Chapter 1012: Seeking the Heavenly Path
Ye Fan put away the Primordial Qi Cauldron. The Dragon Horse had been crushed for half a month and was nearly coughing up blood. Fortunately, divine marks flowed on the cauldron, automatically concealing its killing intent.
As soon as the Dragon Horse was freed, it immediately lashed out with a hoof. Having been suppressed for half a month, its rage blazed like fire in its skull. Clearly, it was no pushover—it was a genuine tyrant of the Kunlun Immortal Vein.
"Bang!"
Little Pine's eyes flashed with brilliance, releasing two dragon-shaped purple beams. The "Spirit Wound" from the Demon Emperor Nine Slashes struck out, protecting the master on behalf of the teacher.
The Dragon Horse sneered, exhaling a breath that scattered the attack. Little Pine sat down hard on the ground, feeling discouraged, and muttered softly. Ye Fan smiled, patted its head, and comforted, "How many years have you been cultivating?"
He flickered and directly mounted the Dragon Horse, saying, "If you still don't know your limits, don't blame me for being ruthless. Understand, this time you followed me in willingly."
The Dragon Horse struggled, but against a freak like the Human Sacred Body who had severed the Dao, even though it was invincible at the Immortal Three realm, it couldn't budge this "great mountain."
"It's rare that we successfully entered the Embryonic Immortal Land. The water in this pool is divine liquid, extremely useful whether for alchemy or cultivation." Ye Fan said.
"Yes, it's very sweet." Little Pine's voice was very childish. It raised a small jade bowl with both hands, blinking its sparkling big eyes, looking up at Ye Fan, urging him to take a sip too.
Ye Fan smiled, took out various spatial artifacts, and prepared to collect the divine liquid from the pool. This kind of thing was a rare opportunity, seizing the fortune of heaven and earth, with infinite marvelous uses.
He had already tasted it earlier. It surpassed the divine springs in the Forbidden Zones of Life, with a strong fragrance. It could be considered a miraculous medicine, capable of delaying aging and extending lifespan.
"Unfortunately, the immortal essence and dragon treasures contained within each Dragon Head Peak have already been lost. Otherwise, the flowing divine liquid would be heaven-defying." Ye Fan sighed softly.
The Ruthless Person's methods were awe-inspiring. Being able to strike within the formations laid down by the Ancient Heavenly Court and pierce through every Dragon Head Peak was truly shocking across past, present, and future.
The Dragon Horse wasn't idle either. It opened its mouth and sucked fiercely, trying to collect as much divine liquid as possible. Little Pine patted the small medicine basket on its back, which turned into a purple light, drawing the divine liquid in and claiming it for itself.
However, they never expected that as soon as they began to plunder the divine liquid on a large scale, a change occurred. The immortal pool rapidly dried up, and the water and immortal light flowed backward, retreating into the distance.
"What's going on?" The Dragon Horse's eyes went wide.
Ye Fan gave a soft shout, activating the Weapon Art to seize the divine water. With a splash, the last few dozen catties of water were swept over, while the rest all flowed back, disappearing into the mountain body.
Ten Thousand Dragons Sucking Water Backward!
The ten thousand Dragon Head Peaks sucked the divine liquid back, pulling all the essence and immortal light back, no longer nourishing this place. It was a reversal, the opposite of before.
These dragon heads all emitted dragon roars, as if they were alive. Patches of stone dragon scales opened up, and even their eyes shone with blazing divine light. Ye Fan was astonished—if the Ruthless Person hadn't struck so fiercely, what level would these stone dragons have reached?
"Boom!"
With a final violent tremor, all the immortal radiance was swallowed into the dragon mouths. Only hazy light mist remained, and the spiritual energy within the entire valley sharply decreased.
"This is good too. The world of Earth will slowly begin to revive again." Ye Fan said. After taking away this immortal cauldron, the ten thousand Dragon Head Peaks would no longer absorb Earth's spiritual energy, wouldn't continue to nourish the Immortal Land, and might even give back to Earth's mountains and rivers.
Ye Fan had no way to destroy this place. Not just him, but even the countless outstanding figures throughout history couldn't! The killing formation laid down by the Ancient Heavenly Court intimidated the ages, unsolvable by anyone. Touching it meant certain death.
Within the immortal valley, auspicious light flowed. Even though it was far from its former glory, it still surpassed any place Ye Fan had ever been. Ancient medicines wafted fragrance, and a wisp of the scent of an Immortal Elixir permeated the air, intoxicating the spirit.
"Let's go... The world is finally beginning to change again." Ye Fan mounted the Dragon Horse, leading Little Pine away from the Immortal Land and into the mountain range.
The majestic Kunlun Mountains stretched endlessly, peak after peak without bound. Ye Fan and the others walked for a long time before finally emerging, at the border between Tibet and Qinghai. Looking at the blue sky and white clouds, it felt surreal. On this land, many regions were hidden within ancient formations, unknown to ordinary people, like two different worlds.
Leaving Kunlun and entering the outside world, the Dragon Horse was immediately filled with astonishment, and even more disdain. Because it was too desolate, without a trace of spiritual energy. Compared to the fairyland-like world within the ancient formations, what lay before them was like a desert.
Little Pine, on the other hand, was very happy. It had originally lived in such a world and was long accustomed to it, letting out joyful howls.
Ye Fan's return riding a Dragon Horse caused a great stir. All the various training grounds were shocked. Legend had it that this was the mount of the ancient Sacred Emperor, which only those of great virtue could ride. Now, this man had directly tamed one and brought it back, leaving everyone speechless.
This was a pure-blooded Dragon Horse, not a hybrid descendant. Few had been born throughout history—it was an auspicious sacred beast born from heaven and earth.
"Master!" Little Heavenly Master Zhang Qingyang paid his respects.
This nameless low mountain hadn't changed at all. It still had only a few thatched huts and a medicinal field. Ye Fan sat cross-legged on a green stone and noticed that this disciple was severely injured.
"What happened?"
In the current world, who would dare to bully his disciples? Years ago, he had single-handedly entered the Holy City of Jerusalem and then fought his way into the Vatican, his reputation shaking both home and abroad.
"Fortunately, you returned riding the Dragon Horse at this time. Otherwise, the Heavenly Court's preaching might have been greatly affected." Zhang Qingyang said.
A few days ago, someone had entered a Heavenly Court training ground, speaking extremely disrespectfully. They set fire to the statue of the Heavenly Emperor on the spot and severely wounded Zhang Qingyang, causing a great impact.
The Heavenly Court's Little Heavenly Master being injured was naturally a major event. That person declared that the Heavenly Court didn't know its place, that it had no right to establish a sect under that name, and that it should disband early, or it would be wiped out.
Ye Fan naturally knew that the world was full of extraordinary people. Even in this Age of Dharma Decline, Earth must have some unknown experts. However, such blatant provocation was somewhat unexpected.
"That person isn't old, not much older than me. He's young and arrogant. I don't think he's an extraordinary person with an ageless appearance." Zhang Qingyang said.
Ye Fan nodded. The Little Heavenly Master was now a different person from before. With Ye Fan's help, he had undergone many lightning tribulations. In this world, only Long Xiaoque and You Weiyu could match him.
"Mainly, one of his treasures was too powerful. It's called the Void Seal. With one tremor, it broke dozens of my bones." Zhang Qingyang detailed the situation that day.
If not for Phoenix Heavenly Maiden and Yan Xiaoyu being present and quickly rescuing the Little Heavenly Master, he might have been in danger this time.
Ye Fan nodded. "That's going too far. Didn't he say he wanted to wipe out the Heavenly Court? I'll wait for him to show up."
Little Pine stepped forward, took out a Medicine King from its small medicine basket. It was over half a meter tall, the whole plant carved like red agate, crystal clear and brilliant. It was a spiritual vine with a rich medicinal fragrance. It handed it to the Little Heavenly Master.
"Ah, this is... thank you, Little Senior Brother." Zhang Qingyang was very steady, unlike Phoenix Heavenly Maiden who often teased Little Pine. He naturally recognized its value—this was most likely a rare spiritual medicine.
"This is a Medicine King. It can revive the dead and regrow flesh and bones, and extend lifespan." Ye Fan said.
"Medicine King?" The Little Heavenly Master was stunned. He had expected it to be precious, but he never thought it would be a treasured medicine rarely seen even in ancient times. He said with a trembling voice, "Too... precious."
Ye Fan told him to keep it for future life-saving use, then took out some divine liquid from the immortal pool and bestowed it upon him, before sending him down to recuperate.
Soon after, Yan Xiaoyu, Zhan Yifan, and others arrived one after another, all extremely surprised. Each received a Medicine King and some divine liquid. To them, this was practically an "immortal pill"! Because even in ancient times, these things were considered divine herbs. A Medicine King that could extend lifespan by several hundred years would make even a Sage bow down.
"Master, your trip into the Kunlun Mountains this time was truly a huge harvest. Next time you go treasure hunting, you must take us with you."
"We need to think quickly about which ancient training grounds are still on Earth. Let Master visit them all—he's sure to get many rare divine products."
"That's right. The birthplace of the Greek gods, the ancient training grounds of Egypt and India, and some ancient lands within our borders should all be sealed with treasures."
Several of them, having tasted the sweetness, urged Ye Fan to act again.
This trip to Kunlun had yielded a huge harvest. Not to mention the immortal cauldron and the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda, they had obtained seventeen Medicine Kings alone. As for other lesser-grade precious medicines, they filled Little Pine's medicine basket. Even if Earth's environment didn't change, they wouldn't have to worry about a shortage of spiritual medicines.
"You must cultivate seriously. Everything depends on yourselves. Grow up quickly—perhaps one day I will leave." Ye Fan warned. Having stayed on Earth for so long, he couldn't forget his old friends at the other end of the starry sky.
"Master, where are you going?" Several disciples pressed, wanting to follow him into the starry domain and leave this world.
Another few years passed in the blink of an eye. The young man who had severely wounded Zhang Qingyang and vowed to wipe out the Heavenly Court did not reappear. Ye Fan had been back on Earth for ten years now. His Dao advanced daily, and every day he gazed at the starry sky. Not being able to see his parents one last time was the regret of his life. Now, his worldly ties were severed, leaving only the path to immortality. But how could he leave?
In these years, Ye Fan had visited many places, searching for ancient star domain coordinates. So many sages had left back then—there must be some clues left behind.
During this time, several Indian masters had contacted him again, saying they might be able to obtain more complete ancient incantations, which could allow entry into the Sacred Mountain. To this end, Ye Fan personally went to India, causing quite a stir.
He entered one ancient site after another, sparring with so-called experts, naturally encountering no worthy opponent. He also obtained a copy of the *Vedas*. Though severely incomplete, it was still enough to shake the world.
Both the Brahmanical sect and Shakyamuni's Buddhist gate were deeply influenced by this scripture. It was a primordial ancient classic, recording some unique profound truths.
Ye Fan spent several months studying it intensively. He nurtured a hundred scriptures in his furnace, absorbed ten thousand Daos, and refined them all into one furnace, using this to nourish and gestate his own Dao and Dharma.
Finally, he obtained many incantations in India and then set out with several masters, taking Little Pine toward the Sacred Mountain. He felt that the Sacred Mountain in the Tibetan region might have a Five-Colored Altar, perhaps even coordinates for the Big Dipper Star Domain!
However, he was disappointed. The incantations were incomplete, still unable to enter Shakyamuni's training ground. In the end, he fell short and couldn't glimpse the secrets of the Buddhist gate.
"Ten years. I wonder what waves have been stirred in the Big Dipper Star Domain..." Ye Fan gazed at the starry sky and murmured to himself.
On the other side of the starry sky was a great era where kings rose together and ten thousand clans coexisted, unprecedented! There, outstanding talents emerged in droves, ancient imperial princes gathered, and there might even be imperial sons appearing. For no other reason than to await the opening of the path to immortality. Without needing to think deeply, these years must have been magnificent and turbulent, with heroes contending for supremacy, celestial maidens soaring through the sky, and stars shining brilliantly.
"Ten years have passed. Perhaps many have almost forgotten me as an opponent."
As Ye Fan gazed at the starry sky, in a Tibetan region, a common herder's family was both surprised, delighted, and worried. Their three-year-old child, after a severe illness, had experienced the most miraculous phenomenon of "terma"—"consciousness treasure." Before learning to read, never having studied scriptures, he could recite millions of words of sutras, all of which had been lost.
Over the years, Ye Fan had entered many secret places and visited many ancient training grounds. He was searching for something, and the Daoist community naturally knew.
On this day, an old Daoist from the Dragon Tiger Mountain, the ancestral court of Daoism, came to visit. He told Ye Fan that there might be a divine land on Earth that could lead into the depths of the mysterious starry domain.