The Northern Region — verdant mountains and clear waters were rarely to be found. Red earth stretched without boundary. The Gobi Desert was bleak and desolate, lacking all vitality. Traveling on for hundreds of thousands of miles revealed not a single trace of human habitation — a picture of utter desolation.
Yet in recent times, this barren wasteland had gradually grown lively. The figures of cultivators appeared with increasing frequency, especially in each of the ancient cities, which grew progressively clamorous.
Inns were nearly all filled to capacity — especially the oasis region near Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain. It was packed beyond measure, and many cultivators were forced to seek lodging elsewhere.
“A clash of pinnacle forces — the Human Sacred Body against Yuangu in battle. Not only is this the collision with the greatest influence among the younger generation, it is also a confrontation between two great races. One cannot miss it!”
This was not just one person saying it — everyone was discussing it. All were craning their necks in anticipation, for the date was drawing near and it was about to begin.
From the four corners of the world, across the vast Five Regions, among the many races — nearly all cultivators had been stirred into motion. Who knows how many powerful figures had descended, all to witness one great battle.
This battle’s influence was immense — like a meteorite falling from beyond the heavens into the great ocean, stirring up a storm that swept across the entire ancient star.
It could be said that in this moment, the whole world was watching. Everyone waited in anticipation, silently awaiting the opening of this battle.
The atmosphere of the Northern Region grew progressively tense — one felt as though suffocating. In just three more days, Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain would see the opening of hostilities!
Ye Fan had already returned. After long and quiet contemplation, having absorbed and understood all his methods, he held his scepter and began carefully examining the ancient scrolls of the Heavenly Court.
He and Qi Luo had worked together to make the Heavenly Court’s inheritance complete. Now all its profound meanings were fully revealed — it was no longer incomplete. The Killing Scripture had been perfected.
Ye Fan held the Book of Time, his heart calm and his spirit serene, quietly pondering. The great killing techniques were somewhat at odds with his own Dao — yet it could not be denied that they had their unique qualities. Using killing to prove the Dao, expressed with consummate skill.
“How have things been in the Mortal World and the Underworld? Have they made any moves recently?”
This period of time had been too quiet, and it gave him a foreboding feeling. If the two great divine dynasties were to suddenly strike during his confrontation with Yuangu, it would undoubtedly be devastating.
“The Mortal World has encountered great trouble…” Li Heishui said with a sly grin.
This ancient divine dynasty had been targeted by the people of Shencan Ridge. Following the previous occasion when one of their peak Great Monarchs had been eliminated, they had now suffered the loss of another colossus, with their “Thousand-Zhang Mortal World” shattered.
The news was undeniably shocking — an unimaginably tremendous loss. Within the Mortal World, all is ten thousand zhang of red dust. This divine dynasty claimed it could measure nine thousand zhang, possessing nine small world palace halls.
The experts of Shencan Ridge, using the secret technique of “Unraveling the Cocoon,” had traced them and discovered such a critical stronghold. One small world was smashed to pieces, and not a single person could escape.
“It was still the old silkworm — the one guarding the Shencan Daoren — who made the move. Only one person acted, and he split open that thousand-zhang mortal world palace hall. The news will spread throughout the Northern Region very soon.”
Heavenly Village had special channels and received the news at the very first moment. The outside world had not yet learned of it, yet they had found out already.
Sure enough, before long, the Northern Region was in an uproar. The appearance of such disturbances before the battle between the Human Sacred Body and Yuangu left everyone in a state of astonishment and doubt.
Soon, the old matters of Shencan Ridge were brought up again. This was the second peak Great Monarch they had killed. Was this to be considered the figurehead of the Mortal World divine dynasty? — seeking from Ye Fan an immortality divine medicine.
Ye Fan responded by directing them to the Heavenly Pivot Stone Workshop in the divine city to take source stones. A peak Great Monarch was not the figurehead of the Mortal World — this divine dynasty had a Saint-level assassin.
A Saint-level assassin? The world was shaken — like a gust of autumn wind sweeping past, it made one’s blood run cold.
The old Daoist of Shencan Ridge fell silent, yet had no wish to give up on that account. Their nine wondrous immortality medicines had flown away, now taking root deep in the ancient desolate abyss, while they wished to obtain the qilin medicine as compensation.
An unsettled Northern Region. A restless human heart. The great battle approached. With the tempest rising and the wind filling the towers with foreboding, every wave sent the nerves of all snapping taut.
“Tell me the clues regarding the Mortal World and the Underworld.” Ye Fan closed the Book of Time and looked toward Qi Luo.
“What do you intend to do?” Qi Luo was startled.
“In these recent days, I have perceived some wondrous techniques. I need to test and verify them.” Ye Fan said.
Heavenly Village, remnant of the ancient Heavenly Court’s bloodline, held not a few clues concerning the Underworld and the Mortal World — yet constrained by limited strength, they had long endured in silence, unable to strike.
“Give me a list of those who can be killed — of no great consequence to the overall situation, things I can deal with.” Ye Fan requested.
“That is also reasonable — you can go seek out the feeling of a life-or-death battle.” Qi Luo nodded.
At the same time, Yuangu was also in motion — breaching, one after another, the eighteen primordial death passes of the Ancient Lake, which had been set up in ages past by the Yuan Emperor to test his descendants. He passed through them all without difficulty.
“Before the great battle opens, I must make my blood boil — then I will destroy the Human Sacred Body in one fell swoop!” On this day, Yuangu departed from the Ancient Lake and emerged.
On this day, the Northern Region was unsettled. A series of deaths occurred one after another. The foremost figure of the younger generation among the Living Ghost Clan was shattered by a single fist. The twin heroes of the Feather-Fallen Clan had their heads removed. The young lord of the Blood Lightning Royal Clan was stamped to death under a single foot!
Yuangu struck out, cutting and slaying as he went. All of these individuals were exceedingly powerful and arrogant, having previously challenged his imperial dignity. Now he killed them with a single blow, leaving not one survivor.
“Spit—!”
In a desolate mountain, yet another rain of blood sprayed outward. Yuangu cut down the thirteenth powerful figure. He allowed the fresh blood to splatter across his entire body, his whole being filled with a demonic quality.
Dense black hair. A towering frame. Terrifying eyes. Gazing into the distance, he murmured: “My battle-blood is about to boil. Human Sacred Body — I await you!”
Ye Fan walked out of Heavenly Village. Holding a book of life and death, he followed what was recorded within to track down his targets. Wherever he passed, blood and wind raged. He killed the agents of the Underworld and the Mortal World one after another, raising a great upheaval.
The great battle was approaching. With such a turbulent disturbance, the atmosphere of the Northern Region grew ever more tense. Neither person knew that the two principal figures about to clash were in motion.
“Who are you…” In an ancient Daoist temple within a desolate mountain, several aged assassins died with eyes still wide open in disbelief. They had cultivated many disciples over the years — and now had been uprooted entirely.
“Poor Daoist Yuanshi.” In this moment, Ye Fan had transformed himself into a young Daoist, carrying a sword as he walked, striking down on all sides.
Half a day later, amid a stretch of ancient burial mounds, Ye Fan entered alone, going beneath the earth, and began another great slaughter. Yet another hidden stronghold was raided. Ye Fan deployed various wondrous techniques, turning this place into a blood-soaked world. Corpses lay piled over a hundred deep.
The Underworld and the Mortal World had once hunted Dongfang Ye, Li Heishui, and the others to the point they had nowhere to flee, neither to the heavens nor underground. To this day, Pang Bo’s whereabouts remained unknown. Liu Kou had met his end, his head separated from his body. A rage had long burned within Ye Fan’s heart — suppressed all this while — and had long been on the verge of boiling over.
In this battle, Ye Fan slaughtered from the Northern Region all the way to the Central Region — it could truly be described as rivers of blood flowing. The assassin divine dynasties suffered devastating losses; many hidden strongholds were wiped off the face of the earth.
Poor Daoist Yuanshi — four words that came to represent death. Holding a book of life and death, killing from north to south, the entire Eastern Desolation was thrown into great turmoil. A young man who cut down the ancient assassin divine dynasties exclusively. A merciless demon king. A Daoist who turned the wheel of life and death. Known by the name Yuanshi — shaking all eight desolate wastelands.
Differing from the name of the Wushi Great Emperor by only a single character, this Daoist named Yuanshi stirred up a storm on this very day — sweeping forward like a force that nothing could withstand. Wherever he passed, blood pooled and bodies lay in piles, and few survived!
“Little Ye Fan is getting carried away with the killing — be careful he cannot stop himself.” Li Heishui was worried.
Qi Luo said: “It is fine. In this life-or-death blood battle, divine techniques and cultivation realm are not the ultimate reliance. He has already realized this — which is why he reviewed the Heavenly Court’s Killing Scripture, and is now seeking that primordial instinct of blood and bone. Victory and defeat are simple things — they lie only between life and death!”
The Mortal World — ten thousand zhang of red dust, filled with noise and bustle, sorrow and joy intertwined, with no release to be found. An assassin divine dynasty bore this as its name, yet it also represented a kind of artistic conception. Once entangled by them, one’s life in this world had practically reached its end.
This ancient palace, claiming it could measure nine thousand zhang of mortal red dust — once glorious, looking down upon all under heaven, its immortal ancient gates constructed from the heaped skull-bones of many kings.
Yet within these two days, innumerable disciples of the Mortal World had died. This was a tremendous blow. A young Daoist known as Yuanshi had killed them into a state of furious, uncontrollable rage.
In the end, Ye Fan stayed his hand. The next day, the great battle against Yuangu would begin — and he had already found that feeling he sought.
At the same time, atop a great mountain in the Northern Region, Yuangu stood bathed in blood. Even his topknot was matted together strand by strand. He bared a row of snow-white teeth and murmured coldly to himself: “Human Sacred Body — I cannot wait any longer!”
He was filled with absolute conviction of victory. The battle-blood within his body boiled. With supreme confidence and surging battle will — slaying enemies on all sides had nurtured within him a supremely domineering aura of I alone am invincible, and he longed to bathe in sacred blood.
Only one more day. The great battle was about to open. From all corners of the world, the winds and clouds converged upon the Northern Region. Many people were waiting — silently counting down.
The divine city, as the heart of the Northern Region, was now clamorous beyond all bounds. Far too many people had come — far too many powerful figures. Within this city of gamblers, quite a few people were placing bets, already beginning to wager on who would win.
Now, each of the great stone workshops was deserted and cold. No one was there to gamble on stones; all were engaged in betting on the outcome of the Human Sacred Body versus Yuangu. Whether in tea houses or inns, every establishment was packed to overflowing.
Moreover, one after another, battle platforms had already been engraved and prepared. Early the next morning, countless cultivators would cross through the void and head toward Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain.
Without question, this kind of betting had also ignited round after round of arguments — quarreling without cease, even giving rise to many incidents of bloodshed.
“What does the Human Sacred Body amount to? How can he be compared to the bloodline of the ancient great emperor? He will certainly die this time!” Only someone of an ancient clan could say such words.
Some human cultivators rebuked them: “Yuangu will not prevail. This time he will certainly be defeated. The Human Sacred Body even broke through the curse. Unless a young Great Emperor rises again, no one of the same generation can stand against him!”
“How can the ancient Great Emperors compare to the primordial emperor? As one of their descendants, I trust that Yuangu can cleave the Human Sacred Body — the imperial son of the human race — in two. To say nothing of a mere Sacred Body.”
…
This was a great quarrel. The same was happening everywhere throughout the Northern Region. Many incidents of bloodshed occurred. The contest between Ye Fan and Yuangu had escalated into the question of whether the ancient Great Emperors or the primordial emperor were superior.
The clamorous Northern Region. The restless hearts of all. The atmosphere before the great battle was tense to the extreme. This battle held far-reaching implications and involved a great many things. In all likelihood it would be recorded in the annals of history.
“The imperial techniques will astonish the world, and will surely suppress the human race’s mysterious methods, slaying the Sacred Body!”
“The primordial emperor died young — there may still be people of the human Great Emperors still alive. The superiority between the two has long been clear!”
…
This was no longer a duel between two individuals — the various powers behind them had all been drawn in. Everyone was discussing it; the multitudes were arguing.
Who was weaker and who was stronger — the Human Sacred Body or the bloodline of the primordial emperor?
The primordial emperor’s final chapter secret techniques. The ancient Great Emperor’s ultimate path of mysterious methods. This time they would clash — compared against each other in the ultimate confrontation. Who would prove the stronger?