Chapter 1726: Walking the Path of Cultivation
Dong!
The lingering sound of a bell echoed, purifying the mind and causing the pores of the body to relax, bringing a feeling of sudden enlightenment. It was the Void Emperor, whose visage flickered and vanished.
Although blurry, faint, and merely a shadow, it was still the person from days past.
He sighed softly, sat down cross-legged, and waited for the Void Mirror to finish its repairs, not disturbing the process.
This process lasted a full eight days. During this time, light rain actually flew in from the outer realm—fragments of the Void Mirror that fell into the flames, merging with the broken mirror and repairing a small portion.
But half of it was still missing, leaving it as a broken mirror in the end, though much stronger than before, with the cracks gone.
"Could this place really become a land of immortality? Has the Immortal Fire been waiting here in advance?"
After a long while, the broken Void Mirror flew back, and the Immortal Fire retreated, vanishing into the stone cave leading underground. Ye Fan did not pursue it, nor did he wish to go down.
He vaguely felt that this might lead directly to a sealed land. Investigating too early now would bring no benefit and might invite great disaster.
"In the end, I am still not a Supreme Being; otherwise, where would I not be able to go?" he sighed.
Ye Fan left this star, heading deep into the starfield to search for the Holy Prince and the Six-Eared Macaque. He did not want any accidents to occur.
In the end, he met the Holy Prince and had a conversation. In their words, the monkey held considerable admiration for the Six-Eared Macaque, having developed some rapport through their battles.
Although they were not yet friends, the two should no longer be locked in a life-or-death struggle.
"He ate a complete Nine-Turn Immortal Pill. His bones and tendons have transformed to an abnormal degree. What a heaven-defying fortune! He's incredibly powerful!" the monkey said, revealing such a secret.
Ye Fan was speechless. Lately, he had often heard of this Immortal Pill. Others had only consumed the dregs, but the Six-Eared Macaque had eaten a whole one. It was truly heaven-defying.
After all, that was a Dao Pill refined by an ancient Great Emperor for themselves to live another life!
Ye Fan departed, comprehending the Dao, seeking, and moving as his heart dictated. He deeply understood that the future path was hard to see, and his current enemies should already be those in the Forbidden Zones of Life.
He was very strong now, able to sweep through all experts in the world, but compared to the sleeping ancient Supremes, he was still far from enough.
"Dong..."
The lingering bell tolled unceasingly. Temples were everywhere. This was the Amitabha Ancient Star. Ye Fan moved with his heart, traveling and comprehending through the universe, descending here.
He arrived at the central temple of the Buddhist gate, a shrine that seemed forged from gold. Radiance scattered down, extremely sacred.
Ye Fan paid a visit, ascending to the gate. Even the ancestral land of the Buddhist sect, with experts as numerous as a forest, had to take him seriously, sending important figures out to welcome him.
An old acquaintance came out to greet him. He was tall and sturdy, a mendicant monk. Hundreds of years ago, Ye Fan had once traveled with him; he was a former competitor.
"You are... the Bitter Mendicant?"
"I didn't expect you to still remember me." The middle-aged mendicant sighed softly. He was now a Great Sage, but still far from Ye Fan's Quasi-Emperor realm.
In the past, on the Ancient Human Path, the Bitter Mendicant, Feather Immortal, Ouye Mo, Mu Guanghan, and others were all very strong, traveling alongside Ye Fan as seed candidates.
Becoming a Great Sage was enough to rule a domain. After all, the universe was vast, and talents emerged in abundance; not every genius had hope of reaching the Quasi-Emperor level.
"What about them?" Ye Fan asked about the other geniuses he had encountered on the ancient path.
"Like me, they can dominate a domain, but looking at the entire universe, certainly not," the Bitter Mendicant said. This was their fate—their life trajectories already set, ending like this on the Imperial Path.
"Oh!"
When Ye Fan walked deeper into the temple with the Bitter Mendicant, his heart stirred. He sensed another familiar aura, coming from the back mountain.
There were several small shrines there, not particularly grand, returning to simplicity.
"An old friend of yours is cultivating there," the Bitter Mendicant said.
Ye Fan arrived at the back mountain and saw an old monk in an ancient temple. More precisely, it was an old monkey—with fiery golden eyes, golden fur, as steady as a rock, sitting on a meditation cushion.
It was the Battle Victory Buddha. After many years, they met again, here of all places.
"Greetings, Senior!" Ye Fan performed a great bow. He had received his protection back then and had always been grateful.
"Child, no need for ceremony!" The monkey's uncle, already a Quasi-Emperor, pulled Ye Fan up.
Beside him was another meditation cushion, where another old man sat. He seemed to hold the same esteemed status as the Battle Victory Buddha, sitting as an equal.
This man was very old and weathered, but full of vitality, his gaze like a torch. He was also a powerful Quasi-Emperor.
"This is Daoist Gu Tianshu," the Battle Victory Buddha introduced.
Ye Fan was stunned upon hearing this. The name was not unfamiliar at all. This was the supreme expert of Purple Mountain, who had once willingly guarded the tomb of Emperor Wu Shi.
The old monkey had once fought Gu Tianshu in Purple Mountain. The two became friends through their battle and later came to the Amitabha Ancient Star Domain to cultivate, living in semi-seclusion.
Seeing these two, Ye Fan had too many questions to ask, especially Gu Tianshu, who had been in close contact with Emperor Wu Shi and knew no less than Black Emperor.
"Whether Emperor Wu Shi is alive or dead, even I do not know." Gu Tianshu said this right from the start, blocking many of Ye Fan's questions.
But his subsequent words greatly moved Ye Fan. He recounted many deeds of Emperor Wu Shi, all secrets, even discussing how Wu Shi created his methods—a glorious chapter of life.
Ye Fan lingered here for several days before finally leaving, having gained a great harvest. He once again ascended the heavenly path, entering the starry sky. This was a journey of cultivation and Dao comprehension.
This time, he did not go far. He stopped after crossing just one galaxy, because he knew another tribulation was coming!
A million bolts of lightning descended. The tribulation of the Quasi-Emperor Seventh Heaven crashed down, flooding the starfield and shaking all directions.
"Crossing tribulation again?" On an ancient star, a powerful aura spread, and a great hand reached out. With a booming crash, it struck down, causing the entire starfield here to collapse!
That star was the Overlord Body Ancestral Star. Who had made the move was obvious! (To be continued)