This was a silver miniature world, spanning only a hundred zhang in diameter — a sealed divine consciousness space.
Pang Bo’s upper body was bare, his bronze skin radiating a powerful sense of vitality as he stood alone in the center. This was his spiritual consciousness given form, virtually indistinguishable from his true physical self.
The Black Emperor was no different — his spiritual consciousness had taken the shape of a large dog, as robust as a bull, even that bald tail identical to his true body.
Only Ye Fan appeared as a mass of radiance, resembling a golden sun. His command over spiritual consciousness was far inferior to these two old demons.
“Damn it, brat — you’ve gotten me into serious trouble!” The Great Black Dog bared his teeth and snarled. “This is clearly a vicious character. Before he lost his physical body, he was most likely a towering figure among the demon race.”
“Don’t tell me his spiritual consciousness now rivals the great Holy Lords,” Ye Fan said, feeling no confidence himself.
“He was certainly a great power in his day. Although his spiritual consciousness cultivation has fallen considerably, he is still nearly impossible to deal with.” The Great Black Dog regretted having boarded this ill-fated ship.
“There’s no point in complaining. Hurry and think of a way to finish him off, or we’ll both die here,” Ye Fan said in a low voice.
“The ones more likely to be finished off are us two. Though he is far weaker than he once was, he is still more than capable of refining us,” the Black Emperor said with deep regret.
“You two actually dare come to kill me — truly courting death!” Pang Bo laughed coldly.
“Among the demon race, we are all family — no need to radiate such killing intent,” the Great Black Dog said, stepping forward a few paces. “We are all of the demon race; everything can be discussed.”
“Then let’s discuss it — how do you wish to die?” Pang Bo’s gaze was intimidating as he stood in the center of the space with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Fighting to the death — that’s for savages. We have no mortal grudge between us; we can absolutely sit down and have a proper conversation,” the Great Black Dog said shamelessly, having completely forgotten that just moments ago he had wanted to destroy the very person he was addressing.
“Do you think you can still walk out of here alive?” Pang Bo’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“Actually, this is all a misunderstanding. I came here to exchange pointers with you. I’ve heard you possess an ancient scripture of a demon race emperor, and as it happens, I also have a portion of the Black Emperor Scripture — shall we exchange notes?”
“What Black Emperor Scripture? I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’ll refine you, and everything will be mine,” Pang Bo said with cold indifference.
“Damn it — you really think this Emperor is a pushover? Today I’ll smash you to pieces!” the Black Emperor roared and cursed.
“This silver miniature world is the perfect place to bury your spiritual consciousness,” Pang Bo said, silver radiance flooding the space as a divine moon appeared in his hand, gentle and sacred. “I will make good use of the physical bodies you leave behind.”
The Great Black Dog showed no weakness, opening his mouth to spit out a black trident. Dark light flickered and killing intent surged as it slashed forward.
Clang!
The divine moon in Pang Bo’s hand flew out and then hovered in midair, drawing the trident toward it before snapping it in two with a crack.
“Brat, stop standing there stupefied — attack quickly!” the Black Emperor bellowed.
The black trident reassembled and slashed forward again.
“How do you both have weapons?” Ye Fan gritted his teeth and transformed into a golden sun that charged forward, a golden sword materializing within.
Boom!
He unleashed all his spiritual consciousness force in one blow — fierce and domineering — and shattered that divine moon on the spot. The golden sword slashed out further, cleaving toward Pang Bo’s head.
Clang!
Pang Bo flicked his finger lightly, shattering the golden sword and drawing the divine moon’s power back.
Swish!
The golden spiritual consciousness reversed and re-formed into a small sun.
“Brat, you’re too reckless — you threw everything into one strike!” the Great Black Dog instructed. “In this spiritual consciousness space, you can transform into anything you wish — a thousand different forms.”
With the Great Black Dog’s guidance, Ye Fan quickly adapted to these transformations and in an instant took on human form, holding a Great Desolation Halberd in his hand, its tip angled obliquely toward the southern sky.
“Release the true Pang Bo!” he shouted.
The halberd was as black as ink, gleaming with a metallic luster — modeled after the Great Desolation Halberd of the Golden-Winged Little Peng King.
“Your struggle is futile!” Pang Bo was powerfully built, his black hair wild and dancing. In a flash of light, a demon blade appeared in his hand — gleaming white and dazzling.
“Kill!”
Ye Fan gripped the Great Desolation Halberd with both hands and charged forward. There was no retreat — either be killed, or kill the enemy.
Clang!
The Great Desolation Halberd drew a dazzling arc of light and clashed with the gleaming demon blade. Ye Fan’s spiritual consciousness body immediately dimmed.
“This Emperor is here!”
The Great Black Dog reared up on his hind legs, bringing his trident close and hurling it downward in a great cleave, while simultaneously opening his enormous bloody maw and lunging forward to bite.
Bang!
A cold light burst from Pang Bo’s eyes. The demon blade in his hand shook and instantly crushed the Great Desolation Halberd, then sliced through the trident in one stroke.
“You’re not good enough!”
“Wuuu…”
The demon blade swept through the air like the wailing of ghosts and gods, laden with layer upon layer of killing intent, slashing horizontally at both Ye Fan and the Black Emperor.
Clang!
In that instant, Ye Fan’s right arm — along with the shattered Great Desolation Halberd — transformed into a great seal covered in nine coiling dragons, causing the spiritual void to tremble violently.
Clang!
The great seal descended and struck the demon blade, crushing it.
At the same time, the Great Black Dog transformed into a true dragon — like a great black wall of iron — and charged through with full force, his powerful dragon body grinding forward with crushing force.
“Still not good enough!” Pang Bo transformed into a Celestial Peng, his entire body blazing with golden light. With a pair of sharp Peng talons, he seized the true dragon and tore it apart with a tremendous crack.
The Great Black Dog let out a miserable cry, his spiritual consciousness scattering before reassembling into his dog form not far away.
Clang!
The Celestial Peng swept across the sky, its golden wings passing through and slicing Ye Fan in two, shattering him into fragments of spiritual consciousness.
Boom!
The Black Emperor fought desperately, transforming into a towering inferno — black flames and golden flames blazing fiercely, engulfing the Celestial Peng.
“You’ve finally reached your limit and are making a last desperate stand? You cannot hurt me!”
Pang Bo transformed into a blazing golden lotus, bathing in the flames and absorbing the spiritual consciousness force of the two, seeking to strengthen himself.
Ye Fan and the Black Emperor reverted to their base forms and retreated step by step, their expressions extremely grim. This old demon’s spiritual consciousness was overwhelmingly powerful — several times greater than theirs combined. Even fighting together, they could not cut him down.
Hiss!
Pang Bo manifested his true form and stood there. From his eyes, two silver rays suddenly shot forth like true dragons taking flight, surging forward.
“Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Form Annihilation!”
These six words fell like heavenly music of death, reverberating through the silver miniature world. Both Ye Fan and the Great Black Dog changed color dramatically and dodged rapidly.
The Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Form Annihilation — had once extinguished the black flames within the Departed Fire Divine Furnace. Its might surpassed imagination.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The silver world spanning a hundred zhang was struck into instability, on the verge of being torn apart at any moment.
Ye Fan narrowly escaped, the silver rays grazing past him — because Pang Bo had primarily locked his gaze onto the Black Emperor, intending to eliminate him first.
“Ah…”
The Great Black Dog let out a miserable cry as the silver rays struck him. A vast portion of his spiritual consciousness was instantly obliterated, a tenth of his form vanishing as he dimmed considerably.
“Be destroyed!” Pang Bo roared. The silver rays in his eyes surged even more fiercely, like true dragons soaring skyward, shooting toward the Great Black Dog. Such supreme divine rays — if they landed cleanly — would leave the Great Black Dog with far more peril than hope.
Ye Fan hastily intervened, attacking from the side, but Pang Bo was unmoved. With one shift of his gaze, he drove Ye Fan back.
“This Emperor will fight you to the end!” the Great Black Dog howled in fury.
The Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Form Annihilation — was peerless in might, a supreme divine technique created by the Demon Emperor. To be cleaved apart by it meant certain death. Enraged, it fought back with the resolve of taking Pang Bo down with it.
Boom!
The silver rays were like a dragon, piercing through the Great Black Dog’s chest and enveloping him, causing his form to rapidly dim as Pang Bo sought to reduce him to ash entirely.
Cold coursed through Ye Fan’s entire body. The Nine Demon Emperor Slashes were too terrifying — even one as powerful as the Black Emperor could not withstand it. The destruction of body and soul was right before their eyes.
He let out a great shout and transformed into a golden sun charging upward, simultaneously activating two of the secret techniques within the Nine Mysteries.
Now that his spiritual consciousness was his body, he had not known whether the Nine Mysteries could be employed. Seeing the enemy unleash that divine technique, he threw caution to the wind and tried regardless.
The Holy Technique of Battle — successfully executed!
This jolted his heart with shock and filled him with encouragement. The holy technique was like a mountain, striking Pang Bo and nearly shattering him.
However, Pang Bo was not distracted by this. The eye-light in his twin pupils blazed even more intensely as he set his resolve to refine the Black Emperor.
“Ah…”
The Black Emperor cried out as his spiritual consciousness began to decompose — on the verge of having both body and soul destroyed, vanishing from this world forever.
Ye Fan was shocked and furious. The Holy Technique of Battle exploded outward frantically, his spiritual consciousness boiling like a volcano.
Bang!
Pang Bo’s form was like a mountain — shattered in one instant, only to immediately reconstitute itself. Those twin pupils never disappeared, and endless silver rays shot forth, locking onto the Black Emperor.
Boom!
The Great Black Dog let out one final great cry and burst apart entirely.
“Black Emperor!” Ye Fan shouted.
Clang!
The sound of a bell rang out, deep and resonant. A great golden bell materialized and hung suspended in the silver miniature world.
“A physical weapon!” Pang Bo was startled and quickly retreated.
“Damn it — you really enjoyed beating this Emperor, didn’t you?” the Black Emperor reconstituted himself, his body now half its former size and his radiance considerably dimmed.
He had suffered grievous wounds and had nearly had body and soul destroyed. Without months of recovery, his spiritual consciousness could not be restored.
“Could it be that you were also once a great power — that you sealed a weapon within your sea of consciousness? You must have also encountered some misfortune,” Pang Bo said, standing not far away with a cold expression.
“You nearly reduced this Emperor to ash, yet in doing so you unsealed my treasure. I don’t know whether to thank you or kill you!” the Great Black Dog said through gritted teeth.
He had come so close to being reduced to ashes, and fury burned in his heart. The great bell rang out slowly, emitting ripple after ripple of golden light as it hovered above his head and continued to vibrate.
“Do you think you’re the only one with a weapon sealed in your sea of consciousness?” Pang Bo laughed coldly.
Clang!
A verdant lotus appeared in Pang Bo’s hand — jade green like emerald, crystalline and glittering, emanating terrifying fluctuations.
“Your true form is a lotus!” the Black Emperor said in a cold voice.
“Indeed. I am the nineteenth-generation descendant of the Demon Emperor!” Pang Bo said, utterly indifferent.
The Great Black Dog transmitted secretly to Ye Fan: “In a moment I will use the golden bell to tear open this spiritual consciousness space, and we’ll break out together. He has the verdant lotus in hand, which negates my advantage of having the golden divine bell. We are not his match.”
Above its head hung the great golden bell — which was in fact a divine bell-chime. This came as a surprise to Ye Fan, who disagreed: “You only need to hold off his weapon — the verdant lotus — and I have a way to kill him.”
“Damn it, are you out of your mind? He has an ancient scripture of the demon race and has mastered the Nine Demon Emperor Slashes. Who knows how many of those slashes he’s completed? We can’t even withstand just the ‘Form Annihilation’ slash alone.”
“What if my spiritual consciousness became ten times more powerful — would that be enough?” Ye Fan demanded.
“Naturally it would be — but how is that even possible?”
“Nothing is impossible. I possess the inheritance of the Nine Mysteries!”
“Damn it — you lightning-cursed brat — you… actually obtained those secret techniques? Why didn’t you use them sooner?!” the Great Black Dog was deeply shocked, then began to curse furiously.
“How was I supposed to know that a spiritual consciousness body could also employ them…” Ye Fan activated the Nine Mysteries.
The supreme secret technique obtained from the Tai Xuan Zhuo Peak required a trigger, and in hundreds of attempts only one might succeed. Now that he had learned the Holy Technique of Battle, the probability had increased considerably.
But even so, it still required roughly a hundred or more attempts before success could be achieved. Once it succeeded, whether speed, combat power, or any other faculty — all were enhanced tenfold across the board.
It could be said that this was a peerless secret art that even the great Holy Lands coveted beyond measure!
Clang!
When magnified, the golden bell-chime became indistinguishable from a divine bell — indeed, calling it either made little difference, for the two forms were much the same. The deep, resonant bell tone was deafening, nearly rending open the spiritual consciousness space.
“Even with that weapon, you will die all the same!” Pang Bo wielded the verdant lotus, gently sweeping it outward, and the trembling great bell instantly fell silent.
“His weapon is that terrifying…” Ye Fan was greatly alarmed.
“What did you expect? He is a descendant of the Demon Emperor, bearing the blood of a great emperor flowing through his veins. A weapon refined from his own body — the verdant lotus — is naturally peerless in power,” the Black Emperor urged him to act quickly, for delay would bring disaster.
Clang!
Resonant bell tones rang out as the Great Black Dog used the golden divine bell to shield himself. The great bell swayed, and ripple after ripple of golden light rushed in all directions, seeking to pierce through this silver world.
“What you’re doing is futile!” Pang Bo said with cold indifference. The verdant lotus in his hand was lush and glistening; he swept it forcefully, and the void grew still — every last golden ripple extinguished.
Hiss!
At the same moment, the silver radiance in his twin pupils blazed intensely. The Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Form Annihilation — was unleashed once more, and a hair-raising aura descended upon them.
“I refuse to believe you can destroy my divine bell!” the Great Black Dog roared.
The great golden bell hung in the air, sheltering both itself and Ye Fan within, its deep tones ringing without pause, rotating ceaselessly.
Clang, clang, clang…
The silver rays struck the golden divine bell, making it ring out again and again, vibrating ceaselessly — yet in the end, it was not destroyed.
“A weapon refined by a great power is truly indestructible. If my spiritual consciousness cultivation had not fallen, the Nine Demon Emperor Slashes could in truth have destroyed this bell!” Pang Bo said in a cold shout.
“What are you boasting about? There is no one in this world who can destroy this Emperor’s weapon!” the Great Black Dog said with supreme arrogance.
Pang Bo laughed coldly. “Do you think that merely holding a weapon that is both bell and chime is enough to withstand me?!”
He called out lightly, raised the verdant lotus, and stepped forward. With a forceful sweep, green light blazed as the divine lotus touched the great bell.
Clang!
A violent shockwave rang out — the golden great bell was nearly sent flying. The divine lotus swayed; though it appeared soft and delicate, it was capable of breaking anything, with nothing able to withstand it.
Clang, clang, clang…
Each time the divine lotus struck the great bell, the force unleashed grew greater and greater. The golden divine bell was about to be sent flying.
“Brat, are you ready yet?!” the Black Emperor said anxiously.
Ye Fan did not answer. He calmed his mind and focused — with success achieved only once in every hundred-plus attempts, there was no use in rushing.
Clang!
Pang Bo gripped the divine lotus and struck the golden divine bell again and again with increasing force, which could at any moment send the bell flying.
“Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Plunder!”
Suddenly, Pang Bo roared and unleashed another of the Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — the very technique that had imprisoned Ye Fan’s and the Black Emperor’s spiritual consciousness within this silver miniature world.
Now, he unleashed it once more. A brilliant silver radiance erupted and enveloped the great golden bell, seeking to seize and plunder it away.
Clang…
The golden divine bell shook; golden ribbons of light shot out one after another, but still it could not hold — the great bell moved inch by inch, on the verge of being taken.
Swish!
Pang Bo held the verdant lotus, and the two merged into one — green brilliance soaring skyward, crystalline and resplendent — as he borrowed the divine power of his weapon.
It was evident that this particular slash of the Nine Demon Emperor Slashes was costing him a great deal of effort.
“Hurry — I can’t hold on much longer!” the Black Emperor transmitted urgently.
If the divine bell were taken, both he and Ye Fan would be in grave danger. Without their defense, they could not withstand Pang Bo’s attacks. The Nine Demon Emperor Slashes could destroy both body and soul.
“Ready!” Ye Fan shouted.
Boom!
At last, he unleashed the “All” secret within the Nine Mysteries once more. Divine might surged forth — his spiritual consciousness was incomparably powerful as he reached out one great hand.
Bang!
In one grab, he reclaimed the great golden bell. He executed the Holy Technique of Battle and swung the great bell toward Pang Bo.
Clang…
Like the morning bell of the ancient Heavenly Court ringing out, great sound rolled in waves, sweeping across all eight directions. Thread after thread of golden radiance shot forth unceasingly, flooding the silver miniature world.
Pang Bo was sent flying in an instant. Such overwhelming force — he could not withstand it. His entire form was shattered to pieces.
Ye Fan pressed forward. The tenfold enhancement was brief — fleeting as a passing moment — and he had to seize the opportunity.
Clang…
He swung the great bell and brought it crashing down with full force. The bell’s sound shook the heavens, and ten thousand threads of golden light radiated outward.
Clang!
Pang Bo reconstituted his true form and raised the divine lotus to resist, sweeping it at the great bell — but he could not move it at all. Facing spiritual consciousness several times greater than his own, even the supreme wondrous techniques of the Demon Emperor could not hold up.
Boom!
He was struck as if by a great mountain, sent flying backward — his form cracked and in an instant shattered apart. Only the verdant lotus remained, hovering motionless in the air.
Ye Fan returned the great bell to the Black Emperor, then employed the Holy Technique of Battle in conjunction with the “All” secret of the Nine Mysteries. Like a war god descending upon the world, his entire being blazed with fierce radiance as he pressed downward.
Clang!
The divine lotus shook, carrying with it the shattered fragments of spiritual consciousness, and slashed toward the silver space — seeking to escape this place.
“Quickly, intercept it — or it will flee!” the Black Emperor shouted, immediately offering up the great bell to block the verdant lotus.
Clang!
Above Ye Fan’s head, a nine-tiered ancient pagoda appeared — grand and imposing — and pressed downward in one motion, pinning the verdant lotus beneath it.
Clang!
The resonant bell tones rang out as the Black Emperor charged forward, using the great golden bell to fix the divine lotus in place, rendering it unable to move even a fraction.
“Collect!” Ye Fan called out in a great voice.
The nine-tiered ancient pagoda expanded, drawing all of Pang Bo’s spiritual consciousness within it. Its radiance blazed brilliantly as it began the process of refinement.
He sat cross-legged in the void before the ancient pagoda, utterly still. He intended to seize this opportunity to eliminate the old demon in one fell swoop.
Boom!
The ancient pagoda shook violently as Pang Bo raged within, seeking to break free. At this moment of life and death, he did not even hesitate to burn his own spiritual consciousness.
“Retreat!”
Ye Fan refined a portion of Pang Bo’s spiritual consciousness, then flew backward. The Great Black Dog moved in perfect coordination, shielding him beneath the great bell.
Pang Bo manifested his true form, his expression utterly cold. By now, he had lost a full three-tenths of his spiritual consciousness — and if this continued, his destruction was inevitable.
Swish!
He wielded the divine lotus in one sweep, and the silver miniature world was torn open. The spiritual consciousness space rapidly collapsed. No longer willing to remain bound here, he decisively chose to withdraw.
In the forest clearing, Pang Bo’s physical body sat motionless. The verdant lotus, carrying his spiritual consciousness, plunged swiftly downward.
“Give chase!” Ye Fan shouted. His spiritual consciousness rushed forward like a golden river. The Black Emperor gritted his teeth and followed, the divine bell towering above him as he descended.
Hiss, hiss, hiss…
The three of them entered one after another through Pang Bo’s forehead, entering into his body. All three spiritual consciousnesses gleamed with brilliant light.
“You push people too far!” Pang Bo’s face was saturated with killing intent as he turned to face Ye Fan and the Black Emperor who had rushed in after him.
“Old demon — it is you who have pushed people too far, seizing another’s physical body!” Ye Fan shouted.
Every body of flesh and blood is its own small cosmos — most mysterious of all things — capable of containing within its smallest span entire mountains and rivers, sun and moon.
Take the sea of consciousness, for instance: boundless and without limit. Standing here, the three of them were as if facing a vast and open starry sky.
“Where have you imprisoned the true Pang Bo?” Ye Fan demanded.
“Kill him directly — the seal will break on its own once he’s gone!” the Great Black Dog said with murderous intent. He had suffered greatly today, and was in no mood for mercy.
Pang Bo’s expression was grim, the verdant lotus in his hand as he stood unmoved — yet he emanated a wave of energy that made the heart tremble.
The Great Black Dog hastily mobilized his spiritual consciousness, shielding his form with the great golden bell. Ye Fan took shelter within it as well.
“Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Soul Wound!” Pang Bo roared. His spiritual consciousness surged like a tide as it rushed outward, and his own spiritual consciousness body dimmed immediately — testament to the staggering cost of this slash.
Silver radiance like dragons shot forth one after another, flooding the miniature world spanning a hundred zhang.
In this moment, both Ye Fan and the Black Emperor felt a chill to their very bones. Time seemed to stop — sinking into eternity. This was a supreme secret technique designed specifically to attack spiritual consciousness, and its name was — Soul Wound.
“Wither and perish…” Pang Bo held the verdant lotus — but then his words abruptly ceased, his body shaking violently again and again. His strength had given out and he could no longer sustain it.
Bang!
He cracked apart in an instant. The Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Soul Wound — came to a sudden halt.
He slowly reconstituted his form, filled with resentment. “This slash — as I am now, I cannot truly execute it. Otherwise, you would have both been reduced to ash without question.”
A chill settled into Ye Fan’s heart. The ancient scripture created by the demon race’s great emperor was indeed terrifying — Form Annihilation, Plunder, Soul Wound… these secret techniques were beyond the grasp of gods and demons alike.
“No wonder ten thousand years ago the Demon Emperor was able to sweep across all under heaven and even seize the priceless treasures of the Central Province.”
The ancient scripture created by the Demon Emperor must have shaken the heavens and moved the earth to tears. Setting aside all else — the mere three slashes that had been revealed were enough to fill people with dread.
“He injured himself with his own slash — let’s see how he survives this!” the Black Emperor shook the great bell and actively charged forward.
Boom!
At the same time, Ye Fan triggered the Nine Mysteries for the third time and unleashed the “All” secret technique. His spiritual consciousness surged like a golden ocean in full tide.
He executed the Holy Technique of Battle and with a bang shattered Pang Bo apart. On the other side, the Black Emperor also pinned the verdant lotus in place.
This time there was no longer any suspense. Just now, Pang Bo had been forced to unleash the Nine Demon Emperor Slashes — Soul Wound, which ended in failure and left him grievously wounded. At this moment, he simply could not withstand Ye Fan’s divine might and was instantly crushed to pieces.
Boom!
Ye Fan transformed into a great cauldron and drew all of Pang Bo’s spiritual consciousness within it, beginning the final refinement.
“Don’t refine him into ash — if you do, the Demon Emperor’s ancient scripture will be obliterated along with him,” the Black Emperor cried out.
“Ye Fan — is it you?” From deep within the sea of consciousness of this physical body, a strand of spiritual consciousness reached out.
“Pang Bo!” Ye Fan’s heart shook. He knew this was the true Pang Bo.