The Divine Silkworm Princess lightly brushed her slender fingers through her violet hair. Her face, fair and lustrous as jade, was utterly calm—yet it sent the ancient clans before her into fits of heart-pounding dread.

Everyone retreated involuntarily. The two ancient kings’ hearts were hammering as well—they even had an impulse to flee right then and there.

“Your Highness the Princess, please calm your anger. You have already killed one Ancestral King. Let everything end here.” One of the ancient kings braced himself and urged restraint.

All around, people were astonished. They had watched their female king be slain—and these two had swallowed it, keeping such a low profile. It spoke volumes about the magnitude of the Divine Silkworm Princess’s power and prestige.

The people from the Primordial Lake also stepped forward, encircling Yuangu in their midst and separating him from the Celestial Imperial Prince—afraid of being drawn into the conflict without cause. They were exceedingly respectful. “We beseech Your Highness the Princess to show mercy.”

Around them, people held their breath entirely. The Divine Silkworm Princess’s power surpassed even their imaginations—she had brought these imperial clans to their knees, fear evident in their hearts.

How many Ancestral Kings could one great royal clan possess? Rarely more than three. A being who bore the title of “Ancestral”—that word alone signified a representative of an entire great clan, their status unimaginably lofty. To kill one was tantamount to declaring war upon that royal clan.

And the Divine Silkworm Princess had lifted her hand and eliminated that female king without the slightest hesitation—swift and decisive, utterly unrestrained. It was impossible not to be unsettled.

“We beseech the Princess to calm her anger.” At this moment, the imperial clan of Huo Lin Cave also stepped forward to plead on their behalf.

“When the Princess traversed the primordial age, kings themselves stepped aside. There is no need to concern yourself with these small matters—let them be pardoned.” The people from Blood Phoenix Mountain also spoke up.

The Divine Silkworm Princess’s violet hair fell in cascading waves, once again concealing half of her celestial face. The corners of her lips curved slightly—cold and proud—as her gaze fixed upon the Celestial Imperial Prince and Yuangu. “Do not presume upon the nobility of your birth or rest on the shadow of your elders’ glory. That is worth nothing. Provoke me, and I will kill every last one of you.”

The Celestial Imperial Prince felt as though he had been struck by lightning. The nine divine rings at the back of his skull nearly collapsed; his entire frame shook and swayed. Yuangu trembled even more violently—the black sun within his left eye and the blood moon within his right nearly dissolved entirely.

“Your Highness…” At this moment, the people of Shencan Ridge also appeared, stepping forward to plead for restraint.

They, too, were somewhat worried. Though their own divine and majestic princess had cultivation that touched upon the workings of creation, she had not yet reached the point of invincibility beneath all heaven. If she truly killed two ancient imperial princes, life for Shencan Ridge in the days ahead would be unbearable. The primordial Ancestral Kings would go into a frenzy—and might very well retaliate in kind against the Shencan Daoren.

The Divine Silkworm Princess swept her gaze across them and made no further move to strike. This caused everyone else to let out a collective breath of relief. What a formidable divine goddess she was—serene and beautiful, yet utterly dominant and unyielding.

The storm passed just like that. In the hearts of all who witnessed it, a scale had been balanced. The monkey’s lineage was scarce in numbers—nearly wiped out of existence—but whenever one of them appeared, the impact was enough to unsettle anyone. People had truly begun to show them respect and deference from the depths of their hearts, acknowledging this Sacred Imperial Prince’s position of great prestige.

The Divine Silkworm Princess expressed her gratitude to Ye Fan, then inquired specifically about the situation regarding the nine sacred medicines above the Primordial Abyss, her brows knitting together.

Those sacred medicines belonged to the Shencan Clan—originally grown on Shencan Ridge, their inner cores infused with fragments of the Great Dao, the supreme treasures of that clan. How had they ended up above that abyss?

She thought back to certain events from long ago but could not piece together the scattered records. In those days, the sacred medicine had flown off of its own accord, and even a supreme great sage of the Divine Silkworm Clan who personally gave chase was unable to stop it.

“One day, when I have time, I will go and take a look.” The Divine Silkworm Princess said.

“Your Highness, please proceed with caution. Ancient kings from other clans have gone before, but all have returned without success.” The people of Shencan Ridge urged her.

“Understood.” The Divine Silkworm Princess nodded. The little spirit on her shoulder also let out a series of indignant little sounds, rolling its large eyes dramatically—a picture of mischievous cleverness.

“Little one, do you still remember me?” Ye Fan smiled and asked.

Nearby, everyone else was keeping their mouths shut—no one dared to speak loudly in the presence of this Divine Maiden. Yet Ye Fan was not among their number, which immediately drew the envy of many.

Hmph, hmph, hmph…

Little Guai gave him a magnificently exaggerated eye-roll, gripped a lock of the Divine Silkworm Princess’s hair tightly with one tiny claw, and kept a wary eye on Ye Fan—as if afraid of being snatched away.

“Ungrateful creature. Back when you were going through your tribulation, I’m the one who pushed you through it.” Ye Fan tried to reach out and pet it—and was immediately met with a volley of indignant sounds.

From a distance, the primordial clans all quietly furrowed their brows. Was the human race’s Sacred Physique trying to draw the Divine Silkworm Princess close, hoping to make Shencan Ridge stand with them? Having a monkey around was already disrupting enough—add those divine silkworms into the mix and everyone would have reason to be wary.

“The human race’s path lies beneath its own feet. Others cannot walk it for you.” The Divine Silkworm Princess said these words, making clear she had no intention of wading into the disputes between clans.

If Ye Fan, Li Heishui, and the others said their hearts held no disappointment, that would be a lie. Such a supremely powerful ally—and she could not be drawn to their side.

Yet they also understood. The relations between clans were enormously complex. The Divine Silkworm Princess had to consider what was best for Shencan Ridge, and she would not lightly step into a chaotic conflict.

“The Divine Enshrinement Scroll appeared and overawed ten thousand clans—yet there are still some ancient kings who are firmly convinced that the Wushi Great Emperor passed away long ago. They will come in person to this grand assembly.”

In the end, the Divine Silkworm Princess drifted away with Little Guai, departing just like that—light and free, leaving behind only these parting words for Ye Fan and the others.

All the great clans present breathed easier. As long as the princess of Shencan Ridge did not stand with the human race, all was well. Otherwise, it would truly be something to reckon with.

Ye Fan and the others felt their hearts sink. This was truly not good news. Even with the Divine Enshrinement Scroll’s appearance, there were still ancient kings who refused to believe—the situation was deeply troubling.

Time was short. When the ten thousand clans’ grand assembly truly opened and these forceful ancient kings descended, there would likely be great chaos—perhaps even catastrophe!

“Even the Wushi Great Emperor’s Divine Enshrinement Scroll cannot bring them to heel?”

Ye Fan and Duan De were at a complete loss. This had been the most powerful card they could play in the near term—and for the short time ahead, they had no other means.

Ancient clans other than the Celestial Imperial Prince’s faction also had those with knowledge of the Ancient Emperor Mountain. There were certainly others who had plumbed some of its secrets deeply—otherwise it would be impossible for them to believe so firmly that the Wushi Great Emperor had turned to ash.

Yet among the human race itself, apart from Ye Fan and his few companions, everyone believed the Wushi Great Emperor was still alive. In these past days, the human cultivators of the Northern Region had been boiling with elation, their voices of excitement everywhere.

They had no idea that some of the primordial ancient kings were smiling coldly—that a small portion of them had not been intimidated. This was a grave menace lurking beneath the surface.

Inside the Jade Pool, it was much the same. Many human Holy Masters believed they had seized the initiative, that they now held great power in their words—unaware that ancient kings were watching them with cold eyes from above.

“What can we do?” Li Heishui’s brow creased deeply. Looking at the surging emotions of the human cultivators within the Jade Pool, his heart was filled with foreboding.

“Whoever is controlling the Divine Enshrinement Scroll—will they appear? Could they come forward to overawe everyone at the critical moment?” Ye Fan said.

“Surely it isn’t that dog, is it? Given its identity, it is most likely an existence that has been wavering between collapse and reformation—one who has now truly taken the path of rebuilding, having once followed Wushi closely.” Duan De said with cryptic, mysterious gravity.

“Could it truly be the Black Emperor? That seems unlikely. Given how greedy and shameless that creature is—how could something like that be a supremely skilled master? That wretch sets his eyes on treasure and goes mad for it, stealing from people he knows well. Even worse than Duan De.” Ye Fan rubbed his chin, finding it nearly impossible to picture the Black Emperor as an enlightened master. That scoundrel would snatch riches from acquaintances—even worse than Duan De.

Now, the human race was desperately lacking in powerful figures to hold down the ground. Once the assembly truly convened, the situation was likely to be exceedingly grim.

“Best to stow away this sacred shell for now. With strong-willed ancient kings set to appear, they will likely come in declaring their dominance right from the start. Since they don’t believe the Wushi Great Emperor is alive, they may well move first to eliminate you—the human race’s only Sage.” After careful deliberation, the monkey raised this grave concern—for he understood ancient kings all too well.

“Exactly. A sacred shell alone cannot overawe them. After all, it is not a truly living Sage. If they manage to dislodge the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar and discover it is nothing but a dead shell—the consequences would be even worse.” Duan De added.

In that moment, Ye Fan and the others felt a biting cold wash through them—like a sweep of autumn wind reducing ten thousand leaves to desolation, leaving only bleak emptiness.

“Brother Ye, after twelve years apart, let’s not leave today without getting drunk.” From not far away, the Great Xia Imperial Prince walked toward them—reunited after a long separation, his face wearing a look of sincere and heartfelt joy.

Ye Fan set aside his worries for the moment and went to meet him. After greeting the Great Xia Imperial Prince, he turned to smile at the white-robed little Buddhist nun at his side. “Little master, you’ve grown more beautiful with every passing year. Have you married yet?”

Li Tian snapped open his folding fan with a flourish and sauntered forward with exaggerated elegance. “Little master, if I may ask your age—would you be willing to explore the subtle teachings of Buddhism together with me?”

The little Buddhist nun who had once resembled a delicate porcelain doll had grown up. But her large eyes were still as clear as ever, and she still relied deeply on her elder brother. She ducked behind him, puffing her cheeks out in indignation. “Not a single one of you is decent!”

“Heh heh…” A group of them laughed sheepishly, all feeling a twinge of guilt at the thought of teasing a pious young Buddhist nun like this.

The Great Xia Imperial Prince smiled and didn’t take offense. He knew this group of people wouldn’t truly do anything to his sister—it was all just talk, taking advantage with words alone.

“Brother Yue Kong, over here!” Li Heishui’s sharp eyes caught a group from the Heavenly Demon Palace entering the Jade Pool. He called out to their young master.

Yao Yuekong was bold and spirited—his violet robes billowing magnificently—his air and grace far surpassing what it had been before. No one could say how many times stronger he had grown. His vital energy and spirit burned and blazed as if nearly boiling over.

“Ye Fan, Brother Heishui—I never expected to see you all again!” Yao Yuekong was deeply moved.

“Where have you been all these years? There’s been no news of you at all.” The Great Xia Imperial Prince asked the young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace.

“I’ve been in closed cultivation for more than ten years. I’ve finally regulated my body.” Yao Yuekong replied.

Everyone knew that, as a Heavenly Demon Physique, he should have been able to look down upon all peers of the same generation. But someone had plotted against him while he was still unborn—tampering with him in his mother’s womb—leaving him chronically weakened and unable to manifest the true power of the Heavenly Demon.

“Congratulations!” The entire group sent their well-wishes, offering him their heartfelt felicitations.

Not long after, Ji Haoyue and his sister arrived as well, entering the Jade Pool alongside a group of elder figures from the Ji Family. They had not traveled north together with Ye Fan’s group.

The Jade Pool’s Sacred Maiden guided these two to join them. A group of old friends gathered together—the atmosphere exceptionally lively—and for the moment they set aside the confusion that lay ahead on the human race’s path, forgot the worry in their hearts, and beneath an ancient tree, raised their cups and drank freely, giving themselves over to open-hearted celebration.

One familiar face after another from years past kept joining them. When the Southern Demon and Qi Huoshui arrived, they brought with them the Central Emperor—a figure Ye Fan and the others knew only somewhat.

“Could it be him? I feel as though I’m seeing a familiar face from long ago.” The Central Emperor’s words made both Ye Fan and Duan De go rigid. Only the two of them were paying close attention, having barely caught the murmured words.

With this gathering of people, it was without question a grand assembly unto itself. The monkey pulled the Shencan Daoren into a fierce drinking contest. The Southern Demon and Central Emperor refined and circulated Qi through their Dao arts as their way of toasting one another. Ye Fan held Duan De in a headlock and used a full wine jar to plug his mouth. The Divine King Physique Ji Haoyue and the Heavenly Demon Physique Yao Yuekong fell into discussion about their respective physiques…

The Jade Pool’s Sacred Maiden, Qi Huoshui, Ji Ziyue, and the little Buddhist nun each displayed their own celestial grace—a dazzling array of beauty—also partaking in light drinks, their every pose captivating to behold.

Boom!

In the end, the inevitable had arrived. A powerful ancient king descended. The divine bell rang out without cease. A boundless, all-engulfing aura of a Sage surged into the Jade Pool—entirely unrestrained, making no effort to conceal itself.

An ancient king with a dragon head, his entire body wrapped in swirling divine radiance, strode in with great steps. Wherever he passed, every living being within range was involuntarily pressed to the ground in obeisance—beyond their control.

This was the might of a Sage. Ordinary cultivators could not endure it at all. He walked straight toward the gathering of human cultivators—and the sound of bodies crashing to their knees was unending, every one of them pressed down by his aura.

The might of a Sage cannot be resisted!

His purpose was obviously deliberate. He advanced with broad strides, smiling coldly. “I have heard that the human race has produced a Sage. How rare indeed. Come and see me. Let me see whether the name is deserved.”

He was overbearing and brazen—with a glimmer of killing intent. Just as the Divine Silkworm Princess and the monkey had predicted, a powerful ancient king had arrived—and at once sought to spill the blood of the human race’s “sole Sage.”