Chapter 1469: The Final Pass
The great era had arrived, with heroes standing side by side. Ye Fan witnessed the rise of yet another generation, but beneath the waves of glory lay not only heroic valor but also tears, blood, and bleached bones.
In the end, how many would remain? No one could say. This was a path of blazing brilliance and glory, yet also a road of solitude and desolation.
The golden age of heroes vying for supremacy, the lonely pinnacle where one stood alone with countless corpses at their feet.
Kings rose together, heavenly prodigies established their eras, destined to produce the most dazzling collisions, emitting radiance that would illuminate the ages, forever engraved in the annals of cultivators.
That day was not far off, already stirring in the hearts of cultivators, spreading across ancient paths, the desolate and grand war horns clearly sounding, summoning the strongest of all clans!
The starry sky had no end, no time, no epochs. How many through the ages could describe it clearly? Ye Fan and his companions set out, and in the blink of an eye, twenty years passed.
Along this journey, they advanced layer by layer, moving step by step toward the final pass of the Human Clan.
There were a total of one hundred and eight passes, but the road ahead was shattered, requiring them to rebuild it themselves, even constructing Five-Colored Altars to seek the next life-bearing star domain.
Clearly, this too was a test for the trial-takers.
The stellar path had existed for endless years, with many sections long since ruined. In name, there were one hundred and eight passes, but in reality, aside from the initial few dozen and special strongholds like sixty-four, seventy-two, and eighty-one, most of the latter half was desolate and broken.
Ye Fan and the others sought their hearts and pursued the Dao, advancing through bitter cultivation. They did not leap ahead but proceeded step by step, because without knowing the next pass, the final destination could not be determined.
The ancient road was in ruins. As they traveled further, they saw no human smoke, no signs of life, entering vast, desolate dead star domains where nothing could be sensed.
This was a road of heart-searching, requiring later generations to continue the broken path, repair the original Human Clan altars, and clear the ancient road of obstacles. Great troubles lay within.
Some lands of annihilation were vast seas of white bones, with Five-Colored Altars built atop them. The cities had long since crumbled into rubble, suspended in the cold universe.
And this was but a corner, a desolate glimpse of what they saw along the way.
The passage of years had worn away too much. Those glories, those old memories, had scattered with the wind, leaving only the dust of history.
Perhaps by the next cycle, when the ancient road opened again, it would no longer exist.
The heart-searching road, the pursuit of immortality—Ye Fan and his group did not travel quickly. They sought ancient ruins, repaired broken paths, and comprehended their own methods and Dao.
This was a process of bitter cultivation, an experience of seeking the heart and questioning the Dao, truly pointing directly to the original mind, asking oneself how to proceed, casting aside all distracting thoughts.
This journey lasted twenty years. For everyone, it was a tempering of the heart, a different kind of cultivation—not contending with others, but battling one's own mind.
They had experienced too much, especially Ye Fan. He had comprehended laws, understood the Dao, fought bloody battles against heroes, and now slowly walked in asceticism—a form of precipitation and also a form of sublimation.
Having fought all enemies and observed all worldly methods, he needed a period of stillness. It was like experiencing the splendor of a prosperous age, feeling weary and seeking to retreat into the countryside, to look back and awaken oneself.
On the road, twenty years!
The group walked in silence, quietly awakening alone, shedding all splendor, returning to simplicity, plain and unadorned.
Twenty years passed. As they neared the final pass of the ancient Human Clan path, they gradually encountered living beings. Several bloody battles occurred along the way, facing formidable creatures from the cosmos.
A dormant tiger of twenty years burst from its cage, like a flood overturning the heavens. From the moment it struck, it shook the starry sky, declaring to the world that they had returned.
The news spread, causing a stir at the final Human Clan pass. It reached here, drawing the attention of heroes, sparking a flurry of discussion and debate.
The Human Clan Sacred Body had finally arrived, long awaited for years. In this generation's ancient road, he was not the first to arrive, but he was absolutely the most eye-catching.
In the starry sky, there was a staircase path paved with blue stone slabs, stretching straight ahead, appearing unusual and mysterious beneath the brilliant river of stars.
Here in the cosmos, such a simple blue stone road existed, indescribably strange, yet not to be underestimated. Walking upon it evoked a pilgrim's state of mind.
Unconsciously, divine chants echoed along the ancient blue stone road, deafening, as if scriptures sounded of their own accord, like ancient gods preaching the Dao, enlightening the mind.
Many were astonished. Could this young Daoist be certain that Ye Fan would attain the Dao? Such behavior existed in ancient times, recording the life deeds of a Great Emperor!
"I wouldn't dare. You flatter me too much, Daoist," Ye Fan said.
"I have already foreseen the arrival of divine battles, already sensed the desolate conclusions of one act after another," Heavenly Pivot Daoist said seriously.
They moved forward, with many onlookers along the way, a clamor of discussion.
In this city, many people came forward, warmly inviting Ye Fan for a talk, wanting to feast them. In the end, the group swelled many times over.
Suddenly, Ye Fan's expression changed drastically. When they reached the depths of the city, he saw a lifelike portrait on a very high wall.
It was a little girl, exquisitely carved, with a pair of goat-horn braids, beautiful and adorable. But her large eyes were filled with tears, on the verge of crying, appearing pitiful and helpless.
"Little Nannan!" Ye Fan cried out in shock, never having lost his composure like this before. After so many years, he had not expected to see the pitiful little girl on a sacred wall at the final Human Clan pass.