The radiant morning glow — the eternal morning glow. Zhang Lin’s body dissolved into fragments of light scattered across the sky, drifting away with the wind, and was gone forever.

Scattered fragments of light, flowing and draining away, impossible to hold back. Yang Yi’s grief was shattering — her heart torn apart, her tears falling like rain. She wept with deep and bitter anguish. The sound of her cries of sorrow filled the entire expanse of heaven and earth.

This was a morning that left the heart desolate with grief — it would become a memory carved into the very bone, impossible to forget in this life or in all the lives to come.

Within Ye Fan’s heart too there was a sharp and bitter ache. The Fifth-Generation Source Heaven Master had simply departed like this — a hero’s final curtain. A mournful song like a lament. It left one’s spirit shadowed with sorrow.

This was Zhang Lin’s end…

That brilliant smile. That transcendent and matchless bearing. That golden figure dissolving to fragments in the light of dawn — it had all become eternal, an immortal image, branded into the hearts of those who came after.

“Zhang Lin… I do not want you to leave. If only you would come back to life — I would willingly sink into hell for all of eternity, and pray for your blessing.”

Yang Yi wept with shattering grief, utterly overcome. Helpless, she sank to her knees upon the ground. She reached with her fingertips to touch the earth where Zhang Lin had stood, and gathered that handful of soil within her white garments.

She trembled. She cried out. She choked through her tears. Kneeling there, she buried her face in that mound of earth — and did not want to rise again, ever.

A sliver of morning light fell into the Divine Spirit Valley. One death god after another dissolved into ash — leaving behind only wide black robes, falling in great drifts to the ground.

In that moment, everything had ended. The invincible war company that had come from Zishan returned to dust and was no more. The Divine Spirit Valley had been suppressed and erased.

“Crash!”

Ye Fan moved quick as lightning and pressed his finger against Yang Yi’s brow — and the Immortal Platform that had been on the verge of shattering instantly stabilized.

Upon her white and lustrous forehead, a vivid crimson trickled down. Yang Yi’s eyes grew dim and dim. Her spirit wounded and beyond comfort, she murmured softly, “You have already gone. What meaning is there in me going on living…”

She did not wish to remain in this world alone. She wanted only death — to end this life, and follow Zhang Lin’s path.

“The one and only wish of Ancestral Master Zhang Lin was that you go on living, and live well.” Ye Fan said gently.

Yang Yi’s spirit was wounded beyond measure. Tears fell like rain. She cradled that mound of earth, stroking it again and again, pressing it to her heart, then pressing it against her face — as though she never wanted to let it go.

She choked through her tears, her vision blurred by weeping, and her thoughts drifted back across all that had been.

Ten thousand years ago, she had been the Sacred Lady of the Jade Pool — her brilliance and grace peerless, unrivaled in the Northern Domain, standing supreme. Every talented young man under heaven had been driven to madness for her sake.

And Zhang Lin — tall and stalwart in bearing, having cultivated the supreme source arts, possessed of power that could pierce through heaven and earth — he had walked through the mortal world with unrestrained confidence and transcendent grace.

Ten thousand years ago, one was matchless as an immortal, the other the center of all eyes. The Sacred Lady of the Jade Pool and Zhang Lin together could be called a pair made for each other — a perfect match.

Yet under various circumstances and for various reasons, the two of them had in the end missed each other. Yang Yi’s heart fell into shadow.

Later, Zhang Lin married and had children. Many years afterward, he became the guardian of the Jade Pool’s Dao — protecting in silent endurance.

In the latter half of their lives, they could only be closest friends. Though they met from time to time, they could only stand apart in mutual respect, never drawing truly close again.

Then the ill news came — that Zhang Lin had met ill fortune in his later years and transformed into a demon, leaving everything behind. It was only then that Yang Yi broke free of every shackle, charged into Zishan, and ended her own life — to follow him.

Ten thousand years had passed. The sea had changed into mulberry fields. But to them, it was as though it were still that moment of parting. Their hearts had never changed.

The eternal morning glow — freezing in place this scene of sorrow. Ye Fan did not wish to look on any further. He turned and walked into the depths of the Divine Spirit Valley.

Along the way, blood soaked the ground, corpses lay everywhere, bones littered the path on all sides. Every ancient living being had perished. Not one had survived.

In the instant of dawn’s breaking, Zhang Lin had unleashed a divine law that shook through all past and present ages. Ten thousand autumns and ten thousand ages — a single dream severs the Dao. It had cut down through the entire Divine Spirit Valley. That was an immortal radiance of the Dao.

All three Ancestral Kings were annihilated. Countless ancient living beings crumbled apart. Every last one of them had been completely and utterly erased.

Such power. Such bearing. Unmatched in all the world. In a single night, three Ancient Primordial sage-level existences were struck down — what boundless valor and overwhelming force.

Ye Fan walked into the depths of the divine valley, entered the ancient and venerable halls one after another, and searched carefully. In the end, he carried away a single ancient scripture and some rare and precious objects.

However, he did not sweep through everything like a swarm of locusts. For that was not befitting of the identity of a disciple beneath the Wushi great emperor.

Not long after, he walked out of the valley. Behind him, divine flames leaped and danced, burning fiercely, engulfing heaven and earth — he had activated the Supreme Forbidden Array of the Source Heaven Lineage that he and Zhang Lin had laid down together.

Ten thousand mountains and ten thousand ravines — boundless dragon energy boiled and surged. This place had become a furnace, burning without cease, collapsing in upon itself.

“Senior Yang Yi, it is time to go.” Ye Fan spoke quietly. The matter here was resolved. They could not linger.

Yang Yi rose. She wrapped that mound of earth carefully within her white garments. She wiped clean the last tear from her face. “I understand now,” she said. “I see it clearly.”

Ye Fan was puzzled — he did not understand what she meant.

She ceased her weeping. A faint light came into her eyes, and they grew firm and resolute.

A flash of light — Dao markings shimmered — and they stepped through the void domain gate, vanishing from this place.

The boundless mountain ranges burned. The dragon energy buried deep beneath the earth surged upward in its entirety, transforming into brilliant radiance. Many great mountains were toppling and falling, raising billowing clouds of dust that filled the sky.

The collapse continued without end — as though the end of the world had arrived. This place had become a wasteland.

“What has happened? Why is the Divine Spirit Valley engulfed in fire — are they conducting a sacred sacrifice?”

“Such a powerful surge of divine energy — are they refining a supreme ancient weapon?”

Since the Divine Spirit Valley had emerged from seclusion, this place had long since become a land of demonic power. None dared approach. Those who forced their way in were killed without exception. For several thousand li in every direction, it was forbidden ground.

“No — look at that mountain collapsing, look at that valley sinking and caving in. It’s as though it’s being destroyed. Who could be doing this? Is someone actually mounting a large-scale attack on the Divine Spirit Valley?”

At last people noticed that something was wrong. Some, gathering their courage, began to draw near and observe what manner of change had occurred.

“What — the Divine Spirit Valley is covered in corpses everywhere. Blood has formed rivers, dyeing the ground red. There is not a single survivor!”

People were struck with horror. Who could have done this? To annihilate an Ancient Primordial Royal Clan — it was simply beyond imagining.

The mountains fell. The valley sank. The great earth caved and collapsed. Everything was being destroyed. This place had become a land of calamity, never to return to its former glory.

“Zhang Lin, beneath Wushi, acting in accordance with the great emperor’s decree to suppress and destroy the Divine Spirit Valley!”

People froze with shock. Those words were like a curse echoing and reverberating through the mountains and ravines, rumbling and sounding without cease, ringing throughout heaven and earth.

This was the Supreme Forbidden Array of the Source Heaven Lineage at work — imprinting a clear and unmistakable mark again and again, unleashing a supreme heavenly might — like a great emperor’s low rumbling growl.

A vast and immense sound spread across this entire stretch of land, rumbling and resounding — like an ancient war chariot of the Heavenly Emperor passing overhead, grinding across the vault of heaven, stirring within every person a surging rush of blood.

“The Divine Spirit Valley has been destroyed — can anyone tell me what in the world is happening?!”

The news spread at the very first moment, setting off a great tremor. The Divine City was the first station from which it radiated outward in every direction.

“How can this be?” At first, people simply could not believe it.

What manner of place was the Divine Spirit Valley? It was one of the great Royal Clans among the Ten Thousand Ancient Primordial Clans. Though it had not produced an Ancient Primordial Emperor as the Blood Phoenix Mountain, the Divine Silkworm Ridge, or the Fire Unicorn Cave had, it was nevertheless incomparably formidable — a magnificent and glorious great clan.

“It has truly been destroyed. Not only is the divine valley burning, but the entire surrounding region is caving and collapsing. Every last one of the great mountains has fallen.”

Someone swore by the heavens that they had personally witnessed all of this with their own eyes, giving rise to a tremendous wave of shock and turmoil.

Very quickly the news was confirmed. An untold number of cultivators came rushing over to see for themselves.

Among them were members of the Human Clan — and many ancient clans of various forms and appearances. Every living being was struck with shock. Everything here was too dreadful — not a single survivor remained.

“The Divine Spirit Valley has been swept clean — and it was a complete extinction of the entire clan in a single strike!”

This news struck like a bolt of lightning, leaving ears ringing and souls shaken. The Northern Domain erupted into upheaval at once.

Too shocking. All of it was so incomprehensible. An Ancient Primordial Royal Clan had been annihilated — in a single night, it had become history, vanishing forever.

“A great emperor — the Human Clan still has a great emperor who has not died. It was Wushi who issued the decree and destroyed the Divine Spirit Valley!”

The moment this news came out, it was even more stunning than the annihilation of the Divine Spirit Valley itself. Every soul was struck dumb — eyes wide, nearly turning to stone.

“Zhang Lin, beneath Wushi, acting in accordance with the great emperor’s decree to suppress and destroy the Divine Spirit Valley!”

This divine voice, amplified by the Source Heaven Forbidden Array, grew louder and louder. In the end, it surpassed even the sound of heavenly thunder — rumbling and resounding, toppling ten thousand mountains.

A voice like the bellowing reprimand of a great emperor — every soul who heard it felt their spirit tremble, overcome with the urge to bow in veneration, to kneel and never rise again.

In the end, the ten thousand mountains and ten thousand ravines crumbled apart — while the supremely wondrous Source Heaven Forbidden Array vanished without a trace, erasing every remnant that Ye Fan and the others had left behind, leaving nothing whatsoever.

People spread the news in fervent transmission. The many ancient clans felt their hair stand on end. The entire Northern Domain was boiling.

Zhang Lin had passed on — but that name, like the divine markings of the Heavenly Emperor, could never be erased for all eternity. It had been branded into the heart of every single person.

“Zhang Lin suppresses the Northern Domain — the Divine Spirit Valley slaughtered to the last!”

“Bearing peerless in this age — truly a disciple beneath the Wushi great emperor. Transcendent and beyond the sacred, as could not have been imagined. An entire great Ancient Primordial Royal Clan has been destroyed!”

The entire Northern Domain clamored with noise. Every clan and tribe was in discussion, like a pot of boiling water — impossible to settle again into quiet.

The mountains crumbled. The ravines collapsed. The ancient Source Heaven Array vanished without a single trace. Countless cultivators — an incalculable number of powerful individuals — all charged into the Divine Spirit Valley, seeking treasure.

In former days, none had dared set foot in this place. But now, living beings of every kind rushed forward with frantic eagerness, all surging inward together.

Trembling with awe and yet lit with excitement. Boiling with fervor and yet trembling with emotion. The many cultivators of the Human Clan, the great numbers of powerhouses from the ancient clans — within the sinking earth veins, they pried open one incinerated stone hall after another, searching through the ruins.

Truly, some discovered no small number of treasures — finding rare and precious objects. Dozens upon dozens of great caches were opened in succession.

That day, the Northern Domain erupted in upheaval. The Ancient Primordial Clans trembled. Every one of them was filled with unease and disquiet — a fear rising from the very depths of their beings.

The Divine Spirit Valley was plundered clean in less than a day. Many felt a pang of regret — the truly divine hidden storehouses had already been burned entirely to nothing.

Only when an Ancestral King arrived in person did the mountain range at last fall quiet. Every cultivator withdrew in trembling fear.

Such a monumental event had occurred — the Northern Domain was shaken to its core, all under heaven was astonished. An Ancestral King who had been roused awake could not possibly fail to pay attention.

In truth, within their hearts there was an inexplicable dread. None of them knew better than they did just how terrifying those three ancient kings of the Divine Spirit Valley had truly been — and yet they had been erased like this.

They had no choice but to come and investigate in person, to try to understand what on earth had happened.

“Is the Human Clan’s Wushi truly still alive? Even a disciple beneath him can suppress and destroy the Divine Spirit Valley — this Zhang Lin must be a great sage who can pierce through heaven and earth!”

On that day, many ancient kings gathered upon the ruins. Every one of them felt a chill creeping up their spine — a strange and inexplicable sense of cold dread spreading through their entire being, turning them to ice.

From that battle, only a single being from the Divine Spirit Valley had escaped — one woman who had not been present when the killing took place. Not one other among the entire clan had survived. The survivor was named Celestial Purple Phoenix, and she was the elder sister of Celestial Purple Capital.

“Ahh…” The Heavenly Emperor’s son let out a great roar. His face had turned an iron shade of grim fury. He hurled a tea cup, smashing it to powder.

Many ancient clans knew — he had once gone to persuade the Divine Spirit Valley to send forth their army to attack the Southern Ridge, to wash the Barbarian Tribe in blood. And yet this was the outcome that had come to pass.

“How could Wushi possibly still be alive?!” He ground his teeth, seething with rage. With the annihilation of the Divine Spirit Valley this time, the blow to his authority and prestige was immense. As the son of a god, he bore a halo that none could match — yet even that could not withstand such squandering.