Ye Fan laughed coldly. “What else is there to do? Those who need suppressing, suppress. Those who need a beating, beat!”

Tu Fei was somewhat dumbfounded. These people were very likely Ye Fan’s future relatives by marriage — and yet on their very first meeting, he intended to forcefully suppress them all. That was truly beyond words.

“What did you say? You want to suppress us? How outrageously presumptuous!” The purple-robed young man Feng Lie wore a cold smile on his lips. He was the first to advance, and the other young members of the Feng Clan moved forward with him.

Not one of them was weak. Some had already entered the Four Extremes Secret Realm, and even the lowest among them was at the fourth heaven of the Dao Palace realm.

Hmm!

Ye Fan’s eyes shot out a beam of divine light. He reached out a massive golden hand — one against all more than ten people — pressing down upon them all, golden inscriptions manifesting upon it, intricately complex and profound.

Bang!

One of the young men burst from the group and moved to intercept Ye Fan’s golden hand. He did not dare resist with his body directly, instead gripping a blood-red war halberd that unleashed streaks of blood-light, cleaving downward.

Crack!

Ye Fan’s great hand was like a golden grinding disc — indestructible and all-crushing. The blood-red war halberd was pressed beneath it and shattered inch by inch. The divine metal refined a hundred times over crumbled into powder and fell silently to the ground.

“This…” Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

The young man’s expression changed. He was about to fly backward — but Ye Fan gave him no opportunity. The golden great hand descended and seized him, immovable as iron.

Bang!

Ye Fan threw him to the ground and didn’t spare him a second glance. He continued sweeping his gaze across the other young men and women.

“How dare you — to injure the young lady’s cousin! As for the marriage alliance, you can forget it entirely!” a young woman of flower-and-moon beauty scolded.

“And why should I not dare? I’ll suppress every last one of you!” Ye Fan was unmoved. He strode forward with large steps, reaching out to seize the young woman.

“How dare you treat me this way! Do you know who I am? I grew up alongside Miss Feng Huang!” This young woman of striking appearance cried out sharply. An ancient mirror appeared in her hand and shot out a blinding beam of divine light, sweeping forward.

Feng Huang was the peerless jewel of the Feng Clan. Most people bearing such a name would invite ridicule, but this prodigious daughter of the Feng Clan was absolutely worthy of it.

“Nothing more than a servant girl — and you dare speak to me in such a manner!” Ye Fan laughed coldly. With a single sweep of his great hand, the ancient mirror — refined by a cultivator of the Four Extremes Secret Realm — was immediately reduced to bronze dust.

Bang!

His golden great hand fell, seizing the young woman in a single grab, without the slightest tenderness or mercy. He sealed her on the spot, then tossed her to the ground.

Boom!

Suddenly a drumbeat rang out. The sound was not particularly loud, yet Ye Fan’s body trembled from it and he nearly toppled backward onto the ground. A wave of dizziness swept over him.

A weapon woven from the order of heaven and earth!

Among them was someone bearing such a mighty weapon. With a single beat of the drum, it was as though the primal sound of creation rang out, penetrating to the very marrow — both body and soul went numb at once.

Boom!

Ye Fan let out a great shout and swung his golden fist forward in an attack. He had no intention of being passive. His entire being transformed into a streak of golden light and charged forward.

Boom!

A second drumbeat rang out — like the sound of the universe being formed. The entire garden was silently pulverized. Every fine tree, every pavilion, every platform crumbled into ash without a sound.

Many cultivators watching from the surrounding area all changed color at this sight. They all leaped backward at once, retreating rapidly, fearing to be caught up in the chaos.

Even the other members of the Feng Clan retreated far away. Only one scarlet-robed young man remained. Before him hung a purple leather drum, seemingly fashioned from the hide of a Qilin, covered in shimmering purple scales.

“You are seeking death!” Seeing Ye Fan rushing toward him, a cold smile spread across his face. He gripped the purple drum mallet and beat down with force.

Boom!

The third drumbeat rang out — as though splitting open heaven and earth. The void caved inward. Cloud and mist churned. Thunder and lightning intertwined. Purple radiance shot into the sky and swallowed everything in sight.

Purple lightning was everywhere, pouring out from the Qilin drum. It hung like a purple sun radiating boundless light, piercing through the void and sweeping in every direction to kill all.

Such a mighty weapon woven from the Dao and the principles of heaven and earth was indeed terrifyingly powerful. It was sufficient to slay a cultivator of the Four Extremes Secret Realm, for it contained the laws of heaven and earth and had crystallized a portion of the Great Dao’s power.

Hmm!

The void shook. Ye Fan charged forward without hesitation. The purple lightning was unable to stop him, for within his hand he also held a mighty weapon.

The Diamond Ring gleamed brilliantly — ancient and natural, Dao inscriptions floating upon its surface, indestructible — parting the lightning and appearing directly before the young man’s eyes in an instant.

Smack!

Ye Fan did not go for the kill. Using the Diamond Ring as a shield for his body, he struck with a golden palm, sending the young man flying. The young man crashed heavily to the ground and could not move.

Whoosh!

A flash of light — Ye Fan collected the Qilin Sacred Drum for himself, claiming it as his own. Such a weapon was extraordinarily precious and rarely seen. Even the great elders of various Holy Lands would find it difficult to refine.

“You truly are bold to the point of recklessness — you even dare to seize a weapon of my Feng Clan!” The purple-robed young man Feng Lie’s face had changed color.

“I’m even suppressing the people — much less their weapons. You come here as well!” Ye Fan reached out a golden great hand toward the crowd.

Crash!

Feng Lie produced a white bone banner in his hand and waved it at Ye Fan. “Give up any thought of entering the Four Extremes Secret Realm — as I understand it, you have absolutely no hope of succeeding. And give up any fantasy you have about my sister!”

Yet another mighty weapon woven from innate inscriptions!

Ye Fan’s expression shifted. These young people could not possibly possess weapons of this caliber on their own. Could the elders of the Feng Clan have authorized this? His thoughts moved like lightning and he quickly calmed himself.

“You are not worthy of my sister! Today, I will shatter your pride!” Feng Lie gripped the white bone banner and shook it with force, shooting out ten thousand streaks of sword radiance — not targeting flesh, only striking at divine consciousness.

At the same time, a young man stepped forward dressed in white robes, coming to assist Feng Lie. Together, the two shook the white bone banner.

“This is a great weapon belonging to a mighty elder of the Feng Clan!” Tu Fei and Li Heishui were alarmed, and both changed expression.

Ye Fan paid it no mind. In his left hand he held the Diamond Ring, and in his right hand he held the Divine Spirit Whip. He broke through the ten thousand streaks of sword radiance and advanced step by step.

Boom!

The white bone banner shuddered and a Dao diagram flew out, sweeping down toward him like ten thousand cavalry in full gallop, seeking to grind him to dust.

Clang!

Ye Fan shook his wrist and hurled the Diamond Ring forward, striking the Dao diagram head-on. The two collided in a violent clash, releasing ten thousand streaks of lightning, brilliant and blazing.

Though the white-robed young man was a cultivator at the second heaven of the Four Extremes Secret Realm, his divine energy was insufficient to wield the banner fully. He could not drive it to unleash its complete divine power.

Ye Fan’s divine energy was inexhaustible. He drove it with force, and the Diamond Ring shattered the Dao diagram.

Boom!

The void shook. The divine ring expanded to the size of a grinding wheel, fixing itself in place in midair, silver radiance resplendent. Ring-shaped, it transformed into a black hole that swallowed everything.

It was like a true black hole in boundless stellar space, consuming heaven and earth. Every stone, every arched bridge, every building in the garden collapsed and crumbled, drawn like a river flowing in reverse toward the sky.

Whatever came near that place was pulverized by the black hole, reduced to drifting ash, ceasing to exist — nothing could be preserved.

Pff!

The white-robed young man coughed up blood. His divine energy gave out and the white bone banner flew from his grip, shooting toward the Diamond Ring, on the verge of being swallowed into it.

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, Ye Fan collected this weapon of a great elder and absorbed it into his own body.

Bang!

Ye Fan slapped the white-robed young man away, then turned and seized the purple-robed young man Feng Lie in a single grab — lifting him as though picking up a little chick — and yanked him over.

“How dare you treat me this way…” Feng Lie roared.

Smack!

Ye Fan directly rewarded him with a resounding golden slap, sending him tumbling to the ground with every joint in his body cracking, spitting blood.

Up in the sky, the black hole formed by the Diamond Ring swelled with tremendous might, drawing in the other young men and women. Had Ye Fan not held back, they would all have been obliterated in body and spirit.

“Little Ye, take it easy — forget the power the Feng Clan wields for a moment. Just on the grounds of your marriage alliance with them, you can’t be so reckless,” Li Heishui urged.

“I think the Feng Clan may genuinely be testing you,” Tu Fei sent a quiet voice transmission. He felt the other side might have staged all of this on purpose as a probe.

They had both heard Ye Fan describe the details of this marriage arrangement — the Feng Clan had not given their agreement yet and intended to come to the divine city to meet Ye Fan before making any decision.

“Am I not in the middle of passing their test?” Ye Fan smiled, sending his own quiet voice transmission in return. Then he raised his foot and began kicking Feng Lie — whose cultivation was at the fifth heaven of the Dao Palace — relentlessly, kicking and kicking until tears were practically streaming down the young man’s face.

“Surnamed Ye, just you wait — you will never marry my sister in this lifetime. How dare you treat me this way!” he howled in fury and humiliation.

“Little Ye, stop hitting him — he might be your future brother-in-law. From the looks of it, this is most likely a test of your character. What you do matters far less than how you carry yourself,” Tu Fei and Li Heishui rushed to stop him.

“It’s fine!” Ye Fan kept a smile on his face, kicked Feng Lie a few more times, and then finally stopped.

“Surnamed Ye — I have not forgotten this. You had the gall to actually beat me…” The purple-robed young man Feng Lie ground his teeth, beside himself with fury.

In the distance, an uncountable number of cultivators had gathered to watch. Every one of them was wide-eyed in disbelief. Ye Fan was going to be betrothed to the Feng Clan’s jewel — and yet he had just given her little brother a severe beating.

This… everyone was rendered speechless, not knowing what to say. Just what kind of relationship did these two sides have? This was altogether unprecedented.

“Woof! Do you all want to be my human pets?” the Great Dark Dog fixed its eyes upon the group, radiating excitement.

“Damn it, this vile dog!” Everyone was furious beyond words.

“Little Ye, what are you going to do next?” Tu Fei asked quietly.

“Didn’t I say it already? Those who need suppressing, suppress. Those who need a beating, beat,” Ye Fan said, and then produced the Qilin drum, intending to use it to seal everyone.

A mighty weapon woven from innate inscriptions carried space within it — more than enough to seal all of them inside.

“You’re going to suppress them?” Li Heishui was wide-eyed.

“Ye Fan, you dare!” All the young men and women cried out in unison.

“Surnamed Ye — what are you doing? I am Feng Huang’s blood brother — you dare suppress me?!” The purple-robed young man Feng Lie was utterly stunned.

“And why should I not dare?” Ye Fan paid this no mind. The drum sounded, and he swept every last one of them inside, sealing them within.

“Good lord — Little Ye, you really went and… you actually suppressed your own future brother-in-law?” Li Heishui and Tu Fei truly did not know what to say.

From a distance, everyone was wide-eyed. The audacity was staggering. The betrothal wasn’t even finalized yet, and he had already preemptively suppressed a heap of the other side’s relatives — the girl’s own blood brother among them, and a cluster of cousins as well. What kind of situation was this?

“Heavens — I’d say this Holy Body is too ferocious. Without a second thought, he suppressed the lot of them. There’s just no reasoning with this man!”

Every person was in a daze, barely believing what they had just witnessed. Then the discussions erupted.

“I’ve never seen anyone like this. Knowing who those people were, the bare minimum would be to show some restraint — yet he couldn’t be less bothered. He really has made the Feng Clan spit blood!”

“I’m completely done. Utterly done. I’ve never seen someone this outrageously fierce — does he even still want the marriage alliance with the Feng Clan or not?!”

…

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was no ordinary establishment — it was a property of the Northern Plains Golden Clan, and fighting within it was absolutely forbidden. Yet an entire section of its gardens had just been demolished, and not a single person had come out to stop it. Evidently, someone had cleared the way beforehand.

“What now?” Tu Fei asked.

“We leave, of course.” Ye Fan walked off ahead.

“I’m asking what you’re going to tell the Feng Clan.”

…

After Ye Fan and his companions departed, the news spread throughout the divine city in an instant. People were left wide-eyed and then burst into laughter.

“I’d say this marriage alliance is completely finished.”

“The Feng Clan’s people had barely arrived in the city and he already sent them a gift like this…”

Everyone was talking about it, and the vast majority concluded the marriage was certainly over. Those of the ancient source arts families and figures such as Li Yishui were all secretly rejoicing.

Ye Fan had not been back at his lodgings long before the Divine King summoned him — the Feng Clan’s people wished to see him.

“Little Ye, all the best to you!” Tu Fei and Li Heishui both grinned mischievously.

In the great hall, the Feng Clan had brought four elders. All four appeared plain and ordinary, their true nature concealed entirely — to all appearances, they looked like common mortals from the mundane world.

“You, young man — truly high-handed. Knowing full well who they were, you went ahead and suppressed them all. What exactly were you trying to do?” one of the elders said sharply.

“I felt they had gone too far. Rather than let them suffer a greater loss in the future, I thought it better to let them learn a lesson from me now,” Ye Fan answered with calm composure.

Another elder laughed. “Enough — no need to dwell on it. This young man has some interesting qualities about him. He acted as he did when others would not have dared — that was not what I expected.”

“Release them,” Jiang Yun said from beside him.

Ye Fan naturally understood the appropriate depth of the situation. This was not the moment to be overbearing. He obeyed, producing the Qilin drum and releasing all more than ten people from within, returning the white bone banner as well.

“Ye Fan…” Feng Lie shouted and was about to charge forward.

A sharp reprimand from one of the Feng Clan’s elders stopped him cold. He fumed but walked back, seething with suppressed anger.

“Go to the inner hall. The Divine King and the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord wish to see you,” Jiang Yun said to Ye Fan.

In another great hall, the peerless Divine King sat in the seat of honor. His hair was white as snow and his face was like polished jade — his complexion looked ordinary enough, and one could not easily judge his true condition from his appearance.

Below him sat a middle-aged man, his black hair flowing loose, his gaze clear and sharp, his frame imposing. He sat there with commanding presence — a man who was clearly accustomed to dwelling at the heights of power.

He remained motionless as a mountain. His eyes were deep and penetrating as he studied Ye Fan. This was none other than the grandfather of the heaven-gifted Feng Huang, a man by the name of Feng Jingyun — and also the Holy Lord of the Feng Clan.

“Let your blood energy surge with vitality and release the full vigor of your life force without restraint, so that the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord may see,” the Divine King said with gentle composure.

Ye Fan obeyed and held nothing back. In an instant, his blood energy soared toward the heavens. It was as though a true dragon were awakening within him. The overwhelming vitality made even the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord look on in astonishment, nodding repeatedly.

Boom!

Ye Fan’s aura kept rising. The life force throughout his body transformed into a pillar shaped like a dragon, piercing through the roof of the great hall and ascending into the sky — like a vast ocean in surging motion.

Throughout that region, every cultivator was alarmed, and all of them looked toward that direction, revealing expressions of shock.

Before long, news spread that the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord was very satisfied with Ye Fan — leaving all those who had been ready to watch a spectacle utterly dumbfounded, unable to understand it at all.

“Doesn’t need to be said — the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord has clearly seen that Ye Fan can break through into the secret realm, and nothing is left to stand in the way of the Ancient Holy Body’s rise.”

Many people perceived the truth and deduced what had actually happened. The divine city was shaken that day.

After leaving the great hall, Ye Fan went directly to the Heavenly Demon Treasure Pavilion to find Yao Yuekong and ask him to keep watch and help collect various divine source stone casings.

When he left, even Li Heishui was puzzled: “Ye Fan, what are you trying to do? Your breakthrough is just around the corner — why are you doing this now?”

“Because I’m worried about failure. No matter what it takes, I will break through into the Four Extremes Secret Realm this time!” Ye Fan held nothing back from them.

“Nothing will go wrong — you’re overthinking it,” Tu Fei said with a laugh.

“Even if the ten million jin of source stones cannot get me into the Four Extremes, I’ll find another way to get in myself. This time, I will succeed!” Ye Fan’s eyes blazed with resolve.

That very day, the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord made his decision and gifted Ye Fan three million jin of source stones to aid in his breakthrough into the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

The moment that news broke, the Eastern Desolation was shaken. It was evident that the Feng Clan’s Holy Lord had come to regard Ye Fan as a prospective grandson-in-law, and believed he could break into the Four Extremes Secret Realm — and intended to bind him to the Feng Clan’s ancient war-chariot.

Would the great completion Ancient Holy Body truly appear in the world once more? No one could remain calm at the thought.

The peerless Divine King at last gave word: the following night, on the night of the full moon, Ye Fan would enter the Dragon Transformation Pool to assault the first great barrier inherent to the Holy Body’s constitution.

The moment that announcement came, the world was shaken in shock. The day of the Holy Body’s breakthrough had finally arrived!

From every Holy Land of the Eastern Desolation to the immortal dynasties and hundred schools of Zhongzhou, yet another wave of powerful figures rushed to arrive — all paying extraordinary attention to the Holy Body’s breakthrough, all seeking to witness this occasion.