The Pharaoh of Egypt stood atop the Sandstorm Giant Snake, giving Ye Fan a disdainful smile. Ye Fan clenched his fists, glaring furiously back at him.

The Pharaoh of Egypt spoke, "Young man, your strength is admirable, as is your courage, but it’s far from enough to face me! You are powerless to complete this expulsion plan!"

"You’re just repeating the mistakes of the past!" Ye Fan retorted. "Enough with the nonsense. I only believe in the sword in my hand. My sword is the most potent persuasion!"

"Is that so?"

The Pharaoh of Egypt spurred the Sandstorm Giant Snake forward. It immediately whipped up a raging storm that rushed toward Ye Fan. Both the snake and the desert tempest posed a significant threat. Ye Fan instantly executed the Unity of Man and Sword to meet the attack.

This Unity was the Yuanhong Sword’s ultimate technique. As the strike descended, a streak of light pierced through the layers of sand and dust, heading straight for the Sandstorm Giant Snake at the storm’s core.

The Pharaoh of Egypt saw Ye Fan’s ferocious strike. It was a blow imbued with the power of the Unity of Heaven and Man. As he unleashed it, Ye Fan possessed the perfect alignment of timing, terrain, and unity, making it flawless. He successfully passed through the massive desert storm and pierced the Sandstorm Giant Snake, his speed absolute and his momentum unstoppable.

The Sandstorm Giant Snake dispersed once again, but Ye Fan was deeply displeased. This Sandstorm Giant Snake has no life at all! He was shocked, having never encountered such a bizarre technique.

The Pharaoh of Egypt said teasingly, "You can never kill my good companion, because it, like me, is immortal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed his pharaoh’s scepter down toward Ye Fan.

The moment the sword and scepter collided, the entire desert trembled. The sand surged into the air before crashing back to the ground with a tremendous roar. The scene was startling. Even Ye Fan was stunned for a moment before he could react. Had he not instinctively raised the Yuanhong Sword to defend himself, he would have died beneath that pharaoh’s scepter.

Ye Fan had to acknowledge the Pharaoh of Egypt’s power. In his view, the man’s strength was on par with his own—unless, of course, Ye Fan unleashed the power of his Divine Bloodline. At that moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood, having suffered a severe internal injury.

Standing on the Sandstorm Giant Snake, the Pharaoh of Egypt declared, "Despair has only just begun!"

But Ye Fan replied, "No, despair hasn’t started yet. The real despair isn’t what you bring to me, but what I will bring to you! Get ready!"

He concentrated his Pure Yang True Qi, merging it perfectly with the power of his Divine Bloodline to form the Wanxiang Divine Shield. With a great shout, Ye Fan deployed it. A colossal blue phantom rose from the ground. The Sandstorm Giant Snake was already enormous, but it looked insignificant before the blue phantom. Seeing this, the Pharaoh of Egypt’s eyes filled with apprehension.

But to an outsider, his expression would not have seemed to be one of apprehension, but rather of relief. Perhaps only the Pharaoh of Egypt himself knew what he truly meant to express.

「...」

On the other side, the four Pharaohs’ silver scepters flared with a great ball of energy, powering the Array’s operation. Their status was lower than the Pharaoh of Egypt’s, signified by their silver scepters in contrast to his golden one. In fact, his was the only golden scepter among all the Pharaohs. Still, this did not hinder the deployment of their strength.

This immense power coalesced into a desert mask that bore down on the two women with oppressive force.

"Jade Maiden Heart Scripture!"

The two women immediately joined forces, unleashing their strongest technique. As they deployed the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture, a gentle power instantly dissolved the desert mask.

But at that moment, the four Pharaohs made their move. They attacked in unison, charging the two women and striking almost simultaneously. As strong as the two women were, they could only fend off two of the Pharaohs. They had no way to block the remaining two. The two women were terrified.

"Water Moon! Unity!" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

They spoke at the same time, invoking two major techniques from the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture. Though distinct, they were part of a whole. A massive Jade Maiden illusion appeared, instantly dissolving the four Pharaohs’ tense, murderous assault. The four men immediately retreated to their respective pillars.

Su Qingxue said, "Their coordination is impeccable. If this continues, we will definitely be defeated. I suspect there’s something strange about their pillars."

"Hmm?" Heather was surprised by Su Qingxue’s keen observation.

Su Qingxue explained, "Every time they attack, the pillars shift position. Although the movement is subtle, the Array changes with each shift!"

"You mean we should destroy the pillars?" Heather asked immediately.

"Exactly!" Su Qingxue affirmed.

"Alright, let’s do it!"

The two of them charged forward to attack, but the four Pharaohs showed only deep disdain as they swiftly moved to intercept them. With their superior coordination and strength, blocking the two women was no problem at all.

In the next moment, however, the Grassland Bear attacked. It had been lurking this whole time, and now was its moment to strike. It immediately unleashed a blast of freezing True Yuan. The four Pharaohs were unfortunately frozen solid, giving the two women a chance to attack the pillars. The Grassland Bear then charged the frozen figures.

Its force was terrifying. Upon impact, the four shattered into pieces, leaving the two women speechless. Dealing with these four seemed all too easy for the Grassland Bear! If we had known it was this powerful, would we have even needed to destroy the pillars?

But just then, the sand on the ground gathered again, reforming the four Pharaohs, and the pillars rose once more. The two women gasped in horror, realizing that all their efforts, including the Grassland Bear’s, had been in vain.

The four stood upon their pillars, just as the legends proclaimed: immortal, undying, endlessly reborn in the River of Time.

The Grassland Bear roared as the two women prepared for another battle.

But then, the four spoke. "You have passed the test."

"What do you mean?" The two women didn’t understand. What did it mean to have passed the test? And what was this test?

One of the four explained, "Today’s battle was actually a trial we specifically arranged for you! But it’s a long story."

Despite their wariness, the two women had no choice but to listen to this so-called explanation. It made sense now. No wonder these four, despite fighting fiercely from the start, had shown no real killing intent. Otherwise, facing their strongest attacks, the women would have been injured at the very least.

One of the Pharaohs said, "You will understand after you read this. We have been waiting for you for a long time."

He handed a piece of parchment to Heather.

Heather and Su Qingxue opened the parchment and instantly understood. It had all been a pre-arranged plan. It was a letter from the Guardian Town Spirit Realm. It turned out they had been misled by these Pharaohs a millennium ago.

Upon learning the truth, the two women had a sudden realization. They couldn’t help but admire the resolve of these Pharaohs. They had willingly endured being misunderstood for a thousand years, but now the truth had come to light.