“Now heaven and earth in their cycles of movement also have times of decline and end; the sun, moon, and five stars also have times of waning and fullness; even the supreme sages and divine men also have times of rest and cessation…”
In the void, a bronze lamp swayed, scattering flecks of dim light. The scripture of the Celestial Venerable stirred in all directions, piercing through the starry sky, delivering demons and evil spirits from suffering, and suppressing the calamity of the undying corpses.
Ye Fan listened to the Sutra of Deliverance, focusing his mind in contemplation. He thought of many things — this seemingly most useless sutra would one day shine brilliantly in the future, suppressing the corpse calamity.
From the Age of Myth, to the final period of the Celestial Court, to the years of the Primordial Emperors, and then to the Era of the Great Emperors, one supreme being after another had risen, founding immortal epochs of glory, only to grow old one by one. So much had happened.
Such heroic figures, looking down upon the eternal heavens, how could they willingly accept death and the extinguishing of their Dao? They swept across three thousand realms, pushed back against the nine heavens; above the heavens and below the earth, they alone reigned supreme — naturally they would not submit to fate.
Once one reached that realm, eternal life became their sole pursuit, and so all manner of methods and techniques were born from that desire. Some of these have already surfaced by now.
The Reincarnation Seal, burying oneself in a place that seizes the ultimate creative power of heaven and earth — these were all connected to the corpse calamity, as if foretelling something.
“Through vast and boundless kalpas, in the midst of chaos, above there is no more color, below there is no more abyss. Wind and marsh open into emptiness, the vajra ascends to heaven. Above the heavens, below the heavens, there is no darkness and no gloom, no form and no shadow, no limit and no boundary, in the great primordial Brahma…”
The Sutra of Deliverance sounded on without pause. Ye Fan seemed to enter a state of stillness, listening to its meaning, silently pondering. For a moment, heaven and earth held only the recitation of the scripture — even the Yellow Springs themselves seemed about to run dry, suppressed by its power.
The ancient lamp swayed, radiating divine light, setting Ye Fan off like a luminous immortal body of glazed jade, untouched by a speck of dust, transcendent and unworldly beneath the starry sky.
The ghostly face made of countless faces in the void trembled violently, nearly withering, then retreated backward, letting out a low growl of gods and demons before vanishing into the void.
Ye Fan recalled a line from the Sutra of Deliverance and murmured softly: “The dead soul is refined, the living body is delivered, enduring through kalpa after kalpa, turning with each cycle.”
A platform of divine light emerged, radiant beams shooting out in all directions, opening a star gate. He flashed and entered, vanishing from that place, and in an instant returned to the outskirts of Xu City.
No one dared to rashly force their way into the tomb of the ancient Great Emperor — otherwise there would be no return, even if one were a Source Astral Master, it would be difficult to move the Emperor’s corpse. Only by the combined strength of many heroes together could it be broken open.
Nebula Tower was a treasured building refined from fragments of stars, its entire body crystalline and translucent, radiating a soft silver-white glow, carrying a pure and holy power.
It stood at the center of Xu City, renowned far and wide. Powerful cultivators loved to come and sit here for a while. It was said to have been left behind by a Quasi-Emperor.
Back then, no one knew that old man was a Quasi-Emperor — even the city’s guide envoy had no idea — until one day he sat in meditation and passed away, becoming a handful of ash. In his final moments he released wisps of imperial might that made the stars tremble in chaos, and only then were people shaken.
Of course, that had happened some hundred and ten or twenty thousand years ago. No matter which era a Quasi-Emperor appeared in, it was always an earth-shaking event, stirring chaos across the heavens and shaking the mortal world.
In any star region, such a being would draw worship, for the path to enlightenment was too difficult — throughout the ages, those who managed to reach this level could be counted and recorded in history.
Unknown in life, he was only understood after death. The peerless masters of that era, various Dao Protectors, and great sages from every school all came to pay their respects.
People learned some secret matters from his neighbors — this low-key Quasi-Emperor had once sighed alone in solitude during his life, wondering why someone called Wushi had arisen, how could he be so powerful.
Only then did people come to understand — this might be a supreme being who had once contended with Wushi for the position of Supreme, and yet, no matter how peerless and dazzling he was, he still could not defeat that Great Emperor who made even the gods tremble.
Born into the wrong era, he could only fade quietly into obscurity.
Otherwise, he might have become a Human Emperor — but unfortunately he encountered Wushi, a being so defiant of heaven that he was rarely seen in ten thousand ages, and could only retreat, growing old alone and in solitude here.
Ye Fan had naturally come here drawn by the tower’s fame, and after learning something of the situation, he was filled with curiosity and wanted to take a look.
The pair of stone lions before the gate bore the marks of passing years, even growing moss, yet still commanded respect — after all, this was a place where a Quasi-Emperor had once lived.
Nebula Tower, however, showed no signs of age; its luster remained undimmed, its starlight never fading. Climbing the stone steps, one felt a gentle and peaceful power — any hidden internal injuries in the body could instantly heal.
Naturally, learned men had studied it and declared this was not an offensive treasure, could not even be called a weapon, but was rather a wonderful building for cultivating health and vitality.
Almost anyone who came to Xu City would come here to take a look.
Ye Fan climbed the stairs and ascended into the jade tower. Starlight scattered inside, making him feel his life essence filling and overflowing, his body light and nimble. There were spatial arrays here, which made the tower feel very spacious, able to accommodate many people.
Naturally, Nebula Tower held many cultivators — three at one table, five in a group, each discussing among themselves. Most who came here did so to join in the excitement, listening to fellow cultivators share the latest news and secret rumors.
Ye Fan found an inconspicuous table, drank alone, and quietly listened to the discussions of the crowd, learning that many great figures were preparing to explore the Yellow Springs realm.
“The true burial chamber of the ancient Great Emperor has appeared. All the great powers can finally no longer sit still. Who knows who will gain the most this time.”
“I think it’s a great disaster. Since ancient times, if a Human Emperor doesn’t wish his tomb split open, who could easily steal his grave?”
The crowd debated, unanimously guessing that this would likely bring bloodshed and turmoil — a season of many troubles where many might rush here and perish.
At this time, what people discussed most was naturally the great tomb and the Emperor’s corpse, with many speculations, quite a few gleaned from the Human Race’s Dao Protectors.
“It’s rumored this should be an extremely ancient Great Emperor, one whose age may far exceed people’s expectations.”
Some believed that this Great Emperor’s body might have developed some problem, most likely failing to transcend into the Dao — the Emperor’s corpse had slipped, cracking open the great tomb, exposing it to the mortal world.
“They call it a mausoleum, but it might actually be a vast secret realm, perhaps quite expansive — otherwise how could it let a yellow river of such size hang down from it?”
People debated endlessly.
Some also mentioned Ye Fan — his battle against the Overlord had caused enormous impact and become the focus of everyone’s talk. Many felt he had probably already arrived, simply not yet showing himself.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the staircase — more people coming up. People coming and going was ordinarily a very common thing.
However, the moment this group appeared, it drew the attention of many. Leading them was a peerless beauty, as if a fairy walking on waves ascending to the heavenly gate, light and ethereal, transcending the mortal world.
“Hmm, isn’t that Fairy Qingshi? She’s come to Xu City again — is it for the Emperor’s tomb?”
“It really is the Banished Immortal Fairy, one of the strongest figures deep in the Ancient Road of the Human Race. She’s allied with Ditian, passed through more than ten golden secret realms, and gained heaven-defying fortune.”
Fairy Qingshi’s fame resounded throughout the Ancient Road. Over the years, for the sake of the Emperor’s tomb, she had come to Xu City more than once, and now that she appeared again here, many naturally recognized her, and with her peerless beauty, it was impossible not to draw everyone’s attention.
She was known as the Banished Immortal Fairy, and no matter where she went she was always the center of attention — whether in her own cultivation or her appearance, both were rarely seen on the Ancient Road.
Only when she ascended the stairs did people notice those following behind her — each carrying a commanding presence or a calm serenity, each with a different temperament, clearly no ordinary mortals at a glance.
“Those are several great experts under Ditian’s command. Two of them are… the Qilin Sacred Envoy and the Vermilion Bird Sacred Envoy, returning with Fairy Qingshi. This means Ditian himself might reappear too.”
These several had also once been famous across the Ancient Road, but in the end had all been subdued by Ditian, with the Qilin Sacred Envoy and Vermilion Bird Sacred Envoy being the strongest among them.
Fairy Qingshi moved gracefully, her treasured robes like condensed moonlight, light and holy, her dark hair fluttering, her eyes bright and teeth like pearls, walking directly to sit in a quiet spot.
The others followed along; only Fairy Qingshi’s maid, Ling’er, was quite lively — the rest were composed and rarely spoke.
Their table was not very far from Ye Fan, close enough that they could see each other. But after entering the city, Ye Fan had kept a very low profile, not wanting to become the center of attention, and had not revealed his true form. Even sitting near them, no one realized it was him.
Soon, people shifted their attention away, no longer excessively focused on Fairy Qingshi’s group, because even Dao Protectors and Sacred Spirits had come to Xu City, perhaps even within this very tower.
“I wonder if the Sacred Body from Zangdi Star has arrived yet. Who would have thought he’d actually defeated the Overlord of the same rank — that’s far beyond anyone’s expectations!” the Vermilion Bird Sacred Envoy spoke up. He was a striking young man with phoenix-like eyes, sitting quietly there with a commanding air even without anger.
“Naturally extraordinary. Aside from our Lord, he too possesses a Source of Dao. However, in terms of innate endowment, he is still a level lower — he is not recognized by the Source of Dao.” another spoke.
The Qilin Sacred Envoy, tall and imposing with cold eyes, said, “Our Lord once sent men to recruit him, but was refused. He killed those men — arrogant and untamed, destined to become an enemy.”
“Those men lost quite a bit of face.” the lively maid Ling’er teased; she had personally witnessed that incident.
The several great experts under Ditian’s command showed indifferent expressions, unwilling to argue in front of Fairy Qingshi.
“Having once refused our Lord, a battle was already destined!” the Qilin Sacred Envoy said in a deep voice.
“But we have to admit, he is truly extraordinary, peerless and dazzling! If such an enemy is allowed to grow, it will truly be a frightening thing.” said the Vermilion Bird Sacred Envoy.
Fairy Qingshi said nothing, detached from worldly matters. All these people were very respectful toward her, not daring to disturb her. At this moment, her eyes shifted, casually sweeping a glance across Ye Fan.
Ye Fan’s heart stirred — had this woman recognized him? If she could truly see through to his true form, then her spiritual perception was terrifyingly sharp.
“Being so heaven-defying, if we could find some way to subdue him for our Lord’s use, that would surely shake the entire Ancient Road of the Human Race!” the Qilin Sacred Envoy said coldly.
Suddenly, the staircase shook, and the entire Nebula Tower trembled. A figure appeared there — not particularly tall, even somewhat thin, yet it struck fear into every heart, causing all the great heroes present to shudder.
A bloody aura permeated his entire body — no telling how many he had killed, as if he had slaughtered countless beings, killed gods and spirits, walking out from a sea of blood and mountains of corpses.
Even a sage encountering him could not help but feel a chill; this man was like a god or demon, swallowing heaven and earth with his aura, his gaze terrifying to behold — yet in the next instant his eyes turned hollow like an abyss.
He wore armor, his body blurred, yet one could feel his supreme fighting spirit, as if he had once slaughtered tens of millions of living beings, breaking free from hell’s shackles to charge out as a god-demon.
“The Great Demon God, Gu Huang — he’s back too!” someone exclaimed in shock.
As he walked forward, many people startled and stood up, clearing many seats, because everyone knew of his bloodlust — his formidable reputation and supreme divine might were painted in blood, with countless corpses beneath his feet.
He went straight to a seat and sat down without a word. The tables around him emptied completely; no one dared sit nearby.
“He’s back too…” the Vermilion Bird Sacred Envoy and the others wore ugly expressions — this was the most terrifying Great Demon God, one who had killed his way through until the Ancient Road itself broke, truly making people’s hair stand on end.