"No!"

"Fall back, quickly!"

The crowd retreated in terror!

Yet Can Sutian, Shi Feng, and Zuo Shenzong showed not a trace of hesitation—they rose together with utter resolve, each unleashing their Divine Techniques to meet the Immortal Artifact head-on!

Backing away was nothing but a road to death!

Rumble!!

Clang!

The great seal in Can Sutian’s hand shattered to pieces; he plummeted with a miserable cry.

Shi Feng and Zuo Shenzong spat blood in unison, tumbling down in utter disarray!

In that instant of collision, all three mighty ones suffered devastating wounds.

Gou Mu’s face twisted with ridicule: "The might of the Immortal Artifact—how could you mortals ever comprehend it?"

"The might of the Immortal Artifact truly is terrifying!"

Can Sutian struggled to his feet, gazing up at the golden bone blade suspended in mid-air, filled with killing intent. He slowly spat out a mouthful of blood, a strange expression surfacing on his face.

"Hm?"

Gou Mu frowned slightly.

Can Sutian’s expression gave him a sense of foreboding.

But at the thought of the Immortal Artifact, he suddenly broke into a laugh.

"No matter what tricks you have, you haven’t the power to overturn the heavens!"

"Is that so?"

Can Sutian grinned wide.

This reaction made Xu Yang, Shi Feng, and the others deeply suspicious.

"With my blood, I call upon my ancestor!"

Pu!

Can Sutian threw his head back and let out a sky-shaking howl, a surge of essence blood spewing from his mouth, blasting open high above.

"Ancestor?"

Except Gou Mu, every Heaven-tier powerhouse present, as well as Zuo Shenzong and Shi Feng, felt their hearts quake.

The very first Qian Emperor!

The one who sought to devour the Spirit River and transcend the Spirit Dao in pursuit of the Immortal Path.

It was because of his insane actions that they first glimpsed the existence of the Fallen Immortal Ancient Land.

Indeed, only a few Avatars of Heaven knew the truth: the first Qian Emperor, back then, likely had already glimpsed the Fallen Immortal Ancient Land, which drove him to storm across the world in such madness!

The essence blood exploded in the sky, surging and writhing, with an inexpressible wave of power threatening to burst out at any instant.

"The bloodline isn’t enough!"

"Xu Yang!"

Can Sutian bellowed hoarsely.

Xu Yang’s heart quivered. Though he couldn’t fathom what secret power lurked within, in that moment he didn’t hesitate—he spewed a torrent of fresh blood to join with Can Sutian’s essence blood in the sky.

Whoosh!

The two geysers of blood merged perfectly, utterly indistinguishable from each other!

That strange disturbance instantly intensified.

"Do it now! Kill them all!"

Elder Yun Zheng finally recovered from shock, roaring in horror.

Nobody knew what the first Qian Emperor might have left as a final trump card, but no one dared believe they were entirely safe!

After all, Gou Mu was only an Immortal’s lingering intent!

Gou Mu’s face darkened; abruptly, he raised the golden bone blade.

"Kill!"

At that moment, a figure shot forth like lightning—

It was none other than Xu Yang.

"Xu Yang, come back!"

"Damn it, are you insane? That’s not something you can stand against!"

Can Sutian and Shi Feng’s faces changed drastically, roaring in alarm.

But Xu Yang acted as if he hadn’t heard, flashing to the front of the three, standing before the descending golden bone blade. Instantly, his heart trembled, agony stabbing through his being.

"An Immortal Artifact, huh?"

"I have one, too!"

Swish!

Purple immortal radiance streaked across the heavens.

A bolt of violet lightning blasted forth.

Bang!

The clangor resounded like thunder, surging and wild, kicking up a dazzling storm—a veritable avalanche, a raging sea.

The golden bone blade was blasted back.

The purple immortal blade landed in Xu Yang’s hand; the violent impact made him groan inwardly, forced several steps back.

But he held firm, solidly blocking the Immortal Artifact’s onslaught.

"An Immortal Artifact?"

Gou Mu was dumbstruck, staring in disbelief at the purple Immortal Artifact in Xu Yang’s grip.

"Impossible! How did you get an Immortal Artifact? There isn’t a single complete Immortal Artifact on this battlefield!"

"And how are you able to control it?"

These crucial details—he had never told a soul.

Gou Mu was thunderstruck, and the others even more shocked.

From the corner of his eye, Xu Yang saw the cracks on the surface of the violet Immortal Artifact deepen. One more clash and it would shatter entirely.

Fact was, Gou Mu’s Immortal Artifact was stronger than the one in his hand!

Xu Yang took a deep breath, refusing to retreat even a step. He fixed Gou Mu with a wild grin. "Mind your own damn business!"

"Seeking death."

Gou Mu’s face turned ashen, his eyes surging with killing intent.

The golden bone blade erupted with a clangor, its killing aura soaring to the heavens.

Just then—

Boom!

Above, the two fused masses of essence blood finally reached their peak, exploding with an earth-shattering roar.

Everyone couldn’t help but look up.

Bloody light engulfed the sky—a colossal figure slowly emerged from within.

Robed in gold, dragons and phoenixes engraved upon his garb, figure tall and awe-inspiring, eyes tyrannical and overbearing—a presence that looked down on the world, as if even the heavens and earth could not contain his might!

"We pay respects to our ancestor!"

Can Sutian trembled as he bowed.

Xu Yang stood unmoving, dazed out of his mind.

"That’s the first Qian Emperor?"

So overwhelming was his aura, Xu Yang’s heart was left pounding with shock.

He didn’t seem like any Heaven-tier being—but instead, someone farther along the Immortal Road, a peerless power.

Not quite an Immortal, but close—unfathomably close!

The emperor’s domineering presence was crushing!

Even Gou Mu began to tremble uncontrollably.

The first Qian Emperor stood only as a lingering phantom, manifesting here just to fulfill his long-cherished obsession.

"You stand here, which means you’ve uncovered the truth."

"Back then, I arrived long before any of you!"

At those words, Elder Yun Zheng, Saint Monarch Nantian, and others gasped, dumbstruck and speechless.

"It’s as I foresaw—after this tempest has passed, opportunities of the Immortal Dao are certain to arise!"

"But to get through, there is only one way—the Immortal Coffin!"

"Back then, I was the first to arrive here, and found the Immortal Coffin within; in seizing that Immortal Coffin, I was grievously wounded—otherwise, how could I have perished?"

The shock boiled up to its peak!

It turned out, when the first Qian Emperor fought against all the Spirit Realm’s top powers, he’d already been mortally wounded!

"Heh heh!"

The first Qian Emperor let out a laugh, abruptly spinning and pointing with a hooked finger toward the dark abyss behind him.

Whoosh!

Enormous waves surged up in the abyss.

Then, a bone boat appeared out of thin air.

The bone boat flew across the void, appearing before Xu Yang as if shifted there by some supernatural power.

Crack!

The bone boat shattered, leaving only a golden Token and an Immortal-light-enveloped jade bone.

"Crush the Token—the Immortal Coffin will appear!"

"That jade bone is the remains of an Immortal, containing a mighty Immortal essence!"

As the first Qian Emperor’s words faded, his form crumbled inch by inch.

In the blink of an eye, not a trace remained—utterly gone.

All were left dazed, as if waking from a dream.

No one ever imagined such earth-shattering secrets still remained hidden.

Xu Yang stared at the two objects before him, slowly lifted his head, and grinned at Gou Mu.

"Old bastard, you still want to kill us?"

Gou Mu’s face twitched, his whole body trembling.

That jade bone filled him with dread!

The overflowing immortal might within made him realize, deep in his heart, that even with the Immortal Artifact, he might not be able to resist!

Damn it!

Gou Mu’s expression shifted again and again, a ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes.

Swish!

The golden bone blade erupted with dazzling immortal radiance, spinning violently through the air!

Xu Yang’s pupils contracted—he grabbed the jade bone like lightning, about to unleash it, when suddenly the spinning golden bone blade veered away, materializing above the dozens from Bright Mirror Grotto Heaven.

"Gou Mu, what are you doing?"

"Yun Zheng, you treacherous old dog! You break your word!"

Profound Jade Saint Monarch’s face drained of color as she screamed in fury.

Yet Gou Mu didn’t hesitate in the slightest—the golden bone blade swept down like lightning, immortal might surging!

Boom!

Bam!

Pu pu pu!!

Their shrill, miserable screams lasted only a few breaths.

Under the attack of an Immortal Artifact, even the Profound Jade Saint Monarch couldn’t last more than two seconds before they were all slain to the last.

The golden bone blade hung high in mid-air, devouring the life essence that spilled from every fallen soul, its radiance growing ever more brilliant.

This sudden scene dumbfounded all the onlookers.

Elder Yun Zheng, Saint Monarch Nantian, and Jun Wuji were caught off guard too, but they felt no pity for the slaughter of Profound Jade and the rest!

Waverers—only at the very end did they seek to join their side. What use was mourning them now?

The trio’s gazes locked, icy fury suddenly flaring!

"Kill!"