Several years had passed, and Jiang Yichen had changed from a boy of sixteen or seventeen into a young man in his early twenties. He wore a green robe, and there was a faint air of arrogance about him.

Beneath him sat a green-colored exotic beast that resembled a cross between a lion and a tiger. Its green fur was long and immaculate, gleaming like jade, and upon its skull grew a single jade horn that radiated five-colored divine light.

This five-colored exotic beast walked through the air without actually touching the snowy ground, hovering one foot above the surface — an extraordinarily magnificent creature.

Ye Fan gave no outward reaction and quietly retrieved the divine ore he had prepared for little Tingting, absorbing it into his body. The exotic beast on the street was far from ordinary — it bore a spirit-sensing jade horn capable of detecting sacred objects.

Years ago, it had been precisely this beast that had sensed the supreme treasure on his person, igniting Jiang Yichen’s greed and murderous intent, nearly costing Ye Fan his life.

“Let’s have a drink here.” Jiang Yichen leapt from his mount, shoved the door open with force, and strode inside, bringing a gust of cold air with him.

“We wanted to stop here too, but they said it was closed,” said one of the people following behind him, glancing over at little Tingting.

“What do you mean closed in the middle of the afternoon? What kind of shop doesn’t want business?!” Jiang Yichen said coldly. Several years had passed, and he had developed a formidable bearing.

“That’s true, but they insisted on it — it’s a tavern opened by the grandfather of a young talent from a certain family,” someone chuckled, with an unmistakably provocative tone.

Only then did Jiang Yichen look around the room, glancing briefly at Old Uncle Jiang and Ye Fan before fixing his gaze on little Tingting. “So it’s you people.”

“Hello, Brother Yichen.” Little Tingting tilted up her young, innocent face and called out, her voice bright and clear.

“Mm.”

Jiang Yichen responded with a flat grunt, paid her no further attention, sat himself down at a table, and began flipping through the menu, calling out his orders straightaway.

“Brother Yichen, we’ve closed for today — we’re not open for business,” little Tingting explained, tilting her small face up at him.

Despite belonging to the same bloodline of the Divine King Jiang Taixu, Jiang Yichen showed not a shred of warmth toward little Tingting. He was utterly cold and almost entirely dismissive of her.

Ye Fan watched from the side and inwardly sighed. This person truly was cold-blooded by nature.

Back in those days, when searching for Old Uncle Jiang and his granddaughter in that small town in the Southern Region, Jiang Yifei and Jiang Caixuan had been extraordinarily cordial and sincere in their welcome.

But even then, Jiang Yichen had worn an expression of disdain, looking down on everything, paying the grandfather and granddaughter not the slightest attention.

It was easy to imagine that after entering the Jiang Family, he had never shown them a kind face or any warmth over these past years — it had certainly always been this way.

Jiang Yichen ordered over a dozen dishes in succession, then set the menu down and said, “All right, that’s my order. Get to it.”

“We’re not open today,” little Tingting said softly.

“Not open — then why have a shop?” Jiang Yichen glanced at her, then turned to Old Uncle Jiang and snapped, “Why are you still standing there?!”

Ye Fan wanted to slap him. This person’s blood ties to Old Uncle Jiang were not distant — he ought to be calling him “Grandfather” — yet here he was, barking orders at him as though he were a hired hand.

Little Tingting knew perfectly well she couldn’t afford to provoke Jiang Yichen, because his standing within the Jiang Family was very high. Among the younger generation, very few dared to go head-to-head with him.

The Jiang Family was divided into two great factions: one being the lineage of the Family’s Sacred Lord, currently at the height of its power; the other being the descendants of Divine King Jiang Taixu, each and every one of them formidably strong.

Jiang Yichen was a descendant of Jiang Taixu, with a remarkable grandfather, and he had also grown close with the Sacred Lord’s faction. Among the younger generation, aside from a handful of people like Jiang Yifei, no one could hold him in check.

“Brother Yichen…” little Tingting said softly, gazing up at him.

“Don’t call me Brother.” Jiang Yichen cut her off with an icy tone, then turned to Old Uncle Jiang. “What are you standing around for?”

Blood ties, family bonds — none of it meant anything to Jiang Yichen. All he had for them was contempt and disdain.

“You opened a shop to do business — get to it,” someone agreed.

“Hurry up and serve the food. We’re practically handing you money,” another person joked.

Yet the others dared not go too far — their standing was not comparable to Jiang Yichen’s, and if anything went wrong, it would be them the family punished.

“All right, please wait a moment — I’ll go cook right away.” Old Uncle Jiang pulled little Tingting aside, not letting her say another word. He feared his granddaughter would be made to suffer.

Suddenly, a long cry rang out from beyond the small town. Jiang Yichen and the others all rose to their feet and immediately rushed out.

“Tingting, Old Uncle, let me take you away from here.” Ye Fan had watched everything that had just transpired, and his heart was far from calm.

“That won’t work — leaving the Jiang Family without permission is a serious offence. They’d hunt us down across the entire world,” little Tingting shook her head. “It’s actually not so bad. Aside from Jiang Yichen, Brother Yifei and Sister Caixuan are very kind to me.”

The little one was bright and cheerful by nature, holding onto the memory of those few who had treated her well while ignoring the unpleasantness and whispered gossip directed at her.

Ye Fan thought for a moment, then nodded and didn’t press further. He had more than one way to resolve the grandfather and granddaughter’s situation — and if all else failed, he could simply tell Jiang Yi, the Ninth Great Bandit, about it directly. Jiang Yi was Jiang Zhe’s biological younger brother and Old Uncle Jiang’s great-uncle.

“I feel that Old Uncle Jiang is not suited to living here. Didn’t the people of the Divine King Jiang Taixu’s lineage build a mansion for him in a large city?”

“Grandfather said he couldn’t get used to living there — he feels like he doesn’t have this kind of freedom,” little Tingting answered.

Ye Fan smiled at once. “Old Uncle Jiang is simply getting on in years and afraid of loneliness. That’s easily solved — invite some elderly people of the same age to live there with him, and he’ll definitely settle in.”

After Ye Fan’s persuasion, Old Uncle Jiang nodded in agreement. It was indeed as Ye Fan said — when people grew old, they tended to feel lonely and were unwilling to live alone inside a secluded manor.

That very day, little Tingting set out with Old Uncle Jiang to a nearby city, providing free lodging and meals to some elderly men and women who had no families. Those people were naturally willing.

Ye Fan did not show himself. Little Tingting handled everything — he didn’t want to draw attention, as that would only bring trouble upon the grandfather and granddaughter.

“Big Brother, when will you come to see Tingting again?” Little Tingting’s large eyes were red, and she was reluctant to let go.

“It won’t be too long. I’ll come visit you often.” Ye Fan smiled and ruffled her hair.

He sealed the divine ore and handed it to little Tingting, then did not go to the mansion, turning and walking away with wide strides.

“Take care, Big Brother…” Little Tingting’s eyes were red as she waved her little hand from behind.

“Cultivate well, Tingting. I’ll find the Life Destiny Fruit for you.” Ye Fan vanished in the blink of an eye.

In truth, he had not left. He continued to move through this region.

He inwardly sighed — Jiang Yichen truly was a calculating person. Outside Old Uncle Jiang’s residence, he had actually arranged for people to keep watch.

Back when the mansion had first been built, these people had appeared here, lying in wait, ready to pounce the moment he showed himself.

Jiang Yichen knew the relationship between him and the grandfather and granddaughter, and knew that he was the Archaic Holy Body. Rather than searching for him in the outside world, he had quietly laid this trap in advance.

Although Old Uncle Jiang had not been living here before, the mansion was well-known. Anyone who asked around among the outer-branch members of the Jiang Family could find out about it.

“This Jiang Yichen truly never stops thinking about me. He calculated that one day I would come here — it’s only by a twist of fate that I encountered Old Uncle Jiang and the others early.”

Ye Fan sneered coldly, slung the Divine Punishment Whip across his back, and walked into a stretch of frozen plains. He had already gathered the information he needed — Jiang Yifei had a traveling palace somewhere outside.

Goose-feather snowflakes fell in droves, and the world was an endless expanse of white. Ye Fan stood quietly on that frozen plain for seven days, not approaching the traveling palace but instead keeping watch on the only road leading to it.

On the ninth day, more than ten riders appeared in the distance, all mounted on exotic beasts, charging through the great snowfall and racing through the air with thunderous speed.

The one leading them was none other than Jiang Yichen. They were all experts — the weakest among them was at the Fourth Tier of the Dao Palace, and several were cultivators of the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

Ye Fan revealed his true appearance without disguising his features. With the Divine Punishment Whip across his back, he stood quietly in the wind and snow, staring them down.

Though several years had passed and Ye Fan’s appearance had changed somewhat, Jiang Yichen still recognized him at a glance.

“It’s you!” His expression changed immediately.

“That’s right — it’s me!” For the sake of little Tingting and Old Uncle Jiang, Ye Fan had deliberately decided to act here, waiting patiently for a full nine days.

“I understand now. The person I saw at the small tavern a few days ago was you! If things hadn’t changed unexpectedly that day, we wouldn’t be facing each other only today. Ha!”

He was ruthless and cunning, and his mind worked swiftly — he made the connection in an instant.

“Get him! Kill him and take the All-Things Mother Qi Cauldron for me!”

Immediately, seven figures charged forward simultaneously, surrounding Ye Fan. One was at the Fourth Tier of the Dao Palace, three were at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace, and the remaining three were at the First Tier of the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

Ye Fan said nothing. He had come specifically to cut them off and destroy them here today. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, calm and composed — a stillness that seemed at odds with his slightly youthful face.

“Kill!”

All seven struck at once, unleashing seven sacred artifacts — divine lamps, ancient cauldrons — bursts of radiance flashing and blazing, blanketing the sky, their might utterly terrifying.

“ROAR—”

Ye Fan let out a great roar, and the entire plain trembled with it. In the distance, snow mountains instantly erupted in massive avalanches — roaring like floodwaters, rumbling and crashing, surging downward.

In over a hundred thousand years, an Archaic Holy Body at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace had almost never been seen. Today, one had appeared in this world, and a single roar rang out like rolling thunder, shaking heaven and earth. He stood like an eternal divine furnace, his blood and vital energy surging powerfully, churning through the heavens above.

“Spit—”

The cultivator at the Fourth Tier of the Dao Palace was shattered outright. The three cultivators at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace were struck by the terrifying sonic shockwave and came crashing down from midair, their faces drained of color.

Ye Fan transformed into a streak of golden light and shot forward, his speed enough to make one’s blood run cold. His golden fists were unstoppable and could break through anything — every sacred artifact in his path was shattered.

“Spit—” “Spit—” “Spit—”

The three cultivators at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace were struck by his three punches and reduced to a mist of blood, their forms and spirits both annihilated, vanishing utterly from the world.

Ye Fan leapt into the air and charged toward the three cultivators at the First Tier of the Four Extremes Secret Realm. He did not draw the Divine Punishment Whip — he relied purely on the physical power of his flesh to assault them.

“Boom—” “Boom—” “Boom—”

A rapid series of collision sounds rang out. Ye Fan’s golden fists carried a force that swept everything away — nothing could stand against them!

“Crack—” “Crack—”

The three cultivators at the First Tier of the Four Extremes Secret Realm had every single sacred artifact reduced to powder, and at the same moment, their own bodies were torn to pieces, shattering apart in the sky.

“You—” Jiang Yichen and the remaining three were utterly horrified, barely able to believe their own eyes.

“An Archaic Holy Body at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace — only a Sacred Ground could have cultivated one!”

“In over a hundred thousand years, it has been almost impossible for an Archaic Holy Body to reach this level on its own!”

Ye Fan was perfectly calm. With the Divine Punishment Whip across his back, he advanced with wide, measured strides. A single person walking forward — yet the entire frozen plain shuddered beneath his feet.

The Pressure Aura of the Archaic Body was enough to make one’s heart and guts feel as though they would split apart. An incomparably vast and surging power was roiling within him!

“All three of you are cultivators at the Second Tier of the Four Extremes Secret Realm — attack together and kill him!” Jiang Yichen shouted.

The moment the three stirred, Jiang Yichen mounted his exotic beast, transformed into a streak of green light, and shot upward into the sky, abandoning the three of them and fleeing alone. He was cold-blooded by nature — sensing that these three were no match for Ye Fan, he simply ran, with complete and decisive efficiency.

“Hum—”

The void shuddered. Heaven and earth trembled under the pressure as a great cauldron burst forth from Ye Fan’s Dao Palace, releasing ten thousand layers of dark-yellow energy, expanding to eighteen meters in height.

It charged out in an instant and in the blink of an eye caught up to Jiang Yifei, descending with a thunderous crash and suppressing him against the frozen plain.

The three cultivators at the Second Tier of the Four Extremes Secret Realm all changed color and fled without a fight, scattering in three separate directions.

“BOOM—”

Ye Fan hurled the Diamond Chakra. This weapon, interwoven with the principles of the Dao, possessed world-shaking power. It sent the frozen plain ahead of it plunging downward in an instant — the ice and snow disappeared, and the crimson earth beneath it was shattered, leaving devastation in every direction.

The cultivator who had fled in that direction did not even manage a single cry before being completely obliterated by the Diamond Chakra — no trace of blood mist remained; he was utterly reduced to ash and scattered to the wind.

“Hiss—”

Ye Fan unleashed the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sacred Spirit Sword in the other direction. A streak of dark light tore through heaven and earth, transforming into a true dragon raising its head in a furious roar, shooting forward in the blink of an eye.

“Spit—”

The Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sacred Spirit Sword pierced through in one strike. Every sacred artifact on that cultivator’s person and every defensive measure he had could not withstand it in the slightest — all were pierced clean through.

He could not close his eyes even in death. The pitch-black blade, less than an inch in length, pierced through the center of his brow, leaving a bloody hole, and immediately afterwards his body burst outward with hundreds upon thousands of sword auras.

“Boom—”

In an instant, his entire body was riddled with sword wounds and shattered in the void — nothing was left behind.

At the same time, Ye Fan gave personal chase, transforming into a bolt of golden lightning that split the sky, catching up to the third cultivator in the blink of an eye.

This person was indeed fierce — he turned his body, unleashed the full force of his Eight Divine Savage Energy, shaking the heavens and moving the earth. He struck out with eight phantom forms like divine spirits, and hurled more than a dozen weapons.

The high heavens rumbled and groaned under the pressure. Across the entire frozen plain, goose-feather snowflakes were swept upward in reverse, rolling heaven and earth together.

But all of it was futile. However mighty his momentum and however astonishing his combat power, to encounter an Archaic Holy Body at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace meant his defeat was fated.

Ye Fan grasped the Divine Punishment Whip — one weapon to break ten thousand techniques. He swung it down again and again, the deafening sounds unceasing. Whether the phantom divine forms or the various weapons, all were lashed apart and shattered!

“AHHH—”

The cultivator’s divine sense was grievously wounded by this. His hair flew wild as he cried out toward the sky.

“Spit—”

Ye Fan brought the whip down once, and all fell silent. Only the wind and snow remained in the world between heaven and earth — every enemy had been reduced to ash.

This was the Archaic Holy Body — already terrifyingly powerful at the Fifth Tier of the Dao Palace, with combat power that astonished the world. Unless one encountered a Great Emperor in their youth, no one at the same level could hope to match it.

The Diamond Chakra and the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sacred Spirit Sword both vanished into Ye Fan’s body. At the same moment, the All-Things Mother Qi Cauldron shook and sent Jiang Yichen tumbling out.

“You actually dared to come to my Jiang Family’s territory to ambush and kill me…” A trace of fear arose within him.

Ye Fan smiled — a brilliant, radiant smile. “I’ve already offended the two great Sacred Grounds. Killing you — what does that amount to? Is there anything I wouldn’t dare to do?”