The Wind–Fire Tribulation was completely extinguished.
Fang Han stood at the peak of his power. He had successfully advanced into the Eighth Layer of the Mystical Realm—the Wind–Fire Tribulation stage. His mana had doubled. With a casual tremor of his body, rings of radiant light rippled outward. Wherever they spread, the air itself began to flow obediently, as though subdued and brought under his command. In that moment, Fang Han seemed like a sovereign creating and ruling a world.
"This is bad—he actually survived the Wind–Fire Tribulation!"
By now, Magic Commander could no longer deceive himself. Fang Han had truly crossed the tribulation, completed his transformation, and shed all restraints. He was far more terrifying than when he had defeated Xue Wuyang with four strikes. At this point, even if he were to face a first-level Eternal Life Realm expert of the Longevity Stage, he would not fall behind in the slightest.
The Wind–Fire Tribulation refined every aspect of one's being. Once overcome, its benefits were beyond imagination.
Fang Han's tribulation had been nearly impossible—by all logic, a death sentence with a survival chance of less than one in a hundred. Yet with the aid of four Nirvana Pills, he had endured it. Now his vitality was overflowing, karmic burdens erased, and his Golden Core showed faint signs of cracking to give birth to a nascent spirit. With half an Immortal Body already formed and no need to suppress his strength, he radiated a ferocity like an ancient demon god reborn.
"Yes, I've crossed the Wind–Fire Tribulation," Fang Han said coldly. "I no longer need to restrain my power. Magic Commander, I won't even use a single magic treasure. Let's see whether I can shatter your Eye of the End of Dharma with my bare hands. A high-grade Dao Artifact is indeed precious—but only if its wielder can unleash its true power."
His voice echoed from every direction. As he shifted slightly, countless figures of him filled the arena. Unlike before, each shadow was solid and real, each radiating terrifying vitality and blood qi.
"Eye of the End of Dharma—protect my physical body!" Magic Commander did not hesitate. The vertical eye in his forehead erupted with countless beams of gray light, which did not scatter outward but instead wove inward, like silkworms spinning a cocoon, wrapping him completely.
A dull, lifeless radiance sealed him inside a gray cocoon of light.
"Useless!"
The instant the cocoon was formed, hundreds upon thousands of palm shadows slammed into it.
It was as if earthquakes erupted, volcanoes exploded, mountains collapsed, and the end of the world descended. In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred thousand strikes battered the cocoon, shattering space itself. Cracks spread everywhere; even the cocoon formed by the Eye of the End of Dharma could not withstand Fang Han's assault.
Back when Fang Han had not yet crossed the Wind–Fire Tribulation, he had already been able to smash Yan Shuiyi's Azure Sea Divine Pearl with his physical body, forcing her to unleash her Natal Calamity Primordial Spirit. And at that time, he had not even achieved half an Immortal Body.
Now, with half an Immortal Body complete and the Wind–Fire Tribulation behind him, how terrifying was his strength? Moreover, Magic Commander's cultivation was far inferior to Yan Shuiyi's.
"The Physical Body, Dharma Body, Manifestation Body, Reward Body, Fruit Body—Five Bodies, Five Aggregates! Innate Great Demonic Qi Art!"
As the cocoon neared collapse, Magic Commander spun frantically inside it. His ten fingers burst open, spraying streams of glowing blood—his natal essence. All of it condensed into a single point and shot into the Eye of the End of Dharma.
Fueled by his natal blood, the artifact's power surged explosively. The eye tore itself free from Magic Commander's forehead and transformed into its true form—an enormous eyeball, vast as a mountain, rotating in midair. Countless tentacles sprouted from it, each firing beams of gray light. The tentacles resembled the roots of the World Tree, capable of siphoning energy from the void itself.
Though it could not draw power from the Immortal Realm, even this lesser source made it terrifying.
Inside the cocoon, Magic Commander stepped through astral formations, burning lifespan and blood essence to activate the Innate Great Demonic Qi Art, pushing the Eye of the End of Dharma to its limit in a desperate fight to the death.
Thousands of tentacles lashed through the air, each stretching hundreds of meters, clawing toward Fang Han.
"The Eye of the End of Dharma is powerful," Fang Han sneered, utterly calm, "but its master cannot wield its true might, nor can he supply it with enough energy. Today I'll show you—you've chosen the wrong master."
He reached out with both hands. His palms expanded to blot out the sky, muscles twisting like coiling dragons, dragon roars echoing from his flesh.
Boom!
Radiant halos flared behind his head. The tentacles slowed as if trapped in syrup. Fang Han seized them in a single grasp and shook violently.
Explosions rippled across the eyeball's surface. From within came the agonized howls of a wounded beast. The artifact spirit of the Eye of the End of Dharma dared not emerge, hiding deep within its core. Even so, Fang Han knew that with his current strength, he could suppress the artifact—but not refine it.
A high-grade Dao Artifact was not something that could be easily subdued.
Even the Sun–Moon Essence Wheels, a mid-grade Dao Artifact, had yet to be fully refined by him.
"Magic Commander, stop wasting your strength," Fang Han declared. "You are no match for me."
He struck the Eye of the End of Dharma again, sending it hurtling high into the sky. In the span of one three-thousandth of a breath, he followed up with another devastating blow, then dove like a hawk pouncing on prey. His hand transformed into a claw, fingernails lengthening into blade-like talons. Five fingers, like five furious dragons, enveloped Magic Commander completely.
Magic Commander's face drained of color. No matter how he shifted his movements, he could not escape the shadow of that hand. In desperation, he spat out another mouthful of blood. His Innate White Bone Primordial Spirit burst forth, igniting as it touched the blood, flames roaring so fiercely that Fang Han's palm sizzled.
"Blood-Burning Demonic Art!"
Magic Commander's primordial spirit burned violently, essence and vitality draining at an alarming rate. This was a suicidal technique—burning one's natal Dharma Form to unleash power beyond one's limits. Each use cost three cycles of sixty years of lifespan.
Even so, by sacrificing one hundred and eighty years of life, he finally broke free of Fang Han's grasp. He shot into the sky, summoned the Eye of the End of Dharma back into his forehead, and vanished into the void. When he reappeared, he was already beneath the arena.
"Fang Han, I concede this round," Magic Commander said grimly. "But I refuse to be utterly humiliated before you. That is why I burned one hundred and eighty years of my life to escape. You have surpassed me and crossed the Wind–Fire Tribulation. Your path to the Eternal Life Realm is now clear. The inheritance of the Three Supreme Divine Arts is yours."
He fled without hesitation.
"Fast escape," Fang Han said calmly. "I spared you this time. I didn't unleash my killing move—do you really think I couldn't kill you? Look at this."
Standing atop the arena, he raised his hand. A palm-sized scrap of fabric lay within it.
Magic Commander's expression changed. He looked down at his chest—his supreme-grade battle robe had been torn open, leaving a hole. Five burning claw marks seared his flesh above the heart.
Fang Han had shown mercy. Otherwise, Magic Commander's heart would have been ripped out. Without half an Immortal Body, that would have meant instant death—forced reincarnation and the loss of all cultivation.
"So strong…" Magic Commander sighed deeply. Then he accelerated, bowing toward Linglong Immortal Venerable. "Immortal Venerable, please forgive my early departure."
With that, he flew out of Mount Sumeru.
"Anyone else?"
Fang Han stood alone on the arena, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings as he spoke three words.
Silence followed.
He had crossed the Wind–Fire Tribulation and crushed Magic Commander—wielder of a high-grade Dao Artifact—with only his fists. His might was overwhelming. Even ordinary Eternal Life Realm experts would struggle against him. Who would dare challenge him now?
After a long moment, no one answered.
"Immortal Venerable," Qiu Xiyu finally spoke, "this contest has clearly been dominated by Fang Han. He has brought great glory to your birthday celebration and deserves the inheritance of the Three Supreme Divine Arts."
"Indeed," Linglong Immortal Venerable said from her lofty throne. "Fang Han, you have crossed the Wind–Fire Tribulation and erased all karmic burdens. You are now the foremost cultivator of the Mystical Realm. Even Fan Qingying, Yan Shuiyi, and Hua Tiandu are beneath you. These Three Supreme Divine Arts are yours. Use them well and strive to enter the Eternal Life Realm soon. Once you have fully integrated them, I will have more to say to you."
With her decree, three immense forces descended at once—
Zuma Ancient God Qi, Great Universal Salvation Zen Light, and Sumeru Mountain King Fist—
all shooting directly into Fang Han's mind.
Boom!
Complex talismans, profound patterns, boundless wisdom, and overwhelming power surged within him. The vastness of Zuma Ancient God Qi, the serenity of Great Universal Salvation Zen Light, and the majestic dominance of Sumeru Mountain King Fist rippled through his consciousness.
At Fang Han's current cultivation, he immediately accepted them in full. The Great Devouring Technique erupted from his Golden Core, swallowing all three supreme arts and refining them in an instant.
Soon after, three new imprints appeared on the Golden Core. One depicted a horned god clad in bone armor—the ancient god Zuma. Another formed a Buddha's image. The last manifested as the phantom of Mount Sumeru itself.
Each supreme art possessed power comparable to the Five Emperor Great Demonic Arts—far surpassing even the Ghost Emperor's Heaven-Shrouding Demonic Skill.
Fang Han had finally obtained the inheritance of the Three Supreme Divine Arts.
His Golden Core now contained ninety-three divine abilities.