# Chapter 1395: On the Road
The Demon Emperor's life stirred deep emotions. Nearly a million years had passed before people came to understand the soft side of this man who surpassed gods—the heartache, the regrets.
Pang Bo said, "Ye Zi, when the golden blood within you fades completely and turns into crimson blood, you can live at least ten thousand years. If you can advance further and live even longer, by that time, everything in the world will have withered away."
Under normal circumstances, when Ye Fan grew old, none of his former acquaintances would remain in the world. They would have long since passed away in the river of time, becoming dry bones.
Even the powerful had their limits; they could not exist forever in this world. A Sacred Body could live ten thousand years. When he entered his twilight years, it would be difficult to find a single person of his generation anywhere in the world.
Just imagining that scene made one's heart tremble—too lonely, utterly alone. Even enemies would have died of old age, leaving no old friend to keep him company.
"So don't leave any regrets, lest you end up like the Demon Emperor—standing alone at the peak in later years, unmatched under heaven, yet facing eternal solitude and desolation." Pang Bo said.
Ye Fan felt a pang of melancholy. There had once been a woman who gazed at him from afar, striving to catch up to his footsteps, though he had not known it at the time. In the end, only sorrow remained—a lonely grave, withered petals scattered upon the burial mound. That woman's name was Qin Yao.
Many years had passed. If he ever returned to the Big Dipper, he should visit that lonely grave in the Azure Dragon King's small world. Decades had gone by; perhaps it was now overgrown with weeds.
"The departed are gone. Seize the present." Ye Fan's entire body overflowed with strands of golden light, radiant and dazzling. His blood energy was vigorous, causing heaven and earth to rumble like thunder.
Boom!
Suddenly, that pool of fresh blood emitted blinding light. All the Great Sages trembled and fell to their knees, unable to resist this Imperial aura!
Within the blood light, a figure in white seemed to materialize, coldly sweeping its gaze over everyone. It was the Demon Emperor's undying obsession. It was precisely because of his existence that this place was filled with such magnificent energy.
A strand of obsession lingered within the blood, never dispersing, guarding the withered flowers. At this moment, it seemed to revive, wrapping around that dried bouquet, transforming into a most brilliant immortal light that rushed toward the depths of the universe.
With a thunderous roar, the sky collapsed, the earth split, the universe shattered. The Imperial blood containing the obsession wrapped around that withered bouquet, vanishing into the dark depths of the universe, disappearing forever in the same direction.
This place fell into brief silence, then true chaos erupted.
The mausoleum was disintegrating as various mighty figures fought. Dozens of ancient medicinal kings fell into the abyss below, each one priceless, enough to make a Great Sage bow down for it.
Pang Bo grabbed Ye Fan, and together they plunged into the abyss to join the struggle. Such heaven-defying treasures could resurrect the dead and restore flesh to bones, extending one's lifespan by hundreds of years.
"Boom!"
The Stone Man unleashed his power, clashing with the Bull Demon King. His palm force was overwhelming, shattering heaven and earth on the spot. All the Sages were sent flying, unable to approach.
"What are you hopping around for, you stone man? Can you even consume a medicinal king?" The Bull Demon King roared in fury, unleashing his gleaming Vajra Ring, shattering heaven and earth as he battled the Stone Man.
A Sacred Spirit could naturally absorb the undying essence of a medicinal king. The Bull Demon Clan's chieftain was simply mocking him. The two were as incompatible as fire and water, locked in fierce combat.
At this moment, the other Great Sages also made their moves. The armies they had brought each took action, forming battle formations to seize the falling ancient medicinal kings.
Ye Fan took a deep breath, transforming into a bolt of lightning. The Stride Art broke through all obstacles. In terms of speed, there were few in the world who could match him now.
"Chi!"
The fragrance of medicine assailed his nostrils as brilliant light flickered. Ye Fan activated the Weapon Art to seize two ancient medicinal plants, then decisively retreated, breaking out of the encirclement.
There was only one opportunity. After all, there were eleven or twelve Great Sages here, along with Yin Gods lurking in the shadows. He couldn't let himself be trapped, or there would be great trouble.
As soon as Ye Fan retreated, he sensed a cold wind at his original position. The Human Clan's Dao Protector, Qi Tian, flashed past. Whether he was lunging at Ye Fan or at the ancient medicinal plant ahead, their paths overlapped.
"Watch out for this old fellow. We'll deal with him when we're close to the Great Sage realm!" Pang Bo said. He had also seized an ancient medicinal plant using the Demon Emperor Nine Slashes. The two joined forces and decisively withdrew from the great tomb.
They stood in the starry sky, overlooking everything below. The various Sages struck, engaged in fierce battle. The Demon Emperor's tomb split apart, completely disintegrating into ruins.
At the same time, in this ancient domain called Star Ruins, over a dozen continents disintegrated one after another, turning into cosmic dust. These were false tombs, now collapsing along with the true burial site.
Vaguely, one could see over a dozen dragon-shaped vital energies shooting up into the sky, merging into the true ancient mausoleum. Like nine dragons undergoing nirvana, they combined into a single pearl, radiating endless auspicious light.
This was a powerful life force, unparalleled, as if an ancient Great Emperor had been reborn. Then it transformed into a streak of flowing light, following the footsteps of the Demon Emperor's obsession into the depths of the universe, disappearing in the same direction.
"Ancient Great Emperors..." Ye Fan murmured to himself.
This star region was in great turmoil. The armies led by the various Great Sages were locked in chaotic battle, contending for the medicinal kings. Dozens of them—it was like something out of a fairy tale, unimaginable. They could allow many Great Sages on the verge of passing away to survive.
Unfortunately, when the dragon cave collapsed, many medicinal kings were damaged, transforming into vital energy that dissipated into the void. In the end, only about a dozen medicinal kings were preserved, seized by the various Sages.
"It's time to leave." Ye Fan said to Pang Bo. This place was not suitable for lingering. Several Yin Gods lurked in the shadows, ready to strike back at any moment.
The Azure Phoenix Daoist had little lifespan left. Ye Fan had long known this, but there was nothing he could do. As early as when they were at Human Clan's Fiftieth City, he had offered medicinal elixirs and such. In the end, he was told that the reason the old man had lived over eight thousand years was precisely because he had absorbed similar undying divine essence. Now, everything was useless.
"Aoowww..." A long howl split the heavens and cracked the earth, followed by thunder and lightning. The Dragon Horse charged out while undergoing tribulation.
This time, the Dragon Horse had gained the most. It had absorbed the vital energy of the Dragon Horse Ancient Ancestor, strengthening itself and obtaining an unimaginable Dao fruit. The tribulation before it was secondary; the most important thing was that its origin had greatly expanded.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo halted, secretly protecting the Dragon Horse. At the same time, they transmitted sound, telling it to rush into the depths of the universe, far from the chaotic battlefield.
In the end, everything was over. The two men and one horse traversed the heavenly domains, leaving this place and entering the center of this star region—Ruins City.
Without stopping, Ye Fan gathered the Twelve Sages and immediately set out, leaving this place of trouble and stepping onto the Stellar Ancient Path.
Their group traveled together, not ordinary in their splendor and power. Ye Fan and Pang Bo were young supremes on the Ancient Human Path. The Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Scorpion, Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon—none of them were easy to deal with.
From this point on, they no longer traveled the various heroes' ancient paths. They began to advance toward the Primordial Golden Path—those extremely dangerous ancient road sections that had been abandoned—to temper themselves.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, six years had gone by. They had disappeared from the Ancient Human Path, only occasionally having their traces discovered by local Guide Envoys.
This was an ancient life-bearing star, a secret realm on the Golden Ancient Path. The entire ancient star had thin spiritual energy. When Ye Fan and his group descended, they all felt somewhat uncomfortable.
They had visited many life-bearing ancient lands, but true life-bearing stars were rare. This one had harsh conditions. Although the vegetation was still lush, it was almost unsuitable for cultivation.
The Dao here was heavily suppressed, far more so than on the Big Dipper. Spiritual energy was pitifully thin, unable to support cultivators in comprehending Dao techniques here. It was a declining ancient land.
Indeed, this was the case. As Ye Fan walked through this life-bearing ancient land, he saw many indigenous people but not a single cultivator.
However, in front of some stone cliffs and ancient walls, he saw carvings that expounded cultivation methods—all cliff inscriptions from tens of thousands of years ago. Without these things, one would truly doubt whether cultivators had ever appeared on this ancient star.
"Let's search carefully. We might find some lost ancient techniques!" The Dragon Horse perked up, gathering the Golden Lion, Scorpion, and others to search the entire star.
They split up, searching this planet. Pang Bo shot straight into the sky, vanishing into the blue heavens, then crossed to above the ocean.
The Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon, and others rushed into famous mountains and great rivers respectively, seeking out scenic spots and exploring ancient cave dwellings, hoping to obtain ancient inheritances.
The ancient star was not large—a relatively small planet. Ye Fan silently sensed the Dao here. It didn't seem like a star that had produced a Great Emperor; there were no such Dao marks.
Of course, no one could truly be certain. The ancient Great Emperors were too mysterious, each one unfathomably deep. Who could truly know where their real hometowns were?
Ye Fan walked outside the fields, observing the indigenous people's lives—simple and plain, rising at sunrise and resting at sunset, very peaceful and tranquil.
He stopped in one place to appreciate this serenity. In the grassland, a cowherd boy played a flute. By the river, several women were washing clothes. In the fields, a few old farmers swung their hoes.
At the village entrance, an old man was splitting firewood. He didn't use much force, and his firewood knife wasn't very sharp, yet he split very thick tree trunks into neat individual pieces of firewood.
Ye Fan didn't notice at first, but soon he sensed a rhythm. The old man swung his firewood knife—neither fast nor slow, never changing from start to finish. There was a kind of cadence.
Ye Fan focused, and the more he watched, the more shocked he became. This clearly contained a Dao rhythm. One could say that the firewood knife traced the trajectory of the Dao!
Behind the old man was a mountain-like pile of firewood, all split by him. Given his aged, frail body and withered blood energy, how was this possible?
Ye Fan observed carefully. The old man's blood energy truly wasn't abundant, but when he swung the knife—neither fast nor slow—there was a terrifying rhythm. Prolonged observation made one's heart resonate and beat in unison.
He was stunned. This was a star where cultivation was fundamentally impossible. Ancient inheritances and techniques had long declined. How could this old man do this?
"Elder, what 'Dao' is this?" Ye Fan stepped forward, earnestly seeking guidance.
"What Dao? Young man, are you asking me for directions? There was no road here before, but when many people walked it, it became a great path. Just keep walking forward." The old man said unhurriedly, swinging his firewood knife. Pieces of firewood fell, very neat, the rhythm never changing.
Ye Fan's eyes showed a strange light. He quietly watched the old man swing his firewood knife, not disturbing him. But at that moment, a commotion came from afar.
"Ye Zi, come quick!" It was Pang Bo's shout.
"Caught a big one! Heaven-defying! Get over here fast!" The Dragon Horse was shouting, seeming extremely excited and energized.
Ye Fan's heart tightened. He stepped on the Stride Art and rushed over quickly. Not far away, by the fields, Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, and others had appeared.
"We caught a god about to pass away!" The Dragon Horse shouted, as if afraid others wouldn't know.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Ye Fan scolded.
"It's true! A truly rare god from ancient times!" Pang Bo was also very excited, his eyes shining with astonishing light.
The Golden Lion, Scorpion, and others worked together to carry over a stone coffin. Inside lay a radiant old man with white hair, exuding an extremely sacred and holy aura. Even though he was about to pass away, there was an undying divine halo behind his head, dazzling and brilliant.
"A... god?!" Ye Fan looked at them with doubt and uncertainty.
"Absolutely true!" The Dragon Horse, Black Bear Sage, Scorpion, and all the others responded with absolute certainty.
Ye Fan was somewhat dumbfounded. After a long time, he said, "A god... you... how did you catch him?"
"Unearthed from an ancient cave dwelling. Never thought we'd catch a living god!" The Dragon Horse's face was flushed with excitement. He told Ye Fan to use the Presence Secret to restore the god's original vital energy, to prevent him from suddenly dying. To be continued...