The elders who had just been discussing how to punish Fang Han surged out of the Yuhua Heavenly Palace in a wave, surrounding the Punishment Platform in an instant.
Light flared everywhere. Waves of overwhelming power rolled outward, each one displaying the unfathomable might of these supreme experts. Ruyi Zi had clearly gone to great lengths—nearly every elite elder who truly held authority had been summoned, even the three Deputy Heads.
This was all for one purpose: to bring Fang Han to heel.
In Ruyi Zi's calculations, he held the absolute advantage. Fang Han knew perfectly well that Ruyi Zi was the one manipulating events, yet could do nothing about it.
Who could have imagined that the moment Fang Han returned, he would strike directly at him?
Completely beyond expectation.
"Elder Ruyi! You're finally here!"
Two Golden Core cultivators, Wan Luo and Ling Xiao, flew forward, faces twisted with hatred.
"Fang Han—this demonic fiend—slaughtered his way through Tiandu Peak the moment he returned! He forcibly severed the earth veins and seized the Nine-Palace Golden Pagoda. He even injured both of us. You must uphold justice! We can't allow this devil to rampage through Yuhua!"
"Fang Han, you've fallen into the demonic path! Elders, please judge for us!"
Seeing the elders arrive—especially Ruyi Zi, his face ashen—Wan Luo and Ling Xiao were overjoyed and immediately began shouting accusations.
"Fang Han! What do you think you're doing?"
Ruyi Zi strode forward like a raging dragon, stepping directly onto the Punishment Platform. Killing intent radiated from him without the slightest concealment, his gaze locked on Fang Han, savage and feral.
No one could blame him.
The dignity of an eternal giant had been trampled.
The Longevity Realm.
An eternal giant.
Each word carried crushing weight. Supreme. Untouchable. A being who looked down upon all cultivators.
To a Divine Ability cultivator, an eternal giant was something to be worshipped from afar. Even if such a being slaughtered a Divine Ability cultivator's entire clan, the survivors would only swallow their rage in silence—like the orphan of a minister whose whole family had been executed by an emperor.
The gulf in power was absolute.
That was why Ruyi Zi had believed he could toy with Fang Han at will.
But now…
Something had gone wrong.
"Hua Tiandu once took my Seven Fiends Gourd," Fang Han said calmly. "This time, I simply returned the favor and took his Nine-Palace Golden Pagoda."
He narrowed his eyes, staring straight at Ruyi Zi.
"And you dare to gather elders to punish me? Very good. Very good indeed. Who gave you the courage? Where is Hua Tiandu? Call him out. Today, I'll settle all our grudges at once. I won't bother waiting another six or seven years."
He completely ignored the murderous aura pouring off Ruyi Zi.
After battling the Hate-Heaven Divine Emperor, Fang Han no longer feared ordinary eternal giants. Besides, every Undying-Body giant of the Yuhua Sect was deep within space-time refining the Heavenly Emperor Mirror to prepare for the God Race invasion. None of them had time to meddle in the personal vendetta between Hua Tiandu and Fang Han.
Ruyi Zi had calculated that he could completely suppress Fang Han.
And Fang Han had calculated the same—about Ruyi Zi.
"Hua Tiandu's status is something you can't even compare to," Ruyi Zi sneered. "He's cultivating in the depths of the Heavenly Palace's time-space—one day outside is a month inside. His time is priceless. Why would he waste it on you?"
His expression twisted.
"He has already received the Void Yin-Yang Dao from Sect Master Feng Baiyu himself. Do you know what that means? You think the position of Sect Master is yours? Keep dreaming."
He swept his gaze across the elders.
"Perfect. I was planning to punish you anyway. With behavior this deranged, there's nothing left to discuss. Elder Tianxing, Jiang Rourou—do you see this? Hasn't he completely lost his mind?"
"Fang Han," Elder Tianxing asked gravely, "what do you have to say?"
"Nothing," Fang Han laughed softly. "Ruyi Zi, if you want to punish me, let's see whether you actually have the strength to do it. In Yuhua, everything is decided by power. Since Hua Tiandu won't come out and you insist on blocking me from settling my personal feud, then you're my enemy as well."
His smile turned cold.
"I'll capture you first—and then force Hua Tiandu to show himself."
"What? Capture me?!"
Ruyi Zi finally snapped.
With a furious wave of his hand, an immense, invisible force crashed toward Fang Han. Within that force appeared a massive black ruyi scepter, dragons and tigers roaring across its surface.
This was his divine ability—Taiyi Ruyi Transformation. Boundless strength, endless变化.
The enormous black ruyi smashed straight at Fang Han.
It was a killing blow.
"Stop!" Elder Tianxing roared, about to intervene.
"Don't," Fang Han said sharply. "Let him try. I want to see just how capable this so-called eternal giant is—how he dares punish me."
He reached out.
A hand radiating the terrifying vitality of a half-formed Undying Body caught Ruyi Zi's divine ability head-on.
Then Fang Han shouted, voice echoing across the platform:
"Elders! Ruyi Zi is deliberately blocking my revenge. Not even an eternal giant can stop me. I returned from Linglong Blessed Land under a Heavenly Dao Pursuit Decree—countless eternal giants hunted me. There's nothing frightening about that."
"Fang Han, you're courting death!"
Ruyi Zi's attack was halted, heavy as a mountain, unable to advance. His heart jolted in shock.
But this had only been a test.
He still hadn't used his true trump cards—nor any of his artifacts. He was convinced that once he unleashed his full power, Fang Han wouldn't stand a chance.
Thoughts spun rapidly. His mana shifted violently.
Ruyi Zi suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a streak of white light.
Buzz!
Without the slightest warning, it stabbed straight toward Fang Han's brow.
The Yuhua Sect's ultimate killing art—an instant-strike technique that had slaughtered countless heavenly demons and shaken the heavens.
The Instant Kill Grand Art.
In the hands of an eternal giant, its power was truly terrifying. Knowing that Fang Han had already forged half an Undying Body, Ruyi Zi didn't target his flesh—he aimed directly for his head.
The white light was a Great Freedom Mystic Metal Sword Qi, refined over thousands of years from the essence of the five metals—condensed to a degree rivaling a Dao Artifact.
Any divine ability, in the hands of an eternal giant, was magnified beyond reason. Even another eternal giant would have to be extremely cautious facing this strike—survival was uncertain.
Using such a move to ambush a Divine Ability cultivator was beneath his status.
But that was precisely Ruyi Zi's ruthlessness.
He knew Fang Han would be troublesome in a prolonged fight—so he intended to end it instantly.
And yet—
The moment the white light reached Fang Han's brow, he vanished.
His speed exceeded that of the Instant Kill Grand Art itself.
Buzz!
Ruyi Zi's mind jolted. A violent killing intent erupted behind him.
He spun around in shock and threw a punch.
BOOM!
Fists collided.
Ripples exploded outward as surging mana battered the Punishment Platform. The entire structure shook violently, and cracks rang out from the plaque of the Punishment Hall itself.
"Ruyi Zi," Fang Han's voice rang coldly as he shot into the air, "your power really isn't bad—to actually evade that punch. You thought the Instant Kill Grand Art could ambush me?"
He stood in midair, feet planted on nothingness, staring down.
"Let me be clear—even if it struck my head, you still couldn't break my flesh. I've already forged half an Undying Body."
Outwardly calm, Fang Han was rapidly calculating what he had just learned.
Eternal giants were no joke—especially those of great immortal sects.
Ruyi Zi was far more formidable than figures like Daoist Dragonwood or Daoist Wood. He had deeper foundations and far more artifacts. Those two only possessed self-refined low-grade Dao Artifacts.
When Fang Han's punch landed, he felt his power twist strangely, sliding aside, spiraling through nine bends and eighteen turns, its force drastically reduced.
That could only be caused by an extremely powerful Dao Artifact.
Not low-grade.
Possibly… mid-grade.
A Dao Artifact in the hands of an eternal giant was terrifying beyond imagination. Such beings could draw Pure Yang energy directly from immortal qi.
Once infused with Pure Yang, a Dao Artifact became like a man who had swallowed a berserk elixir—violence incarnate.
Fang Han was confident he could defeat Ruyi Zi—but it would cost him dearly, and it wouldn't be quick.
"Amazing! Even the Instant Kill Grand Art couldn't touch him!"
"This is terrifying cultivation! His lifespan must be nearing ten thousand years! None of us have forged half an Undying Body—how did he manage it?"
"Ruyi Zi failed an ambush—how strong has this kid become? Is this still something a Divine Ability cultivator can achieve?"
"Tianxing, did you see it clearly?" Jiang Rourou sent a voice transmission.
"If Ruyi Zi weren't relying on his mid-grade Dao Artifact—the Nine-Bends Yellow River Diagram, which twists all incoming force, he would've suffered just now. This Fang Han—forget realms. In raw power alone, he's already not inferior to us."
"I saw it," Elder Tianxing replied gravely.
"He's reached the ninth level of Divine Abilities—the Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form. He's also pushed the Great Origin Art to its limit—nine seas of consciousness. I've even heard he cultivates ninety divine abilities, and gained three supreme ones at Linglong Immortal Venerable's birthday banquet."
He paused, astonished.
"I don't even have that many. Forging a Dharma Form requires unimaginable energy—how did he condense it so quickly? He hasn't even revealed his Dharma Form yet. I'd really like to see what kind of form it becomes."
Even Elder Tianxing was shaken.
Ruyi Zi's Instant Kill Grand Art failing—he understood better than anyone how much speed, precision, and reaction that implied.
One exchange.
And every eternal giant present was deeply shocked.
Of all of them—
Ruyi Zi was the most shaken of all.