Chapter 1783: Boasting About the Heavenly Court
The Heavenly Court's prestige grew daily. Ye Fan fought invincibly across the world, even defeating the current Great Emperor. This shook the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, setting all domains ablaze with commotion.
The great defeat of the Demon Emperor had far-reaching implications. In the decades that followed, it echoed throughout the universe, causing every race to tremble and their spirits to quake.
After this battle, Ye Fan stood aloof like a heavenly god. Whenever his divine decree was issued, all corners of the universe submitted and obeyed. No race dared to defy the will of the Heavenly Court.
Yet the Heavenly Court did not become arrogant because of this. It remained as before, with the eradication of the Forbidden Zones of Life as its goal, never engaging in disputes with other great sects.
Through this battle, the atmosphere in the universe gradually changed. This era truly had too many outstanding talents. Originally, the Golden Crow had attained the Dao and become the Demon Emperor, dashing people's hopes.
Now Ye Fan defied the heavens, defeating the Great Emperor in battle. This caused even the peerless prodigies to shine with brilliant eyes and reveal strange expressions. They strengthened the faith in their hearts.
As expected, in the years that followed, Huo Qizi, Yin Tiande, and others all trained bitterly, striving to elevate their cultivation, hoping to take another step forward on their hundred-foot pole.
The glorious era of the Heavenly Court had begun. From then on, it was invincible under heaven. All directions came to pay homage. Its illustrious reputation resounded throughout the universe, and cultivators everywhere admired and submitted.
More than two hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye since the battle to pacify the forbidden zones. Ye Fan was now nearly two thousand years old. Truly, as a warrior, he was invincible, with none able to contend against him. He looked down upon the vast universe, finding it difficult to locate a single opponent.
During this time, the Heavenly Court developed rapidly. The old saying, "Bodhi trees everywhere, faith condensed, establishing a sect imperishable," gradually came true. Every day, grand chanting of scriptures echoed from the Heavenly Court's altar.
There stood a cauldron there. After Ye Fan's Primordial Qi Cauldron was reforged, it was placed on the altar to receive the power of faith from all directions. Within, the faith was like an ocean, yet also like chaos, boundless and measureless.
The power of faith transformed into liquid, vast and boundless, causing even the cauldron to undergo a rebirth. But Ye Fan never used a single drop, allowing it to accumulate.
Within the cauldron, the power of faith formed a divine fetus. A being identical to Ye Fan was gestating!
In these years, the Heavenly Court flourished day by day. Everything was on the right track, and good news came from time to time.
The monkey brought joyful news, telling everyone that the Battle Victory Buddha had finally let go of the last trace of obsession in his heart. He returned to the mortal world and reunited with the Divine Silkworm Princess.
In the end, the two retired to a courtyard in the Heavenly Court—the Divine Ruins.
"Sigh, time waits for no one. My uncle is truly old," the monkey sighed softly. Even he was over two thousand years old. His uncle had already been several thousand years old in the ancient era, and in this life, he had been born two thousand years before the monkey. Now, he truly showed signs of old age.
However, this was not important. What mattered most in life was a peaceful and joyful state of mind.
The Battle Saint King had spent his entire life in battle. Even after entering the Buddhist gate, it was the same. He could not let go of everything from the ancient era, waging war within himself. After so many years, he had finally achieved complete enlightenment.
Now, he no longer had even a trace of cultivator's aura. He was like an ordinary old man, spending every day accompanying the Divine Silkworm Princess on walks, watching the sunrise together, watching the sunset together, growing old together. It was heartwarming.
Ye Fan sighed softly. The old Victory Buddha was truly advanced in years. Perhaps his life was nearing its end, with not many years left. He had once prepared to pick an Immortal Elixir and offer it to the old monkey, but the Victory Buddha politely declined.
"Is living long necessarily a blessing? Look at the forbidden zones. How pitiful they are. Every supreme being within has lingered on for millions of years. Do they truly have no regrets?"
The Battle Victory Buddha smiled, accompanied by the Divine Silkworm Princess, and walked far away. Under the setting sun, they played with the young children of the Heavenly Court. Both their faces were filled with genuine smiles.
Behind them followed a little divine silkworm. Now it had turned into a small golden lion, only a foot long. Like a little tail, it followed them, looking adorably naive and lively.
The Divine Silkworm Princess had once said that this little silkworm had a bizarre origin. It had appeared mysteriously in their ancestral land. Its transformations were identical to those of the clan's Divine Emperor in ancient times. It truly forgot the past, each transformation being a new birth.
Other divine silkworms could retain old memories through various means, but this one was different. The Divine Silkworm clan had once believed it was the reincarnation of another ancestor.
"Time, truly heartbreaking," Pang Bo, Li Tian, and others all sighed. They could clearly feel that although the Old Madman and the Human Demon still had ample blood energy, they were truly advanced in years, also on the twilight path of life.
Overall, the Heavenly Court was still peaceful and warm.
Ji Haoyue, who had been missing for many years, returned. Back then, he had suffered a great defeat within the God clan, roaring in sorrow across the universe. He had accidentally fallen into a Heavenly Venerable's formation, trapped for over a thousand years.
After Ji Chengdao advanced to the Quasi-Emperor realm, he had spent these long years searching, traversing the universe, hoping for his parents to reunite. The call of bloodline allowed him to sense where his father was trapped.
In the end, Ye Fan personally went out, broke the Heavenly Venerable's formation, and rescued Ji Haoyue.
In fact, Ji Haoyue was almost about to break free on his own. He had spent over a thousand years comprehending the Dao inside, fully mastering all the techniques of the "Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable," achieving great success in his mystical arts.
"Ziyue..." When Ji Haoyue heard about everything that had happened over the years, tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes. "Big brother failed to protect you!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Fan felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
"Father, Aunt, and little sister Zi have become immortals. You need not grieve," Ji Chengdao said, supporting his arm.
"I was too attached. Becoming an immortal—how many people's dream! This is a good thing. Ye Fan... don't overthink. Thank you for bringing Ziyue happiness all these years." Ji Haoyue wiped the tears from his tiger-like eyes and said this to Ye Fan.
Ji Haoyue was a strong-willed person. After escaping his predicament, he immediately went to see his wife. Not long after the family reunited, he went to the God clan to battle the God Venerable.
In this battle, under Ye Fan's covert intervention, it ended in a draw. All grudges dissolved the moment both sides fell.
After all, that was his wife's elder brother, his child's maternal uncle. Ji Haoyue did not want to make things difficult for his family. Afterward, Ji Haoyue and his wife also retired into the Heavenly Court.
Duan De rushed over as if his tail were on fire upon hearing the news. He sparred with Ji Haoyue over the Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Art, forcibly inserting himself into their family of three. Every day, they discussed endlessly. In the end, Ji Haoyue realized that he wasn't after the techniques but rather bits of information about a certain ruin, as if trying to unlock some old memories.
"Sigh, everyone has their own happiness. Even the tomb raider is busy all day, happily bustling about. How should this emperor plan the direction of his life?" the Big Black Dog said, drunk and dazed.
"Yeah, even that monkey head seems to have feelings. Rumor has it that the Six-Eared Macaque might be female. Now the Holy Prince spends all day sparring and battling with her. I see..." the Dragon Horse said with a thick tongue, only to be hit on the back of the head with a staff, raising a huge lump.
It roared angrily, "Who dares to ambush this emperor?"
But when it found the monkey holding a staff, glaring at it from behind, it wisely pretended to fall asleep on the table, snoring like thunder.
"Hmm, monkey, you're here. Come, come, come, have a couple of drinks. Let me talk to you about my life ideals," the Big Black Dog said, pulling the monkey to sit down with drunken, blurry eyes.
"What ideals do you have? Just a moment ago, you didn't even have a direction in life."
"Who says I don't? Just now, I thought of a lot. Listen to me slowly," the Big Black Dog said, forcefully pouring a cauldron of wine into its mouth and then slamming it heavily on the table. Unfortunately, it hit the head of the Dragon Horse, which was pretending to be dead, causing it to yelp in pain, jump up, and curse loudly.
"Don't argue. Listen to this emperor slowly explain!"
The Big Black Dog's eyes were a bit hazy. At this moment, a group of children also ran over to listen to its lecture.
"I hope to spend this life peacefully, with a beautiful living environment. For example, plant an Enlightenment Tree in the backyard to enjoy the shade when it's hot in summer. Set up a medicinal garden in the front yard, casually planting a few plants like True Dragon, Immortal Phoenix, Qilin, Longevity, etc., watching them bloom and wither, smelling their fragrance—that can cultivate one's character. Of course, I also need to be elegant. I'll set up a bookshelf. How can it not have at least a few dozen books? Otherwise, how can it reflect this emperor's erudition and literary talent? For example, the secret manuscripts of Emperor Venerable, Emperor Wu Shi, Ruthless Great Emperor, etc., must be on display. There must also be the Nine Secrets, the Buddhist Six True Words, etc., casually placed on top. Of course, it's best to compile a complete collection of the eighteen forbidden arts, gathering all the strongest forbidden secret techniques of the great emperors and combining them. As for the household utensils, use the Eternal Universe Furnace as the stove for burning fire, the Void Mirror as the mirror for looking at oneself, the Immortal Heavenly Blade for slicing radishes and cutting vegetables, the Primordial Qi Cauldron for cooking rice, and the Western Emperor Tower as a nest or birdcage for raising birds. I must raise a Demon Emperor, for example, the Golden Crow breed is not bad. Oh, I forgot. Dig a Creation Source Eye. When thirsty, just scoop a ladle..."
Black Emperor rambled on, spittle flying everywhere. The monkey, Dragon Horse, and the subsequently arrived Pang Bo, Li Tian, Yang Xi, and others all looked at each other, their hearts itching.
A group of little brats had already started shouting, scratching their heads and ears. Black Emperor's ideals made them envious too.
"You haven't mentioned the most important point. How can you not leave behind a few puppies? Otherwise, who will inherit your mantle?" Duan De walked in, grinning slyly.
"Woof! Tomb raider, tell me, are you the Netherworld Emperor or not?" the Big Black Dog drunkenly pounced on him, grabbing his collar, and shouted to the others, "Come on, everyone together, hold him down, give him the ten great mythical tortures, and make him confess!"
With a whoosh, including the monkey, Dragon Horse, Dongfang Ye, Li Tian, and others, and even some children, they all pounced together, ready to interrogate Duan De.
"Limitless his mother's Heavenly Venerable! Who's stripping my Dao robe? Who's stealing my hairpin..." Duan De shouted.
He was covered in treasures, but the monkey and others held him down, and a group of children swarmed in, grabbing everything clean. Even his shoes, socks, and pants were taken off, leaving him almost completely naked.
Ye Fan walked alone into a courtyard. This was originally his home, the residence of Ji Ziyue and Xiao Zi. But now it was very quiet, lacking the laughter and joy of the past. He could no longer hear their voices.
In the courtyard stood a parasol tree. The lightning phoenix bird that Ji Ziyue had raised—Little Bu Dian—lived above it. The little sister and her daughter had left, but it kept waiting and guarding.
"Brother Ye, you're here." Little Bu Dian had long grown up, with terrifying cultivation. Having consumed the Demon God Flower and possessing astonishing bloodline, its progress could only be described as frightening. It was a hidden top expert of the Heavenly Court. Yet it remained simple, its heart unchanged, always optimistic, firmly believing that it would one day meet Ziyue again.
Ye Fan nodded and greeted it.
In the courtyard, there was also a plant—the Demon God Flower. The flower had withered. It would take fifty thousand years to bloom again. Ji Ziyue had transplanted it here.
"Divine Son!" Little Que'er was also there, tidying the yard.
"Sister Little Que'er often comes to clean up," Little Bu Dian said.
Ye Fan sighed inwardly. He talked with them for a while, then picked up a rotten wooden box from the house and left.
Little Que'er stared blankly at his receding figure, not speaking for a long time, her heart feeling empty.
Ye Fan wanted to say something but couldn't bear to speak.
Seeing the Divine Son, who had never changed in her heart, disappear, Little Que'er murmured, "Divine Son, don't speak. I just need to see you every day. That makes me very happy. I don't want to leave here."
After so many years, Ye Fan was finally going to deal with this rotten wooden box, because no one except a Great Emperor could move it!