The Great Emperor’s formation rune, missing one corner, had trapped Ye Fan and his group. A host of powerful enemies watched with hungry eyes and dense killing intent, surrounding these several young powerful fighters.
Whichever direction they faced, the enemies were incomparably powerful. They were now mired in a crisis with no means of escape.
Pang Bo gritted his teeth. Seeing that white-robed woman in the distance, he couldn’t understand it, and said: “Li Xiaoman, can you truly be this heartless — you would even strike against your own classmates?!”
In the distance, a clean wind stirred the trees and grass, rolling up wild flower petals drifting down from the mountain, lifting a corner of a garment — Li Xiaoman stood on the mountain without a single word.
“What do we do?” Li Heishui also furrowed his brow. The situation right now was truly too unfavorable. These powerful enemies were each more formidable than the last; trapped within the imperial pattern, there was simply no hope of survival.
“Ye Fan — ah, Ye Fan. My brother died without closing his eyes in peace, visited me in a dream, telling me to grind your bones to dust and scatter them to the wind. Today I have finally found you!” Beneath a great golden banner, a middle-aged man, heroic and powerful — with golden hair falling to his waist — was clearly a powerful fighter from the Northern Plain Golden Family. Standing at his side was also a Grand Ability cultivator.
“How do you plan to escape now, trapped within the imperial pattern?” The Yin-Yang Sacred Master’s expression was cold.
“Wretched brat — you will die without a burial place!” Grand Ability cultivators from Wan Chu and Purple Mansion both had killing intent fully exposed. Their sacred children’s deaths were one thing; but even sacred masters had died or been wounded, suffering losses at the Ten-Thousand Dragon Nest.
On the other side, Hua Yunfei’s guardian smiled with a sinister chill, activating his divine eye to fix on Ye Fan’s fundamental origin, saying nothing further.
“You bunch of old turtle-bastards — have you eaten your fill and are just looking for trouble? Why do you always come to provoke us?!” Pang Bo didn’t care at all, berating them freely.
“Bunch of old rotten-egg brats!” Ye Fan also spat out these words.
The Yin-Yang Sacred Master, the Xiao Family Grand Ability cultivators and the rest immediately had veins throbbing at their foreheads. In all their years, had they ever been cursed at this way? They immediately urged Hua Yunfei’s guardian: “Strike!”
That sacred-master-level guardian gave a sinister chuckle and advanced step by step, activating this deficient formation rune, seeking to trap and kill the group.
“Come with me — this way, we must break through!” Ji Ziyue said. Her purple robe fluttered, light as a fairy, her delicate eyebrows lightly creased, as she moved forward first.
“Dong!”
In the sky, that massive precious vase gave a jolt, dropping a massive sheet of jet-black light — ten thousand strands in a thousand threads, densely packed, falling like a curtain of rain.
“Pfft!”
Ji Ziyue coughed up a small mouthful of fresh blood, suffering an injury. Her body flickered with crystalline immortal radiance as she retreated back — had it not been for a secret treasure protecting her body, that single blow just now would have already reduced her to powder.
“We can’t force our way through!” Ye Fan pulled her behind him, summoning the Myriad Things Maternal Qi Cauldron, suspending it above their heads.
“This is the right path — but we must force our way through regardless.” Ji Ziyue said. She had considerable knowledge of formation runes and had discerned the only path to survival.
“Trapped within the Great Emperor’s divine formation and still hoping to survive — what delusional thinking, futile death-struggle. I enjoy watching it very much!” Hua Yunfei’s guardian gave a cold sinister laugh.
“Is there truly no method?” Pang Bo summoned the nine divine weapons, but didn’t dare move rashly.
“I have a few pieces of jade stone left behind by the Black Emperor, carved with the killing formations of the Limitless Great Emperor — however they are even more deficient, less than one-third of this imperial pattern.” Ye Fan transmitted sound secretly to the group.
“That’s enough. I’ve already observed the one and only path to survival — we can use this to break through in one go. We’re not trying to destroy the entire divine formation!” Ji Ziyue was full of confidence, though her complexion was somewhat pallid.
“Ding!”
The jade stones lightly chimed as Ye Fan sent them flying out, tracing several wondrous trajectories through the void. They had gathered the remnant fragments of an ancient Great Emperor’s killing formation — the moment they appeared, a phenomenon that shook heaven and earth and made ghosts and spirits weep arose.
This was Ye Fan’s trump card — normally he would not have brought it out unless absolutely necessary. But today he had been forced to this point, and had to deploy it.
“Boom!”
Within just a single breath, the mountain ridges ahead were overturned, the great earth sank, the sky overhead ruptured, and the one path of survival was blasted open — a terrifying spatial tunnel appeared.
“Move quickly!” Ye Fan opened the way at the front, charging out first.
Figures flashed as Ji Ziyue, Pang Bo, Wu Zhongtian, Liu Kou, Li Heishui, and Jiang Huairen charged outward together, using these fragments of the Great Emperor’s killing formation to escape the deadly ground.
This path of survival was only open for a single instant before the jet-black precious vase in the sky immediately spilled down hundreds of millions of black rays of light, completely drowning out the path of a moment before, destroying all.
In the distance, the crowd all changed color at once — they had not anticipated that the group could escape. This was no small development.
“Truly beyond expectations — even the Great Emperor formation-rune fragments were broken through. The treasures on your body are truly plentiful!” The Yin-Yang Sacred Master, as a living-fossil-level figure, was the first to press over, reacting with stunning speed.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo counterattacked with the king-tier divine weapons, yet both were sent flying back in the very first exchange, both coughing great mouthfuls of blood. This ancient relic had lived three thousand years — his divine power was boundless!
“Borrow the immortal power of heaven and earth!” Ji Ziyue called out in her delicate voice, like a purple-robed immortal maiden, her whole body filled with holy brilliant rosy light, as she sat cross-legged in the void, channeling strand after strand of divine power down toward Ye Fan.
At the same time, Ye Fan manifested his phenomenon, drawing all of them within it. Receiving the boundless divine power channeled over by Ji Ziyue, his strength rapidly increased.
“Pfft!”
Ye Fan swung the God-Smiting Whip, instantly sending one Grand Ability cultivator from Wan Chu flying through the air — one force breaking ten thousand techniques, shattering that person’s treasured weapon and injuring their divine consciousness.
“Brat, leave your life here today!” A Grand Ability cultivator from Purple Mansion pressed in. A pitch-black large gourd descended from the sky, like a black void seeking to draw Ye Fan in.
“Break for me!” Ye Fan let out a great cry, swinging Pang Bo’s nine divine weapons, going against the heavens and upward, blasting nine small holes through this terrifying black gourd.
“Hum!”
Hua Yunfei’s guardian made his move, leading with the Ascending Immortal Force — exceptionally fierce and sharp — striking from behind, sending Ye Fan and the group spitting great mouthfuls of blood as they were sent flying far.
At the same time, the living-fossil-level Yin-Yang Sacred Master arrived again, raising a hand — his divine power was like a deep abyss. In an instant a massive hand covered the sky, pressing down upon the group from above.
“Bang!”
Ye Fan struck with the king-tier war chariot, the black ancient chariot jolting violently like crashing thunder, black light scattering in all directions — but it could not break through the obstruction, nearly crashing down.
“Living-fossil-level figures are far more terrifying than ordinary Grand Ability cultivators — they cannot be directly withstood!”
At this moment they were in a desperate situation, surrounded in the center, with several Grand Ability cultivators continuously striking, their methods fierce and terrifying.
Ji Ziyue was on the verge of collapse, her face snow-white in the void. Borrowing the immortal power of heaven and earth had already cost her enormously — she could not keep it up for long.
“This isn’t working!” Li Heishui was anxious. Unable to break through and escape, simply enduring this way would still kill them.
Ye Fan strained every last ounce of strength he had, beginning to manifest his phenomenon, hoping to merge all the various mighty abilities into one, manifest the Holy Body’s ultimate phenomenon, and deliver a fatal strike against the Yin-Yang Sacred Master at this moment.
“Let’s all transform into our phenomena and merge into one body!” Suddenly, Pang Bo called out loudly.
Back then, he had nearly had his soul seized by an old demon king. His master divine consciousness had been trapped in his sea of consciousness for years, only breaking free with the rescue of Ye Fan and the Black Emperor — yet in misfortune had come good fortune, as he had received many inheritances.
This was an ancient secret art that could merge one’s phenomenon with another’s, causing the combined power to multiply several times over — tremendously terrifying. Pang Bo quickly transmitted the secret art to the others, then they all went into motion.
Ye Fan manifested his phenomenon, and several of the greatest ancient phenomena manifested one after another.
The moment the “Immortal King Descends Upon the Nine Heavens” appeared, Pang Bo was the first to move — gripping the nine divine weapons, he merged with that immortal king into one, transforming into a single phenomenon, divinely martial and peerless.
The moment the “Magnificent Rivers and Mountains” phenomenon appeared, Wu Zhongtian’s form faded and dissolved, transforming into mountains and rivers and great earth, merging with this phenomenon as one — a powerful and prosperous energy billowed.
Li Heishui, Liu Kou, and Jiang Huairen each merged with a single phenomenon separately, becoming a manifestation of a great Dao, arrayed at Ye Fan’s sides.
Ji Ziyue was the most unique of all. She was to provide the power of heaven and earth for Ye Fan — she transformed into that green lotus, remaining by his side, and then merged as one with the golden bitter sea.
Seven people became a single whole. Ye Fan manifested his phenomenon with might that swept across the heavens, instantly growing many times more powerful — striking out with sweeping force, seeking to cut a bloody road and charge out.
“Pfft!”
He blasted open a path through the Grand Ability cultivator from Purple Mansion with the Myriad Things Maternal Qi Cauldron, forcibly striking out a path of blood and charging through — yet just at this moment a great shout came, and a golden ancient war chariot arrived to kill.
Wang Teng gripped the Emperor’s Sword and cleaved downward with a great cry: “Where do you think you’re going!”
His battle power was superbly terrifying — ordinary Grand Ability cultivators who went up against him had to die in resentment. At this critical moment he arrived and once again blocked off the road.
“Clang!” “Clang!”…
The Immortal King Descends Upon the Nine Heavens phenomenon shook out, with Pang Bo merged into it, channeling the nine divine weapons in resistance, releasing an overwhelming and terrifying fluctuation.
The two collided fiercely, releasing endless divine light, causing all eight directions to blaze with a dazzling light — all was a storm of energy.
“Pfft!”
Yet Ji Ziyue, who accompanied Ye Fan at his side, spat a mouthful of blood. In this great battle, her burden was extreme — she needed to provide even more powerful divine power, and she was suffering continuous damage.
“Hiss!”
The Yin-Yang Sacred Master also killed his way over, one massive hand nearly blasting apart the Magnificent Rivers and Mountains — Wu Zhongtian sprayed a great mouthful of blood, Ye Fan’s body jolted violently, and Ji Ziyue’s complexion went pallid again.
With a group of powerful enemies here, even his whole body being made of iron would not be enough to withstand all of them at once — after all, he was only borrowing the power of heaven and earth through Ji Ziyue, not power cultivated from his own roots.
Too many great enemies. The Northern Plain Golden Family’s enemies surged forward to attack again; Ye Fan mobilized all his various phenomena, sending a golden-furred beast flying, but he himself retreated several tens of zhang, and the Ji Family’s little moon was coughing blood continuously.
“Ziyue, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, keep moving!” Though she said she was fine, her eyes had grown somewhat dim, on the verge of collapsing — yet she was still straining to borrow the power of heaven and earth.
“Stakes are everything!” Ye Fan gritted his teeth. His whole body shook as he forcibly burned his own Holy Power, imprinting the nine ancient characters from the Dao Scripture onto his body. At the same time, he inverted the Myriad Things Maternal Qi Cauldron, aiming it at each powerful fighter attacking him!
“Brat, what path to survival do you have left? Surrender your life!” The Yin-Yang Sacred Master roared; the other Grand Ability cultivators caught up, all striking out together.
Boundless divine power surged in waves. All of Ye Fan’s various phenomena were nearly extinguished — however powerful he was, there was no way he could be a match for so many enemies.
“Hum!”
The Myriad Things Maternal Qi Cauldron jolted. The Yin-Yang Sacred Master’s great hand reached in, seeking to seize it away — a thrilled light flickered in his eyes, as though he had been rejuvenated by a thousand years in a single instant.
“Ah…”
Suddenly he let out a wretched cry — his entire arm was shattered, half his body’s bones broken, and he tumbled backward with a great cry.
In that very moment, he had seized a divine source block, but had not brought it out. Instead he had been blasted into serious injury.
“Pfft!”
Ye Fan manifested the Immortal King Descends Upon the Nine Heavens phenomenon — equivalent to himself and Pang Bo striking together — a small blue hammer smashing down heavily, reducing the person’s already broken half-body into a complete blood pulp.
The Yin-Yang Sacred Master flew backward, his hair and beard all standing on end, roaring continuously. Who knew how many years it had been — at the very minimum he likely had not suffered such an enormous loss in a thousand years.
“Hum!”
The nine ancient characters on Ye Fan’s body merged with his flesh, shaking out a strange and terrifying power. He let out a great cry, swinging the God-Smiting Whip and lashing it out.
“Crack!”
The Grand Ability cultivator from Purple Mansion’s head became like a shattered watermelon, beaten into a pulpy mess. The corpse fell to the ground.
Ji Ziyue coughed blood; divine power surged like an ocean, forcibly channeling into Ye Fan’s body. Her flesh grew increasingly dim, yet she persisted.
“Die!”
Ye Fan roared, all his various phenomena resonating, and for a brief moment something extraordinary appeared — a momentary complete fusion. Seven people became like seven divine entities, divine power flooding the heavens.
“Pfft!” “Pfft!”
A Grand Ability cultivator from the Northern Plain Golden Family was torn apart in five pieces; a Grand Ability cultivator from Wan Chu’s body became a sieve, pierced through by all manner of divine light.
From Ye Fan’s position it was as though a world was being opened — all manner of heaven-opening divine light rushed out, shattering everything that obstructed it.
“Boom!”
The Northern Emperor Wang Teng came charging in, the golden ancient war chariot was sent flying, and the Emperor’s Sword in his hand sent sparks flying — his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye nearly had a hole blown through it in reverse, and he himself tumbled and fell backward.
“Kill!”
Ye Fan saw the spiritual light fading from Ji Ziyue’s large eyes filled with spiritual energy — his heart seized with urgency. He fought with every last ounce of strength, wanting to leave this place.
“All of you, go die!”
He manifested his phenomenon, leaping forward, and finally broke free — yet just at that moment the Ascending Immortal Force struck, Hua Yunfei’s guardian making his move again!
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!” Ye Fan roared. The nine ancient characters on his body rapidly imprinted themselves deeper into his flesh. He disregarded everything and channeled his battle power to its limit.
“Hum!”
He swung the God-Smiting Whip, lashing it so hard that heaven and earth themselves caved in. One strike — and Hua Yunfei’s guardian’s body shattered like a porcelain jar, crackling to pieces, form and spirit both destroyed.
“While I’m here, you cannot escape!” The Northern Emperor regained control of the golden ancient war chariot, gripping the Emperor’s Sword as he came to kill, nine dragons pressing from above, nine divine phoenixes dancing in flight, nine white tigers leaping to the heavens, nine Black Tortoises treading across the sea — divine light stretching ten thousand zhang.
“Dong!”
The two clashed violently. Ye Fan inverted the cauldron again — nearly summoning the Upper Ancient Sage directly — a strange and nameless might of suppression penetrated outward.
“Boom!”
Wang Teng’s expression changed drastically, recoiling as though from a viper or scorpion. The Emperor’s Sword in his hand flew out of his grip, the entire man sent flying backward. Fortunately his reactions were fast enough that he was not injured.
“Receive this!” Ye Fan roared, seeking to draw the sword into the cauldron. “Clang” — the golden ancient war chariot thundered, an ancient Emperor manifested, seizing the holy sword in a single grasp — it could not fly away.
“Cough…” Ji Ziyue gave a light cough, her eyes now holding almost not a single trace of light, on the verge of collapsing. Her life was in critical danger.
Ye Fan urgently poured the Life Spring Water into her mouth, then left without looking back.
“Where do you think you’re going!” The Northern Emperor gave relentless chase from behind, killing intent soaring to the sky.
At the same time, from the direction of the Immortal Transformation Pool, many people came charging over, pursuing in this direction — quite a few powerful fighters were coming.
Ye Fan had no desire to linger. The Movement Secret Art unfolded like lightning as he departed. His eyes were ice-cold; he swept one glance toward the distant Li Xiaoman standing on a cliff, said not a single word, and only continuously fed Ji Ziyue the Life Divine Spring.
Not knowing how many li they fled, suddenly heaven and earth jolted violently — a vast ancient scroll spread horizontally across the sky, covering over this entire world. Supreme might radiated downward.
Ahead stood a woman of matchless, city-toppling beauty — her appearance dimming even the sun and moon — as though she had descended from the nine heavens, her bearing absolutely unique in this world. She was the Moon Spirit Princess of the Nine Li Divine Dynasty, renowned as the second most beautiful woman in the Central Province.
In the sky, an ancient patriarch of the Nine Li Divine Dynasty was summoning an imperial weapon, seeking to draw Ye Fan inside!
An ancient Great Emperor’s weapon — known as an extreme Dao item. Though it had only just begun to revive, it was something that human power absolutely could not withstand. Ye Fan’s heart jolted violently; he was nearly in despair.
The Nine Li Scroll — containing all heaven and earth, holding three thousand great worlds within, capable of suppressing and refining all things. Some of those who had been pursuing from behind were sent tumbling back by it, spitting great mouthfuls of blood.
This ancient scroll’s supreme might permeated everywhere, shaking ancient times, present times, and all future times — all ten thousand heavens were trembling simultaneously!
“Hum!”
A light tremor — the green copper block Ye Fan had obtained from the Immortal Transformation Pool appeared, and at the same time the blue lotus in his bitter sea swayed in radiance, flying out of its own volition, taking root upon that copper.
The complexion of every single person present changed, all of them losing color in shock!