Chapter 1817: On the Road
Ye Xian was only four or five years old, a little girl pink and adorable, full of the lively energy of youth. The moment she was unsealed, she let out a cheer and fluttered up like a little butterfly.
"Grandpa, you finally let Xian'er out."
Ye Fan smiled, affectionately patted her head, and began to impart teachings and preach the Dao to her, urging her to cultivate diligently.
In his sixth life, Ye Fan was just starting out. His black hair cascaded freely, his eyes were like a sea of stars, his flesh crystalline and radiant with immortal light. He had abandoned the Chaos Body, returning to his origin, truly peerless under heaven.
In his previous life, he had pioneered the Chaos Great Dao and composed a scripture, which he now passed on entirely to Ye Xian, instructing her to practice diligently.
Outside, a man had already shaken the universe. Though only fifty or sixty years old, he had become a Chaos Saint, invincible and awe-inspiring across all realms.
When cultivators of higher realms pursued him, the Chaos Body always evaded them, escaping danger unscathed, roaming the heavenly path and growing stronger with each passing day.
Everyone marveled, sensing the rise of a truly extraordinary supreme prodigy. The glory of the mythological era was re-emerging, set to create an immortal and boundless future.
Time passed swiftly, days and months like shuttles.
The little girl Ye Xian grew to adulthood. Ye Fan sent her out of the Heavenly Court to train discreetly across various lands. As she continued to grow, her reputation gradually spread.
"The Heavenly Court's Chaos Body has also emerged. What is the Heavenly Emperor planning? Is he letting them compete in the same era?"
People were moved. This life would surely not be peaceful!
The Chaos Body outside was named Wang Bo. No one knew his origins. He had coldly stated that his parents were not a Pure Yin Body or a Pure Yang Body, leaving everyone stunned.
When Ye Fan learned of this, he nodded to himself and murmured, "That's right. Just like the first-generation Sacred Body, it doesn't necessarily require inheriting sacred blood from parents. It can be born innately."
The Heavenly Emperor silently deduced and couldn't help but be startled. This person had an extraordinary origin, incredibly shocking. Only someone as powerful as Ye Fan could part the mists and calculate that he came from the mythological era.
Using forbidden methods to deduce, the Heavenly Emperor's brows twitched. This was actually a dead man, now reborn!
"Someone killed by a Heavenly Venerable back then. His primordial spirit underwent nirvana, never fully dying, and ultimately survived, sealing himself until now, only emerging after exhausting his Divine Source."
Ye Fan sighed softly. This was actually the Chaos Body from the mythological era. Back then, before he had fully grown or attained the Dao, he had gravely wounded an ancient Heavenly Venerable, nearly claiming the life of a peak-level emperor.
What kind of myth was that? Those achievements still circulated among the people.
"His body was sealed in the Big Dipper, transformed into five landmasses, forming a super five-colored altar, left to impact the immortal path. Unexpectedly, back then he managed to deceive the ancient Heavenly Venerable, his primordial spirit escaping through nirvana and sealing itself within Source."
Having reached such a level, with an indestructible primordial spirit, he could naturally rebuild a Chaos fleshly body. Only time could destroy him.
"In this life, he has severed his cultivation and started anew. Does he intend to reach the glorious pinnacle?" Ye Fan murmured.
The innate Chaos Body, Wang Bo, possessed supreme skill that shook the ages. From start to finish, he deliberately controlled his cultivation speed, focusing on foundation-building. Despite this, he still became a Great Sage after a little over a hundred years...
Historically, the fastest cultivator had become a Great Sage in about a hundred years. If he had wanted to break that record, he clearly could have, but he chose not to.
The terror of the Chaos Body began to show. As he cultivated, all Daos revived and resonated with him. At his seclusion site, Dao marks densely covered the area, rumbling loudly.
During this time, a Quasi-Emperor once tried to block him, but he still left calmly.
Ye Xian had also long since grown up, ethereal like an immortal, with Chaos Qi swirling around her. After over a hundred years of shaking the starry skies, she finally encountered Wang Bo for the first time. They exchanged a glance and immediately engaged in battle.
Naturally, Ye Xian suffered a crushing defeat. Her cultivation time was shorter, and she didn't know he was a terrifying figure who had shaken heaven and earth in the mythological era.
In the end, she escaped using the Chaos array patterns Ye Fan had created, returning to the Heavenly Court covered in blood, barely avoiding death.
The little girl was stubborn and refused to admit defeat. After returning, she said nothing, healed her wounds, and immediately began cultivating. Only when Ye Fan came to find her did Ye Xian emerge from seclusion.
"Master Grandpa, this person has a heavy killing intent. I feel he's very dangerous, like someone who wants to destroy everything," Ye Xian reported truthfully.
"Back then, he died at the hands of a Heavenly Venerable, struggling through nirvana. It took many years before he truly healed his Dao wounds. Unfortunately, his enemy has passed. In this life, he will likely challenge all supremes, carrying a grudge in his heart," Ye Fan said, slowly revealing his origins.
Hearing this, Ye Xian's eyes widened in shock.
"This time, he actually held back. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have returned," Ye Fan said. Though he sat in the Heavenly Court, he had personally witnessed that battle.
"Is he testing Grandpa's reaction?" Ye Xian asked.
"Yes. Don't overthink it. I let you go out so he could temper you. Everyone says the Chaos Body is invincible under heaven. He's the best opponent on your path to growth," Ye Fan revealed the truth.
A hundred years later, the two Chaos Bodies clashed at their peak in a life-and-death battle. Ye Xian lost again. Having lived two lives and cultivated from scratch, her opponent was terrifying beyond belief.
She barely escaped with her life once more. Though she knew he wouldn't kill her yet, and that her grandfather was always watching to prevent tragedy, she was still furious and buried herself in intense cultivation.
Fifty years later, they faced off again at their peak, attracting all the powerhouses of the universe to watch.
This time, Ye Xian was still severely injured, but she also made Wang Bo cough blood, finally managing to wound him slightly.
Thus, every few decades or centuries, they would duel. Ye Xian advanced by leaps and bounds, growing rapidly, and was now barely able to match her opponent. But Wang Bo was also extremely terrifying, using this time to thoroughly steal and learn the Chaos Scripture that Ye Fan had created and passed to Ye Xian.
From then on, in this brilliant era, everyone else became a supporting character. Only the two Chaos Bodies stood side by side, invincible under heaven.
Ye Xian went from total defeat to minor defeats, gradually closing the gap. Her combat experience became incredibly rich. And since both were Chaos Bodies, once they truly awakened, who could be inferior to whom?
With the Heavenly Emperor's guidance, Ye Xian finally fought Wang Bo to a draw at seven hundred years old. Several battles after that were the same, until another hundred years passed, with the results always close.
The whole world was shocked. In the last hundred years of conflict, countless experts tried to join the battle between those two but couldn't keep up—they were far from being their opponents. This era belonged only to them.
And both were deliberately suppressing themselves; otherwise, they would likely have smoothly become emperors.
At this point, the Heavenly Emperor called Ye Xian back, forbidding her from fighting again, and personally sealed her for the future.
"Grandpa, I was about to become the Chaos Great Emperor! How can you do this?" She pouted angrily.
"There will be a time for you to become emperor," Ye Fan said with a smile.
Ye Xian's eyes widened. She knew that Grandpa Heavenly Emperor had always been preparing to break into the Immortal Domain. Hearing this now, her heart stirred, sensing something.
"Is there hope?" she pressed.
Ye Fan shook his head. "The path is still being walked. If I sense something wrong, I will definitely arrange a way out for you all in advance."
Thus, the Chaos Body rivalry ended in a draw. Only Wang Bo remained in the world, dominating the ages that followed.
A thousand years later, Wang Bo became emperor. Ten thousand Daos merged, laws burned, and the world radiated light, shaking the mortal realm.
Was this what it meant for a Chaos Body to attain the Dao? It was extraordinary beyond measure. All Daos aligned with him, truly giving him an invincible momentum. Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor had finally met a challenger.
But as soon as people thought of the word "challenge," they shook their heads. The Heavenly Emperor was unique, creating miracles unseen since ancient times, undefeatable.
Ten thousand years later, the Chaos Body was at its zenith, reaching the absolute peak of this life, undergoing ultimate sublimation, and calling himself the Chaos Heavenly Emperor.
Everyone sensed a great battle was coming. Just the title he chose was clearly targeted. In this era, only one person could be honored as the Heavenly Emperor.
Five hundred years later, Wang Bo ascended to the Heavenly Court to challenge the Heavenly Emperor. That day had finally arrived!
The whole world was in an uproar, shocked and expectant.
Unfortunately, this battle was not as exciting as people imagined. The Heavenly Emperor did accept the challenge and made his move, but the fight ended quickly, sending the Chaos Body flying to the edge of the universe.
Because their realms were too high, people couldn't tell how many moves were exchanged. Some said Wang Bo lost in just three moves, others said eight. It was universally agreed that it didn't exceed ten moves. This result shook the great universe.
"That's right. The Heavenly Emperor's combat power is beyond measure!" People could only marvel like this.
In his previous life, Ye Fan had thoroughly understood the Chaos Body, then cut it all away and shed it, returning to his origin. He no longer needed this Chaos blood.
"The Heavenly Emperor alone can contend with multiple emperor-level experts, including a Chaos Body."
Everyone understood. The Chaos Body's strength only served to highlight the Heavenly Emperor's peerless divine might, becoming a "unit of measurement" for his true power!
After this battle, the Heavenly Emperor traveled far, descending on a star and sitting before a large grave.
When a fat man struggled to climb up and poked his head out, he immediately let out a pig-slaughtering scream: "Ghost ah!"
He tumbled and rolled back down into the grave pit. It took a long time before he crawled back up, covered in dirt, stared at Ye Fan for a long while, confirmed he was really still alive and still the Heavenly Emperor, then spat out four words resentfully: "You're really twisted!"
"To become an immortal, I have no choice but to keep living," Ye Fan sighed.
"Have you figured something out?" Duan De asked.
"Yes. Over the years, I've studied the Immortal Pills and discovered some terrifying things. They seem to be fallen immortals, one after another!" Ye Fan revealed a shocking truth.
As soon as the words left his mouth, it seemed to shake the ages!
Duan De's face turned pale. "If you and that woman in the Ancient Forbidden Land have discovered this problem, then it's almost certainly true. She once split the Nine Marvelous Divine Medicine into nine plants and studied it for tens of thousands of years."
"It's not that we can't become immortals, but that realm has a problem," Ye Fan sighed, then bid farewell to Duan De.
"Is this the reason you've been waiting so long?" Duan De called after him.
The Chaos Body, though utterly defeated, did not become dejected. Instead, he made a terrifying decision: he performed self-severing, just like Ye Fan, cutting away his Chaos Body, sealing his cultivation, and starting to cultivate anew.
Because his lifespan was still abundant!
That same year, Ye Fan unsealed another person, releasing the Divine Child. Though the little fat guy was narcissistic and, influenced by Black Emperor and Li Tian, a bit unreliable, he was truly gifted beyond compare.
"Hahaha... I, Emperor Yufeng, finally see the light of day! The vile Heavenly Emperor cannot stop my steps! I shall rule the world and overlook the eight wastelands!" The little fat guy, just out, put his hands on his hips and bragged arrogantly.
As a result, Ye Fan smiled, directly grabbed him, and spanked his bottom.
"Ah, it hurts! That damn dog isn't here, and rogue Li Tian is squatting in the corner, so why is someone still spanking me? I hate this!"
In this life, Ye Fan taught him the great Dao, letting him grow quickly, and eventually sent him to face the Chaos Body for tempering.
In the years that followed, the world was horrified. The Heavenly Court was too terrifying. Not only was that Chaos female infant heaven-defying, but this little fat guy was equally astonishing.
When the little fat guy truly grew up, he was brave and unmatched in heaven and earth, fighting Wang Bo to a draw at eight hundred years old.
Of course, if not for Ye Fan's suppression, the Divine Child would have definitely broken into the emperor realm. He was special, not easily suppressed, born from the weapon spirit of the Immortal Cauldron, with potential so vast it shook the heavens.
A weapon spirit of an immortal artifact incarnated as a human—no weaker than a Chaos Body!
At this point, the Divine Child was sealed back into Source, no longer emerging.
The Chaos Body broke the seal, returned to the emperor realm, and challenged Ye Fan again, but still suffered a great defeat. It was said he still couldn't surpass ten moves.
Wang Bo lived for over twenty thousand years, his blood energy like an ocean. With a roar, he set out to conquer the immortal path, trying to force it open. In the end, he vanished in a blaze of brilliant light, piercing through a passage and stepping forward, but leaving only a pile of ashes in the universe.
During this time, Ye Fan forged two swords, their killing intent soaring to the heavens, shaking the great universe. Combined with the four swords of Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable, they became six swords.
Then, he re-refined that array diagram, causing it to undergo ultimate sublimation, transcending its original form and becoming stronger than ever.
The Heavenly Court was shaken internally. This was a miracle. Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable was the creator of the Formation Character Art, unmatched in array diagram mastery throughout history. Yet now, the Heavenly Emperor had supplemented and refined the diagram, adding two more swords—truly a feat that startled the immortals.
Soon after, Ye Fan successively released the Little Battle Saint Ape and the granddaughter of Yellow Tooth Old Man, sending them to train. When they reached extremely high realms, he sealed them again.
"What is the Heavenly Emperor planning?" the outside world speculated.
In the Heavenly Court, Ye Fan was surrounded by six hanging killing swords, with the supplemented array diagram floating above his head. He murmured to himself, "Let the Chaos Body Ye Xian, the little fat guy born from the Immortal Cauldron, the Little Silkworm who lived a second life, the Little Battle Saint Ape, and Yellow Tooth's granddaughter all become emperors. Each holding one killing sword—could they seal a Heavenly Emperor?"
Ye Fan frowned. Besides the five little ones, he needed to choose one more person.
"The Heavenly Emperor is probably planning a major move!" Everyone outside speculated, seeing him successively release several gifted children from the Heavenly Court to train, sensing an impending action.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, the Heavenly Emperor made no further moves and settled down.
In the 300,000th year of the Heavenly Emperor's reign, the Heavenly Emperor's mark nearly collapsed, once spreading across the universe, piercing through all Daos, causing the world to tremble violently.
"What? The Heavenly Emperor almost died?"
"The Heavenly Emperor nearly dissolved into the Dao and perished!"
All races in the universe were shocked.
Inside the Heavenly Court, there was a cloud of gloom.
This was a fact. Ye Fan had almost fallen. Though he barely lived out a seventh life, the Heavenly Emperor's mark was unstable. He remained unconscious, unable to revive.
Little Pine, who was in charge of guarding the Heavenly Court, emerged. He studied the situation for a hundred years but couldn't find the problem. His master had grown young again, successfully living a seventh life, so why couldn't he wake up?
Finally, he walked into a forbidden zone, opened a seal, and brought out a massive piece of Immortal Source. Inside it was sealed a black dog.
Upon closer inspection, it had grown very old. Its original fur had turned slightly gray-white, and it had become thinner and smaller than before.
Little Pine awakened it, unsealing the Immortal Source.
After a long time, the big black dog came to its senses and loudly demanded whether it had become an immortal.
Little Pine shook his head and explained Ye Fan's problem. He thought the big black dog, having once followed Emperor Wu Shi, was knowledgeable and might see something.
"Wahahaha..." Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the big black dog burst into wild laughter, showing no worry or sympathy, its eyes gleaming with a thief's light.
"What are you laughing at?" the naive Little Pine asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. When you run into this kind of problem, handing him over to this emperor is the right move. Wahahaha... He's finally fallen into my hands, hehe..." Black Emperor's laughter was filled with arrogance and glee, as if it was about to fulfill some long-cherished wish.