# Chapter 1316: Reunion with an Old Friend
Time flows endlessly, and the path to immortality is merciless. Some people and some things are destined to slowly fade in memory, gradually growing distant. The heights of the immortal path are bitterly cold.
Years pass in the blink of an eye. Decades apart—an entire mortal lifetime—yet meeting an old friend in a foreign land beyond the heavens, Ye Fan's heart was filled with mixed emotions. It was as if a long-sealed door had been pushed open.
Those bygone years, those unforgettable old affairs, day after day, night after night—like a fleeting light, like a flowing river, they silently passed through his heart.
Shadows upon shadows, vivid faces one after another. Some had passed away, others had vanished without a trace. Now they all surfaced together in his heart. They had parted at the peak of their youth on the heavenly path.
Nine dragons pulling an ancient bronze coffin, destination unknown, endpoint unknown. Ascending the heavenly road, stepping onto the journey—it had redirected the life trajectories of a group of people toward unpredictable directions.
The people of the past, the affairs of old times. So many years had passed that memories were nearly buried in dust. Yet he never imagined he could meet someone here. The marks of an era were etched into his heart.
"Ziwen!" Ye Fan stood by the coast, shouting loudly at the divine chariot crossing the sea and returning.
Azure waves stretched for ten thousand li. The Southern Sea was boundless, with endless roaring waves, magnificent and majestic like thousands of charging troops and horses.
Above the azure sea, nine azure luan birds, each one extraordinary, spread their wings and struck the heavens, tearing through the sky as they pulled a divine chariot that rumbled and rolled past.
Inside the chariot sat a man with fair skin, his hair bound with a golden crown, strands of hair dancing in the wind, his eyes clear and bright. He did not appear to be an ordinary person.
"You've mistaken me for someone else." He glanced over warily, then drove the nine azure luan birds, changing direction and quickly retreating into the distance.
"Meeting an old friend in a foreign land—Prince Ziwen, why do you avoid an old acquaintance?" Ye Fan revealed a puzzled expression.
The azure sea stretched to the horizon, waves vast and magnificent. The nine azure luan birds pulled the divine chariot rapidly toward a suddenly appearing domain gate, vanishing into it in the blink of an eye.
Clearly, this person had concerns. He had activated an array platform, intending to flee across the sea without a moment's hesitation.
"Should I blast him down?" Dragon Horse asked.
"Leave it to me," another ancient beast beside him said, emitting a powerful saintly might, wanting to shatter heaven and earth with a single slap and drag the divine chariot out.
Ye Fan waved his hand, stopping them. He stood in a daze for a moment, then said, "It was my oversight. This is clearly a different young man, just extremely similar in appearance and possessing the same aura."
He knew this wasn't entirely a mistaken identification. This youth was too similar to the young Prince Ziwen, and their bloodlines were identical. He was undoubtedly his descendant.
"Time... he already has offspring. I wonder how he spent these years, and why he ended up on this ancient star." Ye Fan's heart was filled with many questions.
But he didn't immediately pursue. He only left behind a "thought" that could follow at any time, not wanting to frighten his old friend's son.
The nine dragons pulling the coffin had changed the fate of a group of people. Over a dozen died along the way, several perished in the six cave heavens of the Yan Kingdom. Only a dozen or so began another chapter of life.
Zhang Wenchang took a master at Grand Mystery's Clumsy Peak. Liu Yiyi entered the Northern Domain's Jade Pool. Kaide chanted Buddhist scriptures on Mount Sumeru. Pang Bo set foot on the Ancient Human Path. And now Ye Fan had arrived here as well.
Li Xiaoman had originally survived, but Ye Fan had struck her down into the Ancient Forbidden Abyss. In this life, he would likely never see her again.
In those bygone days, when Ye Fan and the others were forced into the Ancient Forbidden Land to gather herbs, Prince Ziwen, Zhou Yi, and Zhang Ziling were lost in the Immortal Palace outside the forbidden zone's outer region. Decades had passed without any sign of them.
After so many years apart, unexpectedly learning on this life-bearing ancient land that Prince Ziwen might also be here stirred emotions in Ye Fan that were hard to articulate.
"What happened? How did he go from Big Dipper to a star like this in an instant?"
Such a distance was far too great. Crossing who knows how many star systems, from the other shore of the starry sky to this side of the ancient path—anyone would be filled with confusion.
The dusty old affairs were opened. Ye Fan stood in place for a long time, calming his emotions. He knew he might uncover many mysteries. He was going to visit his old friend.
"This star is truly extraordinary. Can you feel it? The spiritual energy is terrifyingly dense. When comprehending the Dao, divine sounds pierce the ears," said the saint of the Radiant Clan among Ye Fan's Twelve Saints.
The others naturally felt it too. Their bodies were bathed in dense spiritual energy, with faint rays of light washing through their meridians, entering their bodies through their pores.
"Is sensing the changes of the Great Dao the purpose of this trial?" the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon asked with uncertainty.
The Guide Envoy had clearly told them that over the long years, some ancient stars were no longer suitable for cultivation. But some ancient stars had flourished since ancient times and remained prosperous, suitable for Dao cultivation.
The Tenth Pass of the Human Clan, where the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon was born, was very suitable for cultivation because no upheavals had ever occurred. The Great Dao was eternal, cultivators were powerful, and saints were never lacking.
But on the most brutal ancient stars, the path of cultivation was nearly severed. Using various ancient methods and divine treasures to nurture a single Dragon Transformation-level cultivator was already considered heaven-defying.
Dragon Horse said, "This ancient star is even more prosperous than the star of the Human Clan's Tenth Pass. Living beings are close to the Great Dao, easily merging with it. There must be extraordinary experts here."
This was also the reason for the vast gap in cultivation among those who set foot on the Ancient Human Path. In some ancient lands, having a few saints was nothing unusual. In others, only Dragon Transformation or Great Power-level cultivators could embark on the journey.
The only fortunate thing was that in recent years, the heavens had changed. Some despair-inducing ancient lands were beginning to receive the Great Dao's favor, gradually regaining vitality.
The sound of waves came in gusts, carrying a salty, fishy sea breeze. Ye Fan spread his powerful divine sense, exploring this life-bearing ancient land.
This ancient star was less than one percent of Big Dipper's size, but it was many times larger than Earth. With a slight exertion of his dharma power, he could hear the harmony of heaven and earth and the resonance of the Great Dao.
Hundreds of li out at sea, there was a flood dragon also closely watching them. It had reached the Saint King realm and should be that "Southern Sea Dragon King."
"If others don't trouble me, I won't trouble them. Don't stir up trouble. This star likely has Great Sage-level existences," Ye Fan instructed the Twelve Saints.
In the universe, there were countless star domains but only a limited number of life-bearing lands. So far, this was the most suitable star for cultivation that Ye Fan had discovered. It most likely had extraordinary experts.
Only by sensing the changes of the Great Dao on different types of ancient stars—prosperous, barren, and so on—could one slowly discern patterns and discover essential issues.
Ye Fan and the Twelve Saints set out from the coast, heading toward the depths of the continent.
Not long after traveling, they passed a group of volcanoes. Separation Fire surged, magma bubbled, glowing a piercing red. In an ancient cave, they saw four fire crows, nearly reaching sainthood.
Then, after traveling several hundred li, they saw several small Daoist temples. The cultivators inside were not weak. Two were Greatly Accomplished Kings.
When they entered a vast mountain range shrouded in mist, they saw a giant serpent thousands of zhang long, spitting out a massive serpent pearl. It had actually reached the saint level.
Along the way, they saw many cultivators and some ancient cave dwellings. They detected saints several times, which was astonishing.
"We've only been traveling for a while. What we've seen may not be any holy lands or divine dynasties, yet we've already encountered several saints. This ancient star, though not exceptionally vast, is truly breathtaking," said one of the ancient beasts among the Twelve Saints.
Dragon Horse fumed, complaining, "Under the same starry sky, how different the treatment is between people! The star where I was born had withered spiritual energy. Anyone who reached Dragon Transformation or Great Power was revered as a peerless expert. But here, it's hard not to produce saints."
On this star, beautiful peaks could be seen everywhere, wrapped in immortal mist. Waterfalls and flowing springs created a beautiful scene, with spiritual energy hazy and dense.
There were many ancient cliffs. Sitting on them, one could hear the sound of the Dao in their ears, as if someone was chanting immortal scriptures, plunging one into a deep state of Dao comprehension. Over time, day by day, one's Dao cultivation would naturally advance continuously.
On other planets, such places were divine lands. But here, they were nothing special. Every time Ye Fan passed such a region, he would close his eyes and experience it.
Half a day later, they arrived at a lush mountain range. It was a vast chain of mountains stretching over a hundred thousand li, with many cave dwellings hidden in the area. They sensed no fewer than four saint-level auras.
"This should be considered a holy land."
They naturally had no fear, but they didn't want to stir up trouble for no reason. They crossed over and traveled a great distance before discovering a massive city. It was majestic and towering, bustling with people flowing in and out.
"The nine azure luan birds are in the city," the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon said.
Ye Fan nodded. He had come for the nine azure luan birds, wanting to see Prince Ziwen. He had only briefly surveyed the situation on this ancient star earlier.
He extended his powerful divine sense, surging like a tide toward the location of the nine azure luan birds, then sweeping over that ancient architectural area. His eyes suddenly shot out two bolts of divine lightning.
"Prince Ziwen, it's him!"
The next moment, Ye Fan entered the city, arriving at a magnificent palace complex. He appeared in a great hall, gazing at the familiar face before him.
"Ye Fan, it's really you!" Prince Ziwen shot to his feet, an expression of disbelief in his eyes, his face full of excitement—quite unlike his usual smooth demeanor.
Beside him stood a man who looked extremely similar to him. It was the young man Ye Fan had seen at the Southern Sea not long ago. He had clearly already reported this matter to his father.
"After so many years, I never imagined there would be a day for old friends to reunite." Prince Ziwen had a refined, scholarly appearance. Time had left few traces on his face. He now possessed powerful cultivation, having already become a saint.
"Father, who is he?" Just then, a young girl walked in from outside the hall. She had bright eyes and white teeth, a graceful and lovely figure, quite beautiful and lively.
"This is... your uncle. Do you remember the other shore of the starry sky I told you about? We come from the same place." Prince Ziwen was filled with infinite emotion, his voice trembling slightly. He called his son and daughter forward to pay respects to Ye Fan.
"I never imagined you had children, and they've already grown up." Ye Fan was also filled with endless emotion, sighing at how time flowed like water. So many years had passed, and he never expected to meet Prince Ziwen here.
The elder brother, Wang Chen, had his father's bearing in dealing with people—experienced and smooth. The younger sister, Wang Xi, was very lively, her big eyes darting around as she boldly stared at Ye Fan without stopping.
Prince Ziwen explained, "We recently encountered a calamity. Wang Chen went to the Southern Sea on my behalf to seek reinforcements. When he met you, he mistook you for an assassin, so he fled straight back."
Ye Fan nodded. He had many questions. How had this old friend ended up on this star, arriving in the depths of the universe? He asked, "Ziwen, what happened back then?"
"I, Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, Zhang Ziling, and Li Xiaoman all entered the Immortal Palace outside the Ancient Forbidden Land. Quite a few things happened indeed. Our personal fortunes were vastly different," Prince Ziwen said. Then he stared at Ye Fan, startled, exclaiming, "You... have reached the eighth level of the Saint realm!?"
He was shocked. He had obtained great fortune in the Immortal Palace outside the forbidden zone's outer region, and then cultivated and broke through on a star so close to the Great Dao. Yet he had only just become a saint. He knew well how difficult this path was. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to read the latest chapters at your convenience. Your support is my greatest motivation.)