Chapter 1723: After the Calamity
The imperial path aura spread, but quickly calmed down again, as if nothing had happened. Yet, people's hearts were filled with tension and fear as they silently waited.
After a long time, still nothing occurred.
Had the great chaos come to an end? What about the Divine General of the ancient Heavenly Court? The world waited with confusion and unease, silent and still.
But in the end, nothing happened. The universe remained peaceful, everything tranquil and harmonious, with no outbreak of dark turmoil.
Eventually, everyone fully relaxed.
However, the Underworld was not so serene. The Netherworld lay in ruins, having endured an unimaginable catastrophe. On this dark, gloomy, and vast land, who knew how many stars had fallen, leaving craters everywhere.
Misty yin energy swirled. Beneath those deep pits lay burial grounds upon burial grounds. The entire Netherworld was a sea of corpses, now shattered and exposed to the world once more.
It was hard for people to imagine how this place had formed, as if all the living beings of the entire universe had been gathered and buried together.
The Nether Emperor held a war halberd in his left hand and a black gold shield in his right, with a Nether Spear strapped to his back. He stood on this black, vast land for a long time, then slowly turned and walked into the sea of corpses.
"Cough..."
Outside the Netherworld, a youth was laughing, also coughing up blood, yet still so radiant, spilling blood that was extraordinary.
"How could someone like me die like this? If I don't bury one Forbidden Zone of Life, I'd be letting myself down." The youth laughed heartily, turned around, and left the Netherworld.
He was severely wounded, but it could be called a miracle. He had not truly attained the Dao, was not yet a Great Emperor, yet he dared to cause such a commotion, nearly shattering the Underworld's land into pieces.
The youth laughed loudly, spilling blood all over the ground as he journeyed alone through the starry sky.
Finally, he walked faster and faster, until he tore through the universe and vanished into the vast river of stars, becoming a brilliant beam of meteor light.
"Boom!"
The void exploded as the First Divine General of the ancient Heavenly Court stepped out. Ahead of him stood a Phoenix Platform, a phantom shadow, and a pile of ashes.
"It's you?" The remnant spirit of the Undying Daoist was shocked.
"I was worried that the Celestial Empress would cause trouble everywhere, so I left behind a mark to track her, planning to give her a beating if necessary. I never expected her soul had already returned to the yellow earth." The youth shook his head, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the bloodstains on the Phoenix Platform, then looked at the remnant spirit.
The remnant consciousness of the Undying Daoist changed color. He knew well how terrifying this youth was. If he hadn't encountered someone who had attained the Dao first, he would certainly have been a generation's imperial-level expert.
Even so, he had taken a different path, cultivating supreme divine abilities. Without attaining the Dao, he still rivaled that realm, possessing peerless combat power, with few opponents in this world.
The remnant spirit had long lost its former glory. Now, encountering this youth, it would surely meet with misfortune. Moreover, the Immortal Phoenix blood that sustained it would definitely fall into the youth's hands, with unimaginable consequences.
"Ning Fei underwent ultimate sublimation and died in battle, while you... deceived him!" The remnant spirit growled.
"Nonsense. How could I be that kind of person? He had attachments, worried about that woman, and his fate was already sealed." The youth said coldly.
"But you survived!" The remnant spirit's eyes were icy.
"Carefree like me, devoted like him—both are true men. Character determines fate. This was all predestined. We are two extremes." He paused, then said, "How could I die in peace without leveling the Underworld?" He laughed, incredibly radiant, fixing his gaze on the remnant spirit.
The remnant consciousness of the Undying Daoist immediately faltered, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
Sure enough, the youth laughed loudly, saying, "Were you waiting for me? How can I refuse such hospitality!"
With that, he reached forward, his aura surging like an ancient beast revived, yet his radiance remained undiminished. Before him was the remnant consciousness of the Undying Celestial Emperor's divine self. Killing it brought no burden; instead, it gave a satisfying sense of revenge.
This was not the true divine self. The Celestial Emperor's consciousness had left his body, and the Undying Daoist had been granted a new life. Though his power had once been unmatched, he was now crippled.
The youth grabbed him, punched him, shattering his head on the spot. Then he absorbed the scattered divine soul light, reading his remnant consciousness.
Afterward, he stood on the Blood Phoenix Platform and laughed, "Undying Celestial Emperor, you old thing! My greatest wish was to kill you. Now, I'll first kill this remnant of your divine self, then use your own method to bathe in your blood. As they say, repay in kind."
The blood on the Phoenix Platform steamed up, turning into strands of crimson glow, then showered down on the youth. He remained optimistic, laughing heartily even while severely injured.
"Indeed, the effect is excellent. Nether Emperor and the Underworld, wait for your burial. Even if you've attained the Dao, sooner or later I'll kill you until your Dao collapses and your spirit perishes."
The First Divine General's bones crackled. Before long, he was full of vitality again, a hundred times more spirited than when he left the Underworld!
"Later attainers of the Dao, appear as soon as possible. I'll hold the Underworld in check for a hundred years," he murmured, sitting cross-legged on the Phoenix Platform, then vanished entirely.
The outside world was in turmoil, buzzing with discussions about the day's great battle.
Within the Heavenly Court, there were many coffins. Three saints who had sworn brotherhood with the Dragon Horse had fallen, and four of the Thirteen Great Demons had died. The casualties among the heavenly soldiers and generals were also considerable.
The main cause was the appearance of the Undying Heavenly Blade, which nearly turned the tide, wiping everyone out. Even Ye Tong and Pang Bo had been blown apart on the spot. If not for the protection of the Chaotic Ancient Emperor Talisman, they would have surely died.
Even Little Pine had been cleaved in two, nearly perishing.
In this battle, they had achieved a final victory, but at a certain cost. For many days, they held memorial services for the fallen spirits, and the atmosphere was somber.
It wasn't until half a month later that things eased somewhat. They knew that war inevitably meant death, unavoidable, and more would come in the future.
A month later, the Heavenly Court recovered, gradually filled with laughter again.
Three months later, things slowly returned to normal. This was a chaotic era, with harsh survival rules. Everyone seized time to cultivate, improving their realms.
Blood-colored divine wood formed a Phoenix Nest, but it had been shattered into pieces, divided among the Heavenly Court, the Dao Palace, and the Divine Organization. These were all divine treasures.
The Phoenix Nest contained not only secret treasures but also Dao scriptures and other items of immeasurable value. What was regrettable was that no remnants of the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill were found, presumably consumed entirely by the Celestial Empress and the Divine General.
Additionally, the shattered Phoenix Nest itself was a supreme treasure, as it was inscribed with imperial path array patterns. Countless symbols shimmered, part of the Undying Celestial Emperor's Dao patterns.
Over these three months, the Black Emperor had been tirelessly immersed in studying them. Only three days ago did he fall into a deep sleep, leaving Huahua to continue the work.
The red sun set in the west. The Black Emperor slept for three full days and nights before waking. Huahua approached and said, "Uncle Master, I've dismantled the Phoenix Nest."
"Was it the parts I studied?" the Black Emperor asked.
"No," Huahua said sheepishly.
"If you're fine, then it's a sunny day," the Black Emperor said calmly, then bared his white teeth and added, "If you're not fine, I'll spank your butt until it's in eight pieces!"
"Help! Murder!" The place erupted with pig-killing screams.
"Sunny day... eight pieces... Doggy is bullying people again. Poor bald strange brother." Little Zi blinked her big eyes, sitting side by side with Little Nannan. The two little ones rested their chins on their hands, both pink and tender, watching the scene.
Autumn winds rose and fell. Ye Fan had been sitting cross-legged under the Bodhi Tree, contemplating his own method and Dao. The battle between the Undying Heavenly Blade and the Devouring Demon Jar had greatly influenced him.
Over the past year or so, he had been in deep meditation.
Finally, he opened his eyes, stood up, and glanced at his daughter, who had grown a bit, a trace of tenderness in his eyes. The two little ones ran over together.
"Big Brother!"
"Father!"
Time passed quickly. The battle had ended nearly two years ago. Little Zi was now as tall as Little Nannan, like two porcelain dolls with black gem-like eyes, both looking up at him.
Ye Fan smiled, patted their heads, and asked, "It's been a long time. Has anything happened?"
"Yes! The attained Dao brother came and wanted to see you, but you were always dozing and wouldn't wake up," the little one pouted.
"I... let's go see him." Ye Fan nodded and led them away.
Half of a dark red ancient mirror lay on a jade plate, covered with spiderweb-like cracks, missing half of it. This was the Void Mirror.
Back then, Little Heavenly Master Zhang Qingyang, Long Yuxuan, and Zhang Wenchang had brought this half-mirror from the Big Dipper to the Heavenly Court, and Ye Fan had exchanged it back to the Ji Family.
"Over the years, we've been trying to awaken the deity within the mirror, hoping to find the remains of Little Ancestor Ji Zi, but all attempts have failed," Ji Chengdao said.
The Ji Family had tried various methods, pouring clan blood over it. The broken mirror had once reacted, turning completely red, but only for a while before going dark again.
These years, the Ji Family had run out of options, unable to revive the broken mirror. They brought it to the Heavenly Court, seeking Ye Fan's peerless combat power to help.
Ye Fan took the mirror, feeling its weight. It had not only drunk the blood of several supreme beings but had also been stained with the imperial blood of its own master.
Thinking back to that battle, Ye Fan fell silent. The half-broken mirror, stained with blood, buried in the void—the scene seemed to be before his eyes.
In that battle, he had lost several of his closest people: Gai Jiuyou, the White-Robed Divine King, Ji Zi—each so brilliant, yet never to return.
"Leave it to me. I'll study it and search for the whereabouts of their remains." Ye Fan was somewhat sorrowful.
The White-Robed Divine King, who was like a teacher and father; Ji Zi, his good brother who fought side by side through life and death; and the heroic Senior Gai Jiuyou, who roared before the supreme beings, "Who dares to fight me?"—their voices and faces seemed still before him.
Ye Fan set out. This was a special kind of cultivation, seeking the bonds deeper than mountains and seas. These people made him miss them, and whenever he thought of them, tears would fall unbidden.
They were all peerless prodigies, each brilliant through the ages, yet to quell the dark turmoil, they were forever buried in the cold universe, their remains still unfound.
Ye Fan's heart could not calm. Filled with emotion, he trod the heavenly path, walking alone through the boundless universe.
He arrived at the Big Dipper, gazing at the Forbidden Zones of Life. He had heard that after that battle, broken weapons and flesh had fallen into the forbidden zones. He stood silently in these places for a long time.
Finally, Ye Fan left the Big Dipper, aimless, holding the broken Void Mirror as he entered the universe.
A star hung ahead, surrounded by nine moons, very sacred.
Ye Fan looked up and was startled. This was actually the Flying Immortal Star. He had avoided it before, never entering, but now he had unconsciously come here.
This was a mysterious and terrifying star. The ancient land sealed ancient horrors, holding beings and secrets beyond ordinary understanding.
"Since I'm here, I won't miss it this time. Let's take a look," Ye Fan said, because he noticed that the mirror seemed to flicker.