birth to a Divine Embryo. Her life had been filled with legend, and even now many things about her remained unknown to the world, her brilliance having reached its absolute zenith.

Since ancient times, how many had dared to call themselves Heavenly Emperor? She was one of them!

So many legends, so many tales — she had left posterity far too many unsolved mysteries.

Light as an immortal, she drifted down and entered the Ancient Bronze Immortal Palace, disappearing from sight. The entire ancient hall sank into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone.

All the gods had been slain. The Divine Ruins were no more!

The group from the Heavenly Court entered this Forbidden Zone to clear away the dangerous formation patterns within it. They intended to move it away and transform it into yet another courtyard of the Heavenly Court — it would become their most glorious spoil of war.

An ancient tree stood there — not particularly tall. It had grown through endless ages and yet stood only one or two meters high, which left people bewildered.

This was the ancient Peach Tree, a true immortal medicine. It was far shorter than the impure tree in the Jade Pool. The bark of the old tree was cracked and split, resembling Dragon Scales, and though not towering or massive, it possessed a rugged vitality that showed every sign of great antiquity.

“After so many years — who would have thought I could still see this precious medicine of my clan!” The Battle-Victorious Buddha murmured softly, his expression dazed, as his thoughts drifted to his elder brother, to the past. The years truly pass like smoke.

The monkey likewise stood motionless for a long while. Facing this tree, too many feelings stirred within him.

This battle drew to its close, shaking the universe. The Divine Ruins was struck from the records. The Heavenly Court gained yet another even more magnificent courtyard, with an old peach tree planted at its center, where children could often be found running and leaping about.

After this battle, the world shook greatly. The Heavenly Court’s divine might swept in all directions, its reputation spreading across every realm — no one could contend with them.

What glory could match such achievements?

Ye Fan’s name shook the universe. He was hailed as the Uncrowned Emperor!

Never in any age had there been someone who could roll through the Forbidden Zones like this, who could level in succession the Samsara Sea, the Undying Mountain, and the Divine Ruins. His deeds were destined to be recorded in the annals of history — no one could erase them.

The world clamored and roared for a full several decades before growing calm. Everyone came to realize that a truly golden age of unprecedented prosperity had arrived, unlike anything that had come before.

Indeed — even supreme beings could not necessarily threaten the mortal world any longer. Just as the Holy Body Ye Fan had declared: even dragons must coil, and even tigers must crouch.

This was a glorious era. Every clan produced great talents in droves, making this great age shine all the more brilliantly — heroes rose in succession, and the strong were as plentiful as a forest.

Yet the Heavenly Court remained peerless and unrivaled, with several powerful fighters capable of battling supreme beings standing as its pillars. Who could stand beside them?

Their next generation was equally stunning, forging fearsome reputations in battle across every great star domain — prosperous and flourishing, astounding to behold.

In the blink of an eye, several decades passed. The Heavenly Court grew ever more powerful. With multiple supreme-level experts within a single house, something only comparable to the mythological age, they had created an immortal legend.

Though none had yet become a Great Emperor — not yet true supreme practitioners of the sovereign imperial path — every member of the Heavenly Court believed firmly that they would create history: multiple Great Emperors existing at the same time.

Now, thinking back on the grand battle map Ye Fan had once described, it had actually come true — truly like something out of a dream. Campaigning against the Life Forbidden Zones was no longer idle talk.

Forbidden Zone inheritors still existed in this world, but they had become so low-key as to nearly vanish, with not a single one daring to cause trouble.

On the contrary, in recent years many of the Heavenly Court’s younger generation — such as the great-great-grandchildren of Li Tian, the fourth-generation descendants of Dongfang Ye, the descendants of Li Heishui, and others — had all headed to the Northern Dipper without the slightest trace of fear.

These people followed in the footsteps of their predecessors. A large group of Heavenly Court disciples wished to walk once more the road that Ye Fan and his companions had walked, to personally experience that journey of comprehending the Dao.

And so the Northern Dipper suddenly became incredibly prosperous. Heroes from the ancient roads all made their way there, driven primarily by this large group of outstanding younger Heavenly Court disciples.

Here, the winds and clouds rose and surged. There were descendants of divine sovereigns, descendants of Yin Tiande, biological children of Huo Qizi — and in an instant, another generation of exceptional heroes had grown and flourished.

In this process, the places Ye Fan had once passed through — the Eastern Desolation, the ruins of the Divine City, and others — all became sites where people paused and lingered.

Even the gambling veins came back into fashion for a time, and the details of ore-finding and the earliest days when the Heavenly Court was first established were all dug up and unearthed by people.

Most remarkable of all was that some people actually made their way to the outside of the Immortal Mausoleum, while others gazed toward the Primordial Ancient Mine, circling around its perimeter.

Forbidden Zone inheritors angrily emerged, yet even they did not dare to unleash mass slaughter, because among these younger generations were not only outstanding heroes from various great star systems but also the direct descendants of the Heavenly Court.

They feared provoking a large-scale war. If the Heavenly Court came to kill, it would be a great catastrophe — for even their own forebears were now wary of that terrifying Holy Body.

When this news spread, the older generation of figures was left speechless.

This was simply inconceivable. When had such a thing ever happened before? The Forbidden Zones were actually being so cautious, actually capable of adapting and compromising — completely different from how they had always been.

One had to know: in the past, anyone who disturbed them was sure to die without a burial ground. Their motto had always been: however far away, they shall be killed!

Yet now the Forbidden Zones were doing everything to avoid conflict. The reason was only one: they feared Ye Fan would come to kill, and they did not wish for a great war to break out.

What manner of power was this? Everyone could not help but sigh with deep feeling.

From that battle in the past, Ye Fan had carved out a fearsome reputation, such that even the masters of the Forbidden Zones had grown apprehensive and were unwilling to lightly ignite the flames of war.

People almost had a kind of illusion: who exactly were the supreme beings of the Forbidden Zones? The current situation was starkly different from the past — completely unlike anything that had come before.

Of course, occasional conflicts still arose.

On this day, Li Tian’s great-great-grandchild returned to the Heavenly Court drenched in blood, seeking reinforcements. “Great-great-grandfather, move quickly! Our people have been captured and taken into the Immortal Mausoleum — some Forbidden Zone inheritors want to start killing!”

“What?! Call the generals — we’ll go to war!” Li Tian flew into a great rage.

The first person he sought out was Ye Tong, who was his prized and proudest disciple. Then the war-hungry Yang Xi heard the news and came rushing over, conveniently dragging along the Man-Devil and calling him to go hunting!

When the Heavenly Court’s great army came surging forward in full force, the Northern Dipper shook. The four poles of heaven and earth quaked violently, and everyone was struck with shock. How many years had it even been? Only several decades — could a great war really be breaking out again?

Yang Xi and the others arrived outside the Immortal Mausoleum with every air of charging straight in. Had it not been for Ye Tong being steady and composed enough, those other two battle-hungry madmen would likely have already stormed their way inside and begun a great slaughter.

After so many years of the world honoring the Heavenly Court in common, the Forbidden Zones had dared to cause trouble again — naturally, it enraged everyone.

The Immortal Mausoleum quickly responded. An elderly servant appeared, and upon seeing these few people, his face went pale with horror — before rapidly breaking into a smile, extremely politely saying, “Distinguished guests, I believe this is all a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?! Release our descendants!” Li Tian bellowed.

In the end, all of the Heavenly Court’s several disciples were released. The person who had attacked them was also brought out and scolded by that elderly servant.

When this outcome spread to the outside world, it caused an enormous uproar. A Forbidden Zone had actually bowed its head on its own initiative — something truly rare throughout all the ages.

At this moment, people understood: the Heavenly Court had become impossible to resist. It could be described in a single phrase: sovereign over all under heaven!

After this incident, the Heavenly Court’s might stood unparalleled for a time, directly rivaling the Ancient Heavenly Court of the end of the mythological age. Their power was too overwhelming — undefeated under heaven, with even the Forbidden Zones unwilling to provoke or challenge their authority.

In the years that followed, the Man-Devil and Yang Xi made their move, searching the cosmos for the whereabouts of several individuals — all of them Forbidden Zone inheritors who had wandered off on their own.

There were those from the Firmament, and those from Forbidden Zones that had been destroyed, like the Undying Mountain. Back during the hundred years when Ye Fan had been in closed retreat comprehending the Dao, these Forbidden Zone inheritors had slaughtered their way through all sides, causing the Heavenly Court to lose several great battle divisions — a deeply painful loss.

Some of these people had hidden themselves back inside Forbidden Zones, and that was the end of it. But those wandering on the outside became the targets of the hunt.

In just several decades, virtually all those who had once slaughtered Heavenly Court members were killed off, one after another. This sent shivers through people, leaving the cultivators of the world both excited and trembling with dread.

For the heavenly soldiers and generals who had lived through that catastrophe, this was the best news of all — it invigorated them, making them feel that the Heavenly Court’s vast battle map was unfolding before them.

The Heavenly Court had truly grown too powerful. This colossus was now impossible to shake. The one thing that gave the cultivators of every faction some comfort was that they did not bully the weak — sweeping away the Forbidden Zones had always remained their goal.

Boom!

On this day, a massive disturbance suddenly erupted from the mythological battlefield. No one knew what had happened, and no one dared go to investigate.

Later, someone finally ventured there — but found nothing. The great battle had long since ended.

For several years afterward, no one knew what kind of battle had taken place there.

Within the Undying Mountain, Ye Fan sat cross-legged. A hundred years had passed since the leveling of the Divine Ruins, and he had spent the greater part of that time in silent contemplation with eyes closed, comprehending the Dao.

“Master, what do you think of the Golden Crow Great Emperor? I have a feeling he might become a source of disaster. In that battle a hundred years ago, he did help us — but the timing he chose was far too…” Flower said.

“No matter. He will never become a source of disaster. He will contentedly remain a Great Emperor,” Ye Fan replied.

Not only Flower, but even the others had a sense of it — the Golden Crow Great Emperor was impossible to see through clearly. They always felt that while this person appeared righteously upright, there was also something deeply calculating within him.

“Why do you say so?” Flower asked, puzzled.

Ye Fan pinched a single golden feather between his fingers and said, “As long as I am strong enough, he will never become a source of disaster. He will contentedly be his Golden Crow Great Emperor, and moreover he will be remembered in history — every time the Forbidden Zones are pacified, he will have a share of the credit.”

Flower did not understand, but when she fixed her gaze on that golden feather, her expression gradually filled with astonishment. “This is the Golden Crow Great Emperor’s divine feather — which means… that battle several years ago, it was Master who faced off against him?”

Ye Fan smiled slightly and said nothing.

Eventually the news spread: several years prior, Ye Fan had engaged the Golden Crow Great Emperor in a bout of sparring — and the demon emperor had returned in utter defeat, proving no match for him.

The cosmos erupted in an uproar. People were utterly shaken.

Although everyone had known Ye Fan was powerful, having that invincible might confirmed once again still gave many people a tremendous fright.

A Great Emperor of the current age had been defeated…

Never before in any age had it been like this — throughout all the flourishing days of the Great Emperors, one had never been defeated within their prime. This was a domain thought impossible to break through. To exist in the same age as a freshly ascended Great Emperor, even the most supremely gifted of heroes could only fade into obscurity.

Yet this age was different from all others!

Ye Fan had never become a Great Emperor, yet he overpowered one by sheer force — an unprecedented miracle throughout all of antiquity.

Though people had long had a premonition of this, because when the Forbidden Zones were being leveled, he had already demonstrated enough divine might, having it confirmed so explicitly now was still terrifying to behold. His divine power over all the world was made all the more manifest.