Chapter 288

Deep in the plateau's barren soil, beneath a great Dao tree shrouded in thick, gloomy dark matter, a black-clad figure stood upright—none other than the Strange Progenitor.

Its gaze pierced the void, making all worlds fall silent, causing all things to wither; the myriad worlds seemed laid bare before it as it investigated the cause of its own awakening.

However, no matter how it probed or deduced, everything within the myriad worlds was utterly normal, extremely normal.

Whether past, present, or future, nothing occurred that could draw its attention.

But if everything is normal, how could it have been roused from slumber?

Variable.

A hoarse, icy voice rang out, tearing through the boundless cosmos, making myriad powerhouses of the Strange Clan beyond the plateau tremble.

This was the first time they had seen the Progenitor display such a demeanor.

And as the voice faded, a terrifying ancient coffin appeared behind the Strange Progenitor, emanating an ominous aura that overwhelmed the myriad worlds.

Even an Ultimate-level Dark Immortal Emperor, sensing the ominous qi from within the coffin, felt a chill that made their hairs stand on end.

Hum

From the ancient coffin flowed a dark substance like ash, carrying an ominous aura surpassing all, which turned into a thick mist and slowly merged into the Strange Progenitor's body.

In an instant, the Strange Progenitor seemed to undergo an invisible transformation; its aura shifted violently, exuding a terrifying aura from the source of ominousness.

Its hands traced mysterious trajectories, while countless dark mists swirled at its sides, linking the river of time-space, the source of fate, as it deduced the origin of the Variable.

It's Huang.

After an unknown span, its gaze shifted; the surrounding black mist coalesced, forming a brilliant sword light that severed the ages, and a valiant man wielding a longsword.

How is that possible?

Hearing the Progenitor's words, the Ultimate-level powerhouses on the plateau were greatly startled.

They had not never clashed with Huang; though the opponent was indeed formidable, it had not reached the Progenitor's realm—why would the Progenitor value it so highly?

The Strange Progenitor suddenly turned its gaze toward the Ultimate-level Immortal Emperors on the plateau, coldly saying: 'Find Huang, exterminate all his traces, and utterly erase him from the entirety of ancient history.'

Before its voice even faded, the Strange Progenitor abruptly shifted its gaze beyond the plateau to the myriad worlds, to all heavens and myriad worlds.

Sensing the Progenitor's movement, the Ultimate-level powerhouses on the plateau also curiously looked beyond the plateau.

Clang!

A sword's ring that shook the cosmos resounded!

Sword light!

An incomparably brilliant sword light suddenly blazed, piercing through all heavens and myriad worlds, imprinting itself between heaven and earth, and also in the eyes of the Strange Progenitor and the Dark Immortal Emperors.

It's Huang.

Earth, Kunlun.

Upon arriving, gazing at this vast ancient mountain range, Ye Fan felt infinitesimally small, as if the range dwarfed the entire universe.

And before Ye Fan stood a figure emanating an inscrutable aura, seemingly waiting for him.

Gazing at that aura far stronger than his own, Ye Fan felt a strange sensation, seeing a glimpse of himself in the other's presence.

Sovereign!

That name surfaced in his mind; Ye Fan hurried forward, clasped his hands, and said, 'Greetings, Fellow Daoist Sovereign.'

At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Just what level has Fuxi, the Human Ancestor, attained nowadays?

This Lord of the Ancient Heavenly Court had clearly achieved the status of a Red Dust Immortal, even surpassing that of a Sovereign, yet had become his subordinate.

Know that the entire universe has undergone a transformation, becoming vastly stronger than before.

Ye Fan, who wields the Heaven's Heart Mark, can mobilize the power of the whole universe; though his realm is only that of a Great Emperor, even a Red Dust Immortal could be easily subdued.

Yet now, facing this Sovereign, he faintly sensed a hint of danger from within the other's body—clearly, the Sovereign's realm far exceeds that of an ordinary Red Dust Immortal.

The Sovereign gazed at the so‑called Son of the Great Calamity spoken of by the Great Emperor before him, a flicker of strange color appearing in his eyes; he too saw a trace of himself in the other.

He silently shook his head to dispel the odd thought, the Sovereign gave a slight smile: 'Fellow Daoist Ye Fan, the Great Emperor summons!'

Saying so, the Sovereign led Ye Fan into Kunlun.

Upon stepping into Kunlun, Ye Fan's heart jolted, as if entering a place of the Great Dao; the Dao's laws became unprecedentedly clear, primordial qi wove around him, and with each breath he felt his cultivation steadily growing.

'Mountains need not be high; if there are immortals, they are renowned.'

That line rose in his mind, and Ye Fan's awe grew ever deeper.

After walking with the Emperor Sovereign for a moment, he arrived at an ancient and solemn great hall, where he saw two figures on the main seat: they were Fuxi, the Human Ancestor, and the Holy Mother Nüwa.

The two were right in front of Ye Fan, yet they seemed to be at an infinite height, distant as an ancient history, giving him a feeling that he could never truly reach them.

'Greetings to the Human Ancestor, greetings to the Holy Mother!'

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Fan respectfully performed the salute.

Regarding these two ancestors before him who had once given him great help, he still felt deep respect in his heart.

After completing the salute, Ye Fan noticed another figure in the hall.

It was a handsome youth wearing a Daoist robe, with an ancient plain long sword at his waist whose thunder light was inwardly restrained, faintly emanating an awe-inspiring aura and sword intent that made him tremble.

This youth was Meng Qi.

He too had been brought to this universe by Feng Yi, hoping to use this world to temper himself well, which was also one of his deals with the Venerable of Morality.

On the other side, Meng Qi looked at the youth who had walked in, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

However, facing the two big shots seated on the main seat, he also dared not say more.

'Hmm.'

On the main seat, Feng Yi nodded slightly, looking at Ye Fan's figure, secretly shaking his head in his heart.

The original Ye Heavenly Emperor probably wouldn't play much of a role in the upcoming battle.

In fact, with the enlightenment of the River Chart and Luo Book, Ye Fan's growth now is unknown how many times faster than in the original story, and his combat strength is far greater than that of his contemporaries in the original.

But it's a pity; the current situation's development is completely different from the original work, his cultivation is still too weak, far from the level to intervene.

Of course, this is also a seedling above the Sacrificial Dao; Feng Yi will also nurture it well.

With thoughts turning in his mind, Feng Yi smiled and said: "Ye Fan, what brings you to Kunlun?"

"Human Ancestor."

Ye Fan again respectfully performed a salute and said: "Junior has come to return the Heavenly Heart Seal; the entire universe has undergone transformation because of you, and the Heavenly Heart Seal should be wielded by you."

"Hehe."

Feng Yi chuckled lightly, shook his head: "A mere Heavenly Heart Seal is of no use to me; since you are the present Great Emperor, the Heavenly Heart Seal ought to be wielded by you, which also benefits your cultivation growth."

"This universe, compared to the entirety of the Myriad Worlds, is merely a remote corner; you must still strive to strengthen your cultivation, for we have enemies far more terrifying than you can imagine."

"This"

Ye Fan startled; there are other heavens and earth beyond this universe, which he wasn't surprised by, after all the immortal realm truly exists.

But even the current Fuxi Human Ancestor says the enemies are terrifying; what kind of existence could they be?

Seeing what Ye Fan was thinking, Feng Yi looked at him: "You only need to know that those enemies are existences at the pinnacle of the Myriad Worlds, just like the dark turmoil of this universe; every so often they blood‑sacrifice the entire Myriad Worlds to boost their cultivation, and a single thought of their supreme being can turn this universe directly to ashes."

"What."

Ye Fan's heart jolted; a single thought could turn the whole universe to ashes—what kind of existence is that?

There actually exists such a terrifying enemy within the Myriad Worlds?

Before Ye Fan could regain his composure, Feng Yi's heart stirred, and together with Nüwa he looked toward the river of time and space.

"Elder Brother!"

Nüwa looked at Feng Yi, her eyes flashing with eager anticipation.

"I understand."

Feng Yi nodded, his fingers moved slightly; countless trigrams flowed, shifting the course of fate, triggering heavenly secret changes throughout the Myriad Worlds.

At the same time, he lightly waved his hand; Ye Fan and Meng Qi's figures appeared outside the hall simultaneously, and a voice sounded in their ears.

"Ye Fan, Meng Qi, you two can exchange ideas; different worlds' cultivation systems should be analogous, which will help your cultivation."

"Huh?"

Ye Fan startled; what happened? Why was he suddenly sent out?

After regaining his composure, he looked at the handsome youth wearing a longsword at his waist, about to speak, when he saw the other looking at him eagerly: "Hello, are you the Holy Body Ye Fan? I am Meng Qi."

"Um, hello."

Ye Fan felt slightly unaccustomed to the other's enthusiasm; he always felt the other's gaze on him was a bit off, tinged with excitement.

Before he could say anything, he suddenly felt something and looked up at the sky; Meng Qi did the same, looking up at the same time.

Sword light!

A dazzling sword light streaked across the sky, as if cleaving heaven and earth, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

Ye Fan could not describe the brilliance of this sword light in words; it seemed to be the Dao he had long sought.

At this moment, not only the present era, but also upon the river of time and space a dazzling sword light shone directly, cutting through the ages, spanning past and present.

Whether in ancient times, modern day, or the future, no matter which spacetime, all beings stared up in shock at that dazzling, blinding sword light.

At this moment, this sword light is the sole uniqueness of past, present, and future, of all heavens and earth.

In the Shrouding Heaven Universe, within a great tomb on an ancient star.

The fat Daoist excavating the ancient tomb suddenly looked up at the heavens, seeing that sword light shining across all eras, and seeing that familiar sword light forever etched in his heart even if all memory were lost.

His gaze turned blank; his entire field of vision was occupied by that sword light, leaving nothing else.

"Brother ah"

A faintly sorrowful unconscious mutter sounded; the fat Daoist's lecherous expression vanished, and unbeknownst to him tears streamed down his face.

After regaining his composure, he wiped the tears from his face; the fat Daoist's eyes showed a hint of bewilderment.

"What's wrong with me? Why do I feel an urge to burst into tears?"

Upon the sword light, illusory trigrams flowed, linking many regions of the Myriad Worlds.

The sword light swept across the Myriad Worlds, reaching every spacetime; under the guidance of fate and causality, along some heavenly secret–fate connection, it scattered into myriad strands, falling into every realm, every spacetime, every hidden corner, slaying all persons or things related to the strange clan.

Within the Myriad Worlds, aside from the high plateau, the strange clan's beings entrenched in every world, every domain, every special region were instantly slain by this sword light, none escaping; the Myriad Worlds were cleared in an instant.

"Huang, you're insolent!"

Upon the high plateau, a roar that shook heaven and earth rang out; the great thousand worlds trembled, and a vast dark qi swept across the heavens.

Its might was so strong it directly covered the river of years, concealed the myriad worlds' universe, causing all things in the Myriad Worlds to overturn.

The ultimate-level powerhouse on the high plateau made a move; the Immortal Emperor's might erupted, suppressing the heavens, making the entire Myriad Worlds tremble.

Boom

A fist surrounded by endless dark matter appeared, piercing the river of time and space, descending upon the master of the sword light.

The myriad worlds boiled, heavenly order collapsed, one world after another shattered, one universe after another perished.

Eternal spacetime coiled, endless cosmic waves surged.

This is the supreme divine might of the ultimate-level Immortal Emperor; its frontal combat power lies beyond the other shore, a pure destroyer.

However, facing the Dark Immortal Emperor's display of supreme might, Shi Hao's eyes were deep and indifferent as he gazed upon Him.

"To kill you, only one sword is needed!"

Clang!

As his words fell, the sword's cry rang out again; myriad strands of sword light roared, the river of time shattered, the boundless Chaos Sea was split apart, and only a single sword light of extreme brilliance fell from an unknown height.

The power of this sword faintly approached surpassing the Immortal Emperor level, as if it could slay the entirety of the heavens.

The entire Myriad Worlds were directly split into two by a sword and a fist, as if forming two different realms.

Pfft

However, at the moment the sword light fell, boundless blood rain poured down, unknown how much chaos it had worn away; that fist, entwined with dark matter and bursting with the might of the Sovereign Heavenly Emperor, together with its owner, was directly split in two by this sword light.

The sword light contained a supreme sword intent, like a bone‑deep poison, spreading upward, directly wearing away the origin of this Dark Immortal Emperor as well.

Though also an Ultimate‑level Immortal Emperor, the moment he stepped out of the plateau, this Dark Immortal Emperor of the Strange Clan was slain by a single sword of Shi Hao.

All heavens fell silent; only Shi Hao's tall and stalwart figure stood firm above all heavens, coldly gazing upon the plateau's badlands, as if one man stood against the entire plateau.

Upon the plateau's badlands, many Ultimate‑level Dark Immortal Emperors gazed at that solitary figure, yet involuntarily a tremor arose in their hearts, and they lacked the courage to act.

The entire Strange Clan was directly intimidated by Shi Hao's single sword.

Even that Strange Ancestor was shaken by the scene before him, and for a moment he was stunned.

However, the next moment He came to his senses, fully confirming that this Huang was the variable that made Him uneasy.

(End of chapter)