Although this weakened monster spoke a few threatening words, only the first one was true, as he was not the only fugitive who had fled to this world. The statement that followed, however, was a lie. The power of the Holy Clan was unimaginable. Although these escapees could slay gods, treating them as mere prey, they themselves were even more insignificant before the Holy Clan.

Ye Fan rebuked, "That’s none of your business. All that matters is that you’re about to die!"

Following his roar, the monster finally perished. Silence descended, and with the creature’s demise, all its illusions vanished, leaving Ye Fan alone.

Panting, Ye Fan stood his ground. He had finally exterminated the monster, but he felt no joy. He swore that he was truly from Earth and had absolutely no connection to the so-called Holy Clan. A native-born Earthling, through and through!

But he was only now realizing that the Divine Race was not the strongest power in the universe. This monster had been stronger than the Divine Race, to say nothing of the even more monstrous Holy Clan that hunted such creatures for sport. What a terrifying existence!

If those two clans were to descend upon the Divine Domain, the situation would become dire. He wondered if the Divine Domain even had experts capable of resisting them. If either clan arrived, the Divine Race would be no match. While the fall of the Divine Domain did not concern him directly, the Human Clan’s secular world would be next in line. His family, his lover, and his brothers were all in the secular world—and they would all be wiped out. Ye Fan felt the crushing weight of despair.

At times like this, he truly wished he were just an ordinary person, living an uneventful life that spanned only a few short decades. In those decades, he could have lived peacefully, not facing the current crisis of the Divine Domain spilling over into the mortal realm, let alone the sudden emergence of two clans, each more monstrous than the last. Being a Cultivator is truly difficult.

Furthermore, the Divine Domain still harbored many monsters like the one he had just faced. These creatures were his true threat. They would never tolerate a member of the Holy Clan—a race that could challenge their very existence—to live alongside them in the Divine Domain.

The road ahead was filled with hardship, and Ye Fan knew he had to face these challenges alone. He could only pray that these monsters would not awaken too soon. Otherwise, who could possibly contend with them?

After brooding over so many worries, Ye Fan realized he was letting them get to him. He was an optimistic person by nature and should not be so consumed by such thoughts. Of course, after worry comes joy. Ye Fan felt a surge of pride, for he had finally obtained the long-coveted Vast Divine Steel—a material indispensable to him.

He had already fused with the Peerless Divine Steel, and now that he had the Vast Divine Steel in hand, he was overjoyed. From this day forward, my Godhead is complete.

Ye Fan took out the two pieces of Vast Divine Steel. They shone brilliantly, a stark contrast to the dullness of the Peerless Divine Steel. The Vast Divine Steel was a radiant material, and for him, it was irreplaceable.

With both rare materials in hand, Ye Fan returned to the storeroom that had once belonged to the Outer Domain Main God. It was a waste to leave so many resources sitting idle. Ye Fan was not the type to squander heavenly gifts, so he packed up a portion of each top-grade Immortal Mine for emergencies.

After packing the materials, Ye Fan lamented how small his storage space was. He could only take a little more than a ton of each. It was far from enough for his needs, but he was not an inconsiderate person. He would leave the rest. Should any adventurers come here in the future, let them have it. No one should monopolize so many Immortal Mines.

With his preparations complete, Ye Fan decided to leave immediately. Even though he could have had a breakthrough here, he did not know if other monsters lurked in the mountain. He dared not take such a risk in this dangerous place.

Besides, fusing with the Vast Divine Steel required him to extract his Godhead and integrate the new material—a true fusion. But this time, his ambition was greater. He planned to incorporate every kind of Immortal Mine to forge the strongest Godhead in history. Yes, the strongest Godhead. Following that plan would require him to stay here for at least a month, and staying in such a cursed place for that long was not something Ye Fan wanted. Therefore, he prepared to leave and find a secluded place to enter a retreat and reforge his Godhead.

After this reforging, his Godhead would stabilize. He could not be blamed for taking such measures. The Heavenly Tribulations he faced were always monstrously powerful. Even more difficult trials were yet to come, so he planned to create the strongest Godhead possible to withstand them.

At this moment, Ye Fan arrived in the abandoned Underground City, where the Fire Demon rose up again. It seemed to be the Guardian of this area. Upon seeing Ye Fan, it erupted in fury. But this time, Ye Fan activated his strongest power. As the Divine Talisman emitted its brightest light, the Fire Demon finally submerged back into the depths.

As Ye Fan leaped across the chasm, he turned and saw that the Underground City had completely collapsed behind him. In its place, a vast Sea of Melted Lava had formed. Ye Fan knew that crossing this sea would be impossible for anyone below the rank of a high-ranking god. Perhaps not even a Divine General could manage it.

He thought that was the end of it, but now he realized how naive he had been. As the Molten Lava Sea settled, the Immortal Mines on the other side were covered by lava. The storeroom was instantly obliterated, and all the Immortal Gold tumbled into the molten depths. Ye Fan’s heart ached at the loss. The place was undoubtedly ruined. It would be impossible to gather any more Immortal Mines from here in the future, especially with the Fire Demon still lurking watchfully.

However, Ye Fan also felt a sense of relief, as this perfectly aligned with his earlier intentions. Besides finding the Vast Divine Steel, he had also planned to destroy this place. Now, the Fire Demon had done the job for him. Perhaps this was fate! Fate always seemed to arrange everything for him when he least expected it.

Ye Fan quickly flew toward the exit. When he arrived at a spot less than five kilometers from the entrance, he saw that the area had been cleared out and many slaves were busy mining. He disguised himself as a guard and walked out of the mine shaft.

However, he had an ominous feeling when he saw Jingnan Divine General standing at the entrance. Ye Fan’s heart jumped in panic. With his current strength, it was impossible for him to contend with an expert like Jingnan Divine General. Perhaps in a few decades, he might have a chance. After all, Jingnan Divine General was a formidable powerhouse at the Divine General Level.

Pretending to be a patrolling guard, Ye Fan started to walk past him. Jingnan Divine General was busy talking to the Martial Artists at his side, and Ye Fan let out a silent sigh of relief, thinking he had managed to fool his way through. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

But just as he passed, Jingnan Divine General suddenly called out, "Wait!"