# Chapter 1695: A Period of Time
Ye Fan was unwilling, unable to accept this reality.
How could he forget that period of time—brothers who had faced life and death together, sweat and blood shed dry, fighting side by side on the Big Dipper, ascending the heavenly path, those who had shared life and death to establish the Heavenly Court—yet now they were leaving him one by one, separated by ten thousand years.
How could he let go? Little Zi had not yet grown up; she was so adorable, young and fragile, yet she withered away so prematurely like this.
And Zi Yue, he had failed her too much; at the moment of death, he had only seen a corner of her robe, a few drops of blood, buried amidst the ruins.
Lives that should not have withered, vivid faces that should not have faded—gone like this, vanished!
The beams of light in Ye Fan's pupils were like two sharp swords. His fighting spirit burned like fire, wanting to make the heavens collapse, wanting to make the earth burst apart, wanting to go to the path of immortality and question the heavens!
"I want to break immortality, reverse past and present, transform into the universe, overturn everything!"
Although he had already grown old and felt the decline of his blood energy, he still held this conviction. He had already stood at this height; one more step forward, ascending to another level of heaven, and he would control everything.
Ye Fan extinguished all disturbances, suppressed his sorrowful emotions, making himself calm and resolute, filled with fighting spirit.
"Who can fight me?"
He strode through the starry sky, stepping into the celestial void, seeking opponents, wanting to bloom in ultimate sublimation, pursuing immortality.
This era was very silent. No former sages could be seen, no return path could be found. There was actually no one who could answer his challenge. The once heaven-defying geniuses had all withered; everyone had died.
Ye Fan walked forward alone, passing through ancient stars like the Big Dipper, Ziwei, Amitabha, Feather Transformation, Heaven-Piercing, Fire Mulberry—all were shattered, everything had become dust of history.
Even Earth was long gone, beaten into ashes of calamity.
Ye Fan ascended the heavenly path, arrived before the Imperial Pass, and stepped inside. Even this place was ruined; all the palaces had become traces. The Woodcutter Old Man and the Dao Palace had vanished beneath the sky of history.
The entire world was vast and boundless, yet he could not find a single opponent!
The once flourishing era had now become desolate. All glory had faded, becoming dust of history.
The several great powers of the past were no more; all had been beaten into scorched earth. This was helpless, and one could only sigh deeply.
"Can't even find an enemy?"
Just as he had predicted, the Divine Organization was also gone. Ten thousand years of time had changed too much!
For those who liked to hear mythological stories, it might not seem long, but in reality, it was truly too long.
The Underworld and the Divine Organization, which had existed since ancient times, had both been destroyed. What a fiercely changing period of time this was, shaking and astonishing people.
"Who can fight me?"
Ye Fan roared. In this desolate universe, with only a few life-bearing stars remaining today, he could not even see a single opponent.
The curtain had fallen on a flourishing era, leaving behind such desolation.
Thinking back to those days—what a golden age it was! Stars shone brilliantly, heroes competed for supremacy, Imperial Sons and Ancient Imperial Princes radiated glory together. Ancient Supremes intimidated from the Forbidden Zones.
What a great era that was! Just thinking about it made one tremble. And the strong would become even more excited, fortunate to have been born in the most brilliant age since ancient times—the most ideal era, allowing for the most glorious battles of a lifetime.
Names one by one—Yao Guang, Tai Chu, Zhang Bairen, Emperor Sovereign, Dao Yi, Huo Qizi, Holy Prince...
But all these had passed away, and he could not find a single person!
Ye Fan felt that he had become strong to the absolute peak, yet he could not find an opponent. Even he himself could not measure how terrifying his combat power was now.
If there were no more opponents, he might soon become old and feeble. A Sacred Body could live for over ten thousand years, and now the end was approaching. Even though he had once consumed some divine medicines and saint fruits, it would not extend his lifespan much. Because back then, those had already offset the erosion of Dao wounds and the Ancient Forbidden Land's time, and not much had truly turned into lifespan.
"I will grow old, yet I have no opponent."
This was not a glory of invincibility, but a boundless loneliness. He finally understood this torment, feeling the emotions of the ancient Great Emperors.
From being an enemy of the world, to being invincible under heaven and earth, to the entire world falling silent—what kind of cruelty was this?
Everyone of the same generation had died, leaving only himself, enduring boundless solitude. In the vast world, even enemies could no longer be found.
"A person turning his back on all living beings—what was he thinking back then?"
"She voluntarily transformed into Little Nannan—what decision drove her to do that back then?"
Ye Fan murmured, silently gazing at the sky.
"I am only myself, regardless of others. In this life, I must be invincible. Since there are no opponents in the mortal world, I will fight myself, break the immortal path, and question the heavens."
After great sorrow, Ye Fan walked alone for a hundred years. Now, shaking off his melancholy, he was like a clanging sword drawn from its sheath, radiating the most brilliant luster, his aura piercing the nine heavens.
He transformed into an invincible war god, overlooking the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers. With a single thought, he moved the eight desolates. The universe, stars, and all things were in his grasp!
"No enemies—I am my own enemy. I will fight myself!"
Ye Fan's conviction was so powerful that the cosmic rivers trembled. If he roared once, the entire starry sky would shatter. This was a terrifying scene.
His aura, his combat power, his will, and his invincible conviction had all reached the absolute peak since his emergence into the world!
"I stand at the absolute peak of this life. I will fight myself and forge a path that belongs only to me!"
This clanging sound shook the starry universe. A Ye Fan walking toward the most glorious peak of his life appeared, shattering all obstacles.
Nothing could block his path ahead. Wherever his gaze fell, it collapsed, becoming a brilliant radiance, then chaos exploded, giving rise to scenes of heaven and earth being created.
"Boom!"
At this moment, a blazing lightning bolt flew out from his Immortal Platform, tearing through this universe, shattering this world, illuminating eternity, dazzling to the point that it hurt one's eyes.
Ye Fan closed his eyes, letting the immortal light blaze, illuminating the universe. He remained motionless for a long time, experiencing that special feeling.
After a long time, he opened his eyes.
The blazing light gradually faded. Ahead was a golden divine sea, undulating with waves, vast and mighty, with sun, moon, and stars occasionally sinking down.
The universe was vast, the starry river brilliant—not broken, not destroyed, still as it was yesterday.
Ye Fan sat cross-legged there, motionless, silently gazing at this starry sky. Only after a long time did he murmur to himself: "I saw a corner of the future."
What he had experienced was not an illusion, but the future.
Even now, looking back, his heart still ached, his spirit still grieved. That was an unerasable cruel period of time. Ye Fan let out a long roar and stood up, wanting to grasp the future, not allowing that tragedy to truly unfold.
A fire burned in Ye Fan's heart—he had to stop all of this!
The most important people in his life were right beside him, right before his eyes. He could not wait until he lost them to feel pain. Everything was like a real experience. His will was as firm as iron; he would protect everyone and not wait until it truly happened.
At the same time, Ye Fan also understood why this had happened. A divine piece of wood in his hand was scorching hot, already burned to ashes. This was the "Future" secret art obtained from the Chaotic Ancient lineage on the Big Dipper, which he had cultivated and mastered.
For such a long time, he had let everyone in the Heavenly Court study it, yet no one could comprehend it. It required heavenly fate. Even he could not find the door; to him, it was just a piece of wood.
Now, unexpectedly, he had cultivated it by accident, and a segment of profound meaning was imprinted into his mind.
This was a supreme secret art, a peerless esoteric text for cultivating the primordial spirit. Once mastered and brought to perfection, one could occasionally foresee the future.
Moreover, he discovered that the Stride Art had advanced by leaps and bounds. It seemed that during the process of enlightenment, he had interfered with time. The two supreme secret arts combined had caused that terrifying experience just now.
"And this sea..." Ye Fan stared at the golden Sea of Bitterness, remaining silent for a long time.
No one knew how much time passed before his gaze became resolute. The period of time he had experienced would become the most precious treasure of his life.
"A period of time, a period of life. My Dao was formed because of it—a priceless treasure!" Ye Fan became even more determined, beams of light shooting from his eyes, startling the heavens.
That was the future. Although it was not the only possibility and could be completely changed, the desolation of ten thousand years, the lonely pursuit of a hundred years, that despair and grief, and the understanding and insight into life—these were indelible.
Experiencing a period of time, sensing a future—this was a ten-thousand-year life, surpassing the value of obtaining several ancient scriptures. This might be the greatest treasure he had harvested on his path of cultivation!
"Invincible in this era!"
Ye Fan's conviction was firm, becoming incomparably resolute. His eyes were like two golden lightning bolts as he stepped forward.
His hair was snow-white, but there were no wrinkles on his face. He was still young; there was still time. Everything could still be salvaged. Ye Fan evolved his own Dao and Dharma.
That experience was too important. It made him grieve, made him suffer, made him desolate. Even now, thinking back brought waves of bitterness. This gave him a profound feeling and endless insights.
Heavenly tribulation descended, an ocean of lightning flooding this place.
Ye Fan showed no fear. Having experienced such a ten-thousand-year great calamity, what else in life was there to fear? He was still alive; his family and friends were still alive—that was enough.
He charged upward against the heavens, punching upward with one fist, penetrating three layers of tribulation seas with a single force, creating a vacuum!
Ye Fan underwent tribulation, but it was not a single tribulation—three layers of quasi-emperor tribulation arrived together. Although his cultivation time was not very long, his accumulation was deep, as if he had truly experienced ten thousand years of ups and downs.
He broke through from the third layer of quasi-emperor to the sixth layer, unparalleled in this era. Endless lightning surrounded him, and a vast immortal domain pressed down, trapping him.
"No big deal. Everyone is still alive. Even if three tribulations overlap, so what? I will definitely break through!"
Ye Fan's conviction was unprecedented in its strength. Having passed through that real future, the impact on him was too great. His will was like iron; he did not see the triple tribulation as a difficulty.
In fact, triple quasi-emperor tribulation was extremely rare. If not unprecedented since ancient times, it was close to it. At this level, how could one continuously undergo tribulation?
Under normal circumstances, quasi-emperor tribulation truly required layer by layer to endure. The further one went, the more difficult it became. Each layer could trap a cultivator for many years, even until death.
Yet Ye Fan was so fierce and powerful. These three layers of tribulation could not stop him. He charged upward, piercing through all the lightning seas, breaking through the vast immortal domain world.
The cauldron danced with him. What he wanted was more than this. The future could not be reenacted; he needed to become stronger!