“Ahhh…”
The fist-sized black figure was pierced on the tip of the lance and screamed in agony. This was a pure primordial spirit — once wounded, the consequences were unthinkable. When a person’s “spirit” was extinguished, they would vanish from this world entirely and permanently.
The celestial lord did not want his spirit to be destroyed. He struggled with all his might. This was his very mark of existence — if he were to disappear from the world of the living entirely, it would be an eternity made void. Dark radiance blazed fiercely; he transformed into a black sun, sending out thousands upon thousands of black arrows, while a precious wheel appeared behind his head, spinning in rotation.
At the same time, a sacred river surged from the island of Penglai, like a rainbow bridging the sun, rushing swiftly to strike at Ye Fan and the others — the celestial lord sought to use this to break free.
This was a vast, pure power of faith. The celestial lord had cultivated the ancient Heavenly Book, siphoning the Resolve of the people of this world — and now it served its great purpose, rumbling and resonating with the great Dao of heaven and earth.
“It will be of no use. Today you cannot escape your fate.” The cauldron above Ye Fan’s head trembled lightly — the sacred energy within it more pure and intense than before — and it flew out. In an instant, countless threads of auspicious light shone in all directions, illuminating the heavens.
That surging great river let out a hissing sound, wisps of white smoke rising — evaporated clean away. The pure Resolve within the cauldron was like an ocean; the sacred river was no more than a trivial stream in comparison.
Ye Fan shook the black lance in his hand. The celestial lord screamed at once — the black figure’s radiance immediately dimmed and nearly shattered into four or five pieces, unable to resist.
The saying “I am the fish, and you are the knife” was his truest portrait at this moment. His Dao Self had been destroyed, his divine power turned to ash. With only a primordial spirit remaining, no matter how formidable his Dao cultivation, it was all for nothing.
Ye Fan did not immediately deliver the killing blow — for there were many secrets he needed to extract from the primordial spirit first. This celestial lord still held considerable value.
“Penglai’s core members are to be killed without mercy!” Ye Fan issued this command, letting Long Ma go forth unrestrained to unleash a great slaughter and establish authority.
Long Ma charged forward, transforming into a streak of fire that rushed toward the Penglai sect master and the others. A king of Dao-severance unleashing thunderous might — who could withstand it?
Ye Fan sat down cross-legged and carefully extracted the various pieces of valuable information from the black primordial spirit — remaining completely still for a very long time.
“Have mercy — Dao companion Ye, I was wrong. I should not have done this. Please grant me a way out.” The celestial lord of Penglai begged for his life.
At this juncture, he was terrified beyond all reckoning. With only a primordial spirit, how could he put up any resistance? Pierced on the tip of this mysterious black lance, he might be obliterated body and soul at any moment.
“I did intend to let you go — but you sought out your own path to destruction.” Ye Fan’s face was emotionless as he drew out one seared impression after another from the man’s sea of consciousness.
In his heart, he was astonished. This celestial lord had truly received remarkable fortune — in the age of high antiquity, he had received guidance from a sage-king, and the Divine Light Escape he had cultivated was of wondrous depth and profundity. Without the Step Word Art to surpass it, it would be unrivaled in the world.
“Dao companion Ye, show mercy — I will give you everything I have, including the ancient Heavenly Book and more.” The celestial lord of Penglai trembled as he spoke, now bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the imposing great master of full completion he had been.
“You yourself are my captive — to say nothing of your possessions. What bargaining chips do you have left?” A thread of cold contempt showed at the corner of Ye Fan’s mouth. A person of this character absolutely could not be left alive — in the future he would certainly be a great scourge. Ye Fan never acted without decisive follow-through; once he moved, he was without mercy, and would resolve all potential problems. He could not allow any hidden threat to remain.
With a faint hissing sound, he drew a particular seared impression from the black primordial spirit — the text of the ancient Heavenly Book — and his entire mind and spirit were instantly transfixed. He quietly began to deduce and comprehend it.
This was a demonic scripture. The methods it recorded were deeply profound and arcane. The way it employed Resolve was entirely its own — no wonder Penglai had also wished to spread the Dao; this was a formidably difficult and esoteric lineage.
Ye Fan obtained a startling piece of secret knowledge: the demonic embryo sealed in the underwater ancient palace had come from beyond the domain. It was a sage in every true sense of the word, and the Heavenly Book lineage had originated with it.
Furthermore, its background was formidable — even the sage-king who had made his move in the age of high antiquity had harbored misgivings and had not dared to completely destroy it. He had only sealed it within its demonic palace.
“In that era, Penglai truly was frequented by sages and wise men of all kinds.” Ye Fan murmured to himself.
At last, he completed his thorough extraction of all the seared impressions. With one forceful shuddering release — amidst a cry of venomous hatred and bitter unwillingness — the fist-sized black figure was reduced to tribulation ash, struck from existence for all eternity.
In the distance, the great battle was drawing to its close. Long Ma galloped without restraint, fire blazing to the sky. Wherever it passed, the earth split and the heavens collapsed, the sea flooded up to the heavens — toppling the rotten and pulling out the decayed. Ye Fan’s expression was cold as he gazed into the distance. He extended one finger, and the sect master of Penglai let out a great cry and was reduced to flying ash on the spot.
He moved forward personally. Several sect-master-level figures were also insufficient to stop him. Some of the strong of Penglai put up a desperate last stand and charged toward him — but they could not withstand even a single sword wave from Ye Fan.
Thud!
He pressed his two fingers together like a sword, and with only a light tremor, a golden sword wave spread outward in all directions like ripples on water — breaking through everything, attacking without discrimination. A whole swath of powerful cultivators was reduced to bloody mire, drifting waves of blood mist rising from them.
“Ahhh…” The lesser celestial lord cried out — partly in rage, partly in frustration — for a small purple squirrel before him was leaping and bounding, blinking its large eyes with a lively, clever energy that he simply couldn’t land a blow on, and it was driving him to absolute madness.
Huang Tiannü laughed lightly, noting with evident amusement that Little Master Martial Uncle was truly adorable — even conducting a duel this endearingly. She and Zhang Qingyang and the others closed in together and struck the lesser celestial lord into grievous injury in one combined assault.
At that moment, the lesser celestial lord’s face drained of all remaining color. Not a trace of blood was left in it. He wanted to beg for mercy — but he opened his mouth and could not produce a single word. Not so long ago he had spoken every cruel and violent word imaginable, vowing to wipe out the Heavenly Court — and now he could only tremble with fear.
“Do not slaughter the innocent. Strike down the core members only; give everyone else a path out.” Ye Fan transmitted to Long Ma.
This horse, however you looked at it, seemed like anything but a good-natured creature. It galloped across the sea, pursuing the leaders of Penglai in all directions. A king of Dao-severance unleashing its divine powers — no matter how many enemies there were, it made no difference.
Thud!
Ye Fan walked forward and personally acted with one finger, reducing the lesser celestial lord to flying ash. Then he struck down several great masters who had been captured by Long Ma, smashing them into powder — entirely without mercy.
A quarter of an hour later, the sea domain grew quiet. The sect master of Penglai and the core leadership had all been cut down — not one survived. The ordinary disciples were nearly all unharmed; Ye Fan had no desire to violate the natural order of things.
Half an hour later, they pressed forward with all the captives and entered the sacred land of Penglai. Long Ma was at it again — all four hooves stamping and kicking, and anyone who dared to block its way received one kick that sent them flying.
“Rein yourself in a bit!” Ye Fan erupted with fury.
Long Ma was excessively savage. As it galloped through, it was nearly one stamp per hoof and ten or more mountain peaks crumbled per stride. This was a sacred land — it would serve as the Heavenly Court’s future foundation.
In the end, the precious land grew still. Among the sect’s leadership and their ilk, over a hundred had been executed. The remaining disciples were shaking with fear, each one living in constant anxiety, not knowing what the coming days would hold. A sect that had been passed down since the age of high antiquity had been occupied just like that — it was something like a legend.
From this day on, Ye Fan issued the order to seal off the mountain. He sat cross-legged atop Penglai’s main peak and began to chant scripture, gathering all the immortal sect’s disciples and members inside the mountain gate.
“Gao zheng zuo shi. Po ni sha ling. Bei zhao jun jiang. Ji nan chan kui. Jing yi sun guang. Hun yuan jue yuan…“
Ye Fan blazed with radiant light from head to toe, his body like a divine form. He chanted the Scripture of Salvation, and lotus flower after lotus flower blossomed from his mouth, transforming into scripture after scripture imprinted upon the void, carrying a mysterious power that cleansed the soul of every person present.
He had no desire to drown Penglai in blood — he could not bring himself to do it. Yet neither did he wish to leave his disciples and the others with so great a threat. He would eventually depart for the starry expanse, and with this many Penglai disciples remaining — who, other than himself, could hold them in check?
The most reliable course of action was to convert and transform them all entirely — bringing them into the Heavenly Court as members. Not only would the threat disappear, but an extraordinarily powerful force would be gained in its place!
The main peak of Penglai was saturated with immortal energy. Ten thousand streaks of colored light fell from the sky. On the ground, one after another sweet springs welled up. Strange flowers of every variety bloomed, orchids and fragrant grasses covered the earth, hundreds of birds gathered in reverence, auspicious and harmonious scenes manifesting in every direction.
Recite the scripture once, and faithful believers find clarity of mind. Recite it twice, and worry falls away, ears and eyes grow sharp. Recite it three times, and all who hear it bow their heads, their inner state serene and clear. Recite it four times, and hidden ailments depart, the bones of the embryo grow light. Recite it five times, and fallen teeth grow back anew.
Ye Fan had long since severed the Dao — what he spoke became law, and all manner of divine powers and wondrous abilities were transmitted through the scripture, their uses without limit. After forty-nine days, every hidden threat had dissolved.
The Heavenly Court was thus set upon its proper course. With a place of miraculous earthly beauty secured, growing strong and flourishing was inevitable — the spiritual energy here was especially dense and abundant.
Ye Fan did not depart immediately. He remained for over a full year more — partly to explore the demonic sage’s sealed ground beneath the ocean, and partly to hunt down the few that had slipped through the net from Penglai.
On the day of the assault, not all of the sect’s disciples had been on the island. Several important figures had gone out, and thus escaped the catastrophe.
Having made his move, Ye Fan naturally intended to uproot the old immortal sect entirely. He was iron-blooded and merciless. During this period, acting in concert with Long Ma, they searched through the heavens above and the earth below — and one by one, struck down every cherished disciple and favored grandchild of the celestial lord.
This event shook the entire cultivation world. Penglai had changed hands. The old Dao lineage had been destroyed, its name changed to the Heavenly Court. Ye Fan’s decisive, iron-fisted action left many people unsettled.
Most uneasy of all were Fangzhang and Yingzhou — the other two of the three immortal islands beyond the sea. Both grew restless, dispatching powerful figures to seek an audience with Ye Fan and probe his intentions. Surely this person did not intend to unite the entire ancient star under one banner?
In the end, Ye Fan released a message that was entirely measured and peaceful. He made it unambiguously clear to all those watching and waiting: he would not start trouble if others did not trouble him, and this particular action had been taken purely in self-defense.
Ye Fan remained at Penglai for three years, thoroughly surveying the demonic palace at the bottom of the sea, until he was certain the demonic embryo was exhausted and near its end — it would not last much longer. He ultimately reinforced its seals several times over.
During those three years, he traveled extensively beyond the seas — visiting Fangzhang, making his way to Yingzhou — yet in the end he still found no means of departure. No stellar coordinates had been found anywhere.
Perhaps some information could be obtained from the sealed demonic sage at the ocean’s floor — but to bargain with a demon was far too dangerous. He was unwilling to play with fire and court his own destruction. Under no circumstances could he allow that being to be released.
“To leave, perhaps only that one path remains.” Ye Fan murmured to himself. He had been back on this side of the starry expanse for thirteen years now. It was time to depart.
On this day, he summoned all of his disciples, bestowed upon them secret treasures, and passed down various secret arts — the Divine Light Escape, the Human King Seal, the Heaven-Overturning Seal, and others. He told them that their fated bond had run its course, and that he was about to set foot upon the starry expanse.
“Master — take us with you!” All of his disciples were struck with great alarm, none of them having expected this day to come so suddenly.
“My original intention was to bring you all along — but now that we have the Penglai immortal mountain, you have no need to enter the starry expanse. This place differs little from the heaven and earth of the age of high antiquity and is highly suited for cultivation. That other stellar domain is far too dangerous — filled with great wars. Even I can only stumble forward through blood and bones, and one moment of carelessness would mean irredeemable calamity. That place is a great era: kings rise on all sides, and all the ten thousand races exist together. The path to becoming a great emperor is lined with countless bones — and with the immortal gate set to open, it is full of variables and crises.”
All of his disciples understood full well. Ye Fan’s path was the path of an emperor — and it might mean facing a terrifying situation in which the entire world stood against him. An endless sea of blood battles lay ahead.
“Master, I want to come with you!” Long Que was a person of few words at ordinary times, but now she was absolutely resolved, unwilling to let go.
Zhang Yang also pressed his case firmly, insisting he intended to enter the starry expanse — willing to go to that other side and preach the Dao there. However great the danger, he was willing to walk this road.
In the end, Ye Fan deliberated at length and agreed to take Long Que and Zhang Qingyang with him.
Little Pine burst into loud, heaving sobs, clutching the hem of Ye Fan’s robe with both hands, refusing no matter what to let go — crying and pleading, begging to come along.
“There will come a day when we meet again. As long as you can become a sage, you will be able to cross the stellar domains and seek me out among those seven ancient stars.” Ye Fan smiled gently and raised one finger to point at the Northern Dipper stars in the sky above.