Was it the second son of the Undying Celestial Emperor? People could not be certain, but they had all entertained the suspicion. In these past several hundred thousand years it had appeared several times — endlessly mysterious.
The Black Emperor, Xiaosong, and others deliberated carefully and concluded that it was unlikely to emerge for the next several tens of thousands of years — yet they had already taken great care to keep a close watch.
The years flew by. In this span of time, outstanding prodigies rose again and again, leaving behind one stirring and heroic tale of battle after another.
Yet in the long river of time, even those illustrious heroes would gradually be forgotten by people — impossible to compare with the legend of the Celestial Emperor, who had endured alongside the ages.
Only that which shakes the ancient and illuminates the present — only the immortal — can be truly remembered.
Yet in these years, the Celestial Emperor’s imprint had been unstable and had nearly dispersed across the cosmos. Several tens of thousands of years had already passed, and still he had not emerged into the world. What had become of him?
During this time, a new emperor had appeared — attaining the great Dao and opening an era of supreme brilliance. Yet even after this emperor had been dead for ten thousand years, the Celestial Emperor still endured — still present in this world. This moved people to sighing: even to become an emperor was to be able only to look up at that Celestial Emperor, still slumbering high above, beyond reach.
Shortly afterward, the Ten Thousand Things Progenitor Cauldron disappeared — carrying the slumbering Ye Fan out into the cosmos. His subconscious was guiding him. He sought to experience and comprehend longevity beneath the endless starry sky — and he vanished from the world entirely.
On this day, Xiaosong felt something stir within him. It was as though some supreme presence was fixing its gaze upon the Heavenly Court. He swept out at once — but caught only a glimpse of a flash of immortal light before it vanished and was gone.
Xiaosong personally ascended to the Jade Pool to check upon the divine embryo dwelling within the Nine-Aperture Immortal Stone. After so many tens of thousands of years, she had long since reached complete perfection. The moment she emerged into the world, she would ascend to emperorship in the shortest time imaginable — there would be no question of it.
Yet that was not the divine embryo. This was not that kind of aura. Still, it — the divine embryo — had perhaps truly come close to the moment of emerging into the world. The Nine-Aperture Immortal Stone could not genuinely seal her away for a thousand ages.
“Master’s current condition is uncertain. We need to be on strict guard.” Xiaosong said.
During this span of years, Xiaosong had studied many ancient scriptures and earnestly studied one method after another that Ye Fan had left behind. The insight he gained was profound — and without even realizing it, he took a sudden leap and entered the emperor realm.
Everyone in the Heavenly Court — including the Black Emperor — was startled. Even Xiaosong himself was taken aback. He had been too absorbed, lost control of himself, and stepped directly into emperorship.
Ye Fan had cautioned him before that now was not the time to assault the immortal road, and that if he became an emperor now, he would no longer be able to seal himself away — and would not be able to wait for that future lifetime.
There was no helping it now. Having reached this point, Xiaosong could only face the emperor’s tribulation. A second Great Emperor appeared within the Heavenly Court — causing the entire cosmos to shudder with unease and astonishment.
It could be said that the Heavenly Court had reached an extreme of brilliance — an absolute pinnacle.
One lineage, two emperors. And if nothing went awry, the future would see three emperors, four emperors…
Yet it was precisely in this dazzling moment — so glorious as to defy belief — that calamity struck.
In the cold and dark cosmos, a crack suddenly split open. An immortal cascade appeared. A great hand, pure white as jade, descended bearing a five-colored immortal blade — sweeping across the vast sky, plunging into the Heavenly Court, slitting open a sealed palace hall, and pointing directly at the sealed small boy within: the Innate Sacred Physique Dao Embryo.
“How dare you!”
The Black Emperor erupted in fury. It had kept guard this entire time, sealing itself within this ancient hall, because obtaining this child had been so difficult that it could not tolerate the slightest mishap. It had attained the Dao by unconventional means, yet even throwing everything it had into this moment — it was useless. The blade had not yet touched its body, yet the killing aura condensed from the five-colored immortal light had already torn through it. Its body was severed into several pieces, blood spraying out in a downpour as it was sent flying away.
“Clang!”
At this most critical of moments, the void split open and the immortal artifact, the Ancient Tower, appeared — blocking that one blow, radiating a gentle light that shielded everything within.
A world-shaking killing aura surged up to the heavens, shaking the entire universe.
A long cry rang out. Xiaosong snapped awake from the deepest state of imperial comprehension and rushed forward in an instant. Above his head, a purple-gold tower appeared, blocking that heavenly blade.
“Crack!”
Yet in only a single exchange, the undying heavenly blade cleaved through the great emperor’s tower of purple-gold — nothing could withstand it, for it had long since become an immortal artifact.
The Ancient Tower descended, shielding Xiaosong.
On the other side, the Black Emperor had nearly died on the spot. Enduring its wounds through sheer agony — only the upper half of its body remaining — it wrapped its arms around the divine source that held the little boy sealed within, drenching the heavenly palace in blood, and turned to run — not for its own sake, but fighting desperately to protect this child.
The one saving grace was this: though the heavenly blade was aimed at the child, it did not appear to be seeking to kill him immediately — it seemed to want to seize him instead. Otherwise, the Black Emperor and the divine source would have shattered in the very first instant.
“Boom!”
Xiaosong and the Ancient Tower merged as one. With the immortal artifact above his head, he charged forward to engage that hand holding the immortal blade in all-out battle.
Yet the moment they exchanged blows — even as the Ancient Tower blazed with ten thousand feet of light, even as Xiaosong staked everything on every technique he knew — he could not hold. He was sent stumbling back, coughing great mouthfuls of blood.
For he had only just attained emperorship. And his enemy was the Undying Celestial Emperor — bearing an immortal artifact, undefeated beneath the heavens, having lived for ten thousand ages. Whatever depths his cultivation had reached by now, it was terrifying beyond reckoning.
“Undying Celestial Emperor — what manner of reckoning is this? If you have a grievance against my master, go challenge him directly. Why raise your hand against my master’s son?” Xiaosong cried out, his entire body soaked in blood. He drove the Ancient Tower forward, continuing to block.
In that fearsome collision of immortal artifacts, the clash rang ceaselessly. Immortal light shook the universe. Xiaosong coughed blood again and again, every bone in his body shattered — yet he could not stop the Celestial Emperor.
But it was precisely because of his and the Ancient Tower’s intervention that the immortal blade was briefly held at bay. Otherwise, the abduction of the Innate Sacred Physique Dao Embryo would have been an absolute certainty without a moment’s doubt.
“Hold him — that old villain is after the secrets of the Innate Sacred Physique Dao Embryo. He cannot get at the Beginningless Great Emperor in that realm, so he wants to find a way to do it from here!” The Black Emperor cried out in terror, staking its very life to obstruct the attack and protect the child.
“Boom!”
In that instant, from within the Heavenly Court, one divine light after another surged up to the heavens, shaking the entire world. These were the forbidden zones of the Heavenly Court — places where a group of matchless past heroes had been sealed away.
“Damn you into oblivion!” The first to roar out was a colossal ape, its entire body covered in golden fur, standing at a height of ten thousand feet. It opened its mouth and spat out a Dao diagram, hurling it at the undying heavenly blade — the Holy Ape’s son, the Sacred Ape Prince.
Beside it, another divine ape rose up. All six ears moved at once, slashing out six beams of immortal light, cutting down gods and slaying immortals.
The lineage of the Sacred Ape bore a particularly deep hatred for the Undying Celestial Emperor — for the Battle-Sage Sacred Emperor had also been ambushed before his transformation into a battle immortal. Though he had barely escaped that killing disaster, he had not come away unscathed.
“Celestial Emperor — damn your whole family — you dare bully my father and mother?! I’ll smash your lungs to pieces!” The Little Holy Ape howled in fury, snatching up its immortal iron staff and charging directly forward to engage and destroy.
In times past, Ye Fan had released it and put it through its trials, endowing it with divine abilities that covered the heavens — it lacked only that final half-step.
“How dare you come against my master’s son — undying old demon, bring me your life!” On the other side, a magnificent figure wreathed in golden flames surged upward — it was Yang Xi of the Great Completion Sacred Physique, who raised his fist and pounded at the sky.
At the same moment, Ye Tong, Jiang Tingting, Huahua — every last supreme hero who had been sealed away — emerged into the world for the first time in more than three hundred thousand years, joining together in a charge upward to obliterate that threat.
“Form the formation — cut him down!”
The divine child bellowed, rallying Ye Xian, the young silkworm, and the others — each grasping one killing sword, charging toward the high heavens. All of them were like calves unafraid of tigers, ready to slaughter the Celestial Emperor.
It had to be said: the Celestial Emperor was truly terrifyingly powerful. Bearing the five-colored immortal blade, he very nearly swept through all of them.
Xiaosong stood at the very forefront, bearing the brunt of the assault. He drove the Ancient Tower to block and resist — engaging in a fierce full confrontation.
“Clang!”
This sound was deafening enough to tear open the heavens — shattering a swath of the star field, sending others to strike down in all directions or neutralize the shockwaves, guarding the Heavenly Court.
This sudden battle shook the world. The Undying Celestial Emperor had appeared again — striking directly at the Heavenly Court, his methods brutal and terrifying.
In this battle, Xiaosong suffered grievous wounds. Having blocked the Celestial Emperor’s full-force strikes with an immortal artifact again and again, his entire body cracked apart in this moment — on the verge of exploding.
“Back off!”
One great bellow shook the cosmos. The Celestial Emperor awakened — reviving from his slumber — and from across countless star systems, he hurled the Ten Thousand Things Progenitor Cauldron forth, piercing through the cosmos to slam it against that five-colored immortal blade.
Then he stepped forward — crossing an infinite span of star rivers in a single stride — and drove a fist at that arm. A Celestial Emperor-level great battle erupted.
Yet after only a few exchanges, that snow-white jade-like great hand withdrew — holding the immortal blade in retreat. At the same time, the immortal cascade vanished.
The entire cosmos was shaken and astonished. After so long an absence, the Celestial Emperor had reappeared — nearly dealing the Heavenly Court a devastating blow. His methods were indeed terrifying and heaven-defying.
All beneath the heavens shuddered. All were discussing it — had the Celestial Emperor not awakened at the critical moment, no one knew what the outcome would have been.
The outside world clamored with debate. Yet within the Heavenly Court, there was silence. Many people had gathered within the Heavenly Palace, keeping watch over Xiaosong.
His injuries were far too severe. In order to protect Ye Fan’s young son, he had staked his very life — and in the final blow, his entire physical body had exploded, with a wave of blade energy sweeping in to slash through his primordial spirit.
Now there was only a faint flicker of firelight trembling in that place — the spark of Xiaosong’s true spirit.
Originally, Xiaosong had been completely annihilated in body and spirit. It was Ye Fan who, using heaven-defying divine ability, wrested back a thread of consciousness for him — refusing to allow it to disperse. That was the only reason any trace of him remained.
It was not that Xiaosong had been insufficiently powerful. The Celestial Emperor was simply too terrifying. He had blocked the Undying Celestial Emperor’s full-force assault again and again, until the very last moment, before falling. That alone was a battle record enough to shake the world — after all, he had only just attained emperorship and had not yet fully consolidated it.
On the other side, the Black Emperor’s physical body had also exploded. But Ye Fan saved its life, washing it in Celestial Emperor blood — and it had already recovered without serious harm.
The little boy had not been harmed in the slightest, protected carefully throughout.
Only one person — Xiaosong — was on the verge of ending.
“Is there truly nothing Master can do?” Yang Xi, Ye Tong, Huahua, and the others were desperately anxious. A grief-stricken air hung over everyone else as well.
Ye Fan shook his head, boundless sorrow in his eyes.
In the end, he gathered up that small cluster of luminescent consciousness, entered his closed-door cultivation site, and did not emerge until half a month later.
“Xiaosong!”
Everyone surged forward, hearts clenching at once.
On Ye Fan’s shoulder sat a tiny purple squirrel. Its fur was smooth and bright, its great eyes like black gems — filled with a keen spiritual quality.
But when it heard everyone calling its name, it only looked confused. Not until Ye Fan gently stroked its head did it break into a carefree, guileless smile.
Seeing that pure and innocent expression, everyone felt a stab of pain in their hearts. How had it come to this?
“It was gravely injured — fell from the emperor’s position — and had every trace of its cultivation completely severed.” Ye Fan said, grief without end in his voice.
Everyone’s hearts trembled. One who had self-severed a single blade could never return to the emperor’s seat — and Xiaosong had lost every last shred of his cultivation. What hope remained? Was he to spend this entire life and lifetime as nothing more than a simple little squirrel?
“Master — you must have a way, don’t you?”
“What else can Ye Fan do?”
No one could accept this outcome.
Ye Fan was silent. He had already used the immortality elixir, Celestial Emperor blood, and other means — employing heaven-defying abilities to wrest back a sliver of consciousness and prevent its dispersal. That was the most he could do. A long while later, he said: “If you wish to restore his cultivation and return him to the emperor’s seat, the only way is to find the Dao Harmony Flower.”
Yet such a thing was something one could only encounter by fortune and never seek out deliberately — in a certain sense, even more precious than the immortality elixir. For it could allow a person to harmonize with the Dao and become an emperor.
The Demon God Flower, the Divine Brilliance Flower, the Dao Harmony Flower — of the three, the last was the most supreme. It bloomed only once in a million years, and if left ungathered, it would bloom in perpetuity and never wither.
“Leave this matter to me — I will find a way.” Ye Fan said solemnly.
Xiaosong had at least survived, remaining at the Celestial Emperor’s side. His life should not be in any great danger.
“The Undying Celestial Emperor — in the past, he only made moves against those of emperor-level cultivation, and yet now he comes to seize a child — slaughtering without hesitation. This cannot be borne!” Many were furious.
“I underestimated how low his conduct could go. In the future, I will certainly cut him down.” Through so many years, the Celestial Emperor had remained steady and composed, rarely uttering such words.
“What is the Celestial Emperor anyway — he only knows how to launch surprise attacks. Just wait until we wage war on the immortal road — he will be wiped out.” The others were all furious as well.
Ye Fan shook his head. “Though I find his methods despicable, I must say he is very powerful. No one can afford to be careless.”
“Just how powerful can he be?”
“Fathomless.” Ye Fan said truthfully.
“Master — even having cultivated to this point, you cannot easily kill him?”
Ye Fan sighed. “Even a pig that has lived for several million years would long since have become a demon — or even an immortal. Let alone an undying Celestial Emperor who has never severed himself. I am progressing — and so is he. We must not underestimate him.”