The ancient legacies of the human clan — each great power had come with representatives from old, middle-aged, and young alike: supreme old overlords, middle-aged lords of great might, as well as divine maidens and princesses.
Their expressions all stiffened. To insult the five-year-old child by calling his ancestor a servant was to indirectly insult the ancient emperor of the human clan — and for them, this was deeply humiliating as well.
“You are nothing more than a crawling reptile. You dare claim that the ancient emperor of the human clan was your household’s servant — this is sheer audacity, an outrage to both men and gods. Are you challenging all of the human clan?” Ye Fan’s voice was sharp and stern as he reprimanded loudly.
The primordial Sacred Emperor of the human clan held a singular and elevated place in ancient history — regarded as the common ancestor of the human clan throughout the Purple Subtlety Ancient Star Domain. To insult him to their faces made even the great immortal legacies unable to maintain composure.
“I would not dare show the slightest disrespect to the Ancient Solar Emperor, who is revered by all under heaven and honored by the ten thousand clans. I was only speaking of this child — he is not a descendant of the Human Emperor. His blood carries no imperial lineage. What wrong have I spoken?” The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King argued his case.
Ye Fan shot to his feet, his expression solemn and awe-inspiring, speaking with righteous conviction as he thundered: “Do you dare say that again?! That this child’s ancestor was your servant — do you truly dare speak those words?!”
He stood firmly on the ground of righteousness, deliberately raising his voice — a roar like the lion’s cry of the Buddhist tradition — channeling his vitality, spirit, and mind into it, containing within it his powerful will — a sound that was deafening and soul-stirring, resonating like great bells and ancient chimes, moving all who heard it in body and heart.
Many present had their resolve affected by him. Seeing his great and righteous bearing, they resonated together, and in this moment it was as though the ancient sages of old had awakened — voices rising in unison to demand an answer.
A tremendous pressure bore down upon the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King. This was the combined will of all who had resonated in this place — the intent emanated unknowingly by many powerful cultivators at once.
One could say this was a force of conviction that swept away all obstacles, moved ever forward without halt, and broke through all things — thundering as one against the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King!
Ye Fan advanced, riding this sweeping tide of collective intent, and with each step he took, this stretch of five-colored sacred ground shook — as though the common lord of the human clan were wrathfully reprimanding a transgressor.
“Do you dare say that again?!”
Ye Fan advanced nine steps and cried out nine times. Each cry shook heaven and earth — a sound rumbling and rolling like thunder — bearing absolute and inviolable authority, as though a god had descended into the world!
The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King was suppressed to the point where he could not utter a single word. Even with his heaven-defying divine power, it was impossible to stand against a tide of collective conviction of this magnitude.
He retreated nine steps. With each step, he coughed up a great mouthful of blood — subjected to a form of spiritual pressure that defied imagination.
Faced with Ye Fan’s thunderous demands, he could not form a single reply — he could only retreat — his face flushing crimson, blood pouring freely from his mouth, crushed beneath a great and overwhelming force.
Everyone was utterly stunned. Ye Fan’s methods were truly extraordinary — a single roar of divine Dao sound, drawing the resonance of many among the human clan, a battle cry aimed straight at the human heart. With the power of conviction capable of cutting through all things, who could stand against it?
Ye Fan was like a god of heaven descended into the mortal realm — utterly unstoppable, his divine might awe-inspiring. He raised his right fist, concentrating within it the supreme fist intent of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, preparing to deliver a killing blow.
Crack!
The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King shattered the five-colored jade terrace with his foot, flipped backward in an instant, and vanished like a fragment of a shattered rainbow — leaving behind a trail of blood blossoms in his wake.
“The Reverse Dragon Sky-Ascending Step!” A living fossil cried out in recognition, naming this heaven-ascending evasion technique.
In this moment, people began to gradually awaken — no longer resonating with Ye Fan — and the terrifying Dao sound dissipated. The five-colored sacred ground returned to quiet.
Everyone was deeply shaken. Ye Fan had come this close to subduing an enemy without battle — standing on the ground of righteousness, borrowing the power of resonance through his mysterious Dao sound, and turning collective will into a weapon.
“You… resorted to trickery!” Finally, the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King recovered enough to draw breath, his fury uncontainable.
Ye Fan felt deep regret. This adversary was truly formidable — even under such circumstances he had still managed to break free from that irresistible tide of conviction.
The room fell into silence. No one spoke for a long while. The method used had been fearsome — and brilliant — how many people in the world could accomplish such a thing?
The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King’s expression had turned impossibly ugly. It was not a lack of battle power on his part — he had been suppressed by a great force of collective momentum, bearing the combined weight of ten thousand catties bearing down. No one could withstand that.
Ye Fan sat serenely behind his jade table. “What is it — you cannot speak, or you no longer dare to?”
He continued to rebuke loudly, his expression profoundly grave and righteous — and this expression drove the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King to the verge of vomiting blood. Using the power of circumstance and capitalizing on borrowed momentum — in the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King’s eyes, this was a head that deserved to be cut off.
“Who do you think you are? The host of this gathering — the Venerable Xuangui — has said nothing. Yet you presume to lecture others. You dare insult the Sacred Emperor of the human clan — are you looking to make enemies of the entire world?” Ye Fan sat behind his jade table, his expression filled with absolute authority as he declared in a loud voice.
People continued to watch in silence. No one spoke. In the first exchange, Ye Fan had held the absolute upper hand — though this had no bearing on their actual combat abilities.
Among the golden crows, the one who was exceptionally martial stepped forward. He carried himself with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, his eyes flashing like lightning, gold hair hanging loose over his shoulders — a truly formidable figure within the Golden Crow Clan.
He had inherited the ancient Dao lineage of the human clan and taken the Dao title Chiyang. He was the youngest brother of the Golden Crow Clan’s unrivaled Clan King — of extraordinarily high seniority, with terrifyingly deep power, and enormous influence within the clan. He was the “youngest” of the senior lords.
“He is Chiyang the Daoren — so he has emerged from seclusion. He is the most cherished younger brother of the Golden Crow Clan’s unrivaled Clan King!”
“Though he is not old in years, he is the youngest clan uncle of all ten Golden Crow princes!”
People recognized Chiyang — it was clear his fame was considerable. As the “youngest” senior lord of the Golden Crow Clan, his identity was extraordinary.
“What worth is there in trickery?!” Chiyang spoke.
“Is this trickery? This is the way of the sages — the unity of heaven and man — where every blade of grass, every tree, every creature in heaven and earth becomes an instrument of one’s will. If you call this trickery, why not try it yourself?” Ye Fan sat unmoved, speaking from behind his jade table.
A surge of dark mist swept forward. The Taiyin Divine Son stood as though in the eternal darkness — the Saint power of the Taiyin ice-cold and torrential — a chill to the bone. His voice was equally frigid: “Come out and fight.”
“Fighting you would defile my own hands.” Ye Fan sat high above, looking down with a sidelong glance. “You are of the human clan, yet you wish to slay the descendant of the Sacred Emperor and collaborate shamelessly with the Golden Crow Clan — what manner of creature are you?!”
Everyone present was stunned. Ye Fan truly showed no mercy — standing alone against three supreme powerhouses, cutting them down with merciless words, completely without restraint.
“I had forgotten — the bloodline of the Taiyin Ancient Emperor was destroyed in just this manner. Though you call yourselves the Taiyin Divine Sect, you schemed to seize the legitimate inheritance, murdered the ancient emperor’s bloodline, and usurped the legacy for yourselves — and now present yourselves as its rightful heirs.” Ye Fan tore open the wound without the slightest inhibition, exposing it to all present.
This was a dishonorable episode in the history of the present-day Taiyin Divine Sect — they had slaughtered the Taiyin Ancient Emperor’s bloodline and established a new lineage in its place, a process drenched in blood and betrayal.
To have the shameful truth exposed to one’s face, to have the disgraceful past brought up in public — the Taiyin Divine Son’s expression turned iron-gray. For many years the Taiyin Divine Sect had grown ever more prosperous, and long ago had no one still dared to speak of it this way.
“Ye-surnamed one — come and receive your death!”
“Come out and fight!”
“Settle it in the sea!”
The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King, Chiyang, and the Taiyin Divine Son all shouted in unison — all three of them wanting nothing more than to attack Ye Fan immediately and cut him down on the spot.
The crowd was stirred. Was there any one of these three who was not of heaven-sent genius? Each was among the most terrifying young powerhouses of this present era.
The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King was the matchless rising powerhouse of the Northern Sea — never once having tasted defeat to this day — impervious even to living fossils. Every Cult Master presently alive harbored wariness toward him in their hearts.
Chiyang — the cherished younger brother of the Golden Crow Clan’s unrivaled Clan King — dazzling all of heaven and earth, heir to the human clan’s ancient Dao lineage, possessed of divine valor beyond all resistance.
The Taiyin Divine Son — need not even be spoken of. He was Yi Tiande’s sworn brother — said to be one of the most terrifying individuals of the current generation throughout the Purple Subtlety Ancient Star Domain.
These figures were hailed as heaven-sent prodigies, each unrivaled in their own domain, with no external adversary their equal — honored and revered as supreme by the young generation throughout the world.
“If you wish me to take your heads, go kneel outside the island and wait. Today is the Venerable Xuangui’s birthday celebration — I have no desire to disrupt our host’s festivities.”
With these words, not only were the three prodigies enraged — even others present felt that Ye Fan had overreached. With the most terrifying young powerhouses of the present age all gathered here, any cultivator below the third level of the Immortal Platform who came would meet their end without recourse.
People believed that Ye Fan could stand alone against any single one of the three — a prodigy of the same caliber — but to speak so overconfidently against all three was going too far.
“There is still value in maintaining harmony here at the Venerable Xuangui’s celebration.” The Black Dragon King spoke up, then discreetly transmitted a message to Ye Fan: “Brother Ye, come with me when this is done. Come stay as a guest at my Northern Sea Dragon Palace first. These three are each more ruthless than the last.”
Others also urged restraint — this was not the place for a confrontation — yet far more remained silent, speaking not a word. Every last one of them wished to witness the clash of dragons and tigers — for this was a contest between heaven-shaking prodigies. Only through battle could it be determined who among them was the supreme king.
“Little friends — grant this old one some face. Today is the old turtle’s three thousand six hundredth birthday. Let us not draw weapons against each other.” The Venerable Xuangui spoke.
“Since the Venerable has spoken, I naturally have no wish to disturb your celebration — that would be a grave transgression. However, this matter cannot be left unresolved. After the banquet, I will settle it with them in the sea.” Ye Fan replied.
The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King, Chiyang, and the Taiyin Divine Son all turned their cold smiles upon Ye Fan. The Venerable Xuangui had already spoken — even these three did not dare offend an ancient being who had lived three thousand six hundred years. Even their own clan leaders were wary of him.
The birthday banquet began. What should have been a lively and eagerly anticipated occasion — after all, this was the birthday of a supreme ancient demon, and everyone was glad to come and cultivate good relations — had become instead a gathering of people whose hearts itched with restless anticipation, desperate for the banquet to end so they could watch Ye Fan and the others contend for supremacy.
Everyone wished to know — who was the true king among kings? Who held the genuine right to contend for the title of the greatest divine being of the future?
Upon the jade tables, rare delicacies from land and sea and fine aged wines were available in abundance — yet to the gathered assembly they tasted of nothing, and several were already struggling to remain seated. The central figures involved, however, were entirely composed — Ye Fan and the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon King alike poured their own drinks and drank them at leisure, thoroughly unhurried.
Ye Fan even poured a cup for little Tong Tong, and the little one drank until his small face flushed rosy red and clamored for more — leaving everyone at a loss for words.
It was only when the Venerable Xuangui commanded the young demons to present the honored guests with the unique delicacy of this ancient cave-dwelling — the Mysterious Warrior Fruit — that people were truly captivated.
A jade-green fruit, shaped like a tiny turtle, no larger than a pigeon’s egg — crystalline and translucent, its fragrance so thick it was impossible to disperse, enough to set one’s mouth watering.
This was the exclusive specialty of the ancient cave-dwelling — grown by the Mysterious Warrior Vine whose roots reached into the milk of the sea. It conferred great benefits upon cultivation, yet was extraordinarily rare. Even in an entire year it would not produce many, and so even honored guests received only one each.
Afterward, the guests were drawn back into the festive spirit of the birthday celebration. Savoring the Mysterious Warrior Fruit, they watched as a celestial maiden of the Guanghan Palace danced — a sight of peerless and breathtaking beauty, utterly enchanting and a feast for the eyes.
This was one of Yi Qingwu’s junior martial sisters — second in status only to her — of exceptional beauty, dancing with the heavenly wind, lithe and graceful, like a Mysterious Lady descended from the heavens.
However, people could not help but feel some regret — the Divine Maiden Yi Qingwu had not come. To be unable to behold her peerless and transcendent splendor was, one could not help but say, a matter of some regret. Many had already been moved to prostrate themselves willingly at her feet.
Yet soon, people let go of this feeling. The Moon Poetry Princess of the Purple Subtlety Divine Dynasty was present — regarded as the second great beauty of the present age, who had once competed in radiance with Yi Qingwu herself — a truly matchless and stunning beauty, her luminous brilliance like a pearl releasing its glow, brightening the entire sea island.
When the Moon Poetry Princess of the Purple Subtlety Divine Dynasty danced, many could not help but be transfixed. The singing that accompanied it was even more stirring to the heart, and people found themselves wishing the banquet would go on without end.
“Moon Poetry intends to go out to the sea to watch the battle as well — and hopes to play a piece upon the jade qin, composing a song for this world-shaking battle.”
The banquet had already ended, yet many were still lost in a reverie — and it was only upon the Moon Poetry Princess’s soft words that they snapped back to awareness, finding that the figures around them had already grown sparse, most heading skyward and out to sea.
A world-shaking battle could no longer be avoided!