"Linglong Immortal Venerable holds off the entire Taiyi Sect by herself. Her sect has no ancient elders backing it. If she weren't this powerful, someone would've erased them long ago."
Fang Han nodded. "She's definitely several levels above your father, the Star Lord."
Nebula Baby blinked. "Let's go. I want to see just how terrifying her true body really is. She's visiting the… Zorma Sect? What even is that? How come I've never heard of it?"
"I don't know either," Fang Han admitted. "Probably another mysterious powerhouse sect out in the outer starfields—something like the Infinite Star Palace. The factions inside the Xuanhuang World are already countless, but in the wider cosmos? Cultivators are as numerous as stars in the Milky Way. One day, when I reach the Longevity Realm and comprehend true spatial laws, I'll tear open the void and travel the universe. I want to see for myself the Buddha Clans, the God Race, Heavenly Demons, Celestial Dragons, all kinds of beasts and races."
Yan urged, "For now, let's head to the Great Xuan Empire and meet Prince Yi. The sooner we go to Linglong Blessed Land to offer birthday gifts, the better. Once you arrive, Linglong Immortal Venerable's real body will return. She'll personally guide your cultivation. You might even pass through the Wind-Fire Tribulation and condense your Heaven-Earth Dharma Body. Golden Core is just a threshold—after you cross it, your progress will surge."
Fang Han didn't reply; he simply accelerated toward the Great Xuan Empire.
Ever since forming his Golden Core, his speed had reached a thousand times the speed of sound. Silent, seamless movement—within moments, he was already hovering over the capital, Xuanhuang City, descending toward Prince Yi's manor.
After the recent life-and-death battle, Fang Han's impulse to sweep through all Divine Ability experts had subdued. Masters like Fan Qingying and Yan Shuiyi—along with their Dao-Artifacts—were enough to give even him pause. Without Linglong's intervention, he would have been forced to self-detonate his Golden Core.
And if he detonated it, he and his enemies would've perished together.
"Hua Tiandu and Yan Shuiyi are about the same level," Fang Han mused. "If I fought Hua Tiandu right now, I might kill him—but I'd pay dearly. If he detonates his Primordial Spirit in the last moment, he can drag me into the grave with him."
This battle had clarified many things for him.
His earlier speculations about killing Hua Tiandu had been vague, but now he understood the real conditions required.
To kill Hua Tiandu without giving him any chance to counterattack, Fang Han would have to ascend—again and again. At minimum, he needed to reach the same realm: Divine Ability Tenth Layer — Defying Fate.
Only then would he have absolute certainty.
He saw his flaws clearly now.
His Golden Core, forged from ninety Divine Abilities, was undeniably powerful—instantly lethal to peers. But his realm was too low. His mana reserves lacked longevity. Without the World Tree supporting him, he wouldn't be able to unleash more than one or two bursts.
If he reached the Tenth Layer, his sea of consciousness would expand, storing massive amounts of mana. He could fight endlessly without relying on the World Tree.
At that point, he'd truly roam the world unhindered.
Right now, his force output had reached the extreme—one billion galloping warhorses—but that was merely peak burst power. He could not surpass that limit unless he entered the Longevity Realm.
The Divine Ability Realm had strict boundaries:
Lifespan cannot exceed ten thousand years.Mana cannot exceed one billion units.
This was the ceiling.
The only difference between Divine Ability masters was how long they could maintain peak power.
In the recent battle, Fang Han's strongest move was compressing the Golden Core, then detonating its power to reach the one-billion-horse threshold. But he could only do it twice before his mana dried up.
If he could enter the Tenth Layer, he could do it dozens of times in a row—compress, explode, compress, explode—each blast carrying the full power of ninety Divine Abilities.
At that point, Hua Tiandu would cough blood the moment he saw him—no resistance possible.
And when his Golden Core transformed into a Heaven-Earth Dharma Body, even Dao-Artifacts would be unnecessary. His body would be the ultimate weapon.
Thinking of this, Fang Han's desire to raise his realm burned even stronger.
His earlier arrogance from forming the Golden Core evaporated completely.
Today's battle—with Fan Qingying and Yan Shuiyi—had taught him a painful but necessary lesson:
There's always a higher sky. There's always someone stronger. Never grow complacent.
Finding Prince Yi was easy. The twenty-fourth prince was already waiting for him in his manor. When he saw Fang Han descending, he lit up with relief.
"Fang Han! I've been waiting day and night for you. I've prepared birthday gifts for Linglong Blessed Land—two or three billion worth of flying swords and treasures. What did you bring? I know you earn fortunes by the day, and we got plenty from Panlong Star. Could you lend me five billion pills? We can go to the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and buy something impressive. I heard many major sects are sending big gifts. Your reputation is huge now—if you give too little, it'll be embarrassing."
In his treasure vault, Prince Yi had gathered heaps of offerings—elemental talismans for Body-Refinement disciples, flying swords, low-grade artifacts, pills—hundreds of storage bags full.
Fang Han forced a smile.
He could no longer "earn gold by the day"—the World Tree was consuming all of his Immortal Qi faster than he could replenish it.
And he had practically nothing left.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Sword Array was in Linglong's hands—he couldn't gift something she already took back.
Still, he had to keep up appearances.
"No problem. Leave it to me," he said smoothly.
Prince Yi sighed in relief.
But suddenly, his expression sharpened. He stared at Fang Han, sensing something.
Then he trembled.
"Y-you… formed your Golden Core?"
"Yes," Fang Han said casually, releasing a fraction of its aura. "A Golden Core of ninety Divine Abilities. I've refined the nine ghost souls of the Ghost Emperor. Even the top two candidates on the Longevity Waitlist couldn't kill me now."
Thud. Thud.
Prince Yi dropped to his knees.
So did Realperson Xiaoyue, Realperson Xianji, Master Liangshan, Master Xihua—every leader of every small sect present fell flat on the ground as though a mountain had crushed them.
They couldn't withstand the pressure of a ninety-ability Golden Core.
Not just physically—their souls submitted.
Fang Han withdrew his aura. Only then did the group gasp for air, trembling in awe.
"Ninety Divine Abilities… a Golden Core of ninety Divine Abilities… throughout history, how many have accomplished that?"
Prince Yi burst into wild laughter.
"Hahaha! You really did it! With this strength, you're unquestionably first on the Longevity Candidate List!"
A shout interrupted them:
"Report! The Fourth Prince—Prince Yi—is here!"
A squad of tenth-layer Body-Refinement guards rushed in.
"What? Fourth Brother came? I heard he gained a lot from Panlong Star and recruited several experts. Does he intend to send gifts to Linglong Immortal Venerable too?"
Prince Yi looked at Fang Han.
"Let's greet them," Fang Han said, changing into the "Killing Scholar" guise using the reincarnation technique of the Yellow Springs Diagram. With the Bridge of Forgetfulness activated, not even an ancient Longevity giant could see through his disguise.
At the manor gates, they saw them—the Fourth Prince, Prince Yi, and the Thirteenth Prince, Prince Zhan—arriving together.
Behind them stood several black-clad figures.
Their clothes were strange—neither orthodox nor demonic—but their presence was terrifyingly high-born. They carried an aloof aura, as though all living beings were inferior and meant to be dominated.
Neither demons, nor immortals, nor beasts could compare.
Fang Han recognized that look instantly.
The World Tree between his brows trembled violently.
These people were God Race.
And not just ordinary gods—
These black-clad figures were far stronger than Phantom Spirit and Phantom Truth God-Lords.
They were equivalent to God-kings, beings above Daoist Golden Core masters.