Chapter 1565: The Great Retreat
At the time of the wedding, the Immortal Path had split open. After dawn, Ye Fan naturally arrived as well. With such a major event occurring, no one could sit still; no major power could remain calm.
Now, with a single glance, beams of light shot up from several Forbidden Zones of Life, piercing the nine heavens, shaking the soul.
Those seemed to be immortal lights shooting out from the crown of one ancient Supreme Being after another, representing the clarity of their Immortal Platforms, undecayed even now, causing people to tremble just by looking at them.
"The road ahead will be very difficult!" Ye Fan thought of the words the White-Robed Divine King had spoken at their parting. At this moment, he deeply shared that sentiment. Born in such a great era, it was called a golden age, but it also carried all kinds of sorrow.
One ancient Supreme Being after another awakened, directly suffocating the people of the present age. If a conflict truly erupted, slaughtering across three thousand worlds and shattering the nine layers of heaven would be no problem!
From this day forward, immortal light soared into the sky. Just one glance in the direction of the Forbidden Zones of Life was enough to make the world fear and tremble, while also eliciting sighs.
Ye Fan had witnessed this even larger crack, his heart surging with waves, far from calm. The Immortal Path was ultimately about to open, but the timing was not something to be hoped for.
Opening at this time, even if he, the Holy Prince, Ji Zi, and others were heaven-defying, how could they compete with true Quasi-Emperors and ancient Supreme Beings?
If that were the case, truly wanting to become an immortal would only result in smashing one's head bloody and perishing completely, without the slightest hope.
"Unless the entire world becomes immortal, the gates of the Immortal Domain wide open with no restrictions, allowing everyone to enter, otherwise it's too difficult!" Black Emperor also sighed.
"War immortal... war immortal!" The Holy Prince muttered to himself, his gaze blazing fiercely as he stared at the massive crack, intending to emulate his father, to wait for the future, to transform against the current into a War Immortal, and fight his way in through strength.
"Wait for the future. Participating now will only lead to a futile death!" Ji Zi also nodded, recognizing this reality with rationality.
"Father, is that so?" Ji Chengdao looked up and asked.
Ji Haoyue had brought a six-year-old child along, only to broaden his horizons. He held great hopes for his future and explained seriously to him.
Crack!
One could clearly hear this massive crack expanding, growing larger and larger, making one truly suspect that one day it would tear apart the Big Dipper, or even split the universe in two.
The sound of falling water came, followed by cries of surprise from the towering mountain peaks. All the sages retreated, as if avoiding a plague, triggering a great chaos.
Something else had fallen from the massive crack of the Immortal Path, witnessed by someone's own eyes, causing great alarm. It was actually fresh blood, flowing with a terrifying Imperial might.
Having lost its intact flesh, the essence within the broken body had mostly drained away. But even this blood was not something ordinary people could withstand; even Great Sages could be injured by it.
Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, and Ji Zi stepped forward, walking side by side. The others all showed reverence and made way. What had happened at the Ji Family had naturally spread long ago—forcing back an Imperial Son from a Forbidden Zone of Life and making a Great Sage sent by the Divine Court's Lord kneel—how could that not be astonishing?
The massive crack was like a dark cosmic void, unfathomably deep. The occasional flash of immortal light was like a cosmic star river, brilliant and beautiful. That place appeared extremely mysterious, and the unknown always made people both hopeful and fearful.
Drops of blood flowed, falling one by one, wrapped in chaos, landing on the mountain peaks, shocking to the eye.
"A familiar aura!" Ye Fan showed a look of surprise, unable to help muttering to himself.
"Who is it? Where have you seen it?" Black Emperor eagerly pressed for an answer.
Ji Zi and the Holy Prince were also startled. This was an ancient Supreme Being who had fallen on the path to immortality in the past. When had Ye Fan encountered him? Could it be through a surviving Imperial artifact?
"The Human Emperor!" Ye Fan said with a grave expression.
When he fought the Overlord on the Ancient Human Path, he had once seen the Divine Thought of the Human Emperor. It was this very aura; he could not be mistaken. It was a pity that even the Human Emperor of a generation had fallen just one step short.
"That's right. There are records in the world that the Human Emperor almost succeeded, but an accident occurred on the path to immortality, causing all his efforts to be wasted." Ji Zi said.
This matched what Ye Fan had heard on the Ancient Human Path. It was truly a pity, not knowing what kind of accident that was, deeply lamentable for the Human Emperor.
He had reigned over the nine heavens and ten lands, the strongest of his life, seeing the dawn, yet died at the final moment, leaving behind an eternal regret.
Bang!
A violent tremor, the massive crack spread, directly exploding open another large chunk. It wasn't that it had grown longer, but incredibly wide, like a black hole.
Inside the hole, chaotic qi swirled, light blazed intensely, and something else fell down!
"The Human Emperor!"
Ye Fan's heart trembled. This feeling was unmistakable. It was half a torso. Although it couldn't be seen clearly, one could sense that majestic, towering, and upright stature.
Like a Great Emperor, looking down from above, gazing at the myriad beings. Even in death, even after a million years, there was still that aura of swallowing mountains and rivers.
Silently, without a thunderclap, but this corpse underwent Dao Dissolution. A great expanse of immortal fire suddenly erupted, engulfing him, burning fiercely without end.
In the final blaze of fire, a handsome face was revealed, making hearts tremble. This was the Human Emperor of a generation, looking like a young man, only with graying hair.
At first glance, one felt this was a peerless hero. Thinking back to the scene on the Ancient Human Path when the Human Emperor's divine thought had awakened, it made him seem even more majestic.
"What a pity. Heaven is jealous of heroes!" Ye Fan sighed, mourning for the Human Emperor.
The final immortal fire flashed, leaving behind some ashes. The Dao Dissolution had not yet spread to the great wasteland or the various heroes. Ye Fan stepped forward, using a jar to collect these ashes, intending to choose a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to bury them.
"What exactly happened?" Ji Zi muttered to himself. In the past, after the Human Emperor's accident, part of his body had fallen into the mortal world and had already been buried, while another part had not been able to come out.
The path to immortality was too mysterious, especially for those few who had almost stepped inside, even more unfathomable!
"Big brother, big brother, that big sister is looking at me again." Little Nannan had also come, riding on the back of the Big Black Dog, tugging at Ye Fan's clothes at the edge. She looked toward the depths of the Ancient Forbidden Land, her big eyes filled with a strange radiance.
The Ancient, again the Ancient!
Ye Fan's heart trembled. The Holy Prince, Ji Haoyue, and others also showed grave expressions, all gazing in that direction. Unfortunately, even the Holy Prince's fiery golden eyes, as powerful as they were, could not see through it.
"Let's go. Leave this place first!" The Big Black Dog was somewhat flustered, a far cry from its usual self, no longer the imposing and scheming image.
This place truly could not be lingered in. Ye Fan and the others could all sense a slender figure standing above the abyss of the Ancient Forbidden Land, with a pair of clear eyes looking over through the mist.
They naturally had many speculations, possibly close to the truth, but they dared not delay, afraid that staying too long would break the peace and cause some unforeseen incident.
"Let's go. Leave the Big Dipper first!" Black Emperor suggested, his expression serious.
The Immortal Path was indeed about to open. Anyone could sense it. So what? One needed to have the life to compete! In the current Big Dipper Star Domain, only those at the Quasi-Emperor level and above were qualified to fight!
The group made a decision. Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, Black Emperor, Qi Luo, Huahua, Kaide, and others would all return to the outer domain, back to Heavenly Village, and move even farther away.
On this day, they were not the only ones making such a decision. After deeper understanding, many major powers in the Big Dipper resolved to temporarily leave!
And families like the Ji Family had already begun their retreat many years ago, not a few in number. Now, this had become a consensus. The heroes were truly shocked by the terrifying massive crack and the soaring immortal light from the seven Forbidden Zones of Life!
From this day forward, the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty, the Jiuli Divine Dynasty, the Wind Clan, the Jiang Family, and others all began a strategic great relocation, leaving this star domain to seek a way out.
For such lineages, all deeply rooted with boundless foundations, they finally stopped hiding. Ancient sages emerged from their ranks, leading their clans to the outer domain. Some even had their own ancestral stars, still clearly remembering where they were.
In the end, even the Jade Pool moved away, taking that piece of divine fetal stone and departing into the distance.
This was a great retreat. Everyone clearly sensed the crisis. The so-called golden age, the so-called greatest change in ten thousand ages, was not their feast. Staying behind would leave not even blood and bone.
But would retreating be useful? Not necessarily!
Many sages from the outer domain had arrived. In recent days, the people of the Big Dipper Star Domain were shocked to learn that some glorious ancient stars had also experienced Dark Calamities, coming from so-called "outer space."
The more one knew, the heavier one's heart became.
The opening of the Immortal Path and the emergence of ancient Supreme Beings would not only be the most intense immortal war but also possibly the most terrifying Dark Calamity in history.
But regardless, leaving first was most important. They departed without hesitation. The various lineages were resolute and decisive, making choices and heading for the outer domain.
Of course, many also stayed behind, and not a few at that. Ordinary lineages had no choice. Additionally, sages whose lifespans were nearly exhausted no longer cared about life or death. Even without hope, they wanted to take a gamble.
In fact, the "foundations" escorting the various lineages away would almost all return. Many of them had long since exuded a rotting aura, their days numbered.
About to pass away, with little time left, could there be anything worse than this? What did staying in the Big Dipper matter? The worst outcome was just death.
Besides them, there were even more sages from the outer domain, many of whom had arrived!
"I entrust my sister to you!" Before parting, Ji Haoyue said solemnly to Ye Fan.
"As long as I live, I won't let her suffer any grievances." Ye Fan nodded.
Ji Ziyue was displeased, rolling her eyes at the two people closest to her. There was no need to say such things; it wasn't a farewell of life and death.
"Ziyue, you go back to Heavenly Village first. I need to confirm whether some old friends have left safely." Ye Fan told Ji Ziyue, Little Nannan, Huahua, and others to go ahead, as he would cover the rear.
"I want to be with you and leave together." Ji Ziyue insisted.
"No, you must leave first. I, the Holy Prince, Ji Zi, and Black Emperor will only take one last look, visit some places, and then follow immediately." Ye Fan disagreed. This world was truly no longer safe. Especially with the people from Immortal Mountain about to emerge, for the Ji Family, the threat was greatest, possibly a disaster of annihilation.
The Immortal Path could open at any time, and this world might collapse into chaos in an instant. He didn't want Ji Ziyue, Little Nannan, or the others to delay for even a moment; they had to leave immediately.
Although Ji Ziyue protested and was extremely unwilling, she was still persuaded to leave.
Ye Fan went to many places. The Southern Ridge Barbarian Clan, Dongfang Ye's lineage, had also finally retreated. The surviving members of the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Domain had also set out.
At the North Pole, Tu Fei and the old woman were also gone. In the Southern Domain, at Grand Mystery's Clumsy Peak, Li Ruoyu had finally returned, taking Zhang Wenchang with him, and that great sect had also almost completely relocated.
"Wu Shi, you are so cruel-hearted. Do you really not want to let me go?!" On this day, when Ye Fan and the others passed through the Central Domain, near Sacred Cliff, they saw a great radiance blazing inside.
The God-Sealing List left by Emperor Wu Shi was loosening, but it emitted the most brilliant light, tearing the sky apart, terrifying beyond measure.
The divine list sealed on Sacred Cliff had clearly loosened, but the Undying Daoist inside the mountain let out a desperate roar, as if foreseeing the coming of doomsday.
Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, Ji Zi, and others exchanged glances, extremely shocked!
And Black Emperor was excited to the point of no return, trembling as he said, "Great Emperor, are you still alive?" Then, as if mad, it charged toward Purple Mountain in the Northern Domain.
The Immortal Path was about to open. All you great emperors, awaken, I beg for your support. Don't miss this final time. This month is about to end. Cast your final monthly votes.