Chapter 1321: Grand Scheme
This aura was very familiar, as if he had sensed it before. Ye Fan calmed his mind and pondered. Suddenly, he thought of it and revealed a shocked expression.
"They... have also arrived here? Did they come in ancient times?"
He had once fought against the Ancient Golden Crows and knew much about this clan. His heart now pounded violently. "A golden divine egg, its aura is extremely close to that of a divine feather from the past!"
When Ye Fan left the Big Dipper and stepped into the vast star domains, the saints had pursued him. He had entered an ancient star where a Quasi-Emperor failed to attain the Dao, and some events occurred there.
That mysterious Quasi-Emperor was like an ancient god who opened the heavens, with a river of stars coiled around his body, overlooking the entire universe. Unfortunately, his head was shattered, leaving only regret.
The Ancient Golden Crow had once held a golden divine feather, said to be a weapon refined from the feather of that clan's Quasi-Emperor. It was extremely powerful, but it was struck down by a "god" there.
"That's right, the divine egg's aura is too close to that golden divine feather!" Ye Fan was certain, with no mistake.
The Golden Crow clan dwelled on a star named "Fire Mulberry." Why would they appear here? All of this indicated a shocking hidden truth within.
Ye Fan's expression shifted between uncertainty and gloom. The twelve saints also had many questions, discussing among themselves. They were deeply shocked by the strength of the Fire Crow Great Sage.
Comparable to Fire Spirit Cangyan, such a realm was terrifying. With cultivation reaching the pinnacle of creation, not only on this star but across the boundless starry sky, he was a peerless expert.
Ye Fan said nothing and led the twelve saint beasts back to the Primordial Mountains. This time, however, he used a Heaven-Deceiving Array to conceal their aura, ensuring they wouldn't be exposed.
He traced with his hands, leaving marks on one mountain after another, using Source Art to shift heaven and earth for deduction, hoping to thoroughly investigate the underground situation.
He was now the only Origin Heavenly Master, and one of the few in history who grasped the essence of natural mountains and rivers with the utmost precision. His Source Art was transcendent, a proud achievement and Dao fruit.
One after another, runes flickered on the great peaks and appeared between the great rivers. Above, they corresponded to the sun, moon, and stars; below, they connected to the Nine Nether Springs, moving heaven and earth.
Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Scorpion—none dared to disturb him. They all watched silently, assisting him from behind as he grasped the essence of the mountains and rivers.
A vast Source Heaven pattern took shape, covering the sky and earth, enveloping the very center of this majestic mountain range. It blazed brilliantly, transforming into an ancient mirror.
"The mountains have become transparent, reaching straight into the underground world!"
"These towering peaks are crystal clear, like a mirror!"
All twelve saints were astonished, widening their eyes to peer inside, carefully observing the strange sights deep underground.
Vaguely, they saw the Fire Crow Great Sage and a golden speck of light on the Immortal Platform, with flames surging, engulfing and covering that area.
Ye Fan's eyes gleamed with sharp light. He saw more clearly than the twelve saints, his mind shaken. Now he could be certain that the Fire Crow Great Sage was likely not a native of this ancient star.
The Heavenly Soldier Ancient Star was suspected to be the transformation of a Supreme Being's head. The Fire Crow Great Sage at the very center of the Immortal Platform clearly bore the bloodline power of the Ancient Golden Crows.
Though he had black feathers that shimmered with dark light, it couldn't be said he was unrelated to the Golden Crows. The most primal aura revealed his bloodline inheritance.
And the golden divine egg he guarded had an aura absolutely close to the divine feather seen in the past. This was truly a heart-pounding matter.
Ye Fan's brow split open, revealing a vertical eye. This was a divine ability that emerged with the opening of the body's treasure gate, capable of seeing through all illusory mists.
Ten thousand years ago, a Supreme Being fell, and his head transformed into an ancient star. His forehead's Immortal Platform was vast and boundless, containing a strange liquid within—brilliant and crystalline, shaped like flames, leaping and dancing, submerging the divine egg within, incubating it.
On the massive Supreme Being's Immortal Platform, there was only this pool of water, radiating multicolored light. If one didn't pay attention, it would be mistaken for flames. The Fire Crow Great Sage was not inside it; the liquid barely soaked the golden egg.
"Could this be the only trace of immortal divine power left after the Supreme Being's fall?" Ye Fan murmured, his mind greatly shaken.
This was the divine liquid left on the Immortal Platform, undoubtedly of a world-shaking level, likely possessing some incredible miraculous effects. Yet now it was used to incubate a divine egg.
The Golden Crow clan from Fire Mulberry Star had already arrived. A Great Sage guarded the ancient Immortal Platform, waiting for the divine egg to emerge. The more he thought about it, the more his heart pounded.
According to Wang Ziwen, the Fire Crow Great Sage was very mysterious and extremely low-key, appearing around two thousand years ago.
"A golden egg, incubating for two thousand years and still not hatched..." Ye Fan felt a headache coming on.
It was said that Fire Mulberry Star had a supreme "Emperor," but he had never appeared. Ye Fan had also tried to search some of the Golden Crow's Immortal Platform imprints, but whenever it involved that, everything was chaotic.
Today, discovering a mysterious Golden Crow egg here immediately gave rise to strange thoughts in his mind. Could it be related to the true form of this "Emperor"?
The path to immortality was about to open, yet the "Emperor" of the Golden Crow clan had not shown himself. Back then, the saints from beyond the domain had made many strange speculations.
"Swish!"
Almost instantly, Ye Fan smoothed away the marks on the mountains, and all the patterns completely disappeared. He led the twelve saints in a single escape covering hundreds of thousands of miles before stopping.
Even as an Origin Heavenly Master, he couldn't recklessly spy on a Great Sage. The safe time was only three breaths; beyond that, even Source Art couldn't conceal his actions.
Thus, after seeing everything on the underground ancient Immortal Platform, he activated the escape at two breaths, fleeing to the edge of the vast earth, as if nothing had happened.
"When a Quasi-Emperor tries to attain the Dao, nine times out of ten they fail. The most tragic was the one seen in the starry sky—head shattered, river of stars coiled around his body, his mother star turned into a dead star. Too tragic."
Ye Fan had heard that the supreme existence of the Golden Crow clan had once attempted to attain the Dao, but the result was unknown.
"I think the master of the Golden Crow clan has passed away. This is his only bloodline, sent here to absorb the immortal divine essence from the ancient Supreme Being's Immortal Platform, to charge toward the supreme realm in the future."
"Very likely. This is probably the divine egg of an Imperial Prince, carrying the hope of the Golden Crow clan."
Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon, Black Bear Saint, Scorpion, and the others discussed and reached this conclusion.
Ye Fan said nothing. The urgent task was to return to the Lin Clan and ask Wang Ziwen for detailed information about the Fire Crow Great Sage's past and his various actions after appearing.
The Lin Clan was peaceful, with no unexpected incidents. Everyone was waiting, hoping that Lin Han would recover soon. The outside world was filled with calls for punishment, putting heavy pressure on everyone.
Seeing Ye Fan return, Wang Ziwen breathed a sigh of relief. Learning what he wanted, he called for the Lin Clan's old steward to give a detailed account of everything about the Fire Crow Great Sage.
"Some senior figures indeed suspect he came from beyond the domain, not a cultivator of this ancient star..."
Although Ye Fan obtained some useful information, the Fire Crow Great Sage was too low-key, making it hard to fully uncover his secrets.
Throughout history, more than one strong expert had gained immortal fortune on that ancient Immortal Platform, but it was speculated that none had gained as much as the Fire Crow Great Sage. Now, it had become his cave dwelling, and no one could enter.
Ye Fan believed that this star must be related to the Ancient Heavenly Court. Perhaps it was truly a training and troop-raising ground for the Heavenly Court, named Heavenly Soldier Star, revealing everything.
"The Golden Crow clan has powerful methods. They tracked this place, exploring everything from ten thousand years ago. Are they aiming for the legacy of the Ancient Heavenly Court?"
"You mean the immortal palace outside the Ancient Forbidden Land is a relic of the Ancient Heavenly Court's palace, and one can descend through it to various secret lands of the Heavenly Court?" Wang Ziwen showed a strange expression.
Ye Fan nodded. "Yes, I suspect that Zhou Yi, Zhang Ziling, and even Lin Jia, who went to challenge the immortal palace a second time, have entered different secret lands of the Ancient Heavenly Court scattered across the star domains."
"The Golden Crow clan has great ambitions. They want to inherit everything from the Ancient Heavenly Court, to rule over the realm, and to produce an Emperor who governs the entire universe?" Wang Ziwen was uncertain.
Just then, someone reported that Lin Han was in excellent condition, having passed the critical danger, and might soon attempt to break through to the Great Sage realm, with high hopes of success.
This was undoubtedly good news, uplifting everyone.
"The entire ancient star is the transformation of a Supreme Being's head. This is like a myth, too incredible. Alas, it's a pity it's occupied by the Golden Crows. I really want to make that bird egg into egg-fried rice!"
"Exactly, that is definitely a divine liquid that defies creation, yet it's become a warm bed for hatching a bird egg."
Dragon Horse, Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon, Black Bear Saint, and the others all regretted it deeply. With a Great Sage guarding it, no one could hope to break in; the fortune was beyond their reach.
Ye Fan asked if there was anything else special about this ancient star.
Wang Ziwen thought seriously and said, "There is a divine stele, a relic from ten thousand years ago, engraved with the ancient divine characters for 'Heavenly Soldier.' It has changed hands many times through successive battles, falling into the hands of many great powers, but none have gained anything from it. It is the oldest artifact on this star."
Unfortunately, this stele had fallen into the hands of the Gu Clan. Like previous dynasties and great powers, they had gained nothing from it, using it only as a decorative item.
Wang Ziwen speculated that if it were truly connected to the Ancient Heavenly Court, only this stele remained, the sole ancient artifact left from ten thousand years ago.
"Although the Heavenly Court has fallen, traces of it can still be seen when traveling the star paths. Perhaps everything will be gradually uncovered." Ye Fan murmured.
He waved his hand, and the twelve saints all became excited, preparing to attack the Gu Clan and borrow this divine stele to examine it. Perhaps there would be a shocking discovery.
The Wang Clan and the Lin Clan were also moved. They had endured for many days, and now that Lin Han had recovered, they no longer needed to live in fear.
For so long, the Gu Clan had stirred up trouble, fanning the flames, and uniting various powers to surround and suppress them. Now, an attack was imminent, and the outside atmosphere was tense to the extreme.
"The Lin Clan is finished. They will be bloodwashed, left with nothing, not even a blade of grass!"
"Heh, in a few days, the various lords will strike. Those demons from beyond the domain and the Lin Clan will be annihilated, wiped clean from the earth."
The outside world was filled with clamor. Secretly, some were agitating, creating an atmosphere of impending war that could destroy the Lin Clan at any moment.
However, on this day, a group of fierce beasts and foreign races charged in, like beast gods and evil gods descending, diving toward the Gu Clan with overwhelming battle energy!
No one expected that the demons from beyond the domain would strike straight at the heart, directly attacking the Gu Clan, initiating the assault with a killing aura that swept through the nine heavens.
Buzz!
Ye Fan's body trembled violently, revealing an expression of disbelief, because he felt the bronze cauldron inside him shake, emitting strands of green light, making his entire body crystalline.
"That is... related to the mottled divine stele in front of the Gu Clan's gate!" Ye Fan's mind was shaken.
(To be continued)