Chapter 1019: Settling Mundane Affairs
Little Pine wailed loudly, refusing to let go no matter what. Crystal teardrops rolled down in strings as he begged bitterly. His childish voice carried a kind of despair that made one's heart ache.
Ye Fan patted his head and said, "I want to take you away too, but it really isn't suitable. Your master has great hopes for you."
The current Big Dipper was absolutely a place of trouble. If not for old friends being there whom he couldn't bear to part with, Ye Fan wouldn't have chosen to rush over at this time.
Why had the Ten Thousand Primeval Clans collectively re-emerged in this generation? Why had some powerful ancient imperial princes been sealed until this era? All of this was waiting for one opportunity—the opening of the path to immortality.
Throughout history, one Great Emperor after another had arrived at the Big Dipper Ancient Star Domain, each leaving indelible marks. The immortality pills from countless star domains had all gathered there. The "cause" had been planted, and the "effect" would bear fruit in this life!
No one could live so long. The ancient Great Emperors could not seal themselves in Divine Source. They were too powerful; no substance in the world could suppress them.
Although the ancient Sacred Emperors and later human Great Emperors had all passed away one after another, their contingency plans would surely activate. Since there were ancient imperial princes, there would most likely be imperial sons manifesting as well.
Becoming an immortal held an irresistible temptation—to sever the Dao in this world, break through the shackles of this realm, and enter the Immortal Domain!
Many outstanding talents were all waiting, all for this generation.
The Big Dipper had so many ancient clans, so many people with extraordinary bearing. Ye Fan was invincible under heaven on this side, but once he returned, everything would be completely different.
On the imperial path, heroes contended. The immortal path was about to open. Even he might have a day when blood was spilled. The affairs of the world were unpredictable.
Earth, by comparison, was relatively peaceful. Little Pine's talent was extraordinary. In this age of the end of the Dharma, relying entirely on himself and instinct, he had cultivated into the Dao Palace Secret Realm. This could not be called anything less than a miracle.
The ancient Great Emperors did not discriminate based on birth!
Before becoming famous, the origins of any Great Emperor counted for nothing, especially for the demon clan. Some might have been nothing more than ordinary beasts.
Ye Fan saw the vast, ocean-like potential within this little purple squirrel, which shocked him greatly. He hoped it could forge its own path on Earth. Perhaps one day it would become a great help to him, or even descend from the heavens to the Big Dipper like a divine soldier, turning the tide against overwhelming odds.
"Given your nature, the path you will walk in the future will certainly differ from your master's. Continuous great battles are not necessarily the shortcut to approaching a Great Emperor. Returning to natural truth is also good."
Without the pressure of ancient imperial princes, without unfathomable experts looking down, without imperial sons waiting for battle—this was no regret. On the contrary, it was something for Little Pine to be thankful for.
"Master, I cultivate very fast. It won't be long before I can help you," Little Pine said, his voice very childish, sobbing as he spoke.
"Having this intention is enough. I dare to assert that such a day will come," Ye Fan said, looking up at the starry sky.
In the distant past, Eternal Universe, Western Emperor, Amitabha Great Emperor, and others had crossed star domains to arrive at the Big Dipper Star Domain. What were they seeking?
Except for the Ruthless Person, even Wu Shi couldn't be certain. This included the ancient emperors of the myriad clans. Almost no Great Emperor belonged to that ancient star. Now, all the storms would play out there!
Ye Fan had a premonition that the path to immortality would not be so simple. It might stir up earth-shattering calamities. Who knew what would happen?
"Remember, in this great era, only by becoming stronger can you protect yourself and guard all this. In the future, your master may truly need your help. Strive for breakthroughs on the home front!"
Phoenix Celestial Maiden, Zhan Yifan, and others were astonished. Ye Fan truly held great hopes for Little Pine, but they had no complaints.
The facts were plain to see. In this age of the end of the Dharma, every time Little Pine advanced a rank, he would attract heavenly tribulation. He was even more monstrous than the ancient prodigies. Compared to their tribulations during thunderstorms, it was like night and day.
Clearly, Ye Fan was grooming this little purple fellow as his true successor, seeing in him the hope of walking the imperial path.
Little Pine's big eyes were red from crying. He insisted on seeing Ye Fan off, wanting to watch him set foot on the Stellar Ancient Path. Ye Fan couldn't help but smile. The little one still wasn't giving up. The journey would take some time.
"I believe the Heavenly Court will surely shine brilliantly!" Ye Fan encouraged his other disciples, not letting them see him off. Leaving was leaving; there was nothing to be sad about.
He had already retrieved the Immortal Cauldron from Kunlun. He believed that within a few decades or a century, the spiritual energy would gradually grow stronger, and Penglai would advance further, becoming a sacred land of cultivation.
In the end, Ye Fan rode the Dragon Horse away, with Zhang Qingyang and Long Xiaoque following. Little Pine wiped his tears as he saw them off. He begged to come along for the farewell, and Ye Fan couldn't bear to refuse.
The group left Penglai. Ye Fan went straight to Fangzhang Immortal Mountain to meet an old Daoist and earnestly seek his advice. The two had already met several times before.
Based on some historical records, Ye Fan had inferred that an ancient path should exist. The old Daoist at Fangzhang Immortal Mountain had recently confirmed his conjecture—the ancients had indeed left a path for their descendants.
"Dao friend truly intends to venture into the depths of the starry sky? As I said last time, that path is very difficult, with many obstacles," the old Daoist said. His skin was snow-white and crystalline, his hair strands like snow, and his complexion excellent.
Ye Fan did not dare to be negligent. This was a Dao Severing King from Penglai, also the old Daoist from the Central Land mentioned by the Pope. He had forced back the heroes of the Vatican over a hundred years ago.
Ye Fan asked him in detail about the various situations he might encounter on that path.
"The old man's knowledge is limited. Like you, I made judgments based on Daoist texts left by predecessors. I had it confirmed by chance once—there is indeed a path."
"In the future, I ask that you, senior, take care of Penglai," Ye Fan said with a cupped fist salute.
"Dao friend is too polite. Stability among the various Dao lineages is a great fortune. In recent years, the Penglai Heavenly Venerable has become obsessed with studying ancient heavenly texts, even wanting to release the demonic fetus. I wanted to stop him but lacked the strength. Thanks to you, Dao friend," the old Daoist recited a Daoist title.
Ye Fan had once given him a Medicine King, a great gift, and had also shared insights on breaking through cultivation realms. Such an old man, living overseas but sincerely guarding the Central Land, was worthy of such treatment.
Ye Fan departed far away, taking only Little Pine back to B City. He met Xu Qiong's family, had a meal with them, and gave them some small gifts.
The crazy girl Xu Ye immediately went wild when she saw Little Pine, wanting to hold him in her arms every moment. She adored him endlessly. Little Pine wished he could flee immediately.
"Look after them in the future," Ye Fan transmitted to Little Pine.
The little purple fellow's big eyes reddened again. He nodded seriously and was passively carried away by Xu Ye.
Yang Xiao's alcohol tolerance was low, and soon he was slumped over the table.
"You... are you leaving?" Xu Qiong asked, her voice trembling. She had a premonition that this would likely be their last meeting.
"Yes," Ye Fan nodded.
"Not coming back?" Xu Qiong's beautiful eyes widened in shock.
"I don't know," Ye Fan said.
In the end, Ye Fan stood up, took one last look at her, and walked away, silently waving his hand.
"Ye Feng..." Xu Qiong called out from behind, unable to hold back her sobs. She knew that with this farewell, she would never see him again.
Missing out was a choice without options. She had thought they could be friends for life, but never expected to be separated on opposite sides of the starry sky.
Ye Fan disappeared, and Little Pine chased after him.
Along the way, master and disciple were very quiet. Truly leaving meant many helpless things. This world had given birth to him and raised him; there was too much reluctance to let go.
"Master, Xu Ye saw me use my divine powers," the little purple fellow said quietly.
"Mom, who exactly is Little Uncle? I've wanted to ask you for a long time. How is he exactly the same as the uncle in the photo album from over twenty years ago? He hasn't aged. And just now... Little Pine... he flew away!"
Xu Qiong looked at her daughter, vaguely seeing her own youthful self from her maiden days. Many memories surfaced—the warm, the unforgettable, the bitter... She held back, not letting tears fall, and said, "That little squirrel will appear again. Be good to him in the future, and maybe you can... walk a special path."
"I've always been good to him!" Xu Ye's big eyes sparkled. She noticed many suspicious points and kept pressing for answers.
Ye Fan had delayed for over a month, settling all mundane affairs. Whether it was relatives, old friends, or the parents of classmates, he did not meet them. He only silently did some things for them.
He did not want to disrupt these people's tranquility. There was no need to cause ripples in their life trajectories. If they set foot on the path of cultivation, a hundred years would pass in a flash. If he insisted on meeting them, it would only leave behind a trail of sorrow.
Ye Fan secretly recorded many images, wanting to show them to some old friends on the other end of the starry sky. There was family affection, longing, and even melancholy.
Ye Fan placed a handful of white flowers before his parents' graves. Tears couldn't help but fall. He had cultivated desperately and finally returned, but in the end, he could not see them.
"Master, I will come often to offer flowers," Little Pine said, his eyes red.
As they left, a group of children ran over and also placed a large handful of white flowers before the graves.
"Grandpa, Grandma, thank you for sponsoring the orphanage..." the children murmured.
Ye Fan took one last look and left with Little Pine.
On a nameless low mountain, the Dragon Horse, Zhang Qingyang, and Long Xiaoque had been waiting for many days. They had already handled their own affairs. Additionally, there was one more person—the Divine Knight of the Vatican.
"Now, there is one small regret I have. That mysterious great demon who manifested during World War II—I have yet to meet him."
Ye Fan asked the Divine Knight if he knew the details. He was told that although he had heard of it, he had never had the chance to meet.
Ye Fan looked at this world, then at the phone in his hand. All of this would become distant to him again.
Suddenly, the phone rang. The Indian master told Ye Fan that he had discovered a mysterious Buddhist son who had manifested the most mysterious phenomenon of "consciousness treasure" among the hidden treasures. He could recite complete ancient mantras and might be able to ascend to Mount Sumeru.
Hidden treasures were scriptures concealed when a religion faced calamity, to be unearthed later. They were divided into book treasures, sacred object treasures, and consciousness treasures.
The most miraculous was the consciousness treasure. It was said that when certain scriptures or mantras could not be passed down due to disaster, the gods would entrust them deep within someone's consciousness to prevent their loss.
Under certain external stimuli, those entrusted with scriptures—some of whom were illiterate herders—could recite or record mysterious scriptures.
Ye Fan arrived in the Tibetan region. He met several masters and also saw a six-year-old child. The child's eyes were very bright. He had suffered a severe illness in early childhood and manifested the consciousness treasure phenomenon, able to recite many lost Buddhist texts.
The moment Ye Fan saw this child, he was stunned. He moved his hands, slowly deducing, and manifested what the child would look like decades later.
"An ancient Buddha from the other shore of the starry sky!"
Reincarnation—believe and it exists; disbelieve and it does not. The years stretch long, and in the world, two identical flowers will eventually appear. A thousand or a hundred years of looking back—one flower withers, one flower blooms.
Whether they are the same flower, let future generations judge.
Ye Fan's expression was extremely serious. Was there an afterlife? Should he leave a mark etched deep into the soul, entrusted to reincarnation? He wanted to uncover the answer in this moment.