Ning Fan felt a chill in his heart!

At this moment, he was only in his primordial spirit form in this Netherworld land, and his combat power was far from its peak. Yet, what he needed to do was serve as Saint Caiwei’s protector, resisting ancient beings numbering over ten million, including a multitude of Immortal Emperors, Quasi-Saints, and Ancient Great Cultivators...

This was an almost impossible task, but Ning Fan had no choice but to face it head-on!

Either he gives up taking away a remnant soul of Emperor Tu!

Or he fights with all his might to stop the ancient beings of the Netherworld from interfering with Saint Caiwei!

After Saint Caiwei finished speaking, he sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes. At the same moment, a vast will of the Saint emanated from within him, shooting up into the sky and clashing with the boundless will of the ocean of stars in this place. Suddenly, the entire Netherworld seemed to be divided into two spheres: one half governed by the Netherworld’s galaxy, the other half by Saint Caiwei.

Every star here was formed from the return of powerful beings with established dao lines upon their deaths, serving as immortal testimonies of their power, with wisdom vast and enduring to this day.

Though Saint Caiwei was a Desolate Saint among saints, he was still insufficient to control half of the Netherworld’s galaxy; this was an act beyond reasoning. It was akin to using one’s strength to battle against the consciousness of a thousand dao line saints, an equally near-impossible task.

This was a battle between Heaven and man, a clash of consciousness, a silent slaughter, devoid of complex divine skills and giving off a sense of tranquility.

Yet beneath this tranquility lay unimaginable danger! Saint Caiwei, having clashed once with the stellar consciousness, found his primordial spirit nearly collapsing, barely escaping death! But fortunately, a fraction of his primordial spirit remained intact, and he sat beneath the Netherworld Divine Tree. With the tree’s healing fragrance, Saint Caiwei’s severe injuries healed in an instant, restoring his primordial spirit to its initial state. He then unleashed his will once more, engaging again with the stellar consciousness infusing the starry sky!

Without the protection of the Netherworld Divine Tree, Saint Caiwei wouldn’t have had the slightest hope of contending with the Netherworld. Yet now, he harbored a glimmer of hope.

Each near-death, each recovery, each resistance, and the vast aura emitted by the clash of wills filled Ning Fan’s heart with turbulence.

This level of willful battle was a thousand times more perilous than a battle of spells, something Ning Fan had never seen in his life!

If it were him facing the pervasive assault of saintly wills, he would likely be wiped out instantly, unable to preserve a fraction of his primordial spirit like Saint Caiwei, nor recover from injuries with the Netherworld Divine Tree’s aid.

Saint Caiwei bore the brunt, shouldering the greatest danger, leaving Ning Fan with the insignificant remainder...

Ning Fan felt a tinge of gratitude toward this unknown, mysterious saint. Perhaps the saint was merely battling for his own karmic reasons, but ultimately, he granted Ning Fan the opportunity to rescue people from the Netherworld!

This was an opportunity Ning Fan could never achieve with his own power!

This opportunity must not be lost, regardless of the obstacles posed by over ten million ancient beings!

"To seize the souls of the Netherworld, spare none..."

The innumerable ancient beings could not all act in this limited space, and, wary of Saint Caiwei, the most formidable among them refrained from stepping forward first, choosing to observe from behind. The ones who charged Saint Caiwei were a small front-line group, akin to a suicide squad.

Numbering only a few hundred, most were Life Immortals and True Immortals, led by a young Eternal First Tribulation Immortal Sovereign. His already ethereal body was clad in illusory armor, and his svelte frame seemed so frail that it seemed a mere breeze could topple this Immortal Sovereign juvenile.

Yet, when Ning Fan stood before this group and engaged the Immortal Sovereign youth, he felt the youth’s terrifying presence.

The ancient phantoms of Life Immortals and True Immortals were effortlessly reduced to ashes by Ning Fan’s Wind-Fire Fan, with tiny flickers of light flowing from their bodies and returning to the depths of the Netherworld.

However, this leading Immortal Sovereign youth withstood the full assault of the Wind-Fire Fan unscathed, thanks to his illusory armor—something most Immortal Sovereigns of the Decline Era could never achieve!

Furthermore, after breaking through the blazing smoke, this youth struck a fist against the God-Extinguishing Shield on Ning Fan’s primordial spirit chest. The shield, bearing a yet-to-repair hole, partially transmitted the force to Ning Fan’s primordial spirit.

Caught off guard, Ning Fan grunted, coughing blood and stumbling back, his primordial spirit’s small face betraying no emotions while his heart was shaken.

The opponent was ostensibly just a First Tribulation Immortal Sovereign of old times, yet his casual punch wielded more power than many Immortal Kings of the Decline Era!

This was...the power of an Ancient Immortal Sovereign!

On his journey, many had addressed Ning Fan with this title, but only now did he realize the true strength it represented!

Ancient Immortal Sovereigns and those of the Decline Era were fundamentally different entities!

He, with Immortal Sovereign cultivation, sweeping through Immortal Sovereigns and Kings of the Decline Era, was not praiseworthy! Such Eternal Immortal Sovereigns abounded in ancient times. It wasn’t that Ancient Immortal Sovereigns were too strong but rather the Immortal Sovereigns of the Decline Era too weak!

"To seize the souls of the Netherworld, spare none..."

The Immortal Sovereign youth, having struck Ning Fan’s primordial spirit, coldly advanced again. He was not alive but a phantom, conjured from the power of the Netherworld after perishing here. His indifference reflected the lifetime of slaughter he carried, surpassing even many Slaughter Kings of the Decline Era, hinting that, in life, he was undoubtedly a peerless figure.

Ning Fan forced himself to stabilize, with the fragrance of the Netherworld Divine Tree swiftly healing his wounds. His primordial spirit’s small hand formed a seal, and from the storage pouch on his back sprang forth one innate magical treasure after another.

His eyes burned with battle intent. Though in awe of the ancient Immortal Sovereign’s might, he felt no fear here and now, for he had an unretreatable reason. Be they ancient Immortal Sovereigns, Kings, Emperors, Quasi-Saints, or Great Cultivators, none could breach his defense!

Boom!

The Divine Thunder Mirror unleashed a streak of purple lightning towards the Immortal Sovereign youth, who caught the lightning with both hands, a look of disdain flickering in his cold eyes.

Bang!

It was the combined surprise attack of the Emperor Jialuo’s Demon-Subduing Pearl and the Divine Thunder Mirror that struck the Immortal Venerable youth, who thought he had successfully defended himself, causing him to cough up blood and fall from the sky, shattering a part of his illusory armor. Simultaneously, as the Immortal Venerable youth lost control of his mana, he was tightly bound by the Prison Thunder Rope!

The Immortal Venerable youth was shocked, unable to react to the situation in front of him, and in an instant, he was trapped at the center of twenty-four Poison Banners, which was the Five Poisons Banner of Ning Fan at work!

Once trapped, Ning Fan immediately pushed the power of the Poisonous Yin-Yang to the extreme. The power of Poisonous Yin-Yang combined with the Five Poisons Banner instantly made the small area surrounding the Immortal Venerable youth filled with toxicity. This toxicity blended with the mighty force, extremely difficult to defend against, permeating everywhere, rendering the Immortal Venerable youth’s illusory armor useless. As the rolling poisonous smoke engulfed him, the Immortal Venerable youth, whose mana was sealed by the Prison Thunder Rope, lost any power to resist and was melted into a pool of pus and blood by the poison of the Five Poisons Banner.

After his death, a spark of phosphorescent light flew out from within the pus and blood, sinking into the Netherworld ground. This scene happened every time a phantom died.

In order to kill this Immortal Venerable youth in one strike, Ning Fan used five Innate Treasures consecutively, consuming not insignificant mana and suffering some injuries. Fortunately, in this place, the Netherworld Divine Tree provides protection, quickly replenishing the consumed mana and healing the injuries almost instantly, allowing Ning Fan to continue fighting, making it possible.

Ning Fan had never heard of such a strange tree before; today was the first time he encountered it. With this tree guarding him, wouldn’t it mean during duels, he wouldn’t have to worry about mana depletion, injuries, and a series of other issues?

Simultaneously, Ning Fan also noticed that this Netherworld Divine Tree seems only capable of healing the living, restoring their mana, and unable to provide any help to the lifeless Netherworld phantoms. Otherwise, killing this Immortal Venerable youth would have been even more difficult.

A thousand ancient phantoms were killed by Ning Fan, and immediately more phantoms rushed over.

Those weaker Fate Immortals and True Immortals couldn’t get close to the realm of Saint Caiwei within a thousand zhang, as they were instantly slain by the Innate Treasures Ning Fan summoned.

Amidst the blood mist, several ancient Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings blocked the attacks of the Innate Treasures, rushing coldly towards Ning Fan with a joint pressure that was entirely not inferior to a single Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor of the Era of Decline.

After killing the Immortal Venerable youth, Ning Fan had become quite apprehensive of these ancient Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings, though he had only the Spirit in his body at the moment, he still transformed the Emperor-Destroying Giant’s form.

The giant held the God-Extinguishing Shield in his left hand and the Reverse Sea Sword in his right, surrounded by numerous Innate Treasures, a roar transformed into waves of intense spirit pressure echoing, surprisingly having a hint of disturbance on the peculiar traces of Dao in the Netherworld.

Instantly, those several approaching Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings showed astonishment on their previously indifferent faces.

Not only them, but even further outside, among over tens of millions of ancient phantoms scattered across the world, there was not one that didn’t fear Ning Fan’s divine spirit pressure!

This kind of fear transcends cultivations; it’s a feeling only ancient cultivators who’ve witnessed the horror of the divine spirits firsthand can understand!

Sadly, the fear only lasted for a moment, and after it, these ancient phantoms’ eyes filled again with bewilderment, locking their killing intent once more on Ning Fan.

The few ancient Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings at the forefront each unleashed their Divine Skills, intending to stop Saint Caiwei’s actions. Their attacks were all blocked completely by the Emperor-Destroying Giant’s massive shield.

The Emperor-Destroying Giant’s killing intent surged sky-high, standing guard before Saint Caiwei like a deity that had existed since ancient times. Although the God-Extinguishing Shield in his hand had a striking hole, its majesty remained undiminished.

Sensing the overwhelming aura of the Emperor-Destroying Giant, all ancient phantoms in the vicinity showed an expression of solemnity.

Originally only a few Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings launched the attack on Ning Fan, but soon, more joined the ranks of the encirclement.

The Emperor-Destroying Giant’s eyes blazed with endless killing intent, as numerous Innate Treasures whizzed out around him; whoever came, he killed!

What of ancient Immortal Venerables!

What of ancient Immortal Kings!

So long as these ancient existences weren’t causing chaos elsewhere in the Netherworld, he wouldn’t concern himself, but not in the thousand zhang of land around Saint Caiwei, where no one is allowed to intrude!

A few breaths later, the Emperor-Destroying Giant slew ten or more Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings who were besieging him, though he paid the price; among his many Innate Treasures, one was punched and cracked by an ancient Immortal King, the Emperor Jialuo’s Demon-Subduing Pearl. With its power greatly diminished, it had to be put away, unable to be used until repaired.

One wave of enemies slain, another arrived, continually like waves, never-ending.

The Emperor-Destroying Giant stood firm on the thousand zhang of land, becoming an unreasonable god of slaughter, forcibly erasing any ancient phantom attempting to approach Saint Caiwei!

In another hundred breaths, the number of ancient Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings killed by the Emperor-Destroying Giant exceeded a hundred, additionally slaughtering fifteen to sixty thousand Fate Immortals and True Immortals!

He, too, paid a heavy price, as a series of Innate Lower Grade Treasures took varying degrees of damage, which cannot be used until repaired.

Gradually, even the Reverse Sea Sword, such a Dao Weapon, was snapped by an ancient Immortal King with a flick, transforming into light and dispersing. Even the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree was scorched, with countless branches and leaves charred by an ancient Immortal Venerable’s unextinguishable divine fire, greatly reducing its aura.

Finally, only one Innate Treasure remained swirling around the Emperor-Destroying Giant.

That was a multi-colored vitrified bottle releasing a salty sea breeze, an Innate Mid-grade Treasure!

Water-Flooding Realm Bottle!

The Primordial Thunder Cauldron, being a treasure obtained from the Battle of the Holy Mountain, hadn’t yet unlocked the power of the Eastern Mountain Divine Thunder within, its prowess reduced to blur news of tenth - parts only, thus unable to participate in battle.

At the moment, in this place, the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle is the strongest attacking treasure the Emperor-Destroying Giant can use!

Faced with the endless wave of over tens of millions of ancient phantoms that covered the sky and the earth, the Emperor-Destroying Giant made his decision: he raised the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle high, simultaneously scattering divine light, protecting Saint Caiwei and the Netherworld Divine Tree behind him, intending to flood a realm for massive damage.

With the divine skills of this treasure unfurled, suddenly the starlit sky in front of numerous ancient Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings was obscured by an endless sea suspended above, blocking their sight!

Within a brief moment, the furious waves cascaded down, aiming to indiscriminately inundate the entire Netherworld ground, a horrifying offensive that caused countless ancient phantom shadows to be horrified and changed!

"Do not panic! Just an insignificant trick!"

A distant Ancient Great Cultivator snorted disdainfully, raised a hand and pointed to the sky, and the Sea of the Sky that was about to submerge was torn apart with a bang. Countless water droplets exploded in all directions, and as they shattered, they sizzled and evaporated into steam by the vast Mana of this Ancient Great Cultivator, flying back into the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle.

Then, a crack appeared on the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle...

From start to finish, not a single drop of seawater fell to the ground...

"In front of an Ancient Great Cultivator, the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle is of no use..."

The God-Slaying Giant’s heart sank as he retrieved the greatly damaged Water-Flooding Realm Bottle back into his storage pouch.

To attempt to use a magical treasure to stop this group of ancient beings is truly wishful thinking. If magical treasures are of no use, then let the God-Slaying Giant’s fists stop them, let them fight!

After all, not many of the ancient phantoms on the enemy’s side use magical treasures. This shows that in the value system of the Ancient Cultivators, magical treasures are merely external items, while one’s body is the fundamental essence. They believe more in using their physical defense to battle the heavens and earth, and using Mana to devour the moon and the sun!

The God-Slaying Giant concealed the God-Extinguishing Shield.

With fists now free, the essence swept across as he unleashed the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike at this place and moment!

An Ancient Immortal Sovereign, ignorant of life and death, rashly charged at the God-Slaying Giant, only to be blasted with an empty Mana fist, spewing blood as he retreated, his eyes widened in shock and terror.

Then, the God-Slaying Giant’s second, third, and fourth fists struck with uncalculated Mana, their combined momentum directly slaying the Ancient Immortal Sovereign!

In terms of group attack, perhaps the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle’s range is broader.

But in terms of single-target damage, the stacked strikes of the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike absolutely have the potential to surpass the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle and become Ning Fan’s strongest trump card, provided the number of strikes is high enough!

In the battle at the Holy Mountain, Ning Fan needed to consume a thousand Nine Revolutions Elixirs to unleash eight hundred Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strikes. But now, with the powerful recovery from the Netherworld Divine Tree, Ning Fan is free from the worries of Mana replenishment. Eight hundred strikes are easy to unleash, and moreover, they can be unleashed without harm, making it the perfect time to use the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike!

He can even attempt to unleash nine hundred, a thousand, or even more strikes here!

Today might be the unique battle in his cultivation road where he unfolds the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike in a way that cannot be replicated!

Today, he’s going to defend the thousand-zhang territory behind him with his fists, defending... the slender hope of taking away the remnant soul of Emperor Tu!

The fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth punch!

Another Ancient Immortal Sovereign attempted to assault Saint Caiwei and was blasted apart by the God-Slaying Giant’s iron fist, turning into glowing firefly light and drilled back into the ground!

The tenth... twentieth... thirtieth... fortieth punch!

An Ancient Immortal King attempted to step into Saint Caiwei’s thousand-zhang territory and was killed by the God-Slaying Giant’s iron fist, blood splashing within ten steps!

The hundredth... three hundredth... five hundredth... eight hundredth punch!

As it got later, the effects of the consecutive strikes became more apparent, and the power of the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike became more terrifying. With one punch, hundreds, thousands of Life Immortal and True Immortal were rendered void! Whether it’s an Ancient Immortal Sovereign or an Ancient Immortal King, none could withstand the power of one punch from the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike after hundreds of consecutive strikes, as if this punch could open the sky, split the earth, and obliterate all authority!

And at the eight hundredth strike, even Ancient Immortal Kings at the peak of the Five Tribulations were often exploded by the God-Slaying Giant’s punch, with all ancient phantoms looking at the God-Slaying Giant with dread in their eyes!

Ordinary life immortals, true immortal phantoms no longer dared to rely on numbers to besiege the God-Slaying Giant—it would only be sending heads. Ancient phantoms with cultivations lower than eons all turned into glowing fireflies themselves and flew back into the Netherworld ground, as staying here was now of no use.

The numbers besieging now sharply decreased, but those remaining to the end are the elite among elites, those not afraid of Ning Fan’s terrifying presence of eight hundred Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strikes!

Finally, an Ancient Immortal Emperor couldn’t restrain himself and charged toward Ning Fan.

He was an old man made entirely of flames, even his beard was ablaze, possessing the cultivation level of eons Six Tribulations. Clearly just a Six Tribulations Ancient Emperor, but brought a sense of crisis stronger than the Seven Calamity Immortal Emperor of the Era of Decline, comparable to the Eight Calamity Immortal Emperor of the Era of Decline, even surpassing the Shenhao Twin Emperors of the Godly Void Pavilion by half a fraction!

Before entering the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, when Ning Fan faced an existence of this level, he could only look up!

But now... he has the confidence and strength to sit as equals with him!

At this moment, with the formation of the God-Slaying Giant’s consecutive strike stance, he is completely unafraid of this Flame Immortal Emperor, as he savagely unleashes the eight hundred first Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike!

The Flame Immortal Emperor initially disregarded the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike, as during his long lifetime, he’d never heard of such a lost divine skill of an Ancient Demon, therefore somewhat belittling.

Facing the shadow of the mountain-breaking fist light from the Ancient Demon, the Flame Immortal Emperor merely tore with a big hand, instantly ripping countless flame cracks from the heavens, taking the fist light into the cracks.

But in the next moment, with a bang the fist light shattered all the cracks, rushing out and landing a clean punch on the Flame Immortal Emperor’s chest.

The Flame Immortal Emperor let out a muffled grunt, spitting out a blood arrow and retreated hundreds of zhang to stabilize his stance, eyes filled with shock. His body, refined for a million years, actually received a dent from the God-Slaying Giant’s punch!

He took a deep breath, having no trace of contempt left for the God-Slaying Giant, signaling the other Immortal Emperors by his side with his eyes.

This time, it’s not just him, but three more Ancient Immortal Emperors rushed toward the God-Slaying Giant, with no Immortal Emperor daring to be careless!

Roar!

The God-Slaying Giant let out a roar, launching nine hundred punches, each one stronger than the last, each wave higher than the previous, forcing the Four Emperors to retreat!

Even as the Four Emperors retreated, spitting blood, the God-Slaying Giant leveraged his limitless mana to deliver hundreds more blows in the span of two breaths, bringing the combo count to over nine hundred while directly shattering one of the Emperors’ physical bodies!

The Immortal Emperor, having lost his physical form, was aghast, and his spirit dare not fight again; instead, it transformed into firefly-like light and burrowed underground.

With the next round of attacks, the three Emperors who had been forced back looked solemn and summoned over ten other ancient Immortal Emperors to encircle and attack the God-Slaying Giant!

At this moment, Ning Fan forgot the lofty esteem of the Immortal Emperor, forgot the dread of the ancient Immortal Emperors. In his eyes, there was no distinction between Immortal Emperors; there was only the thought of throwing punches.

Nine hundred and ten punches... Nine hundred and twenty punches... One thousand punches!

One thousand one hundred punches... One thousand two hundred punches... Two thousand punches!

Two thousand five hundred punches!

Three thousand punches!

The three thousand combos were an amount of consecutive strikes that Ning Fan’s current cultivation could barely match; there was no way he could achieve this without assistance!

In this, the help of the Netherworld Divine Tree was indispensable!

An eight-hundred combo Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike can destroy a Decline-Era Sixth Tribulation Immortal Emperor’s physical form with one punch; after a three thousand combo, every punch has the terrifying power to slay a Decline-Era Eight Tribulation Immortal Emperor!

The three thousand combos even surpassed the defense of the God-Extinguishing Shield, with every punch transmitting a backlash that caused Ning Fan’s primordial spirit to collapse eight or nine times. However, his injuries instantly healed under the Netherworld Divine Tree’s healing!

With the Netherworld Divine Tree’s help, he could disregard mana expenditure, disregard injuries, throwing caution to the wind!

He could try the three thousand Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strikes, to see what kind of power it wields!

One by one, the ancient Immortal Emperors were shattered by Ning Fan’s fist aura!

If one punch wasn’t enough, then two punches!

If ten punches weren’t enough, then twenty punches!

Three thousand one hundred strikes, Ning Fan couldn’t manage, lest he face immediate backlash and death, with no chance for the Netherworld Divine Tree to save him.

But that didn’t matter!

Once three thousand punches were struck, Ning Fan could end his combo, then start fresh with another three thousand punch combo!

Anyway, his mana was inexhaustible!

Anyway, he would never die from injuries!

Anyway, the battle intent burned ever fiercer!

Then let the battle rage!

No matter if they were Immortal Emperors, or some other existence!

He would allow no one across this thousand-zhang land behind him!

"Could it be that future Immortal Venerables are all strong to the extent of this youth? Even we, the ancient Immortal Emperors, cannot match him!"

"Even with the Netherworld Divine Tree’s assistance, this youth is just too defiant! If any other Immortal Venerable, even with the help of a Divine Tree, they definitely wouldn’t be capable of such feats!"

"What on earth is this combo divine skill? In our time, it surely didn’t exist! And the three thousand combo seems to only be this youth’s limit, not the technique’s limit. I’m very doubtful this technique has a limit at all; which peerless genius of future generations created this mysterious divine skill!"

Countless Immortal Emperors shattered or driven back, each one deep within their heart, rocked with turbulent waves, unprecedentedly wary of the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike.

Seeing that even a large group of Immortal Emperors united could not defeat the God-Slaying Giant, six Ancient Great Cultivators, over thirty Quasi-Saints, finally stopped cautiously observing and joined the fray!

Their delay in entering the fray was due to caution of Saint Caiwei, two, being cowed by the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike, wanting to see Ning Fan’s limit first. If Ning Fan could punch even higher numbers, striking five thousand or eight thousand combos that could even kill them, they wouldn’t dare make a move.

But regrettably, after repeated confirmations, Ning Fan’s limit was about three thousand punches of the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike.

This level of killing power can even explode the physical form of a Nine Tribulations Ancient Emperor, leaving the worlds awestruck that such could be unleashed by a mere Decline-Era Immortal Venerable, truly incredible. If word got out, it would astonish and make any Quasi-Saint, Ancient Great Cultivator wary, but not enough to instill fear.

"Ant, since we’ve decided to engage in the battle, we trust you’re prepared to die here." One Ancient Great Cultivator spoke coldly; this person previously opened Flooded Bottle with a wave, feeling to Ning Fan not much weaker than Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, of the type that could contend with weak Saints.

"..." Ning Fan did not respond, the battle intent not diminished one bit, but deep within, a slight end-of-the-road sensation arose.

Regardless if it was a Quasi-Saint or Ancient Great Cultivator, even if he unleashed three thousand combos of Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike, he absolutely couldn’t contend against them alone, let alone he faces more than one, but dozens...

Such combined forces were enough to annihilate the four heavens and nine worlds dozens of times over, how could he, alone, withstand that!

But if I can’t stop you, so what!

As long as I have breath left in me, none of you will cross me by even half a step!

The God of Extermination roared in anger, flames of war burning in his eyes. He seemed like a lone wolf facing a pack of tigers, throwing punches one after another, not seeking to kill these supreme beings, but aiming to stall them, preventing them from reaching Saint Caiwei.

At this moment, surrounded by countless mighty forces far surpassing him, there was not a trace of fear in his heart.

Only serenity!

He had come here with the resolve to die!

What is there to fear in death!

The dense fist aura formed a web of fire. With the power of these Quasi-Saints and Ancient Great Cultivators, even though they would not be injured by these mad, rain-like continuous attacks, it was difficult for them to advance against the fist aura, requiring constant defense, preventing them from attacking Ning Fan.

At this moment, the frantic continuous attacks by Ning Fan, regardless of the cost, felt like a human cannon, with the frequency of attacks comparable to dozens of Nine Tribulations Immortal Emperors at full strength.

Of course, this was all with the help of the Netherworld Divine Tree to unleash such attacks.

Even so, it sufficiently demonstrated the prowess of Ning Fan. With the cultivation of an Immortal Venerable, single-handedly, he sniped dozens of Quasi-Saints and Ancient Great Cultivators, accomplishing what countless Immortal Emperors dared not attempt!

After ten breaths, the crowd under the dense firepower approached Saint Caiwei by only ten zhang.

After a hundred breaths, they only got closer by a hundred zhang.

After five hundred breaths, more and more Quasi-Saints and Ancient Great Cultivators began to frown.

They discovered that as they got closer, Ning Fan still intended to use the Blood Ignition Technique to unleash even greater punching power to stop them from advancing.

Ning Fan’s punches were heavy, far exceeding the might of an Immortal Venerable; perhaps it was not enough to injure them, but it was equally not easy to block without injury.

If they were to risk their lives using Blood Ignition, perhaps they would indeed be unable to proceed... Damn it, could it be that so many people would actually be stopped by an ant-like child? That would be an immense disgrace!

"Young one, the old man won’t give you the chance to use Blood Ignition! I originally didn’t want to use the power of the Nether Star to kill you, as this move comes at a great cost, but to resolve this quickly, it is necessary!"

An Ancient Great Cultivator, frustrated by Ning Fan’s fist aura, furiously drew down the power of the stars from the sky. Once the power of the stars fell, it instantly destroyed the entire God-Slaying Giant!

These stars are the condensation of the power of the saintly path, not from a single saint’s path, but a collection of numerous saintly paths. This was not something Ning Fan could defend against; it was no wonder that he perished, as blocking it without dying would be strange, for it would mean Ning Fan possessed a defense against the Fourth Step Immortal Emperor!

In the original spot, Ning Fan’s silhouette no longer remained; only the God-Extinguishing Shield, struck into a second hole, lay lonely in the mud without its master.

From the time Ning Fan started to block the ancient cultivator army until he was exterminated, only half an hour had passed in total.

Half an hour... He only blocked the army for half an hour, this was his limit... yet it was an extreme that the vast majority of Immortal Emperors could not achieve!

"Overestimating oneself, abandoning life to fight for half an hour, what’s the point!"

"An ant is just an ant, we cannot understand their thinking. Had this child cherished his life more, given his talent, he might have reached the pinnacle of the Second Step."

Many Quasi-Saints showed disdain, and with no obstacles, they flickered, instantly appearing in front of Saint Caiwei.

Just as they were about to attack Saint Caiwei, Saint Caiwei opened her eyes, coldness in her gaze, and stood up.

All the Quasi-Saints and Ancient Great Cultivators, like startled cats, retreated a thousand zhang in shock, their expressions towards Saint Caiwei as if facing a peerless fierce beast.

"Who said that half an hour gained by this young friend was meaningless! You bunch of undead, stop being smug! All of you, get back to the Netherworld to sleep!"

Saint Caiwei raised her hand, and immediately a purple great star appeared, exuding the limitless pressure of a Desolate Saint. Then the purple star soared into the sky, and in an instant, the purple starlight covered all the Netherworld star’s light here, dyeing it purple!

"Impossible, you actually have a way to block the light of the Nether Star here! Could it be... could it be..." An Ancient Great Cultivator, trembling in fear, fled into the sky.

In the face of ordinary Second Step cultivators, they were considered unbeatable Ancient Great Cultivators, but in front of a Desolate Saint, they were undoubtedly ants!

"That’s right! I have completely replaced the will of the Netherworld, though only temporarily. Even with my Desolate Saint cultivation, it is impossible to control the Netherworld, as it is after all the relic of the Lord of the Nether."

Saint Caiwei mercilessly waved her hand, and a beam of purple starlight shot from her sleeve, killing the fleeing Ancient Great Cultivator.

Everyone was terrified, as the Ancient Great Cultivators couldn’t survive even a single round against her — this is the terror of a Desolate Saint!

The crowd further learned that this Desolate Saint had defied heaven to temporarily replace the will of the Netherworld, leaving no one in this place able to stop her, not even the Nether Star, and they scattered in panic.

But, none could escape!

Saint Caiwei reached forward with her hand, stretching to the horizon, her palm opened wide, covering the entire Netherworld Continent, and then, it descended!

All ancient phantoms scattering and fleeing were killed by Saint Caiwei’s palm strike without a single one escaping the range of the hand seal!

"Thus, the causality can be settled... Half an hour, haha, I didn’t expect this boy could hold on for so long, twice as much as my best estimate. Truly remarkable. In this way, I can take away more souls for him than anticipated. Of course, when the Yellow Springs Sacred Sect pursues accountability, the blame might also be greater..."

Saint Caiwei sighed, sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating.

He fought fiercely with the will of the Nether Star of this realm, and although the Netherworld Divine Tree helped heal him, it couldn’t cure his mental exhaustion.

The exhaustion doesn’t matter. Compared to the joy of settling causality, this bit of fatigue is nothing. After settling the causality with Ji Qingling, he can truly start preparing for the legendary fourth step...

Saint Caiwei waited here for two more days. Two days later, a beam of moonlight shot from Ning Fan’s discarded storage pouch.

Later, Ning Fan used the last of the Saint’s will within the Moonlight Treasure Box to resurrect.

At first, Ning Fan worried that his half-hour delay wasn’t enough, but when he learned that it was more than sufficient, he was relieved.

After several days, Saint Caiwei generously helped Ning Fan leave this Netherworld, and even upon departure, he didn’t reveal his name to Ning Fan.

As Ning Fan’s primordial spirit departed, he carefully clutched a seed transformed from luminescence.

It was the remnant soul of Emperor Tu that Caiwei Saint obtained for him, or one could say it was the Sword Ancestor’s remnant soul.

[Because you protected him, I’ve obtained more remnant soul than expected, and if forced to do so, it’s possible to condense a Yellow Springs Soul Seed, which exceeds my initial plan...]

[May I ask, Senior, what is a Yellow Springs Soul Seed?]

[Don’t ask too much, just take it and plant it. You’re so weak that I’m really not interested in plotting against you. You needn’t worry about it. At my level, if I honestly say I won’t plot against you, then I really won’t. Too proud to lie. Remember, after planting the Yellow Springs Soul Seed, nurture it with the best soil, and water it with the best Daoquan. With sincerity, you will one day see that woman again... As for this Netherworld journey, you should let this matter rot in your stomach, don’t mention it to anyone, even those closest to you. This is one of the greatest taboos in the world, not even some Initial Saints or Nirvana Saints are entitled to know. Knowing too much is not a good thing...]

[Thank you, senior, for the grace you have shown today. If I am fortunate enough to reach the Real Realm, I will surely repay you, senior!]

[Hmph! It’s unnecessary, your causality is quite complex, intertwined with the Purple Dou Immortal Domain, the Primeval Immortal Realm, Taicang Calamity Spirit, and even ancient deities, God-Extinguishing Shield from the Ancient Country... I don’t want to casually taint your karma and don’t believe there’s anything you can do to repay me.]

Ning Fan naturally wouldn’t mind Saint Caiwei’s sharp tongue. He does owe the other party a causality, and even if the other didn’t care about his repayment, one day, he would repay it...

He didn’t know if the gift from Saint Caiwei was genuine benevolence or if there was an ulterior motive.

He could only choose to believe.

To believe that reclaiming this soul seed can make it possible to meet Emperor Tu and Sword Ancestor again... to believe that the efforts, risking life twice, wouldn’t be in vain.

Holding the soul seed, Ning Fan’s bitter heart now possessed a shred of hope.

On this journey, all his magical treasures were damaged, including the God-Extinguishing Shield that needed thorough repair, the cost was undeniably enormous.

But as long as he could retrieve a remnant soul of Emperor Tu, reclaim a chance to reunite, then never mind those treasures being half-ruined, even if entirely destroyed, he has no qualms.

Even if it means swapping life for life... He has no qualms.

"If I could narrowly survive from the Netherworld and bring back a piece of her soul, it’s already fortunate... Thus, perhaps I can slightly repay the loss to her in this life and the previous one..."

"I’ve been in the Netherworld for forty days, and I wonder how the situation is in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, have those Quasi-Saints returned? My physical body was left outside, I don’t know if it’s still there... Or maybe it has already been taken by some Daxian Cultivator and destroyed..."

Ning Fan sighed.

His body was bound that day, unable to move, so he had to use his primordial spirit to break into the Netherworld. At the time, he couldn’t spare a thought for his physical body, but now he had to.

A spatial rift opened, sending Ning Fan out of the Netherworld with a Divine Skill from Saint Caiwei, back to the place where Emperor Tu fell that day.

Once in the external world, Ning Fan was locked onto by the spirit sense of thousands of strong practitioners.

More than dozens of mumbling, Immortal Venerable level Divine Skills rushed towards Ning Fan, intending to obliterate the suddenly appearing Ning Fan.

This was not like the siege by the Netherworld phantoms that day, this level Ning Fan naturally doesn’t fear. His primordial spirit neither dodged nor evaded, simply relying on the hardness of his primordial spirit to withstand the attacks of everyone, completely unharmed, leaving all in awe!

"Hiss! Such a bizarre primordial spirit, capable of hardening to this degree! Simply unheard of!"

"Who is this primordial spirit, trying to take a share of the loot! Ning the devil lord’s body, is not enough for us all, how could we possibly allow him to partake!"

"Wait! Look at the appearance of this primordial spirit, doesn’t he look the same as Ning the devil lord..."

"Hiss! Damn it! It’s him, Ning the devil lord! Ning the devil lord has returned! He hasn’t perished, he’s just a primordial spirit detached! We actually schemed against his body, we’re going to die, going to die!"

"Flee quickly!"

The countless Daxian Cultivators stationed here, extracting Ning Fan’s body for days, fled in terror.

Unfortunately, before they escaped far, they were chased by Ning Fan’s primordial spirit, caught up with one after another, and exterminated.

Ning Fan will show no mercy to these enemies.

By using the ability to communicate with all things, he heard from the whispers of the flowers and plants about these people’s deeds over the past forty days, confirming they are enemies without a doubt.

After Ning Fan entered the Netherworld, his physical body was discovered by some Daxian Cultivators who arrived later.

Who would expect that Emperor Butcher made such a commotion fighting with others? It would have been strange if no one came to investigate.

These Daxian Cultivators, who arrived late, were initially frightened upon finding Ning Fan’s body and dared not act recklessly for three whole days!

Nowadays, which Daxian Cultivator can remain calm upon seeing Ning Fan? But on the fourth day, when they were sure that Ning Fan’s body showed no signs of movement, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Some speculated that Ning Fan’s primordial spirit had left his body, which is why it remained there.

Others guessed that Ning Fan was dead, leaving only an intact corpse behind.

Someone attempted to destroy Ning Fan’s body, only to find that ordinary methods couldn’t harm Ning Fan’s Divine Spirit Wasted Body, not making a single scratch despite their efforts.

Others, greedy for Ning Fan’s powerful body, wanted to take it home and seize it, but with more Daxian Cultivators arriving, there were simply too many monks and not enough porridge, so it was naturally impossible for any one individual to claim the body alone.

Thus, someone came up with an absurd suggestion!

To use a giant cauldron to refine the essence of Ning Fan’s flesh and blood, then share it with everyone present, ensuring that all would benefit in terms of physical strength.

Due to the insufficient distribution, the present cultivators did not widely publicize the news of Ning Fan’s body being left in this place; otherwise, more powerful people might have joined the scramble.

For forty whole days, these people silently used a giant cauldron to refine the essence of Ning Fan’s flesh and blood, supplemented with various Spiritual Medicines. Unfortunately, because Ning Fan had a Grand Five Elements Body, regular True Fire refining could not damage Ning Fan’s physical body. Instead, the medicinal power healed most of Ning Fan’s previous physical injuries.

Occasionally, other people arrived, and if they couldn’t be killed in a single blow, they would also be tacitly allowed to join the ranks to share in the body...

Ultimately, even until Ning Fan’s primordial spirit returned, these people didn’t gain the slightest benefit from Ning Fan’s body.

Because when Ning Fan’s primordial spirit left, he took the storage pouch with him, leaving these people without any advantage over Ning Fan’s body.

As for the Yin Yang Locket hidden within the physical body’s Dantian, it was even less likely to be discovered by anyone. No one could break Ning Fan’s physical body to get the Yin Yang Locket; even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to open it; and even if they did open it, it would only spell their doom, as it contained the Burying Moon.

Beside the giant cauldron, there lay a dog on its last breath.

Not an ordinary dog, but a Heavenly Dog.

The reason Ning Fan angrily slaughtered all the cultivators here wasn’t solely due to their plotting for his body.

From the intelligence provided by the plants, Ning Fan learned something.

When his body was unprotected, a Heavenly Dog, following his scent, dug its way up from underground.

This Heavenly Dog was the one he had casually contracted with an Illusory Art and subdued within the Fire Soul Tower.

That day, the Heavenly Dog actually left with Ning Fan from the Fire Soul Tower, but after Ning Fan exited the tower door, he was directly teleported to the ground by the door’s Formation.

The Heavenly Dog was different; its identity couldn’t be recognized by the tower door’s Formation, preventing easy teleportation. After walking out the door, it had to dig through the depths of rock layers from the tower’s location just to reach the surface of the Great Brightness Temple and then continue looking for Ning Fan...

How hard was the Middle State’s rock layers? It was not something this Heavenly Dog could dig through to the surface quickly.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Dog Clan had tough claws and fangs, so it dug day and night for an indeterminate length of time, finally reaching the surface, but by then, the Great Brightness Temple had long been devoid of Ning Fan, with the second round of the Tomb Duels having ended long ago, too long ago...

It started searching all over the Middle State for Ning Fan.

It started searching throughout the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain for Ning Fan.

It didn’t know how long it had been searching for Ning Fan, yet it could never find him. Ning Fan often had ways to conceal his own aura and cause and effect, leaving no trace for it to follow.

Only when Ning Fan’s body lost control and emitted a scent could it track down the body, only to find it was just a ’corpse’!

The master it loyally followed had ’died’!

Moreover, the master’s ’body’ was being refined and divided by countless vile Daxian people, filling the Heavenly Dog with rage!

So it fiercely lunged at the Daxian people to stop it. But with its limited cultivation, it couldn’t retrieve the master’s ’body,’ and was instead beaten by a group of Daxian people until it was on its last breath.

If someone hadn’t noticed its special bloodline suitable for a spirit pet, it would have likely been killed and divided by others...

"Woof...woof woof..."

The Heavenly Dog, previously on its last breath, suddenly detected Ning Fan’s aura, forcing its eyes open with delight and barking joyfully.

So the master wasn’t dead... what a relief!

Woof woof woof...

After the surprise, it seemed as though its wish had been fulfilled, and it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The breath of life, gone from then on, peacefully closed its eyes.

Ning Fan’s primordial spirit frowned, landing in front of the Heavenly Dog, raising a small hand to infuse his vitality into the Heavenly Dog, and ultimately, the Heavenly Dog that had nearly lost its life was brought back by Ning Fan.

Ning Fan never owes any karmic debts.

He wouldn’t even want to owe a Heavenly Dog’s karmic debt.

He cannot fully save the Emperor Butcher, he can only bring back a soul seed. The affairs of the Emperor Butcher have already made him feel extremely apologetic, and if another Heavenly Dog were to die for him...

No.

"From now on, I will never let such a thing happen a second time. If I can’t protect those around me, what’s the use of the Dao I cultivate!"

"You are very brave, I can see into your heart. You seem to have already accepted me and want to follow me as your master. So be it, seeing your overall potential, it also seems good, yet mingling among the Heavenly Dog clan without guidance from a respected teacher, your cultivation is only mediocre. From today, I will accept you as my servant. If your loyalty does not change, I will take you with me to the peak of cultivation, this is my promise."

"Hmm, since I have decided to accept you as my servant, I need to give you a name. Let me think, naming is such a troublesome thing..."

Ning Fan furrowed his brow, suddenly inspiration struck.

Entering the Netherworld, he once fell for an illusion at the Netherworld entrance, in that illusion he saw a scene where two Saints were fighting fiercely.

One was a Saint named Xuelingzi, the other was a Saint named Ya Tiangou.

Speaking of it, that Ya Tiangou, it’s also a Heavenly Dog, isn’t it...

"I’ve come up with a mighty name, from now on, you’ll be called Ya Tiangou." There are many people in the world with the same name, it’s not enough to get tangled up in karma over this small matter, even if it touches upon karma, Ning Fan doesn’t care because he simply cannot be bothered to think of another name. Ning Fan, who refuses to admit plagiarizing someone else’s name, patted the Heavenly Dog’s head, seeing that the Heavenly Dog absorbed his vitality, with its breath gradually stabilizing, finally showed a hint of smile.

Feeling happy for the survival of the Heavenly Dog.

"Woof woof woof!"

It was Ya Tiangou, overwhelmingly joyful for the bestowed name, expressing gratitude to Ning Fan for his rescue.

It was quite fond of the new name!

Even happier, it finally had a reliable master, its future life was now settled!

"You take some more expensive pills to heal, don’t disturb me while I perform the Ice Rain Technique, I want to check the current situation of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain... hmm... it seems those Quasi-Saints still haven’t returned from the spatial turbulence, perhaps they’re still fighting fiercely within the spatial turbulence. It’s a pity that the Ancient Nation’s Second Formation Diagram and the Open Heaven’s Breath Wooden Box aren’t counted as losses, but only sixty percent of the Extreme Yang Water, if it falls into their hands, it could aid our enemies, potentially causing their cultivation levels to soar... but this is a decision I had to make out of necessity, if not for luring them with heavy profits, they wouldn’t have entered the spatial turbulence... a pity, ultimately didn’t manage to account for Shifeng..."

Ning Fan’s expression was somewhat bitter.

He recalled the great battle of the Holy Mountain, such a desperate battle, in the end, still didn’t let the Emperor Butcher escape from others’ calculations...

He carefully stored away the soul seed, then his primordial spirit tunneled into the physical body within the great cauldron, breaking out of the cauldron, and with mana, conjured clothing.

"Woof woof woof!"

Ya Tiangou, struggling to stand with its weakened body, spat out a jade bottle from its mouth and pushed it to Ning Fan’s feet with its head.

Ning Fan was momentarily stunned.

He picked up the jade bottle, scanned it with spirit sense, his expression immediately becoming strange.

The Extreme Yang Water he tossed into the spatial turbulence that day, why was it here?

Could it be...

This world’s fortunes, surprisingly have such coincidences, interesting.

Ning Fan thought briefly, guessing the cause and effect.

Within the spatial turbulence, Ten Bees Supreme hidden most deeply, knowing the other two objects to be false, therefore only snatched the Extreme Yang Water and returned to the outside world.

Having returned to the outside world, with lingering greed, attempted to scheme against him and the Emperor Butcher, ultimately being killed by the desperate Emperor Butcher. The Extreme Yang Water brought back to the outside world was lost after the great battle, picked up unnoticed by the keen-scented Ya Tiangou, hidden in its mouth...

To lose and regain, is this the feeling spoken of?

If the woman named Ji Qingling could also return safely, that would be wonderful...

"Forget it, sighing isn’t my style, since things have come this far, I can only find ways to make amends. I will look for the best soil, the best Daoquan, to nourish her soul seed, one day, we will meet again. When that time comes, we’ll carefully settle the account of this unannounced departure! Whether you’re the Emperor Butcher or Sword Ancestor, once you become my woman, don’t expect to leave so easily!"