“Boom!”
The black ancient war chariot slammed into that great star — a clash between king-level divine weapons — unleashing a wave of devastating force.
Below, the Desolate wasteland that had long since been reduced to desert instantly became a sea of molten rock, surging like a vast ocean, crashing up into the high heavens and scattering the clouds.
Like an apocalyptic catastrophe, the clash of mighty king-level divine weapons wrought devastation beyond imagination — something no human force could withstand.
In that instant, the black dragon chariot and that star locked together, shaking incessantly. Dark radiance and starlight spilled in all directions, shattering the void and destroying everything in their path.
Ye Fan stood within the Golden Tai Chi Circle, swinging the God-Striking Whip in hundreds upon hundreds of strikes, like a green dragon dancing through the air, tearing the heavens apart.
Hua Yunfei fought back with all his might, the Phoenix-Wing Gilded Staff ringing loudly in his hands, sparks flying everywhere. A divine phoenix took form, its cry shaking the nine heavens, the void itself battered and torn.
“Pfft!”
Hua Yunfei opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of five-colored blood — like a divine flower blooming, radiant and enchanting. The blood pulsed with divine power as he stumbled backward.
“This is bad!”
Ye Fan sensed that something was terribly wrong. He had been tricked. The divine temple that had been unstable in the sky above suddenly solidified, descending like an eternal imperial weapon, radiating an overwhelming Pressure Aura.
Hua Yunfei had used himself as bait. Knowing Ye Fan could not kill him, he had laid the groundwork for Li Xiaoman’s killing strike — meaning to critically wound their enemy. He had used the great star to pin down the ancient war chariot, leaving it unable to move even an inch.
This was a magnificent golden divine temple, flowing with divine light. Every brick, every stone step gleamed with splendor — incomparably sacred and awe-inspiring, like the birthplace of a deity.
It weighed as much as hundreds of millions of tons, enough to crush heaven and earth. The flesh could not withstand it. It pressed down toward Ye Fan, forcing him to abandon the dragon chariot, or he would surely be crushed to a pulp.
“Boom!”
The earth sank, like the end of the world. On the distant horizon, mountain ranges collapsed one after another, smoke and dust billowing into the sky — a scene of terrifying devastation.
Ye Fan tried several times but could not drive the black war chariot — it was fused with the great star, impossible to separate, impossible to wield. The king-level weapon spirit could not be unleashed.
He had no choice but to channel the Dou character secret technique, unleashing a blazing torrent of radiance to forcefully resist the golden temple. The Golden Tai Chi Circle blazed brilliantly, its light swallowing heaven and earth.
Ye Fan gave everything he had, striking upward into the high sky. The sound was deafening; divine power surged like a vast ocean.
He managed to hold back the golden ancient temple, bringing it nearly to collapse. The golden courtyard walls cracked, the temple gates came crashing down, golden light flowing and cascading like water.
“Rumble!”
Ye Fan manifested the Golden Tai Chi Circle and surged upward, finally shattering the golden ancient temple, splitting it into four pieces. With one punch, mountains crumbled and the heavens cracked.
Li Xiaoman let out a cry, her beautiful hair flying, and spat several mouthfuls of fresh blood in rapid succession. She flew backward, her Lotus Battle Garment cracking apart in a large section, its luster dimming.
Hua Yunfei made his move. From above his head, the Primordial Treasure Vase released tens of thousands of dark beams of light, strand by strand, doubling his Transcendent Immortal power. Once again, he intercepted and attacked Ye Fan.
Ye Fan was blocked and could only stop to engage in combat. This was an extraordinarily formidable enemy who could not be taken lightly — he had missed a chance to pursue and finish off Li Xiaoman.
Up in the sky, Li Xiaoman steadied herself, chanting an ancient scripture. Her whole body became crystalline and luminous as she released a sheet of divine light that transformed into a golden ancient diagram, manifesting the ancient temple in all its mystery.
Dao tones, Buddhist chants, and sacrificial hymns seemed to drift in from the most ancient of times. Gathered together, they were cast into a brand-new golden divine temple, rendering it even more mysterious than before.
The two king-level divine weapons remained locked together. While Ye Fan battled Hua Yunfei fiercely, Li Xiaoman struck again, unleashing her uncanny power in the assault.
The golden ancient temple descended, its gates thrown wide open with a force that could devour the sky, forcibly drawing Ye Fan inside. This divine temple was immensely powerful and terrifying, capable of suppressing all living beings.
At that moment, Ye Fan’s entire body screamed in agony — he was actually being refined alive within it. All manner of ancient divine sounds rose in unison, as though three thousand divine monks were chanting scriptures together.
Had he not created the Golden Tai Chi Circle, which repels all techniques, he would most certainly have been in mortal danger. This was a terrifying sacrificial refinement that sought to dissolve him within the golden ancient temple.
Ye Fan steadied his mind and spirit, manifested the Tai Chi Circle, achieved unity of heaven and man, and let the great Dao take its natural course. Every strike carried the profound principles of heaven and earth as he tore open the temple’s courtyard walls, step by step, walking free.
But just then, a bone-chilling aura seeped through — inside the golden ancient temple, light flickered, and the corpses of golden-bodied Arhats lay scattered one after another.
Among them were also fallen Bodhisattvas, their seven-colored divine blood flowing freely, rendering the ancient temple uncanny and mysterious, terrifyingly so.
At the same moment, a golden figure approached step by step. The golden-bodied Arhats and Bodhisattvas all lay slain at its feet, as though a deity were walking in from the most ancient of ages.
It seemed right before his eyes, yet also impossibly far away — its fundamental aura impossible to grasp, impossible to see clearly. Only a terrible power surged forth.
“Strangely familiar, yet I don’t know who it is…” Within Ye Fan’s heart arose a thousand doubts, but he had no time to dwell on them. For now, slaying the enemy was what mattered most.
“Boom!”
A tide of overwhelming divine might surged forward. Inside this golden ancient temple, that figure was like a sovereign — destroying all living beings, with even Bodhisattvas unable to withstand its edge.
Ye Fan’s mind and spirit nearly shattered. A trickle of golden blood escaped the corner of his mouth, and he murmured to himself: “None of this is real. It is merely a form of divine power that Li Xiaoman has borrowed — a re-enactment of something from ages past. It does not carry that true level of might here and now!”
“Swish!”
He opened his Heavenly Eye of Origins, piercing through illusion and seeing directly to the source. The so-called golden temple, the golden-bodied Arhats, the Bodhisattvas, and even the sovereign figure — all of it was woven from interlacing golden laws. Even the sovereign was not a physical being, merely a divine consciousness that had taken hold.
“Hmph!”
Ye Fan let out a cold snort. The golden lake at his brow blazed with fierce brilliance as a small golden figure stepped forth, identical to himself — equally like a deity.
Having endured countless heavenly tribulations, his divine consciousness was incomparably powerful. He sent it charging into the laws — this was a most unusual kind of duel.
Ye Fan channeled the Jie character secret technique, cycling it continuously, and before long succeeded in activating it. The small golden figure that had stepped from his brow instantly grew ten times stronger, charging forward like a divine being.
This powerful divine consciousness, having taken the form of a small golden figure, opened its divine eyes and could clearly perceive every single law, dismantling the ancient temple piece by piece.
Ahead, the golden figure charged forward like a god or demon — this was the sovereign of the ancient temple, formed from a thread of divine consciousness, its power earth-shattering.
The two clashed in fierce contest, releasing terrifying waves of psychic force. Wherever they passed, the void collapsed — nothing could withstand them.
Ye Fan was shaken inwardly. Just what kind of power had Li Xiaoman borrowed? This thread of divine consciousness was so terrifyingly strong — had he not activated the Jie character secret technique, he would most likely have met a bitter end.
One had to know that his divine consciousness was extraordinarily remarkable. Even when he had been a lowly minor cultivator, he had already been able to suppress many people — to say nothing of now.
And yet, at this moment, it still required the Jie character secret technique triggered to ten times its power before he could suppress this god-like existence within the ancient temple. The two battled, shaking the golden divine temple’s courtyard walls into pieces.
In the end, the small golden figure at Ye Fan’s brow proved mightier, grinding that existence into nothing — a flash, and it was gone.
“Boom!”
A thunderous, earth-shaking roar erupted. All the Buddhist chants and sacrificial hymns vanished. The small golden figure at Ye Fan’s brow destroyed the ancient temple with one punch, and it ceased to exist.
Not far away, Li Xiaoman cried out in alarm, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood. She nearly plummeted from the high sky as a sheet of golden divine light submerged itself back into her body.
On the other side, Hua Yunfei finally lost the strength to suppress the black ancient war chariot. He withdrew the star and fell back.
Ye Fan stood atop the dragon chariot. A flash of light pulsed at his brow as the small golden figure reentered it. Holding the God-Striking Whip, he fixed his gaze on his two great enemies with cold indifference.
From this point onward, only a fight to the death would do. Neither side was willing to back down — both wanted the other eliminated.
Ye Fan furrowed his brow. Hua Yunfei alone was already a great enemy, capable of matching him in battle, and now with the added presence of Li Xiaoman and her mysterious power, this fight promised to be extraordinarily grueling.
The void trembled, and above his head a cauldron appeared. The Primal Chaos Mother Qi cascaded down like a curtain of rain, layer upon layer, strand upon strand, the Profound Yellow Qi swirling as it enveloped him completely.
By now, this cauldron had already interwoven a portion of laws and could prove tremendously useful. In terms of its sheer sturdiness alone, nothing could compare. It served perfectly for defense, and would be very difficult to break through.
About to fight with everything he had, about to engage in a battle of life and death — only now did Ye Fan bring out this cauldron. Otherwise he would not have produced it.
He also had the scepter of the Heavenly Court upon him. Unfortunately, it was sealed, and for now was nothing more than an ordinary weapon matched to his current realm.
Stars glittered, the silver moon glowed soft and gentle, the night was like still water — and the great battle was joined once more, both sides unleashing their full power.
Hua Yunfei, heedless of the danger, forcibly used the Phoenix Tribulation Rebirth Technique to restore himself to peak condition, then engaged Ye Fan with his Transcendent Immortal power.
Above Li Xiaoman’s head, the Primordial Treasure Vase also appeared, releasing streams of dark light that connected to the three hundred and sixty-five golden vortices on the surface of her body — utterly uncanny.
She was undergoing a re-manifestation. Within each golden vortex sat a golden figure in meditation, with a world connected behind each one. With every exchange, a terrifying force would erupt from within.
As the battle wore on, golden palms would sometimes thrust out from those golden vortices, various divine weapons and sacred treasures surging forth to suppress and crush downward — extraordinarily terrifying.
Ye Fan was startled inwardly. Just how powerful were the divine beings seated within those golden vortices? The one he had shattered inside the ancient temple was certainly not their true divine consciousness.
How had Li Xiaoman borrowed such power? Was it truly possible to use it naturally simply by cultivating this particular heavenly technique?
This battle was extraordinarily grueling. They fought all the way through until deep into the night, all of them sustaining grievous injuries, yet no result had been decided.
Hua Yunfei was himself already a match for Ye Fan; adding a powerful Li Xiaoman on top of that went without saying. Even with the Primal Chaos Mother Qi Cauldron to defend him, Ye Fan found it impossible to finish off the two of them.
By the time the battle reached its latter stages, Ye Fan had fought with everything he had and burned with true killing intent. Li Xiaoman and Hua Yunfei joining together to assault him chilled him deeply. He exerted every means at his disposal to counter the two of them. All manner of phenomena emerged: an endless golden divine sea surged and billowed, a green lotus accompanied him at his side, Primordial Chaos Qi wound about him, an Immortal King descended upon the nine heavens, and magnificent rivers and mountains appeared.
The Xing character secret technique, the Dou character secret technique, and the Jie character secret technique were all unleashed simultaneously. Ye Fan stood within the Tai Chi Circle, manifesting numerous phenomena, the light at his brow flickering as his golden divine consciousness took the form of a small figure charging forth.
The Primal Chaos Mother Qi Cauldron rose and fell. The God-Striking Whip swung. The black dragon chariot charged. Every means was deployed, and this stretch of heaven and earth raged into violent chaos.
All manner of phenomena burst forth in terrifying succession — they were on the verge of coalescing into one unique phenomenon. Unfortunately, it remained indistinct and impossible to see clearly, yet its power was unparalleled and absolute.
At the same time, his powerful divine consciousness, amplified by the Jie character secret technique’s activation, was equally terrifying, making Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman deeply wary and forcing them to dodge repeatedly.
The Golden Tai Chi Circle reached the state of perfect completion, repelling all techniques. His assault was relentless and unstoppable.
“Boom!”
The void shattered completely. This stretch of heaven and earth shook violently. In the latter half of the night, both Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman coughed up blood and suffered severe injuries.
Having fought to this point, Hua Yunfei no longer dared to use the Phoenix Tribulation Technique again — if he did, his life-source would run dry, and his death would be certain.
Li Xiaoman, too, was pale-faced and blood-drained, having sustained serious wounds that compromised her combat power. All three hundred and sixty-five of her golden vortices had dimmed, and the treasure vase above her head had nearly been smashed apart.
Naturally, Ye Fan also bore grievous wounds, but his divine power was inexhaustible and his combat strength undiminished. The more he fought, the fiercer he became — and he was finally beginning to suppress the two of them.
Ye Fan gave his absolute all, manifesting ceaselessly until his entire being dissolved into a perfect Tai Chi diagram, which he launched as an offering.
“Crack!”
Hua Yunfei was sent flying like a scarecrow. His right shoulder and entire arm became a pulp of flesh. His sternum and other bones caved in, fractured in multiple places.
“Boom!”
From within the Tai Chi diagram burst a green lotus, born from Ye Fan’s Bitter Sea, which struck Li Xiaoman’s body, nearly shattering all three hundred and sixty-five of her golden vortices, piercing clean through her chest.
“The two of you attacking together amounts to no more than this!” Ye Fan was confident he could finish off the two of them. However, he feared they might try to flee — if so, he would probably be unable to stop them, and killing them would be very difficult.
“The Indestructible Body’s reputation is well-deserved. In the future, I will certainly harvest you as a divine medicine and refine you within a cauldron!” Hua Yunfei declared, then charged toward the distance.
Li Xiaoman said nothing at all. The golden vortices on her body’s surface rotated, rapidly restoring her injuries. Her golden eyes flickered. She took one last look at Ye Fan, then turned and fled.