"The Heavenly Dao Kill Order can wait," Fang Han said, holding Yan Shuiyi as he helped her straighten her clothes—his hands, naturally, not behaving themselves. "But our relationship must not be exposed to the Taiyi Sect. Not yet. When are you planning to return? Why don't we cultivate together a bit longer? You're now a peerless giant of the Longevity Realm. With your help, I can fully subdue Fan Qingying and refine the Great Chaos Thunder Sword. Once I return, I'll be able to deal with Hua Tiandu completely—perhaps even his master, Ruyi Zi."
"Ruyi Zi?" Yan Shuiyi paused. "He's a peerless giant—cunning and treacherous. Be extremely careful when you face him. He's full of schemes, carries many powerful treasures, and wields enormous influence among the elders of the Yuhua Sect. Outside the sect, he has close ties with formidable rogue cultivators—some of them peerless giants as well. In the outer starfields, he has four sworn brothers he once cultivated with. Together they're known as the Three Immortals and Two Elders."
"The Three Immortals and Two Elders?"
"Yes. Ruyi Zi is called the Immortal of Auspice. The others are the Immortal of Beautiful Beard, the Immortal of Bronze Feet, Cloud-Brushing Elder, and Granny Lulan. All five are peerless giants of the first layer of the Longevity Realm. None have broken through to the Undying Body. Each occupies a planet in the nearby starfields, where they've established their own domains."
"So Ruyi Zi has quite the network," Fang Han said, inwardly startled. "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. High status within the sect, disciples like Hua Tiandu, sworn brothers outside—no wonder he's difficult to deal with."
Cultivators naturally had allies. But to swear brotherhood and carve out a reputation together—that was rare.
"If you move against Ruyi Zi," Yan Shuiyi continued, "his brothers may intervene. But don't worry. Once I achieve the Undying Body, I'll help you deal with him. A true Undying expert is vastly superior to those at the Longevity Realm. Breaking through is unimaginably hard. Unless Ruyi Zi encounters an extraordinary miracle, he'll never make it."
Her tone was calm, confident.
Fang Han shook his head. "Ruyi Zi and Hua Tiandu are my enemies. I won't let you fight them for me. You just take care of yourself. Now—let's enter the Yellow Springs Diagram and finish subduing the Great Chaos Thunder Sword."
"Alright."
Hand in hand, they flew into the Yellow Springs Diagram.
Abyssal demonic qi filled the space. The colossal Eightfold Pagoda hovered in midair. Wood Daoist, the Black King, Starcloud Babe, the Wheel-Turning Sacred King, the Sun-Moon Essence Wheel, millions of Heavenly Demons, and countless Demon Kings all chanted in unison, driving the Great Salvation Zen Light to suppress a sword that spat endless chaos thunder.
Beneath the sword sat a blind woman, a halo of pure radiance circling behind her head, resisting refinement.
Even with Wood Daoist—a peerless giant—alongside so many Dao artifacts, demons, the Eightfold Pagoda, and even Yan, they could barely restrain Fan Qingying and the Great Chaos Thunder Sword. That alone showed how terrifying the top-ranked existence on the Longevity Candidate List truly was.
But when Yan Shuiyi and Fang Han descended, the situation changed instantly.
Fang Han manifested his Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Body of a Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes. A thousand eyes opened, firing demonic beams that coiled around the Thunder Sword; a thousand hands moved in concert, releasing waves of Great Salvation Zen Light—the supreme art of the Three Thousand Great Daos.
Yan Shuiyi, now a peerless giant, radiated overwhelming presence. The moment she arrived, she opened her mouth and exhaled a river of immortal qi from the Immortal Realm, pouring it into the Eightfold Pagoda.
Wood Daoist, Starcloud Babe, the Sun-Moon Essence Wheel, and the rest were instantly invigorated, their power surging.
"Fan Qingying!" Yan Shuiyi said coldly. "We were once close friends, yet you colluded with the God Race and used me. If I hadn't awakened in time, I would've been destroyed by you."
As she spoke, the Azure Sea Pearl flew out, releasing a crushing force that wrapped around Fan Qingying.
"Yan Shuiyi, you were simply lucky," Fan Qingying replied calmly. "You broke through to become a peerless giant. I see now—you gave yourself to Fang Han. Only by fully uniting body and soul with him could you awaken your Water Deity Primordial Spirit through his Black Emperor Water Sovereign Qi and step into the Longevity Realm. You surrendered yourself to Fang Han—how will you ever explain that to the Taiyi Sect?"
Yan Shuiyi snorted. "You're not even of the God Race. Why be their hound?"
"To me, gods, humans, and demons are no different," Fan Qingying said coolly. "If the God Race hadn't saved me, I would've died long ago. Born blind, deaf, and mute, abandoned in the wilderness—I survived only because of them. They taught me supreme arts. How could I turn against my benefactors?"
Her strength, however, was waning. With the Thunder Sword suppressed, she stood no chance against Yan Shuiyi and the Azure Sea Pearl.
"Fan Qingying," Yan Shuiyi said, her tone softening slightly, "for the sake of our years of friendship, submit now. Let Fang Han convert you into the Eightfold Pagoda, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll refine you completely with the Supreme Artifact-Refining Art of the Mystic Gate."
"Times change," Fan Qingying sighed. "Not long ago, we hunted Fang Han together. Now you stand with him against me. Yan Shuiyi—your will is unstable. Your Dao will falter."
"Only the living have a chance at the Dao," Yan Shuiyi replied. "The dead have none."
Her fingers closed. The Azure Sea Pearl shrank into a single drop of water, spinning rapidly and completely sealing Fan Qingying inside. She was truly invoking the Supreme Refining Art, beginning to melt her down.
Within a supreme Dao artifact, even self-detonation was meaningless. Fan Qingying's essence would be absorbed regardless.
That was the power of a peerless giant wielding a supreme Dao artifact.
Meanwhile, Fang Han focused entirely on the Great Chaos Thunder Sword. His Great Salvation Zen Light advanced inch by inch. His Dharma Body had grown immensely stronger; Wood Daoist, now housed within a Divine King's body, was recovering rapidly as well.
With Fan Qingying suppressed, the Thunder Sword lost its anchor and began to falter.
Fang Han's merged Buddhist-demonic primordial spirit was terrifying. Demonic sound tempted and corroded; Buddhist light purified and washed away resistance. Under repeated refinement, even the Thunder Sword began to weaken.
"Great Chaos Thunder Sword," Fang Han said, his voice carrying irresistible temptation. "If you continue resisting, daily refinement will drain you until you lose all hope of advancing to a peerless Dao artifact. Submit, and I'll supply you with endless faith power. I'll refine you with the World Tree's spiritual essence—and even empower you with the Undying Lightning Talisman. I have a friend—the reincarnation of the Lightning Empress. You know what her refinement would mean for you."
"The Undying Lightning Talisman… the Thunder Emperor's decree?" the artifact spirit buzzed.
"If you refuse," Fang Han continued coldly, "you'll still be refined—by force. Yan Shuiyi and Wood Daoist are peerless giants. Escape is impossible. I'll take you back to the Yuhua Sect, where you'll face eternal torment. Or—when I step into the Longevity Realm, I'll fuse your spirit directly to form my Undying Body. You're perfect for it."
Blatant threat. Absolute dominance.
After a long silence, the Thunder Sword finally withdrew its power and flew into the Eightfold Pagoda, surrendering to the Great Salvation Zen Light.
Ten days and ten nights passed.
The chaos qi within the sword grew denser, thunder flashing like the birth of heaven and earth. Then, with a sharp cry, it plunged into the core of Fang Han's Dharma Body. Three more days and nights of refinement followed.
On the thirteenth day, the Great Chaos Thunder Sword burst forth and landed in Fang Han's palm—completely subdued, all of Fan Qingying's imprints erased.
With a casual swing, millions of chaos thunderbolts roared out, blasting through the Yellow Springs Diagram and forcing the winds of the Nine Heavens to fall silent.
Its killing power far surpassed even the combined might of the Sun-Moon Essence Wheels.
Fang Han knew—wielding this sword, alongside his Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Dharma Body and half-formed Undying Body, he could directly slay a peak peerless giant like Long Daoist.
The Great Chaos Thunder Sword was born for one purpose alone:
Destruction. Slaughter. The opening of worlds.