Chapter 1703: One Flower Withers, One Flower Blooms
It felt great to watch!
"Father, why are you crying? Who bullied you? Little Zi has been very good, I haven't been disobedient," Little Zi said in a milky voice, climbing up onto him.
Many people noticed Ye Fan's expression and were all astonished. This had never happened before. Even in the most difficult and bitter years, Ye Fan only bled and sweated, never shedding tears. What was wrong?
Ye Fan did not want to tell everyone about the terrible future; it was too cruel. He only needed to prevent it, not reveal it and cause everyone worry.
"I feel like I've been separated from you for ten thousand years," Ye Fan said, tears glistening in his eyes, a smile on his face. His heart was unsettled. What he would experience in the future would surpass the past; that would be the most difficult and bitter period of time.
"Master!" A youth flew over, his robes fluttering, moving like an immortal. He was still very young, his face filled with excitement, his eyes sparkling, carrying tears just like Ye Fan.
"Little Pine!" Ye Fan called out. He naturally recognized him at first glance. Although he had changed greatly, his aura remained the same, and he had long heard about Little Pine's retreat from the Underworld and others' descriptions of him.
Little Pine's eyes were red. He performed a grand bow, but Ye Fan pulled him up. Master and disciple had been separated for several hundred years, during which too many things had happened.
Time was like a song, also like a knife. It had changed much, but what remained unchanged was the true affection of the past.
It was a long time before they calmed down. Little Pine was still innocent, which deeply surprised Ye Fan. When he probed and found it was related to his cultivation and path, he was relieved and also amazed by his talent.
Back then, that innocent little purple squirrel had sadly hidden his mother's bones in the underground cavern, cautiously approached Ye Fan almost ingratiatingly, and then laughed carefreely, evoking both pity and heartache.
As time passed, Little Pine had now become a Quasi-Emperor!
"Recently, I've been in seclusion comprehending the Dao and have gained insights. I want to discuss them with you," Ye Fan said, calling over Little Pine, Ye Tong, and Yang Xi, then turning to invite Pang Bo, Li Tian, and others.
His recent enlightenment of the Dao had indeed yielded rich results. He wanted to do everything possible to improve the strength of others, sharing his experiences and insights for their reference.
Shan Huang and the others were naturally eager. The insights of a six-layer Heaven Quasi-Emperor were bound to be astonishing. Hearing his explanations and unreserved transmission of the Dao would be worth many years of bitter cultivation.
"You all come too!" Ye Fan said, seeing their burning gazes, and invited them as well.
Of course, the siblings Huo Qizi and Huo Qilin'er could not yet join the circle, as they were still guests of the Heavenly Court and not truly their own people.
On a divine island, Ye Fan held nothing back, expounding on the Great Dao, explaining every insight in great detail.
Everyone's path was different, but there were always commonalities. This place was filled with the rumbling of scriptures, the roaring of Dao principles, myriad auspicious lights, and immortal mists, completely becoming a sacred land.
Everyone listened quietly, silently comprehending. Only Little Zi, though lively and adorable, crawled around like a little monkey, touching this and bumping into that, utterly mischievous.
Finally, many people left to find their own caves and meditate. Ye Fan passed on the Stride Secret to Ye Tong, Little Pine, Pang Bo, Li Tian, Yang Xi, Dongfang Ye, and others.
If such a thing were to spread outside the Heavenly Court, it would certainly cause a great upheaval. If an enemy obtained it, their strength might skyrocket. Therefore, he was very cautious and only taught it to a select few.
"Woof!"
Since the Big Black Dog had started running upright like a human while practicing the Stride Art, from that day on, its massive head glowed, and it became like a ghost, muttering to itself.
It was practicing the Stride Secret, feeling it had become psychic, hearing voices of the future and seeing scenes of the future, but they were very blurry, and it couldn't grasp them. It was in a daze all day.
"I hear the Great Emperor's call!"
"He is battling immortals, campaigning for many tens of thousands of years!"
Faced with this possessed Big Black Dog, even the Silver Blood Twin Emperors took a detour, not daring to get close, afraid of being grabbed by it.
Ye Fan sat on a mountain cliff, mist rising, as he comprehended the Dao principles of the Immortal Bell on the cauldron wall. This was an astonishing Dao and method, providing endless inspiration.
These days, he would discuss with Ye Tong, Little Pine, Shan Huang, and others. They were all studying this Dao pattern, each gaining different insights and realizations.
Now, the Heavenly Court was by no means lacking in scriptures. The several volumes Ye Fan had collected earlier, those obtained from the several princes of the Divine Court, plus those Little Pine had brought from Earth—they could build a scripture library here.
Each one possessed the wonder of seizing the creation of heaven and earth, worthy of a lifetime of comprehension for ordinary people. Having so many together was naturally world-shaking.
Half a year passed in a flash. Ye Fan became increasingly calm. Every day, he gazed into the depths of the starry sky, his eyes growing deeper and deeper, making him seem unfathomable.
Yang Xi emerged from seclusion and went to the universe for training, hoping to break through to the Quasi-Emperor realm. Little Pine secretly followed to protect him and also to test the gains of the past half year.
Ye Tong also left, heading to the Heavenly Venerable battlefield, where Ancient Imperial Princes appeared. He wanted to find the Holy Prince, as there had been no news of him for a long time.
As for Pang Bo, he teamed up with Black Emperor and also entered the universe for travel. Clearly, they were about to break through, to pass the final barrier and advance to the Quasi-Emperor realm, no longer suppressing themselves.
The Dragon Horse galloped across various star domains, and now Shan Huang occasionally went on patrol. The foundation of the Heavenly Court grew more stable, presenting a thriving scene.
Everyone knew that with the breakthroughs of Ye Fan's several disciples and brothers, there were not many forces in this world that could stop them. A behemoth that the entire world would pay attention to was rising.
"We're off too, finding a place to break through." Li Tian and Yan Yixi also embarked on their journey, heading to the Ziwei Star Domain and other places to seek their own paths.
"I'm going back to the Big Dipper. Although I have no fate with the Quasi-Emperor in this life, I should still understand my own path and review it once," Li Heishui said.
"I'm going to consult the old ancestor." Dongfang Ye showed a mouthful of white teeth and also set off.
The Silver Blood Twin Emperors and many other top figures of the Heavenly Court left one after another. They had sensed something from the day Ye Fan returned and were all cultivating desperately.
Ye Fan asked Shan Huang to be on the move, going to support whichever side had problems. With a Quasi-Emperor-level figure watching, he felt these people should not encounter danger.
The Heavenly Court was no longer bustling. Even Huo Qilin'er and Huo Qizi found it boring and took their leave. Ye Fan also asked them for help, to provide support when necessary. The two sides had formed an informal alliance.
Ye Fan sat in meditation, gazing at the starry sky. If the battle of the Supremes broke out early, where could he relocate everyone? What means could he use to resolve the crisis?
Until one day, Little Pine returned and told him that Yang Xi had successfully broken through to Quasi-Emperor. Only then did Ye Fan get up and leave again.
With Little Pine and Gu Xinao in charge, he felt very reassured. Plus, with Little Nannan, even if ancient invincible figures came to attack, they could hold the line.
"In the future, the ones who will destroy the Heavenly Court are the Underworld and the Phoenix Nest. I'll go take a look and probe the truth."
Ye Fan set off, crossing endless star domains, entering the region where the Underworld was located. There was not a single life-bearing star here, only yin mists swirling and a dead, heavy atmosphere.
As he neared a stretch of Netherworld, it became even more gloomy and fierce. There were strange gales blowing in the universe, enough to crack stars, making it impossible to stay here.
This was an inconceivable ghostly land, defying common sense. Ye Fan had found this place based on the corner of the future he had seen, and he found it very shocking.
There was a massive stretch of Netherworld, far vaster than a star, shrouded in mist. It had been hidden within a celestial immortal treasure in the past and had only recently emerged.
Ye Fan watched from afar, his body merging into the void. He was certain that there were truly ancient Supremes sleeping within, just like the seven Forbidden Zones of Life on the Big Dipper. There was an indescribable feeling.
"In a few more years, the Nether Emperor will awaken, right?" Ye Fan frowned. He needed to prevent this person from waking up. The Heavenly Court needed time to develop, but what could he do?
A stream of pure qi surged from the top of Ye Fan's head. His Dao avatar manifested, transforming into another version of himself, walking towards the vicinity of the Underworld.
At his level, the only things he feared were Imperial Dao formations and sleeping ancient Supremes. He could not touch those domains.
The Dao body did not go deep. It only circled around the Underworld, silently observing. Was An Miaoyi inside? He wanted to enter but restrained that impulse.
Finally, time was up. The pure qi dissipated. Ye Fan's main body sighed. He sat here, chanting scriptures in his heart, the Salvation Scripture resonating within his body.
Ye Fan's emotions surged, but his body grew calmer and more ethereal, as if about to vanish from the world. He was converting his own "spirit," converting it into the void.
This was an ultimate essence he had comprehended from the Salvation Scripture, feeling the power and terror of Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable. This secret art was hidden within the ordinary. Ordinary people who obtained the scripture could not discover or comprehend it. Only those whose hearts felt something, whose state of mind matched that of Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable back then, would become aware of it.
He had once suspected whether Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable had also experienced helplessness and such an ordeal.
Points of light and rain separated from Ye Fan's primordial spirit, then dissolved into the void, disappearing. His body grew cold and motionless.
He was converting his own "spirit," imprinting it into the Netherworld. It had no combat power, no laws, only a trace of perception, searching for An Miaoyi.
According to his understanding, sleeping Supremes would not detect it, and the array patterns would not be triggered. It could silently penetrate through, but the cost was too great, burning his own soul power.
The Netherworld was vast. Ye Fan's "spirit" drifted like a ghost, unseen by anyone. It merged with the void, rapidly consuming his soul.
After an unknown amount of time, he felt very tired, his spirit nearly exhausted, and he himself was in danger. Suddenly, he sensed something.
A kind of power of aspiration, thread by thread, intertwined ahead. It was a sea of corpses, left untreated, waiting to turn into ghost soldiers. A thick, overwhelming aura of death filled the sky.
Ye Fan penetrated through, searching for that once-familiar figure.
"Ye Fan... is that you?" Points of light and rain flew over, coalescing together.
Ye Fan had not expected it to be so smooth, that he would actually find An Miaoyi! He met her, reunited in the Underworld.
"It's me. How are you?"
"We will meet in the next life." The light and rain swirled around him.
This was a single thought, unextinguished due to a stubborn attachment in her heart. After saying these words, it seemed to be instantly relieved, dimming many times over.
"The next life?" Ye Fan was dazed. How could there be so much helplessness in this life? Could it not be changed?
"You don't need to believe in the next life. Just follow your own Dao. Ten thousand years from now, someone like me will meet you again..." The light and rain grew fainter.
"In the next life, believe and it exists; disbelieve and it does not. The years are long, and two identical flowers will eventually appear in the world. A thousand or a hundred years of looking back, one flower withers, one flower blooms." Ye Fan murmured, his heart bitter. He still remembered the scene of discussing reincarnation with the old monk. He never thought he would truly have to face it.
"Seeing you, I no longer have attachments. A thousand or a hundred years from now, we will meet in the mortal world. I hope you can still remember me, awaken me, and not walk away." An Miaoyi's voice completely faded. The light and rain dissipated, vanishing without a trace.
Ye Fan's main body trembled, then he opened his eyes. He gazed into the distance at the Underworld, his gaze seeming to pierce through a thousand or a hundred years, staring at another vast mortal realm.
Ten thousand years from now, would he have already passed away? Could they still meet?
Ye Fan gently wiped the tears from his face, stood up, and walked into the distance.
Just now, at the moment An Miaoyi vanished, she had passed on to him an extremely important secret about the Underworld, one that would affect the future landscape. (To be continued)