At that moment, Ye Fan said to him, "Take them away and inform the Four Iron Generals that if they dare to send anyone to disrupt the Secular World again, I will not let them off!" Ye Fan acted decisively, issuing a stern threat on the spot.

Young Master Shuangbing nodded. He realized there was no longer any room for him to speak; the power of this top martial artist from the Secular World was completely beyond their expectations. The King of Heaven is truly someone we can’t afford to offend.

"Get lost!" Ye Fan shouted.

Young Master Shuangbing, helping the half-dead Cold Blood and Wuqing, approached Gu Die. "Thank you," he said.

Gu Die said nothing, her expression cold and indifferent. With a final, reluctant look, Young Master Shuangbing departed.

Ye Fan’s purpose in letting Young Master Shuangbing go was simple: to track him and find the small world where the Four Iron Generals were hiding. By now, if all went according to plan, Nangong would already be tracking him in secret, and the Heavenly King Hall’s intelligence team would also be on the move.

Afterward, Ye Fan glanced at the crowd and said, "The human Secular World has existed for thousands of years! It, too, had its moments of glory. Even though it has declined, it is not something they can challenge at will! I am very satisfied with your courage!"

"Thank you, King of Heaven!" the crowd exclaimed excitedly. Having faced such humiliation and challenge, it was no wonder the rage in their hearts had yet to subside.

Ye Fan left and rested for a day at the foot of Yue Mountain. That evening, Nangong arrived.

"Leader, I’ve completed the task you assigned me perfectly!"

Nangong handed Ye Fan a map and some documents. As Ye Fan looked them over, he commented, "Good. As for you Four Iron Generals... I’d like to see just how long you can hide."

Nangong then asked, "Leader, should I go with you?"

Ye Fan shook his head. "No, I’m enough on my own."

Nangong vanished. In truth, I do need help, but aside from myself, no one else has reached the Four Iron Generals’ level of cultivation. I can’t risk bringing them along. Besides, I’m not entirely alone. I have the Grassland Bear, whose combat strength is no less formidable than my own. I firmly believe that as long as the Four Iron Generals don’t attack together, the Grassland Bear and I can defeat any one of them.

That night, he set out with the Grassland Bear. Under the cover of darkness, they followed the route on the map. This time, their target was the Four Iron Generals.

Following the map, they arrived at the entrance to the small world by dawn. It was cleverly hidden; to Ye Fan’s surprise, the passage was located underwater. He turned to the Grassland Bear and asked, "Can you swim?"

Before he could even finish speaking, the Grassland Bear plunged into the water with incredible speed. Left speechless, Ye Fan had no choice but to follow.

The deeper they swam, the colder it became, enveloping them in an isolating darkness. Ye Fan stayed close to the Grassland Bear until they saw a light flickering in the distance. The man and beast immediately swam toward it. After passing through the light, they emerged into a strange, new small world.

Without a doubt, this must be a small world created by a great ancient martial arts expert. But this one is different; it’s immense, so vast it’s beyond my imagination—at least the size of a large island. Truly remarkable. The expert who created this world must have been extraordinary. So, you Four Iron Generals thought you could shirk the responsibilities of war by hiding in this small world. What a perfect little plan. But this time, I will show you the meaning of cruelty! If hiding away solves everything, then why did you need to cause trouble in the Secular World? In my view, those men setting up an arena on Yue Mountain was an act of torment against the Secular World. For this, I have yet another righteous reason to launch an assault on the Four Iron Generals.

The moment Ye Fan and the Grassland Bear set foot on this land, guards rushed over. "Who goes there?"

"You’re courting death!" Ye Fan roared as a slash of Sword Qi shot out, instantly obliterating the guards. Since I’m infiltrating this so-called sovereign land, I can’t leave any witnesses. He and the Grassland Bear quickly left the area.

The small world was divided into four regions, each controlled by one of the Four Iron Generals. From the information he had obtained, Ye Fan discovered a secret: the Tianxiong Iron General, reputedly the strongest of the four, had been missing for over a thousand years. His disappearance led to his territory being divided among the other three. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, but since the other three dared to brazenly seize his resources, he’s most likely dead.

Ye Fan headed for the Frost Ice Realm, the domain of the Frost Ice Iron General. Upon their arrival, they found the land to be bitterly cold. Ye Fan was unaffected, but the Grassland Bear seemed to take a liking to it, which Ye Fan found a bit helpless. Still, in a place like this, the Grassland Bear’s combat power will definitely get a significant boost. With that thought, he proceeded deeper into the Frost Ice Realm.

The realm was vast. They walked for a full day, evading numerous guards before finally arriving at the Frost Ice Palace.

「Inside the Frost Ice Palace...」

Young Master Shuangbing was kneeling on the ground, the red imprint of a slap still visible on his face. "Father, I have disappointed you!" he said. He had been thoroughly humiliated, yet he was powerless against the one who had done it—Ye Fan.

The Frost Ice Iron General asked, "Who injured you?"

"A man from the Secular World known as the King of Heaven!" Young Master Shuangbing immediately replied.

The name sounded somewhat familiar to the Frost Ice Iron General, but he couldn’t quite place it. Regardless, the incident had caused a great stir throughout the small world.

The Frost Ice Iron General sighed. "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. You’re actually lucky; those other two had their cultivation crippled. I told you long ago that the Secular World is not to be trifled with, but you insisted on going!"

Young Master Shuangbing felt deeply ashamed. He couldn’t help but hate Ye Fan, but he knew he was nowhere near a match for him now. He then said, "I warned Cold Blood and Wuqing not to act so rashly and provoke the people of the Secular World. That is why they brought this disaster upon themselves!"

He was frustrated, but even though he had been humiliated, at least his life was spared. For him, this was a blessing in disguise.

The Frost Ice Iron General said, "If someone oppresses you, then you must find a way to train harder and take your revenge. The Cold Blood Iron General and the Heartless Iron General are already preparing to join forces to launch an assault on that so-called King of Heaven in the Secular World, but I will have no part in it!"

Puzzled, Young Master Shuangbing asked, "Why not, Father?"

The Frost Ice Iron General replied, "Because of a prophecy the Tianxiong Iron General once told me!"

"What prophecy?" Young Master Shuangbing asked again, still confused. My father is a top-tier martial arts expert. To think he’d be frightened by some vague prophecy... even I find it hard to believe.