Chapter 1207: Chapter 1207: One Hundred Times!

The roar of the All-knowing Elder echoed through heaven and earth, filled with madness, anger, and an unspeakable regret.

He was lost in memories and reality!

It seemed as if he had returned to that day, in front of the Great Chun Tree, the day of the blood massacre of the Hongjun disciples!

He awakened the madness suppressed for ten cycles of reincarnation at this moment! His Evil Qi erupted like an unstoppable torrent, instantly flooding the entire Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss!

The Evil Qi became a sea, a phantom sea! All the Light Ant people were like mayflies in that sea, insignificant, each struggling to stand under the influence of the All-knowing Elder’s Evil Qi!

"What... what level of Evil Qi is this!" Whether it was Yin Mu, Hua Zhao, or other Quasi-Saints of the Light Ant Clan, all broke into cold sweats, feeling a sense of fear under this wave of Evil Qi!

At the same time, countless ghostly cries suddenly resounded throughout the Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss! The ghostly cries were not hallucinations but real, the resentment and curses of the dead souls under the All-knowing Elder!

Subsequently, illusionary soul shadows emerged, transformed by resentment, wandering like lost fishes in the phantom sea of Evil Qi created by the All-knowing Elder. These were not real souls but mirages, the karma upon him, the evil deeds of a lifetime of slaughter by the All-knowing Elder!

"These... are these all the people he killed?" As those phantom soul shadows manifested one after another, Yin Mu was frightened thoroughly because among those soul shadows, many were renowned figures she recognized from the Real Realms!

Spirit-binding General! Third-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, Second-Grade Quasi-Saint!

True Person He Ping! Third-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, First Order Quasi-Saint!

Jinding Immortal! Third-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, Second-Grade Quasi-Saint!

Feng Hanzi! Third-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, Ancient Great Cultivator!

True Lord of the Three Seas! Third-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, Ancient Great Cultivator!

The more Yin Mu looked, the more shocked she was. The All-knowing Elder had killed numerous Ancient Great Cultivators, not just one or two, but dozens! For him, were Ancient Great Cultivators so easily killed? And it seemed this person especially targeted disciples of the Hongjun Holy Sect; did he have a blood feud with them!

When one after another nine-colored soul shadow appeared, the fear of Yin Mu and others finally reached its peak! Because nine colors were the exclusive fortune of a Saint!

"It’s fake! It’s all fake! No matter how strong the All-knowing is, he couldn’t possibly have killed Saints! I don’t believe it!"

Eastern Extreme Immortal Elder! Second-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, Initial Saint of Merit!

Nine Mountains Dragon Lord! Second-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, Initial Saint of Three Corpses!

And even more exaggerated scenes followed!

Suddenly, a phantom of half the head of Yuanshi Tianzun, a first-generation disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect, manifested! This scene seemed as if the All-knowing Elder had once chopped off half of Yuanshi Tianzun’s head! But how could that be possible! Yuanshi Tianzun is a Desolate Saint, a Saint of the Primordial Level; who could have the ability to cut off half his head!

Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! It’s more and more fake!

Yin Mu suddenly calmed down, if the All-knowing Elder was indeed so against the heavens, having killed so many masters of Hongjun, why had she never heard of the fearsome name of the All-knowing? Yes, she had never heard, not even a bit! She, after all, is a Real Realm Cultivator, how could she have never heard of such a person?

She did not know that the slaughter of Hongjun disciples by the All-knowing Elder happened in a cycle of reincarnation that she was not currently in. She was not a Saint, so naturally, couldn’t know what happened in other cycles of reincarnation, but that didn’t mean some events hadn’t occurred! Like those subordinates who followed the All-knowing Elder through cycles of reincarnation, they truly had these memories...

The same thought began to take root in other strong figures of the Light Ant Clan, more and more people started doubting the might of the All-knowing Elder.

It’s fake! It must be fake! The cultivation aura shown by the All-knowing Elder, the soul shadows he supposedly killed, are all Illusory Arts! All fake! This person is so despicable, actually pretending to be a Saint-Killer to stir trouble in the Light Ant Clan Holy City, does he really think we Light Ants are all fools! Would be scared by such lowly trickery?

"High Priest, what do we do now! The All-knowing Elder keeps asking us for his junior disciple, when did we ever capture his junior disciple? This person is clearly going mad, how to deal with this person! Should we reason with him, or... battle!" Eagle Soaring Venerable asked ingratiatingly. At this critical moment for the Light Ant Clan, he was finally released from the Realm of Dark Wind by Yin Mu, after experiencing Yin Mu’s move of capturing Quasi-Saints, he was already utterly convinced of Yin Mu, not daring to oppose even a bit.

"Hmph! Do I need to ask? Of course, battle! The face of the Saint Ant Sect was just trampled by a thief once, how can we let it be trampled a second time! Pass down my order, all male ants above the Immortal Emperor level, merge and annihilate the All-knowing with our strongest form!"

Although Yin Mu didn’t believe in the All-knowing Elder’s monstrous battle record, she still decided to act cautiously, using the Light Ant Clan’s strongest fusion method early on.

Eagle Soaring Venerable became the host of the fusion, other Immortal Emperors, Half-Saints, Quasi-Saints of the Light Ant Clan all turned into streams of light, merging into his body!

Power began to surge! Eagle Soaring Venerable’s Cultivation Realm soared rapidly, breaking through from First Order to Second Order, then to Third Order Ancient Great Cultivator!

With the cultivation of an Ancient Great Cultivator, Eagle Soaring Venerable was undoubtedly powerful and terrifying! At this moment, Eagle Soaring Venerable felt the greatness of power, even someone like Yin Mu, a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint, seemed like insignificant dust in his eyes!

Nobody could match him!

To battle an Ancient Great Cultivator, only an Ancient Great Cultivator could. At this moment, Eagle Soaring was filled with this confidence!

"Eagle Soaring, now it’s your turn! I want you to kill the All-knowing within ten moves!" Yin Mu commanded.

"Don’t order me! I’m not Eagle Soaring now, I’m now Eagle Heaven Great Saint! No one can dictate to me! Not even you!" Eagle Soaring clearly swelled with pride, even calling himself a Great Saint! Is that a title he could use? Not even ordinary Saints dare to use it!

Yin Mu’s beautiful face turned cold, very dissatisfied with Eagle Soaring’s tone, but she could see that Eagle Soaring’s arrogant tone was not his volition but rather the result of the Dao and intent of so many strong figures of the Light Ant Clan merging within him, out of control of his spirit sense. This was Eagle Soaring now, whatever he thought of couldn’t be suppressed, directly acted upon; for someone whose inner self wasn’t strong enough, being consumed by power was not surprising.

Fusion was not a good thing, hence Yin Mu would never participate in such fusion, not wanting to bear the series of side effects brought by fusion.

"It won’t take ten moves! I only need one move to kill that little All-knowing brat! Hahaha!"

Eagle Soaring laughed wildly, then his figure flickered, appearing as if he had shrunk the heavens and earth, manifesting in front of the All-knowing. He looked down on everything, arrogantly beckoning with a finger, provocatively saying, "Come fight, ant! Hope you can give me some pleasure!"

The pupils of the All-knowing suddenly dilated, his eyes brimming with bloodshot threads!

He did not look at Eagle Soaring, nor did he pay attention to Eagle Soaring’s provocation, he just stared at the beckoning finger of Eagle Soaring, memories surged like tidal waves!

It seemed as though he had returned to the Real Realms, back to the Dao Spirit World stained with blood of the Hongjun Holy Sect!

It seemed as though he saw that person again, the one who, when his Divine Skills unfolded, appeared even grander than the cosmos of the Primordial Era, that aloof Ancestor Hongjun who felt no sorrow, no joy!

That person once waved a horsetail whisk and beckoned with a finger, "Come, Han Nitian, since defiance is your name, try to defy at least half my finger."

Can he defy half his finger... No, impossible! That man was too powerful, he wasn’t even an opponent capable of reaching the hems of his garments...

"Have you stopped struggling so quickly, really boring, if that’s the case, I will not hold back anymore. In this battle, you killed 971 of my fourth-generation disciples, so I shall shatter 971 layers of your Dao bones..."

"In this battle, you killed 64 of my third-generation disciples, so I shall sever 64 wings of your Reversed Cranes..."

"In this battle, you killed 2 of my second-generation disciples of Hongjun, so I shall destroy both your eyes..."

"In this battle, you injured half of my disciple Yuanshi’s skull, then I shall also, destroy half of your divine sense..."

"Since you named yourself defying heaven, I shall strip away your name, from this endless cycle of reincarnation, no one will ever call you Han Nitian..."

Ahhhhhhh!

The All-Knowing Elder roared at the sky in rage!

Eagle Soaring Venerable was completely unaware, that his gestures of summoning had utterly infuriated the All-Knowing!

"Hongjun! You might shatter my Dao bones, sever my wings, destroy my eyes and divine sense, you might even strip away my name, but I absolutely will not allow you to harm even half of this Great Chun Tree! He is my junior brother! He is my junior brother! Ahhhhh! You deserve to die, deserve to die! I’ll kill you, kill you!"

This moment, Eagle Soaring was no longer Eagle Soaring! In the maddened eyes of the All-Knowing, Eagle Soaring was Hongjun! The culprit who killed his junior brother!

Ruthless demon energy erupted from inside the All-Knowing Elder, manifesting a horrifying Crane Shadow behind him!

The Crane had no bones, no wings, no eyes, no name, it had even half its skull chopped off, bleeding profusely...

"What...is this Crane!" Eagle Soaring Venerable’s heart pounded uncontrollably, unable to suppress it!

No reason! He had no reason to fear such a wretched Crane! But his heart kept pounding insanely!

Intuition told Eagle Soaring at this moment, he absolutely must not let the All-Knowing Elder make a move, he must strike first, else he would lose all opportunities!

"Saint’s Ring, appear!"

Eagle Soaring was incredibly defiant against heaven, he actually used his cultivation to form a silhouette of the Saint’s Ring!

The Light Ant Clan had birthed beings like the Ant Lord, it’s not unusual that the secret technique of Saint’s Ring was left among the clan.

This wasn’t the genuine Saint’s Ring, just an imitation technique, but remarkable nonetheless. As the Saint’s Ring appeared, Eagle Soaring’s aura surged dramatically, and with the aid of the Saint’s Ring behind him, he forcibly unleashed the Third Step of Saint’s Divine Skills!

His Saint’s Ring began to spin rapidly, rolling black energy flowed out of the Saint’s Ring, making it appear as a black hole from afar.

The black hole emitted boundless suction, countless rivers of blood and mountains were forcibly drawn into it, with the All-Knowing caught in its very center!

This suction, unless you’re an Ancient Great Cultivator, cannot be resisted! Even the best among Second-Grade Quasi-Saints would struggle not to be drawn in, suffering greatly.

Yet, this black hole couldn’t draw the All-Knowing in by a fraction!

Eagle Soaring was perplexed as to how the All-Knowing resisted the suction of his Saint’s Ring, when suddenly everything turned black as the All-Knowing Elder, shrouded in Crane Shadow, closed in on him.

He didn’t even see how the All-Knowing Elder struck, already spitting blood, flying backwards!

The Saint’s Ring he was proud of, shattered with a single blow!

The Light Ant fusion technique he was proud of, shattered by a single exercise of force, countless streams of light flew out from Eagle Soaring’s body, breaking apart and vanishing as they flew!

Countless Light Ant Clan Immortal Emperors and Half-Saints, killed by a single strike of the All-Knowing Elder, blood rained down on the Light Ant Clan Holy City!

Only Eagle Soaring and two other Quasi-Saints survived, but heavily wounded and on the brink of death, falling like meteorites, crashing into the Light Ant Holy City!

"What, exactly did he do!" Eagle Soaring was terrified to the bone! He didn’t know what heaven-defying Divine Skills the All-Knowing Elder employed, yet with one move destroyed his fusion Great Cultivation body! How terrifying could this person be! What is that Divine Skill!

From an outside perspective, Yin Mu and Hua Zhao clearly saw the move! The All-Knowing Elder didn’t even use any Divine Skills, merely swung the Crane Shadow covering him, casually slashed with Crane Claw. The casual Crane Claw strike had world-ending power, even Ancient Great Cultivators couldn’t stand against it!

This person is strong to an unimaginable degree!

"Could it be, those soul shadows are all real! He really has the power to slay Saints! He had even cleaved half of a Desolate Saint’s skull!" Yin Mu and Hua Zhao shuddered all over, sinking into despair.

At its limits, the fusion Ancient Great Cultivation was the Light Ant Clan’s strongest technique, yet it couldn’t even slightly hinder the All-Knowing, this person’s power reached heavenly levels, if he wished to destroy the Light Ant Clan, they could only...wait for death...

In Yin Mu’s hopeless gaze, the Crane Shadow surrounding the All-Knowing Elder unleashed a second strike. The might of the Crane Claw shattered the Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss, broke into countless fragmented spaces, floating in the void.

The power of one strike could bypass the Ant Lord’s Saint’s spinal chord toughness, directly destroy this realm! This strength was unstoppable!

The Light Ant Holy City became fragments, turned to ruin under the grip of the All-Knowing Elder, the defensive formation completely ineffective, countless Light Ant People perished in the destruction, torn to pieces by the All-Knowing Elder’s strike.

Yin Mu and Hua Zhao both were swept away like ants in the brutal storm, unable to resist at all, coughing blood as they fell backward.

Amidst the collapsing inverse wind, Yin Mu forcibly steadied herself. She couldn’t just watch the destruction of the Light Ant Clan. She couldn’t!

She didn’t dare fight All-Knowing Elder anymore. Who knows, with a few more strikes from him, she might also be torn to pieces!

She wanted to compromise with All-Knowing Elder, but it was already too late!

"Senior, please stop! We didn’t harm your junior brother! We really didn’t! Please spare our Light Ant Clan! We’re willing to pay any price to calm your wrath!" Proud Yin Mu was actually begging for mercy!

He can’t hear!

The All-Knowing Elder was completely mad! He couldn’t hear anything!

In his heart, it was as if a beast was roaring, utter darkness! All he wanted was destruction, only... destruction!

"Senior, I beg you... stop..." Yin Mu cried as she saw the crane shadow of All-Knowing Elder raise its claw for the third time, about to strike down.

She wanted to stop him, but she couldn’t even get close to the All-Knowing Elder. His immense aura directly blasted her away!

The Light Ant Clan was really going to be exterminated...

No one could stop it... She didn’t even understand why the All-Knowing Elder, who had been pretending to be insane all these years, truly went mad this time... Junior brother, haha, when had their Light Ant Clan ever harmed your junior brother? This extermination is truly unjust...

Wait! The Light Ant Clan might have actually harmed someone recently...

Could it be that the one named Ning Fan is the All-Knowing Elder’s... junior brother?

Judging by the behaviors of this demon, they really seem like disciples from the same sect...

"Senior, stop, stop! Aren’t you looking for your junior brother? I know where your junior brother is! He’s not dead, he’s still living well! He’s at the Thirteenth Spine, Thirteenth Spine!" Yin Mu shouted this sentence with almost all her cultivation.

This voice, finally, slightly reached the ears of the All-Knowing Elder, causing his claw, which was about to strike, to stop abruptly.

The madness in his eyes also began to fade, and his gaze turned into puzzlement.

"Junior brother is not dead? That’s good, that’s good... but, who is junior brother..."

All-Knowing Elder looked at Yin Mu in confusion, then at the crane shadow behind him, then looked at the utterly collapsed Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss, and he instantly felt bad!

Who was it!

Who made the Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss like this!

Don’t they know this is the crucial place where the Ant Lord is suppressed!

If something goes wrong, the Ant Lord could reawaken and break free!

"Tell me! Who made this place like this!" All-Knowing Elder almost roared as he questioned Yin Mu.

"It was... it was you, senior... could it be that senior doesn’t remember..." Yin Mu felt a surge of resentment but didn’t dare show it openly. Secretly thinking, could this guy have forgotten what he did after going mad?

"Huh? It was me? Impossible! Why would I idly destroy the Twelfth Layer here? Breaking the seal here does me no good! Don’t try to fool me! I might not have read much, but I understand a lot! Judging by the fracture situation here, the culprit destroying this place should be some ferocious bird, given how obvious the claw marks that tear the heavens are, deeply engraved in the Great Dao. A ferocious bird... turns out to be a ferocious bird... uh..." All-Knowing Elder glanced at the crane shadow behind him, feeling immensely awkward, and silently retracted the crane shadow back into his body.

It seems... he indeed caused this mess here.

Now it’s troublesome. Once the seal of the Twelfth Layer is destroyed, the lower layer will undergo changes...

Boom boom boom!

Suddenly, an immense sound of shifting mountains and seas came through from the lower layers, confirming All-Knowing Elder’s suspicions!

All-Knowing Elder secretly whispered that it was not good, thinking that this loud noise might have been caused by the awakening of the Ant Lord. If this were indeed the case, it would be really troublesome.

He immediately decided to venture to the lower layers to investigate, but just at that moment, a profound weakness surged through his body, causing him to fall from the sky, landing on the ruins of the Light Ant Clan’s city walls.

The remaining Light Ant people, upon seeing All-Knowing Elder descend, scattered in retreat, terrified, not daring to approach him by even half a step; some timid Light Ant people even kneeled on the ground pleading for mercy.

All-Knowing Elder couldn’t be bothered with those Light Ant people, his face as calm as water, adopting an unapproachable demeanor.

Damn it! It must be because of going mad earlier and forcibly tearing the seal within his body; otherwise, he wouldn’t have easily destroyed the Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss! He was under Hongjun’s seal, unable to freely wield his full cultivation. Forcibly tearing the seal to restore part of his cultivation required enduring immense side effects. For several days thereafter, he wouldn’t be able to freely mobilize his mana...

"It’s troublesome... without knowing what’s happening on the lower level, I’ll have to meditate for a few days before checking it out. If it really is the Ant Lord awakening... alas, I’ll only have to suppress him again."

All-Knowing Elder sat cross-legged right in the ruins.

Seeing him behave so oddly, the powerful Light Ant Clan members didn’t dare ask any questions or leave recklessly. They simply and quietly started clearing the wreckage, tidying the bodies of their kin.

Nobody dared hold a grudge against All-Knowing Elder, and none dared seek revenge. It’s not that they didn’t hate him, but they didn’t dare... All-Knowing Elder had reached another level of strength. Even if he seemed to have lost mana while meditating, no one dared to launch a surprise attack...

Who knew if provoking this guy might make him go mad again, eradicating the few remaining Light Ant people with one claw...

This guy has definitely killed a Saint! At this moment, no one in the Light Ant Clan doubted the strength of All-Knowing Elder any further, nor did they harbor any thoughts of resistance...

"Speaking of which, why did I go mad? I can’t recall at all... Also, who is Han Nitian... this name sounds so familiar, yet so strange... Why did this name suddenly appear in my mind without any recollection of cause and effect..."

In his confusion, the All-Knowing momentarily halted his meditation, exhaling his finger force to write the words Han Nitian on the desolate ground.

But he could only fully write the first two characters, Han and Ni, unable to complete the last stroke of the character Tian. It seemed as if these three characters could never come together, as if a supreme existence wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.

"How strange..."

The All-Knowing shook his head, brushing away his confusion, and continued meditating to adjust his breathing.

...

While the All-Knowing Elder wreaked havoc on the twelfth layer, Ning Fan was attempting to ascend the Ant Master’s mountain of Dao. The moment he stepped onto the mountain, the flow of water below the mountain ceased, and the sound of the wind in the heavens and earth halted.

Ning Fan’s eyes flickered with azure spikes, and with his Tianren Eye Power, he observed that it wasn’t the water or wind around him that had stopped; it was... time!

It seemed that the very moment he ascended the mountain of Dao, time halted completely on the entire fifteenth layer. The only thing that remained in motion was himself.

This suspension of time involved the means of a Saint, containing infinite mystical logic that even Ning Fan’s discerning eye could not fully penetrate. He could perceive only a minuscule portion of its complexity.

Much of it was beyond his understanding of the conventional knowledge of time.

Ning Fan paused his steps, trying to comprehend these mystical time principles, but after several unsuccessful attempts, he could only give up with resignation. It was futile; his realm was far too inferior, unable to even touch the membrane of these temporal mysteries. It felt like a mortal reaching for the moon’s reflection in water — an achievement forever out of reach, no matter a million attempts.

"This mountain of Dao is the condensation of the Ant Master’s embodiment of Dao. Every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, every stone on the mountain bears supreme Daoist resonance, which I cannot decipher... I will only take the object at the mountain’s peak; as for the Ant Master’s Dao, there is no need to obtain or comprehend it. Paths that differ cannot work together..."

The higher he climbed, the greater the mountain of Dao’s pressure on Ning Fan. Consequently, as he ascended, his pace slowed, gradually making each step feel like it required all his strength.

Not knowing how long it had been, Ning Fan eventually exhausted all his energy and had to halt his steps for a brief respite, smiling wryly.

"This tree form, it still feels unfamiliar. Though the pressure of the mountain of Dao is immense, I’ve barely ascended a distance and am already this fatigued..."

No one understood what he referred to by "tree form," only Ning Fan himself. It referred to the Tree Demon Avatar...

The Tree Demon Avatar was a secret technique he obtained by vanquishing the Soul-Devouring Tree. He had already cultivated it to a small success using the Black Wind Gourd but seldom used it, for until now, no one had ever pushed him to the brink, forcing him to play this card.

Once this technique was activated, he could materialize an avatar with cultivation equivalent to his real body using the Dao Principle of Wood. At the current realm of the avatar, he could only produce one Tree Demon Avatar. When climbing the mountain of Dao, he hadn’t used his main body at all but the avatar! His true self was concealed within the void, closely following the avatar. Such prudence showed his wariness and carefulness towards the mountain of Dao.

Though the Tree Demon Avatar had cultivation equal to the main body, it couldn’t inherit the physical cultivation of the real body, and its duration was brief, greatly limiting its applications, generally used for immediate battles or as a scout to absorb dangers before entering a perilous area, gaining intelligence...

Looking back at the foot of the mountain, he’d climbed one-tenth of its height; gazing towards the peak, it seemed to extend one-tenth higher, just as distant as before...

"If I ascend a foot, the mountain grows a foot; if I climb a zhang, the mountain rises a zhang... This is a mountain of Dao. If I try to ascend by brute force, I will never reach the summit; if I attempt to fly there by trickery, it won’t work either..."

Ning Fan picked up a stone from his feet, channeling mana into it, and hurled it vigorously towards the peak.

Speaking of strangeness, as the stone flew halfway, the space warped suddenly, and it vanished abruptly. Then the stone reappeared mysteriously at Ning Fan’s feet, this was the outcome of attempting to ascend by trickery...

Whether it’s time or space, all are within this mountain of Dao’s control.

Unless permitted by the mountain of Dao, reaching the peak is challenging, very challenging...

Then the matter is simple.

As long as the mountain of Dao allows it, there’s no need for trouble; why go to such lengths?

"Hey, Mountain Bro, how about cutting me some slack and letting me fly straight to the peak?" Ning Fan suddenly chuckled, starting a conversation with the immense mountain. Unfortunately, this mountain of Dao wasn’t an Immortal Spirit Clan member, much less a Pureblood Celestial, making the Divine Spirit Blood Pact inapplicable; otherwise, he’d be delighted to take on another mountain servant.

[No way! What does your desire to climb to the peak have to do with me? Why should I make concessions for you? Also, I’m not your Mountain Bro, I’m your Xiaoshan Sister.]

"Xiaoshan Sister?" Ning Fan chuckled, having mistaken the gender of this mountain of Dao. It made sense; the Ant Master was female, so her mountain of Dao existing as female was not surprising. And since it was the embodiment of her Dao, having higher spiritual awareness and the ability to converse was just as unsurprising.

"Alright then, Mountain Maiden Xiaoshan, could you do me a favor..." Ning Fan suddenly found himself quite interested in this mountain of Dao. This interest wasn’t due to the profound mysteries of the Ant Master’s Dao but because the mountain itself was rather amusing.

[Hmph! You must call me Xiaoshan Sister! Otherwise, I won’t pay attention to you!]

"Hehe, I’m older than you, how can I call you Sister? If anything, I’ll call you Little Sis." Ning Fan said with a smile.

[Huh? You older than me? Impossible, don’t deceive me! Your bone age is merely tens of thousands, while I’ve lived through ten cosmic cycles! I’m old enough to be your granny! That’s it, you won’t call me Xiaoshan Sister anymore; you’ll call me Granny Xiaoshan!]

"How many years is ten cosmic cycles?" Ning Fan asked in slight surprise.

[You don’t even know that, silly! A single cycle is a million ages, an age is four springs, eight thousand years in a spring, twelve thousand years per autumn... wait, don’t interrupt me! Let me calculate... how many years are four sets of eight thousand, and a million ages equals... how many again... waaaah, I can’t work it out! It’s so hard!] The mountain of Dao began to cry, with no trace of its former haughty demeanor, its personality turning softly girlish.

"Can’t figure it out? Don’t cry, let me help you calculate, alright, it’s calculated."

[How old am I? Tell me quickly!]

"You’re three years old this year."

[Three? No way! I’m not that foolish, don’t try to fool me...]

So it couldn’t be fooled... it seemed this mountain of Dao possessed a much higher intelligence than the Bottomless Boat indeed.

[How can I only be three? I’m at least... at least four!]

Alright, I’ve clearly overestimated this mountain, it’s no different from the Bottomless Boat...

"Darn! So I’m only four years old this year, and you’re so old you could be my ancestor. I can’t call you Sister Xiaoshan like this..."

"..." This girl seems pretty fixated on being called Sister.

"Thanks for calculating my age for me. As a reward, I’ll make it easier for you to climb the mountain. From now on, the mountain won’t get any taller as you ascend!"

This mountain was resolved just like that? Easier than I imagined...

"By the way, it must be dull staying here all alone. Once I reach the peak, why don’t I take you away from this place? Would you like that?" If the mountain didn’t agree, Ning Fan wouldn’t be able to relocate the Ant Lord’s holy path or take the mountain with him; if it would, he wouldn’t mind acquiring a new pet.

"Sure, sure! You take me out, and I’ll call you Brother Tree Demon! I’m fed up with this lousy place, it’s so boring with that nasty woman always bossing me around..."

"Huh? You can see my dryad avatar?" Ning Fan was surprised. Was his dryad avatar so crude that even a mountain could see through it?

"I didn’t see it, but I observed you summon your avatar and hide your true self after you started climbing. Of course, I know you are in tree form now. You forget that I am the mountain beneath your feet—I know everything you do on me!" It wasn’t that the mountain saw through his dryad avatar, but rather witnessed Ning Fan summoning his avatar, which led to the understanding.

"I see."

Ning Fan chatted with the mountain a bit more, smiling more and more visibly. Clearly, the mountain’s innocent demeanor amused him.

But then his smile vanished.

Because he could sense from the direction of the mountain peak, an enemy had appeared and was rushing violently towards his location!

The speed of that person was astounding, completely ignoring the mountain’s obstacles, descending swiftly from the summit, and appearing right in front of Ning Fan within seconds.

She didn’t have to follow any climbing or descending rules because she was the master of the mountain!

"Who are you to dare climb my mountain!"

It was a ghostly woman with perilously attractive features akin to a mountain spirit, exuding an ominous aura.

Ning Fan’s eyes narrowed! This woman claimed to be the mountain’s owner, could she be the Ant Lord? But how could that be, wasn’t the Ant Lord suppressed by the All-Knowing Senior? Moreover, this woman seemed not to possess a saint’s cultivation, merely at the level of a First Order Quasi-Saint, with mana between twelve and thirteen thousand calamities. The apprehension Ning Fan felt seemed unrelated to her cultivation level.

Speaking of which, the Bottomless Boat mentioned an Ant Lord’s scattered soul on the mountain; could this woman be that scattered soul?

"Won’t answer, will you? Then you can go die!"

The woman’s murderous intent was overwhelming, unwilling to waste words with Ning Fan. With a soft motion of her palm, a Dao weapon appeared, a sword with the phantom of Kunlun Immortal Mountain hovering faintly over it, slicing towards Ning Fan.

That was a kind of Ancient Map Daoist Weapon. Ning Fan had seen it before, this sword was called the Kunlun Sword, also known as the "Sword of the Superior Disciple of Hongjun Holy Sect"!

It was very similar to the Reverse Sea Sword, symbolizing the status of an ancient holy sect’s disciple!

This was a Dao weapon of a Saint, and though the Ant Lord hadn’t properly refined it, the sword remained formidable. After all, the power of a Dao weapon is tied to the host’s cultivation.

This sword felt to Ning Fan comparable to a top-grade Innate Treasure!

For a being of the Ant Lord’s standing, a top-grade Innate was insignificant, but to Ning Fan, a cultivator from the Dreamland Realm, a top-grade Innate Dao weapon already served as a deadly weapon! At least, Ning Fan had no treasure that could match this sword!

Hastily, Ning Fan summoned his own Dao weapon, blocking the woman’s strike. Yet, the Reverse Sea Sword was barely able to withstand the force of her strike, ringing with clashing sounds as cracks began to form on its blade, clearly at a disadvantage in direct sword combat!

"A Reverse Sea Sword? Are you a disciple of Yue Kun? Then there’s all the more reason to kill you!"

The woman, seemingly angered by Ning Fan’s identity, slashed again, as if splitting the world apart with her sword.

Ning Fan could barely fend off the second, third, fourth strike... By the eleventh strike, he dared not meet her attack with the Reverse Sea Sword any longer.

After just ten blows from her Dao weapon, the Reverse Sea Sword was on the verge of collapse, needing substantial nurturing before it could be used again!

This left Ning Fan thoroughly annoyed!

Even if this woman was the Ant Lord’s scattered soul, so what! A scattered soul clearly doesn’t possess the full cultivation of a Saint, but only a sliver. Ning Fan wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could contend with a Saint, but if the enemy were merely a Saint’s scattered soul, that’s a different matter!

With a glint in his eye, Ning Fan withdrew the Reverse Sea Sword and patted his storage pouch, immediately launching several low-grade Innate treasures towards the woman.

These treasures were looted from the Light Ant Clan, not yet thrown into the Melting Refinement Furnace for tempering, but Ning Fan now used them against his opponent.

"You have quite a few treasures, but unfortunately, the gap between high-grade and low-grade Innate is like the difference between heaven and earth. No matter how many low-grade treasures you have, it’s futile!"

The woman gave an arrogant smile, ready to swing her sword and shatter these Innate treasures. But before her sword could hit them, the treasures self-destructed first.

No, they weren’t self-destructing, but were ignited by Ning Fan!

This guy is crazy! Although low-grade Innate treasures aren’t highly valued, they’re not cheap enough to be used as explosives!

While the woman’s cultivation equaled a First Order Quasi-Saint, her scattered soul form left her body extremely fragile. If caught in an Innate treasure’s explosion, she’d get somewhat injured.

She naturally dared not underestimate the magnitude of this treasure explosion, gently pressing a finger against the Kunlun Sword, countless sword beams bursting from it, forming layers of deep azure Sword Qi Barriers, encircling her.

This Kunlun Sword truly deserved to be a top-grade Innate weapon! With its Sword Qi Barrier defense activated, the explosions from several Innate treasures failed to harm her in the slightest; indeed, it was impressive.

"Hmph! An insignificant trick, trying to harm my scattered soul form, truly laughable!" the woman said disdainfully.

Ning Fan ignored the woman, slapped his storage pouch, and suddenly summoned the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, smashing it towards the woman.

"Oh? You actually have such a treasure as the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle in your hands. It’s a pity, although the name of this treasure is grand, you only have one of the nine needles, not a match for my Dao Weapon."

The Sword Qi Barrier would sap the Kunlun Sword’s power. The woman was about to withdraw the protective sword shield to unleash the full might of the Kunlun Sword against the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle when she suddenly noticed a cold glint in Ning Fan’s eyes, causing a sudden alert in her heart!

Almost fell for it!

If I withdraw the protective Sword Qi Barrier, this kid will immediately detonate the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle! This is an Innate Mid-grade Treasure, its explosion is enough to severely damage my scattered soul form!

With anyone else, the woman wouldn’t believe they’d be willing to detonate such a level of treasure, but Ning Fan had already set a precedent, clearly a madman who uses treasures as bombs, facing such a madman, the woman dared not be complacent.

She had no choice but to continue using the Sword Qi Barrier against Ning Fan, but once the Sword Qi Barrier was activated, it would sap nearly half the power of the Kunlun Sword. Even though the Kunlun Sword is of Innate Superior Grade, using only half its power, it still cannot crush the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle.

In short hundred breaths, the two had clashed using treasures in hundreds of exchanges, and the woman could only gain a slight upper hand.

The Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle was too heavy! Too hard! Even though it was inferior in grade to the Kunlun Sword, after hundreds of exchanges, it had only been sliced with slight cracks by the Kunlun Sword.

Yet the Kunlun Sword didn’t come out unscathed, after too many hits from the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, its aura had slightly dimmed...

"Perhaps I should withdraw the Sword Qi Barrier and unleash the full power of the Kunlun Sword to destroy the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle? But this way, in case he ruthlessly detonates the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, I will be gravely injured..."

"Or perhaps his previous detonation of several Innate Inferior Grade treasures was an intentional ploy to create an illusion, forcing me not to easily withdraw the Sword Qi Barrier. But how did he know my Kunlun Sword could release a protective Sword Qi Barrier? Right! Since he holds the Reverse Sea Sword, it’s not strange he would understand the Kunlun Sword as well!"

"Hmph! Regardless of what he’s calculated, I just need to use one power to defeat ten, using the Kunlun Sword to break his Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle! With attack and defense as one, though the Kunlun Sword only exerts half its power, after several hundred more rounds, I’m sure his Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle can’t hold on, it’ll certainly be defeated! Once this needle is defeated, let’s see how he withstands the sharpness of my treasure sword!"

Sure enough!

After battling several hundred rounds more, the cracks on the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle reached their limit, unable to continue against the Kunlun Sword, though the Kunlun Sword’s aura had also been scattered considerably by the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle.

Ning Fan had no choice but to retract the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, at that moment, the woman revealed a cold smile of victory.

"Is this the end of your techniques, you’re destined to be slain by me here!"

With a flick of the Kunlun Sword, countless sword beams transformed into mountains and rivers, pressing down towards Ning Fan.

But before those mountains and rivers could completely suppress, they were swept away and shattered by rays of Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree light.

"You actually have a Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree comparable to an Innate Mid-grade treasure! How do you have so many treasures!"

The woman’s face turned a bit unsightly. She thought that once she destroyed his Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, he would have no strength to resist, but the reality was, he still had the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree to continue the battle of attrition.

The Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree of the opponent, she didn’t pay much mind to, but the problem is... with only half power, even if the Kunlun Sword wins another round, it would be damaged considerably by the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree aura.

What if by then, the opponent takes out a third Innate Mid-grade treasure for mutual attrition...

"I see, you deliberately crafted an illusion, forcing me to use only half the power of the Kunlun Sword against you, then using a war of attrition to wear down the aura of my treasure sword. Clever calculation, but this scheme has been seen through, I don’t believe you would dare to self-destruct the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree to harm me!"

The woman withdrew the protective Sword Qi Barrier, ready to use the full force of the Kunlun Sword to destroy the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree and give Ning Fan a lesson, but just as she withdrew the Sword Qi Barrier, she saw cold light in Ning Fan’s eyes once more, and immediately the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree’s power began to expand, seemingly ready to explode at any moment...

"Damn it! This is an open ploy! He’s sure I wouldn’t dare to risk it!"

The woman had no choice but to re-activate the Sword Qi Barrier, as no one knew if Ning Fan would truly detonate the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree.

Thus, after a thousand rounds, the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree also suffered damage beyond continuation. The Kunlun Sword was no better off, weakened significantly after the combined attrition of the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle and Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree.

"You seem only to have this one means of confronting with Dao Weapons..." Ning Fan suddenly spoke.

"So what, it’s enough to kill you!" The woman’s face remained cold, but deep inside, she was indeed alarmed: this young man had silently discovered her weaknesses!

Limited means of confronting enemies, a frail scattered soul body, the woman’s weaknesses were numerous. Even with a Kunlun Sword in hand, she shouldn’t have brought such a strong sense of crisis to Ning Fan.

Better to be cautious...

After the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree, Ning Fan again employed the Sun Moon Stars Stele, continuing to sap the aura of the Kunlun Sword.

The Kunlun Sword’s aura grew dimmer and dimmer, its power weakening, in this bout taking thousands of rounds to completely destroy the Sun Moon Stars Stele, but by then, the Kunlun Sword’s aura was nearly depleted, clearly at its limit.

At this moment, even if the Kunlun Sword withdrew its protective Sword Qi Barrier and unleashed full power, it would be equivalent only to some stronger Innate Mid-grade treasure. Ning Fan would not be too disadvantaged in a direct confrontation with the woman.

It’s time to exert full force and eliminate this woman.

But at this moment, the situation changed abruptly!

Ning Fan’s Spirit suddenly throbbed with pain, and then, unknown seeds began to root and sprout deep in his Spirit, saplings forced their way out from his Spirit and physical body!

"Is this the danger I sensed, I didn’t even notice how she planted the seeds within me, such a difficult defense..." Ning Fan’s expression was icy cold, but not panic-stricken, evidently he had anticipated the enemy’s follow-up moves, just not expecting them to come so suddenly and unpredictably.

"Hehe, young man, you’ve been too negligent, although this strand of my scattered soul is indeed weak, it’s not someone that can be bullied by just anyone! You wanted to drag out a attrition battle, depleting the power of my Kunlun Sword, yet didn’t realize, I too wished to delay time, allowing the Light Tree to root and sprout within you. Are you feeling very painful, is it becoming increasingly difficult to mobilize your mana? Very regrettably, this is the power of the Light Tree. Once it successfully roots and sprouts, only a Saint can remove it, you will be drained of all your cultivations and flesh, eventually dying." the woman said smugly.

More and more branches, forcefully emerged and grew from Ning Fan’s body.

The branches were entirely composed of light, continuously absorbing Ning Fan’s cultivation and physical form as nourishment to exchange for a chance to grow.

Ning Fan looked up at the sky and finally noticed that there was something amiss with the entire glow of the fifteenth level.

Since arriving at the fifteenth level, he had only focused on Jiangliu, the concept of "South Orange North Zhi," and the mountain of Dao, but he never realized that there was actually a towering tree growing here, with roots embedded in this mountain of Dao!

The Light Tree!

This was a tree entirely made of natural light. Wherever there was light, all you could see was natural light, not the tree itself, because the tree was part of the natural radiance, perfectly hidden between heaven and earth.

Unless, the world falls into night!

Ning Fan unleashed his Dark Yin Yang, plunging the entire fifteenth level into darkness. With all natural light obscured by Ning Fan, a massive light tree emerged before his eyes, illuminating the night. The crystal-clear trunk and the circulating radiance between its leaves were breathtaking beyond imagination!

"So that’s how it is. Such a remarkable tree was perfectly hidden here, preventing me from noticing it. Ever since I set foot on the mountain of Dao, I’ve been under this tree’s attack, but since the tree itself is part of natural light, I only felt its glow as natural illumination, without any awareness. After being shone upon by this tree long enough, a seed would plant within me, rooting and sprouting..."

Ning Fan suddenly smiled, looking at the Light Tree with interest.

At this moment, the Light Tree was continuously growing inside him, nearly transforming his entire being into a tree. Once the Light Tree growth took shape, it would be unstoppable. His body was paralyzed by the Light Tree, making it nearly impossible to mobilize his mana; no matter how it looked, he was in peril.

Yet, he managed to smile.

It was a good thing he had taken precautions before climbing, using not his true form but a body double.

"Facing death, and still he’s smiling!"

The woman sneered, instinctively assuming Ning Fan’s smile was a final struggle before death, and she stepped closer, thrusting her sword into Ning Fan’s Dantian.

"Though the Light Tree can kill you, it does so too slowly; hence, you will die by my hand. Hmm? Strange, this sensation of piercing flesh feels off..."

As the woman pierced Ning Fan’s Dantian, Ning Fan suddenly withered like a tree, losing all vitality.

Thereafter, his body began to change form, revealing its true nature, turning into... a tree! A withered tree!

"This is... a Tree Demon Avatar! The one I’ve been fighting with all along wasn’t your true self!"

The woman’s face darkened in realization, feeling a foreboding sense. She tried to pull the Kunlun Sword from the withered tree that was once Ning Fan but couldn’t budge it! At that moment, a sense of crisis came from behind her, forcing her to abandon the sword and retreat, but it was too late!

Ning Fan’s silhouette unexpectedly broke through the void, appearing without warning. As he emerged, he unleashed an Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike, sending the woman’s scattered soul form flying several hundred feet, bleeding!

"So this is your true body! You used a Tree Demon Avatar to climb the mountain, keeping your real self hidden in the void, following behind the avatar!" The woman bit her lip in bitterness, not a guess but a certainty!

Ning Fan had no interest in exchanging words with the woman. After the successful strike, he closed in again, activating the Cross Halo and Eternal True Body simultaneously, ancient strikes raining down like a storm!

"Damn it, Kunlun Sword, protect your master! Quickly, protect your master! Aren’t you protecting your master yet!"

The woman summoned three times in a row, yet the Kunlun Sword remained lodged within the withered tree transformed from Ning Fan’s body double, unable to fly free nor protect its master.

After all, within this withered tree avatar resided Ning Fan’s Wood Father God’s divine status. Entangled by the Dao Principle of Wood, the sword wouldn’t return to the woman’s side anytime soon.

What humiliation! She, a dignified Saint’s scattered soul, completely outwitted by a junior!

The woman, like a floating wisp of willow, was being ravaged by Ning Fan’s storm-like Mountain-Shattering Strikes. Hers was but a mere thread of scattered soul, with only the Dao Weapon as her means. She could use the Light Tree to ambush because the tree inherently grew there.

With the Light Tree detected by Ning Fan and the Kunlun Sword entangled by him, she had no further tactics to counter Ning Fan, even though her mana rivaled that of a Quasi-Saint.

Three thousand strikes of Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering!

Six thousand strikes of Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering!

Eight thousand strikes of Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering!

The woman was utterly no match for Ning Fan, battered to the brink of death by his rain of fists. Now, the true power of a Saint’s Eternal Soul began to show. No matter how severe her injuries, she wouldn’t truly be annihilated!

This was the Saint’s Eternal Soul!

This immortality wasn’t linked to undying powers but to the essence of existence. As her existence remained unchanged, she remained eternally unvanquishable!

To obliterate this soul required obliterating her existence; only then could she be erased. Otherwise, no matter how many tens of thousands or millions of fists Ning Fan threw, he’d only worsen her wounds without ever truly destroying her!

The power capable of eradicating existence—only reincarnation!

"You brat, you can’t kill me!" the woman growled viciously.

"Is that so." Ning Fan suddenly altered his fist’s strength, infusing a sliver of reincarnation power into the next Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike.

A mere sliver.

Yet enough to wound the very root of her existence!

"You can wield the power of reincarnation!" The woman finally felt fear; she didn’t want to be erased by Ning Fan, not at any cost!

She had to resist!

Even if the cost of this is great, it is much better than having one’s soul dispersed!

"The Power of Reincarnation is not yours alone to wield! Although my power of reincarnation is as sparse as yours, the divine abilities it manifests are far beyond your imagination! A Saint cannot be bullied by you! Reincarnation Dream, activate!"

The woman’s divine skill unfolded, and she suddenly fell into slumber.

At the instant she fell asleep, Ning Fan also fell asleep.

The power of slumber spread from the mountain of Dao as its center, disseminating across the entire fifteenth layer, and soon, all beings in the fifteenth layer fell into slumber.

No one can awaken!

This is a technique of indiscriminate attack on an entire world; once this technique is activated, all beings must fall into a dream!

...

"As expected of a Saint’s Scattered Soul, even if her methods and disposition are far inferior to a true Saint’s, she still cannot be underestimated. Reincarnation Dream... this is probably the dream world she controls, which requires the power of reincarnation to initiate. I wonder if she dragged me into this dream world to destroy my divine sense, or if she has other intentions... If it’s the former, I have a Divine Spirit Sea of Consciousness to protect myself; if it’s the latter, I’ll need to be cautious..."

Ning Fan calculated his options, walking through the void of the dream world.

Before him was a misty, white fog, obscuring his vision. Ning Fan remained alert for the woman’s ambush, but from start to finish, there was none.

Soon, he discovered the reason why the woman did not ambush him.

It turned out her Scattered Soul’s cultivation was severely insufficient! Although she forcefully dragged Ning Fan into this Reincarnation Dream, she couldn’t perfectly control this segment of the dream!

The white fog before him scattered, and Ning Fan found himself standing on a ridge. At his feet was an ant scurrying frantically, trying to escape.

"Don’t tell me that you dragged me into the dream, and while I remained human, you turned into an ant without any cultivation. If that’s truly the case, then this dream of yours is a huge loss..."

With a cold smirk, Ning Fan picked up the panicking ant. The ant had no chance of escaping; how could a tiny ant possibly rival a person?

"Damn it! My Scattered Soul’s cultivation is insufficient, which led to the current scenario. If my cultivation was adequate, killing you in the dream would be a piece of cake!"

"Is that so? But I won’t give you the chance."

Ning Fan squeezed hard, crushing the ant in his hand. He wouldn’t feel pity for anyone, especially not the Ant Master, for whom he felt an inexplicable aversion.

Ning Fan initially thought that by killing the Ant Master in the dream, he would be able to leave this place.

But he was wrong.

Having killed the Ant Master, the Reincarnation Dream first shattered, then reformed, returning to the initial scene of white mist.

"I clearly slew the Ant Master in the dream, yet I can’t leave... Could my method be incorrect?" Ning Fan pondered with a frown.

"The method isn’t wrong! But killing me just once is not enough! Wait... In the next dream, I won’t be a weak little ant, and you will die miserably!" the woman sneered.

As the woman’s voice faded, the white fog of the dream world began to dissipate once more.

This time, Ning Fan was hovering above an ocean.

Also hovering above the ocean was a female cultivator in a black dress, none other than the Ant Master.

Unlike before, this time the Ant Master was no longer without cultivation. On the contrary, her cultivation level was terrifyingly high!

Saint!

"Boy, have you ever been crushed by a Saint..."

The Ant Master’s expression was cold and indifferent, showing no other emotion, unlike her previous Scattered Soul’s unpredictable demeanor.

She is the ruler of this dream world. Here, though she possesses a Scattered Soul form, she can return to the past, regaining her former strength in the dream!

With her full strength returned, she could perfectly control her inner self, barely showing any emotional fluctuations.

"In the Reincarnation Dream, each of us won’t truly perish upon dying, but only part of our divine sense will be damaged. However, if the divine sense is damaged to a certain extent, both of us will die. The difference is, if you die, you die entirely, whereas I only lose a strand of my Scattered Soul..."

"I know your divine sense is strong, so from now on, I’ll kill you... a hundred times."

An unprecedented sense of danger arose, prompting Ning Fan to flee at full speed without any hesitation.

But, escape was impossible!

Though he had fled incredibly far, upon clearing his senses, he realized he was still like an ant, scurrying in the immense palm of the Ant Master.

He couldn’t escape her grasp!

"You seemed to find it amusing to crush me before, so this time, it’s my turn to crush you..."

The Ant Master pinched with her fingers, and Ning Fan was reduced to a pile of mush.

This was his first demise in the Reincarnation Dream, utterly powerless against the Ant Master!