At this moment, all the remaining Immortal Emperors of the Dark Clan gathered in the lower skies, totaling fourteen, each with faces as hard as iron.

Among them were Immortal Emperors who had fought with Ning Fan and those who had not. The Emperors stood arrayed high in the sky, their oppressive presence clashing like torrents. Under their imperial might, lower-level cultivators struggled even to breathe.

Upon hearing that Ning Fan had actually defeated the monster Hei Sheng, all the great emperors of the Dark Clan were shaken. Everyone knew how formidable Hei Sheng was; even a Quasi-Saint couldn’t truly defeat him, and yet he lost to Ning Fan. It was simply inconceivable!

Even more incredible was that Ning Fan’s level of cultivation was much lower than that of Hei Sheng...

In this Era of Decline, for someone to defeat a monster like Hei Sheng beyond their level, does it not mean that Ning Fan is even more monstrous than the monster...

Though these fourteen emperors spoke with confident faces, all of them were inwardly apprehensive.

This man could defeat Hei Sheng and escape right under the noses of five Quasi-Saints. Stopping him from leaving might prove to be extremely difficult...

"This man is deeply hidden. With just the strength he displayed before, there’s no way he could defeat Hei Sheng. He must have some powerful means unknown to us... We cannot be careless!"

"But the command of the Ancestor is absolute. Even if we die here in battle, we must stop this man and not let him leave!"

"If we exhaust all the strength of our clan and still cannot keep him, where will our clan’s dignity remain? Would we not be ridiculed by the entire Eastern Heaven?"

"Just hold him off for a while, and the Quasi-Saint elders will pursue and easily capture him. All we need to do is delay!"

"But what if he uses the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle in a desperate last stand..."

"Hmph! Don’t be afraid. This time, I’ve prepared some countermeasures against water. With a plan, there’s no need to fear that bottle!"

"Haha, coincidentally, I too have prepared some backup. This time, we certainly won’t be made to flee in disgrace by that Water-Flooding Bottle again."

"I too have some preventive measures ready to be used."

"If Ning Fan doesn’t use the Water-Flooding Bottle, then fine. But if he does, I’ll make sure he never returns!"

As the emperors were confidently swearing, a cold voice, as frigid as the Nine Hells, drifted from the distant sky, carried on the boundless wind and rain, with a hint of mockery.

"You all seem to be quite afraid of me using the Water-Flooding Bottle, huh? Relax... this time, I won’t flood you with it..."

It was Ning Fan’s voice, crossing the domain with the Ice Rain Technique, carrying endless murderous intent, echoing through the world like thunder!

Some less skilled Dark Clan cultivators directly spat blood, unable to describe their terror, shaken by the thunderous power of Ning Fan’s voice.

"...After all, the Innate Mid-grade Treasure I have is not just the Water-Flooding Bottle!"

Rumble! Rumble!

With the rain came thunder!

Amidst the wind and rain, lightning suddenly appeared, like countless ancient divine swords slicing through the sky, making the previously dark world bright as day.

Some unfortunate Dark Clan cultivators couldn’t dodge in time and were struck to ashes by the thunder intersecting heaven and earth. Even Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings struck by it often ended up severely injured, greatly astonished!

For the shattering heaven and earth thunder was, surprisingly, Innate Thunder, and with Ning Fan’s current cultivation, even an Immortal Emperor would have to use some means to remain unharmed under that thunder!

Thunder arrived; the man had not!

Ning Fan had yet to arrive, but an ancient aura-laden cauldron came tearing through the void, wrapped in supreme thunder might!

The Emperors hadn’t even seen clearly what that large cauldron was when one of them was struck by it, coughing up blood and retreating, his expression horrified.

The cauldron wasn’t meant for smashing people, but it was of such a high grade that even a random strike carried immense power.

Suddenly, the lid of the cauldron opened wide, unleashing a supreme divine light that transformed into a rain of light, explosively shooting down at the Emperors, cutting through the darkness with indescribable beauty.

The light rain was a dazzling silver lightning, impossible to gaze upon directly. Even Immortal Emperors were blinded by that lightning. An Immortal Emperor who forcibly tried to look was directly blinded, black blood flowing from his eyes, his heart filled with terror; another spread his divine sense amidst the rain of light, only for that divine sense to be riddled with holes by the dense light rain, his sense shattered, and wounded, unable to perceive anything...

The eyes, unable to see!

The divine sense, unable to perceive!

This Primordial Thunder Cauldron was a magical treasure of combined attack and control, capable of trapping people in the cauldron for annihilation and releasing flashing lightning to block all sight and divine sense of the enemy.

At this moment, Ning Fan still had Quasi-Saints pursuing him, with no time to tangle with these Immortal Emperors, not even enough to employ the Water-Flooding Bottle’s spell.

Hence, he used the Primordial Thunder Cauldron immediately, isolating the Emperors’ gaze and divine sense and taking advantage of the opportunity when they couldn’t even open their eyes to pass through the nearly nonexistent defense of the fourteen Emperors, leaving proudly behind!

The Emperors wanted to stop him, but they couldn’t even see Ning Fan’s direction or lock onto his aura, so they naturally couldn’t stop him. If they blindly attacked, they might even hit their own people, a risk not worth taking...

After a long time, the rain of thunder light dissipated, and the Primordial Thunder Cauldron was nowhere to be seen, having been taken by Ning Fan.

Countless Dark Clan guards blinded by the light were rolling on the ground in pain, moaning...

The fourteen Emperors had gloomy expressions; none had anticipated that Ning Fan possessed a second Innate Mid-grade Treasure, and it was such an extraordinary treasure, capable of unleashing such strong light that it could blind even Immortal Emperors...

Though none had been slain by the Primordial Thunder Cauldron, at least tens of thousands of cultivators present became blind, their divine senses severely damaged, including two Immortal Emperors...

What an incredible treasure!

It was simply the best equipment for killing and looting! After committing a deed, if chased, one could blind the pursuers and damage their divine sense, escaping with ease!

"Damn it! In the lower levels of the sky, there is no sufficient power to stop this man from escaping!"

"What a disgrace! This is certainly the greatest humiliation our clan has faced since its founding! To be so completely defamed by an Eternal Immortal Venerable, coming and going as he pleases!"

"I’m not convinced! This man relies merely on the advantage of treasures—what skill does that take! If he dared not use treasures, not use the Cross Halo, I’d kill him with a snap of my fingers!"

"I’m going to pursue past the Great Dark Heaven, to chase across the Dark Continent! I’m going to tear him to pieces!"

"Chase!"

But can they catch him?

Even the Gourd Quasi-Saint, equipped with speed treasures, couldn’t catch Ning Fan; how could a mere group of Immortal Emperors possibly catch Ning Fan!

As for Ning Fan, without mentioning anything else, his sheer speed alone gave him complete confidence to elude the grasp of most Second Step cultivators.

Nine Heavens.

Twelve Heavens.

Fifteen Heavens.

Nineteen Heavens.

Ning Fan left all five Quasi-Saints and fourteen Immortal Emperors in the dust, charging heedlessly out of the Great Dark Heaven and soaring away from the Dark Continent.

All who attempted to stop him became a bloody storm, perishing at his hands, with none able to make him pause even slightly.

The boundary blockade of the Dark Continent was shattered by hundreds of Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strikes. If he wanted to leave, how could a mere continental blockade stop him!

Though he successfully fled the Dark Clan, there was little joy on Ning Fan’s face, for fleeing, in the end, was not glorious.

This time, he was far less powerful than the foundation of the Dark Clan, hence he could only cause a minor commotion; if there is a next time, he is determined to wreak havoc on the Dark Clan before he’s satisfied!

As for whether the Dark Clan will relentlessly hunt me down after this incident... Ning Fan merely smiled.

It would be a blade whether he stuck his head out or pulled it back; just because he behaved obediently didn’t mean the Dark Clan would spare him. Since there was no difference, why not be audacious for once!

These ravages upon the Dark Clan this time brought him no small benefits. In terms of achievements, he slaughtered many Dark Clan Immortal Venerable and Immortal Kings and even annihilated two Dark Emperors; in terms of gain, he plundered the Dark Clan and leveraged their resources to greatly advance his cultivation, pushing all four of his cultivation elements into eons—a method of war by sustaining war, like a bandit.

A bandit? Ha, yes, being a bandit suits best!

Most importantly, he did not disgrace the legacy of the Ancient Chaos inheritor. He was supposed to be an extremely pragmatic person, unlikely to risk life and death for fame and vanity, yet this time, he made an exception for that aged, lingering man.

This solitary battle with the Dark Clan might not have been the wisest decision from any perspective, but to uphold the honor of the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, he cared not for wisdom.

At least the outcome was acceptable. This venture into the Dark Clan was not in vain...

"After this battle, the Dark Clan undoubtedly will not rest. If that’s the case, though I am unwilling to trouble Seniors like Xiang Mingzi, I have to seek their help to engage in a real war with the Dark Clan."

Ning Fan pondered that after leaving this place, he should request assistance from Xiang Mingzi and the other two Quasi-Saints to address the Dark Clan’s retaliation. Just as he was about to leave, a massive crashing noise abruptly came from behind on the Dark Continent.

In that crashing noise was also intermingled the defiant roar of a young man!

"Ning Fan! I do not accept this battle! Your victory is... unfair!"

Ning Fan’s eyes constricted as he sharply turned around, only to see that, for some unknown reason, the millions of continents on the Dark Continent were all frantically collapsing, as if someone had demolished them with a single strike!

A young man with dog ears was walking amid the collapsing continents, holding a gigantic dark gate with one hand, slowly approaching. Regardless of the overwhelming collapse of the continents, it somehow did not affect his vitality much. The collapse of the continents caused all the Dark Realm Gates connecting to the Great Dark Heaven above the continents to break down, except for the one the young man held tightly, which he had intentionally preserved.

This young man was none other than the Hei Sheng who should have been knocked out by Ning Fan!

From the looks of it, not only had Hei Sheng awakened from his brief unconsciousness, but somehow he had surpassed all Dark Clan powerhouses, emerging from the Great Dark Heaven from the Second Heavenly Layer ahead of everyone, chasing relentlessly after Ning Fan!

Surprisingly, he was even faster than the Gourd Quasi-Saint!

"Indeed, my victory was unfair, but does your Dark Clan act with fairness? You’ve come to kill me, but words are useless, let’s fight!" Ning Fan spoke cautiously.

He had intended to flee from the Dark Clan as soon as he left, but now it seemed that without first shaking off Hei Sheng’s pursuit, leaving easily was out of the question...

Moreover, Hei Sheng managed to catch up first before the Gourd Quasi-Saint through incredible speed, possibly nearing that of an Ancient Great Cultivator! Ning Fan admitted that his maximum speed was inferior to Hei Sheng’s, so attempting to outrun his chase seemed futile. Thus, he needed to devise another way to escape Hei Sheng’s entanglement...

"Fight? Hmph! At this moment, you’re not worthy of fighting me, you’d only resort to sneak attacks, fighting you holds no significance!"

Hei Sheng expressed his indignation with a grudge, though he showed no intent to fight Ning Fan. Although he appeared teeming with rage, eager to strike down Ning Fan himself, he was striving hard to curb his murderous urge.

After an internal struggle, Hei Sheng finally stifled all his killing intent, letting out a sullen humph.

"You rendered my divine sense dizzy with a single strike; the force you used was from the Ancient Kingdom’s God-Destroying Power, wasn’t it? I should have realized it sooner, the yang blood rust of your Golden Flame Giant should be the Ancient Kingdom’s God-Extinguishing Shield! Blame it on my late birth during the Era of Decline, having never witnessed this shield; otherwise, when I fought you earlier, I would have spared some leniency."

Ugh, what gibberish is this Hei Sheng spouting... did he come all this way without intending to battle?

"...You refined a Fragment of the Divine Annihilation Shield, gaining the Power of God Destruction, and possess the divine arts of Communication with All Things. By my Ancient Kingdom’s rules, at the very least, you could be listed as the fourth-in-line to the Divine King; although our Ancient Kingdom no longer exists, if possible, I still prefer not to harm you..."

Fourth-in-line to the Divine King? What does that mean...

"I burned half of my spirit vitality in exchange for speed surpassing that of Ancients for a brief period, thus I was the first to chase after you — it was to tell you one thing... the next time we meet, we shall be true mortal enemies. As long as you remain in accord with your Ancient Chaos Master, upholding the defense of the Dreamland Realm, we will ultimately cross blades again. This Dark Clan harbors many secrets unknown to you!"

We will clash again...

"...Of course, those secrets, I could never reveal to you, no matter what, I won’t betray my mentor. I shattered the Dark Continent, severing all spatial nodes linking to the Great Dark Heaven, which is excessive enough. Without years to repair these spatial nodes, no other Dark Clan member can come forth! For these few years, no Dark Clan member will hunt you; as for whether the Dark Clan will still be in Eastern Heaven a few years later, that remains uncertain. My father’s Melting Refinement Furnace, for now, will remain in your possession; the next time we meet, I will triumph over you, and with the utmost strength, reclaim this furnace honorably!"

"Farewell, ant! Our clan’s future lies beyond the heavens, a vision beyond the likes of you Eastern Heaven ants!"

Bang!

Hei Sheng flashed and entered the last Dark Realm Gate he was holding, returning to the Great Dark Heaven, and at the instant of entry, he shattered this last Dark Realm Gate with one punch.

Thus, all passages between the Dark Continent and the Great Dark Heaven were destroyed!

Hei Sheng just casually returned, leaving behind millions continuously collapsing in the Dark Continent, mountains crumbling and land cracking, everything in disarray...

Ning Fan furrowed his brow, not understanding why Hei Sheng suddenly came and then departed, what his purpose was.

Considering that millions of the Dark Continent were all smashed by Hei Sheng, Ning Fan secretly speculated, could it be that Hei Sheng specifically came to help him? Though his tone was annoying, was it actually a good intention?

One must know that the Dark Continent is the necessary path connecting Eastern Heaven to the Great Dark Heaven, and if the space nodes are completely destroyed, even a Dark Clan Quasi-Saint would not be able to leave the Great Dark Heaven before the nodes are repaired, and they would be trapped within their clan.

Hei Sheng’s act of destroying millions of the Dark Continent invisibly severed all possibilities of Dark Clan cultivators pursuing out of the Great Dark Heaven, blocking the pursuit of the Dark Clan for him...

Is this not help?

Truth be told, Ning Fan also had the intention to shatter all space nodes of the Dark Continent before, but the millions of lands of the Dark Continent are connected as a whole; trying to shatter them all is as difficult as destroying an Innate Mid-grade Treasure with one punch, Ning Fan thought himself incapable of this and thus abandoned the plan...

But Hei Sheng could do this, and indeed did.

Though they were clearly enemies, why would this Hei Sheng help him block the Dark Clan’s pursuers...

From the way this person showed respect when mentioning the Dark Ancestor, it seems they had no intention of betraying the Dark Clan, but why then help the Dark Clan’s enemy...

"This person mentioned the Ancient Kingdom’s God-Destroying Shield and the Divine King inheritor in his words... is the reason he helped me because I possess the Ancient Kingdom’s God-Destroying Shield? Extinguish God, Extinguish God, what special significance does the term ’Extinguish God’ hold for the Ancient Kingdom’s divine spirits... the God-Extinguishing Shield, even at the cost of burning itself, forced me onto the path of divine spirits; Hei Sheng, due to this item, unwillingly helped the enemy... there must be many things behind these words ’Extinguish God’ that I am unaware of."

"And though the words of Hei Sheng were spoken with concealment, they seemed to imply something... almost like a reminder to me..."

[As long as you and your Chaotic Ancient Master share one heart and take upon yourself the duty of defending the Dreamland Realm, then we will inevitably clash swords again.]

The ten great secret clans were left as guards in the Dreamland Realm by the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign, regardless of reputation, at least taking upon themselves the duty of defending the Dreamland Realm. But Hei Sheng’s words seemed to tell Ning Fan that the Dark Clan was not like this...

[Whether the Dark Clan still resides in the Eastern Heaven years later is uncertain.]

Years later, if the Dark Clan does not reside in the Eastern Heaven, where else would they go? What does this statement intend to imply...

[The future path of our clan lies above the heavens, beyond the reach of ants like you in Eastern Heaven!]

Above the heavens, not the Eastern Heaven... what does this mean...

Ning Fan’s gaze slightly hardened; though he was not proficient in the path of deduction, after Hei Sheng’s reminder, he heard the undercurrents amidst the winds of the Dark Continent.

In the Eastern Heaven, some major event is about to occur...

This event seems inextricably linked with the Dark Clan...

Ning Fan suddenly felt disheartened; he originally intended to become stronger in the future and compete with Hei Sheng again, but since Hei Sheng helped him once, his animosity towards Hei Sheng greatly diminished.

After a brief silence, he eventually turned and flew away from the Dark Continent, leaving behind the collapsing continent as if it was of no concern to him.

Long after he departed, no Dark Clan cultivators pursued him from the Dark Continent; indeed, because the space nodes were destroyed, everyone was unable to freely enter and exit the Great Dark Heaven...

Months later, the collapse of the Dark Continent shocked the entire Eastern Heaven. Some nosy Immortal Emperors restored many images of the Dark Continent from between heaven and earth, including images of Ning Fan alone battling the entire Dark Clan. Once this matter spread, the entire Eastern Heaven was in an uproar!

No one expected that Ning Fan would silently run to the Dark Continent alone, and single-handedly battle an entire secret clan!

The most crucial point is, after fighting the Dark Clan, Ning Fan actually safely returned to the Slaughter Hall, which is simply inconceivable!

And the Dark Clan, which lost face, surprisingly did not make any moves, allowing Ning Fan to continue frolicking in the Eastern Heaven, as if they did not see him...

Strange, too strange!

Countless Eastern Heaven cultivators are speculating about what exactly happened between Ning Fan and the Dark Clan. Unfortunately, even the Immortal Emperors can only restore very few battle fragments from the ruins of the Dark Continent, making it difficult to infer specifics.

All that is known is that Ning Fan killed many, many Dark Clan members on the Dark Continent...

In the battle on the Dark Continent, the Dark Clan suffered immense casualties at Ning Fan’s hands, so why haven’t they retaliated? This doesn’t align with the Dark Clan’s sinister nature!

Some speculate that the Dark Clan reached some sort of accord with Ning Fan for certain benefits; others guess that the Dark Clan has changed their ways and aren’t interested in retaliating against Ning Fan anymore.

Only a very few of the Eastern Heaven old monsters discovered the answer from the shattered space nodes of the Dark Continent.

The Dark Clan doesn’t want to retaliate against Ning Fan!

It’s just that the space nodes were destroyed, making it impossible for them to reach Eastern Heaven and punish Ning Fan!

"Hehe, Ning Fan is really cunning, actually destroying the space nodes between the Dark Clan and Eastern Heaven. No wonder the Dark Clan has been inactive for so long. Unfortunately, this move is of little use. To a monstrous entity like the Dark Clan, repairing the space nodes won’t take long, at most several years, before they can reappear in Eastern Heaven. Then, the Dark Clan will undoubtedly stir up a storm of blood and slaughter, with Ning Fan as their primary target!"

People who harbor animosity towards Ning Fan secretly spread such rumors.

The rumor spread wider and wider, and gradually, all the Eastern Heaven cultivators knew that a great war between the Dark Clan and Ning Fan would occur in a few years.

Forces friendly to Ning Fan are closely monitoring this, ready to assist him at any moment of trouble, even if it means fighting to their deaths.

Forces hostile to Ning Fan, on the other hand, are waiting for the opportunity to add insult to injury when the Dark Clan makes their move...

Ning Fan himself is also on guard against the Dark Clan; he has long been mentally prepared for a showdown with the Dark Clan, but the Dark Clan has yet to appear...

Is Hei Sheng helping him behind the scenes...

A year passed.

Three years passed.

Ten years passed.

Twenty years passed.

In theory, given such a long time, the Dark Clan’s space nodes should have been repaired by now.

But strangely, there’s no sign of repair on the space nodes on the Dark Continent...

It seems as if there is no one in the Dark Clan with any intention to repair these space nodes, allowing them to remain destroyed.

After twenty years, disturbances in the winds of heaven and earth began to appear...

Some seasoned old monsters in Eastern Heaven, adept in divination, sharply noticed this situation. Gradually, Eastern Heaven cultivators no longer focused on the Dark Clan and Ning Fan’s conflict, believing the two had reached some kind of reconciliation...

They are more concerned with the frequent anomalies occurring in the world!

Seven months ago, many starry skies in Eastern Heaven showed ominous signs of a demon star streaking across the sky, related to the changes in the Crimson Penetration Passage between the Immortal Demon World and the Four Heavens...

Four months ago, the Boundary River among the Four Heavens experienced a sudden uprising of different races, and the cultivators stationed to guard the Eastern Heaven Boundary River were slaughtered entirely by these races, sparking fury among the various sects and factions of Eastern Heaven!

Two months ago, there was Han Yun the Great Emperor leading disciples to demand an explanation from the Boundary River foreign clans. A total of four hundred immortal cultivators went and none returned...

As for their soul plates left in the sect, all were shattered, including Han Yun the Great Emperor’s soul plate!

Without a doubt, yet another Eastern Heaven Great Emperor has fallen, and astonishingly at the hands of the Boundary River foreign clans!

Between the Four Heavens and the demon race is the Crimson Penetration Passage, which within the Four Heavens divides them as a boundary river.

In the past, the cultivators of Four Heavens needed to cross the boundary river to reach another heaven, but now internal changes in the boundary river are unknown. Any cultivators from the other three heavens who take the river to Eastern Heaven are killed by the foreign clans of the boundary river; similarly, Eastern Heaven cultivators wanting to go to the other three heavens will also be killed...

Moreover, for reasons unknown, a blocking force has arisen above the boundary river, causing cross-domain communication between Eastern Heaven and the other three heavens to be entirely cut off...

On this day, nine Eastern Heavenly Great Emperors gathered at Emperor Cang’s abode, each with darkened expressions.

"What’s really going on here? The foreign clans of the boundary river have always been indifferent with us Four Heavens cultivators. Why have they now gone on a killing spree against our disciples? And they even killed Fellow Daoist Hanyun! We must know that Fellow Daoist Hanyun has always been friendly with the foreign clans of the boundary river, often pacifying any changes they experience... yet this time, even they did not spare Fellow Daoist Hanyun! How audacious!"

An Immortal Emperor in red robes possessing the seven tribulations shouted angrily. This is Emperor Chi Tuo, considered a senior among Eastern Heavenly emperors, rarely seen in the world. If not for his close decedent having been killed by the foreign clans of the boundary river, he wouldn’t have appeared here.

"Indifferent? Hmph! That was merely the facade of peace bought by our periodic offerings of live sacrifices to the Four Oceans Sect every millennium. Fellow Daoist Chi Tuo, have you forgotten that thirty-two million years ago, our Eastern Heaven cultivators engaged in a great war with the foreign clans of the boundary river, where Daoist Xueyan and Immortal Lady Chuhe fell? The foreign clans of the boundary river have not liked the Four Heavens cultivators for quite a while!"

A middle-aged Immortal Emperor with a coarse beard scoffed coldly. He is Immortal Emperor Tieli, possessing the tribulations of eternity, also seldom seen in Eastern Heaven. Unfortunately, the foreign clans of the boundary river shouldn’t have killed his disciple. His eyes turned blood-red at the thought of his disciple killed without remains by the boundary river. If not for concerns over the power of the foreign clans, he would have rushed in alone long ago due to his short temper.

"Hmph! With such turmoil from Eastern Heaven’s boundary river, even if Secret Clans ignore it, why has Four Oceans Sect likewise turned a blind eye? No investigation has been sent to this day! It seems that in the coming millennia, our Eastern Heavenly sects need no longer pay any tributes to Four Oceans Sect; simply withdrawing would suffice!"

Emperor Maha spoke sinisterly, with an inherent dislike for Four Oceans Sect, willing to blacken it whenever an opportunity arises.

"Fellow Daoist Maha, that’s not entirely true. According to my calculations, it’s not just Eastern Heaven’s boundary river experiencing disturbances—Western Heaven, Southern Heaven, and Northern Heaven’s boundary rivers are all in turmoil... notably, Northern Heaven appears the gravest. It is likely that Four Oceans Sect’s focus is entirely on Northern Heaven, thus unable to attend to our Eastern Heaven’s matters. Only blame the chaos of the boundary river this time to be exceptional, even able to block cross-domain communication so we’ve lost contact with Four Oceans Sect, making information sharing difficult... Otherwise, regardless of Four Oceans Sect’s negligence of Eastern Heaven, it’d at least grant us full authority to deal with boundary river."

It is Emperor Jizao defending Four Oceans Sect.

This is a Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, considered not powerful among Eastern Heavenly emperors, yet highly adept at calculations. Whenever the Eastern Heavenly emperors encounter confusion, they seek his assistance for insight. Thus, despite not having strong cultivation, he enjoys great rapport within Eastern Heaven. Consequently, being refuted by Emperor Jizao, despite disliking it, Emperor Maha doesn’t openly argue, contemplating seriously because of Emperor Jizao’s words.

The emperors present were all taken aback by Emperor Jizao’s remarks!

It turned out that not only Eastern Heaven’s boundary river was changing—Four Heavens’ boundary rivers were all in disorder! Even worse, Northern Heaven was the most severe...

"Could it be possible that the foreign clans aim to defy the Four Oceans decree and wage war again with our Four Heavens? Alas, those sent into the boundary river for investigation all perished, none have returned alive, thus the attitude of the foreign clans of the boundary river remains unclear to this Emperor—if there’s no war, let it be, but if there’s war... then there’s preparation to be done!" Emperor Shenkong huffed coldly.

If indeed war is reignited by the foreign clans of the boundary river, Eastern Heaven might be drowning in bloodshed again...

"What worries my junior brother also concerns me. Though we’ve yet ascertained the boundary river’s foreign clans intentions, we cannot take the chances lightly. If unprepared, given the brutality of the foreign clans, with war kindled, it might scorch the vast majority of Eastern Heaven’s stars, causing countless losses... our collective imperial establishment might face significant damages." Emperor Xu Kong sighed.

"I suggest in the name of all of us Immortal Emperors, issuing a conscription decree across Eastern Heaven. The affairs of the boundary river are of paramount importance, cannot afford mishaps—should these foreign clans wish war, the battlefield should remain within the boundary river, preventing flames from searing all Eastern Heaven!" Seeing everyone squabbling yet not proposing solutions, Emperor Cang was compelled to suggest.

"What Fellow Daoist Cang says is very true!"

Emperor Cang holds a special status as a disciple of a Quasi-Saint, and his teacher, Daoist Wood Pine, is the strongest among Eastern Heaven’s three Quasi-Saints. His words naturally carry the most clout amongst the emperors, and the suggestion quickly garnered unanimous agreement.

In truth, there were thoughts of issuing a conscription decree within the hearts of the emperors, but the matter hadn’t been sanctioned by Four Oceans Sect, thus fearing to take the lead. With Eastern Heaven entirely cut off from the other Three Heavens due to the boundary river’s chaos, missing any orders from Four Oceans Sect. No matter the urgency, privately issuing a conscription decree is a serious offense, necessitating someone with robust background to lead.

Emperor Cang is the ideal candidate to take the fall; even if Four Oceans Sect imposes penalties, considering Emperor Cang’s master’s prestige as Daoist Wood Pine, heavy punishments wouldn’t be meted out, at most verbal reprimands.

"If so, I shall immediately draft a conscription decree and announce it to the world. However... the decree must bear all fellow Daoists’ signatures for approval, there’s no objection here, right?"

"Er... naturally no objections—just as the law does not blame the collective, if we jointly draft the decree, Four Oceans Sect will have no complaints."

Emperor Cang smiled gently; while others were shrewd, he wasn’t naïve either. He could lead issuance of the conscription decree, but if there were penalties then everyone must bear the burden together.

Days later, under Emperor Cang’s lead, nine Eastern Heavenly emperors jointly issued an Immortal Decree.

This Immortal Decree was directed only at sects beyond the second step of cultivation in Eastern Heaven, with exceedingly firm language, permitting no refusal!

[Boundary river foreign clans disrupt our Eastern Heaven, a decree orders Eastern Heavenly Immortal Sects to ally at the boundary river to denounce foreign clans! Non-compliance, execution!]

Upon issuance, Eastern Heaven was stirred with commotion, everyone realized that the unrest-ridden Eastern Heaven was about to ride into unprecedented chaos.

Compared to the boundary river’s turmoil, the friction between Ning Fan and Dark Clan was directly ignored and forgotten...

As the Sect Master of Qianqiu Sect and the Hall Master of the Slaughter Hall, Ning Fan naturally received such an Immortal Decree.

Of course, because Ning Fan had a good relationship with Daoist Mu Song, Emperor Cang, Mu Song’s favored disciple, was quite polite in the wording he used for Ning Fan.

[There’s chaos in Eastern Heaven, I’ll soon go to the Boundary River to guard the people of Eastern Heaven. Will you come, brother?]

Ning Fan sighed, put down the Immortal Decree, and remained silent.

If the chaos in the Boundary River concerns the rise and fall of the entire Eastern Heaven, Ning Fan naturally couldn’t just sit by, after all, there were too many people he cared about here, he couldn’t let the Foreign Clans of Boundary River slaughter at will.

But...

This time the chaos in Boundary River suddenly reminded him of Nalan Zi’s prophecy about the Three Destinies.

[I saw the future, a terrifying future... The Four Heavens will be isolated, there will be war in Northern Heaven... Afterwards, the Spirit King will die by the hand of the Western Demon Ancestor... Ling Er, devoured by the Spirit King, will also die...]

He once didn’t understand what the prophecy said, but now he slightly understood part of it.

The Four Heavens will be isolated... does this isolation refer to the chaos in the Boundary River, where communications between the Four Heavens are blocked?

There will be war in Northern Heaven... The story of Emperor Jizao’s prophecy has spread throughout Eastern Heaven. According to Emperor Jizao, the chaos in the Boundary River in Northern Heaven is the most severe...

Ning Fan found it hard to imagine what kind of chaos was happening in Northern Heaven that it’s so severe that Four Oceans Sect couldn’t spare any attention to intervene in Eastern Heaven’s situation...

It should be known that when Senluo caused chaos in Eastern Heaven, Four Oceans Sect sent people over, but this time, the situation seems to be more severe, critical to Eastern Heaven’s rise and fall...

Yet Four Oceans Sect remained silent...

Has Northern Heaven already fallen into great danger...

The figures of Luo You, Yuan Yao, Bei Xiao Man, and other women appeared before Ning Fan, they all seemed to be cultivators from Northern Heaven.

The Eye Orb Monster and Candle Bow also seemed to be in Northern Heaven... were they caught up in the chaos?

And the Black Demon Sect, the sect of the old monster and Ning Fan, has it been affected by the chaos?

Ning Fan had to admit, when he heard Emperor Jizao’s prophecy, his heart was somewhat disturbed...

He fell silent but suddenly instructed the Minghai Celestial King beside him, then strode out of the Slaughter Hall.

"Minghai, I’m going to leave the Slaughter Hall for some time again, with me absent, you’ll be the Vice Hall Master of the Slaughter Hall, fully in charge of everything in the hall."

"Where is the Hall Master going?"

"Boundary River."

"Ah! Hall Master, aren’t you going alone again? Twenty years ago, it was quite inappropriate for the Hall Master to venture solo to the Dark Clan, this time..."

"Don’t worry, I won’t rashly go deep into the Boundary River, merely going to the edge to meet with Emperor Cang and others for an alliance."

"Hall Master should take more people..."

"No need, I’ll go to check the situation first. If the chaos in Boundary River is truly severe beyond control, I’ll call you then."

Ning Fan flew away from the Slaughter Hall all the way, not heading straight to the Boundary River but first to Godly Void Pavilion.

He headed directly to the Divine Tomb, standing silently at the bottom, staring at the empty Chaotic Ancient Tomb Palace.

The physical form of Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor had disappeared...

Disappeared mysteriously within the past decade. Of course, according to the words of Xiang Mingzi, the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor wasn’t missing but was privately handling some affairs...

"Has my master not returned yet..."

Ning Fan sighed and asked Xiang Mingzi beside him.

"Don’t worry, your master has his measures, first going into fetal breath and then disappearing, surely an important task needed handling."

"The Dark Clan has not returned either?"

"Mm, the spirit senses left in Great Dark Heaven by this old man haven’t detected any signs of Dark Clan cultivators returning... In my opinion, the chaos in Boundary River this time is somewhat connected with the disappearance of the Dark Clan, and the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor might have left for this reason..."

"So what?"

"So, heed my advice, do not go to the Boundary River... the Foreign Clans there are not as weak as you imagine, instead frighteningly strong, thus suppressed under the Boundary River by the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign..."

"Thank you, Senior, I’ll be careful."

"Ah, this old man’s heart has softened, truly doesn’t dare meddle in worldly disputes anymore, but if you need... just call out, and this old man will certainly go to the Boundary River to assist you!"

"Then I thank you in advance, Senior!"

"If you say thanks, it becomes distant! Were it not for the Extreme Yang Water you gifted me, I never might see the path of Second-Grade Quasi-Saint... By the way, isn’t Lady Zang Yue going with you to the Boundary River? She seems to have truly touched the bottleneck of First Order Quasi-Saint now, right?"

"Mm, she’s in a crucial period of cultivation, it’s not advisable to take her along this time. I’m fine on my own."

"If in trouble, seek the kid from Cang family, he’s a disciple of Mu Song."

"Mm, will remember."

Ning Fan flew away from the Divine Tomb, heading straight for the Boundary River of Eastern Heaven, pausing slightly when passing the former Dark Continent.

Then continued to fly away from there.

The Dark Clan was no longer there...

The whole Dark Clan went missing, Great Dark Heaven empty, this was discovered by Xiang Mingzi and other old monsters secretly repairing space nodes and probing within the Dark Clan.

Why would such a great entity as the Dark Clan abandon Eastern Heaven, where did they go?

Where did the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor go...

[Whether the Dark Clan will still be in Eastern Heaven in a few years can’t be said with certainty]

What Hei Sheng remarked back then unexpectedly turned out prophetic.

According to Hei Sheng, the next meeting will be a true life-and-death enemy confrontation...

Meaning the Dark Clan will definitely not disappear forever, they will certainly return!

"Dark Clan, Demon-Sealing Peak..."

With various speculations, Ning Fan flew all the way to Eastern Heaven Boundary River.

At this moment, the boundary of Eastern Heaven Boundary River was gathering tens of thousands of cultivators of Eastern Heavenly Sect, it was an unprecedented alliance, led by Immortal Emperor, all the second-step sects and forces of Eastern Heaven needed to join!

"Ah! Isn’t that Wuxian Cloud, the Eighth Generation Slaughter Emperor Ning Fan, he actually came too!"

As soon as Ning Fan arrived, countless cultivators changed their expression, stood up to greet him. His reputation was astonishingly great now, even more awe-inspiring than some Eastern Heaven Immortal Emperors...