Chapter 1018: This Heart Is Resolute, Entering the Starry Sky
"Ah..."
The fist-sized black figure was impaled on the spear tip, screaming miserably. This was pure primordial spirit—once wounded, the consequences would be unimaginable. If a person's "spirit" was extinguished, they would vanish completely from this world.
Penglai Heavenly Venerable did not want his spirit to be destroyed and struggled desperately. This was his imprint; if it disappeared entirely from the mortal world, then ten thousand years of cultivation would be rendered void. Dark light blazed fiercely as he transformed into a black sun, shooting out thousands upon thousands of black arrows. At the same time, a precious wheel appeared, spinning behind his head.
At the same moment, a sacred river surged from Penglai Island, like a rainbow piercing the sun, rapidly striking toward that spot. "Enough!" Ye Fan roared in fury.
The Dragon Horse was too ferocious. As it galloped, it trampled over a dozen mountain peaks with almost every hoofbeat. This was a pure land, meant to serve as the future base camp of the Heavenly Court.
In the end, this treasured region fell silent. Over a hundred leaders and elders of the sect were executed, while the remaining disciples trembled in fear, living in constant dread. An immortal sect passed down since ancient times had been conquered—it was like something out of a myth!
From that day onward, Ye Fan ordered the mountain sealed. He sat cross-legged on the main peak of Penglai and began chanting scriptures, gathering all the disciples and followers of the immortal sect within the mountain gate.
"Gao zheng zuo shi. Po ni sha ling. Bei zhao jun jiang. Ji nan zhan kui. Jing yi sun guang. Hun yuan jue yuan..."
Ye Fan's entire body shimmered with flowing light, his form like a divine body. As he recited the *Salvation Scripture*, lotuses bloomed from his mouth, transforming into scriptures imprinted in the void, possessing a mysterious power that purified every soul.
He did not wish to bathe Penglai in blood—he could not bring himself to do so—but neither did he want to leave a great hidden danger for his disciples. One day, he would inevitably rush into the starry sky. If he left so many Penglai followers behind, who besides him could suppress them?
The safest method was to completely convert them, making them members of the Heavenly Court. Not only would this eliminate the hidden danger, but it would also add an incredibly powerful force!
The main peak of Penglai was filled with immortal mist and tens of thousands of rays of light. Ye Fan sat cross-legged, his body pure and bright like seven-colored divine glass. Various Dharma forms emerged around him: before him was the Golden Que Great Dao, beside him were scenes like the Immortal King Overlooking the Nine Heavens and the Splendid Rivers and Mountains, while behind him, chaos surged, nourishing a single Azure Lotus.
Characters flew from his mouth, radiating immortal brilliance, enveloping all the sect disciples. To be thorough, he preached the scriptures for a full forty-nine days.
During this time, auspicious colors descended from the heavens in tens of thousands of streams, sweet springs surged from the ground, exotic flowers bloomed everywhere, orchids covered the earth, a hundred birds came to pay homage, and all kinds of peaceful and auspicious scenes appeared.
Preaching the scriptures once made devout believers' hearts clear. Preaching them twice dispelled worries and sharpened ears and eyes. Preaching them three times made the crowd bow their heads and find peace of mind. Preaching them four times removed hidden ailments and lightened the bones. Preaching them five times caused fallen teeth to regrow.
Ye Fan had long since severed the Dao. Whatever he spoke became law. Through the scriptures, he unleashed various divine abilities and supernatural powers with boundless subtlety. After forty-nine days, all hidden dangers had disappeared.
The Heavenly Court was thus set on the right track, possessing a earthly paradise. It was impossible for it not to grow and develop, as the spiritual energy here was exceptionally dense.
Ye Fan did not leave immediately but remained in command for over a year. First, he explored the sealed demon saint's lair beneath the sea; second, he hunted down a few big fish from Penglai that had slipped through the net.
On that day, not all of the sect's disciples were on the island. Several important figures were away, thus escaping the calamity.
Since Ye Fan had made his move, he naturally had to completely eradicate the original immortal sect. He was ruthless and merciless. During this time, he and the Dragon Horse split up, scouring the heavens and the earth, tracking down and killing several of Penglai Heavenly Venerable's favored grandsons.
This event shook the entire cultivation world. Penglai changed hands, its original lineage was destroyed, and it was renamed the Heavenly Court. Ye Fan's swift and decisive, iron-fisted actions made many uneasy.
In particular, the other two of the Three Immortal Islands overseas, Fangzhang and Yingzhou, were filled with anxiety. They sent experts to meet Ye Fan and probe his intentions. Was this man planning to unify the entire ancient star?
In the end, Ye Fan released a very peaceful message, clearly telling all onlookers: "If others do not trouble me, I will not trouble them. This action was only for self-defense."
Ye Fan remained in Penglai for three years, carefully observing the demon palace beneath the sea. He confirmed that this demonic fetus was at the end of its strength and would not last much longer. In the end, he added several layers of seals.
During these three years, he traveled across the seas, visiting Fangzhang and Yingzhou, but still found no way to leave. There were no starry sky coordinates.
Perhaps he could obtain some information from the demon saint beneath the sea, but bargaining with a demon was too dangerous. He did not want to play with fire, and under no circumstances could he release it.
"Perhaps the only way left to leave is that path." Ye Fan muttered to himself. He had been back on this side of the starry sky for thirteen years. It was time to leave.
On this day, he summoned all his disciples, bestowed secret treasures upon them, and passed down various secret techniques such as the Divine Light Escape, the Human King Seal, and the Heaven-Overturning Seal. He told them that their karmic bond had ended and that he would soon set out into the starry sky.
"Master, take us with you!" Several disciples were greatly alarmed, never expecting this day to come so suddenly.
"I originally intended to take you all with me, but now that we have Penglai Immortal Mountain, you don't need to enter the starry sky. This place is not much different from the heavenly realm of ancient times and is very suitable for cultivation. The other star domain is far too dangerous, filled with great battles. Even I can only stagger forward through blood and bone; one misstep could lead to eternal damnation. Over there is a great era, where many kings rise together, ten thousand races coexist, and the path to becoming an emperor is littered with bones. On top of that, the immortal gate is about to open, full of variables and crises."
The disciples all knew that Ye Fan was walking the path of an emperor and might face a terrifying environment where the whole world was his enemy. Boundless bloodshed lay ahead.
"Master, I want to go with you!" Long Xiaoque usually spoke little, but now he was extremely resolute and refused to give up.
Additionally, Zhang Yangqing insisted on entering the starry sky, willing to spread the Dao on the other side of the stars, no matter how dangerous the road.
In the end, after much deliberation, Ye Fan agreed to take Long Xiaoque and Zhang Qingyang with him.
Little Pine wailed loudly, clutching a corner of Ye Fan's robe, refusing to let go no matter what. He cried and begged to go with him.
"There will be a day when we meet again. As long as you can become a sage, you can cross the star domains and come find me among those seven ancient stars." Ye Fan smiled, pointing to the Big Dipper in the sky.