Jerusalem was the holy city of three great religions — each year, untold numbers of Jewish, Islamic, and Christian pilgrims came to pay their respects. Since time immemorial, it had been the center of religious activity.

What Ye Fan now beheld was the primordial ancient city hidden from the world — a city that had never been destroyed through countless wars and upheavals, standing unbroken from ancient times to today.

The black city body gleamed with an icy metallic luster, and from it emanated an ancient, weathered, sacred aura — this was a city of gods, and a dwelling place of Saints.

Its grandeur and scale defied imagination. No mortal hands could have built such a thing. The walls were like black mountain ranges, nearly reaching the sky. The wall perimeter stretched for over a hundred li, and what lay enclosed within was no longer simply a city — it was more akin to an expansive cluster of cave dwellings, shared and revered by all three religions.

Through the wide-open great gates, one could see inside: ancient temples, magnificent mountains, sky-piercing ancient trees — a purely primordial cultivation ground used for practice.

The outer territory was also expansive. A primordial, untamed aura struck one head-on. Mountains and rivers stretched endlessly. Ancient medicinal herbs grew freely. Ancient vines were thick as water barrels. Apes cried and tigers roared.

Many cultivators moved through the area. Both inside and outside the city, there was not a single mortal — no ordinary person could even reach this place. Many rode ancient beasts, armored in shimmering scales, exuding an oppressive presence.

The moment Ye Fan appeared, it naturally drew attention. In these many days past, word of the demon emerging from the Central Plains had spread like wildfire throughout the West — word was out far and wide. Several wandering cultivators who had gone to intercept him had all been defeated and killed.

The Central Plains demon was said to be traveling west to desecrate the glory of God and slaughter His people. This had been in wide circulation, and some were waiting and hoping to slay the demon, to become a legendary hero.

“He’s here — this is the man who single-handedly defeated the Crusader army?”

The city walls were crowded with onlookers of every clan. Ancient woodlands outside the city teemed with figures, and mounted knights on powerful beasts patrolled the area. Among them, many had no intention of striking — this was the holy city of three great religions, and Ye Fan had thus far offended only one.

“Master, shall we enter the city?” Huang Tiannu asked.

That one night, she had been outrageously bold — teasing and flirting with Ye Fan — yet she showed not the slightest awkwardness afterward. She remained as lively as ever in daily life, as if nothing had happened.

“No hurry.” Ye Fan shook his head. Facing this ancient city, he studied it carefully, quietly estimating whether the black arrows could pierce through it.

If the followers of the three great religions heard that thought, they would surely be furious enough to fight him to the death. Of course, he harbored no desire for wanton destruction — he was only calculating the various possible consequences. If there was a heaven-piercing grand formation within, could it be broken?

“Everyone — I have not come here for any other purpose. I only wish to retrieve the ancestral artifacts of the Central Plains. I have no wish to offend anyone.” Ye Fan spoke. If it was not necessary, he did not want to unleash a great slaughter and wage a blood war across the West.

“There is nothing here that belongs to you. You have gone too far.” A cold voice rang out from within the city.

“The bones and sacred artifacts of our forebears are displayed in the Western lands for public viewing — to us, their descendants, this is a humiliation. And yet now, to take them back is ‘going too far’? What kind of logic is that?”

In the sky, azure rays flashed and white mist billowed. A divine, noble white horse galloped through the heavens, carrying a young woman aloft. She was indescribably sacred and transcendent.

This was a near-pureblooded unicorn — not a single strand of mixed fur on its body, pure white and luminous, with a spiraling horn on its brow wreathed in violet light.

The young woman on its back wore silver armor. Her figure was slender and graceful, her eyes a deep cerulean like ocean water. In her hands she held a small silver tower — and she launched her attack the moment she arrived.

“Hum!”

The tower rapidly enlarged. In an instant it stood over a hundred zhang tall, and with a thunderous crash it descended, sweeping down a vast white surge of energy like a great waterfall, submerging Ye Fan and the others below.

“She wants to give us a show of force from the start? This is an ancient sect-master-level sacred artifact.” Zhan Yifan remarked.

Ye Fan stood in place and extended a single finger. A streak of blazing light shot out, instantly locking the silver tower in place. With a casual wave of his hand, he caused it to shrink rapidly, dropping into his palm.

He turned and tossed it to one of his disciples without a second thought. Such sacred artifacts were nothing to be astonished by. Though this was the end of a barren age, weapons left behind by ancient powerhouses were plentiful. If even a branch lineage of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow at Jiujiang possessed such weapons, a great clan or a place like a sacred city would naturally have them in abundance.

“Return my treasure!” The young woman cried out sharply. The unicorn charged forward, and in an instant its spiraling horn unleashed a thick bolt of violet lightning, crackling through the void.

Ye Fan drew his hand across in a single motion, and all the lightning vanished into nothing. With a light flick of his finger, the unicorn’s horn shattered into fine powder — he had not struck to kill. This was clearly an inexperienced young woman who had read too many stories of legendary heroes.

Yet at this very moment, something changed. The young woman’s eyes suddenly deepened, then erupted with blinding light. Her clothing on her back was torn through, and several pairs of blazing radiant wings unfurled — a surge of powerful energy roiled and surged.

“Hmm. It seems there is indeed a powerful figure within the city, but they hide while only revealing a thread — entering the body of a naive young woman to probe me. Very well then — I’ll strike until you tremble with fear.”

Ye Fan spoke softly, transforming into a bolt of lightning and moving forward. His great hand swept down, enveloping the young woman beneath it, and from the crown of her skull he seized and restrained a humanoid divine radiance.

It appeared like a battle god — divine wings splitting the sky, radiance blazing ten thousand zhang in every direction — thrashing violently, roaring, attempting to shatter Ye Fan’s arm. But it was futile.

“Immensely powerful, true — yet within my range, whatever you are, you will be as fragile as a clay chicken and a tile dog.” Ye Fan pressed his palm and fingers together, crushing the humanoid divine radiance apart by sheer force. Even thin threads of blood trickled down — it appeared to be the blood of a divinity.

“I await you inside the city!” A cold female voice rang out from within Jerusalem, filled with rage. This was clearly a powerful existence.

“Boom!”

The unicorn and the silver-armored young woman collapsed to the ground, both rendered unconscious. Ye Fan had not directly struck them — to him, they were the equivalent of ordinary mortals.

“Undeniably powerful — no wonder you have slain your way to the Sacred City. But even if your divine valor overawes the world, you should not desecrate the glory of God.” An elderly man in a golden ceremonial robe stepped forward, staff of divine power in hand, his entire body enveloped in sacred light.

Behind him, over a dozen powerful knights were shouting. All of them were mounted on powerful beasts, armored in iron, guarding this elder.

“That is Grand Master Ato — his arts are profound and deep, and he is versed in the ancient divine language. He is a terrifying great cultivator of supernatural power.” Whispers came from the city walls.

Ye Fan and the others could naturally hear this. Though they spoke different languages, a cultivator’s divine sense was a universal bridge — whatever was said and meant could be understood.

“I have nothing lengthy to say. Return the ancestral artifacts of the Central Plains to me, and I will turn and leave. Otherwise, I will overturn this place.” Ye Fan said.

“I know nothing of any ancestral artifacts. I only know that you slaughtered five hundred brave warriors on their eastern crusade. I am here to judge you, to send you to the gallows.” Grand Master Ato thundered.

“Then there is nothing more to discuss. Let me judge you instead.” Ye Fan couldn’t be bothered to say more. This man was formidable — a great cultivator of supernatural power — but he could not possibly compare to Ye Fan.

“Almighty God, punish the sinner before you.” The elder chanted an incantation, and a vast wave of energy surged forth. The laws of heaven and earth materialized throughout the space around them. His divine staff radiated boundless light, channeling it into these laws and multiplying their power severalfold — this was a forbidden-grade artifact.

Ye Fan watched in silence. He wanted to see what was unique about the Western Dao lineage, and only after its full power was displayed did he move — calmly, he extended a single finger.

“Crack!”

A streak of golden light shot forth, piercing through the lattice of law-threads and shattering the golden divine staff, then boring straight through the center of the elder’s brow. Everything froze in that instant, and then the great cultivator of supernatural power fell backward and died.

“Heavens — Grand Master Ato is dead! Struck down in a single move by the demon from the Central Plains!”

Everyone who witnessed this inside and outside the city cried out in disbelief. Many faces went pale, watching in stunned incomprehension, overwhelmed by the sheer impact.

For Grand Master Ato had lived for over nine hundred years. His cultivation was immeasurable in its depth. In the era of his birth, the Earth had still barely been able to support cultivation. Through the years that followed, he had refined his cultivating body through pure, devoted faith-force — his renown in the West was unmatched, one of the few great cultivators of supernatural power in existence. Yet he had been flicked to death by a single finger. How could anyone not be shaken?

Seeing is believing. These many days, people had been saying that a demon had emerged from the Central Plains — savage and terrifyingly powerful — and many had not believed it. Now, with their own eyes, they had watched a great cultivator of supernatural power fall. The cold crept up their spines, and every hair on their bodies stood on end.

Behind him, Huang Tiannu, Yan Xiaoyu, and the others did not know what realm that elder had reached, but from everyone’s reactions they could guess — he had certainly been someone who shook an entire region. They couldn’t help but be astounded.

“Master is so powerful. Even a great cultivator of supernatural power from the West is reduced to ash with the flick of a finger. There is probably no one in this world who can match him.”

This was the fourth great cultivator of supernatural power Ye Fan had slain after the three Great Knight Commanders — and the most terrifying thing was that he had done it with effortless ease, between casual gestures.

“The demon from the Central Plains…” Many whispered with trembling voices.

Ye Fan walked forward. The crowd parted and retreated. Not one person dared to block his path. His several disciples followed behind him, and together they entered the Holy City of Jerusalem.

“Where are our Holy Knights — the ancient Holy Knights who have survived since the Dark Age? Rise, we implore you! Purify this demon from the Central Plains, burn him with sacred fire!”

Some were praying.

“How can a demon be allowed to enter sacred ground? The glory of God must not be defiled!”

Though some were shouting, not one person dared step forward.

The city was filled with spiritual energy. Ancient trees soared to the sky. Great peaks stood tall. Ancient temples nestled within. Medicinal fields had been cultivated. It was a rare ancient cultivation ground from a past age, highly conducive to practice.

“You dare to set foot even in the city where God resides!” A cold, merciless voice rang out, carrying a heavenly authority that made many people tremble.

“Divine clan — it is a living member of the divine clan!”

After a brief silence, Jerusalem erupted. Many people cried out — in disbelief and excitement alike.

This was an earth-shattering announcement. Many devout believers were nearly moved to tears, shouting for the divine one to descend and remove the demon from the Central Plains.

“There are truly living ancient divine clan members!” Even some elderly cultivators were shaken and couldn’t help but murmur to themselves.

“Divine clan…” Ye Fan’s expression was unmoved — neither joy nor anxiety — and he said: “I don’t care who you are. If you obstruct me from retrieving the ancestral artifacts of the Central Plains, I do not mind staining both my hands with divine blood.”

“The radiance of God illuminates the great earth — there is nothing He cannot do. Those who forsake God can only face the pyre, so their polluted souls and bodies may be burned and their sins washed clean!” A mass of divine radiance erupted, enveloping the heavens and raining down ten thousand zhang of light, flowing into every corner.

“Wretched blasphemer — kneel at God’s feet and repent.” Another vast voice came, shaking the entire sacred city.

“Are you forcing me to slaughter gods?” Ye Fan murmured softly — and it fell like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, shaking the entire divine city of Jerusalem.