A formidable life requires no justification. Fat Duan’s way of making threats was unlike anyone else’s — open his mouth and it was digging up ancestors’ graves; close it and it was plundering family tombs.

Everyone was at a loss for words. They had never seen anyone like this. They had seen people say vicious things, but they had never seen anyone threaten others with the dead.

One cross word and he’d go dig up your family’s graves — who could bear that? Utterly unique — this kind of revenge left people feeling faint.

What the hell is this fat bastard’s background? That was the unspoken thought in many minds, accompanied by considerable private bewilderment.

Yet when the crowd’s minds settled, they felt even more alarmed than before. Half an absolute-path imperial weapon hung in midair, pressing down on everyone until they could barely breathe.

The Fierce Great Emperor — one could say they were among the most astonishing figures in all of history. Legends surrounding him or her were without number, and no single assessment could capture them.

Above Duan De’s head, the lid of the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar bore a ghostly face impression streaked with traces of tears, yet also showing a smile — grief mingled with sunshine.

Neither quite crying, neither quite smiling — tears blurring a smiling face. This perhaps captured the Fierce Great Emperor’s entire life, the innermost expression of their heart. Perhaps no one had ever truly understood.

These markings resembled a child’s scrawl, yet they made every person there tremble inwardly. Thinking of this great emperor’s life and methods, all were overwhelmed with reverence, and every last one of them retreated involuntarily.

“How does he have an absolute-path imperial weapon?!” This was the question many minds were turning over.

Half an absolute-path weapon — even without being reawakened, even without unleashing the peerless divine might of a great emperor — was not being used to deal with ancient emperors. Merely its ordinary power was sufficient to sweep through everyone present.

“What’s worth showing off about that broken mirror of yours? At best it can serve as a vanity mirror for women to primp in front of.” Duan De thrust out his fatty chest and walked forward.

Above his head, the lid of the ancient Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar descended, ten thousand and more dark beams of light falling like a curtain of rain, strand by strand.

Everyone stood clear. Half an absolute-path imperial weapon was not something said merely to frighten people. Throughout all of history, only a handful of such things had ever existed.

An imperial weapon — once activated, even without being reawakened, could still slaughter in every direction. Who could withstand it?

“Try shooting that broken mirror at this strikingly handsome face of mine and see what happens — let me check if I’ve become even more dashing.” Duan De advanced, the ceramic lid above his head.

Wang Yangzhan, sect leader of the Yin-Yang Sect, looked positively dark in the face. The others also felt utterly wretched — like stepping in dog excrement the moment they walked out the door. This grotesque fat man was the most objectionable person anyone had ever laid eyes on.

“Just because you think I’m easy to push around? When Fat Master is displeased, you won’t think I’m some harmless kitten!” Fat Duan muttered away, eyeing this one and peering at that one.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on Xiao Yunsheng — whose forehead bone Ye Fan had caved in — and said: “Damn it, that fellow with his head squashed like he got it caught in a door. Weren’t you just telling me to roll over to you a moment ago? Now you roll your ass over here!”

This despicable fat man! Many cursed him inwardly. He was the most insufferable sort to speak with — the kind who would hit you and specifically target your face, insult you and specifically expose your most embarrassing flaw.

Xiao Yunsheng’s face had gone green with fury, yet there was nothing he could do. He genuinely feared that this wretched fat man would make his move — and with half an absolute-path imperial weapon brought out, everyone was confounded.

“And that old white-hair over there — weren’t you trying to grab the bowl? Go ahead and keep trying!” Duan De then turned his gaze on Wang Yangzhan.

The Yin-Yang Sect leader looked as though he had swallowed a dead rat — deeply aggravated. He had no idea what this fat man’s cultivation level was, but inside the group was the old blind man, who at his living fossil-tier cultivation could activate the lid, and it would be able to slaughter every last obstacle.

“Thud!”

Duan De was never one to suffer losses. He had been lectured endlessly a short while ago, and now that he had brought out half an absolute-path weapon, he walked forward and let it press down.

An aura capable of crushing ten thousand ages spread out. The lid of the ancient Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar transformed into a black void, swallowing heaven and earth, pressing downward from above.

Xiao Yunsheng said not a word and, with his broken legs, threw himself from the ten-thousand-foot jade platform together with more than ten treasure forbidden weapons.

Wang Yangzhan wrapped the damaged ancient mirror around several capable figures and, transforming into a streak of flowing light, also retreated several hundred zhang, moving far from the central area.

Half an absolute-path imperial weapon — hazy and indistinct, as though possessing its own life — bore that ghostly face impression on its surface. The tear-traces were actually moving.

The crowd’s blood ran cold. According to legend, this demonic jar’s lid had been refined from the Fierce One’s very skull — the most essential part of the imperial weapon.

Some said the ghostly face impression had been drawn by this great emperor in childhood — the happiest time of their life. From that point onward, they had stood against all the world, deeply unhappy and sorrowful.

Though invincible over all the world, what remained most deeply imprinted in their memory was that brief recollection of early childhood. And so it had become their unique mark, branded onto the demonic lid.

“Damn it, come help me — this lid is nearly draining me dry.” Duan De transmitted a voice message.

Ye Fan and Dongfang Ye stepped forward and channeled a surge of divine power to him. The old blind man transmitted: “Stop overextending yourself. The cost of this imperial weapon is enormous. Defending ourselves is all we can manage. The people here are the masters of this land — there is no possibility of suppressing them all.”

“Clang!”

Nearby, a suit of golden battle armor materialized, blazing with light that shot toward the heavens. It appeared at the side of the Ancient Hua sovereign, taking human form, a golden sage sword in one hand and a golden divine bow on its back — and it actually bore the fluctuations of living energy.

A peerless divine garment that had gained sentience — a world-enduring sage weapon, forged from divine materials, capable of existing through all eternity!

A chill passed through Ye Fan’s heart. He had seen this divine garment before. The Ancient Hua Dynasty had brought it out in front of the forbidden ancient grounds when seeking to pluck an undying divine medicine.

“Worthy of an ancient sacred dynasty — they brought along an intact divine garment!” Many drew sharp breaths.

It was humanoid in shape, radiant with golden divine light — like a living ancient deity, inspiring reverence from the very depths of one’s heart, with an irresistible impulse to kneel in worship.

“Boom!”

Divine power surged, vigorous and boundless! Beside the Demon Sovereign of the Southern Range, a sun and moon appeared, resplendent and dazzling.

The sun wheel moved — like a dragon crying out across the nine heavens — a sheet of piercing brilliance that illuminated and broke through all things. The moon wheel moved — like a phoenix singing in the nine abysses — clear radiance like water, overflowing to fill heaven and earth. Together the dual wheels of sun and moon were like the true sun and moon hanging in the sky.

This, too, was a world-enduring sage weapon — indestructible, having long since acquired the fluctuations of living energy, left behind by a peerless sage of the Southern Demon lineage a hundred and fifty thousand years ago. Extraordinarily rare in the mortal world.

“Swish!”

On the other side, Buddhist radiance shot toward the heavens. Above the head of one divine monk of the Western Desert appeared a Buddha tower a little more than a meter tall, with seven tiers, built of stone — yet capable of suppressing all things in heaven and earth.

This was a weapon from a bodhisattva’s path to enlightenment. Not only was the tower body carved from world-splitting immortal stone — a rare divine material — but the bodhisattva had left behind seven relics upon entering nirvana, all sealed into the tower, one relic per tier. This had transformed the seven-tier stone tower into a world-enduring sage weapon of indestructibility.

Moreover, its power was fearsomely extraordinary; very few things could compare to it. It was one of the supreme sacred objects of Buddhism from ancient times to the present.

Three genuine ancient sage weapons had appeared in one moment — all divine objects of towering renown in the ancient history of the human race. Not a single person present was unmoved.

By this point, many people retreated of their own accord. There was simply no way to compete any longer — for a single sage weapon was sufficient to sweep them all away.

In the end, Great Xia, Ancient Hua, Nine Li, and Divine Province — the four great sacred dynasties — along with the Southern Range demon clan, the Western Buddhist order, Duan De’s group, and others, formed a gathering of more than ten major powers at the forefront. The rest had all fallen back. No one objected or said anything further; at this point, strength alone was the final word.

People studied the inscriptions on the coffin wall with intense focus, afraid to miss a single character, for these were words left by the Grand Emperor — recording a startling secret.

The original owner of this coffin had actually been the Undying Celestial Emperor — a supreme existence from before the Primordial Era, one who in the hearts of the ten thousand Primordial clans surpassed even divine beings.

“The Undying Celestial Emperor truly existed…” One of the Buddhist divine monks was deeply moved.

The history of Primordial times had long been lost to the human race. Only fragments had been recorded, and everything else had dissolved in the river of history.

The Undying Celestial Emperor — a name that even Primordial kings would revere with the deepest homage — the most mysterious and ancient of all figures. No one had imagined that the so-called divine being spoken of here would be him.

Everyone turned to look at the five-colored divine ice. Within it was a human skin, emanating an aura comparable to an awakened imperial weapon — something impossible for anyone to bear.

“Heavens — that is the Undying Celestial Emperor’s skin. If the Primordial races were to learn of this, this place would certainly become their sacred ground!”

“If those ancient living beings were to learn that the Undying Celestial Emperor is buried here, the world would be thrown into chaos. Every Primordial king would mobilize and descend upon this place!”

This was absolutely an earth-shattering secret — one that could pierce the very heavens.

The deity worshipped by ten thousand Primordial clans had been buried here. He was not a phantom — he had truly, genuinely existed.

“He is the Undying Celestial Emperor!”

The shock in people’s hearts could not be stilled, the towering waves crashing through their minds could not be calmed.

“A being from ten thousand ages past — a figure of legend — worshipped by countless later races across all of history. There had never been definitive proof that he existed, yet today we have seen it with our own eyes!”

People exclaimed in wonder. Indeed, only the Undying Celestial Emperor from immeasurably ancient ages could have made such a grandiose gesture: felling the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree and using an Undying Tree as his own coffin.

He had lived in the remote Primordial Era — without enemies, in an age when the vital energy of heaven and earth was dense and undying medicine could still be found. Only he could have accomplished all of this.

And the Grand Emperor himself was quite something as well — having gone ahead and moved the Undying Celestial Emperor out, then entering the coffin himself to sleep.

But why was only a skin left of the Undying Celestial Emperor? And where had the Grand Emperor gone — why was there no sign of him?

Regrettably, the coffin wall bore no further records — only those few lines of text, establishing the origins of the coffin’s original owner.

“In the end, there is still no proof that immortals exist in this world.” People sighed, and having learned the truth, they were unsure whether they felt relieved or bereft.

The Undying Celestial Emperor — though he surpassed divine beings in the hearts of the Primordial races — was ultimately only an invincible ancient emperor, one who had simply been deified. He was not an immortal or a divine being.

Did immortals exist in this world? Even now, even these great figures were left bewildered. Every indication seemed to suggest that they did not.

“Bang!”

Suddenly, someone struck. People began fighting for the ancient coffin, scrambling to seize the wondrous treasures left behind there. On the coffin floor was an engraved image left by the Grand Emperor — a Great Dao brand — and not a single person was unmoved.

Duan De did not join the scramble. Activating the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar, he transformed it into a black abyss and drew in the coffin lid — this was Enlightenment Wood; no amount of divine origin stones could ever exchange for it.

“What you have in your hands is what is truly yours!” Fat Duan was thoroughly satisfied. While the others fought for the Dao diagram, he had first seized the most tangible and priceless of the divine objects.

A plank of coffin wood like this — sitting on it to cultivate would make it easy to enter the state of enlightenment. Even cutting off a small piece to sell would fetch a fortune beyond reckoning.

“Bang!”

Someone activated their divine power, but it was impossible to shatter the coffin carved from the Undying Tree. In the end, the Demon Sovereign of the Southern Range pulled out several stone nails, dismantling the outer coffin.

“Those are stone nails refined by the Undying Celestial Emperor — they have survived from the long Primordial era all the way to the present without being destroyed. They must be immortal treasures!”

Everyone’s eyes turned red with desire, but all eight stone nails fell into the hands of the Demon Sovereign of the Southern Range. No one managed to seize any of them, for he held the ancient sage weapon — the sun and moon — and no one dared approach.

“Bang!”

The planks of the outer coffin were seized and ultimately fell into the hands of the Ancient Hua Dynasty and the Western Desert divine monks. One held the peerless golden divine garment; the other held the stone tower from the bodhisattva’s enlightenment. Neither could be challenged.

The remaining people became frantic, fighting over the inner coffin and the Grand Emperor’s Great Dao brand, coming to blows.

“You may take the coffin wood, but the base plank must remain. No one is to damage the Dao-marks left by the Grand Emperor — otherwise do not blame Great Xia for striking without mercy!” The sovereign of Great Xia spoke.

Their faction held no ancient sage weapons, yet they were remarkably composed and steady, sweeping their gaze over everyone present.

“On what grounds? Whoever can take it, takes it!” someone objected — speaking the sentiment of many of the major factions present.

“Then if you are unsatisfied, go ahead and strike! That is what our founding ancestor left for Great Xia — make your move if you dare!” The sovereign of Great Xia shouted coldly. And at that very moment, above his head a sheet of resplendent radiance appeared. The tremor it sent through heaven and earth caused many capable figures to nearly collapse to the ground.

Then a dragon’s roar rang out. A dragon sword came flying forth — capable of shaking the very pillars of the myriad heavens and worlds.

A dragon’s head at the blade, nine-claw dragon markings along the body, a dragon’s tail forming the hilt — even ten thousand rounds of the sun gathered together would not match its blazing brilliance.

“Splat!”

Some capable figures could not withstand even this pressure. Though protected by treasure forbidden weapons, they coughed blood and retreated, unable to endure it.

The absolute-path imperial weapon — the Grand Emperor’s Sword — had appeared in the world. Great Xia had actually brought it to this place.

A dragon’s cry echoed through ten thousand ages. It hung like an eternal light above the sovereign of Great Xia’s head, filling every person there with an almost irresistible urge to kneel in worship.

In that moment, not a sound came from anyone. The Grand Emperor’s Sword had appeared in the world, suppressing the myriad heavens — who could contend with it? It possessed an offensive power unrivaled in all the world!

“Heh heh…”

Suddenly, a hair-raising sound of cold laughter came from nearby. A Dao-Demon silhouette stood in the distance, eyes cold as blades, staring at everyone. The divine being’s Thought had appeared once more.

Everyone went cold from head to toe. The so-called divine being’s Thought must be the embodiment of the Undying Celestial Emperor’s malevolent side — a devil of a thing. Unless a sage appeared, none could oppose it.

“Fortunate that the Grand Emperor’s Sword is here!”

The Grand Emperor’s Sword, capable of nearly toppling the myriad worlds, transformed into a heavenly dragon, coiling through the sky. Endless radiance illuminated the celestial vault, purifying every inch of space.

“Boom…”

Suddenly, another tremor. The sky above shook. An ancient scroll flew out from the skull of the sovereign of the Nine Li Sacred Dynasty, hanging in midair, covering the entire sky and earth.

“Heavens — that is the Nine Li Map! The absolute-path imperial weapon of Nine Li, an undying sacred dynasty of the Central Continent!”

This ancient scroll encompassed all things in heaven and earth, containing within it three thousand great worlds, capable of suppressing and refining everything. Several capable figures were caused to retreat, coughing blood from their mouths.

In a single day, two intact absolute-path imperial weapons had appeared — an event that shook everyone to their core. No one had anticipated that these two ancient sacred dynasties, at the crucial moment, would bring forth the immortal treasures left behind by their founding ancestors.

The Grand Emperor’s Sword and the Nine Li Map faced off against each other, not moving to suppress that demonic figure, but preparing instead to fight it out — undeniably in contention for the Grand Emperor’s Great Dao brand.

“If two absolute-path imperial weapons engage in battle, everything within a range of tens of millions of li will be reduced to nothing. To say nothing of this place — even the immortal palace world would collapse,” the old blind man spoke. “We have no choice but to protect ourselves now.”

“Boom!”

He opened his mouth and expelled a jar — utterly ancient and unassuming in appearance, seemingly unremarkable, yet profoundly soul-shaking and hair-raising.

“Young man — let us work together!” The old blind man clapped Duan De on the shoulder.

Everyone was left dumbfounded. This was the ancient Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar belonging to Tu Tian, the seventh greatest bandit of the Northern Region — borrowed by the second greatest bandit. Now it would merge with the demonic lid.

“Boom!”

A sky-flooding imperial might surged up. No one had activated it. The demonic jar merged of its own accord, causing everyone to tremble in terror. People heard a sigh.

“Heavens — this demonic jar was refined from the Fierce One’s body. Could it actually harbor their soul?!”

From a distance, even the divine being’s Thought was startled back several steps — which spoke volumes about the suppressive pressure of the reunited jar. It was as though an ancient emperor had been resurrected!

“The Fierce One’s lifetime — a lone figure against all the world, astonishing across ten thousand ages. Their absolute-path imperial weapon has returned to wholeness — could they be reviving?!”

Throughout this entire process, only one person remained perfectly calm. That person was Ye Fan. He gripped the Bodhi Seed obtained from the ancient Huoying Star, held the Enlightenment Tea leaves in his mouth, and kept his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Grand Emperor’s Dao-marks inside the coffin, absorbed in continuous contemplation.

“Rumble, rumble…”

Thunder roared across the sky, shaking the ten-thousand-foot jade platform. Thick bolts of lightning crashed down one after another, followed by an endless sea of thunder pouring downward.

“What the hell — who is undergoing tribulation?!”

“Which idiot is triggering a heavenly tribulation at a time like this?!”

Everyone changed color, unable to stop themselves from cursing.

In the end, people saw it — the lightning was striking toward Ye Fan. His brief session of enlightenment had concluded. He was about to undergo his tribulation.