At that moment, Ye Fan approached.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on your rapid progress in cultivation! What joyous news!" the three Main Gods congratulated him.

Ye Fan responded with a light laugh, "Thank you, my three Senior Brothers. This breakthrough was simply a matter of luck!"

The Main Gods were left speechless, but they had grown accustomed to his humility.

Wu Fa immediately spoke up, "I believe the Boss is the strongest!"

"I believe it too!" Mu Chen Dong and Wu Fa couldn’t help but flatter him, making the Main Gods laugh.

Then, Mu Chen Dong turned to the Red Sand Main God. "Father, are we going back to the Red Sand Immortal Mountain?"

Looking at the destroyed structures of the mountain, Mu Chen Dong’s expression soured. Rebuilding it now would take at least several decades. If not decades, it would certainly take a few years! The once magnificent and grand Red Sand Immortal Mountain was now nothing but ruins, all caused by Ye Fan’s Nirvana. But if one were to trace responsibility, the fault lay with none other than their own Mu Family’s Red Sand Main God.

"Go back my ass!" the Red Sand Main God declared. "Let the Dynasty handle the rebuilding! For now, we’ll stay in the Dynasty’s guest villa!"

"Yes!"

In truth, the Red Sand Main God felt the sting of the loss, but what could he do? Showing his grief now would be like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot. Besides, he couldn’t afford to lose face like that!

After his breakthrough, Ye Fan had been busy consolidating his new realm. Despite the advancement, there were still flaws, and he spent a full half-month polishing out these imperfections.

Meanwhile, a piece of earth-shattering news spread like wildfire: he was still alive. His story became a household legend. In an era when the Righteous Divine Lineage was feeble, he had single-handedly slaughtered many geniuses from the Evil God Lineage, an unstoppable force. So why was Huang Ji the only one who survived? With his reputation for killing without blinking, it was unlike him to leave someone alive. Thus, speculation ran rampant that there was something between him and Huang Ji. Once the rumors started, there was no end to the gossip. Some said that in the Great Wilderness Space, he was overcome with lust and ravished Huang Ji, which was how she escaped calamity. Others believed that Huang Ji, in a desperate bid to survive, had willingly sacrificed her beauty. In any case, both of them were at the center of the scandal.

The Great Wilderness Main God’s combined combat prowess was ranked first in the Evil God Lineage, yet even he could not quell the rumors. He was confronted daily for answers, leaving him in a state of untold misery.

At this moment, in a secret room, Huang Ji slammed the intelligence report collected by Fu Hu down on the table.

"Master, these rumors against you could be detrimental to the Great Wilderness Clan!" Fu Hu said immediately. "The only thing to do now is to kill him!" A ruthless look crossed his face.

"Of course I won’t let him get off easy," Huang Ji said coldly. "Have you found out who started these rumors?"

"No!" Fu Hu replied.

"Useless!" Huang Ji scolded.

Though Fu Hu remained silent, a surge of anger rose within him.

"That’s right," Huang Ji stated. "The best course of action is to kill him. Only his death will stop the rumors. Don’t tell me you haven’t located him!" She glared fiercely at Fu Hu.

"Master, I have found his location!" Fu Hu said.

"Hmm?" Huang Ji stared at him.

"He’s headed for the Gods Battlefield!"

"Excellent," Huang Ji said resolutely. "This time, I will go with you. We’re going to the Gods Battlefield!"

"Master, I alone am sufficient!" Fu Hu assured her.

But Huang Ji sneered, "If you were sufficient, he wouldn’t have left the Great Wilderness Space alive that day. This time, we will join forces. We must ensure he never leaves the Gods Battlefield!"

Inwardly, Fu Hu was seething. He had been prepared to take Ye Fan down with him that day! Wasn’t it Huang Ji who had stabbed him from behind? However, in her presence, he could only nod respectfully.

The two set off immediately.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan and his two companions were also on their way. During the journey, both Wu Fa and Mu Chen Dong achieved a breakthrough. They weren’t as monstrously talented as Ye Fan, having only reached the Nirvana Ninth Layer, but it was enough to prove their extraordinary gifts. Thanks to Ye Fan’s training, they could now stand on equal footing with the prodigies of the Evil God Lineage.

The Gods Battlefield lay on the border between the territories of the Righteous Divine Lineage and the Evil God Lineage. It was a place of perpetual warfare where countless had died, earning it the name "Graveyard of the Gods." Battles raged daily in the ongoing conflict between the Righteous Gods and the Evil Gods.

Upon arriving at the Gods Battlefield, Ye Fan looked up. The sky was permanently shrouded in fog and clouds. It was no wonder they called it the Graveyard of the Gods; this was no place for the living. He found the sight of the guards, their skin festering and decaying, deeply unsettling.

"What’s happened to them?" Ye Fan asked.

"Boss, they fight in this place year-round," Mu Chen Dong explained. "There’s no sunlight here, only a miasma of decay. Their physical bodies have begun to rot. Anyone who stays here for a few years will suffer the same fate!"

"Isn’t there any special treatment for it?" Ye Fan asked.

"None. There’s no cure at all," Mu Chen Dong said, shaking his head. "For them, leaving this place with their bodies in this state would only make them die faster. But Boss, you shouldn’t pity them. They were all heinous criminals, which is why they were exiled here."

Watching the Martial Artists tending to their wounds, Ye Fan couldn’t help but feel a sense of dismay.

Just then, a booming voice called out, "The Young Master graces us with his presence! My apologies for the poor reception!"

They turned to see a commander from the Righteous Gods. He was a powerful figure, at least a Divine General-Level Martial Artist, with a massive build and a sharp, cunning air. Dressed in full armor, he projected an imposing and domineering aura.

"Uncle!" Mu Chen Dong exclaimed with joy.

Ye Fan was speechless. It turned out to be one of Mu Chen Dong’s relatives.

Wu Fa explained to Ye Fan, "He is Fu Shen."

"Boss, this is my uncle, Fu Shen," Mu Chen Dong said. "He helps my father guard the Gods Battlefield!"

"Greetings, Commander," Ye Fan said with a cupped-fist salute.

"Please, no formalities," Fu Shen replied hastily. "I never imagined you were our lord’s Junior Brother. It is an honor to meet you, truly an honor!"

After a few pleasantries, Ye Fan learned that Fu Shen had been guarding the Gods Battlefield for several hundred years and was indeed one of the Red Sand Main God’s most trusted subordinates.

At that point, Ye Fan asked, "How is it that your body is also decaying?"

To know that Fu Shen, one of the finest Divine Generals, suffered from this affliction was even more terrifying than seeing it on the regular guards.

Lowering his sleeve, Fu Shen said, "It is an embarrassing sight. These scars have plagued me for a hundred years. I have a feeling this place will be my final resting place. I’m not the only one. It’s the same for those from the Evil God Lineage on the other side. So, while this place seems rife with conflict, it’s actually quite peaceful in its own way, because very few people are willing to come here."

He turned to Ye Fan and the others. "You cannot stay too long. The aura that causes this decay is growing stronger. It used to take decades for the scars to appear, but now it can happen in just a few years."

Ye Fan nodded and then asked, "May I see your scar?"

"Of course!"

Without another word, Fu Shen rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. As Ye Fan reached out to touch it, Fu Shen quickly pulled back. "Don’t! You’ll be infected!"

Ye Fan shook his head. "I won’t be."

He carefully inspected the scar, discovering that it was filled with countless threads of resentment and curses.