Lan An stored the Five-Dragon Carriage into his storage ring. Since it was already an object of the dead, it caused no disturbance. Then, with a thought, he sent his divine sense toward the Great Stone Gate.
Creak…
Under Lan An and Wu San Niang's will, the massive gate slowly cracked open just enough for a sliver of light to escape. An invisible force born from the grand formation beneath the earth surged forth, gently yet irresistibly pushing the three of them outward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The moment they emerged, the sky itself seemed to shatter — explosive spatial rumbles mixed with furious war cries shook heaven and earth. The Human Chicken trembled from head to toe; the auras raging across this battlefield were far beyond anything it could withstand.
Lan An and Wu San Niang simultaneously lifted their gazes skyward. Both their expressions turned grave in an instant; they exchanged a single heavy glance.
High above, in the vast firmament, layer upon layer of space was continuously collapsing. Several colossal figures unleashed apocalyptic strikes, all targeting one white-haired old man of immortal bearing, who held a horsetail whisk in hand, his beard and hair flowing like snow.
They were four giants of the Giant Han Clan — bodies towering like mountains, faces ferocious and twisted, each possessing six arms, their skin studded with sharp bone spikes. Clearly, they had activated their clan's forbidden secret art to amplify their power to the extreme.
Every punch they threw tore space apart, darkened the heavens. Even the thick fog that once shrouded Man Hero Burial Grounds had long been blasted away. The area before the stone palace was already reduced to utter ruin — even the Trial Stone bore a terrifying crack running through it. One could imagine just how devastating their might truly was.
"The weakest among them is already at the early Tenth Revolution Body Cultivation realm!" Wu San Niang inhaled sharply as she assessed the Giant Han formation.
Among the four:
One at early Tenth Revolution One at mid Tenth Revolution One at late Tenth Revolution And the last — peak Tenth Revolution
Any single one of them far surpassed her in raw power. Yet right now, all four were besieging this diminutive old man — and still could not suppress him.
The elder moved like a loach in water, treading on Crimson Cloud Steps, slipping effortlessly through each annihilating strike. At the same time, his whisk lashed out in counterattack.
Every sweep of that whisk was infused with Immortal Force. The moment it struck, it enlarged enormously, smashing straight into the giants' massive frames with no wasted movement.
This whisk was itself a supreme-grade immortal treasure, capable of vastly amplifying the user's attack power through Immortal Force.
The battle raged until heaven and earth nearly crumbled — one entire Man Hero burial mound was reduced to flying ash…
The Giant Han held the advantage in numbers, yet the old man wielded far superior qi quality. Though surrounded, he actually held the upper hand.
"This old monster…" Killing intent flickered in Lan An's eyes as he stared at the five figures clashing in the sky. He hurriedly suppressed it to avoid being sensed.
The fusion of Reverse Dragon Bloodline and Frenzied Slaughter Star Metal, combined with the Dragon Force Apex Cauldron and Slaughter Metal Apex Cauldron, had made Lan An's temperament increasingly ferocious and bloodthirsty.
"He's in league with that brocade-robed youth!" Dan Meng Ji's gaze sharpened when she saw the old man occasionally unleash familiar martial skills — Crimson Flame Palm, Crimson Cloud Steps — identical to those of the brocade-robed young man. It was not hard to guess his identity.
Still, it remained unclear why this elder was now locked in combat with the Giant Han Clan. But for Lan An and his group, this was undoubtedly an advantageous development.
"Do we have a chance?" Wu San Niang glanced at Lan An, already sensing the murderous aura rising from him.
Whether Giant Han or white-haired elder — both were enemies. If they could seize this opportunity to eliminate them all at once, it would be like killing several birds with one stone.
Lan An frowned deeply and shook his head.
He could feel that this white-haired immortal elder was countless times stronger than the brocade-robed youth. Lan An understood clearly: he had slain the youth so easily because that had merely been a clone, severely limited in techniques and unable to wield high-grade immortal weapons.
But the old man before him was the true body — a genuine Peak True Immortal, wielding a supreme-grade treasure, and very likely hiding even more trump cards. Even relying on Dragon Force, Lan An was not confident he could overpower him.
"Let them fight — we watch the tigers battle from the mountain!" Wu San Niang proposed.
"More like watching dogs bite dogs," Lan An corrected with a cold laugh. He brought Wu San Niang and the Human Chicken, pretending to flee in terror from the battlefield — but in truth, they retreated only to a safe distance, silently observing.
The white-haired elder and the four giants naturally sensed their presence, but to these "insignificant ants," neither side had the leisure to care. The apocalyptic duel continued unabated.
"Damnable old bastard — who the hell are you, daring to swagger in our Manhuang Star?!" roared the Giant Han with peak Tenth Revolution cultivation, his six arms each gripping spiked gauntlets that gleamed like cold steel, sending chills down one's spine.
A strike from those iron fists would be unimaginable. His skin was darker and thicker than the others, eight sharp fangs bared in a savage snarl.
This was none other than the Giant Han King, clan leader of the Giant Han Tribe. His combat power and defensive prowess had reached the absolute pinnacle. Even when lashed several times by Immortal Force, his wounds remained shallow — nowhere near fatal.
For an outsider to slay their noble clan elders was an unforgivable blasphemy. Moreover, earlier, several Giant Han had died at Wu San Niang's hands — yet the entire clan conveniently blamed it all on this white-haired elder.
To reassert their dominance and display the might of a great clan, the Giant Han King and his three grand elders personally came to the stone palace to settle the score — resulting in this heaven-shaking battle.
"Hmph! Filthy barbarians! If not for giving face to the Heavenly Dao, this old man would crush you like insects!" The elder — Yi Lao — sneered disdainfully. Though small in stature, his presence towered far above the four giants.
At least outwardly, Yi Lao truly appeared more "human."
The Giant Han Clan had dominated Manhuang Star for countless years — how could they tolerate such humiliation? Furious, the Giant Han King and his three elders charged once more, every strike poured with their full might.
"Strange… with Young Master's strength, even a mere clone should have already seized the inheritance by now. Why hasn't he emerged?"
Yi Lao's brows furrowed tightly, unease rising in his heart as he glanced toward the stone palace, while still dividing attention to fend off the Giant Han.
These hulking brutes truly possessed formidable defense. Yi Lao had no desire to prolong the fight. As long as Young Master successfully obtained the Primordial Bone Scripture, the two of them would immediately return to the Immortal Realm — leaving these aboriginals to rage in vain.
What Yi Lao did not know was that the "Young Master" he spoke of — the clone he believed so powerful — had already been reduced to not even a fragment.
Lan An and the others retreated far enough to witness Golden Shovel trembling like a frightened rat, hiding underground. Seeing them approach, it cried out joyfully: "Master?!"
"Mm. You are free now," Lan An nodded toward Golden Shovel, returning its soul origin, along with a storage ring.
Golden Shovel was dumbfounded — for a moment unable to react.
"What's wrong? The wealth in that ring is enough for you to live like an emperor for a lifetime. No more risking your life robbing graves. Be careful — one misstep and you lose everything," Lan An said gravely.
"Master… you truly don't need me anymore?" Golden Shovel — Little Bean — drew a deep breath, struggling to steady himself.
He had originally been forced to serve, yet Master never treated him as a mere servant — spoke to him as an equal, even slaughtered countless prodigies to protect his secret and keep his little family safe.
Golden Shovel had already resolved to follow Lan An for life, even willingly lurking near the stone palace through danger to reunite.
Now that Lan An suddenly granted him freedom, Little Bean felt no joy — only a heavy blow. His face paled, stammering.
"Enough."
Seeing his expression, Lan An reconsidered. He retrieved the soul origin once more, then solemnly instructed both Golden Shovel and Human Chicken:
"Little Bean, take Human Chicken and leave the burial grounds first. Head to Primordial Ancient Forest. Deliver something to the Giant Clan's Great Sister on my behalf — hand it only to Cự A Man's elder sister!"
Primordial Ancient Forest was where the foolish giant Cự A Man had arranged to meet Lan An.
"Understood, Master!" Human Chicken obeyed without question, accepting the storage ring containing the Eight Gates Dunjia Stele, then solemnly replied.
Human Chicken understood he could offer no help here — better to complete the mission. Though his strength had improved, he still could not join such a colossal battlefield.
"Master, leave it to me!" Golden Shovel thumped his chest confidently, inwardly blooming with joy — following Master meant no loss.
Lan An nodded. With the clever Little Bean guiding the way, he felt at ease. Human Chicken's honest nature could sometimes be a liability.
"Take this — consider it your reward." Lan An still stuffed the storage ring filled with vast amounts of Manhuang Stones into Little Bean's hands.
This time Golden Shovel did not refuse — he grinned broadly and accepted, leaping onto Human Chicken's shoulder.
Under Lan An and Wu San Niang's watchful gaze, Human Chicken carried the tiny Golden Shovel and bounded away like the wind — vanishing in moments.
"No longer heading to the Giant Clan?" Wu San Niang glanced at him.
"We will — but first let them prepare their hearts," Lan An smiled faintly.
Delivering the long-lost Eight Gates Dunjia — he wondered what expression the Giant Clan would show.
"Many eyes are watching from the shadows," Wu San Niang narrowed her eyes — she sensed quite a few presences like theirs, silently observing the grand battle.
"Mostly from the Giant Demon Clan. Opportunities to monopolize the planet don't come often," Lan An sneered coldly.
…
The battle in the sky grew increasingly fierce, yet with the current deadlock, deciding a victor would not happen quickly.
Yi Lao fought with growing urgency. Unease rose as he glanced toward the stone palace — unable to fully focus.
He dared not imagine what would happen if something went wrong with Young Master's clone — the fury he would face upon returning.
After all, with Yi Lao's True Immortal cultivation, he was invincible in a low realm like Manhuang Star. Yet he still allowed Young Master's clone to encounter disaster — a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths…
The more he thought, the more anxious he became. Seeing the four hulks relentlessly entangling him, Yi Lao finally roared in fury:
"Seeking death? This old man shall oblige!"
A finger pointed skyward, voice icy:
"Fire Immortal Annihilation Finger!"
Immortal Fire Force surged, condensing into a colossal finger hanging above. It pressed downward toward one of the Giant Han grand elders.
BOOM! BOOM!
Yi Lao wielded only Fire Immortal Force, thus manifesting only one finger — yet its might far surpassed the brocade-robed youth's clone by countless times.
The gap between early True Immortal and peak True Immortal was simply too vast.
Lan An's expression grew graver the longer he watched. He realized that even he would find it extremely difficult to defeat this elder head-on. If the opponent were pushed to desperation and unleashed his true Immortal Realm cultivation, the one to die would be Lan An himself.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Fire Immortal Annihilation Finger crushed forward, shattering layers of space, unstoppable. The air boiled with heat; the sky turned into a sea of flames.
The faces of the Giant Han paled. The power of this technique had completely exceeded their control.
The four giants exchanged grave looks, then suddenly converged. Twenty-four giant blades appeared across their six arms each.
"Giant Han Blade Art!"
Twenty-four blades spun like frenzied windmills, merging into one seamless whole — a colossal, impenetrable meat grinder shielding their front…
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The Fire Immortal Finger slammed into the whirling blade formation — sparks flew wildly across the sky. The firmament trembled; shockwaves swept outward, reducing half of Man Hero Burial Grounds to dust.
"Explode for this old man!"
Yi Lao's face darkened as he barked.
BOOM—
The Immortal Fire Force finally revealed its terror. The entire colossal finger detonated — turning half the sky into an undying inferno. The entire Manhuang Star quaked; layers of space collapsed into black voids.
The might of a Peak True Immortal — earth-shaking.
Fortunately Manhuang Star possessed exceptional resilience — otherwise a third of Viet Long Star would have already been obliterated.
Terrifying shockwaves swept the battlefield. Lan An hurriedly shielded Wu San Niang in his chest, dragon scales shimmering darkly over his skin — blocking the force. Yet he still pretended to be blasted away, quietly waiting for the right moment…
The hidden onlookers lacked such means. Some Seventh Revolution cultivators were strong — yet turned to blood mist in an instant.
Yi Lao sneered coldly — these aboriginals had forced him to use full power. Recovering Immortal Force in a low realm like Manhuang Star was extremely difficult. Though he carried immortal stones, he had no time to refine them.
Even a True Immortal expends immense energy when unleashing Yi-grade martial skills — the reason the brocade-robed youth's clone was quickly drained after using Three Immortals Annihilation, ultimately slain by Lan An.
Yet the power was worth the cost. A sea of undying Immortal Fire engulfed the battlefield — no one could see clearly what was happening inside.
"DAMN IT…"
A beast-like roar of rage and pain tore through everyone's eardrums.
Two colossal figures staggered out from the inferno — still burning with flames, yet their savage faces had gone mad. Skin sloughed off in sheets; blood tears streamed from scarlet eyes.
They were the Giant Han King and the late Tenth Revolution grand elder.
Their two comrades — early and mid Tenth Revolution — had already been reduced to charred husks within the sea of fire.
Countless onlookers stared in horror, shuddering. They all understood one thing:
After today's battle…
The once-glorious Giant Han Clan, rulers of the land… very likely would become nothing more than history.