The stellar domain was boundless, glittering with light, and no one could ever walk to its end. The beautiful starry sky did not hold as many secrets as one might think.
Throughout the ages, on this star road, one generation of young people after another had cherished their dreams, striding toward the distance, marching toward their goals, struggling with a heart full of passion, fighting with their very lives, giving meaning to their ideals, blooming one gorgeous flower of life after another.
On this road, countless boats contended in the current, heroes competed for supremacy. The Peerless Tyrant King was about to face off against the Sacred Body from the Emperor’s Burial Star, the uproar piercing the heavens, stirring up world-shaking waves, stirring the hearts of countless cultivators.
This battle was unavoidable — everyone was waiting!
The human race’s Fiftieth City sat within the universe, not upon any planet, starlight blazing brilliantly above, cascading down from the heavens in silver waterfalls, extraordinarily beautiful.
But who knew that this place had buried far too much blood and bone, bearing the vicissitudes and weight of eternity — both now, and in the era of the ancient Celestial Court, this place had always been of great importance.
Ye Fan sighed softly, gazing at the boundless universe, the brilliant river of stars, murmuring to himself: “So many outstanding talents have fought along the heavenly road, cherishing their dreams, hearts full of passion, yet in the end their blood stained foreign lands, becoming cold bones.”
Over these years, he had walked the ancient road, witnessing too much life and death, too many brilliant heroes lying as corpses — even now, he felt a trace of weariness.
“This won’t do — you need full fighting spirit!” Yang Yunteng said. This old man was quite worried about the Tyrant King’s approach and the coming confrontation with the Sacred Body, and spoke up to remind him.
“I’m merely feeling a bit sentimental. When I truly face him, my fighting spirit will soar, and I’ll fight to the end,” Ye Fan said.
The starry sky had buried too many outstanding talents. Years later, the only one who reached the very peak, looking back, would find that behind him lay a blood-soaked road, countless bones scattered.
Was this glory? Savoring such cruelty alone, in silence.
“Actually, this isn’t really a bloody road — it’s simply the result of fierce competition. Everyone rises up, heroes vie for supremacy, and it evolves to this point,” the Guide Envoy said.
This road had already existed since the era of the ancient Celestial Court, an ancient relic, originally meant to be a road to heaven that could let later generations rise — but it had only grown crueler over time.
The Guide Envoy continued, “In truth, for the sake of eternal life, for immortality, for the sake of taking that one step forward — even if blood flows like a flood and too many die, it’s still worth it.”
Everyone in this world struggled toward that crossing, yet to this day all had failed. Even the Ancient Emperor could not achieve eternal life, defeated by the merciless passage of time.
Becoming immortal — since ancient times, the dream of generation after generation of outstanding talents and heaven’s chosen ones, yet forever unattainable.
What the Guide Envoy said was perhaps somewhat callous, but it wasn’t untrue either — if someone managed to take that step, what would it matter if a generation, or several generations, had to be sacrificed? It would point out a true path to immortality for those who came after.
If truly successful, the significance would be profound, immeasurable, achievements towering above the ages, surpassing even those of the Ancient Emperor.
Ye Fan walked alone toward the ancient city gate, about to enter the starry sky from here. Ascending to immortality was still too far off — not something within reach at his current cultivation level — but for now, there were other matters to attend to.
“Fellow cultivator, where are you headed?” Suddenly, an old man spoke up, someone he had never seen before, following from behind.
“Into the starry sky,” Ye Fan answered.
“Hmm, this old one has heard you’re about to contend with the Tyrant King. Why leave at a time like this?” the old man asked.
“Wherever I stand becomes a battlefield. He can come kill me at any time — I have no time to wait for him,” Ye Fan said, sensing something was off, deliberately speaking this way.
“That’s not quite right, is it? Since you’ve agreed to this battle, you should naturally choose a place where all can witness it. How can you break the appointment?” the old man said.
Ye Fan smiled coldly. “When did I ever say the battle must happen here? Aren’t you worrying a bit too much?”
With that, he stepped through the city gate, arriving in the starry sky in a single step, since the Fiftieth City was built directly beneath the starry sky, appearing majestic and serenely sacred.
“Envoy Li Jun, why are you here? The Guide Envoy is waiting for you,” a captain guarding the city gate said to the old man.
“Very well, I’ll go now,” the old man nodded.
Silver radiance cascaded in wisps — this stretch of starry sky was laid with formations that could gather the river of stars, enveloping the ancient city. Standing within this region, one’s whole body would be wreathed in starlight, appearing hazy and sacred.
Ye Fan stood outside the ancient city for a moment, submerged in pure white radiance, feeling a sense of peace and tranquility. In the eyes of mortals, they were already immortals, but cultivators didn’t see it that way.
If there truly were immortals, were they too pursuing something?
Ye Fan glanced back — the city gate had already closed. He murmured softly to himself, “On this ancient road, the various Guide Envoys and Dao Guardians aren’t quite of one mind.”
Zhao Gongyi, the Guide Envoy of the human race’s Fiftieth City, along with some of the most powerful Dao Guardians, did not wish for the two supreme physiques to clash right now. Yet elsewhere, some hoped for this world-shaking battle to proceed — one could glimpse this from the very messenger who had come.
It seemed some guardians of the starry ancient road might even show open hostility.
Ye Fan entering the starry sky was naturally not about leaving — the most pressing matter now was preparation for battle, to contend with the Tyrant King, to fight to the death in the starry expanse, competing for the supreme position.
In the universe, starlight glimmered. Ye Fan gazed upon the massive divine chart left behind from the era of the ancient Celestial Court — two ancient stars of life served as the poles, clusters of meteorites forming the yin-yang dividing line. This place had buried too many secrets.
“This place shall be my battlefield!”
Ye Fan advanced, sun and moon reversing, starlight shooting forth — he had cultivated the Movement Rune Formula to a state of transcendent mastery, surveying this place, preparing to conduct a formal deployment.
In a battle between equals, he feared no one. But should someone violate the ancient road’s agreement, come rushing back from ahead to suppress him with a higher cultivation realm, then he would be in danger.
“Source Heaven Ancient Formation, come back to life. Show your former glory once more.” Ye Fan moved in and out among the meteorite clusters, earnestly restoring one primordial formation after another, many of which had long since faded, brought back to life beneath his hands, radiant light flickering once more.
Reviving an ancient formation required complete dedication of body and soul — in some sense, one had to engrave one’s very life essence and spirit into it, hence the term “spirit-linked formation.”
He had no intention of restoring the entire divine formation across this stellar region — that was clearly impossible, the scale of the undertaking far too vast. He only needed to lay out a single battlefield, and that would suffice.
Among these, there was one formation he valued most highly. When the Fourth Generation Source Heaven Patriarch, Wu Yi, had stood in the Underworld’s Dead City Plaza, the Dao patterns there had been intricate and profound, streaks of blood flowing along the formation’s diagram, augmenting divine power, grand and magnificent.
It could be said that in that battle, Wu Yi had come close to invincibility even without heaven-defying cultivation, fighting Ye Fan to the death, that formation diagram playing an enormous role, continuously amplifying his combat power.
“Fellow Daoist Ye, please stay.”
A wave of divine will rippled through the starry sky, and a group approached. The old man he had seen at the city gate earlier was indeed among them — it was he who had spoken to stop him.
Ye Fan halted, looking toward them. There were six people in total — besides the old man, Liu Yun was also present, and among them was a woman of exceptional beauty, delicate and alluring.
The one leading them was not particularly outstanding in appearance — average height, ordinary looks — but this person’s cultivation was not to be underestimated; he was a very powerful Sage King.
“Do you have business with me?” Ye Fan asked.
“We heard Brother Ye is about to leave this stretch of starry sky. We specifically came to persuade you otherwise — since you’ve agreed to battle the Tyrant King, isn’t it improper to slip away quietly like this?” the lovely woman said indifferently.
Ye Fan understood — these people all stood on the Tyrant King’s side, believing he intended to travel far away, chasing after him to stop his departure.
“Who are you?”
“Immortal Xu Li is the youngest daughter of the Guide Envoy of the human race’s Eighty-First City,” Liu Yun explained from the side.
Ye Fan nodded upon hearing this. “My affairs have nothing to do with the Eighty-First City, do they?”
Clearly, the Eighty-First City held extraordinary importance — its Guide Envoy was certainly no ordinary figure, and now his daughter had come, representing the leanings of certain guardians.
“How does it have nothing to do with you? The confrontation between the Sacred Body and the Tyrant King has already spread across the entire ancient road. I too am among those watching this battle, and I have the right to oversee it.” Xu Li arched her delicate brows, raising her smooth white chin like a proud peacock.
“Ridiculous,” Ye Fan commented.
“Who are you calling ridiculous? You’re the one fleeing without a fight, not daring to battle the Tyrant King, yet you speak nonsense to me!” Xu Li’s pretty face was full of disdain.
Ye Fan looked at her coldly. “You’ve come to provoke me — do you think you can help the Tyrant King kill me?”
“The Tyrant King’s heroic bearing is magnificent — he wouldn’t need to lift a finger to kill you. We simply don’t want you to slip away, so we’ve come to stop you from leaving,” Xu Li said, and at the mention of the Tyrant King, her expression brightened, her beautiful eyes shining with unmistakable admiration.
“Fangirl,” Ye Fan said casually, tossing out the two words.
Xu Li’s face went black with fury, gritting her teeth, looking like a female leopard ready to pounce.
“Brother Ye, a true man born into this world should act boldly and gloriously — how could he fear battle,” the old messenger said. It was he who had spread the news to the others and chased after them.
“That’s not really any of your business, is it?” Ye Fan glanced at him.
“I think Brother Ye isn’t really trying to leave — you’re surveying the battlefield, aren’t you?” the ordinary-looking man leading the group spoke up.
“Tch, he’s trying to flee the ancient road, slipping away just like that. When the Tyrant King arrives, who will contend with him — his heart is filled with fear,” Xu Li said, unrelenting, still furious from Ye Fan’s earlier remark.
Ye Fan ignored Xu Li, instead looking at the man leading the group. “And who are you?”
“Qi Zheng,” the man answered.
“This is the eldest grandson of Qi Tian, a Dao Guardian of the human race’s ancient road,” Liu Yun said from the side, making no attempt to hide it, pointing out the man’s extraordinary background.
“Quite the pedigree,” Ye Fan said.
None of these people were simple figures — the youngest daughter of the Eighty-First City’s Guide Envoy, the eldest grandson of a Dao Guardian on the ancient road — their arrival made clear just how serious the guardians’ factional leanings had become; their descendants coming here proved as much.
Ye Fan sighed softly. Zhao Gongyi of the human race’s Fiftieth City had taken good care of him, but naturally some on the road ahead would stand with the Tyrant King — this was unavoidable.
“I understand your intentions clearly now. If I truly wished to leave this stretch of starry sky, what could you do about it?” Ye Fan asked calmly.
“Is Brother Ye truly afraid?” the old messenger said.
“I knew he’d flee — who on the ancient road dares contend with the Tyrant King? Even Diitian, the Great Demon God, and the Human King must retreat!” Xu Li raised her snow-white, jade-like chin, letting out a cold laugh.
Qi Zheng said calmly, “We all know Brother Ye is joking — there’s no way you’d actually leave. Still, I must remind you: if you truly intend to go, we will intercept you and not allow you to leave this stretch of starry sky. Because the Tyrant King has said the decisive battle must happen here.”
Ye Fan smiled faintly. “Are you telling jokes? Anyone who didn’t know better might think the Tyrant King had become the human race’s Emperor. You can kneel and worship him all you like, but don’t force his will upon me. You may treat his words as imperial decree, but in my eyes, they’re worthless scraps of paper. To me, he’s simply an opponent — nothing more.”
The group’s expressions all darkened.
“Hmm, will you all come up together to intercept me, fighting to the death, or would you rather obediently go mine ore for me instead? Disobey, and there’ll be beheadings and beatings.” Ye Fan looked at them; though his words were light, an invisible authority lingered within them.