Chapter 1802: Big Dipper
Ye Fan lingered here for half a month, meticulously studying the formation, then earnestly supplementing it, rearranging the layout so that outsiders would find it even harder to break in.
The most crucial point was that he left behind the Heavenly Emperor's imprint!
This gave the formation true life, equivalent to his personal presence here. As long as he did not die, unless someone could defeat him, they would absolutely be unable to break the formation.
Pang Bo gazed at the Immortal Pool, a look of distant longing on his face. It was like a shattered placenta. Had a true immortal artifact really been nurtured here back then? It made him want to lie down in it and try.
"This heaven and earth are truly divine and wondrous. A sacred mountain ancestral land can actually gestate an immortal artifact."
Ye Fan shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "Not necessarily. That era was too ancient. Who can say for sure? Perhaps the Immortal Bell existed long ago, refined by someone, only buried within Kunlun. What is called the Emperor Venerable having the sacred mountain nurture a precious artifact a second time might just have been using it to refine a weapon."
"Keng chi." The Dragon Horse was the most practical, biting off a medicinal king in one mouthful, its mouth full of flowing light and color as it wolfed it down.
Ye Fan shook his head. This fellow was just greedy. It had already eaten several medicinal kings in years past and had long developed so-called drug resistance, making them almost useless now, yet it still wouldn't give up.
"Really useless now." The Dragon Horse said sheepishly, then let out a long howl: "Heaven envies talent! I haven't become an emperor yet, you thieving old heaven, how can you bear to take me?!"
It too was showing signs of age, like the afternoon sun, no longer at its peak, and would grow increasingly dim in the years to come.
With a rumble, Ye Fan tore open the void, causing this immortal land to vanish, as if it had disappeared from the mortal world.
After lingering here for a few more days, Ye Fan studied the formations, comprehended the Great Dao, and after understanding enough, he rose to leave.
Suddenly, a small white tiger rushed out, only a foot or so long, fragrant and pure, surrounded by Dao principles, radiating ten thousand auspicious lights. It was extremely mysterious and astonishing.
"It's an immortality medicine!" Pang Bo was startled.
In recent days, Ye Fan had long since discovered it. In fact, he had caught a trace of it the first time he came here back then, but hadn't seen it clearly at the time.
In the past, this divine immortality medicine had fled like a frightened rabbit, unwilling to approach. But now it seemed to have thrown caution to the wind, appearing on its own, sending out faint spiritual fluctuations, begging Ye Fan to take it with him.
Ye Fan sighed with emotion. He had reached this point, where an immortality medicine actively sought to follow him.
In ancient times, almost every Great Emperor would raise an immortality medicine, accompanying them through life. It was said that these medicines contained shocking secrets of heaven.
"Then come with me."
The number of immortal medicines in the world was limited, each one unique.
This was the famous White Tiger Divine Medicine, shaped like a small white tiger, with leaves, roots, and stems. Its whole body was as white as jade, radiant with rosy clouds, and steaming with immortal qi.
It had already uprooted itself, flew over, and then disappeared into Ye Fan's cauldron, hoping the Great Emperor would protect it, so it wouldn't have to worry about others coveting it.
Ye Fan left the Immortal Pool. In the outer region, divine light flashed, and an old fleeceflower root appeared, also radiating ten thousand auspicious lights. He had seen it back then as well; it was a half-divine medicine.
In the past, the old fleeceflower root had told Ye Fan that the Ruthless Great Emperor had come, and an immortality medicine had wished to follow her, but was refused. It had also told him that Rongcheng Shi had come, and later the ginseng fruit tree had left with him.
"Great Emperor, can you take me with you?" The old fleeceflower root seemed very excited, never imagining that the youth it had met back then would now become a Great Emperor! It only had a faint spiritual fluctuation, like the immortality medicine, unable to cultivate.
"You don't need to do this. Just hide in the center of the Immortal Pool. No one will harm you." Ye Fan thought for a moment and then said this, tearing open the void and sending the old fleeceflower root into the precious soil at the center of the Immortal Land.
He thought a lot. There was no eternal inheritance in the world. If one day the Heavenly Court also declined, then this place might become a pure land worth retreating to.
He knew that Changbai Mountain still had a half-divine medicine — the Ancestral Ginseng — but he didn't bother with it and simply left.
Matters of his homeland were settled. Ye Fan cut off his worldly ties, ascended to heaven, and never looked back.
He left behind his most precious memories here, unforgettable and indelible. But in the endless years to come, he would only occasionally gaze back from the other shore of the starry sky.
At six thousand five hundred years old, he was like the sun at high noon, still in his ascendant phase, yet the people around him were all beginning to age.
Ye Fan decided to walk all the way, following the trajectory of the ancient path back then, to see his old friends in various places. Because this might be the last time he would see them.
Big Dipper, Southern Domain. Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven still existed, but it had established a new site, right next to the original ruins.
Back then, after the Dark Calamity, the Big Dipper had shattered into pieces, and many mountains and landscapes had completely changed.
The new site was still small. Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven remained a minor sect, but the fact that its inheritance had not been extinguished was the greatest fortune. Ye Fan and Pang Bo's cultivation journey had begun here.
"Master, I've come to see you again." Pang Bo's nose stung as he walked into the ruins.
There were many graves in the ruins. Although they were somewhat old, they were clearly not neglected, and people often came to tend them.
An ancient tomb was inscribed with the three characters "Wu Qingfeng." Pang Bo shed tears. That was his true master, the one who had also guided Ye Fan onto the path of cultivation.
The old man had passed away over six thousand years ago, yet he was still unforgettable. Although dead, he had gained considerable fame throughout the Big Dipper.
Because he had taught a great demon, Pang Bo, and could also be considered a guide for the Heavenly Emperor. Thus, although Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven was small, its story had spread everywhere.
The fact that Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven could be reestablished after the Dark Calamity was entirely due to the Lord of Yaoguang, Wei Wei, because she too had once come from this small sect. This was another reason this minor inheritance had a legendary color.
Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven never had a great expert stationed there, but the people who had walked out from it were extremely stunning: two Quasi-Emperors and one Heavenly Emperor, shaking the mortal world.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo did not enter Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven, because there was no one they knew there anymore. Generation after generation of people had died many years ago.
Ye Fan arrived at the Yaoguang Holy Land. The moment he stepped in, he alerted Wei Wei. Now, her cultivation had reached the peak of creation, standing among the most powerful in this world.
"Heavenly Emperor Ye, Brother Pang." Wei Wei personally came out to greet him, naturally shocking many in the sect. How many people in this world could move their ancestor to do such a thing? When they learned it was the Heavenly Emperor, they all trembled.
Now, the Yaoguang Holy Land had countless divine mountains, ten thousand auspicious rays, and clouds steaming with rosy light, like a precious immortal land, exceptionally prosperous.
Wei Wei had a pair of Immortal Spirit Eyes. According to legend, she could see through the immortal path. After they sat down, they naturally discussed this issue. She did not hide it, saying, "Unfortunately, the immortal path won't open again for another million years. Otherwise, I could use these eyes to help you, Brother Ye."
"There is an old case I would like to ask the Saint Lord about." Ye Fan said, bringing up an old matter from years past.
Wei Wei nodded, tore open the void, and a prison appeared, inside which was imprisoned a disheveled old man. He was a Great Sage.
"He obtained part of the Ruthless Great Emperor's inheritance, taught Yao Guang, and also taught Hua Yunfei, hiding within our holy land lineage."
Wei Wei spoke, revealing his identity. In the past, he hadn't been this strong; he had only slowly broken through after the great changes in heaven and earth. Moreover, there had been more than one of them, but those old antiques had long since passed away, leaving only him.
"Back then, it was he who lent Yao Guang's Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Cauldron to the Dark Night Monarch, who tried to kill the Divine King Jiang in the Divine City of the Northern Domain." Wei Wei revealed this old case.
She was a remarkable woman with superb skills and unparalleled talent. Single-handedly, she had swept through the hidden currents within Yaoguang and taken control of everything.
After they had left the Yaoguang Holy Land far behind, Pang Bo said, "I think she has also referred to the Ruthless Great Emperor's methods by now, hasn't she?"
"Whether she has or not, it doesn't matter anymore." Ye Fan said.
He walked into the Grand Mystery Sect, which had also been reestablished. Its original mountain gate had long been destroyed. They went straight to the new Clumsy Peak. To their surprise, they met the old man Li Ruoyu.
Li Ruoyu was usually wandering outside and rarely returned. After their parting back then, Ye Fan had never seen him again. This was an unexpected joy.
"Greetings, Senior." Even as the Heavenly Emperor, Ye Fan treated him with great respect, because he had received great kindness from him back then.
Li Ruoyu was only a few hundred years older than him, so his lifespan was still ample. His lineage emphasized accumulating thickly and bursting forth thinly, laying an exceptionally solid Dao foundation. Now, old man Li Ruoyu was in the Quasi-Emperor realm. Although he had not yet reached the pinnacle, no one dared to underestimate him. People knew that he would eventually reach the peak.
"Ding dong"
In the distance, on a mountain peak, the sound of a zither was crisp and clear. A hundred birds were paying homage to the phoenix. White petals were dancing. There was a man there, with hair as white as snow, transcendent and refined, playing a celestial melody.
"Hua Yunfei!" Pang Bo's eyebrows twitched.
Ye Fan shook his head. That was Hua Yunfei's younger brother. Although his appearance was the same, his name was the same, and his preferences were the same, he was ultimately not the same person.
Perhaps even heaven regretted that ethereal man, and so another identical flower had bloomed.
Many years had passed. He had entered the Dao through the zither and had actually reached the Great Sage realm. Although his life was not glorious, his heart was peaceful and he was very content.
Ye Fan sighed, stood up, bid farewell to old man Li Ruoyu, and left.
The ruins of the Ji Family were still there, and some clan members remained. Ye Fan unexpectedly met Ji Biyue. Most of their clan members had moved away and not returned, living on another ancient star.
In the Southern Domain, he could not see many of the people from back then. The Old Madman, the Crow Daoist, the Peacock King, Nangong Zheng, and others had long since passed away... all buried in the years.
Finally, Ye Fan passed by the Xiaoyao Sect and saw Li Youyou, the young expert second only to Hua Yunfei back then. But she had grown old, and her time was short.
At this reunion, Li Youyou could only let out a soft sigh. How could she have imagined that Ye Fan would become the Heavenly Emperor? Back then, she and Ji Biyue and others had all pursued Ye Fan, coveting his cauldron.
She knew that Ye Fan, as the Heavenly Emperor, would no longer hold a grudge over those matters, but it still filled her with a sense of loss.
"An era is falling silent. Are you here to see us off?" She sighed faintly. What more could she say?
Ye Fan passed through the Central Domain and saw Feng Huang, the Lord of the Wind Clan. From a distance, her hair was as white as snow. At this reunion, they could only nod in greeting. They both knew that this should be the last time they would see each other in this life. A beauty with a hoary head — time is merciless.
The Wind Clan was still relatively strong. Under Feng Huang's leadership, they had enjoyed a measure of glory over the years. But when the clan members saw Ye Fan, they were filled with immense reverence.
In a turn, Ye Fan was already standing on the land of the Northern Domain.
Some might find such a chapter plain and ordinary, but some people and events must be accounted for. The ending cannot be hasty. For the mortal world, for this life, there needs to be a conclusion, to make it complete and perfect.