As Fang Han pushed deeper into the heart of the Five Elements Realm, the elemental beasts born from its churning energies grew increasingly formidable.
Yet none could threaten him.
He had perfected two of the Five Emperor Devil Arts—Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art and White Emperor Metal Sovereign Severing. With just a breath, the skies above him bloomed with vast layers of emerald clouds and blazing white-gold storm fronts. Bolts of Wood Lightning and Metal Lightning hammered downward like a torrential hailstorm. Any beast struck by the barrage dissolved back into raw elemental qi before it could even scream.
Nothing, no matter how powerful, could approach him within several dozen miles.
The twin elemental storm clouds swirling above were his perfect shield.
At this point, the might of these two perfected arts surpassed even his Great Sun Fire Disaster and Black Sun Wind Calamity—making them the strongest divine abilities he currently possessed.
"Fang Han," Yan said, narrowing his fiery eyes at the sky, "if you perfect all five of the Five Emperor Devil Arts, they will crystallize into a single Five-Emperor Celestial Canopy. Under its shelter, no evil can touch you, no spell can break you. You'll be invincible. Legend says Emperor Huangquan used this canopy during his ascension—he tore open the gates of the Immortal Realm, endured endless void-thunder, and survived 129,600 tribulations without a scratch."
The Celestial Canopy—like the ornate parasols carried above ancient emperors—was the final form of the arts, a divine shield born from perfection.
Suddenly, from the far horizon came a roaring surge of water—like a celestial river had appeared out of thin air.
"A water-element beast?" Fang Han's eyes brightened.
"Is it a Xuanwu? Or something close to it?"
The sacred beast of Water was the Black Tortoise, the Xuanwu.
East—Wood. Sacred beast: Azure Dragon.
North—Water. Sacred beast: Xuanwu.
South—Fire. Sacred beast: Vermilion Bird.
West—Metal. Sacred beast: White Tiger.
Center—Earth. Sacred beast: the Serpent of the Abyss, the Téng Snake—their king, the Húang, said to overturn hell with a single twist.
As the tide of water qi rolled closer, its momentum matched—even rivaled—the White Tiger he had previously subdued. Fang Han, Yan, and the others felt a jolt of excitement. A water-element divine beast meant one thing: if they could refine it, Fang Han's Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist would reach perfection. Another step toward completing the Five Emperor Devil Arts.
Fang Han inhaled deeply, calling back the vast clouds of wood and metal that had spread across the sky. They shrank rapidly until the two clouds condensed into a single acre-sized mass above his head. The tighter they condensed, the more focused—and terrifying—their power became.
Then, from the curtains of water mist, a massive ape stepped into view.
It glared at Fang Han with fierce, sovereign contempt. Around its body swirled dense halos of water vapor; in its hands, a colossal staff forged of solid water roared with torrential power. The water qi pouring off it rivaled the White Tiger itself.
"What a monster…" Nebula Baby gasped.
"I've seen Xuanwu manifestations before, but none had power like this."
"This isn't a mere water beast," Yan muttered.
"This is a Primordial Water Ape—a sacred beast of the ancient eras. And judging from the aura… it seems to have devoured a Demon King. Its flesh, blood, and water essence fused together. A creature half-demon, half-divine."
The Water Ape stared at Fang Han for a long moment before speaking in a deep, resonant voice:
"Mortal cultivator. You have trespassed into my domain. Leave now, and we will avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Otherwise… I will kill you."
"Oh? Kill me?" Fang Han laughed.
"The White Tiger said the same thing. It's now part of my cultivation. You'll be no different. Consider your options while you still can."
A beast on the same level as the White Tiger—or even greater. Fang Han had no intention of letting it escape. Perfecting the Five Emperor Devil Arts mattered more than anything.
Without warning, he activated several layers of auxiliary abilities on his Heaven-Covering Devil Hand: first the Heaven-Hidden Star Escape Technique, a stealth art of the Immortal-Thieves that twisted the surrounding starlight and magnetic fields, making his presence dissolve into illusion; then the Serpent-Sparrow Shifting Qi, giving the giant devil hand a movement pattern as slippery and deceptive as the Ghost Serpent Sword.
A silent killer—deadlier than any frontal attack.
The Water Ape laughed wildly.
"You arrogant fool—"
But it never finished the sentence.
The air above it split with a soft ripple.
A massive hand of roaring demonic flame smashed downward.
The Water Ape roared, swinging its water staff upward just in time—but the impact sent it reeling, demonic fire coiling around its limbs.
"Attack!"
Blood Night King, Yan, and Star Zen shot forward simultaneously. Their teamwork was already flawless—like a trio of veteran bandits who had committed far too many robberies to count.
And in truth… that wasn't far from reality.
"KUI WATER THUNDER! FIRE APE—AWAKEN!"
Water exploded outward. Waves of black water lightning blasted in every direction, forcing Fang Han's artifacts back.
The Water Ape's raw strength was terrifying—far beyond a typical Golden Core cultivator. Nearly two million horse-power—crushing, pure, overwhelming. Its techniques lacked variety, but its raw force was monstrous.
Then came the roar.
A streak of blazing fire shot across the sky.
A second ape appeared—larger, fiercer, its entire body wrapped in raging flames. A colossal fire staff blazed in its grip. Its presence overshadowed even the Water Ape.
"A Fire Ape…" Fang Han muttered, face hardening.
"…and stronger than the Water Ape."
The flaming brute swung its staff, unleashing a torrent of fire. A blazing dragon of Ding Fire Divine Thunder surged toward Fang Han and his artifacts. Each thunderball was the size of a water bucket; one blast could level a house.
This was bad.
One Primordial Ape he could kill.
Two—one of water, one of fire—acting together?
That was a nightmare.
To make matters worse, he sensed the truth:
They were mates.
Water and fire in perfect harmony.
"Not good!" Nebula Baby cried.
"We can barely hold even one!"
Fang Han's eyes narrowed into icy slits.
"We can't retreat. If I refine both, my Water Emperor Fist and Fire Emperor Qi will reach perfection. If we miss this chance, deeper in the realm lies Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu—those would be even harder to kill."
"We hold for now, then strike when the opening comes!"
He connected his will to the three great artifacts and Nebula Baby. Their formation tightened.
The Fire Ape shot forward like a meteor, each step unleashing explosions of Ding Fire Thunder. Fang Han dodged, letting it merge with the Water Ape.
"Mortals," the two apes roared together, "you are courting death!"
Water and fire intertwined—erupting in a terrifying surge of fused elemental might. Their combined aura crashed over Fang Han like a tidal wave.
"You think two of you can stop me?" Fang Han growled, frost gathering in his tone.
The Fire Ape laughed darkly.
"Mortal, you wield three Dao Artifacts—impressive. To reach this depth of the Five Elements Realm… I acknowledge your strength. But that only means your artifacts will taste even better once we take them."
The Water Ape's eyes shone with savage glee.
"With your treasures, we can devour deeper divine beasts—Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu—and break free of this cage. You wish to kill us? We wish to kill you even more."