The arena was built from massive blocks of cliff stone, carved everywhere with the traces of passing ages — ancient and mottled, a place where many Holy Master-level figures had met their end.
The blood of countless peerless experts had long since dried. No bones remained. Yet a ferocious killing intent permeated the air — this was a genuine battlefield of the remote ancient era in every sense.
This old man moved like a wandering ghost — soundless and traceless. He struck a single palm forward, as though a lord of the dead had descended upon the world, chilling wind gusting, permeated with the energy of death.
The Peacock King felt a chill across his entire body and sensed the danger. He shot sideways over a thousand zhang, escaping the strike with barely a hair’s breadth to spare.
“Slap!”
That one palm — so casual and seemingly unremarkable — branded a black hole into the void. Unable to disappear, it was fixed there permanently, devouring everything.
“Crash!”
He struck again, moving like a ghostly shadow, drifting through the void — soft as feminine force, filled with howling yin wind and ghostly energy. Yet the destructive power was enormous.
The Peacock King roared. His entire body’s vital energy surged. Like a divine furnace, radiance blazed from him in every direction, blood energy rushing forward like a vast ocean.
“Boom!”
He drove his fist arm with full force, blasting out nine savage dragons — the very pinnacle of unyielding yang force. Each one clutched a golden sun in its jaws, erupting outward in a torrent, colliding against that soft and yielding yin energy.
“Hiss!”
The supreme yang and supreme yin met — between them, without a sound, a place of light and darkness was born, and a terrifying mutual destruction began. The two forces wordlessly gave rise to Yang Sacred Power and Yin Sacred Power.
“Boom!”
A tremendous sound erupted in the arena. A horrifying burst of radiance exploded at that spot, swallowing both forces entirely — forming a terrifying image of all-encompassing destruction.
Yin Sacred Power and Yang Sacred Power — though they appeared for only a brief instant, they reached a level of terrifying extremity. When the two met, they destroyed all things.
“Crack!”
Yao Guang’s old man shot out of it like a ghost, a thin stream of black blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He retreated rapidly.
At the same time, the Peacock King also coughed up a mouthful of blood. His hair flew in wild disarray. Like a demon god, he broke through the shackles of Yin and Yang, bursting free from the zone of total destruction.
On the very first exchange, both had been wounded. Clearly, each had sought a swift end — both had opened with lethal moves, without the slightest room to fall back.
A fight to the death from the first moment — no retreat, no mercy. Only one of them could leave alive.
“Flash!”
Yao Guang’s living fossil struck again. His palms and fingers turned earthy yellow, descending like yellow mud, pressing forward with no apparent great holy art — a plain, ordinary press of the hand.
Yet the Peacock King’s heart filled with cold dread. This old man, at this level of cultivation, had long since returned to simplicity and essence. That unremarkable palm harbored within it the most lethal secret art of Yao Guang.
It was the terrifying yellow mud hand — strike any supreme cultivator with it, and they would be destroyed like rotten mud. One could only call it the hand of death.
“Slap!”
True enough — when the yellow mud hand pressed into the void, the very nothingness at that spot rotted away, becoming a zone of consumption, crumbling and decayed.
Brilliant light flashed in the Peacock King’s eyes. His nine savage dragons charged out, each clutching a golden sun in its jaws, raining down ten thousand zhang of golden radiance — sealing and blocking the advance like a divine curtain.
“Crack!”
The first savage dragon was slapped into ruin by the yellow mud hand. The golden sun in its jaws detonated, transforming that spot into a horrifying energy storm.
“Slap!”
The yellow mud hand struck again and again, reducing the savage dragons to yellow mud one by one. Each blazing golden sun was swallowed by the yellow mud. Every last shred of vital energy was dissolved away.
The Peacock King let out a long cry, his blood energy surging to the heavens, scattering even the leaden clouds. His vigorous life energy submerged the entire sky and earth.
It was a remarkable sight. From the crown of his head, blood energy burst forth thick as a great mountain. His entire body blazed with surging vital energy — like a vast ocean — as though Pangu himself had descended into the world.
“Boom!”
The Peacock King swept the mountains and rivers before him with the force of his bearing. His great hand struck forward again and again, meeting the yellow mud palms head-on, until the very vault of heaven nearly collapsed. Behind him, the form of a massive peacock appeared — as though it were cleaving apart the heavens and earth, with chaos churning and surging.
Yao Guang’s old man changed color. His opponent was using vigorous blood energy to force him to consume his own life force — engaging him in a war of attrition.
The Peacock King moved like a sacred spirit. His blood energy grew more vigorous with every passing moment. Each time he struck his palm, it was as though a million volcanoes erupted simultaneously — a presence so terrifying that none could stand before it.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, the gloom and silence of death fell away from Yao Guang’s old man completely. Radiance blazed from his entire body — ten thousand zhang of light, illuminating every mountain and river, like a deity plucking flowers, utterly awe-inspiring.
He finally unleashed the supreme forbidden art of his Holy Land — the Primal Chaos Sacred Light Technique!
In this moment, the old man became terrifyingly powerful. It seemed as though his blood energy surpassed even the Peacock King’s own. Divine fire blazed like an ocean, completely submerging the vast ancient battlefield.
He was now like a deity. With the Primal Chaos Sacred Light Technique unleashed, ten thousand methods shattered before it. Every move he made collapsed the heavens.
“Boom!”
Sacred light covered the sky and blotted out the earth. Every inch of space was filled with fearsome divine radiance — causing souls to tremble!
The Peacock King was sent flying by a single slap, blood streaks appearing all across his body. He coughed up several great mouthfuls of blood — the situation had become critical.
“To think that when I, Wang Zheng, was unstoppable throughout the world, none could stand against me. You little peacock have been far too arrogant — today I will seal you permanently!”
Yao Guang’s old man seemed to have recovered his vitality, possessing peak combat power — unstoppable, with sacred light like an ocean, destroying everything.
“Boom!”
He raised his hand and struck downward — like a hand reaching down from beyond the heavens — sacred light like clouds and sea, drowning the boundless ancient battlefield, beyond all possible resistance.
“Crack!”
The Peacock King was sent flying again. His entire body was soaked in blood, his form nearly destroyed. His black hair had been dyed red, clumping together strand by strand.
No one present was not horrified. The Peacock King was the most supreme figure in the world today — deeply feared by every Holy Master, a peerless demon king who had rarely met his match.
And yet now he had been beaten to this state — his first grave injury in eight hundred years.
A living fossil who had lived three thousand years was truly terrifying beyond measure, startling everyone. Once such a being erupted to full force, who could stand against it?
Such a person could walk sideways through the Eastern Desolation. No one could contend with him. Nearly every person of his generation had died out — few remained.
“A true living fossil-level expert indeed!”
“Combat power this terrifying — truly frightening. Looking down upon the Eastern Desolation, difficult to find any match. A pity that his vital energy is nearly exhausted, and soon he will sit in final meditation.”
Few could survive past three thousand years of age. To reach such an age was to be a monstrous existence — naturally without equal or peer.
A pity that vital energy was their greatest constraint. Though each had reached the peak of their personal cultivation, they could not last much longer.
“Cornered beast still fights!” Yao Guang’s old man stepped forward. Primal Chaos Sacred Light technique poured out from everywhere, filling every space.
Every casual motion of his would crush the void. Nothing could resist it — he seemed intent on melting the ancient battlefield itself.
The Peacock King let out a long cry and spat five-colored divine light from his mouth, sweeping it forward — finally managing to temporarily hold back the Primal Chaos Sacred Light Technique.
“Interesting — he has actually cultivated the congenital five elements. A pity it has not yet reached its great completion stage. There is no escaping your death today!” Yao Guang’s old man moved like a deity, raising his great hand and pressing it down from above.
Sacred light like clouds and sea once again submerged the arena. Every thread of that light could kill a powerful cultivator. With this much primal chaos sacred light — the terror of it was extreme.
The Peacock King’s congenital five-element divine light nearly shattered. His body bore even more blood marks. Yet the sacred light could press no closer.
From within the five-colored divine light he spat from his mouth, a pitch-black stone platform appeared — suppressing everything.
“Boom!”
A wave of force shook outward. The black stone platform grew larger, wrapped in five-element divine light, and transformed into a great seal — pressing forward, scattering the primal chaos sacred light.
“The Chaos Seal!”
Outside the arena, Yao Guang’s Holy Master changed color and called out a warning to his senior martial brother. The last time he had faced this great seal, he had suffered a devastating blow — nearly crushed in half.
Before, during the contest for the nine secrets in the ancient tomb of Lizhou, the Peacock King had taken that chaos stone and refined it into an extraordinarily terrifying secret treasure.
“That piece of stone was left behind by the Wushi Great Emperor — used merely as a bed-board. But for any other cultivator, it is still a supreme treasure.” The great black dog said gravely.
“Crack!”
The great seal forged from chaos stone collided with the sacred light — the arena nearly became a place of primal chaos itself, a terrifying spectacle.
The Peacock King used the Chaos Seal to hold off Wang Zheng’s Primal Chaos Sacred Light Technique. The two remained in stalemate.
“That black seal truly is formidable — even a living fossil has been stopped by it, unable to advance half a step!”
People were astonished. The two clashed fiercely. Amidst the five-colored divine light, the chaos stone seal stood as immovable as an ancient divine mountain — firm and indestructible.
Yet the primal chaos sacred light was said to destroy all ten thousand methods — it was terrifying beyond measure, especially when unleashed by the hands of someone who had lived three thousand years. It could only be called heaven-defying.
“Boom!”
The Peacock King coughed blood again, yet he did not retreat a single step. Yao Guang’s old man Wang Zheng’s face flushed crimson, his body trembling slightly.
Between them, black holes formed in clusters — as though a great age of annihilation had come, with all things extinguished, nothing existing anymore.
Now, only the primal chaos sacred light and the chaos stone seal wrapped in five-colored divine light clashed against each other!
“That chaos seal is too terrifying!” Everyone was filled with dread, a chill rising from within them.
Especially the Holy Master-level figures — their apprehension was extreme. If the Peacock King wielded this stone seal in a contest against any of them, how could they resist?
Such a divine object — if refined day after day in the future — who could say what kind of divine weapon it would eventually become?
Even so, people were deeply afraid of Yao Guang’s Holy Master’s senior martial brother as well. A living fossil-level figure — the name was truly deserved. Absolutely capable of walking freely and slaying Holy Masters without limit!
“Boom!”
The chaos stone seal pitted against the primal chaos sacred light technique — the Peacock King coughed up another great mouthful of blood, yet still did not retreat.
Everyone knew that at this rate of stalemate, who would live and who would die was very difficult to say.
Though the Peacock King kept coughing blood, his blood energy was like a vast sea — he could sustain a prolonged war of attrition. While Yao Guang’s living fossil was absolutely terrifying, his vital energy was nearly gone. He could not afford this kind of drawn-out battle.
“Stop!”
“Hold!”
Yao Guang’s Holy Master and the Red Dragon Daoist cried out simultaneously. They had no desire to let the fight continue — each feared that their own side’s person would be killed in battle, which would be an incalculable loss.
The Red Dragon Daoist, Yao Guang’s Holy Master, Nangong Zheng, and many other great cultivators intervened, forcibly separating the two and ending this battle.
Ye Fan moved forward swiftly, produced a jade bottle, and held out the sacred spring water for the Peacock King. As he opened the stopper, a fragrant scent drifted out, and the eyes of several people present immediately lit up.
In particular, the Red Dragon Old Daoist and the Crow Daoist — their gazes burned with fierce intensity, as though they had laid eyes on an ancient imperial sutra.
The Peacock King drank several deep mouthfuls, then immediately sat cross-legged on the ground. His entire body’s vital energy surged — his grievous wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His blood energy rose to the skies. His entire body blazed with brilliant radiance. Congenital five-element divine light wreathed around him. The chaos seal rose and fell above his head.
Ye Fan did not take the jade bottle back. Instead he handed it to the Red Dragon Daoist and the Crow Daoist. Both showed visible emotion — for those with little vital energy remaining, this was a precious gift.
“Red Dragon, the one I truly want to fight is you!” Not far away, Yao Guang’s Holy Master’s senior martial brother Wang Zheng spoke up. He had already swallowed a sacred medicine and recovered in an instant.
“Very well — let us fight!” The Red Dragon Old Daoist walked sideways through the Eastern Desolation and feared no one. He accepted at once.
“Do not go. This old wretch has less than half a year to live — he wants to use his dying breath to bring you down with him!” The Crow Daoist blocked him.
“Does he truly think that my one thousand five hundred years confined to the Sacred Cliff counted for nothing? I will send him on his way ahead of schedule!” The Red Dragon Old Daoist declared.
Everyone was startled. Another battle was about to begin — two living fossils were going to clash. This would undeniably be the supreme battle of the present age.
How many people in the Eastern Desolation had lived to three thousand years? When beings like them were at the height of their power — their dominance shaking the heavens — even Holy Masters had to look up at them.
Now, each had reached the personal pinnacle of their cultivation. But none of them had much life left. Soon they would sit in final meditation — and one could not call that anything but a kind of sorrow.
From ancient times to the present, many peerless heroes had fallen beneath the weight of passing years. Though their achievements might rival the work of heaven and earth itself, in the end it was useless — they had no choice but to walk bleakly toward the final point of their lives.
“Flash!”
The two living fossils entered the ancient battlefield at virtually the same moment, both drifting with ghostlike elusiveness.
“Senior martial brother, take care!” Yao Guang’s Holy Master sent a mental transmission. He understood the mind of this martial brother who was a full thousand years his senior — knowing that, aware he was nearing final meditation, Wang Zheng wished to eliminate the Red Dragon Daoist as a peerless enemy of future generations.
“Slap!”
Two ancient beings, each three thousand years old, exchanged their first palm strike — no visible excitement, as plain as ordinary people, meeting palm against palm. Nothing seemed to come of it.
Many of the younger generation found it anticlimactic, seeing no trace of the bearing one might expect from unparalleled experts, unable to discern any subtlety.
But every Holy Master-level figure was shaken to the core. In that single exchange of palms, within the void, countless marks flashed and vanished — the confrontation was comparable to a total annihilation of all things.
Yet both men had dissolved it all in the space between lightning and thunder. Ordinary people simply could not see what had happened.
“Terrifying…” Ye Fan’s heart trembled. Having cultivated the divine eye, he could see all of it clearly.
“Slap,” “crack”…
The two living fossils moved without great speed, striking at each other intermittently — no magnificent sacred arts deployed, simply engaging in a life-and-death contest that had returned to the most fundamental essence of being.
“We both have little vital energy left — we cannot afford attrition. Why not let a single strike decide life and death?”
Both spoke simultaneously, moving with identical intent — to settle the outcome in an instant.
“Boom!”
Yao Guang’s living fossil, Wang Zheng — his withered frame erupted with ten thousand zhang of radiance, sweeping across the entire arena, like a golden sacred spirit.
In this moment, he was powerful beyond compare. His flesh pulsed with boundless life energy, his blood energy surged like a sea. Primal chaos sacred light covered the sky without limit — terror without equal!
“Boom!”
In the void, boundless sacred light gave form to a golden ancient cauldron, covered densely with dragon patterns — suppressing the great world!
“This… he has actually used the primal chaos sacred light technique to evolve the shape and a portion of the law principles of Yao Guang’s Dragon Patterned Black Gold Sacred Cauldron!”
The crowd could not help but cry out. Every face changed color. A single strand of extreme dao divine power seemed to make itself felt — illusory, yet somehow present.
The Red Dragon Old Daoist let out a long cry. His hair flew wildly, his gaze sharp as a blade. As though he had grown eight arms, in one single instant he struck out with eight types of dharma seals.
“What — that is the Eight Forms of the Heavenly Demon, the most ancient and terrifying supreme inheritance of the demon race. He has actually combined all eight and unleashed them as one!”
The crowd was stunned speechless, hearts shaking, bodies gone cold — barely able to breathe.
The Eight Forms of the Heavenly Demon combined as one. In the void, the Red Dragon Old Daoist gave form to a red dragon — absolutely real in appearance, radiating the desolate aura of the primordial era, the dragon’s majestic presence surging in every direction.
The ancient battlefield was on the verge of collapse!
Were it not for Yao Guang’s Immortal Tear Tower standing guard — through which flowed a single thread of true extreme dao divine power, protecting the arena — the martial stage would have long since ceased to exist.
“Boom!”
Two living fossils collided — each unleashing their most powerful single strike to decide life and death!
Black holes appeared in clusters, as though giving birth to a universe — starlight contained within, as though heaven and earth were being split open — the forces of destruction and rebirth surging like tides.
An instant made eternal!
As though a hundred lifetimes had passed, as though only a single moment. Time became eternal, impossible to distinguish.
“Crack!”
The Red Dragon Old Daoist vomited a great torrent of blood and was sent flying backward from the black holes of the void. His entire body was cracked and fissured — he had nearly fallen.
“Crack!”
On the other side, Yao Guang’s living fossil’s eyes went dim. His skull cracked open, brain matter splattered outward, his torso split apart — broken and ruined beyond description.
Blood dyed the heavens red. His flesh became a slurry of gore. His bones shattered into white fragments of dust — struck to death by the Red Dragon Old Daoist.