140: A fist suppresses the bloodbath, a glimpse into annihilation.

In the valley, the dust gradually dissipated. Lin Fan and Blood Butcher stood facing each other across twenty zhang, the ground between them cracked into a spiderweb-like crater thirty zhang in diameter.

"Quite the Eternal Indestructible Body," Blood Butcher stared at the cracks on his fist; that wisp of Chaos Qi was like a maggot in his bones, constantly eroding his flesh. He snorted coldly, circulating his Blood Fiend Power to forcibly expel the Chaos Qi. "To think it could actually wound my Blood Fiend True Body."

"This is only the beginning." Lin Fan stood tall, the blood on the corners of his mouth already dry. The self-healing ability of the Eternal Indestructible Body allowed his injuries to stabilize quickly.

"Arrogant!" Blood light surged in Blood Butcher's eyes. "Do you think being able to wound me makes you qualified to oppose me? The power of a Half-step World Master is far beyond your imagination!" Before he finished speaking, his hands formed Seals, and blood mist billowed around him.

"Blood Sea Domain, Open!" "Boom!" With Blood Butcher at the center, a hundred-zhang radius was instantly transformed into a blood-colored ocean! Thick blood waves rolled, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench of blood. Within the Domain, countless blood-colored tentacles reached out from the blood sea, baring their fangs and claws.

"In my Domain, my power increases by thirty percent, while yours is suppressed by twenty percent!" Blood Butcher floated above the blood sea like the Dominator of the blood sea. "Now, do you still think you have a chance of winning?"

Domain power! This was the greatest difference between a Half-step World Master and the Divine Power Realm—the ability to initially control a portion of heaven and earth, forming a Domain of one's own. In the Domain, they were the Dominator.

"Brother Lin, be careful!" Nangong Yu shouted from a distance. "The Blood Sea Domain can corrode spiritual energy and devour vitality. You mustn't stay long!"

Xia Qingyue gripped her longsword, ready to strike at any moment. However, Lin Fan's expression remained calm.

He felt the suppression brought by the Domain, and the Chaos Qi flow in his body did indeed slow down. But not only did he not panic, a flash of enlightenment even crossed his eyes.

"So this is a 'Domain'." He suddenly remembered the scene of the opening of the heavens he had seen while comprehending the Dao at Chaos Cliff—that figure's back as he split the Chaos with a single axe, the clear Qi rising to become the heavens and the turbid Qi sinking to become the earth. In fact, it was "carving out" a "Domain" of one's own within the Chaos.

Only, that "Domain" was a complete world.

"My Fist Intent is 'Heaven-Opening'; it is to carve out, to create." A spark of inspiration flashed in Lin Fan's heart. "Since you can create a Domain, why can't I break through your Domain?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Within his body, the Fist Intent of the Indestructible Divine King Fist began to condense, merging with the Chaos Qi of the Eternal Indestructible Body.

"Playing tricks!" Seeing Lin Fan close his eyes and remain motionless, Blood Butcher thought he was waiting for death and sneered, "Die for me!"

He pressed his hands down, and a monstrous wave immediately rose from the blood sea, transforming into nine blood-colored Dragons that roared as they pounced toward Lin Fan! Each Blood Dragon contained Evil Qi that could corrode everything; wherever they passed, even the space emitted a "sizzling" corrosive sound. This strike was his full-strength effort!

Even a Half-step World Master of the same level would not dare to take it head-on!

"Lin Fan!" Xia Qingyue's expression changed, and she was about to rush into the Domain.

But at that moment, Lin Fan opened his eyes. Deep in his pupils, the scene of Chaos being carved open surfaced again, but this time, the scene was clearer and more real.

"Heaven-Opening Fist Intent, Second Form..." He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it seemed to contain the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, piercing through the roar of the blood waves and reaching everyone's ears.

"World Breaker."

He threw a punch. This punch seemed even slower and more unadorned than before. But wherever the fist passed, that thick Blood Sea Domain actually parted automatically as if it had met its nemesis! It was as if that was not a fist, but a divine axe capable of cutting through all obstacles!

The first Blood Dragon crashed into the fist; "Squelch!" From head to tail, it was split in two, turning into a sky full of blood rain.

The second, the third, the fourth... the nine Blood Dragons were as fragile as paper before Lin Fan's punch, being sliced open and destroyed one by one!

The momentum of the punch did not decrease as it continued forward.

Its target was aimed directly at Blood Butcher himself!

"Impossible!" Blood Butcher's pupils shrank sharply, and an unprecedented sense of crisis rose in his heart.

He frantically pushed the Blood Sea Domain, with countless blood-colored tentacles and walls of blood waves layering in front of him, while his figure retreated rapidly. But that punch seemed to have locked onto time and space, locked onto Karma.

No matter how fast he retreated, no matter how many defenses he set up.

The punch would eventually reach him.

"Block it for me!" Blood Butcher roared, sacrificial-offering a Blood-colored Bone Shield. This was his Lifebound Treasure refined from the skulls of nine hundred and ninety-nine Cultivators, with defensive power comparable to a Peak Earth Rank item.

"Crack!" The punch arrived, and the shield shattered.

The fist pierced through the bone shield and slammed into Blood Butcher's chest. Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Then, "Boom!!!" Blood Butcher was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing through three layers of mountain walls before finally coming to a stop.

The blood robe on his chest had long since shattered, revealing a clear fist print. At the fist print, the flesh was festering and the bones were shattered; even more terrifyingly, wisps of Chaos Qi were invading through the wound, frantically destroying his vitality.

"Pfft—" Blood Butcher spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood, which was actually mixed with fragments of internal organs.

One punch! With just one punch, he had heavily wounded a Half-step World Master!

The entire place was deathly silent.

Whether it was the assassins of the Dark Moon Divine Cult or the three of Nangong Yu's group, all were dumbstruck.

Xia Qingyue's hand holding her sword trembled slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

She knew Lin Fan was strong, but she hadn't expected him to be strong to this extent—at the Late Stage Divine Power Realm, to heavily wound a Half-step World Master with one punch! This simply broke the common knowledge of the cultivation world!

"Cough, cough..." Blood Butcher struggled to climb up, his eyes filled with horror and resentment. "Heaven-Opening Fist Intent... World Breaker... You, you actually comprehended a Domain nemesis..."

Lin Fan stood with his fist withdrawn, his face slightly pale. This "World Breaker" punch had a massive consumption, almost draining seventy percent of his spiritual energy. If not for the support of the Eternal Indestructible Body, he would have collapsed by now. But the effect was worth it.

"Now, can you talk?" Lin Fan walked toward Blood Butcher step by step. "Where exactly is the entrance to the Nirvana Divine Palace in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range? What key is needed to open it?"

Blood Butcher smiled miserably, "You, you think I'll talk?"

"You don't have to talk," Lin Fan said calmly. "I will perform a soul search."

"Soul search?" A hint of ridicule flashed in Blood Butcher's eyes. "The Divine Soul of a Half-step World Master has long since merged with the Domain. If you forcibly search my soul, it will only trigger the self-destruct Restriction in my Divine Soul, and you will get nothing."

Lin Fan frowned slightly. That was indeed a problem.

"However," Blood Butcher suddenly gave a weird smile, "I can tell you one thing. The key to the Nirvana Divine Palace does indeed require a special Bloodline. But what specific Bloodline it is, even the Cult Leader doesn't know. We caught many people to test, and all failed... until not long ago, the Cult Leader obtained a drop of ancient emperor blood."

"emperor blood?" Lin Fan's heart stirred.

"Yes, emperor blood." Blood Butcher coughed blood, his eyes starting to glaze over. "That drop of blood came from... uh..."

He suddenly widened his eyes, and black blood gushed from his seven orifices.

"Not good!" Nangong Yu's expression changed. "A more secretive Restriction was placed inside him!"

Before he finished speaking, Blood Butcher's body rapidly shriveled and decayed, turning into a withered skeleton in the blink of an eye, and finally, even the skeleton turned to ashes.

Only a blood-colored storage ring was left, falling to the ground.

Lin Fan picked up the storage ring and swept it with his Divine Sense, his frown deepening.

Inside the ring, besides some Medicinal Pills and Materials, there were also several Jade Slips. But the key information regarding the Nirvana Divine Palace was all sealed by a special Restriction; any forced investigation would cause it to self-destruct.

"The Dark Moon Divine Cult is indeed cautious." Nangong Yu walked over and said in a heavy voice, "Even a core member like Blood Butcher had a double Restriction placed on him."

"No matter." Lin Fan put away the ring. "At least we know the clue about the 'emperor blood'."

Xia Qingyue walked to his side and said softly, "Are you alright?"

"The spiritual energy consumption is a bit high, but it's no problem." Lin Fan looked at her. "Thank you, Miss Xia, for providing support."

"I didn't really help with anything." Xia Qingyue shook her head, but her gaze toward him was a bit more complex.

This man was even more mysterious and powerful than she had imagined.

"Brother Lin," Nangong Yu cupped his hands and said, "Today's battle has truly been an eye-opener. To fight a Half-step World Master at the Late Stage Divine Power Realm and even emerge victorious... If this matter spreads, the entire younger generation of Great Xia will be shaken."

"It was just luck." Lin Fan said indifferently, "Blood Butcher underestimated his enemy. If he had fully deployed his Domain from the start, I don't think winning would have been this easy."

"That is also due to Brother Lin's strength." Nangong Yu smiled. "What are your plans next?"

"Enter the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range." Lin Fan looked toward the depths of the mountain range. "Since the Dark Moon Divine Cult set an ambush here, it means their people have already entered the mountains. We need to get ahead of them."

"Exactly my thoughts." Nangong Yu nodded. "The mission of the Evil Suppression Division is to wipe out the Dark Moon Divine Cult. We will travel with Brother Lin."

"Fine." Lin Fan did not refuse.

Having a few more helpers was always good.

He looked at the place where Blood Butcher had turned to ashes, a hint of thought flashing in his eyes.

emperor blood, Nirvana Divine Palace, ancient emperor bloodline... all of this seemed to have some inexplicable connection with the Eternal Indestructible Body in his body.

"Let's go." Lin Fan turned and walked toward the direction of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.

Xia Qingyue, Nangong Yu, and the others followed closely behind.

In the valley, only devastation remained, along with the corpses of the Dark Moon Divine Cult assassins who had long since been killed by the aftershocks of the battle.

In the distant forest, a pair of eyes silently watched all of this, then quietly vanished.

Those were people from another power.

They were also paying attention to the Nirvana Divine Palace and to Lin Fan.

The conflict in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range had only just begun.