Ye Fan finally made up his mind. He lifted his head sharply, his eyes burning with fierce pride as he stared at Jiang Wang.
"Jiang Wang, I'll admit it—you're impressive. Your cultivation talent is extraordinary."
He paused, his lips curling into a condescending smile.
"But no matter how gifted you are, without a special physique—without divine bones—you will always be ordinary in the end. You were born to chase my shadow. That's your fate."
Disdain glimmered in his gaze as he raised both hands, forming a rapid sequence of seals. In the next instant, a dazzling golden light burst from his chest, bathing the entire barrier in radiant brilliance.
Countless ancient runes spiraled into existence around him, circulating with terrifying energy. Within the golden glow, a faint dragon's roar echoed across the air, as if the heavens themselves were trembling.
The power gathered faster and faster. Veins bulged on Ye Fan's forehead, his breathing turned ragged, and his face drained of color. His mortal body could barely withstand the ferocity of the Supreme Immortal Bone's awakening. His heartbeat thundered in his chest like a war drum.
Just as his body neared its limit—
The Supreme Immortal Bone fully ignited.
A scorching miniature sun blazed out from Ye Fan's chest, flooding the entire arena with its overwhelming heat.
Outside the barrier, Patriarch Jiang Xundao immediately raised his hand and reinforced the protective formation again, layer upon layer of divine runes flashing across the air.
"Patriarch, why reinforce the barrier?" one of the clan's elders protested, frowning deeply. "That boy's reckless! Using such a suicidal technique—if the Son of God is harmed—"
Jiang Xundao merely gave a calm glance. "Don't worry, Great Elder. My son has awakened the Immortal Bone of Creation. This heat won't harm him. Even if he's injured, the Jiang family has elixirs to restore him."
The old patriarch's voice was steady, but his gaze burned with pride as he looked into the barrier, at the lone figure standing motionless beneath the rising sun.
---
Within the barrier, Ye Fan braced his weakening body, forcing a smirk across his pale lips.
"The Scorching Sun descends—burn all before it!" he roared. "Jiang Wang, witness my Immortal Bone Divine Technique—Great Sun Flame Wheel!"
He thrust both palms forward.
The blazing sun tore itself free, transforming into a roaring sphere of divine fire that shot toward Jiang Wang, devouring everything in its path.
For a brief moment, Ye Fan laughed triumphantly, imagining the sight of Jiang Wang screaming in agony, reduced to ash.
Those who cultivated the Six Realms could not yet use spiritual energy to protect their bodies. They could only rely on their flesh and blood to endure. And no fleshly body had ever survived the Great Sun Flame Wheel.
Even the elders of the Jiang family began to show concern. Some glared coldly at Ye Fan's arrogance.
Only Jiang Xundao remained serene.
---
Inside the blazing inferno, Jiang Wang's robes had been reduced to cinders. But his body stood untouched. A dark radiance flowed across his skin—a protective light from the Immortal Bone of Creation within his chest.
The Great Sun Flame Wheel was one of the Supreme Immortal Bone's most basic divine arts. Against the Immortal Bone of Creation, it was nothing.
Jiang Wang looked around at the burning storm, the corners of his lips curling into a nostalgic smile.
"So familiar…" he murmured.
In his past life, it had been this very technique that ended him. Surrounded by enemies, his magic path countered by Pure Yang flames, he had been burned, defeated, and ultimately betrayed. His bones—his very Immortal Bones—had been dug out of his body, leaving him a cripple.
But not this time.
Now, facing the Great Sun Flame Wheel again, Jiang Wang felt no fear—only opportunity.
The flames were violent, yes—but they were also the purest essence of Yang energy, the perfect catalyst to temper his flesh.
Every cultivator must refine the body before refining the spirit. Only through both could one achieve true perfection.
Smiling faintly, Jiang Wang dispersed the black light protecting him.
The flames swallowed him whole.
---
The searing pain was unimaginable. Fire licked his skin, crawled into his veins, burned through his marrow. But Jiang Wang only gritted his teeth and endured.
His skin began to shimmer—first like bronze, then like polished jade. His blood surged, gleaming faintly gold.
Behind him, a colossal phantom appeared—a silhouette of an ancient being sitting cross-legged, chanting with solemn Buddhist tones that reverberated through heaven and earth.
His body had reached perfection.
When Jiang Wang opened his eyes again, they glowed with molten gold.
With a single motion, he reached forward and tore the scorching sun apart with his bare hands. Fire exploded around him as he stepped out of the inferno like a god emerging from creation.
When he reappeared within the barrier, his robes were pristine once more—reforged by divine flame itself.
Ye Fan's jaw went slack.
"You… how…?" His voice trembled, and even breathing became a struggle. The sheer pressure radiating from Jiang Wang was suffocating.
At that moment, Ye Fan understood—he was facing something he could not defeat.
Jiang Wang's expression was calm, almost indifferent. "Your strength," he said softly, "comes from borrowed power. Mine comes from belief—unshakable, invincible belief."
"Fate?" He sneered. "I only believe in myself."
Ye Fan stumbled back, his arrogance crumbling. To Jiang Wang, the sight was no longer entertaining.
"You've lost," Jiang Wang said simply. "If I had fallen, you could have taken the Jiang family's treasures as you pleased. But now that victory is mine…"
His voice grew colder.
"…let's wager what you hold most dear—your Supreme Immortal Bone."
Before Ye Fan could react, Jiang Wang's figure blurred. His hand transformed into a claw of divine light, plunging straight into Ye Fan's chest.
Flesh tore. Blood splattered.
Ye Fan screamed, his body arching in agony as Jiang Wang's hand closed around the burning core within him.
"It's just a bone," Jiang Wang said coldly. "Did you really think it made you a god?"
With a burst of strength, he tore it free.
The Supreme Immortal Bone pulsed violently in his palm, shedding divine light that dyed the air gold.
Ye Fan's scream turned to a hoarse whimper. His strength drained away, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Then, mercifully, he blacked out.
Jiang Wang looked down at the unconscious form, his expression unreadable. He took out a jade vial, uncorked it, and poured a glowing liquid into Ye Fan's mouth.
"I'm not done with you yet," he muttered. "You still owe me."
He would not let Ye Fan die so easily.
What Jiang Wang didn't notice was the pendant at Ye Fan's neck. It glimmered faintly as a drop of blood soaked into it, a streak of gray light flickering deep within.
---
After confirming that Ye Fan's life force had stabilized, Jiang Wang nodded toward his father.
"Father, open the barrier."
Outside, Li Qingxuan stood frozen, her eyes wide. She had barely understood what had happened. One moment, Ye Fan had unleashed a sun meant to burn Jiang Wang to dust. The next, his immortal bones were in Jiang Wang's hands.
It had all happened in the span of a single breath.
"Your Brother Ye Fan is still lying there," Jiang Wang said coolly. "You should take him back."
His calm tone made her flinch.
For a moment, anger rose within her—she wanted to curse him, to call him a monster—but when her gaze fell on the bloodstained bone in his palm, her courage vanished.
Without a word, she knelt, gathered Ye Fan into her arms, and hurried away toward her immortal palace.
---
When the two were gone, Jiang Wang studied the golden bone in his hand. Then he turned toward Jiang Xundao.
"Father, I…"
Jiang Xundao's laughter boomed across the courtyard. "Well done, my son! You are the Godson of the Changsheng Jiang family—why should we ever doubt what you do?"
Jiang Wang smiled faintly, suppressing the rest of his words. "Yes, Father."
Jiang Xundao's eyes gleamed as he regarded the bone. "And what do you intend to do with this Supreme Immortal Bone?"
"I already have plans," Jiang Wang said softly. "You needn't worry."
In his heart, he thought of one of his slain siblings from his past life—one who had possessed a Fire Spirit Body, perfectly suited to inherit this very bone. Perhaps, this time, he could repay that debt of blood in a small way.
"Good," Jiang Xundao said approvingly. "There's another matter. The phenomenon caused by your awakening has drawn the attention of many powers. Soon, saint sons, saintesses, and even goddesses from the holy lands will come to our Jiang family."
He smiled meaningfully. "When they arrive, I will consider it carefully—and find a proper marriage match for you."
"What do you think?"
---
Jiang Wang looked up, eyes calm, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Father," he said quietly, "whatever you decide, I trust your judgment."
But deep within, his thoughts were cold as steel.
No one will dictate my path again. Not Ye Fan. Not Li Qingxuan. Not even destiny itself.