The Human King’s Seal — from the moment it was deployed, there was never any question of the outcome. Ancient towers, great bells, treasured cauldrons, and numerous other magical treasures were shattered, and those people were sent flying great distances, yet still could not escape the doom of their physical forms collapsing and breaking apart.
This ancient inheritance, its power surpassing imagination by far, even left Ye Fan himself astonished and shaken. His heart trembled, yet at the same time he was filled with boundless elation.
The Mountain-Embracing Seal, the Human King’s Seal, the Heaven-Overturning Seal — and he had only deployed one of them thus far. One could well imagine what manner of power the three seals combined, acting in concert, might unleash!
Flash! Flash!
In the end, a few people did manage to break through the grand formation and escape. Ye Fan made no move to activate the Movement Rune Art and give chase. Instead, he drew the Ten-Thousand-Bane Bow into his hands.
This bow was deep emerald green throughout, covered in engraved runes, its style ancient and worn — clearly an artifact of immense age at a single glance. Capable of wounding a Sacred Master, its value was beyond reckoning.
He took the Ten-Thousand-Bane Bow in hand and pulled at the string, finally understanding why those people had needed to work together to drive it — it required tremendous force merely to move it at all. But this posed no difficulty whatsoever for Ye Fan. Very few people could match him when it came to sacred power.
Hum!
With a faint vibration, the bowstring was drawn back. Sand and stone flew across the heavens and earth, wind and thunder rolled in succession, and all manner of luminescent brilliance swirled about as boundless vital energy gathered in a frenzy.
He drew the Ten-Thousand-Bane Bow to a full moon shape. A single arrow of light formed along the bowstring. When he released his grip, a streak of divine light shot forth, disappearing into the clouds in an instant.
“Ahh…”
A man’s scream rang out. The man and the very cloud he stood upon scattered into pieces, vanishing into the heavens and earth — not even a mist of blood left behind.
Ye Fan drew the bow a second time. The arrow of light flew into the distance. A mountaintop exploded with a thunderous boom, and another man cried out as his body and soul were obliterated, leaving nothing but drifting smoke and dust throughout the sky.
The power of this bow was terrifyingly immense. Even Ye Fan was startled in his heart. If some skilled figure had held it in hand and turned it on him just now, it would most likely have spelled his doom.
He loosed five arrows in succession. Five streaks of divine light split the heavens open, and five powerful experts fell one after another. Not a single one managed to escape — all of them stained the sky with blood, meeting their end in this place.
Ye Fan caressed the Ten-Thousand-Bane Bow, this great and magnificent treasure, reluctant to put it down for even a moment. His body was unrivaled in close combat, and at range he now possessed this fearsome weapon — it suited him to perfection, as though they were a matched pair.
“I am deeply grateful, fellow cultivator, for saving my life.” Ji Haoyue was covered head to toe in blood, even his hair matted into wet, dark strands, like a gravely wounded divine tiger whose residual might had not yet faded.
Ye Fan glanced at him and gave a single nod, saying nothing more. In the past, when he and the Ji Family had been on poor terms, he had even entertained the idea of fighting Ji Haoyue to the death.
He scanned the mountain terrain. The corpses of those who had reached the eighth Dragon Metamorphosis transformation numbered more than one or two — and the sight of it shook him deeply.
Ji Haoyue stood there disheveled, in such a wretched state, yet he had displayed tremendous divine might, slaying so many powerful enemies. When word spread, it would shake all Five Domains without question.
“The inheritances left behind by the ancient great emperors are truly fearsome…” Ye Fan reflected inwardly. Ji Haoyue must certainly possess a world-class sacred art unknown to anyone else. It was said that the ancient emperor’s sacred scripture had a secret volume, and even among direct disciples, only a rare few could cultivate it.
The Void Scripture — its secret sacred arts were known to no one, imprinted as divine thoughts by a primordial great emperor and witnessed only by those who had since all perished. To this day, save for an extremely rare few, almost no one knew how terrifying it truly was.
“May I ask your honorable name, fellow cultivator?” Ji Haoyue opened his mouth to ask, his expression calm, his eyes still as unmoving water.
Ye Fan glanced at him, sensing that the other likely had some guesses already. His fingertips itched slightly — he very much wanted to pretend ignorance and give this Divine King Physique a proper thrashing.
“Don’t be in such a rush to ask my name and offer thanks. The truth is, I very much want to give you a good smacking right now.”
“Hey, hey, hey — why would you want to smack my brother?” Ji Ziyue was unhappy. She shot him a look from beneath her crescent-moon eyes, wrinkled her delicate, elegant nose, and muttered: “I definitely know you.”
Then she broke into a shallow smile. Two adorable little dimples surfaced on her face — smooth and white as fine jade — and she said: “Thank you for saving us.”
She had wiped her face clean of tears, and now she stared at Ye Fan without stopping, her large eyes filled with sparkling intelligence, black and white and bright, clear as precious gems, shining with a clever and perceptive light.
“Is there a flower on my face?” Ye Fan asked.
“I’m thinking about how to thank you,” Ji Ziyue said with a sweet smile, her little canine teeth gleaming with crystalline brilliance. She wrinkled her nose and said: “You look very much like someone I once knew.”
Ye Fan was well aware she had most likely seen through everything. The trace of craftiness in her eyes was impossible to conceal — yet he had no desire to expose the matter.
“Don’t you want to know what he was like?” Ji Ziyue smiled.
“Oh? What was he like?”
“That fellow — con artist, deceiver, trafficker of children, instigator of dog attacks, capable of murder…” Ji Ziyue blinked her large eyes, ticking things off on her slender jade fingers with great seriousness. “Bad to the very last degree. Struck by divine lightning on a regular basis.”
Ye Fan’s head was covered in black lines. He rapped her on the head with a flick of his finger and turned to leave. “You two should be getting out of here,” he said.
“Hey, hey, hey — stop right there!” Ji Ziyue let out a soft yelp of pain, rubbing the smooth, flawless skin of her forehead over and over, grinding her little canine teeth together. She came running after him and planted herself in his path.
“You really want me to give your brother that thrashing?” Ye Fan laughed.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Ji Ziyue said. Her beautiful hair floated about her, her skin white as snow, her eyes bright and perceptive. She wrinkled her elegant nose, thought it over for a moment, and then muttered: “You’re our lifesaver. How could you just walk away like that?”
“Oh, you want to repay me? An ancient scripture of your choice would do nicely.” Ye Fan smiled, then continued walking forward.
“Why are you always trying to leave? How about this — join our Ji Family as a disciple, and I’ll pass on the Void Scripture to you.”
On the other side, Ji Haoyue’s forehead had begun to produce its own stream of black lines. He walked over in long strides and shot his sister a glance.
“Hey, hey, hey — I’m being completely genuine about giving you an ancient scripture, don’t be suspicious.” Ji Ziyue chased after him again, her large eyes brimming with laughter as she spoke in complete earnest.
“If you were to pass me an ancient scripture, your brother would certainly be the first to make a move against me — a fight to the death,” Ye Fan said, glancing at Ji Haoyue.
“You are not allowed to mock my brother like that.” Ji Ziyue was displeased. She turned her lively, animated eyes toward the depths of the immortal palace world, then lowered her voice and said: “Let me tell you honestly — within this world, there truly may exist an ancient scripture left behind by a primordial great emperor.”
Ye Fan’s heart stirred. The Ji Family was far away in the Eastern Desolation, yet they had produced a great emperor in ages past. How many such figures had existed across all of history? They must certainly know secrets that others did not.
This place was an immortal palace world. Tens of thousands of soldiers and cultivators were fighting and dying across what had once been an ancient battlefield; the four-character riddle-sound of the Undying Heavenly Emperor had already been heard here, marking this place as extraordinary beyond any doubt.
Perhaps they truly knew secrets hidden from the world. It was not impossible that the Void Great Emperor himself had once entered this place — after all, there were rumors claiming this location had some connection to the immortal domain.
“Well? Does that move your heart a little?” Ji Ziyue smiled, and when she smiled she was deeply beautiful — her bright eyes full of expression, her every glance radiating light.
Ye Fan unconsciously reached up to stroke his chin. He was seriously mulling it over when he suddenly realized this habit was really not something that ought to be appearing, and hastily lowered his hand. He found Ji Ziyue batting her long lashes at him with a smile.
“Honored benefactor — may I ask your honorable name?” the Ji Family’s little moon asked playfully.
Beside them, Ji Haoyue wore an expression of complete composure, standing guard at his sister’s side. There was a trace of indulgence when he watched his sister, but when his eyes fell on Ye Fan he unconsciously furrowed his sword-sharp brows.
“Ye Zhetian!” Ye Fan spoke these three syllables.
“Ah — you ate quite a lot of that person’s spirit beasts, didn’t you.” Ji Ziyue’s little mouth fell open into a perfect circle. It seemed she hadn’t expected this at all — yet a moment later she broke into another light laugh.
Ji Haoyue too was briefly startled, his expression rather strange. Word had already spread about an exceptional rogue cultivator operating outside the immortal mountain — someone who had demonstrated breathtaking audacity, consecutively defeating multiple disciples of the extraordinary cultivators’ residence, and who had also eaten their spirit beasts. His notorious reputation had long since spread far and wide; it was impossible not to have heard of him.
Ji Ziyue laughed without stopping, then asked: “Qi the Spicy Pepper was taken by you — where is she now? How is she faring?”
“Still hasn’t been killed. Kept around to pour tea and fetch water,” Ye Fan replied.
Ji Haoyue suddenly spoke. “It would be best to release her as soon as possible. The prodigies from the Southern Ridge are still in seclusion and have not yet emerged — if they had, the trouble you would be facing right now would be far greater.”
“That’s right — the people from the Southern Ridge are truly extremely powerful. Even my brother is wary of certain individuals among them,” Ji Ziyue added, sharing this piece of news out of what seemed to be genuine concern.
Ye Fan’s heart gave a sharp lurch. Only today had he come to truly understand the strength of the Ji Family’s Divine King Physique — tearing apart several cultivators who had reached the eighth Dragon Metamorphosis transformation, displaying in full the bearing of the Eastern Desolation’s Divine King.
Were the people of the Southern Ridge equally fearsome? He had no choice but to take the matter seriously. The Five Great Domains of the world gathered heroes in vast numbers, and there were certainly figures beyond imagination waiting among them.
“You really do know how to court trouble…” Ji Ziyue muttered. When her brother wasn’t looking, she shot Ye Fan a sideways glance, then said quietly: “I’ll pass you a life-saving secret art.”
“Ziyue, we should be leaving. Today’s events are no trivial matter — the family head must be informed.” Ji Haoyue spoke at that moment, then turned to face Ye Fan. “For the grace of saving our lives, there will certainly be ample repayment in the future!”
“Come out with us first — this place is far too dangerous. On your own it would be very easy to fall into a desperate situation. Wait until we’ve brought in powerful experts, and we’ll all come back in together.” Ji Ziyue blinked her large eyes at Ye Fan.
“It’s fine — I’ll be careful.” Ye Fan had no wish to leave. He merely asked in earnest which ancient scripture might possibly appear in this place.
“Most likely the Supreme Emperor Scripture, though it could also be the Void Scripture, or perhaps the Demon Emperor Scripture… there’s no way to know for certain,” Ji Haoyue said in a low, measured voice.
“Why is that?” Ye Fan asked, surprised.
“There is a legend that this place has a connection to the immortal domain. Certain great emperors entered here, and may have left something behind,” Ji Ziyue answered.
According to what they said, the several ancient inheritances that had produced great emperors would inevitably send people here to search, to confirm certain things — though what specifically, they did not say.
Following certain clues, it seemed certain that the depths of this immortal ancient world harbored an ancient scripture, along with some great secret unknown to the world. Otherwise, why would great emperors of antiquity have come to this place?
“As early as before the primordial age, the Undying Heavenly Emperor may already have come here…” Ye Fan turned this over and over in his mind, unwilling to stop.
The Ji sibling pair departed. Ji Ziyue made it clear she would certainly be returning before long, and cautioned Ye Fan to look after himself.
Within this wild, desolate world, danger and opportunity walked hand in hand. Many people had come seeking an immortal affinity, and every day brought both newly manifested spirit treasures and the fall of powerful cultivators. The atmosphere was one of intense, constant tension.
Ye Fan had been inside for many days now and had not yet ventured toward the deepest reaches — for even in this outer region, powerful cultivators had already perished.
Two days later, he finally made another discovery. On the peak of one mountain stood an ancient stone stele, carved with certain techniques and formulas. Though they were fairly wondrous, they were not what Ye Fan was seeking most.
What he hoped for above all else at this moment was the traces of enlightenment left behind by some supreme expert — to find an opportunity from them to break through his great bottleneck.
Ye Fan spent the better part of a day in contemplation and meditation, gaining something for his effort. He was about to turn and leave when, at that very moment, a young man descended onto the mountaintop. He was not especially imposing-looking, but he was remarkable in a quiet, understated way — possessed of a powerful self-assurance.
This person was of medium build, appearing to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years of age. His black hair hung in loose disorder, his skin was dark and weathered, and his gaze was sharp as lightning. His hands were clasped behind his back as he approached the ancient stele — self-assured and domineering, as though the power of life and death were his alone to decide, as though all things were within his grasp.
“Leave immediately. I intend to enter seclusion here.”
He spoke in a flat, unhurried tone. There was nothing overtly threatening in his words, yet they brooked no refusal — as though the judgment of life and death belonged to him alone, as though all things were already within his control.
Ye Fan frowned. He swept this person with a glance, said nothing, yet halted his steps and did not depart.
The young man walked up to the ancient stele with his hands clasped behind him and studied it with concentrated attention. He made no further remark. The two of them coexisted without conflict.
After a moment, Ye Fan glanced at him once more and decided to let the matter drop. He had been planning to leave anyway; there was no need to fight a battle over it.
He descended to a nearby mountain peak and continued searching for ancient ruins. It was not long before another group of people entered this mountain range, most of them young.
“Yan Yunluan is here — all others are requested to go around.” A cool, indifferent voice rang out — belonging to the young man Ye Fan had just encountered, who stood atop the mountain peak with his hands behind his back, sweeping his gaze across all eight directions.
“What — Yan Yunluan is here? Let’s get out of here.”
“Why is he in this area? Is he entering seclusion again? He achieves sudden enlightenment constantly.”
“He’s not someone we can afford to provoke — this person is a true prodigy!”
These young people were mostly disciples of the extraordinary cultivators’ residence, and all of them were clearly intimidated. They withdrew from the mountain range; though they were of the same generation, not one of them dared to court his sharp edge.
Ye Fan was taken aback. This person truly did carry himself with such authority — even other sacred son-level figures from the Five Great Domains were this intimidated by him. He must be extraordinarily dangerous.
Before long, the mountaintop was enshrouded in an auspicious glow. Yan Yunluan sat in meditation on a rock of pale green jade, and sure enough he had entered a state of profound stillness. A hazy, dreamlike immortal mist settled over that place.
Ye Fan glanced at him once, chose not to look further, quietly immersed himself in his own Dao, and then turned and departed.
Two days later he came upon a place of striking, extraordinary aura — purple smoke rising from cliff faces, birds and small animals unafraid of human presence. He even discovered several spirit herbs of more than ten thousand years of age, untouched by wandering beasts.
At the very same moment, more than a dozen people flew in from elsewhere, having also discovered this location. All of them descended, hoping to search for the ruins of some ancient figure’s abode, sensing that this place might harbor a hidden cave dwelling.
“Yan Yunluan is here — you are all requested to leave!” At that moment a cool, indifferent voice rang out once again — the same prodigy, who had also found his way to this place.
“You say leave, so we leave?” Someone was indignant. This was evidently a place of great treasure, and they had no desire to give it up.
“Don’t say another word — just leave. This person once crossed a heavenly tribulation while simultaneously entering the extraordinary cultivators’ residence. His power is terrifyingly formidable. Do not provoke him,” someone nearby urged.
Shortly after, several people flew away. A few others did not immediately withdraw.
“Did you not hear what I said?” Yan Yunluan turned his gaze toward them, his voice cold, his tone permitting no argument.
The remaining few also hesitated. Ye Fan, however, simply gave a calm, composed smile. The last time he had let it go — but this time they had crossed paths again, and yet again this person was pressing him.
He said nothing at all. He raised the Ten-Thousand-Bane Bow in hand, drew the bowstring back directly, holding it curved like a full moon. Ten thousand feet of light blazed outward. In an instant, the heavens and earth lost their color, wind and thunder rolled, and the mountain ranges shuddered.
Whoosh!
Ye Fan drew the precious bow back and fired at the prodigy, without any hesitation whatsoever — leaving everyone around them deeply stunned.
Boom!
Yan Yunluan surged upward, shifting to one side. Two streaks of cold light shot from his eyes. That arrow shaft struck like a bolt of lightning, and on the spot it shattered the mountaintop before him into rubble!
Ye Fan wore a faint smile. Unhurried and composed, he pulled back the string of the Ten-Thousand-Bane Bow again and loosed a second arrow, even fiercer than the last!
“Who is that — who dares shoot at the extraordinary cultivators’ residence’s most unparalleled prodigy?!”