The Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron had appeared, returned to the hands of the Sacred Physique — but could he keep it? In all likelihood, a great storm was about to descend.

Everyone in the Northern Region was talking about this very subject. No one could say how many hearts had been stirred, for it was on account of this very sacred cauldron that Ye Fan had once been hunted down. Now that word had spread of his self-severing, it was even easier for people to harbor strange intentions. Those disciples of the various holy lands who were out on training excursions could not find a moment’s peace — every last one of them was paying close attention.

Even the protection of an unrivaled Divine King would not suffice. By now anyone could guess that Jiang Taixu had in all likelihood departed this world — even the Jiang Clan itself had already reached that conclusion. Indeed, Jiang Taixu had passed into sitting meditation; this was the outcome everyone had foreseen, confirmed the moment he had sent little Tingting back to the Jiang Clan.

The one thing Ye Fan could still count as fortunate was the existence of the Old Madman — a being comparable to the sages of antiquity — for otherwise even the various holy lords might personally have come to kill him.

Yet one can be held in check for a time, but not forever. Already many people were itching to act, unable to resist the temptation of the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron.

The raw form of an Extreme Path Sacred Weapon was worth beyond any price. Not even tens of millions — not even a hundred million catties of source ore — could buy it. Even the Great Emperors of remote antiquity were not guaranteed to ever encounter such an immortal treasure, and no one could remain unmoved.

Otherwise, why would the most ruthless man of high antiquity have refined his own body, shaking the ages and dazzling all of history to forge the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar — leaving behind that terrifying legacy?

“Damn it, another group has tailed us. In just a few days you’ve practically become the undying divine herb — everyone wants to take a bite out of you!” The Great Black Dog clicked his tongue.

They had entered a desolate ancient city, and quite a few people were following along at a leisurely pace — not close enough to seem threatening, yet close enough to leave no doubt they were coveting the sacred object.

“There’s nothing to be done. The Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron is far too rare. And it is so extraordinarily heavy, sufficient to be refined into an Extreme Path Sacred Weapon without any fear of immortal materials running short.” Jiang Huairen sighed.

These refined essences of mother qi were nothing like the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sacred Spirit Sword — merely a sliver the size of a fingernail. They were a flawless ancestral root, inexhaustible and self-renewing, enough to move the heart of any powerful cultivator.

Hiss!

A sword radiance shot out from the void, like a falling star crashing toward the earth, its brilliance blazing, embodying annihilation and slaughter, enveloping everyone within it.

Bang!

Ye Fan extended one hand. His golden palm and fingers shone with radiance, tracing the trajectories of the Dao. He extinguished the sword radiance, dissolving it into nothing.

“Someone finally couldn’t hold back and made a move. Let’s just kill them all!” Liu Kou spoke up.

“This is only a probe. Don’t act rashly for now.” Ye Fan shook his head.

“Sacred objects of the ancient Great Emperors are few and far between — each one an unparalleled immortal treasure. Dragon-Patterned Black Gold, Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold, Immortal Tear Green Gold — half a tael of any of these is nearly impossible to find in all the world. It’s only natural that everyone would contend for them.” Li Heishui remarked.

The ancestral root of the Myriad Things Mother Qi was precisely such a rare immortal object. To obtain it was to sever the source of this kind of sacred material — never to be encountered again thereafter. Its value was beyond estimation.

The various holy lands and supreme great sects all burned with envy. No matter who you were — divine being or sage — a few thousand years would pass in the blink of an eye and you would return to dust. Only such sacred objects as these were real and eternal.

Wu Zhongtian had the head of a leopard and the eyes of a ringed serpent — imposing and powerful, a typical great man of the Northern Region. At this moment he raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, “Trouble. Even half-step Great Ability cultivators have followed us here. I recognize that man — he is a very powerful loose cultivator of the Northern Region.”

“I’ve also spotted several others — some are great elders of Northern Region great sects, others are powerful loose cultivators. All of them are at the seventh transformation of the Dragon-Hidden realm!” Liu Kou said.

Some people were already unable to restrain themselves, wanting to fish in troubled waters and take their chances.

“Big brother, little Nannan has spotted several people appearing at our sides again and again — each time it’s a different group.” Little Nannan tugged at Ye Fan’s lapel as those few figures disappeared, and whispered to him.

“The Mortal World…” Ye Fan’s expression grew solemn. He had experienced this once before — assassins of the ancient divine dynasty concealing themselves within the vast sea of humanity, extraordinarily difficult to pick out.

Without betraying anything, he opened his divine eyes and waited quietly for those people to appear again.

“One, two…” His heart leapt violently. There were fully eight assassins, indistinguishable from ordinary mortals — their cultivation depths impossible to discern, not the slightest unusual fluctuation to be sensed.

If not for the divine eyes’ ability to see through to their true faces, it was difficult to imagine that these seemingly ordinary people were all formidable killers, carrying blood-dripping blades and walking through the darkness.

“The Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty has appeared again at last. This is a bad situation!” The Great Black Dog muttered.

“That scoundrel Jiang Yichen — his heart truly is venomous. Leaking the news about the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron, wanting to use other people’s hands to eliminate us.” Li Heishui said.

“Both the Mortal World and the Underworld have come!” Ye Fan felt the weight of the pressure. In the end he confirmed the presence of thirteen assassins — and these were only the ones out in the open. How many were hidden in the shadows he still did not know.

“The storm gathers before it breaks — the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty certainly knows how to pick its moment. This time they’re very likely preparing a single killing blow, seizing the chance to claim the cauldron!” Jiang Huairen said.

Others were wary of the contemporary sages, but these two great divine dynasties harbored not the slightest fear — they had even issued provocations before. Whenever he thought of this, the Great Black Dog could not help but shudder, convinced that they were likely as powerful now as they had been in ancient times.

“Little Ye, are you sure you want to keep walking like this?” Li Heishui began to have misgivings. The enemies were gathering thicker and thicker — a very dangerous sign.

Jiang Huairen, Wu Zhongtian, and the others all suggested laying low for a time and not continuing to expose themselves like this, for it would certainly bring catastrophe.

“Never mind. Walk a bit farther — I’ve already prepared a killing formation for them.” A faint cold smile played at the corner of Ye Fan’s mouth.

“Boy, do you want to exhaust this emperor to death? A world-shaking killing formation consumes an immense amount of vital energy and spirit…” The Great Black Dog bared its teeth, deeply indignant.

“You’re not thinking of sweeping the nest clean — wiping out everyone following behind us?!” Liu Kou was given quite a fright.

“It’s only a preliminary idea. I don’t yet know how powerful the killing formation Black Emperor sets down will be.” Ye Fan smiled.

“Isn’t this a bit too ruthless? If you keep wandering around like this, how many people will you draw? Are you planning to catch them all in one net?” Wu Zhongtian’s heart pounded uncomfortably.

Jiang Huairen, however, laughed. “It should be exactly so. Those without murderous intent will naturally have nothing to fear for their lives. As for those coming to kill Little Ye — why show them any courtesy?”

“Correct. That is precisely how it should be. Anyone who comes to kill us shall be wiped out entirely by the world-shaking killing formation!” Li Heishui nodded, expressing his wholehearted agreement.

“I want to see for myself who is most eager to kill me and seize the cauldron…” Ye Fan smiled slightly.

“Countless heads are about to fall, but… those who come to kill and plunder the cauldron have no one else to blame.” Liu Kou began to laugh.

Relatively speaking, Wu Zhongtian was frank and upright. He sighed. “Your smiles are already stained with blood. Many people are fated to die.”

“Big brother, since when have you gone soft-hearted? This isn’t like you at all.” Jiang Huairen said.

“I’m only moved for a moment. Then let’s just kill to our heart’s content!” Wu Zhongtian’s heroic spirit surged to the heavens.

“Damn it, boy — do you have any idea how much effort it takes this emperor just for you to have a single thought?” The Great Black Dog shot a sideways glance at Ye Fan and grumbled on and on, utterly reluctant.

Yet the moment it saw Ye Fan produce a sacred fruit and give it a little shake, it immediately perked up, drooling, nearly lunging forward.

By now the unrivaled Divine King had severed his own fundamental source, and even undying divine medicine could not reverse what had been done. Whether he could survive depended entirely on himself — and so the remaining divine fruits were Ye Fan’s to allocate as he saw fit.

In the end, the Great Black Emperor slapped his own chest with a great paw — smack smack smack — swearing on his honor that he would reproduce Wushi Great Emperor’s world-shaking killing formation without the slightest flaw or omission.

Of course, it would only be one fragment. That was the extent of what he had mastered. The formation patterns of an ancient Great Emperor could not possibly survive intact in the world — but the portion in his possession, if successfully laid down, would already be more than enough.

“Brother, that grey-haired man is here.” Little Nannan wrinkled her delicate little nose and whispered a warning.

Only after careful observation did Ye Fan discover it: Jiang Yichen’s great-uncle had arrived, his face concealed behind a mask so effective that even the divine eyes had difficulty penetrating it — only by concentrating fully could Ye Fan see through it.

“Oh good, he’s come. This time we’ll give him a proper reception!” Liu Kou heard the news and cried out in excitement.

These past few days they had been trying to find a way to catch Jiang Yichen, but since the other party had not left the Jiang Clan, they had been completely at a loss. Little did they expect that this other infuriating figure had now appeared — and if they didn’t suppress him, they’d be doing themselves a disservice.

“This fellow is actually an expert at the eighth transformation of the Dragon-Hidden realm, and he was planning to ambush and kill us. Fortunately we saw through him — otherwise he would have been a serious threat.” Li Heishui gritted his teeth.

“Don’t make any rash moves. We can’t let one person ruin the entire world-shaking killing formation before it has served its purpose.” Ye Fan said.

Smoke-Cloud City — ancient and worn, as its name suggested. Everything within it had become the passing clouds of bygone ages. It too had possessed a glorious past, even bearing the footprints of Great Emperors of high antiquity.

But alas, all of that had become history — its former glory was no more. What remained was only dilapidation: the city’s population was sparse, fewer than forty thousand souls, a city without vitality.

Ye Fan and the others had traveled along the way and entered this crumbling ancient city, deciding to lay down the ancient slaughter formation of Wushi Great Emperor right here.

“According to records from high antiquity, after the two great assassin divine dynasties have observed their target covertly, they typically strike within five days — very possibly this very night.”

With these ancient secrets provided by the Great Black Dog, their preparations proceeded with far greater ease, for this time they were absolutely determined to cut down every single member of the two great assassin divine dynasties who had come out.

The night was like water, stars sprinkled overhead. This night in Smoke-Cloud City was tranquil, even somewhat desolate and listless — this ancient city of the deep hours had not a trace of vitality.

Ye Fan stood atop an ancient platform, gazing up at the starry sky. Little Nannan stood to one side propping her chin in her hand, stifling small yawns, looking thoroughly dispirited.

The two were not truly watching the stars and moon — they were using their divine eyes to survey the four directions and observe those lurking in the shadows.

In just these past few days, even more powerful cultivators had trailed after them. Even half-step Great Ability experts had made their appearance, and the silhouettes of holy children had been glimpsed flickering about.

“I truly didn’t expect it — the Holy Son Wanchu has come.” Ye Fan murmured to himself. His eyesight was extraordinarily powerful; even a figure at the distant horizon could be captured in his gaze.

This night would inevitably see slaughter. Many people seemed to have reached some wordless understanding and emerged simultaneously, closing in from all sides.

Yet those people all kept well concealed, far off at the edge of the sky, waiting for their opportunity — none willing to provoke first.

“Yao Xi has also arrived.” Ye Fan’s heart gave a small start. The Saintess Yao Guang was hidden within a cloud in the void; save for someone with divine eyes such as his, no one else could possibly detect her.

“Holy Son Xiang Yifei of the Great Yan!” His gaze flashed — he had discovered yet another holy son hidden in the shadows. He had dealt with this man back in the Divine City; little did he expect him to have arrived as well.

“Big brother, the people of the ancient divine dynasty have come…” Little Nannan stifled a small yawn and detected the situation.

Ye Fan nodded, continuing to stand on the ancient platform and observe, wanting to identify every person lurking in the dark.

“Jin Chixiao, heir of the Golden Family, has also come…” Ye Fan’s heart grew alert. This individual was very formidable — word had it that this clan’s bloodline carried the blood of a Primordial King, and they were not of the human race.

“The Holy Son of the Purple Mansion has indeed arrived as well!” He caught sight of yet another holy son’s shadow — he had long since surmised this person would come.

Ye Fan scooped up Little Nannan and flew back to the deep courtyard, rejoining the Black Emperor and the others, informing them of the positions of all those people.

“Far too many have come — many cultivators from great sects, and Jiang Yichen’s great-uncle has brought over a dozen people with him, the closest to our position.”

“The Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty is hidden in the void — they’re nearly ready to strike!”

They exchanged information with one another, preparing to activate the Wushi killing formation in a short while.

“There are half-step Great Ability experts, and even holy sons and a holy daughter. Quite a lineup.” Wu Zhongtian remarked.

Ye Fan thought for a moment, then said: “Black Emperor, when the time comes, try to wait until everyone has entered before activating the Wushi killing formation. No matter who it is — once they’re inside, cut them all down!”