Chapter 1459: Black Hand

The war in the Divine Domain began, an earth-shattering confrontation whose terrifying scale was visible even from beyond the domain.

Three Imperial Weapons—the God-Refining Pot, the Ten Thousand Dragon Bell, and the Combat Cudgel—joined forces and charged towards the Divine Restricted Zone. They fought until the sky collapsed and the earth shattered, accompanied by wailing spirits and a downpour of blood.

Supreme divine radiance surged skyward, piercing into the vast starfield and astounding Ye Fan and the others. This was the might of a Great Emperor, as all three weapons had fully awakened.

Meanwhile, within the Divine Domain, a formation diagram appeared in the sky, and four killing swords emerged, shaking heaven and earth. They exuded supreme immortal power, unleashing waves of sword qi in all directions to battle the three Imperial Weapons.

The four killing swords were somewhat indistinct and unreal, but the formation diagram was extraordinary. Its presence was akin to a portion of a Great Emperor's primordial spirit guiding it.

This was the highest manifestation of a formation, containing the "Combination" secret character, which allowed it to arrange and combine all supreme Imperial Weapons in the world to form unparalleled divine might, capable of crushing all creation.

It could be said that this formation could only partially reveal the power a Great Emperor could display while still alive!

The battle fully erupted!

Even with the battle taking place above the Divine Domain, the domain itself was on the verge of destruction. Neither the invisible formations nor the ancient array platforms could protect its mountains and lands any longer.

At this critical moment, the oldest divine mountain in the Divine Domain emitted a brilliant light, as the power of faith, accumulated by all beings over endless ages, surged forth.

RUMBLE!

Mountains and rivers stabilized, and the sun and moon stood still. These pure energies surged like an ocean, settling the elemental forces of earth, fire, wind, and water, stabilizing all things, and protecting this ancient domain.

This incomparable power was no weaker than that of Imperial Weapons. It was simply too vast, having accumulated an unknown amount of sacred power since ancient times, which had fully awakened today. Otherwise, not only this place but even the entire ancient star could have shattered into pieces and been reduced to dust.

The Divine Domain had reached a moment of life-or-death crisis; it had never been as perilous as it was today. With three Imperial Weapons attacking, even a living god could not have stopped them.

Sword qi crisscrossed, tens of thousands of streams rising simultaneously. One wave swept horizontally, causing the three Imperial Weapons to hum softly, having suffered immense attack power.

Vast spatial cracks spread into the distance, directly reaching beyond the domain. Infinitely terrifying, they swallowed even small meteoroids.

Standing in the firmament, Ye Fan and the others changed countenance upon seeing this scene. If this continued, the Other Shore of the Divine would undoubtedly be destroyed; even the power of faith from the oldest divine mountain wouldn't be enough to stabilize it!

"Brother Monkey isn't putting in his full effort," Pang Bo grinned.

From the ancient star, the light emitted by the Imperial Weapons was most dazzling, but the Combat Cudgel was relatively dimmer. Each time it made a grand display, its actual attack lagged behind.

Evidently, the monkey was displeased, having been forcibly dragged into the battle, and his heart was resentful. But he couldn't openly defy the two other Imperial Weapons, so he stalled for time.

If this continued for long, he might even switch sides mid-battle, as the Lineage of the Fighting Saint Ape was the most unyielding, refusing discipline and restraint.

"The nine-layered coffin from the Mythological Era has been carried into the Divine Domain!"

An immense stone coffin was being refined by a Great Saint using heart's blood. As layer after layer of the stone coffin opened, a terrifying Emperor's malevolent aura was released.

"The Divine Domain is lost!" Ji Haoyue knew that barring any unexpected turns, the outcome could not be changed.

With the three Imperial Weapons holding back the Supreme Killing Formation of Lingbao Heavenly Venerate, no one could suppress the Imperial Coffin. The Emperor's malevolent aura could ignite the power of faith, completely destroying this place.

Indeed, the moment the ancient coffin entered the Divine Domain, it completely ignited the power of faith. This was a terrifying development, as if a raging inferno had erupted everywhere. Heaven and earth boiled, surging like an ocean, dazzling brightly.

The sacred power of faith vaporized, burned, and dried up, becoming extremely bright and intense—more terrifying than countless suns exploding.

At this moment, the Divine Domain suffered heavy losses. Many people died, instantly turning into blood mist, while some hall masters roared and fled into the distance.

The blazing light, like a breached flood, surged towards the vast land, rushing towards even more distant mountains. All major clans trembled; this was a catastrophic consequence.

CRACK!

The Divine Domain split apart. If this continued, it would surely turn to dust, and then, using this as a breakthrough point, the entire ancient star would explode.

Immortal swords hummed softly as a unique silver formation flashed. From it, four ancient swords shot out. Their bodies were dark red, ancient yet containing hidden peerless killing intent!

The Great Saints gasped in cold air, completely stunned. These were the four killing swords from the Heavenly Venerate's Fountain of Life; they had crossed the void and appeared in their true forms, no longer indistinct phantoms.

This was a massive problem!

The formation diagram hung overhead. The four swords hung down, one each in the east, south, west, and north, guarding the four gates. They re-stabilized the Divine Domain, suppressed everything, and swept the immense stone coffin out.

In this process, two Great Saints who were pouring heart's blood onto the divine coffin were chopped into shattered bones by sword qi before they could even groan, dying unnatural deaths.

Everyone's scalp tingled. The true four swords had crossed from the Ancient Heavenly Venerate's Fountain of Life, arrived at the Other Shore of the Divine, merged with the formation diagram, and achieved true invincibility across heaven and earth!

Could they still fight?

The three Imperial Weapons were certainly no weaker than the four killing swords, but the formation diagram was too mysterious. It contained a portion of a living Great Emperor's heaven-defying power, allowing it to better wield Imperial artifacts and slay any god that blocked its path!

"Four Imperial Weapons are needed to break this formation, but where can we find them now?" Everyone was anxious and pale. They hadn't expected their efforts to be in vain at the last moment, as the true forms of the four immortal swords had arrived at the critical juncture.

At this moment, not to mention attacking the Divine Domain, it was questionable whether the Great Saints could even leave alive without Imperial artifacts. The situation had completely reversed.

In fact, everyone in the Divine Domain was bewildered. They hadn't expected four Imperial artifacts to appear at the last moment, instantly turning the tides and reversing the outcome.

"Bring the Imperial Coffin over; let's temporarily use it as an Imperial Weapon," a Great Saint roared. "And you, monkey, if you continue to hold back, beware that I will eliminate you first!"

The Saint Prince sneered. However, this was no time for arguments; he really had to fight with all his might, otherwise, he might perish here.

The killing formation diagram was extremely terrifying. It arrayed the Imperial artifacts, combining offense and defense, crushing all creation as if it wanted to destroy this entire universe.

With the four killing swords hanging in the four directions, the Divine Domain became impregnable and actively launched attacks outwards, continuously pushing forward and making the Great Saints tremble with fear.

The four sword gates all churned with chaos. Each time, they unleashed tens of thousands of streams of light, each stream powerful enough to kill a Great Saint—truly terrifying!

Above the firmament, Ye Fan's expression changed. He had never seen such terrifying attack power; it was truly dreadful.

Pang Bo sighed, "Back then, when the Wu Shi Bell suppressed Mount Zi, I imagine it was no more than this. If several Imperial artifacts couldn't break through, it was likely also dominated by a formation diagram."

Suddenly, Ye Fan's expression changed. "The Five Elements essence qi is rapidly diminishing; something has changed," he said. The Green Bronze Cauldron on his person dimmed, no longer glowing, and he couldn't help but look towards the Five Elements Continent in the distance.

A moment later, a brilliant golden light burst forth, blazing like a scorching sun, spanning the sky. Its brilliance was suffocating.

Ye Fan quickly laid down the Heaven-Deceiving Formation patterns, enveloping everyone, and looked at the divine light with a solemn expression.

That person was incredibly fast, tearing through space and traversing the universe, rushing over in an instant. Approaching the ancient star, the Other Shore of the Divine, he emitted wisps of Imperial might.

"A divine robe forged from Dao Tribulation Gold!" Everyone was shocked. This was an immortal metal, comparable to Phoenix Blood Red Gold, Immortal Tear Green Gold, and others.

"Why do I sense a hint of conspiracy?" Ji Ziyue blinked her large eyes, staring at the dazzling divine robe, voicing her suspicion.

"You're right, your guess is correct. This enormous chaos was indeed orchestrated by someone," Ye Fan nodded, a solemn expression on his face.

He reached this conclusion because he knew who had arrived; he had dealt with this person before and had witnessed their terrifying methods.

He hadn't expected this person's mind to be so profound, orchestrating such an earth-shattering scheme, drawing everyone in to become their tools to pry open the Divine Domain.

"Who is this person?" Ji Haoyue stared at the golden figure, watching him disappear into the life-bearing star below.

"Someone from the lineage of Great Emperor Daoyan," Ye Fan replied.

There was only one set of immortal armor forged from Dao Tribulation Gold in the entire universe; it belonged to Great Emperor Daoyan and was now in the hands of Imperial Son Dao Yi.

This person had definitely arrived and was orchestrating everything. His mind was too profound, mobilizing vast armies, causing chaos across various domains, and attacking this place—this was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

Ye Fan said, "The Ancient Tree of Life once belonged to Great Emperor Daoyan and has been missing for over a million years. To reclaim his father's immortal tree, he set up this scheme, leveraging the power of various powerful figures to attack and contend with the supreme killing formation and Imperial artifacts here."

"No wonder..." Ji Ziyue nodded.

It was said that decades ago, there was an insider in the Divine Domain who attempted to steal the Ancient Tree of Life but failed, managing only to take a branch. Now, it seemed, this was naturally Dao Yi's doing.

If it wasn't an insider, how could an outsider take a branch of the divine tree unless they possessed an Imperial artifact? Otherwise, how could they have broken in?!

"This person is terrifying," Ji Haoyue said. "To achieve his goal, he lured powerful figures from various ancient domains, not hesitating to stain the starry sky with blood and provoke great chaos. All the powerful figures who acted became his tools."

Ye Fan nodded. Dao Yi was certainly not a simple person. Back then, he had entrapped and killed an unknown number of Ancestor Kings in Big Dipper. He even directly plotted the death of Great Saint Yanqi from Fire Lin Cave, who wielded an ancient Imperial weapon. He also disheartened Prince Huoqilin, an ancient Imperial prince, who then left in anger for the cosmic wilderness and whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

"Since we've caught a glimpse, let's follow him," Pang Bo said, rubbing his palms together. "He'll be the oriole pursuing the cicada, and we'll be the ones hunting the oriole."

Ye Fan had the Green Bronze Cauldron, so he had no fear if it came to a real confrontation and could pursue him from behind.

"We might not be the hunters," Ye Fan said. "This was undoubtedly orchestrated by Dao Yi, but the one carrying out the action might be a Great Saint, and besides an Imperial artifact, he also has an ancient Imperial formation diagram." He still vividly remembered what happened back then; it was like harvesting wheat, as Big Dipper suffered heavy losses of Ancestor Kings, and blood stained the void.

"Everyone, I am here to assist you." The Daoyan Immortal Robe appeared, shaking the eight wildernesses, as a majestic figure descended outside the Divine Domain, joining the battlefield.

"Brother Dao, you've arrived at just the right time," a Great Saint laughed loudly. "Let's break this formation together; four Imperial artifacts are perfect." He hadn't expected such a fortunate turn of events.

The God-Refining Pot, Ten Thousand Dragon Bell, Combat Cudgel, and Daoyan Divine Robe all emitted dazzling immortal radiance, shaking the supreme grand formation ahead. The powerful figures split up, using the four Imperial artifacts to each secure a gate, and charged inside!

Chaos surged as the formation diagram and the four killing swords hummed softly. They actually became unstable, and it seemed they would be broken eventually.

At this moment, Ye Fan and his companions also arrived. The Saints had already entered with the Imperial artifacts, leaving the outside desolate and quiet.