In the starry sky, before the Heavenly Court, three immense divine temples stood, faith energy converging into them, auspicious vapors rising like a great furnace, controlling the birth and death of all things beneath heaven and earth.
This was a rare miracle of the world. The Heavenly Emperor had deified the divine spirits — his words made reality — and like ten thousand tons of thunder, the three vast halls shook heaven and earth, pregnant with the workings of creation.
At this time, a great gathering was being held within the Heavenly Court. People lamented that the grand era was drawing to a close. Many had slowly grown old, and here they had assembled, drinking and speaking of years gone by.
Pure white immortal mist drifted and flowed. Divine orchids and jade grass grew along the stone steps. Sacred birds and auspicious beasts moved among them. Outside the heavenly palace it was exceptionally lively — jade tables stretched one after another, arranged all the way out into the far distance.
Pang Bo, still imposing as ever, stood over a zhang tall, the bronze skin of his body flowing with precious light. He was pulling Zhang Wenchang, Zhang Ziling, Dongfang Ye, Ji Haoyue, and others into drinking together, talking loudly and freely.
Tu Fei, his tongue thick with drink, was pulling Li Heishui along, talking of old times, weeping one moment and laughing the next. Of the five petty bandits, only these two remained.
“Might I ask, immortal lady, your honored name? On such a fine occasion, to encounter a peerless beauty — this truly ranks among life’s greatest joys. Immortal lady, allow me to offer you a toast.” Li Tian’s hair was white as snow, but his heart was as young as ever. He swayed as he made his way to Yao Xi and tried to strike up a conversation, his eyes gleaming with roguish light.
“Your wife is coming.” Nearby, Yan Yixi remained elegant as ever and murmured a quiet reminder.
Li Tian rose with decisive swiftness, turned away from Yao Xi with firm resolve, and headed in the other direction — though all the while he was wailing quietly under his breath: “A lioness in the home — this is my punishment!”
“Ha ha ha…” Those nearby all burst out laughing.
Xiao Que’er gave them all a look of disdain, then took Yao Xi’s arm and led her elsewhere. In that other area were Gu Lin and Gu Fei, the siblings; Xia Jiuyou, who had finally let go of her grief; the lightning phoenix bird “Xiao Budian,” raised by Ji Ziyue; and a little plant called Xiao Cao from the Ziwei Star Domain who had once kept Nannan company as a child — all of them relatively quiet and composed.
“Elder Duan, Cao Yusheng — when are we going to pull off one more big job?” Long Ma, drunk and swaying, asked Duan De.
The Black Emperor draped a great paw over the roguish Daoist’s shoulder and leaned against him, tongue thick with drink: “If you’ve got any immortal treasures stashed away, stop sitting on them. Let’s make one final move — we ought to retire after this.”
“Ah, there’s no time left. I’ve been out lately searching for a place with good feng shui to bury myself. The next life will have to wait for us to meet again — assuming you lot are still alive by then.” Duan De shook his head and sighed, reeking of wine.
Nearby, Wang Shu and Lei Bo poured drinks for the Black Emperor and the others. After so many years, the “Silver-Blooded Twin Sovereigns” had both grown old, yet they still held their ferocious Black Dog Master in deep reverence.
“Looking back on those years — the Revered Emperor was young, and ‘Undying’ was still wearing open-crotch trousers, while this Daoist alone stood supreme, pointing at mountains and rivers, looking down upon all creation. With a laugh and a word, how many great tombs and ancient mausoleums crumbled to ash — all within the thought of my mind. Ask the world: who is the true hero? Behold — this Daoist, whose brilliance is unmatched…” Duan De muttered drunkenly.
“Time is a blade that slaughters pigs — it has whitened the hero’s hair and bent this Emperor’s back. Yet even if I were peerless across ten thousand ages… damn it, I still haven’t laid eyes on the Innate Holy Body Dao Embryo!” The Black Emperor, deep in his cups, grumbled bitterly.
A heavenly soldier came to report — Li Ruoyu had arrived. Zhang Wenchang and the others were overjoyed and went in person to receive him.
Before long, Bai Ye came seeking them out. He was the youth from the first of the nine Emperor Gates on the ancient road. In his early years he had not been suitable for cultivation, but encouraged and guided by Ye Fan, he had persevered through sheer force of will — and today he had become a powerhouse of his generation.
Though not formally Ye Fan’s disciple, the bond between them was that of master and student. He sat together with Hua Hua, Yang Xi, Zhang Qingyang, and Long Yuxuan, matching cups one after another, full of lively spirit.
Ye Tong and Jiang Tingting were also present. One bore the Solar Constitution; the other, the Lunar Constitution. They had long since become husband and wife — yet after so many years, they still had no children. This was a matter of regret to everyone. People dearly wished to see what manner of heaven-defying bloodline their offspring might possess.
Many people had come to this gathering — yet there were those who had been lost. Among the original Twelve Saints, after several rounds of replacement, now only the Nine-Tailed Flood Dragon, the Golden-Winged Great Roc, and Long Ma remained.
Within the grand heavenly hall, people clinked cups and exchanged toasts, laughing and weeping in equal measure, their feelings deep and sincere.
Ye Fan at one point asked those assembled whether they wished for immortality. The answers varied.
“The most important things in life are a peaceful and contented heart. That is enough.”
“This Emperor will not close his eyes in death until I have laid eyes on the Innate Holy Body Dao Embryo!”
…
BOOM!
In the distance, clouds of dust surged skyward. Faintly, the ripples of Imperial Dao laws spread outward — and the heavenly palace had been leveled! This left everyone present stunned.
The Holy Emperor’s son leapt to his feet, muttering: “That unruly little creature!” He knew exactly who was responsible.
At the same moment, Pang Bo also shot to his feet, furious: “That little rascal — he grows more outrageous by the day!”
Indeed — a heavenly soldier came to report, and it was exactly as they had anticipated.
The Holy Emperor’s only young son had emerged again — escaped from the divine source — and taking advantage of everyone being deep in their drinking, had teamed up with one of Pang Bo’s most beloved descendants to reenact the great uproar in heaven, toppling several ancient halls.
The little monkey and Pang Gu had been sealed when they were very small, along with the Holy Emperor’s celestial iron staff and Pang Bo’s Demon Emperor’s Ruler, all sealed together into divine source.
It had to be said — the little monkey was far too mischievous. He had awoken several times already, sneaking out of the divine source every time, utterly unruly, dashing about everywhere, addicted to causing trouble.
It was laughable, really — plainly sealed within the divine source, yet escaping time after time, making trouble once every few decades as though he weren’t sealed at all. It left people not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
And sneaking out on his own wasn’t enough — he had to drag a few of the children along too, like Pang Gu this time.
It was fortunate that Ye Fan was the Heavenly Emperor of the current era, capable of refining divine source liquid at any time. Otherwise, just the wasteful expenditure alone would have been unsustainable.
“Mother, save me!” The little monkey was hauled over by the Holy Emperor, his jet-black eyes spinning and crafty — yet he was howling piteously and calling for aid.
Six-Eared Macaque stepped forward and delivered a rapid series of sharp slaps to his backside, scolding: “Dare to sneak out again, and I’ll tan your hide — then seal you directly, and you won’t wake again for a million years.”
“No, no! Mother, I was wrong — I only came out because I missed you!” The little monkey wailed.
Everyone present smiled with amusement.
When the gathering ended and the guests dispersed, the heavenly hall grew quiet and cold. Only Ye Fan remained, standing before a window, bathed in the white radiance of moonlight.
Is this life truly drawing to its close?
By now, he was the only one still in an ascending phase — his vital energy surging like a sea, still growing stronger — while all others of his generation who yet lived had either reached old age or begun their decline.
Who in life can rise forever?
Ye Fan gazed alone into the starry sky. Perhaps at the next gathering, the number of faces would be far fewer.
The golden grand era had entered its twilight. The magnificent sight of a sky full of brilliant stars was gone. The geniuses and heroes of those years had all grown old — and not a few had died as old wounds resurfaced.
After the height of glory comes the withering. It had already begun to show.
During this time, Ye Fan had once visited the ancient road, and then traveled to various places beyond. But the powerhouses who had once vied for supremacy on that ancient road were few in number now. He encountered a handful.
Rui Wei had ended his suffering-filled life. Yu Xian and Tuoba Yu had passed into nirvana years ago. Mu Guanghan and the Bitter-Headed Daoist’s vital energy had waned. Only Ou Ye Mo had reached the Quasi-Emperor realm.
Five hundred years later, Ye Fan unexpectedly encountered Yi Qingwu in the starry sky. They looked at one another in silence for a long time — until much later, when they finally both began to laugh. With that laughter, all grievances were forgiven.
In truth, by this point, Ye Fan harbored no enemies in his heart — only old friends. And Yi Qingwu too had finally let go. In the long process of the years’ passage, many things could be released. The road ahead would only grow wider.
As the years rose and fell, when Ye Fan was over eight thousand years of age, he still appeared so young as to be unbelievable — his body crystalline and luminous, his black hair thick and dense, no different from when he was twenty. Traveling across the lands, he successively encountered Di Tian, Xin Lan, the Human King, the Great Demon God, and the Cyan Poem Immortal Lady — yet all of them had long since grown old. They faced one another with melancholy. A final cup of wine dissolved all the enmity of years past.
“The Heavenly Emperor is unrivaled — not only in power, but in heart. All who were once his enemies have become old friends in his eyes. I hope we may live long enough to share this world with him a little longer…” Di Tian gazed into the heavens and sighed toward the stars and the moon.
The golden era reached its end. The great heroes were rarely seen anymore — it was truly nearing its conclusion.
The grand era — one sigh for ten thousand years. How many geniuses, how many beautiful faces, all buried by the passage of time.
Yet in this twilight period, certain heroes suddenly reappeared in the mortal world. They let out grief-stricken howls toward the sky and made their final, desperate struggles — their brilliance illuminating the entire universe.
They burned like comets across the heavens, their names carved forever into the historical records, and fell in tragic and stirring glory.
During this time, Yin Tiande came, seeking one final battle with Ye Fan. Ye Fan looked at him quietly. This former great nemesis — the first genius to manifest the Divine Prohibition — had truly grown old. His hair was white, yet the light in his eyes was fierce as flame, burning with such fierce longing. He desired above all else one last decisive battle with Ye Fan.
“Very well.” Ye Fan gave a nod and agreed to his request.
The outcome held no suspense. No matter how extraordinary Yin Tiande was, he could not withstand a single blow from the Heavenly Emperor. For thousands of years, Ye Fan had been unable to find a true opponent in the entire world.
Ye Fan used his own vital energy to heal Yin Tiande’s Dao wounds, then turned and left. Over a thousand years later, Yin Tiande passed into nirvana.
During this same period, the Divine Sovereign and Yan Chongtian also came to challenge him. They burned their very selves within a blaze of flame, hoping to have one battle with the Heavenly Emperor and depart without regret.
One was the master of the Divine Clan — unyielding and unbending, a bitter practitioner of divine arts whose magical power surpassed all. The other was the genius Ye Fan had encountered after crossing the sea of suffering of the Sacred Treasure Heaven Sovereign to reach the divine shore of the other side — known as the second greatest under the starry sky, who had once consumed part of the essence of the Ancient Life Tree, but had suffered great Dao wounds that had not yet fully healed, and who now reappeared.
Ye Fan fulfilled their wishes, allowing those who had chosen to walk the warrior’s road to walk it with ringing steps, letting them ascend and shine in the firelight, bringing forth their most brilliant smiles.
In the blink of an eye — a thousand years, a hundred years!
In the final years of this era, the splendor of a sky full of stars appeared once more — one after another, great heroes let out mournful cries to heaven and earth, surging upward into the sky, blazing brilliantly beneath the stars in their final, unyielding struggles.
Yet in the end, none had the power to overturn fate. No one became an Emperor. One battle-flower after another withered and fell.
Who in life can rise ever upward? The golden grand era had finally reached its end. Its curtain was falling.
The unyielding Zhou Yi, the brilliant Jiang Yifei, the peerless Jade Pond Sacred Maiden, the legendary Innate Dao Embryo Zixia — one by one, they all faded, and the world would see them no more.
The world-shaking hero Xiang Yufei also finally passed away before the lakeside in the Qin Mountains — yet he could sleep beside the woman he loved. Still, a wistfulness had lingered in him. Before passing, he had spoken the three characters “Gai Jiuyou,” and then did not move again.
The golden grand era had ended.
Time like a blade — it slays the heroes.
The world fell silent. Ye Fan stood alone, gazing at the sky. He spoke not a single word. No one knew what he felt in his heart at that moment.