Chapter 1421: Luxurious

Ye Fan in motion was like a roc spreading its wings, soaring ninety thousand li into the sky. When still, he was like a deep ocean, exuding an invincible aura that looked down upon the world. He threw the two halves of the golden snake body onto the ground, completely unafraid of his opponent escaping, and coldly gazed down at him.

The Golden Snake Young Master's ten-foot-long snake body was severed into two, and golden blood splattered high. Despair filled his heart as he unleashed several of his most powerful ancient techniques, only to be utterly defeated and unable to contend with such a formidable enemy.

"I refuse to accept this!" He refused to become mere bones on the path to emperorship. Since his debut, he had been invincible, singing triumphant songs, and priding himself on being among the strongest of the younger generation. Yet today, he suffered such a crushing defeat.

The two severed body parts rejoined, reforming a single golden snake body. His golden spine clanged, and the Demonic Serpent Evil Sword reappeared, dazzling brightly. Stained with his essence blood, its power was unparalleled, ready for a final desperate struggle. Ye Fan's divine form emerged, a dragon-shaped curve at its core, enveloped in a golden halo. With a thunderous roar, his vital energy surged skyward, reaching its peak state.

"Clang!"

He struck the sword with his fist, delivering dozens of blows that made the Demonic Serpent Evil Sword tremble. After displaying his Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, his golden fist struck a hundred times. Finally, with a loud boom, the sword shattered into countless fragments. Simultaneously, a vast sea of blood and endless bones appeared, as if one had suddenly arrived in a terrifying alien land, so abrupt that it sent shivers down one's spine.

These were the blood and bones accumulated by the Demonic Serpent Evil Sword when it devoured millions of living beings and nurtured a malevolent embryo to become a supreme sacred artifact. Though not tangible, they were eerily lifelike. The Demonic Serpent Evil Sword had consumed the blood of Great Sages, was founded upon millions of lives, and spiritually imbued with the divine blood of an entire ape clan. It was nearly a Great Sage's artifact, yet it was still destroyed, broken by Ye Fan's fist.

This blow shattered all of the Golden Snake Young Master's confidence, making him feel as if he had missed a step on a ten-thousand-foot peak and plummeted into a dark abyss, leaving him utterly cold.

"Why doesn't Ye Fan kill him yet? To avoid any unforeseen complications, one shouldn't be soft on enemies. He should be decisive and ruthless," said the Scorpion Saint.

Pang Bo replied, "Because there are still three other snakes. Ye Fan wants to understand this clan's true strength, and he might even encounter the most terrifying elder snake in the future."

At the last moment, the Golden Snake Young Master's face suddenly twisted into a ferocious grimace. Dispelling all despair, divine light burst from his brow, and a corner of a formation diagram flew out, imbued with the aura of the Great Dao. It seemed capable of suppressing the nine heavens and ten earths, as divine energy surged wildly. This was a mysterious ancient artifact of the Demonic Serpent clan. In the past, the four brothers had used it to fight against a Great Sage, even forcing the Gray Flood Dragon Beast Venerable into a dangerous situation, almost ensnaring him.

"Even if I can't defeat you, I can still kill you!" roared the Golden Snake Young Master, his eyes filled with grim intent. This formidable enemy had driven him to despair; since he couldn't contend with him, he would utterly destroy him. This was his crazed thought, to obliterate Ye Fan's body and spirit. Although a corner of the divine diagram was sealed, it could still unleash a portion of its power. Rippling waves of light spread out, seemingly capable of killing gods and slaying Buddhas that stood in their way.

The void shattered inch by inch!

"Clang!"

Suddenly, a brilliant green light erupted in front of Ye Fan. He took out the severely damaged green cauldron and placed it before him. When the waves of light spread towards him, they were all completely blocked. The Dragon Horse and others were alarmed. The Demonic Serpent clan was indeed terrifying, actually forcing Ye Fan to use such a powerful killing artifact – something that hadn't happened in years! The mysterious green bronze cauldron, the only divine artifact left from the ancient Heavenly Court, never actively attacked, always serving primarily as a defensive tool.

"What is this? Ancient Heavenly Court…" the Golden Snake Young Master exclaimed, a look of astonishment on his face.

Ye Fan advanced with the green cauldron. The light waves, unable to approach him, instead struck the Golden Snake Young Master and the divine diagram. With a thunderous boom, this corner of the ancient formation diagram shone dazzlingly, tearing through the void and soaring into the sky, actually fleeing.

"Our Demonic Serpent clan's ancestral artifact actually flew away…" The Golden Snake Young Master was aghast.

Hundreds of thousands of miles away, in a vast wilderness where ancient trees reached the sky and apes cried and tigers roared, a corner of a formation diagram appeared above the heads of the other three Golden Snake Young Masters. They were operating the Golden Snake Heavenly Art, trying to locate the second young master through the connection between the diagrams. Suddenly, brilliant light erupted at the edge of the sky. A dazzling divine rainbow descended, and a corner of an ancient formation diagram fell, merging with their three ancestral artifacts to form a complete ancient diagram. On it were various patterns, from gods above to birds and beasts below. At its center, myriad spirits surrounded a Demonic Serpent that had achieved godhood, a sight that shook the world, for with an open mouth, it could swallow all the great stars in the heavens.

"Our second brother is likely in grave danger," the Golden Snake Clan's eldest young master sighed softly, two brilliant divine lights shooting from his eyes as he looked towards the horizon, his expression grim.

"Second Brother's life won't last long; he might already be gone from this world! Was it the Human Holy Body? I'll kill him!" roared the Golden Snake Clan's third young master. Among the four, he had the most explosive temper, often killing people and leaving thousands of corpses in his wake. Behind him, a sea of blood appeared, surging towards the heavens. "Human Holy Body, I will torture and kill you with the most cruel methods. It's a pity that Second Brother hadn't yet mastered the invincible technique 'Demonic Serpent Deification,' otherwise, who could contend with him?"

"Both of you, perfect the Demonic Serpent Deification, and we will find every way to eliminate the Human Holy Body," said the Golden Snake eldest young master, his expression growing even more grim.

"Of course we'll eliminate him. I'll devour his golden flesh and blood piece by piece!"

Broken mountains and ravaged ridges stretched as far as the eye could see. The battle had ended. Ye Fan pointed a finger at the Golden Snake Young Master's forehead bone. Blood splattered, and a massive snake corpse appeared on the ground. No longer ten feet long, its true body was a thousand zhang long, stretching across the mountain range. Its entire body was golden, dazzling brightly, with scales one to two meters long that shimmered with a metallic luster.

Cool moonlight cascaded down, and flickers of fire rose in the mountains. Ye Fan, Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, the Golden Lion, and others sat around a bonfire, with pieces of golden, glistening jerky hanging over the flames. Beside the fire were jars of fine wine, their rich aroma wafting far into the night. They ate large chunks of meat and drank heavily from big bowls.

"This is my first time eating Demonic Serpent meat, and it doesn't taste great. It's tough and hard to chew," the Dragon Horse remarked.

"You shouldn't eat meat," the Scorpion Saint said.

"This venerable one is no vegetarian. I love lion's head, bear paws, dragon liver, and phoenix marrow," the Dragon Horse declared, gulping down a jar of wine. Immediately, several waves of murderous aura surged towards him. The Golden Lion, Black Bear Saint, Nine-tailed Alligator Dragon, Blue Luan, and others all stared wide-eyed at it.

It was truly lamentable for the Golden Snake Young Master. Originally a prodigy of his generation, he was now slain, roasted over a bonfire, and turned into someone else's meal. If word got out, no one would believe it.

"Snakes shouldn't be roasted. They should be made into snake soup, stewed. Come, Ye Zi, bring the cauldron, put in the divine spring liquid from a mythical era's ancient Celestial Venerable, and let's cook the Demonic Serpent," said Pang Bo.

The Black Bear Saint raised a pair of bear paws in approval, saying, "Excellent idea! It's sure to be rich and flavorful! I'll go find some herbs as seasoning. With ancient peaks and valleys everywhere here, there might be tens of thousands of years old medicinal plants, perfect for stewing meat."

This could only be described as utterly extravagant. Strands of the Mother Qi of All Things hung down, upon which lifelike images of Kunpengs, Vermilion Birds, and Chaos Deities were etched. Now, these served merely as embellishments. Wisps of chaotic energy swirled around the cauldron's mouth. How many such divine artifacts could be found in all the heavens and earth? Now, it was truly a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, serving as a cooking pot for a few gluttons.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and others activated their divine power, their hands and fingers emitting flames, heating the cauldron from below, and stewing with divine fire. Inside the cauldron, chaos swirled, and the divine spring liquid of the ancient Celestial Venerable bubbled. Golden Demonic Serpent meat floated, while the Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, and others tossed in several ancient herbs, and the Scorpion Saint added some ancient vine roots. A fragrant aroma filled the air. There was the aroma of meat, the fresh scent of the life spring, and the fragrance of herbs. Such a pot of soup was almost unprecedented. Rare Demonic Serpent meat, cooked in the Mother Qi of All Things Cauldron, and stewed with Celestial Venerable divine liquid—how often could such a sight be witnessed in the mortal world?

"To enjoy such a meal is enough," sighed the Nine-tailed Alligator Dragon. This was simply too extravagant. He felt that eating like this might invite divine retribution; it seemed somewhat unreal.

Everyone ate to their heart's content, finally even drinking the broth clean. After all, it was divine liquid; every drop could bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh and bone, making the vital energy surge within them. Their bodies felt almost ready to burst.

"Although it seems like a cauldron full of divine liquid, the ancient Celestial Venerable's body was inexplicably magnified. If he were of normal human height, this entire cauldron of life spring divine liquid wouldn't even amount to a single drop," the Dragon Horse stated. This was true, and it was far less than a single true drop of Celestial Venerable life spring liquid. Otherwise, it would be the most heaven-defying item in the world—the life spring divine liquid of an ancient Great Emperor—who could obtain that?

In the early morning, mist drifted, carrying a humid essence. Morning dew sparkled with a myriad of colors in the glow of dawn. Ye Fan, Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and others emerged from the mountains, heading towards the vast land and marching towards cities inhabited by living beings. In fact, they had already encountered some exotic creatures in the mountains, but most of them did not possess profound cultivation and had limited understanding of the greater world.

"Boom," "Boom"…

Suddenly, enormous sounds echoed. They were startled, as a towering figure gradually appeared on the horizon, a hundred zhang tall, like a mountain peak, majestic and formidable. It was a giant ape with a wide mouth and tusks, its yellow fur shimmering with a faint golden luster. It carried a stone staff, from which hung a strange creature several dozen zhang long, clearly its prey.

"Aren't the creatures in this world a bit too large?"

"Hmm, although they're big, their strength isn't particularly alarming, only at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. But such large bodies are certainly unparalleled by most."

"I'll go ask him about this star," the Dragon Horse ascended, approaching the giant ape, and transmitted a telepathic message to inquire. The giant ape evidently perceived the newcomers' power and did not underestimate them due to their small size. It answered every question and was very cooperative, much to their surprise.

This was an ancient source of life, named "The Other Shore." It was inhabited by a group of extremely powerful creatures, and the giant ape was merely among the lowest-tier beings. He pointed his stone staff towards the distance, indicating that there were cities and prosperous towns there, frequented by various races.

"Hmm, it really is the Other Shore," everyone exchanged glances. According to the giant ape, this world truly had gods, but he couldn't approach them because his rank wasn't high enough to worship them. This astonishing news immediately moved them, making them believe that terrifying entities existed on this ancient star.

"Have you ever heard of the ancient coffin from the mythical era?" the Dragon Horse continued to ask.

"Of course, I've heard of it. A stone coffin, with nine layers, descended upon the land decades ago. Everyone knows about it," the giant ape replied, leaving them stunned. They had thought it was a highly guarded secret that would require great effort to uncover, never imagining that everyone here knew!

"Where is it?"

"Naturally, it's in the Immortal Realm," the giant ape replied.

"What? The Immortal Realm? Does such a place truly exist in this world?!" Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Wait a moment, please tell us more slowly. Where is the Immortal Realm, and what kind of place is it?" Ye Fan asked earnestly.

"The Immortal Realm is where the gods reside, the land of longevity. It's in that direction," the giant ape pointed with his large staff, indicating a distant direction.

Everyone was speechless. The giant ape had answered again, leaving no suspense whatsoever, knowing everything.

"Do you know about the Ancient Tree of Life?" the Dragon Horse asked. He had never met the Ji family siblings, so he naturally felt no particular affection for them. He wasn't particularly concerned about the Nine-Layered Coffin from the mythical era; he only wanted to know about the Ancient Tree of Life.

"Of course, I know," the giant ape nodded amiably.