Chapter 1125: Ascending the Heavenly Path
The Star Gate closed, Ye Fan vanished from this world. Having slain the invincible Celestial Prince of the same rank and defied the heavens to butcher an Ancient Saint, he left behind an immortal legend.
"Master!"
Ye Tong cried out toward the dimming Five-Colored Altar, but only echoes answered him; no figure remained, and all was silent there.
Over the past few decades, Ye Fan had stirred up boundless storms. The entire ancient star was filled with legends of the Sacred Body, and even after he disappeared for many years, people found it hard to forget him.
"The path of the strongest—the most arduous trial in human history. I might know how to insert someone into it..." said an Ancient Saint who had descended from beyond the domain.
"Oh? I would appreciate your guidance, sir," said a clan leader.
"What do you intend to do? Also wish to undergo the trial?"
An Ancient Saint spoke: "The path to immortality is about to open. As an Ancient Saint, I have no such desire. I only wish to send a few descendants to try their luck."
"Don't even think about it. Ordinary people who go there will only be courting death. Unless it's someone on the level of an Ancient Imperial Prince, they will surely fall," sneered the sage from beyond the domain.
"Is that so? Perhaps it's worth considering. I think some would be willing to go—for instance, the Golden Princess, Huang Xudao, the Dragon Maiden of the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest, and others. Moreover, most of the Ten Thousand Primeval Clans originated from beyond the domain. Perhaps this could be a way to find the road home, back to their ancestral lands!" The Ancient Clan sage's eyes flickered with light.
Although Ye Fan had left, the entire ancient star was filled with tales about him. Over the decades, he had slaughtered Holy Sons, slain Divine Sons, and butchered Ancient Imperial Princes, his reputation fearsome.
Many believed this was a road of no return. Once one set foot on this ancient heavenly path, they might never come back. This was the final ripple of his renown, and he would never appear again.
A cold wind blew. The desolate ancient star finally stirred with some movement, breaking the deathly stillness. Yellow sand stretched everywhere as Ye Fan gazed into the distance—a scene of utter bleakness.
Especially at this twilight hour, the world was dim and yellow, deeply somber, with no sign of life.
Abandoning prosperity, leaving his homeland, bidding farewell to old friends, he now walked the path of the strongest alone. Without the clamor of the mortal world, only loneliness remained.
He had been traveling for half a year now, from one ancient star to another, tireless and monotonous, repeating the same journey without encountering a single living being.
The vast heavens were dark and cold, boundless and endless. He crossed through them without pause, with no end in sight. He didn't even know how far he had traveled from the Big Dipper. Perhaps he would never return in this lifetime.
Half a year ago, when he stepped out of the Five-Colored Altar, he found a small altar on that ancient star—much like the path from Hangu Pass on Earth—a one-way teleportation.
He had no destination. He could only follow the ancient road laid down by predecessors, moving forward without knowing the way or the endpoint, passively advancing.
This journey was unbearably lonely. There was no one to talk to, far from the vanities of the world, forced to cultivate in solitude.
"Three Sacred Bodies have fallen on this path of the strongest trial. Emperor Wu Shi and the Green Emperor also walked it. I am following in their footsteps—I must reach the end!" Ye Fan murmured to himself.
The wind grew stronger. Yellow sand filled the sky, blotting out the sun. His eyes widened. As the sand flew upward, some snow-white skulls appeared in the desert.
He walked over, crouched down, and examined them carefully. They belonged to an unknown race, dead for at least ten thousand years. The skulls were still hard, with a luster flowing over them.
Ye Fan released his powerful divine sense, searching thoroughly across the entire ancient star. Finally, he found a clue.
On a bone arm were carved some words, nearly worn away by time. They were ancient human script, stating that this was the Gate of Trial. Once one stepped out from here, the true ordeal would begin.
"It starts here?" Ye Fan murmured to himself.
The ordeal had already begun. It took him a full half month to find the one-way small Five-Colored Altar on this ancient star.
Those white bones had all perished because they failed to find the path that covered the sky, exhausting their vitality and withering away here.
"Hum—"
With a flash of light, he stepped onto the true path of trial. In the void passage, he murmured to himself: "I look forward to what lies ahead!"
Soon after, a heavy, oppressive aura rushed toward him. Ye Fan burst out of the Star Gate and arrived at a mysterious world.
"Bang!"
A bone knife slashed at him, heavy and fierce, enough to shatter a great mountain. The moment Ye Fan left the Star Gate, he was attacked.
"Truly, I won't be lonely anymore. I've finally encountered a living being!" Facing an enemy assault, he felt no anger—only surprise and delight. He had grown tired of the monotony and solitude.
"Slap."
Ye Fan flicked his finger, shattering the bone knife on the spot. Then he swung his right leg, sweeping it forward. The white skeleton before him collapsed, unable to withstand the physical power of the Sacred Body.
"What kind of world is this? Is this the place of the strongest trial in the world?"
Ye Fan looked ahead and frowned.
Everywhere was deathly aura. There was no light, yet it wasn't completely dark. The surroundings were dim, with ribbon-like black mist swirling, as if he had arrived in a realm of death.
Thick leaden clouds pressed down on the sky like mountains, filling every inch of space, completely sealing off this world. There was no sunlight, no moonlight, no stars.
This was a black-and-white world, devoid of any brilliant color. It was like the dimmest dusk. The ground was piled with white bones, layers upon layers, with bone dust everywhere.
How many people had to die to create such a terrifying scene?
Ye Fan didn't know. He saw no living creatures of flesh and blood. In the distance, only white bones moved, with ghostly flames flickering in their skulls—dark and eerie.
"What kind of world have I come to?"
He traveled far, yet still the ground was paved with white bones, stretching endlessly. Finally, he took to the air and flew over many mountains and rivers, but all he saw was a vast expanse of white!
Ye Fan felt a chill. This was too terrifying. Even if this were a living ancient star and everyone was wiped out, there couldn't be so many skeletons. How had they formed?
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a dark light shot toward him, tearing through the heavens like an ocean crashing down. It was a black ancient spear, condensed with a trace of immortal divine power.
Ye Fan was startled and quickly dodged. In the distance, a black figure stood on a bone mountain, roaring toward the sky. He was vastly different from the other white bones, his roar deafening.
All around, many bone creatures knelt down, worshiping him, trembling, suppressed by the force of his divine sense, barely able to move.
"A Dao Cutter, born from within the bones with divine consciousness. Is this a miracle of life?" Ye Fan stared at all the skeletal beings.
Life was the greatest miracle in the world—incomprehensible, uncreatable, full of mystery.
The creature, whose bones were like black jade, stared at Ye Fan with hostility. It soared into the sky, thrusting its ancient spear again.
"Clang!"
Ye Fan struck, shattering the ancient spear. Then, with a crack, he twisted its neck bone and tore off its head, clean and efficient.
"King!"
All around, across the endless bone fields, every creature knelt, trembling, sending out divine sense sounds, hailing him as their king.
"A mysterious world, a realm of trial. I must see it clearly."
Ye Fan swept his gaze across the surroundings, looking at the kneeling bone spirits. His heart was calm. He landed on a bone mountain, pulled out the ghostly flame from the black skull, and examined it closely.
Threads and strands interwove, forming this leaping "ghostly flame." It wasn't actually fire—it was segments of life imprints, woven from chains of order!
Ye Fan's heart shook. He opened his Heavenly Eye to observe. Each wisp of flame became a divine rule of order, appearing in his eyes.
"This is a fragmentary truth of life!"
He was deeply moved. He immediately sat cross-legged on the bone mountain and didn't move for an entire day and night. Was this created by someone, or did it form naturally?
Chains of order interwove, fields of energy spread, forming a ghostly flame that became a living being. Was this the process of life's creation?
Who was controlling all of this?
It was different from the human sea of consciousness, with significant distinctions. This life form was very unique. He focused on decomposing the chains of order and finally understood many truths.
It was a great inspiration. His understanding of life deepened. Connecting it with the Presence Secret, he pondered further and comprehended for a long time.
Was this the arrangement of predecessors, or was it by chance that such strange bone spirits existed along this path?
"Oh? In the deepest part of this realm of death, within the sea of white bones, there is an unfathomable supreme existence. Even the black-boned Dao Cutter was terrified and never dared to approach. Just how powerful is it?"
Ye Fan was astonished. With a bang, he discarded the black skull, leaving it to fend for itself, paying it no further heed.
He flew forward. Every time he passed a large area, he encountered an especially powerful bone spirit, but none could harm him. He passed through with thrilling danger but without incident.
Soon after, he saw thick black mist in the distance. A massive stone tablet stood tall, surrounded by faint, shadowy figures like ghosts. These were another type of life form—without thought, without emotion, dazed and wandering aimlessly in this place.
"These are what mortals call ghosts—just magnetic fields of energy. Why are there so many here, yet none have gained spiritual intelligence?"
Ye Fan approached the massive stone tablet and carefully read the ancient characters on it. They were carved in Primeval Divine Script, forming four large characters, vigorous and forceful: "Trespassers Die!"
This was a warning, and also a deterrent. Standing before this stone tablet, a overwhelming killing intent surged forth, making one feel like a duckweed in the ocean, at any moment could be extinguished by the waves.
"White bones everywhere, even mountains piled from skeletons. I finally see a giant tablet, yet it's so intimidating!"
Ye Fan was amazed, because even he felt a tremendous pressure, his heart oppressed. One could imagine how terrifying the person who carved these words was.
He examined carefully. Beside it were huge bone fragments, each over ten meters long. In this world of death, bones of all kinds of creatures were mixed together, impossible to identify.
"There are words here too!"
Ye Fan discovered human script, and not a small amount. They were warnings, telling later generations who walked the strongest trial in history to be careful, not to enter this place, for there was great danger. This was learned through the bloody lessons of predecessors!
"Hum—"
Suddenly, a celestial light streaked across the distant sky, dazzling and holy, tearing through the leaden clouds and spilling onto the earth.
"Roar..."
All around, many bone spirits howled, all terrified. Under that celestial light, countless white bone creatures turned to dust, completely purified.
"What is that?" Ye Fan was greatly shocked.
"Roar!"
As the celestial light tore through the leaden clouds and fell, from the center of this forbidden zone came a tremendous roar that seemed to shatter the soul. It was terrifying beyond measure, as if the entire world was about to collapse! (To be continued)