"Now or never!"
With the Eightfold Pagoda unleashed to its limit, Fang Han forced Daoist Long to detonate the Aro Blood Explosion, sacrificing all five fingers of one hand. Only then did Fang Han truly realize that, one-on-one, relying on his vast arsenal of treasures, he was already capable of wounding—perhaps even defeating—a first-level Eternal Giant of the Longevity Secret Realm.
When the Sun and Moon Essence Wheels merged, their raw destructive power alone rivaled that of a high-grade Dao Artifact. Combined with the Eightfold Pagoda's radiance, the strength of a million celestial demons, a thousand demon kings, and the Wheel-Turning Sage King, a single strike was enough to shake heaven and earth.
With Fang Han's mana driving it all, even an Eternal Giant had to give ground.
And more importantly, he possessed a genuine high-grade Dao Artifact: the Yellow Springs Diagram. With the Gate of Avici opened and the Bridge of Helplessness revealed, the Yellow Springs Diagram had already reached true high-grade status. If the Wheel of Reincarnation were unsealed as well, it would rival the Mount Sumeru Golden Mountain itself—an unrivaled supreme artifact, dominant since ancient times.
But now, with two Eternal Giants—Daoist Long and Daoist Mu—joining forces, Fang Han knew he stood no chance. Worse still, countless others below were watching like wolves, ready to rush in and deliver a fatal blow the moment an opening appeared.
To truly contend with Daoist Long and Daoist Mu together, Fang Han would need to advance further—accumulate immense primordial energy, condense a Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Body at the ninth divine power level, or even reach the tenth level, Defying Fate itself.
Forcing Daoist Long back, Fang Han shook the Yellow Springs Diagram. Avici demonic qi flooded the area, blanketing dozens—nearly a hundred—miles in darkness. Hidden completely within it, he spun the Eightfold Pagoda, drawing all divine light back into the tower. Even the blood mist formed from Daoist Long's exploded fingers was devoured by the Great Devouring Technique, refined into pure primordial energy and poured directly into Fang Han's Golden Core.
His Golden Core—condensed from ninety-three divine abilities—grew ever more radiant, refined to a dazzling brilliance. Deep within it, the faint signs of a spirit embryo forming began to appear, as though it were on the verge of transforming into a Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Body.
"What a tremendous tonic," Fang Han thought wildly. "If I could devour Daoist Long entirely, I'd instantly perfect my Dharma Body—perhaps even shatter my way to the peak of Defying Fate, stepping straight into the Longevity Secret Realm!"
The thought flickered and vanished.
After surviving the Wind-and-Fire Tribulation, as long as one had enough primordial energy, forming a Dharma Body was not difficult. As for the tenth level—Defying Fate—it was a matter of overwhelming power shaking the sea of consciousness, grasping the origin itself. Strength was the key. That was what Fang Han had learned from the mysterious figure and from countless giants.
Defying fate required one thing above all else: power.
The ninth and tenth levels were nothing more than stages of accumulation.
"Better to return to the Featherweight Sect and rest for a while," Fang Han decided. "I can also settle accounts with Hua Tiandu—strike while he's weak and take his life. I now have a seventy percent chance to defeat him, and a fifty percent chance to kill him outright. The only real problem is Ruyi Zi."
He abandoned the idea of killing Daoist Long for now. After so long roaming the world, he truly was exhausted.
"White Emperor Metal Sovereign Slash—become the sword itself! Bridge of Helplessness—pierce space and time!"
Within the Avici demonic qi, Fang Han activated his escape arts once more. Golden light burst forth as the Bridge of Helplessness extended into the void. With a thunderous roar, he vanished without a trace—truly gone.
Damn it!
Daoist Long and Daoist Mu charged upward at full speed, dispersing the demonic qi together—but Fang Han was already gone.
"That brat cost me five fingers!" Daoist Long snarled. "I'll have to hunt down suitable experts, cut off their fingers, and reattach them with Bone-Connecting Golden Pills. Even then, restoring their original potency will take at least ten years of bitter cultivation!"
His hatred for Fang Han ran bone-deep.
"The loss of fingers is nothing," Daoist Mu said coldly. "We are Eternal Giants—time is on our side. But that treasure just now… what was it? A pagoda containing countless artifacts—three mid-grade Dao Artifacts among them. Its killing power was horrifying."
"It resembles the legendary Eightfold Pagoda of the Dragon Clan," Daoist Long replied grimly. "Yet its body lacks the talisman—an incredibly profound one, likely refined by a supreme Buddhist expert. And the Sun and Moon Essence Wheels were inside it too. How does he possess so many treasures? Even we have not a single mid-grade Dao Artifact."
Mid-grade Dao Artifacts were exceedingly rare. Though Daoist Long and Daoist Mu were Eternal Giants, they were only at the first level and lacked the ability to refine such treasures.
"If we don't kill him now," Daoist Mu said, eyes glinting, "once his cultivation and treasures improve further, we'll never be able to."
"Then we chase!"
Suddenly, one azure and one white stream of primordial energy burst from their bodies, intertwining as they joined forces. With a thunderclap, the astral winds of the nine heavens within a thousand miles were extinguished—and the two vanished, tracking Fang Han's aura.
"So fast? They can actually keep up?" Fang Han was shocked as he fled through the astral winds, crossing thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. Instead of descending, he ascended—higher and higher—aiming to leave the astral wind layer altogether. From there, he could better orient himself within the Xuanhuang Great World and head straight for the Featherweight Sect.
Being hunted by so many experts was no trivial matter.
After several leaps, Fang Han crossed ten thousand miles, breaking free of the astral winds and entering true outer space. Eternal emptiness stretched before him. The heavens resembled an infinite curtain, studded with countless stars. In the unreachable depths of the cosmos, radiant galaxies shone, proclaiming the mystery and grandeur of existence.
It was Fang Han's first time beyond the astral winds. Gazing upon the vast universe, a surge of heroic resolve welled up within him. His spirit felt purified, as though enlightenment was within reach—
Then the astral winds below churned violently. Vortices formed, and the figures of Daoist Long and Daoist Mu emerged.
Fang Han was stunned. He had not expected them to be this relentless.
Fortunately, he had crossed blades with Qiu Xiyu before and understood the terror of Eternal Giants. He immediately suppressed his awe of the cosmos, steadied his energy, locked onto the direction of the Featherweight Sect, and vanished once again.
Boom!
The astral winds within a thousand miles collapsed as Daoist Long and Daoist Mu descended together. Space trembled; even the stars above seemed to flicker.
"Damn it! He escaped again," Daoist Long growled. "That kid's escape speed is absurd."
"Among the Five Emperor Great Demonic Arts, the White Emperor Metal Sovereign Slash boasts the fastest escape speed in the demonic path," Daoist Mu replied calmly. "In the immortal path, only the Grand Unity Flying Illusion Technique rivals it. And the Bridge of Helplessness can pierce space-time itself. Fortunately, he hasn't reached the Longevity Secret Realm—otherwise, we'd never track him."
Daoist Mu's divine sense pulsed. "But I can clearly sense the aura of the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art, and a sacred wood artifact. No matter where he runs, I can find him. We continue."
"But what if he reaches the Featherweight Sect?" Daoist Long asked. "Their sect master, Feng Baiyu, wields the Heavenly Emperor Mirror—we're no match for that."
"Then we catch him before he gets there," Daoist Mu said coldly. "This place is far from the Featherweight Sect. Even at his speed, it will take days and nights. His mana won't sustain this pace forever. Ours will."
As he spoke, Daoist Mu surged forward once more.
Linglong Blessed Land lay far across the seas; ordinary cultivators would need months, even years, to reach it. Fang Han truly would need days and nights to return to the Featherweight Sect.
"These two really are like maggots clinging to bone," Fang Han thought grimly, constantly changing routes in an attempt to shake them. It was useless. Several times, they nearly cut him off, forcing him to veer away.
He could not understand how they tracked him so relentlessly.
His speed gradually slowed. Bursting forward at three thousand times the speed of sound was not sustainable. Worse, his Golden Core had grown too powerful— even the immortal qi from the World Tree was no longer sufficient. Prolonged bursts risked complete exhaustion.
"Fang Han," Yan said gravely, "we could normally shake them off, but Daoist Mu is extremely sensitive to your aura—your Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art and the World Tree give you away. At this rate, we'll be caught before reaching the Featherweight Sect."
"If they catch me, so be it," Fang Han replied coldly. "They can't kill me outright. But too many others want a piece of me. If we all suffer losses, I'm finished."
His mind was clear. "Yan, assist me. Reincarnation and rebirth!"
As he chanted, the Yellow Springs Diagram transformed, draping over him like a celestial robe. In an instant, Fang Han's presence vanished—his aura erased. He became someone else entirely.
The Death-Seizing Scholar.
In that transformation, he descended—falling into the mortal world below.