Chapter 1803: Old Friends
Ye Fan stood in the Northern Domain, the red earth stretching endlessly, yet he saw none of his old acquaintances. This land held many people he could never forget, a period of time that was hard to leave behind.
The Ten Thousand Primeval Clans had risen in rebellion. The bell of Purple Mountain had rung continuously for three months. Ten thousand years after the Ancestral Master's death, his spiritual wisdom had not been extinguished. Together, they had fought against the Ancient Clan, and on that morning, he had dissolved into specks of light and rain, scattering away.
The Peerless Divine King, at the Jade Pool, had played a single zither melody that moved all directions. His white robes stained with blood, his elegance peerless…
Too many people, too many things, hard to let go, impossible to forget.
Ye Fan stood amidst a stretch of ruins. This was the place where the Ancestral Master had fallen in battle. Now, this place had become a site of Dao Dissolution. Yang Yi, sealed by the Ancestral Master for ten thousand years, had come here before her passing. Tears fell like rain as she transformed into Dao light, able to dance forever with the Ancestral Master.
To die on the battlefield, to be buried amidst the gleam of blades, was the hero's final resting place. To grow old gradually, white hair dissolving into the mortal world, was the hero's helplessness.
In the Northern Domain of today, the Thirteen Great Bandits were all gone. Only two of the little bandits remained, both in the Heavenly Court. It was hard to find people from the past.
Ye Fan's figure flickered, the void shattering. He temporarily parted ways with Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse, going alone to a small world.
This was the small world of the Northern Domain's Fourth Great Bandit, Green Flood Dragon King. Now, it had become a sacred land for the Demon Clan. Unfortunately, even Green Flood Dragon's son, Qing Yi, had died…
The once Eternal Palace had long since fallen. When the Demon Clan later killed the Ancient Clan creature sealed at the palace's base, they had destroyed the entire building.
Ye Fan's body flickered, and he appeared on a mountain peak. In the distance, the sound of pine waves rose and fell, but here it was very quiet. A solitary grave stood alone, the stele carved with the two characters: Qin Yao.
So many years had passed, the grave long grown old, yet no weeds had grown. Someone had been tending it.
Unfortunately, even Golden Swallow, who had been close to Qin Yao, had passed away. Now, there was no one left to mock or scold Ye Fan.
Ye Fan sat before the solitary grave. She had been a good woman, but she had passed too early, leaving him desolate.
Golden Swallow had once lamented for Qin Yao, saying with tears that she was merely a passerby in Ye Fan's life.
Ye Fan had met many people in his life, but he had never forgotten Qin Yao. Yet, even as the Heavenly Emperor, he sometimes felt a bleak powerlessness. Some things were hard to achieve.
"I'm sorry. I never found the Divine Life Flower." Ye Fan was desolate. He sat quietly before the grave, speaking softly to her.
In the past, he had thought that by obtaining the inheritance of the Origin Heavenly Master, he could find the Divine Life Flower. But over six thousand years had passed, and he had found nothing.
Time was too vast. Over six thousand years, even if the Divine Life Flower truly existed, it would be hard to defy the heavens.
The more one knew, the more one understood, the more powerless one felt. The Divine Life Flower simply did not exist in this realm. It only grew in the Immortal Realm.
In the past, including the Fourth Generation Origin Heavenly Master and all who had sought the Divine Life Flower, none had truly obtained it. The legends had misled later generations.
The Human Origin Fruit, the Earth Life Fruit, and the Heavenly Divine Fruit—these were divine products born from stone, three stages in the evolution of the same divine substance. The first two fruits could be seen in the mortal world, and the Earth Life Fruit was not much inferior to the Immortality Pill.
As for the Heavenly Divine Fruit, it had never been seen, because it only grew in the Immortal Realm. According to legend, when the Earth Life Fruit evolved into the Heavenly Divine Fruit, a flower would accompany it, called the Divine Life Flower.
Only in the Immortal Realm could it be seen. But if one entered the Immortal Domain, the effects of the Immortality Pills by his side would increase many times over. Why would he still need the Divine Life Flower?
A solitary grave buried an unforgettable person, and also buried a piece of his youthful emotions. Ye Fan murmured, speaking many things to the ancient tomb.
Finally, he stood up and walked down the mountain.
"Ye Fan." Yan Ruyu appeared.
"Princess." Ye Fan turned back, not leaving immediately. He had many things to ask, very direct. "I want to ask about the Green Emperor."
"He… may have been buried in the Desolate Tower, passing away while attempting the Long Life Method." Yan Ruyu was as beautiful as ever. These were merely her speculations.
This was naturally earth-shattering news, but Ye Fan was very calm. At this level, what could still make him lose his composure? Even if the Green Emperor stood before him, he would be the same.
Ye Fan left and rejoined Pang Bo and the others.
The former Ten Thousand Primeval Clans had all departed. The Northern Domain of today was very desolate. The days of old could never return.
The era of the Divine City had left a deep impression on Ye Fan. Events like stone gambling and the Divine King's great battle felt like yesterday.
Now, the Divine City had risen again. He walked into it, but the vast world was unfamiliar. He no longer recognized a single person.
"Heavenly Emperor Ye!" someone exclaimed, trembling in fear.
Now, his portrait was naturally held by all clans. It was not surprising that someone recognized him.
When the news spread, the Eastern Wasteland was shaken, all directions shocked. The old friends who still lived rushed over. It was still this city, still some of the same people.
"Brother Ye…" The former Great Xia Prince, now the master of Great Xia, was already very old. He no longer had the vigor of his youth.
Ye Fan smiled. It felt good to see old friends, especially when he saw that the little nun from back then was also there. But she had long since returned to secular life and had grown old.
"You siblings share a deep bond," Ye Fan said with a smile.
"When people grow old, being able to gather again is truly wonderful." Yao Yuekong also arrived, now the old master of the Heavenly Demon Palace.
Soon after, the master of the Northern Domain's Jiang Family, Jiang Yifei, and his sister Jiang Caixuan also arrived. Meeting again after six thousand five hundred years, everyone sighed with emotion.
"Let's have a good gathering," Jiang Yifei said.
His blood energy was abundant. He had actually achieved Dao in an alternative way, extremely powerful. He was definitely a peerless expert on the same level as the Southern Demon, Ye Tong, and others.
"Brother Jiang is truly a man of outstanding talent," Ye Fan said.
Jiang Yifei replied, "I know Brother Ye has always had suspicions about me. There's nothing to hide now. I indeed received part of the Ruthless Great Emperor's inheritance."
These words shocked everyone. Only Ye Fan sighed. Back then, he had always felt that Hua Yunfei, Yao Guang, and Jiang Yifei had a very special temperament, a similar quality, and he had suspected it.
Now, he no longer needed to suspect. As the Heavenly Emperor, one glance could see through everything.
"They secretly chose Yao Guang and also came to my Jiang Family to select disciples. In the end, I obtained the Indestructible Heavenly Art. But their ambitions were too great, and in the end, our clan's experts killed the strong one lurking in my Jiang Family," Jiang Yifei said.
Ye Fan suddenly understood. Perhaps this was why the hidden controllers of the Yaoguang Holy Land had lent out the Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Cauldron to kill Jiang Taixu. They had long since made enemies with the Jiang Family.
Soon after, the Holy Maiden of Yao Chi, the Holy Maiden of Dao Yi, and several other peerless beauties of the past arrived.
Time spared no one. Although they were very powerful, they had all been touched by the frost of time. Though still beautiful, white hair had taken root.
"Over six thousand years have passed, and the Divine Fetus of Yao Chi has still not emerged," Pang Bo muttered.
The Holy Maiden of Yao Chi looked at Ye Fan and sighed. "With Brother Ye as the Heavenly Emperor, even the Divine Fetus does not want to face him and has chosen a future era."
She had once been one of the most beautiful women in the Eastern Wasteland. Now, she had disciples in droves, with at least dozens of generations of successors.
When the Innate Dao Body Zi Xia arrived, the Dragon Horse couldn't help but let out a strange cry, but Ye Fan silently suppressed him. The Dragon Horse was drenched in sweat, unable to move a muscle, thinking, "Brother Black Emperor, I wanted to shout for you, but I can't."
During this time, another person arrived, surprising Ye Fan. It was Yin Mingyan Li Desheng, who had once entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone with him.
"Daoist Duan De came to me several times, asking me to explore ancient underground tombs with him. He once gave me some Divine Marrow. I can live until now, thanks to Daoist Duan."
The music ended, and the people dispersed. Ye Fan offered the last cup of wine to everyone, then rose to take his leave. Everyone sighed, parting ways. They might never see each other again in this life.
Ye Fan walked through the Divine City, murmuring desolately, "You said that ten thousand years later, a similar flower would bloom and reunite with me. Now, over six thousand years have passed."
Late at night, he wandered alone in the city, thinking of a woman who had died many years ago. They had first met in this city.
Unfortunately, the Temple of Wonderful Desires no longer existed.
Soon after, the Northern Plains also bore Ye Fan's footprints. He wanted to seek out Wang Teng's master—the old crane. Unfortunately, he had long since passed away in meditation, but he had left behind his inheritance. The Chaotic Ancient Emperor had a successor.
Ye Fan left a repaired Imperial Talisman here and passed down the Front Character Secret, then drifted away.
He walked through the Western Desert and entered the Central Province, taking in the old places of the past. He saw the silence of Mount Sumeru and the surging dragon energy of the Central Province.
In the western part of the Central Province—the Qinling Mountains—he met an old acquaintance. A peerless heavenly prodigy from over fifteen thousand years ago, who had been sealed for nine thousand years. He was the Central Emperor, Xiang Yufei.
Truly a man of outstanding talent, extremely powerful. Ye Fan had heard that he had challenged the Golden Crow Great Emperor. The outcome had not been made public, but it was likely a glorious record.
Only because he had once been mentioned alongside Gai Jiuyou, a man of the same era.
Now, the Central Emperor was very lonely. He lived in a thatched hut by a lake, his brows unable to hide a certain melancholy.
Ye Fan invited him to join the Heavenly Court. The Central Emperor politely declined, saying, "I once died, then was sealed for nine thousand years. I missed too much. The woman I loved died for me, throwing herself into this lake. Now, I only want to guard this place."
Ye Fan remembered the past. When he had walked through the Qinling Mountains with the sick old man, he had seen the Central Emperor standing blankly before this lake. Gai Jiuyou had once spoken of the Central Emperor's past.
Two heavenly prodigies, different paths, yet the same loneliness.
Ye Fan left. He met the descendants of Princess Rain Butterfly and also learned that another famous princess of the Central Province, Princess Moon Spirit, had passed away in meditation a year ago. Then, he found an old acquaintance, Ye Huiling. When he had gone to the Ancient Forbidden Land to pick the Immortality Pill back then, this woman had helped him.
Ye Huiling's blood energy was still fairly abundant, because she had eaten the fruit of the Immortality Pill, though it was not the fruit of a complete Immortality Tree. Seeing Ye Fan again, she was deeply surprised and delighted.
"What is this?" she asked, seeing Ye Fan hand her a crystal tear.
"Little Nannan gave this to you," Ye Fan said.
"She always forgets the past. Does she still remember me?" Ye Huiling sighed softly.
"Thank you for taking care of her back then. Anyone who was good to her, even if the little one forgets, she will remember again after a while," Ye Fan said with a smile.
After parting, he reunited with Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse, then entered the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion in the Central Province again. Unfortunately, the old mansion master had died many years ago.
He repaired the altar leading to the Outer Domain here, then traveled south, entering the Southern Ridge.
The Demon Emperor's Hall was still as magnificent as ever, but the Southern Demon and his sister were not to be seen. They had not returned. Their last parting was their final meeting in this life.
In the Southern Ridge, many people from the Barbarian Clan had returned from the Outer Domain to live here. Dongfang Ye's younger brother, Dongfang Man, had become the clan leader, because Dongfang Ye was permanently stationed in the Heavenly Court.
"Senior Black Tortoise, rest in peace." Ye Fan paid his respects before a great tomb. The Black Tortoise was the guardian deity of the Barbarian Clan. At the Yao Chi Grand Assembly back then, it had displayed great power, protecting the human race, earning everyone's respect.
Then, he also paid respects to the old Barbarian King. That respectable old man had also passed away several thousand years ago.
"It's you…" Ye Fan was surprised to meet an old acquaintance in the Southern Ridge. White hair, a youthful face. Time had dyed her hair white but had not hidden her features. It was Yao Xi.
The former Holy Maiden of Yaoguang was now living in the Southern Ridge.
When Yao Xi saw him, her expression was complicated. She thought of the grudges and entanglements of the past, then finally let out a light scold: "What Heavenly Emperor? Back then, you were nothing but a shameless little thief!"
After saying these words, she blushed herself, somewhat regretful. So many years had passed, why bring up old matters?
After learning that the Yaoguang Holy Land had been secretly controlled, she had chosen to leave. Later, when Wei Wei had swept through and overthrown all the old order, Yao Xi had not returned either, choosing to live in seclusion.
The old matters made Ye Fan awkward. Even as the Heavenly Emperor, there were times when he was speechless.
"I invite you to join the Heavenly Court…"
Ye Fan did not expect Yao Xi to actually agree.
The only thing Ye Fan was grateful for was that Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse were still drinking with the Barbarian Clan and had not seen this scene. Otherwise, the Heavenly Emperor's "illustrious reputation" would surely be destroyed by their mouths.
Finally, they left and returned to the Heavenly Court. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to register as a member on the literature website to recommend this work. Your support is my greatest motivation.)