Chapter 1221: Royal Family Calamity

"Ancestor Saint... oh, oh!" A chorus of wails erupted before the ruined Myriad Dragon Nest. Overwhelmed by terror and fear, they could scarcely believe the truth: the Imperial Grand Saint had been annihilated!

Everyone's face was ashen. For them, this was a monumental catastrophe; it felt as though the sky itself had collapsed. Their cries of despair shook the very ground.

"The Ancestor Saint is dead, and the Myriad Dragon Nest lies in ruins. This imperial clan is about to be cast down from its divine pedestal!""After this battle, it's uncertain whether this imperial clan will even survive."

From the heavens, numerous powerful cultivators arrived, each one trembling with fear at the sight. The dignified Imperial Grand Saint had been slain, sending shockwaves throughout the mortal realm.

Grand Saint Qianlun lay on the ground, covered in blood. After a brutal struggle, he had been violently expelled from the Myriad Dragon Bell by the Human Demon.

It was a powerful display of might!

Even merged with the ten-thousand-foot-long Extreme Purple Dragon, Qianlun could not escape his fate. It would have been one thing if he had been reduced to ashes, but for his physical body to be ejected intact only served to highlight the Human Demon's immense power.

As life extinguished, Grand Saint Qianlun's primordial spirit perished, leaving his body cold and lifeless. Yet, his massive physical form remained immortal, a dragon's head manifesting as if he were a true dragon.

His cultivation was utterly severed, and his Dharma form shattered, revealing a humanoid body. His head, however, reverted to its ancestral form, majestic and ferocious. The Grand Saint's powerful aura still lingered, an awe-inspiring presence.

A Grand Saint had simply perished. It was a brutal end for a titan who had once dominated the ancient era, who had witnessed the glorious reign of the Battle Saint Emperor. His was a somber conclusion.

The Myriad Dragon Nest, once held in such high esteem, had once scorned all other races, looking down upon them like gods. Now, their ancestral land was breached, facing the imminent threat of annihilation, filling everyone with terror.

The battle was far from over. The Human Demon transformed into a black-and-white Taiji diagram, carrying the crystal-clear green cauldron, as he entered the depths of the universe, searching for the purple true dragon.

Using the Heavenly Court divine artifact, the green cauldron, he sought to claim the Ancient Imperial Armament!

The world was in shock. Only a few individuals knew the full truth, and they were left utterly dumbfounded. That was an Ancient Imperial Armament, resurrected to a significant degree, yet it proved incapable of slaying the Human Demon.

"The Immortal Cauldron of the ancient Heavenly Court retains its divine power. Though shattered, the divinity it contains has not dispersed. Otherwise, how could it possibly have withstood the Myriad Dragon Bell!?"

It became clear that the Human Demon had also encountered immense trouble. In his dying moments, Grand Saint Qianlun had offered a blood sacrifice to the Imperial Armament, activating it to a unique state.

The Myriad Dragon Bell had vanished. Was it about to unleash the true power of an ancient Great Emperor? It seemed likely it intended to slay the Human Demon with a single strike!

"Why this bitterness?" sighed Grand Saint Huntuo, standing on the vast expanse of the sky. "When will these cycles of vengeance ever end? Life is but a grand dream; we cultivators strive for immortality, struggling to cross this sea of suffering. Alas, it is important to remember that peace is ultimately the most precious virtue." As he spoke, he chanted a spell and scattered a handful of yellow earth for the deceased.

"Ohh..." The Myriad Dragon Nest clan members cried out in sorrow, wailing inconsolably. The demise of an Imperial Grand Saint had sealed their downfall.

Their ancestral land had been breached; even if they somehow survived this catastrophe, who would ever again revere such an ancient imperial clan?

"Why did this happen?" people wondered, each sighing deeply. Even the sun eventually sets; how much more so for a clan, which must also face its inevitable, sorrowful decline.

Ye Fan watched everything with indifference, devoid of sympathy. In ancient times, humanity had been a humble race, reduced to blood-food for stronger clans. They had even forged the skulls of human saints into wine cups, a fate far more tragic than the one unfolding now.

"Youngster, you brought all of this upon us!" roared an elder from within the Quasi-Imperial Array, his eyes bloodshot and his body trembling. "You have brought boundless disaster upon my clan! Today, I will eliminate you!" He charged forward, determined to kill Ye Fan.

"Those who take lives shall have their own taken!" Ye Fan declared coldly.

"Agh!" The ancient king roared, his cry shattering the leaden clouds and shaking the very sky. Killing intent surged for miles as he lunged at Ye Fan.

Black and white energy beams flashed as the Yin and Yang forces left by the Human Demon erupted, forming a Taiji diagram. It swept forward like a world-grinding plate, and the elder screamed in agony, his body nearly pulverized before he rapidly retreated.

He abandoned half of his body and fled back into the Quasi-Imperial Array, his face drained of all color, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Ye Fan's voice cut through the air like thunder: "When you massacred mortals, did you ever conceive of this day? Before you annihilated other clans, did you ever foresee that your own would also face its end?"

"Aooo..." Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from the depths of the sky, like a celestial dragon emerging or a deity roaring. A torrent of purple light cascaded down, landing deep within the Myriad Dragon Nest.

"Divine spirits! It's a clash of divine spirits!" people exclaimed, as all present were utterly shaken.

The Myriad Dragon Bell emitted a colossal chime before disappearing into the ancient nest. The divine spirit it had nurtured had indeed appeared, having just unleashed a strike of unknown power from beyond the realm.

"Beyond this realm, a cluster of stars shattered, utterly reduced to cosmic dust!" An old clan leader, whose magical power was unfathomable, gazed through the Sky-Penetrating Array towards the celestial domain. He was horrified to see an entire starfield extinguished, its light irrevocably dimmed.

"Could it be that the Human Demon was destroyed by the Myriad Dragon Bell's autonomous assault? After all, that cauldron shattered; it likely couldn't withstand a revived Ancient Imperial Armament!"

Many were excited and filled with anticipation. However, their hopes were dashed. A vibrant green mist surged forth, and the cauldron's light illuminated the cosmos, propping open the void as if creating heaven and earth, giving rise to boundless vitality.

The Human Demon returned, safe and unharmed!

"The Heavenly Court's divine artifact can still conquer the world and engage in decisive battles; it has just been revived!" an ancient elder, roused from his slumber within a primordial source, declared.

"The ancient Heavenly Court... it truly is unfathomable," murmured an elderly imperial clan leader. "How was that cauldron forged back then? It shattered, yet it still wields world-shaking power."

On the distant Sumeru Mountain, the Victorious Fighting Buddha stood before the Great Thunder Sound Temple, gazing beyond the Great Void with his Fiery Golden Eyes, lost in profound thought.

The Human Demon let out a long howl, descending from the heavens to land before the ruins of the Myriad Dragon Nest. Unharmed, he fixed his gaze on the deepest part of the ruins.

"Senior!" Ye Fan stepped forward.

This battle was not yet over. To make all clans tremble, the nest must be captured through overwhelming force. If successful, no one would dare to make a rash move again.

At this very moment, news of the battle spread throughout the land, sending shivers through all five regions. Those dispatched by Radion were utterly demoralized and then struck with terror. They all fled immediately, never daring to show themselves again.

"What do you want?" an elder demanded sharply before the dilapidated ruins of the Myriad Dragon Nest. They were overcome with despair; today's battle had been a crushing defeat.

The Human Demon advanced, reaching the front of the array. He scanned the people within, causing them immense unease.

"If my father were alive," whispered the Ancient Imperial Dragon Maiden, her body veiled in purple mist, her fists clenched, "who in this world would dare to set foot even half a step into the Dragon Nest?"

"The path is walked by those who come after," Ye Fan added, stepping forward. "What is sown one day is reaped on another. Calamity is not predetermined by heaven; it is wrought by human hands."

The Quasi-Imperial Array shimmered with mist, protecting the clan members within. Strands of Dao marks, intricately linked to their bloodline, shielded them from impending disaster and slaughter.

Even with such protection, the Myriad Dragon Nest clan members were terrified, fearing the Human Demon would penetrate their defenses and massacre them all.

The Human Demon circled for a short distance, with Ye Fan following close behind. This immediately caused the Ancient Imperial Clan's faces to pale, and they grew visibly uneasy.

"Activate the Quasi-Imperial Array diagram for defense!" someone shouted.

The array's Dao marks intertwined, transforming into an even more mystical celestial diagram. Ten thousand threads and a thousand strands, their imprints etched within an immortal halo, emanated auspicious qi.

A vermilion ancient coffin! Ye Fan's heart stirred as he saw the massive sarcophagus, resting within the dilapidated ancient grounds, coexisting with the Quasi-Imperial Array.

Within the Chaos Dragon Nest lay the most astonishing ancient coffin, and there were others in the outer caves as well; he had seen three or four of them previously, left by the Ruthless Emperor for her Heaven-Refining Art.

The Human Demon's eyes immediately lit up, emitting astonishing beams of light as he gazed at the ancient coffin pressing down on the array. "The Human Emperor," he declared, "truly transcends both ancient and modern times. This ancient coffin is situated at a critical point, rendering the Quasi-Imperial Array incomplete!"

Ye Fan's heart trembled. The crucial divine coffin was indeed in the black nest, but it seemed the external placement also held significance. Clearly, the coffins had not been arranged arbitrarily.

Upon hearing the Human Demon's words, the Myriad Dragon Nest clan members fell into despair. A flaw in the Quasi-Imperial Array meant the Human Demon could most likely breach it!

The imminent threat of their clan's annihilation was upon them. They had never imagined such a day would come, and they could no longer control themselves, some breaking into loud sobs.

Ye Fan remained indifferent. Annihilating the entire clan might not be necessary, but those few elders certainly had to be eliminated. The terrifying glint in their eyes, combined with their Saint cultivation, indicated they would pose a significant threat in the future if not dealt with now.

The Human Demon stared for a long moment, then stepped into the Quasi-Imperial Array through its detected flaw. With a rumbling sound, his first step proved correct; the array shook, yet no lethal energy burst forth.

"Ah, no!" everyone cried out in despair.

Several long rainbows pierced the void of the Northern Domain, descending like lightning. The old clan leaders from Fire Qilin Cave, Blood Phoenix Mountain, and Primordial Lake arrived, their expressions grim. A shared sorrow, like a fox weeping over a dead rabbit, was palpable as they stared at the unfolding events.

"Ancestor Saints, you must champion our clan!" an elder inside the Quasi-Imperial Array cried out, filled with grief and indignation. "Eliminate that Human Demon, or how will our Ancient Imperial Clan maintain its prestige? How will we face the myriad races?"

Ancient Imperial power flowed from these individuals; they clearly carried Extreme Imperial Armaments, and all of them radiated intense killing intent.

Their gazes were cold and merciless, fixed first on Ye Fan, then shifting to the Human Demon, without uttering a single word.

The Human Demon remained completely unfazed, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth. "You cannot stop me," he stated. "If you wish to intervene, I shall visit your dwelling places, one by one."

While straightforward, he was not the type to act recklessly or attempt to annihilate the world alone. This was an undisguised threat.

The old clan leaders were forced to consider the grave consequences. If the Human Demon were to escape, his future retaliation could result in the annihilation of their own clans.

Great Yin and Great Yang—which is weaker, which is stronger? When Yin and Yang coalesce, one reigns supreme over the world.

This legend weighed like a mountain on everyone's hearts; it could not be ignored!

"Let's go!" the Dragon Maiden commanded from within the Quasi-Imperial Array. She turned and rushed towards the deepest part of the ancestral land, leading her clan members in retreat.

She had witnessed the hesitation and apprehension of the old clan leaders, and also observed the Human Demon taking five consecutive steps, indicating he might indeed breach the Quasi-Imperial Array.

"Princess, where are we going?" the Myriad Dragon Nest clan members collectively asked the ancient emperor's young daughter.

"My father once said that should a great calamity threaten our clan, and we are powerless to resist, we are to jump into that black Chaos Dragon Nest," the Dragon Maiden explained.

Filled with immense hatred, the Myriad Dragon Nest clan members glanced back at Ye Fan and the Human Demon. Then, together with the Dragon Maiden, they rushed towards the deepest part of their ancestral land, arriving before the colossal black ancient nest, a structure as massive as a mountain.

Tears streamed down their faces.