The moment the severed hand of the Demon God Xing Wuchen was sealed, his fury erupted like a storm.
"You dare imprison my hand? Insolent mortals! Huasha-yei-di! Julu-yei-di! Kalan-kalan!—The Heavenly Demon descends, and the world shall be drowned in ruin!"
A string of ancient demonic syllables spilled from his mouth—jagged, writhing old-era script that twisted through the air. At once, a monstrous tide of demonic qi surged outward, vicious and bloodthirsty enough to make every heart seize with primal fear.
Inside the Yellow Springs Diagram, the imprisoned hand answered its master's call. It swelled violently—black as a collapsing star—tearing apart the surrounding haze of yellow clouds and bursting halfway out of the map. Its five fingers swept through space itself, carving open long, pitch-dark cracks. Anything caught between those fingers would be shredded instantly.
Even with his body forged in the Yama Golden Body, strengthened to the Heavenly Being Realm, his organs condensed with formation-power and his lifespan stretched past 1,700 years—Fang Han would be pulverized if that hand landed on him.
"Humph! After taking my Instant Kill Slash, you dare act so arrogantly? You four still refuse to retreat? Then I'll personally bury you here."
Wind Whitefeather, Sect Master of Yuhua, flicked his sleeve. The Heavenly Emperor Mirror above him rotated sharply, releasing a beam of ruthless light that struck the demonic hand.
A shriek ripped from the severed hand. Its power plummeted; it shrank violently—now barely the size of an ordinary human hand. Fang Han seized the opening and suppressed it once more.
Then the mirror turned again. Four beams of divine radiance shot out like lightning, slamming into the Demon God, Heavenly Silkworm Empress, and the twin Nine Yin and Nine Yang Demon Gods.
"Withdraw!"
Xing Wuchen's roar resounded across heaven and earth.
Another hand instantly regrew at his wrist—whole, flawless, but at enormous cost. Regenerating it would take him a century to recover from.
Still, he had no choice. Wind Whitefeather was far more cunning—and far more terrifying—than any of them had anticipated.
Their meticulously planned ambush had been turned on its head. If they remained any longer, who knew what other traps Wind Whitefeather had hidden?
Four titanic figures flashed with light and vanished into the horizon.
Wind Whitefeather retrieved the mirror without pursuing. Even with the mirror, killing Longevity-Realm giants outright was nearly impossible.
Fang Han exhaled deeply.
"It's finally over… and the demon hand is sealed."
Jialan withdrew her blue-colored Golden Core from Fang Han's body, and Fang Qingxue recalled the power of her Immortal Lightning Talisman. Fang Han's expanded frame collapsed back to normal size, and the compressed symbol-matrix of unified divine abilities dissolved—returning him from Divine Ability Sixth Layer: Unity Realm back to the Fifth Layer: Heavenly Being Realm.
To truly reach Unity Realm on his own, he needed to master the Five Emperor Demon Divine Abilities, the foundation of his entire system.
"What exactly is the Heavenly Emperor Mirror? How can it be this powerful?" Fang Han asked.
"I don't know," Jialan admitted. Even as one of the Five Outstanding Disciples of Yuhua Gate, she knew nothing of its origins. Fang Qingxue shook her head as well.
Only Yan—the ancient dragon spirit bound to the Yellow Springs Diagram—finally spoke:
"The Heavenly Emperor Mirror is one of the Three Sovereigns' ancient treasures. In primordial times, when the World Tree still stood, the Three Sovereigns ruled the Xuanhuang World—Heaven Emperor, Earth Emperor, and Human Emperor. Each wielded a divine artifact: the Heavenly Emperor Mirror, the Earth Emperor Book, and the Human Emperor Brush. All were immortal artifacts."
"What? Immortal artifacts?" Fang Han was stunned.
In the entire cultivation world, the only sect rumored to possess an immortal artifact was Taiyi Gate. If Yuhua Gate also possessed one…
Yan sighed.
"Not anymore. The mirror used to be an immortal artifact—but during the God Race invasion, when the World Tree was cut down and the Three Sovereigns fell, their treasures were shattered. Their immortal nature collapsed. This mirror is only a top-tier dao artifact now."
At that moment, Wind Whitefeather's voice drifted over:
"If the mirror retained its full power, Yuhua Gate would have long stood equal to Taiyi Gate. Even the Yellow Springs Emperor held back in the old era because of Taiyi's immortal artifact."
He had overheard everything.
Yan shot out of the Yellow Springs Diagram in the form of a blue-scaled dragon.
"Old Wind, you're still as annoyingly sharp as ever. And even more handsome. If you went to the mortal world today, you'd probably have half the maidens falling over themselves."
Wind Whitefeather laughed lightly.
"And you're still the same lazy, sarcastic lizard—but much weaker these days."
Their banter faded when Wind Whitefeather's expression hardened.
"If you wish to restore your strength, I can help. But whether you want my help is another matter."
Yan's eyes narrowed. "I recover on my own. I won't owe you anything."
Wind Whitefeather didn't press.
"Very well. But let me say one thing: if you ever wish to become a true immortal artifact, the path is already laid. Yellow Springs Emperor forged you for exactly that purpose. All you lack is one thing—the Earth Emperor Book. Fuse with it, and you will ascend."
Yan froze.
"You know where the Earth Emperor Book is?"
"Not precisely."
Wind Whitefeather tapped his temple.
"But the Heavenly Emperor Mirror resonates faintly with it. When my cultivation advances further, perhaps I can deduce its location."
Then he turned to Fang Han.
"And you, Fang Han? What do you think?"
Fang Han stepped forward.
"Sect Master, you saved my life. No matter what happens, I will always stand with Yuhua Gate."
Wind Whitefeather nodded.
"When you return, submit your twenty-eight Divine Ability manuals to the Transmission Elder. As for the Five Emperor Demon Divine Abilities—don't feel pressured. Offer them if you wish; keep them if you prefer."
"Yes. But… Sect Master, I have something important to report."
"Speak freely. This area is sealed; nothing escapes my senses."
Fang Han took a breath, then conjured a crystalline corpse—the one not yet consumed by the World Tree.
"A God Race warrior," he said. "The God Race has returned."
Wind Whitefeather's face drained of color. With a wave, he wrapped the corpse in layers of law-light.
"This matter… is catastrophic. We return to the sect immediately.
Disaster… disaster has come again…"
Even Fang Han felt a chill creep up his spine.
Wind Whitefeather surrounded them all in a cocoon of power. In less than half an hour, they crossed the void and returned to Yuhua Gate.