# Chapter 1815: A Similar Flower
The gray-haired man smiled, his snow-white teeth gleaming, his eyes deep and profound. "I'm still alive."
"You're lying to ghosts! Over one hundred and twenty-five thousand years, and you're still alive? Did the corpse of an emperor become sentient, or were you fake all along?" Fatty shouted, quickly retreating.
However, his spiritual perception was sharp, and he soon sensed a familiar aura. His eyes went wide, and he stammered, "You... you couldn't really be Ye Fan, could you?"
"It's me." The Heavenly Emperor nodded, still sitting at the exit of the great tomb, quietly watching him.
"Scaring people to death, do you even know that? Is this how you do things?! By the way, how did you survive?" He was, of course, Duan De, but at this moment he was completely disoriented, his mouth dry, unable to accept this fact.
"I just lived on, life after life. This is the twilight of my fourth life," Ye Fan said.
Duan De's eyes nearly popped out as he stared at him like a monster. "Your grandfather's, did you really defy the heavens? I've cultivated bitterly until now and only accumulated five Reincarnation Seals. Although the speed has increased in this life, I'm still far from the theoretical nine Reincarnation Seals merging into one to become an immortal. And you've already reached this step."
Ye Fan was greatly moved upon hearing this. He stared at Duan De, looking at the five pure white seals formed within his body, and instantly felt an infinite depth of mystery.
Duan De's conscience pricked him, and he quickly retreated. But Ye Fan, as the Heavenly Emperor, could naturally perceive all great secrets. A brief gaze yielded tremendous gains!
"Alas, I won't be able to dig up your Heavenly Emperor's tomb in this life. Let me make a prediction for you. Although you say you're in your twilight years, I feel you can still live another ten thousand years or more. In this life, you'll probably still die after me. I'm very unhappy!"
Duan De rolled his eyes, staring at him resentfully. In this life, Ye Fan might still see him off, watching him enter the burial ground first. This really felt strange to him.
Over so many years, Duan De had seen life and death countless times. Generation after generation of friends and relatives had left him, and he had always been the one to see them off. He never thought he would encounter a freak who would stare at him dying first.
"I don't have much time. Within an hour, I will sever everything, leaving only one mystical technique to protect my body," Duan De said. This was his true rebirth. When they met again, it would be like a dead end, no longer recognizing each other.
"Wait until your nine Reincarnation Seals are gathered," Ye Fan nodded, then smiled again. "Or wait until the twilight of this life, and I'll see you off, injecting everything from the previous life into your memory crystal."
"You're really twisted. I don't believe I'll see you again when I open my eyes next time!" Duan De turned and left, free and easy, disappearing into the mortal world.
Ye Fan watched him go far away and couldn't help but sigh. How many outstanding talents throughout the ages had tread the heavenly path, seeking immortality, advancing wave after wave without regret. Yet now, not a single one had succeeded, most dying along the way.
Powerful as he was, he was still only groping along, not truly immortal, just having walked a bit further on this path.
But it was precisely this group of unrepentant people that made the path to immortality so splendid. The Emperor Venerable commanded the Mythical Era, the Heavenly Emperor dominated the ten thousand ancient clans, the Ruthless Person was peerless through the ages, Emperor Wu Shi swept through the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and there was Duan De, a man of great perseverance, life after life undergoing physical tribulation, wanting to live out nine different lives, creating true reincarnation.
Some died, some ended in sorrow, some were still persistent, some were still on the road, blooming with the most brilliant light, playing a resounding war song on this path.
Ye Fan returned to the Heavenly Court, sealed Ye Tong, Little Pine, Jiang Tingting, and the others, leaving only the Chaos female infant to personally teach her for a few years.
Four years passed like this. Even the Heavenly Emperor had to marvel—this physique was extraordinary and transcendent, naturally suited for cultivation. Any technique could be developed to its fullest in her hands.
"Master-Grandfather, will I be as strong as you in the future?" Little Ye Xian blinked her big eyes and asked.
"You can become an emperor, and you should be invincible in your life. But you need to know that there are always people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens. Even now, your master-grandfather doesn't dare claim to be the strongest in combat throughout history. Bloodline can give you an advantage, but it doesn't represent your final achievement," Ye Fan warned.
The little girl nodded and cultivated very seriously.
Another half year passed, and Ye Fan sealed her. This life was not yet the time for her to shine. Her glory was destined for a future life, because the Heavenly Emperor had already sensed something.
Through these years of getting along, besides teaching the little girl the Dao methods, Ye Fan himself had gained tremendously, truly understanding the mysteries of the Chaos Body.
"Is it really as the world says? Only the Innate Saint Body Dao Fetus can compare with it," he murmured, looking into the distance.
Aside from this, perhaps there was also that stone egg under the Immortal Heavenly Blade. It was very mysterious, yet to emerge. And if the Emperor Venerable had offspring, they would also be unfathomable.
Thinking of this, Ye Fan smiled again. That Divine Child was definitely another heaven-defying anomaly!
"Eh!" Suddenly, Ye Fan's mind shook violently. He calmed down and deduced, sighing, "A similar flower has finally appeared. Is this to disturb my Dao heart, to negate my path?"
He had already deduced it, but to truly find it, he would need to spend some time.
On the Goulen Ancient Star, an old man with sparse, thinning hair walked through the mortal world. He spotted Duan De at a glance, looked as if he'd seen a ghost, then chased after him, saying, "Dao friend, please stop."
Duan De stumbled directly, fell flat on his face, and got up with mud in his mouth, saying, "Seeing ghosts brings bad luck. I can even fall while walking."
Now he had long forgotten the past, only knowing this life, but there was always a thought in his head reminding him to find something.
"You really are... Daoist Duan?" The old man's eyes widened in extreme shock.
"Did you just trip me?" Duan De raised his eyebrows.
"Dao friend, please calm down. Harmony is most precious in all matters." The old man smiled, shaking his big head, leaning in to make Duan De recognize him.
"Why does this sound so familiar? As if I've heard it more than once," Duan De shuddered, then tore through the void with a chi sound and disappeared from here.
"An emperor-level body, but lost its memory. Did he succeed in another life? I suppose this immortal body will soon be severed on its own." The old man muttered to himself. He was the legendary Jin of Misfortune, Chaos Expansion Great Sage, who had sealed himself early when his lifespan was not yet exhausted.
Soon after, the Chaos Expansion Great Sage ascended to the Heavenly Court, seeking an audience with the Heavenly Emperor. When he announced his name, to his surprise, even though many lives had passed, someone still recognized him.
"You are... the legendary God of Misfortune?!"
"Dao friend flatters me. But how do you remember this old man?"
"I'm not praising you. I'm afraid. I've seen ancient records of the Heavenly Emperor's battles for supremacy, and there's a portrait of you. It's exactly the same! You... couldn't really be the real person, could you?"
"It's me."
As soon as these words were spoken, the area before the Southern Heavenly Gate cleared instantly. A group of people retreated, then shouted, "Don't come closer! Wait here! We'll report for you!"
When Ye Fan saw Chaos Expansion again, he was speechless. This God of Misfortune had actually survived, but he was truly old beyond recognition.
"Thank you, Dao friend, for the Dragon Loach you gave me back then. It allowed me to live another eight hundred years," Chaos Expansion said.
Ye Fan nodded and invited him to sit. The Dragon Loach was merely something he had exchanged with the other's descendant at a stone workshop back when he was weak.
"Dao friend, I came to deliver a message. I saw two people, both old acquaintances from years past, but neither recognized me. They've lost their memories."
Chaos Expansion spoke of Duan De, then of another person—it was An Miaoyi.
"It really is her. The similar flower has appeared." Ye Fan sighed. Finally, he revitalized Old Chaos Expansion's blood and meridians, using the Heavenly Emperor's forbidden methods to extend his life by two thousand years, preparing to send him off.
"Can I stay? Even guarding the Southern Heavenly Gate would be fine." Chaos Expansion hoped that one day Ye Fan would seal him in the Heavenly Court, expressing his loyalty here.
In the end, a sparse-haired divine general appeared before the Southern Heavenly Gate, making all the heavenly soldiers feel a chill.
Still on the Big Dipper, still in that Divine City, a girl in white like snow was strolling. As soon as she entered the city, she alarmed several ancient great sects.
"This girl looks very much like someone from the Portrait of Heavenly Prodigies!"
"It's... An Miaoyi! But that's not right. She should have died long ago."
The girl was mischievous and lively, giggling, "I come from the Western Desert."
When Ye Fan descended and found her, his heart was filled with sorrow. The same appearance, just a bit more youthful, but the primordial spirit was completely different.
"Heavenly Emperor!"
"The Heavenly Emperor is here!"
At this moment, the Divine City was in an uproar. People surged forward, causing a great commotion.
"Ah, you're the Heavenly Emperor! Can you take me as your disciple?" The girl asked innocently. She was much more naive than An Miaoyi back then, very simple, now sixteen or seventeen years old.
"I can." Ye Fan nodded, only saying this. He knew that the real An Miaoyi would never be seen again, could never appear in this world again.
After more than a hundred thousand years, a similar flower had finally appeared, but the primordial spirit was completely different. It seemed that Miaoyi had only been comforting him back then, telling him not to be sad.
Thinking of this, the Heavenly Emperor's heart ached greatly. Even though his combat power was now heaven-defying, able to look down on all the strong throughout history, he still felt a sense of powerlessness.
"Why does being with the Heavenly Emperor feel so familiar, as if it happened just yesterday?" The girl muttered to herself, mumbling softly.
Ye Fan was startled, said nothing more, and brought her back to the Heavenly Court. After carefully observing her primordial spirit, he began personally teaching her the great Dao from that day on.
The girl was named Kou Xiaoxiao. She was lively, simple, and without scheming. Compared to An Miaoyi of the past, their personalities were vastly different, completely opposite.
Ye Fan earnestly taught her the great Dao, fulfilling the promise he had made to another person long ago, protecting her path, letting her strength advance rapidly.
As for feelings, he only regarded Kou Xiaoxiao as a disciple or a daughter, because she was fundamentally different from the person of those years. Watching her bright smile, Ye Fan was dazed, tears glistening in his eyes. In the end, he could only sigh.
This was the Heavenly Emperor's most sorrowful moment in a hundred thousand years. Afterward, his gaze became deep and profound, with no other emotional fluctuations.
Looking back, the woman in white in the Divine City seemed still there, but she was not the person before him. Only the sorrow quietly flowed through the years.
Finally, Ye Fan gave Kou Xiaoxiao a rare treasure. It was the strange object he had cut from a stone in the Northern Domain's Divine City back then, called the Immortal Conch. It could emit divine sounds and flow with five-colored divine radiance.
Legend said that once it entered the Immortal Domain, the Immortal Conch would transform into an immortal scripture. Back then, he had given it to An Miaoyi, and now he gave it to this similar flower.
"I've seen this rare treasure in ancient texts. Only one or two have appeared in all of history. It's said that if brought into the Immortal Domain, its immortal sounds can awaken past and present lives," Kou Xiaoxiao said happily.
This was a golden age. A similar flower disturbed the peace in Ye Fan's heart, but his Dao became even firmer. His gaze was unfathomably deep, wanting to see through the immortal path.
Ye Fan accepting this final disciple shook the great universe.
To be accepted as a disciple by the Heavenly Emperor—what honor and fortune! For over a hundred thousand years, countless people had wanted to enter this door, but in the end, they could only sigh in regret.
Five hundred years later, Kou Xiaoxiao became a Quasi-Emperor. A thousand years later, she achieved an alternative path to the Dao. The white-robed fairy was invincible under heaven, her glory shining upon the world!
People calmed down and thought carefully. She was the Heavenly Emperor's disciple. Having such achievements was within the realm of acceptance.
The Heavenly Emperor was truly terrifying, invincible throughout the ages—this was everyone's sentiment.
Ye Fan looked back, and as if seeing through the river of time, he saw the peerlessly graceful An Miaoyi, smiling at him from afar, making him fall silent.
"The immortal path must open!" This was the Heavenly Emperor's roar.
"Indeed, the immortal path must eventually open!" At this moment, someone in the universe responded to him.
Big Dipper, Eastern Wasteland.
An ancient pagoda shot up, surrounded by immortal mist, shaking the ancient blue heavens. A great emperor rose, appearing in the world again. He was the Green Emperor, his true body returning!
The entire world was shaken. The Green Emperor was still alive? He hadn't died?!
Ye Fan stepped forward, meeting him in the sea of stars, reuniting with the Demon Emperor.
Now that the Green Emperor had emerged, he had adjusted himself to his peak state. He was majestic and heroic, with black hair flowing, eyes like lightning. "A single lotus through the ancient green heavens"—he reappeared with his peerless style from those years.
"My path was wrong. I reached the end but saw no hope. Today will be my final struggle in this life," the Green Emperor said calmly. The Desolate Tower above his head rumbled.
The pagoda was ancient, divided into nine levels, flowing with the power of time, as if piercing through the entire history of cultivation.
"I will protect your path, Dao friend, and lend you a hand," Ye Fan said.
"Good!" The Green Emperor nodded. Raising his hand, a lotus soldier flew from the Big Dipper, appearing in his palm. When he brandished it, the universe thundered, chaos surged, creating heaven and earth.
Thus, with the Desolate Tower above his head and the Green Lotus Soldier in hand, he made his final struggle in life, forcefully trying to break through the Immortal Domain!
This was not the correct time, nor the correct place, because they could no longer wait. Only the two most powerful people from ancient times stood side by side.
"Boom!"
The most powerful heaven-defying strike in a hundred thousand years erupted. The Green Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor struck together, shaking the vast universe.
Endless immortal light burst forth. The Desolate Tower crashed, the Lotus Soldier trembled, and the Green Emperor roared as he charged into a passage formed of blazing light. Ye Fan's imperial fist also pierced through there!
When everything ended, the auspicious light faded, the void cracks spreading to many star systems slowly closed, the Desolate Tower remained in place, and Ye Fan stood alone.
"A scroll of sorrowful painting. How many heroes buried in foreign lands, how much brilliance hard to reappear..."
After a long time, Ye Fan murmured. He didn't know if the Green Emperor had succeeded. A few broken green lotus leaves withered and fell in place.
The universe was vast and silent, but it could not bury the ancient sorrowful songs on the path to immortality. Looking back, generation after generation of stunning talents had fallen on this road. The Battle Saint Emperor who swore to become a War Immortal, the peerlessly talented Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing, and the single lotus through the ancient green heavens... The immortal path held many sorrowful songs!