In the world of today, truly very few people could match Ye Fan in a contest of physical strength alone. The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family had fallen into the cauldron, trampled underfoot by him, and the outcome went without saying.

Though the Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family was a great power, at this close distance, fallen into Ye Fan’s hands, no matter how tremendous his divine arts, he could not deploy them — he could only be suppressed.

The moment he tried to mobilize his magical power, a large foot came crashing down for the third intimate encounter with his face.

“You little brat—!” The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family’s chest was so full of fury it nearly burst, his stomach practically boiling over with rage-induced blood. In all his years, never once had he experienced someone measuring the width of his face with the sole of their foot.

“Old thing, still acting arrogant now? I’ll beat you until you look like a pig’s head — even your grandmother wouldn’t recognise you!” Ye Fan said.

The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family’s temples throbbed with such rage that veins bulged on his forehead. At his age, never mind a grandmother — practically all his uncles and elders had died off. To be mocked and insulted like this by a junior, stamped into the ground, was truly unbearable.

“Ye little thief, you’ve been running wild in my Ji Family’s territory — you will regret ever coming into this world!”

“Damn it, I do regret it — I regret those kicks just now were too light. Let me now measure exactly how thick your skin is!”

Ye Fan’s foot began its fourth, fifth… and Nth intimate encounter with that old face — like stamping a seal, leaving row after row of boot-sole imprints. The force was enormous, each impact accompanied by the sound of cracking bone. What lay below no longer resembled a face — it looked more like a flatbread, without any human shape left.

“I’ll kill you!” The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family coughed blood, nearly on the verge of unconsciousness. For a person like him, no torture was likely to be particularly effective, but to have his dignity so thoroughly stripped — it was worse than death.

“Kill your backside.” Ye Fan raised his foot and delivered a throat-sealing strike, nearly crushing the man’s neck.

“I’ll kill you, you little villain!” The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family was in a near-frenzied state. He opened his mouth and spat out a breath of innate source Life Essence, condensing it into an external projection of himself in an attempt to flee.

“Where do you think you’re going — get back inside!” Ye Fan’s voice was sharp and commanding.

Crack!

Ye Fan’s foot stamped the projection back into the main body. With his peerless physical form, at such close range he could clearly hear the flow of the man’s blood and magical power — everything was completely within his control.

“Old thing — from start to finish you have been in cahoots with the Wang Family, attempting to kill me on multiple occasions. And now you’ve had the ill luck to fall into my cauldron. What do you say we do about this?”

“Ye little villain — harm a single hair on my head, and the Ji Family will tear off one of your arms…” The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family snarled with venom.

“You old thing, still being stubborn? A person like you deserves to be suppressed in a cesspit for ten thousand years — killing you would be letting you off too easy.”

Ye Fan pressed down with his foot, and the sound of cracking bones rang out intermittently. The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family was stomped until he had almost lost all human shape — like a lump of clay, to be molded however one wished.

The beating of Ji Family’s Old Eight unfolded within the cauldron realm. The Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family screamed — a sound no longer resembling anything human.

Outside, chaos had erupted. The ancient Void Mirror was gradually awakening, and the divine spirit within it had stirred, as if about to rouse itself.

The two Elders were shouting, trying to control the ancient mirror and move it away from the bronze coffin, for they had grown somewhat uneasy — they had just glimpsed the Void Great Emperor and had been frightened into near-paralysis.

Yet at this moment, the Imperial Weapon was in the process of gradually awakening, and the two of them could no longer control it. The terrifying fluctuations here were growing ever stronger. Within the ancient mirror, an ancient and primordial star domain flew out, breathing in and out streams of starlight.

This sight was horrifying — a true and actual world appeared, manifested there. How tremendous was the power of this ancient mirror?

Was this something it had generated on its own, or was it an expanse of primordial universe that the Void Great Emperor had intercepted from the source of the great cosmos and refined into it? Everyone was stunned and awed. In either case, it was destined to possess supreme divine power.

And all of this was still not the state of the Imperial Weapon in true revival — the awakening continued, and it had not yet fully come alive.

Rivers of stars without end, surging primordial chaos — none of it could destroy the bronze coffin. The cluster of luminescent mist within absorbed everything; no matter how immense the divine power that poured in, it was swallowed whole.

“An Emperor’s corpse!”

“Is it possible that there truly lies a corpse of an ancient Great Emperor within?”

From the distance, the crowd was horrified. To this day, no one had ever obtained a complete and intact corpse of a human-clan Great Emperor — that would be a supreme treasure beyond price.

To say nothing of anything else — the physical body alone could be used to forge an Ultimate Dao Imperial Weapon. The value of that was immeasurable!

Was it the Void Great Emperor, or the Demon Emperor, or perhaps the Battle-Saint Elder Holy Emperor? People couldn’t help but be seized with shock and doubt. Different people had seen different scenes — there was simply no way to determine the truth.

“Did you hear what they said? What we saw just now may have been an illusion — not necessarily the corpse of our clan’s Great Emperor.” One Elder of the Ji Family came to his senses.

“Then let’s stake everything on this!” Another Elder of the Ji Family drove the ancient Void Mirror, accelerating its awakening, then slowly pressed it downward, sinking it toward the bronze coffin.

“Stop!” A voice of shock and rage rang out from the distance. Seven or eight figures came rushing over at tremendous speed, the foremost being none other than the Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign.

The ancient mirror was awakening, absorbing Heaven and Earth, its fluctuations intensely violent. However, the Ji Family’s restricted grounds were sealed and guarded by Great Emperor divine patterns, which had prevented them from perceiving what was happening at the first moment. Only when Ji Ziyue summoned them did they come rushing back at full speed.

“Where is the Old Eight? Look at what you’ve done!” The Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign was furious. Even he had been deceived and lured away — this had crossed his bottom line.

“Old Eight is in danger — he has fallen into the Sacred Physique’s cauldron. Please rescue him first.” One of the two Elders said.

“What is going on here?” The Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign and a group of Elders stared at the ancient Void Mirror and the bronze coffin, almost unable to believe what they were seeing.

Ji Ziyue’s large eyes were red and rimmed with tears, her small mouth forming a perfect “O.” She had used every method at her disposal to force her way into the Ji Family’s restricted grounds and finally brought the Holy Sovereign and the others back — she had thought they had arrived too late, but it turned out things weren’t quite so terrible.

“Opposing an Ultimate Dao weapon?!”

“The Sacred Physique has the means to oppose an Ultimate Dao weapon?!”

The Elders of the Ji Family nearly had their eyes pop out of their heads, staring at the bronze coffin again and again. Afterward, several of them moved, controlling the ancient mirror and urging it back into slumber, no longer allowing it to awaken further.

Otherwise, with these two weapons clashing against each other, the consequences would be unthinkable — they might very well end up leveling the Ji Family entirely.

High in the sky, the ancient mirror grew hazy and dim as the infinite star domain flew back inside, as if a cosmos had condensed into a single point and then vanished. But the terrifying fluctuations it had released just now were far too powerful — many of the Ji Family’s divine islands had nearly tumbled from the sky, cracked with fissures.

“Old Six, Old Nine — look at what you’ve done!” The Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign reprimanded them loudly.

Hum!

He reached out a great hand and in one motion seized both of them, imprisoning them in the void, unable to move a single inch — completely suppressed.

“Hmm?” The Ji Family members keenly sensed that something was amiss. The bronze coffin was still emanating a terrifying aura, surging toward the Void Mirror.

“Is it… going to clash?!”

They were greatly alarmed. The situation had exceeded their expectations, and even stopping it now would be difficult. There was a genuine possibility that an Ultimate Dao confrontation would actually occur.

“In the past, Ultimate Dao confrontations took place beyond the domain, and there is no longer anyone in this world with the ability to fly beyond this star domain. What do we do?!”

Many people felt their hair stand on end. If a true Ultimate Dao clash were to unfold, even the Ji Family would be caught in the aftermath — even Great Emperor formation patterns might not be able to hold.

These few individuals had sharp and discerning eyes. At a single glance, they could see that what was within the bronze coffin was something that could rival an Imperial Weapon — it absolutely possessed the power to destroy Heaven and annihilate the Earth, and was perhaps even stronger!

“Xiao Yezi — stop the bronze coffin quickly!” Ji Ziyue called out.

Within the Myriad Things Mother Breath Cauldron, Ye Fan ceased his torment of the Eighth Ancestor. He activated the Soldier Word Art with every ounce of strength he had, pushing the coffin lid back with all his might — effort that drenched him in sweat.

Boom!

Finally, after a resounding crash, the ancient coffin sealed shut — seamlessly, without a single gap. All the luminescent mist vanished, the divine sound of the Grand Dao fell silent, and a deep tranquility descended.

From this point on, the oppressive pressure that had been weighing upon everyone’s hearts at last dissipated. Whether Ji Family members or the many guests, every single person was left in a lingering chill of dread. This coffin was too mysterious.

Ye Fan stepped out of the cauldron, though he kept the Eighth Ancestor — suppressed like a dead dog — inside, and made no move to release him.

“Family Head, this bronze coffin must be kept here.” One Elder transmitted this privately.

“Correct. This bronze coffin is too formidable — it must contain an extraordinary secret. What is entombed within can rival an Imperial Weapon. It is worth studying!” Another Elder concurred.

“All of you, say no more of this. Going forward, do not target the Sacred Physique — let Ziyue and Haoyue associate with him!” The Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign spoke with grave solemnity.

The Ji Family arranged a more magnificent and grand palace, welcoming the many guests inside. Ye Fan carried the bronze coffin on his back, and all who stood in his path instinctively stepped aside to make way for him.

“Holy Sovereign…” Several of the Ji Family’s Elders were intensely dissatisfied and deeply unwilling.

“If anyone makes a reckless move, don’t blame me for being unsparing — I will invoke the clan rules.” The Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign’s voice turned cold. He then gave a flick of his hand, tossing the two previously-sealed Elders into a void prison. “The two of you — go and reflect on your conduct in there!”

Not long afterward, Ji Haoyue of the Divine King Physique was released and no longer held in confinement.

At the banquet, Ye Fan was without question the center of all eyes. That bronze coffin was too conspicuous and too terrifying — everyone regarded it with wariness and dread.

Possessing a single Imperial Weapon was enough to found an immortal divine dynasty!

Moreover, the one who possessed it was a Sacred Physique with boundless potential — the significance of that was all the more extraordinary. Once his cultivation reached full maturity, what would follow would be beyond imagination!

In the end, Ye Fan handed over the Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family. There was no way to make a clean exit from killing him here — after all, this was the Ji Family’s territory, and a sacred ground’s dignity was something it valued above all else.

On the spot, the Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign personally acted to suppress the Eighth Ancestor, casting him into a void prison to reflect on his conduct.

The Ji Family offered an apology, and then handled matters in this way. At the very least, to others it seemed fair and just — Ye Fan naturally had nothing further to say.

All the people from the Wang Family of the Northern Plains departed, not a single one remaining. With the help of the Ji Family’s ancient formations, they traversed the void and returned to the Northern Plains — they had not a moment’s desire to remain.

“My son was carried away by an immortal crane before he was even two years old, received the inheritance of the Chaotic Ancient Emperor, and yet he has come to this end. I wonder if that immortal crane could know…” Wang Teng’s father cried out in grief and fury.

At the banquet, Ye Fan was the focus of everyone’s attention, yet he remained highly alert. He knew that what people truly feared was the bronze coffin — this treasure must not be lost at any cost.

The sister of Zi Tiandu was peerlessly graceful, her smile captivating and her figure slender and elegant, approaching with light lotus steps. She offered him wine on several occasions, engaged him in conversation, and even invited him to visit the Divine Spirit Valley as her guest.

Ye Fan knew well that the Ancient Royal Clans were not easy to deal with — one misstep and you might end up as their meal. It was best not to get too close.

Clang…

Suddenly, a bell toll rang out, deafeningly loud, as if it had poured clarity into every person present, generating an instant of profound awakening within them.

Clang…

A second toll rang out — like surging waves crashing against the shore. Completely different from the first, it struck the mind and spirit of all present on the verge of shattering, like waves of rage crashing against their very souls.

Clang…

A third toll rang out — like the roar of the cosmos itself, like star domains colliding, infinite stars falling, boundless star-fields collapsing. The crowd was seized with terror, nearly crumpling to the ground where they stood.

Among the cultivators present, many were no strangers to this kind of bell sound. They had been frightened out of their wits by it in the past, and who knew how many had died because of it.

“The Wushi Bell!”

The Ji Family’s Holy Sovereign was the first to rise to his feet, almost unable to believe his own ears. Even someone as composed and powerful as him was nearly driven to his feet in shock.

“Heavens — it truly is the sound of that ancient bell left behind by the Wushi Great Emperor!”

All the Holy Sovereigns of the Eastern Desolation had lived through the calamity of the past. Back then, they had assembled several Imperial Weapons together to assault the Purple Mountain, but all had returned empty-handed, and many powerful figures had died in the attempt.

“At the end of the immortal path, who stands at the peak? One glimpse of the Wushi, and all Dao cultivation crumbles to nothing. How has his bell come to ring in the Southern Region?”

“By the heavens — what is happening?!”

The crowd was horrified, scarcely able to believe any of this.

“How is this possible? How can the Wushi Bell be ringing in the Southern Region?”

“Could it be that someone has retrieved the Wushi Bell and brought it to the Southern Region, intending to assault the Ji Family?!”

Many hearts hammered fiercely. If this truly was the Wushi Bell, this would be a terrifying development capable of shaking all Five Regions — the Wushi Bell had actually appeared!

“This couldn’t be connected to that bronze coffin, could it? Everything that has happened today — this, above all else, is the most inexplicable.” One living fossil muttered to himself.

“What? Are you saying that the entity within the bronze coffin might be the corpse of the Wushi Great Emperor?” Another ancient figure exclaimed in shock.