Chapter 752: The Path of Return
In the Big Dipper Star Domain, within a vast wilderness, Pang Bo stood with disheveled hair, his entire body drenched in blood. Wounds all over him flickered with a terrifying dark light, stubbornly refusing to heal. Starlight dotted the sky, moonlight was cold and clear, and wild beasts howled in the wasteland. He gazed up at the stars, looking toward the distant other end, and said, "Ye Zi, have you returned to our homeland? Did you take care of my parents? It's not that I don't want to go back, but I'm afraid of losing all hope completely. One of us has to survive. As long as one of us makes it back alive, it's the same—our parents will have someone to look after them. I planned to cross the void in the future, and splitting up would give us another path of hope. But now it seems... I might not make it..."
He began to cough up blood, but there was not a trace of red—it was all black, shrouded in a dark light. No one knew what kind of injury he had suffered, eroded by some mysterious force.
In the Northern Domain, among the barren, lifeless mountains, the Monkey swept his black iron staff across thousands of foes, unmatched in bravery. Yet wounds still appeared on his body, streaks of Battle Saint blood flying out. Even the formidable physique of the Battle Saint Ape lineage could not withstand it.
Around him, seven or eight ancient creatures darted back and forth, each possessing boundless magical power. They struck at him, leaving Dao marks that transformed this place into another world.
"Is that white-eyed wolf Celestial Prince who sent you to deal with me?" the Monkey sneered coldly.
"Holy Prince, you can only blame yourself. The Victory Buddha of the Western Desert is said to have entered nirvana. Whether he truly is the younger brother of the old Saint Emperor remains uncertain. Yet you choose this time to oppose the descendant of the deity. It's like resisting the will of the gods—there will be no good end."
"God my ass! Isn't he just a little white-eyed wolf? You can't kill me. One day, I'll personally take his head and smash him dead with one strike of my staff!" The Monkey was wild and untamed, his fiery golden eyes shooting two beams of light straight into the heavens.
"Holy Prince, you are too arrogant. The Celestial Prince is the descendant of a deity. His talent is unmatched not only in this age but throughout past, present, and future. He will surely become the second Immortal Emperor, invincible against all!"
"Invincible my foot! Let him dare to jump in front of me. I'll crush that little white-eyed wolf with one hand if he dares to show up!"
In the Southern Domain, Ji Haoyue, covered in blood, stood before an ancient cave, blocking an elder of the Ji Clan. He faced him calmly.
"Haoyue, the world is chaotic and terrifying now. It's better to avoid trouble than to invite it. All the ancient lands are keeping to themselves, unwilling to get involved in any turmoil, seeking only self-preservation. The family hopes you will exercise restraint..." The Ji Clan elder sighed. He did not want to speak too harshly, lest he provoke resentment in the clan's future heir.
"Second Granduncle, rest assured. I know what I must do. Nothing will go wrong. No one will know," Ji Haoyue said.
"The world is chaotic now, and it will only become more terrifying in the future. Perhaps one day, our goal will not be prosperity, but survival." The elder's voice was low, his white hair sparse, his eyes filled with worry. "You are a Divine King Physique. One day, you will surely reach great accomplishment—it's only a matter of time. But who can say what the future holds? After all, the Ten Thousand Primeval Clans have ancient kings. Only when you become a sage one day will our clan truly feel at ease. Then, with the Void Mirror in hand, even if all the ancient kings and sages emerge together, our clan will have nothing to fear. You can slay them all."
"Second Granduncle, please rest easy. In the future, I will ensure our clan stands eternal and unshakable. Even if all the ancient kings emerge, they will not dare to threaten us."
"In truth, as long as you and Zi Yue can cultivate smoothly and grow strong, we won't worry too much. From now on, travel less, and let us all be at peace." The Ji Clan elder, his body stooped, turned and left.
Everything fell silent. The ancient cave was Ji Haoyue's secluded cultivation site. From within came Li Heishui's weak voice: "Brother Haoyue, I've brought you trouble. Just let me wither away on my own."
"Don't say such things again," Ji Haoyue said sternly as he entered the cave.
"Rest and heal. Nothing will happen," Ji Zi Yue said, sitting cross-legged in the void. Rays of multicolored light shot from her body, helping to dissolve his injuries.
"Don't waste your strength. My life is at an end," Li Heishui said. His injuries were terrifying, unable to heal at all. A mysterious force was destroying his vitality, unstoppable.
"I'll go to the Eagle-Falling Cliff to have a look. Maybe the Barbarian survived and is still alive," Ji Haoyue said.
"Brother Haoyue, don't take the risk. Not knowing whether he's alive or dead might be the best news. Don't go. I don't want to see blood again," Li Heishui said. "Many years ago, I saw the image of that dog dying. I saw Wu Zhongtian, Liu Kou, Jiang Huairen, and the others leave me. It made life worse than death. The blood of my close friends blurred before my eyes, waking me from nightmares every time. This is truly the greatest pain in the human world..."
"None of those people are necessarily dead. That dog might still be alive. Don't lose hope. Perhaps in the near future, they will reappear in the world."
Li Heishui laughed bitterly, tears falling from his eyes. Wounds burst open on his body, blood splattering. "I've long passed the age of indulging in fantasies. The real world is truly cruel..."
"Heishui Ge, focus on healing. Believe that everything will get better. Maybe... one day, Ye Zi will return too, and we will all reunite," Ji Zi Yue said softly, comforting him.
Ziwei Ancient Star Domain, Outer Space.
The Eight Scenery Palace orbited the planet, catching up to the small heavenly palace ahead. It seemed about to dock with one of the halls, connecting with it.
"Boom!"
Finally, purple mist billowed, and multicolored light flickered as the Eight Scenery Palace collided with the hall ahead. Though it trembled violently, nothing was damaged. A mysterious force operated between the two.
"This is..."
The group showed surprise, standing inside the Eight Scenery Palace without making any rash moves. Everything seemed mysterious, as if the Eight Scenery Palace was specifically designed to send people here.
The so-called weightlessness in outer space was no issue for cultivators. After a moment's hesitation, Ye Fan stepped forward first, of course keeping the two ancient sacred weapons ready to guard against accidents.
The exit of the Eight Scenery Palace perfectly aligned with the main hall of the heavenly palace, allowing them to step in smoothly. This was a hall that had existed for who knows how many years.
Walking inside, they felt as if they were traveling through history, returning to ancient times, arriving at a resting place for deities.
"That old man riding the ox, and that young ox—could they have passed away here?" Li Tian muttered.
"Say something auspicious. If that so-called Ox Divine King shows up, you'll be in big trouble," Yan Yixi warned in a low voice.
Li Tian immediately shrank his neck, feeling a chill run down his spine. Thinking of that green ox's immense strength, capable of crushing him like a chick, the image made his hair stand on end.
Passing through this hall, Ye Fan saw a long scroll painting. An ancient city stood tall. An old man riding an ox traveled westward, while a middle-aged man respectfully welcomed him.
Purple Qi came from the east, stretching thirty thousand li, spreading across mountains and rivers. Then the old man entered the city, left behind a scripture, and continued westward.
Later, Ye Fan was shocked. He finally understood the true meaning of "Westward Out of Hangu Pass." Going west, opening the western gate of Hangu Pass, directly revealed a brilliant starry sky.
"This... how can this be? Where was that ancient city built? Why does opening the city gate reveal the starry sky?"
Ye Fan was truly stunned. He knew that the middle-aged man welcoming and bowing to Laozi in the painting must be Yin Xi, the guardian of Hangu Pass in history.
Now it seemed there were too many secrets involved. Ancient China had many jaw-dropping regions that were impossible to understand.
In ancient history, there was indeed a man named Yin Xi who knelt to welcome Laozi. Now it appeared that the Hangu Pass he guarded had a special meaning, connecting to the starry sky—a mysterious city in ancient China!
Legend had it that Laozi's westward journey had many stories, but in ancient China, those people and places could not be found because they were too fantastical. It turned out everything happened in the star domain. With this truth, all the events of Laozi's westward journey could be connected.
"Yin Xi guarded an ancient city connected to the starry sky. Such a place, close to the divine—how could he be a mortal..."
Countless thoughts arose in Ye Fan's mind. Did many places or special cities in ancient China have extraordinary significance and value?
"A Five-Colored Altar!" Yi Qingwu exclaimed softly.
Ahead, there was an empty hall, untouched by the passage of time, extremely quiet. A large Five-Colored Altar was built there.
Its scale was considerable, definitely capable of crossing star domains. Ye Fan immediately made this judgment, his emotions surging with excitement.
"Hahaha..." Li Tian laughed loudly. "Big Dipper Star Domain, here I come! Ancient beauties, tremble! The Divine Son Li Tian is about to descend!"
"Junior Brother, you need to restrain yourself. According to Brother Ye, the Big Dipper Star Domain has myriad races standing together, all very powerful. A divine maiden of the ancient clan could probably slap you to death easily," Yan Yixi said.
"Don't underestimate my Divine Maiden Furnace. Whether divine maiden, fairy maiden, mysterious maiden, or holy maiden—all will be suppressed, not one missing."
Ye Fan stepped onto the Five-Colored Altar, his heart filled with excitement. This was a hope, a path of return.
However, no matter how he tried, no matter how hard he worked, the Five-Colored Altar showed no reaction. It did not flicker with five-colored divine light.
"How can this be?" Ye Fan felt uneasy. He feared it could not be activated.
But reality was cruel. All their efforts were useless. They could not activate this ancient altar platform, could not open the stellar ancient path.
"The divine energy of these five-colored crystals is exhausted. They need effective replenishment to proceed," Yi Qingwu said.
Ye Fan understood this principle. He took out everything he had, but only found a few five-colored stones. These were obtained from the ancient star where the Sun Saint Emperor's corpse lay.
Arranging these crystals on the altar, the Five-Colored Altar only flickered with a faint divine light before dimming again, because the crystals he provided were insignificant.
"What do we do?" In the end, Ye Fan took out almost all the treasures he had, trying each one, hoping to activate the Five-Colored Altar and open the stellar ancient path.
"What creature is this?" Yi Qingwu was surprised, staring at the ancient king sealed in divine source, with a dragon's head and a human body.
"That guy's head is like a dragon's. Could those things growing on his body have a similar effect?" Li Tian shouted strangely.
"Buzz!"
Suddenly, the void trembled. A pitch-black hole appeared out of nowhere, sucking in the ancient king sealed in divine source.
"Trying to escape? Leave the dragon whip behind first! That's the foundation for my Human Desire Path to flourish!" Li Tian shouted.
But the black hole had a tremendous pulling force, dragging him in as well.
"Junior Brother!" Yan Yixi called out. He reached out and grabbed Li Tian tightly, but was also pulled in.
Ye Fan quickly acted, but the same happened to him. As if summoned, he too was dragged in.
"This is the aura of the Northern Domain of the Eastern Wasteland!" At that moment, he was greatly shocked, extremely shaken, because he was too familiar with this aura!
Was this passage connected to the Big Dipper Star Domain? His heart was filled with confusion, very unsettled.
"You stay on this ancient star to attain the Dao. The road ahead is uncertain, hard to predict. Don't follow. I hope to see you when I cross the star domain in the future," Ye Fan said to Yi Qingwu.
Yi Qingwu stood there without moving. Naturally, she did not want to leave. If Ye Fan left this ancient star far behind, she would regain her freedom—unless he returned again.
On the land of the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain, a young man riding an ox westward sensed something the moment the Eight Scenery Palace ascended. He looked up at the sky and let out an angry roar.
Holding half a page of a divine scripture, he muttered to himself, "I will comprehend it. I will kill my way to that ancient star and slaughter you all!"
Returning, loudly asking for boat tickets, boarding for escort. Uh, okay, loudly asking for support. Brothers and sisters, Zhe Tian needs everyone's support. Asking for monthly tickets.
Also, today is Monday. Please cast a few recommendation tickets. Thank you.
.
.