Beneath the bright moonlit night, a vast and boundless sea stretched endlessly, waves shimmering across countless acres, wide open and serene, reaching into an immeasurable distance.
The Feathering Immortal Cliff stood alone at the ocean’s edge, its entire form gleaming white like a celestial platform drawing in the essence of heaven and earth, resonating with the countless stars scattered across the sky. Moonlight cascaded down like flowing water, casting everything in a hazy, dreamlike glow.
The Hall of the Human King and the Longevity Monastery suddenly appeared here without alarming anyone, silently opening their domain gates as they emerged — their purpose: to exchange divine scriptures.
Ye Fan and the others held their breath, concealing themselves in the shadows, not daring to be the slightest bit careless or negligent. Extraordinarily powerful masters were surely ahead!
Each of the eighteen warships stretched several hundred zhang in length, hanging in the sky like drifting clouds, gleaming with a cold metallic luster beneath the moonlight.
Across from them stood the ancient Longevity Monastery — majestic and solemn, like an immortal divine hall suspended above the sea. Every tile and stone seemed carved with markings from a distant age, and a deep, ancient presence surged toward them.
The two — one floating above land, the other hovering over the jade-blue sea — faced each other in silence, separated only by the Feathering Immortal Cliff between them.
For several years, word had repeatedly spread that the two sides intended to exchange their ancient scriptures, yet each time it had proven to be nothing but a smokescreen.
The half-page of ancient scripture each side possessed was of immense significance. Neither trusted the other; every meeting had been nothing more than a probe.
Now, however, both ancient sects had deployed their most powerful masters in full force. They had truly arrived at the moment of earnest action — this time, there had to be a conclusion. It was clear they intended to unite the divine scripture into one.
The area was utterly quiet. A bright moon illuminated the jade-blue sea, and only white radiance drifted down, casting heaven and earth in a pure, serene calm.
Ye Fan and his companions couldn’t sense even the faintest trace of energy from anyone else nearby. There were only two possibilities: either the two ancient sects had conducted this outing with extreme secrecy, unknown to the world — or the figures lurking in the shadows were so terrifyingly powerful that they were simply imperceptible.
“Eighteen bronze ships — they must be the eighteen ancient warships from primordial legends. They can form an ancient killing formation, forged by the hands of a primordial sage!” Yan Yixi recalled some old legend.
The Hall of the Human King possessed an ancient killing formation personally refined and arranged by a sage — its power was peerless, surpassing even primordial holy weapons.
They’ve gotten serious — they must have brought the half-page immortal scripture with them. After witnessing this, the group all reached the same conclusion.
“The ancient Longevity Monastery of the Underworld Ridge — no wonder it has stood for hundreds of thousands of years without falling. This ancient monastery is a primordial holy weapon.” Yi Qingwu murmured softly, a glimmer of extraordinary light appearing within her clear, autumn-water eyes.
Despite operating with such extreme secrecy, they had still assembled such an overwhelming show of force — proof that both sides were wary of each other, each fearing the other might harbor malicious intent.
“I must say, the ancient Longevity Monastery of the Underworld Ridge is terrifying. They have only a handful of people, yet they can stand against any major sect in the world.” Li Tian said.
A bronze drum rang out. Aboard one of the massive warships, its cold metallic surface gleaming, an elderly man with a full head of frost-white hair walked forth. His features were refined and full of life, silver hair cascading like a waterfall as he stood at the prow.
At that moment, moonlight poured down like flowing water, bathing him entirely, making him appear as though cast from white silver. Even the walking staff in his hand transformed into a silver coiling dragon, breathing in and exhaling the essence of heaven and earth.
In that instant, he released a tremendous aura — as though capable of swallowing the heavens and suppressing all eight directions!
“It’s him — Feng Yuan, the clan-brother of the Hall of the Human King’s late Grand Patriarch who had already passed into nirvana. He is now three thousand and three hundred years of age — a figure of iron-blooded strength and dominance.” Li Tian said quietly.
Feng Yuan — this man was extraordinarily terrifying. In his youth he had swept through the world, cutting down no small number of sect patriarch-level figures. Afterward he had secluded himself to cultivate his mind — but every rare appearance since had been marked by iron-blooded slaughter.
Creak.
On the other side, the magnificent monastery’s crimson gates opened a crack, and a Daoist stepped out.
He was not old in years, yet carried the bearing of a transcendent master from beyond the mortal world. A bamboo hairpin was tucked between strands of black hair; he wore an eight-trigram Daoist robe and hemp sandals on his feet. His gaze was clear and serene as he walked out, one measured step at a time.
This was a very young Daoist, yet he possessed the aura of an enlightened master — appearing otherworldly and extraordinary, entirely unlike an ordinary person.
“Sanque Daoren!”
The group all recognized him — it was not their first time seeing this figure. He was one of the strongest young masters of the current age, the sworn brother of Yin Tiande, and ranked just below him.
“Has he grown powerful enough to represent the Longevity Monastery?” Li Tian was astonished.
Yi Qingwu studied him for a moment, then shook her head gently. “No — this is Sanque Daoren’s father, Zhengde. He has cultivated for eight hundred years, yet suppresses all rivals. Very few in the world can stand against him — unless a true king emerges.”
“He is Sanque Daoren’s father…” Ye Fan was surprised. He knew that some Daoists could marry and have children, yet he had not anticipated that father and son would resemble each other so closely.
Zhengde — a Daoist of formidable power. It was rumored that he had placed one foot into the third tier of the Immortal Platform, yet had never managed to cross that final threshold.
While the group conversed through voice transmission, new developments unfolded ahead. The iron-blooded elder of the Hall of the Human King, Feng Yuan — his entire body gleaming silver-white, wielding his coiling dragon staff that breathed in the moon’s radiance — stepped through the void toward the Feathering Immortal Cliff.
On the other side, the transcendent Daoist Zhengde, serene and clear as the Patriarch of the Dao in his youth, walked forward step by step toward the ancient platform that gleamed like jade.
The two supreme masters of the Hall of the Human King and the Longevity Monastery ascended the Feathering Immortal Cliff simultaneously. Its surface was carpeted in crystalline brilliance, like flowing radiance underfoot.
In that moment, the eighteen ancient warships gleamed with cold, piercing metallic light, arranged into an ancient formation — manifesting the primordial killing array.
In an instant, a spine-chilling aura spread outward — like a primordial giant awakening, casting its gaze across all under heaven, bridging ancient times and the present.
The moment the primordial killing array activated, it surpassed even holy weapons in its power!
On the other side, the magnificent monastery opened its gates as well, transforming into a vast and boundless ancient realm — as if capable of containing the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers within.
Dread. Shuddering.
That was the most visceral feeling of the group. This was truly a primordial holy weapon — and its might was supremely vast and terrifying!
The primordial killing array and the ancient holy weapon were both aimed squarely at the Feathering Immortal Cliff. Both sides were on maximum alert, each fearing the other might go back on their word and resort to treachery.
At that moment, the tension reached its absolute peak. The void itself seemed frozen, so still that the drop of a needle would have been audible.
The full moon hung high in the sky. The sea stretched limitlessly. The crystalline stone platform glimmered. The iron-blooded elder Feng Yuan and the Daoist Zhengde stood facing each other. Neither spoke a word; each withdrew a half-page of scripture — crimson as blood — a torn remnant.
Wisps of mist rose and curled. Brilliance without bound. Crimson light stained both their hands red, making them nearly translucent, and the cry of a phoenix rang out — clear and resonant, echoing in the ears.
A single page of divine scripture, cast from phoenix blood and crimson gold!
Forgery was impossible. Such things were too precious — a rarity across a thousand generations — and no one would squander one on a deception.
How many years it had existed, no one could say. The crimson radiance that should have blazed skyward was now contained within a single meter’s space, and the blood-gold surface was mottled with rust.
Ye Fan and his companions watched without blinking. This was undeniably the true scripture — neither of the two ancient sects had produced a forgery. Both desired to obtain the complete text.
Their hearts pounded fiercely. This was the legendary immortal scripture — one that, once cultivated, would make even death impossible. How could anyone not be moved, not be drawn in by its mystery and allure?
At this moment, the surroundings remained utterly calm. Not a single blade of grass stirred. Only the bright moon hung overhead, its soft, crystalline light falling gently.
The iron-blooded elder Feng Yuan and the transcendent Daoist Zhengde extended their hands simultaneously. In that instant, time seemed to freeze — and both sides finally began the exchange of the ancient scripture.
There were no unexpected incidents. Inwardly their hearts were far from calm, yet both moved with measured composure, retreating steadily, on guard against each other as they withdrew.
The crimson light flowed between them. Both figures became translucent and radiant on one side, brilliant as blood crystals, stepping back one by one, each about to descend from the stone cliff.
“It’s going remarkably smoothly — could it be that no outsider has come at all?” Li Tian and the others were deeply unsettled. Were they perhaps the only onlookers?
“This secretive… and truly not a single king has learned of it…” Yi Qingwu furrowed her brow as well, finding it beyond her expectations.
The people from the Hall of the Human King and the Longevity Monastery also began to relax. The two ancient holy weapons slowed their intake of heaven and earth’s essence, and the two figures on the cliff each let out a long breath, preparing to turn and leave.
But in that very instant — a world-shaking development erupted!
A towering figure descended from the starry sky like an immortal falling from beyond the heavens. In the blink of an eye he was upon them, as if arriving from beyond this realm — and at a speed that defied all reason.
He lunged toward the iron-blooded elder Feng Yuan, five fingers spread wide, an overwhelming pressure bearing down — like a supreme master arriving to lord over the earth, unstoppable and irresistible.
“How dare you, thief!” came the fierce cry from the crowd.
All eighteen ancient warships of the Hall of the Human King blazed with light, drawing in the radiance of countless stars and the moonlight, unleashing traces of the Great Dao that enveloped the entire area.
The primordial sage’s killing formation had awakened!
Yet what unfolded in the field surpassed all imagination. This towering figure was terrifyingly powerful — possessing an overwhelming advantage. One claw strike shattered half of Feng Yuan’s body, and the half-page of ancient scripture was seized into his hand.
Spit.
He then delivered a single palm strike — reducing the iron-blooded elder Feng Yuan to a bloody pulp, killing him on the spot.
What manner of being would it take to accomplish all of this?
People were struck with horror!
Formidable as Feng Yuan was — having stood on the ninth minor step of the second tier of the Immortal Platform for untold years, even having stepped one foot through the “Three Slashes of the Immortal Path’s” half-crossing — even such an iron-blooded figure had been dispatched so effortlessly. The arrival was absolutely a terrifying Perfected King!
On the other side, the same event transpired. A thin, gaunt figure appeared from nowhere on the crystalline stone platform — bridging the ancient and the present, as if a god had descended into the world.
One of his hands descended, forming an invincible divine domain that locked the transcendent Daoist Zhengde within — rendering him completely immobile.
Spit.
That frail hand swept down lightly, and Zhengde — said to have no equal beneath the Immortal Platform — was instantly shattered into pieces. A single divine soul fled into the distance.
In the space of a single brief moment, both halves of the immortal scripture cast from phoenix blood and crimson gold changed owners — seized away — sending both ancient sects into furious outrage.
A Perfected King had arrived!
This was surely going to be a great battle.
Boom!
Suddenly, a dazzling rainbow of light split the sky, a single strike forcing back the gaunt, withered king — someone attempting to seize that half-page of divine scripture.
A third Perfected King had appeared!
“One of the three is Yin Tiande.” Ye Fan spoke up, because the Vajra Ring in his hand trembled — the single imprint within it that had never been erased resonated mysteriously with one of the figures before them.
“What — which one?” Li Tian was alarmed.
“The figure that appears thin and withered.” Ye Fan said.
“Of all things — Yin Tiande! Did he not ride his ox westward in departure? And now he appears here, cutting down his sworn brother’s father!” Yan Yixi drew a sharp breath.
Bang!
Another man — like a demon god — descended from the heavens. Unlike the others, he made no attempt at concealment whatsoever. His long golden hair billowed freely, and he carried the momentum of one who could swallow mountains and rivers. The Gold Crow King had arrived!
This was the fourth king!
“You killed my disciples and seized my immortal scripture — not one of you is leaving!” From within the eighteen ancient ships, a commanding voice rang out. The primordial sage’s killing formation sealed everyone inside.
“As expected — even Perfected Kings who have passed into nirvana will ‘come back to life’ for the sake of an immortal scripture…” Yi Qingwu’s beautiful eyes shimmered with extraordinary light.