The few ancient monsters, having existed without decay for four thousand years, were absolutely a rarity in the world, and naturally knew many secrets that ordinary people did not.

Yet for one of them to have spoken the three words “Divine Scourge Whip” truly shocked Ye Fan. Could it be that he had dealings with qi refiners from before?

From the other end of the starry sky, there was a Divine Scourge Whip in ancient mythology. When Ye Fan discovered the wooden whip, he felt it resembled that weapon and gave it this name.

“What is the Divine Scourge Whip?” Another ancient monster did not understand and asked his companion beside him.

Everyone else held their breath and listened carefully. The scene just now had been too strange: Ye Fan, a minor cultivator, had actually sent an ancient monster stumbling head over heels — truly astounding.

“Two thousand years ago, I saw a person outside the Deathless Mountain who carried a wooden whip on his back, almost identical to this weapon.”

This ancient monster had encountered a peculiar cultivator near the Deathless Mountain, fought a great battle with him, suffered a serious disadvantage, and fled in defeat — leaving a deep imprint of this weapon in his memory.

“This wooden whip wounded you?” Another ancient monster was shocked.

Not far away, the ancient monster who had just been struck with the whip shot two terrifying beams of light from his eyes, locking his gaze onto Ye Fan within the Emperor-level formation inscriptions.

“You three rotting corpses — do you dare to fight again?” Ye Fan held the Divine Scourge Whip aloft and issued his challenge.

He had no other choice. If the Emperor-level formation inscriptions were breached, he too would not escape catastrophe — and so he threw caution to the wind completely.

Hum!

A scarlet spiritual sense surged forward like a river of stars in full flood; another ancient monster had struck. His terrifying spiritual consciousness surged like wave upon crashing wave, piercing through the void.

Their physical bodies had rotted away, yet their spiritual consciousness had been refined to an unimaginable degree, making every heart pound at the sight.

Yet Ye Fan was not afraid of this in the slightest. However boundless your spiritual sense flood may be — I shall bring this whip down with one mighty strike of unrivaled courage!

Thud!

The endless spiritual sea that raged forward like a tide — as if pressed down by a calming pearl — was no longer so violent. In the moment the Divine Scourge Whip swung down, it was forcibly cleaved apart.

Boom!

Ye Fan was flung flying once more, shaken out by that force of ten thousand jun, falling hundreds of zhang away just as before.

While that ancient monster let out a startled cry, stumbled a great tumble, and nearly toppled to the ground — almost identical to the previous ancient monster.

“Indeed — a divine object specialized in striking spiritual sense, this is a secret treasure!” The ancient monster’s eyes burned with intense desire.

A secret treasure — not a conventional weapon, but a blade with a particular purpose. Perhaps its combat power was not grand, yet it held an extremely special function.

Many Saint-level figures’ eyes lit up as well. If this weapon were studied thoroughly and the Dao inscriptions within it were etched onto other weapons, the uses would be endless.

“So what if you have a rare treasure — in the face of absolute power, all external forces are illusions!” One ancient monster stepped forward, a玲珑 pagoda shooting out from between his brows.

His body had rotted away, yet this pagoda blazed with sacred radiance, as if polished from seven-colored glazed glass, sending streams of five-colored divine light surging upward — extremely enchanting to the mind and spirit.

Dong!

The pagoda shook once, transforming into a seven-colored divine rainbow that charged into the Emperor-level formation inscriptions, pressing down toward Ye Fan to suppress him. Within the ancient monster’s spiritual sense, as long as the pagoda body did not shatter, he had no fear of the Divine Scourge Whip.

Clang!

Ye Fan swung the wooden whip and struck the seven-colored divine pagoda, producing a heaven-shaking great clang, sending the pagoda flying out in an instant like a meteor streaking across the sky.

“Rotting corpse — you are not good enough. You are no match for me at all!” Ye Fan spoke without restraint, deliberately provoking him.

This time, his position had been carefully chosen — the ancient monster’s spiritual sense could barely reach this spot, blocked by the formation inscriptions and unable to use its full strength.

“Junior!”

The ancient monster’s words turned cold as frost. He offered up the seven-colored glazed divine pagoda again, rapidly enlarging it and letting it fall toward Ye Fan — wanting to collect him inside.

Hum!

Ye Fan’s fingers turned pale gold; his physical body’s divine strength was boundless and inexhaustible. He swung the Divine Scourge Whip into motion as if capable of lashing the sky into collapse.

Clang!

This time, Ye Fan’s force was extreme — he nearly sent the divine pagoda flying into the direction of the Dragon Transformation Pool, almost breaking free of the ancient monster’s control.

The ancient monster had the urge to vomit blood. Even with the Divine Scourge Whip in hand, Ye Fan could not pose a real threat to him — after all, the three of them were far too powerful.

But this little wretch was standing in a position that was infuriatingly precise — just barely within reach, yet he could bring none of his strength to bear and could not actually strike the opponent.

“Rotting corpse, are you capable or not?” Ye Fan held the Divine Scourge Whip with an expression of contempt, speaking without restraint to mock the ancient monster: “If not, all three of you come at me together.”

Boom!

The three ancient monsters had lived to such a great age that they had long since disregarded worldly rules, acting as they pleased without caring what anyone else thought.

A seven-colored glazed divine pagoda, a soul-summoning banner, and a white bone staff — all transformed into divine light and rushed forward, intending to kill Ye Fan.

They were not trying to team up to kill Ye Fan — rather, each of them individually wanted to finish him off, so all three struck on their own, without concern for the others.

Clang— clang—

Before the Dragon Transformation Pool it was like a metalwork session, wave after wave of great clangs sounding out. Ye Fan’s fingers turned entirely gold, and the force he unleashed was incomparable.

In the distance, everyone’s expressions changed as they watched Ye Fan — something felt strange about this young man. His physical body’s strength was far too powerful!

Even the elder-generation figures were somewhat shaken, feeling that in hand-to-hand combat they might not necessarily get the better of him.

This whip suited Ye Fan perfectly. Unable to be controlled by spiritual sense — it could only be held by the physical body, as if custom-forged for his current stage of cultivation. When the Divine Scourge Whip was swung into motion, it was as though it could lash the very void into collapse.

Hum!

The Divine Scourge Whip trembled lightly. Ye Fan quietly activated the “All” character formula from the Nine Secrets, boosting his physical body’s strength tenfold. He suddenly exerted force, sending the three heavy weapons flying toward the direction of the Dragon Transformation Pool.

In that moment, he did not even know how many strikes he had swung — each one made people’s eardrums go numb — and ultimately sent that seven-colored glazed divine pagoda flying out, breaking free of the ancient monster’s control.

Clang!

Jiang Yun struck out, using his broken battle spear to fix the pagoda in place, quickly sealing it and preventing it from breaking free.

The distance was too great, blocked by the Emperor-level formation inscriptions — that ancient monster had the will but not the means, and could not retrieve it.

Everyone was greatly astonished. Even the three ancient monsters could hardly believe it: how had Ye Fan suddenly struck out with such overwhelming physical body strength?

“You rotting corpses are useless!” Ye Fan smiled lightly, wagging his finger.

He knew that even with the Divine Scourge Whip in hand, he could not seriously injure three monsters who had lived for over four thousand years. He was merely playing for time.

“Junior, let you have your moment of triumph and arrogance for now!”

The three ancient monsters wasted no further effort on Ye Fan. With single-minded focus they worked to break through the Emperor-level formation inscriptions, preparing to charge in and slaughter everyone.

No matter how Ye Fan provoked them, they paid no heed. In the end, Jiang Yun took up the Divine Scourge Whip and stepped forward to resist the three ancient monsters — but still could do nothing to them.

Everyone could not help but feel appalled. Even with a weapon that restrained the three rotting corpses, in the face of absolute power, it was still utterly impossible to reverse the heavens.

Figures of the same era as Jiang Taixu — having lived for over four thousand years — had not passed those years in vain. They were of the generation of masters and ancestors of the various Saint-levels.

Time flowed on. An hour later, the Emperor-level formation inscriptions were already more than halfway broken. In at most half an hour, all of them would surely be completely erased.

“The slaying of the Divine King is at hand!” The thirteen Saint-level figures roared, applying pressure to the Jiang family.

At this moment, inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, more than ten elders sent out streams of their life essence, injecting them into the old Divine King’s body to help him dissolve the dragon pearl fruit and reverse the heavens and change his fate.

Golden light radiated from his body’s surface. His withered frame received nourishment and began to take on some luster — yet he still lay in silent stillness, without the slightest sign of life.

“Jiang Taixu, you will die without doubt!”

“I will devour his divine body to repay four thousand years of great enmity!”

The three ancient monsters grew fierce. The light in their eyes grew increasingly terrifying as they erased one innate inscription line after another.

“What do we do?” The Jiang family members were completely in despair. If the three monsters charged in, no one could stop them no matter who tried.

“Taixu brother… Taixu brother…” Suddenly, a ghost-like voice rang out, echoing throughout the entire sacred city, heard by everyone.

This voice was extremely faint, flickering east and west, south and north, rapidly approaching the Dragon Transformation Pool. Everyone’s expressions changed — the speed was too fast, shockingly so.

“Who is this?!”

To address Jiang Taixu as “brother” — one could imagine how terrifyingly old this person must be. Absolutely a peerless figure who had lived for over four thousand years.

Swish!

Light flashed, and a wrinkled old woman appeared in the field. Her body was stooped, her white hair sparse and straggling; leaning on a walking stick, she entered like a phantom.

One could say she was old beyond recognition, yet she wore a five-colored feathered robe entirely at odds with her age. What was most shocking of all was the hole in her chest — fresh blood gurgling out, her body nearly pierced clean through, transparent from front to back.

“Taixu brother… four thousand years, and I have finally seen you again!” The old woman’s aged tears fell in streams. “I have grown old; my youth is gone. I truly did not want you to see me like this.”

“The Immortal Fairy Caiyun?!” The three ancient monsters were shocked, as if seeing a ghost — as though they had not expected that anyone from their same generation was still alive.

“If you three want to take my Taixu brother’s life, you’ll have to step over my corpse first!”

This old woman’s white hair flew wildly. She pointed forward with the walking stick in her hand, and an incomparably terrifying Pressure Aura erupted — hundreds and thousands of lines appeared, interlacing together.

“This is…”

“The order of Heaven and Earth!”

The thirteen Saint-level figures were stunned.

The force the old woman unleashed was not particularly frightening in itself, yet it displayed this: those who had lived over four thousand years without perishing fight in a completely different way.

They wield the Great Dao; what they strike out is the order of Heaven and Earth — not simply divine power. This is their comprehension of the Dao, a far more terrifying form of combat.

The three ancient monsters did not dare be careless — this was their mortal enemy from the same generation. The opponent had both physical body power and the mighty force of spiritual sense, making her even more terrifying than them.

“Immortal Fairy Caiyun, why put yourself through this? Four thousand years ago you could not marry him. Now four thousand years have passed — can you still not let him go?” One ancient monster called out in a low voice, clearly very wary of the old woman.

“So it is she!”

Both the Jiang family members and the thirteen Saint-level figures were all stunned, their guesses crystallizing — the old woman was none other than the intimate companion of Jiang Taixu from long ago, the Holy Maiden of one generation from the Wanchu Sacred Ground.

A Holy Maiden could not marry outside — the Immortal Fairy Caiyun had no way to be with Jiang Taixu. The Divine King Jiang had stormed into the Wanchu Sacred Ground intending to take her away, but the Immortal Fairy Caiyun, mindful of the grace of her master, ultimately did not leave.

Yet she had also never married a Holy Son, spending her life before an ancient lamp in an ancient cave, never setting foot in the mundane world again. No one had expected her to still be alive.

And what was shocking was: who had wounded her so gravely? The region near her heart had nearly been pierced through, with blood gurgling out.

Hum!

The clash of Heaven’s and Earth’s order — the collision of tangible laws — the Immortal Fairy Caiyun’s body running with blood as she battled the three ancient monsters!

Many Saint-level figures retreated far away. If struck by this kind of force of order, the consequences would be impossible to predict — absolutely terrifying beyond imagination.

“Senior, quickly come inside!” Jiang Yun transmitted his voice, telling her how to enter the Emperor-level formation inscriptions. The old woman, though powerful, could absolutely not single-handedly resist three ancient monsters.

With such a great reinforcement appearing — to die miserably here would truly be a terrible waste.

Swish!

Light flashed, and the Immortal Fairy Caiyun evaded the three ancient monsters, entering the formation inscriptions and arriving before the Dragon Transformation Pool. She was nearly trembling as she descended into the pool, holding Jiang Taixu to her bosom.

“Taixu brother… you must come back to life…” She wept in streams, and seeing Jiang Taixu reduced to skin and bone, she could not hold back her aged tears.

She injected stream after stream of her own divine essence into Jiang Taixu’s body; divine light like a broad ribbon illuminated the entire Dragon Transformation Pool.

“Senior Caiyun, there is no need for this — the Old Ancestor Divine King has divine medicine within his body that can resurrect him. You need not exhaust your own life’s essence.” The nearby elders were all moved, and spoke up to dissuade her.

“My life force has already been severed — I have no way to go on living. You need say nothing more.” The Immortal Fairy Caiyun’s divine essence continued to surge from atop her head and pour into Jiang Taixu’s body.

She stroked Jiang Taixu’s features with her hand, tears falling: “A parting of four thousand years — in those days you were dashing and elegant, radiant with heroic spirit. Yet now, you too have grown old like this.”

The Immortal Fairy Caiyun’s clouded eyes continued to brim with rolling tears: “In those years, you roamed unrivaled across all under heaven — who dared to block your path? Now, returning in your twilight years, yet there are so many who wish to kill you.”

“Taixu brother… do not die…” She murmured to herself, nearly pleading, as if returning to four thousand years before.

“You must not expend any more of your life’s essence — if the Old Ancestor Divine King knew, he would surely refuse,” Jiang Yun advised once more.

“I am already beyond saving. Quickly help Taixu come back to life.” The Immortal Fairy Caiyun shook her head.

“Senior, what has happened? Who has wounded you so gravely?” Jiang Yun asked, feeling the situation to be extremely serious. Even a being like this had been gravely wounded — one could imagine how terrifying the figures lurking in the shadows must be.

“A very terrifying person — only if Taixu comes back to life can he be dealt with…”

The Immortal Fairy Caiyun had traversed the void using the Sacred City Stone Token stored by the Wanchu Sacred Ground — only through such a means could she have entered the currently sealed ancient city.

She had come specifically to save the Divine King Jiang, and had done battle with a terrifying figure above the underground palace, leaving her in this condition.

“What — there is such a person lurking in the shadows?!” Even Jiang Yun was somewhat in despair: “It must be him who is controlling the Emperor-level sacred weapon, doing battle against the Cosmic Sacred Cauldron.”

Boom!

The Emperor-level formation inscriptions were breached. The three ancient monsters laughed uproariously, their words unspeakably cold.

“We will send all of you to your deaths!”

“Immortal Fairy Caiyun, continue your love story with Jiang Taixu in the underworld!”

The old woman gently placed Jiang Taixu back into the Dragon Transformation Pool, stepped onto the bank, looked back one last time at Jiang Taixu, and then charged toward the three ancient monsters.

For now, only she could hold back figures of the same generation for even a brief moment — no one else could possibly stop them. And Ye Fan had already handed the Divine Scourge Whip to her.

Hum!

This was a battle of life and death — the order of Heaven and Earth interlaced and collided back and forth between the two sides. They had not truly drawn close to each other, yet it was far more dangerous.

Thud!

Four or five blood holes appeared in succession on the Immortal Fairy Caiyun’s body — wounded by the force of Heaven’s and Earth’s laws. No matter how powerful she was, she could not resist three undying monsters from the same generation.

Boom!

At the same moment, the thirteen Saint-level figures strode forward to close in — they were equally supremely terrifying.

Everyone present had completely fallen into despair. How could the heavens still be reversed now?

Dong!

The Immortal Fairy Caiyun stood across the front, blocking the thirteen Saint-level figures all at once. Yet these overlords, though younger in age than her, were nonetheless the absolute peak figures of the current world — equally terrifying.

With so many people standing together — slaying gods, slaying Buddhas, stopping whatever stood in their way — the old woman was instantly sent flying, her body nearly in ruins.

Her joints cracked and groaned. Streams of lines erupted from the Immortal Fairy Caiyun’s body; her stooped form straightened considerably as she merged her body with the order of Heaven and Earth, burning her divine power, driving the Great Dao to obstruct these people.

Yet no matter how powerful she was, she could not possibly resist three ancient monsters plus thirteen Saint-level figures.

“Taixu brother — today we die together…” The old woman smiled with desolate sorrow.

“All of you, go and die!” The thirteen Saint-level figures stepped forward with incomparable, terrifying might.

“Old Ancestor Divine King — I, Jiang Yi, have come to save you!”

A great shout rang out, and from above the crumbled underground palace descended an incomparable, terrifying Pressure Aura that made every single person’s heart tremble!

A massive demonic jar descended from the sky, swallowing and releasing Heaven and Earth, seeking to absorb all things within.

“The Ancient Sky-Devouring Demonic Jar?!”

Everyone was stunned. It felt as though their very souls were being suppressed, nearly on the verge of collapse.

Boom!

The massive earthenware jar pressed down. The three ancient monsters and all thirteen Saint-level figures involuntarily dodged aside, sent flying and retreating.

A half-piece of an extreme Dao weapon!

This was no ordinary weapon. If struck by it, one would certainly be annihilated in body and spirit.

The Ninth Great Bandit, Jiang Yi, had arrived. He had borrowed the Sky-Devouring Demonic Jar from Tu Fei, using it to breach the sacred city’s seal and force his way inside, rescuing the founding ancestor.

“No one can resurrect the incomplete Emperor-level sacred weapon — unless an ancient sage wields it. Otherwise, it is absolutely impossible to bring forth that kind of might as the Cosmic Sacred Cauldron!” The three ancient monsters sneered repeatedly.

The Emperor-level sacred weapon could only be resurrected when a powerful master wielded it, manifesting its extreme Dao divine might. Otherwise, it was no different from a dead object in an ordinary person’s hands.

If it were an incomplete extreme Dao weapon, an ancient sage would be required to drive it to resurrect its extreme Dao divine might — the requirement even stricter.

“Unable to manifest extreme Dao divine might — but it is still sufficient for self-defense!” Jiang Yi roared aloud, holding the sacred weapon as he came before the Dragon Transformation Pool: “Old Ancestor, I have come to save you.”

Hum!

The Ancient Sky-Devouring Demonic Jar rapidly enlarged, encompassing this place and sealing the Dragon Transformation Pool beneath it.

Although the ancient Emperor-level sacred weapon had not awakened, it was still incomparably terrifying — even the slightest tremor was already enough to make the thirteen Saint-level figures feel a chill.

Jiang Yi arrived in this critical moment, far beyond everyone’s expectations. Appearing at the pivotal moment with a half-piece extreme Dao weapon, he resolved the immediate peril.

However, everyone understood: had it not been for the Immortal Fairy Caiyun, even an immortal king’s arrival would have been futile. It was she who had blocked all those terrifying figures and preserved everyone’s lives.

Yet now, she herself was on the verge of losing her life — clearly unable to survive much longer. Her body had been pierced through multiple times by the force of Heaven’s and Earth’s laws; her five organs had all vanished, and her life force had been extinguished.

“Taixu brother… do you know? I have come to see you… four thousand years later… we have reunited…” She trembled as she entered the Dragon Transformation Pool, lifted Jiang Taixu into her arms, and gently stroked his cheek.

“I truly wanted to stroll with you at sunset… but there is no time left. You will never… hear my voice again.” The Immortal Fairy Caiyun’s clouded eyes grew dimmer and dimmer.

Those present could not bear to interrupt. They watched in silence.

She called out softly; from within her frame surged endless divine light, pouring into Jiang Taixu’s body.

“Taixu brother… in those years, you sought out the Earth Origin Fruit for me, to replenish my life’s essence… so that I might live four thousand years alongside you… to grow old together in this world. I waited until you came… but it is a pity… I cannot see you come back to life with my own eyes.”

The old woman poured all the vital energy throughout her body into Jiang Taixu’s body. Her physical frame instantly withered and declined; her eyes went completely dim. She murmured: “I want to return to four thousand five hundred years ago… if time could begin again… Taixu brother… I would go with you… instead of staying in the Sacred Ground…”

The old woman’s lamp burned dry, with not a thread of strength remaining. Her ashen lips trembled, yet she could no longer speak.

Nearby, the young and middle-aged members of the Jiang family shed tears silently, nearly unable to bear witnessing this.

“I… don’t want…” the old woman’s lips quivered, trying to say something, yet already unable to open her mouth.

Many people crouched down, listening carefully. Ye Fan, trembling in his voice, asked, “Elder, what is it you wish to say?”

Jiang Yun channeled divine essence into her; only then could the old woman speak: “After I die… cover my body with white cloth. Tell Taixu… not to lift it and look at me… I don’t want him to see me… like this. I want him to carry in his memory… forever, the image of me from four thousand years ago.”

“Senior…”

All those present were cultivators, every one of them strong-willed — yet at this moment, they could not endure it. Every one of them had the urge to weep.

“Senior Caiyun…” Many could not hold back their choked sobs.

“Taixu brother… in the end… I could not walk with you…” After speaking these words, the last thread of radiance in the old woman’s eyes vanished. Her head silently dropped down, coming to rest beside Jiang Taixu.

“Senior Caiyun…” Many people cried out, their vision completely blurring.

“The Divine King — in the corner of his eye… there is a crystalline drop! He has sensed all of this!”

Those present noticed in grief and shock that at the corner of Jiang Taixu’s withered eyes, a single crystalline teardrop actually rolled gently down.

“The Old Ancestor’s subconsciousness heard all of this…”

“Senior Caiyun, have no regrets — the Old Ancestor’s sleeping subconsciousness knows all of this…”

Many people cried out in grief.

Everyone worked together to help Jiang Taixu refine the divine medicine. The time was far shorter than anyone had imagined: in total no more than half a day, and the Divine King began to slowly revive.

After another quarter of an hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, shooting out two brilliant divine rays — yet he remained still for a long while, silently watching the old woman beside him.

Then, Divine King Jiang Taixu suddenly rose to his feet. With both hands cradling the old woman’s body, he stood in the Dragon Transformation Pool and raised his head to the sky, releasing a howl of grief: “Ahhh…”

This great roar shook Heaven and Earth, resounded throughout the sacred city, and soared into the clouds, stirring every single soul.