Ye Fan and the holy knight exchanged glances with the others, each showing a look of surprise. This demon sovereign guarded this place under the orders of the Pass Guardian — the implications of this origin were immense.
The Pass Guardian was named Yin Xi. In Daoism, he held an extraordinarily lofty position and was revered as the Perfected One of the Original Beginning. He was directly connected to Daoist lore such as the purple energy flowing three thousand li from the east — it was he who received Laozi at Hangu Pass, giving rise to the many legends. This great sage of the pre-Qin era had personally appointed a demon sovereign to guard this location, which was naturally no ordinary matter. No one could afford to regard it lightly; all were obliged to feel reverence.
This great demon was named Xuan Chi. How long it had lived was now beyond all reckoning. It had once received the guidance of the Pass Guardian Yin Xi. Its black hair was thick and dense, its face like white jade, betraying no sign of age. The pupils of its eyes contained the entire cosmos of stars and sky, having absorbed deeply the essence of the Scripture of the Original Beginning authored by Yin Xi himself — though it was unclear whether it had indirectly cultivated the technique of “one breath transforming into the three purities.”
“Yin Xi the Sage issued a decree that people of later generations may not pass Hangu Pass, for the path ahead is too dangerous.” Xuan Chi said with absolute firmness. To pass required a battle — it had to be defeated on this very ground.
The great demon who had briefly appeared during the Second World War was certainly no pushover. It had received the transmission of the Perfected One of the Original Beginning. To truly come to blows with it would entail a bitter fight.
Long Ma reared on all four hooves, the first to act, launching an attack against this great demon who dwelt beyond the mundane world. Rarely did it encounter a demon clan expert to spar with, and it naturally wished to “exchange pointers.”
On this primordial battlefield, lights of every color flew and shot. Long Ma’s hooves were like great hammers, ringing and resounding, twisting and dancing in a continuous gallop, the void collapsing without end, its horse’s whinny shattering the heavens. Bands of black mist in all ten directions dispersed, a million ghost-souls all shuddered and scrambled hastily out of the way.
The primordial great demon Xuan Chi’s two hands conjured wondrous arts, driving the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. Around its body, the starry sky spread vast and boundless. It had the bearing of one upon whom ten thousand techniques found no purchase — surveying all six directions and eight wildernesses with disdain.
A shower of meteorites descended from the heavens; countless comets streaked across the vast sky. Between the two combatants, ingenious techniques and wondrous arts were inexhaustible. The battle burned at fever pitch, too dazzling for the eye to follow.
Long Ma, in the realm of Dao Severing, would be absolutely unmatched so long as it did not encounter a great accomplished king or above. Among equals, it was without rival. And yet at this moment it was laboring with extreme difficulty.
The great demon Xuan Chi’s cultivation realm was no higher than Long Ma’s, but the mysterious techniques it had cultivated were enigmatic and unfathomable, profoundly subtle and inexhaustible. Its various arts and celestial techniques were often unexpected — many striking like inspiration from the divine.
“This is the Daoist lineage received from the Perfected One of the Original Beginning. Being a demon, it cannot inherit it in full — and it is precisely this fact that makes this lineage all the more terrifying.”
The holy knight stepped forward. With one thrust his spear pierced through the void. The spear’s tip was utterly plain, without any trace of divine power fluctuation — returning to simplicity and truth. Yet when it truly neared the opponent, even Xuan Chi’s expression turned deeply solemn.
Then Ye Fan stepped forward. The primordial great demon who had survived since pre-Qin times immediately broke free from the engagement, sensing an incomparable pressure, and was silent for a long moment before finally saying: “The path ahead is dangerous. The Pass Guardian commanded me to stand watch here precisely because he did not want people to venture into danger and lose their lives in vain.”
“We thank Fellow Daoist for the warning.” Ye Fan said politely. This great demon could not be offended.
“Boom, boom, boom!”
The grand city gate was pushed open. Inside the ancient city it was bleak and desolate, utterly quiet without a sound. The streets seemed as though no one had walked them for thousands of years. The stone slabs were dotted with worn marks, utterly dim and cheerless.
Ye Fan and the others entered the city, stepping into this border pass that had been shrouded in mystery from ancient to modern times. It belonged to the cultivators’ world — a fortified gateway leading to the void beyond.
In former times, this place had been quite flourishing, with many cultivators practicing here. And with a great sage such as the Pass Guardian personally standing watch, the prestige and renown had truly shaken through the ages.
“This place is critically important. In every dynasty there had to be a powerfully capable sage personally guarding it. Now in this age of dwindling spiritual energy, all the worthies departed long ago. Otherwise I would have absolutely no qualification to stand in their place here.” Xuan Chi said with gravity.
To Ye Fan’s surprise, he learned from Xuan Chi a startling secret: on Earth there were many world-shaking ancient formations capable of defense. If a powerful enemy from beyond this domain wished to invade, the only way in was through Hangu Pass.
“No wonder…” Even Long Ma was momentarily lost in thought and dared not say anything reckless.
Within the city it was utterly still, without a trace of sound or stir. All cultivators had departed; the place had become a dead city, preserving the style and layout of the primordial era.
The streets were old and worn, the ancient architecture grand and sweeping — one cluster after another, in orderly arrangement, yet silent in a way that was almost unnerving.
“In the ancient era, the region outside Hangu Pass was far from peaceful. Many great battles were fought. Some powerful remnant clans still exist to this day, and the path ahead is not easy to travel. You must be careful.” Xuan Chi offered a well-meaning reminder.
Ye Fan and the others wore solemn expressions and expressed their sincere gratitude. It seemed the path ahead was truly not easy to navigate — no wonder the old Daoist of Fangzhang Mountain had once given such earnest warnings.
Before long, they came to the heart of Hangu Pass, where lifelike divine statues were enshrined. An old man with the hair of a crane and the face of a child sat astride a green ox, transcendent above the world. Beside him stood a man of celestial bearing and Daoist elegance, hands clasped respectfully at his side in deference.
Without even needing Xuan Chi to explain, the others already knew who these figures were. Ye Fan stared in a daze — he had once encountered the incarnation of the green ox that Laozi had ridden, in the ancient star domain of the Purple Subtlety.
Before long, they also came upon a massive stele, pressing down upon the ground at the heart of Hangu City, its might shaking the heavens and earth. Coiled about it were strands upon strands of immortal light. It was covered densely with words — all marks of the great Dao. This had been erected by Yin Xi himself, to suppress this place.
The Pass Guardian had once served at the side of the Daoist quasi-emperor. He had built a hermitage on Dragon Mountain and invited Laozi to preach the Dao, remaining there for many years. It was precisely because of this that the Tao Te Ching had come into being.
Without question, Yin Xi was a sage. Nothing less could have allowed him to stand guard over the cultivators’ Hangu Pass — this place was of the greatest import, a gateway to the void of the outer star domains, harboring ancient secrets unknown to the world.
“With this stele present, Hangu Pass shall stand indestructible through ten thousand ages.” Ye Fan marveled in admiration. Upon it rested a great sage’s principles and imprint; every strand of immortal light seemed to gestate the breath of the primordial beginning.
Yin Xi, exalted as a sage, had yet served at Laozi’s side for many years, and his attainment had thereby been elevated by a great margin — reaching a depth that was beyond measure. The Tao Te Ching that Laozi secretly transmitted contained wondrous techniques such as “one breath transforming into the three purities,” all of which Yin Xi had cultivated to completion. As the disciple of a quasi-emperor, he was the one sage of the past few thousand years who had cultivated to the most supreme realm.
Yin Xi himself had also authored a scripture, named the Scripture of the Original Beginning. This scripture was divided into nine chapters, expounding on the laws of the cosmos and nature, perceiving the true reality within nothingness. It ranked among the five famous scriptures of Daoism.
In the end, Ye Fan and the others passed through the city, leaving behind this ancient ground permeated with the stillness of death. The great western gate was opened, and before their eyes appeared a vast, resplendent starry sky.
Everyone drew a sharp breath. This entire scene was too surreal and wondrous. Behind them lay solid earth and an ancient city, while before them already stretched a boundless, endless starry sky.
Starlight shimmered, brilliant and limitless, like a magnificent painting. The stars seemed within reach. The river of stars flowed and cascaded, dropping down strand after strand of stellar power — harmonious and sacred.
“How does one enter this starry sky? Are there coordinates for places such as the Northern Dipper’s star domain?” The holy knight asked.
What they lacked were only coordinates. Otherwise, Ye Fan had already restored the ancient altar on Mount Tai — but without knowing how to locate their intended destination, there was no way to traverse the cosmos.
“There are no star domain coordinates — only an ancient road. The predecessors traveled it and departed one after another.” Xuan Chi answered.
With a point of its hand, a five-colored altar appeared not far off. It was perhaps a few meters in diameter — not very large — and its stone surface flickered with crystalline light of various colors.
“Step onto this platform and you will enter the starry sky. Along the way there may be all manner of demons and monsters. You must be careful.” Xuan Chi cautioned.
There was only this altar, with no coordinates for the road ahead, for it had long since been fixed in place. This was a special small altar — capable of reaching only one particular fixed secret location.
“So that means there are further such small altars on the road ahead, and they must be activated multiple times along the way before the final destination can be reached?”
“That is correct.” Xuan Chi nodded.
Everyone was taken aback. This truly was an ancient road — the journey ahead was vast and unknown. The only way forward was to keep going. This was how the many predecessors had departed.
And Ye Fan in particular was lost in thought: would this ancient starroad perhaps overlap with the mysterious star path followed by the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin? Everything was filled with the unknown, and all of it awaited them ahead.
Zhang Qingyang, Long Yuxuan, and the others could not be calm. They were about to leave at last, to depart from Earth. Each was somewhat moved, involuntarily clenching their fists.
Only the little purple creature was the most heartbroken — weeping as if its heart would break. It seized the hem of Ye Fan’s robe and refused to release it no matter what, pleading again and again, tears rolling down in streams.
“Fate will bring us together again…” Ye Fan said in a gentle voice of reassurance.
At last, he took the others and steeled his heart, stepping onto the altar. The light there flashed and a trigram gate appeared, its many symbols flickering in and out until they gradually blazed more and more brilliantly.
“Master… won’t you take me with you?” The little purple creature pleaded from behind, its voice childlike and helpless as it watched him. It reached its small hand upward into the sky, powerlessly, as if trying to grasp hold of something.
Ye Fan could not bear it. Pure energy rose above the crown of his head, manifesting another self — which immediately gave the demon sovereign Xuan Chi a great shock. This was the wondrous technique of “one breath transforming into the three purities.”
This Ye Fan separated from the five-colored altar and jumped down, taking Little Pine’s hand. He said softly: “Your master will see you home.”
“Master.” Little Pine looked at the five-colored divine altar, then looked at this master, and burst into loud, wailing sobs. In the end, it was taken by this Ye Fan’s hand, as two figures — one large and one small — slowly walked off into the distance.
On the five-colored altar, the holy knight, Long Ma, and the others stepped through the trigram gate. The true Ye Fan still stood there, eyes fixed on those two retreating figures, one large and one small, growing more distant.
“Wu wu wu…” The little purple creature’s weeping drifted back on the wind, drawing from him a quiet sigh.
“Little Senior Brother, we’ll wait for you to come to the other shore. Master does everything for your good — when the true great war comes in the future, you will be the vanguard.” Zhang Qingyang said.
“Take care!” Long Yuxuan rarely spoke, yet even he uttered these two words, waving his hand vigorously.
“We’re off — from here, a hundred million li through the starry sky, and so we set forth for the other shore.” The holy knight said.
“Let’s go — ten thousand rays of starlight, the road ahead in sight. All of this is for the sake of proving the Dao.” Long Ma also spoke up. This time it had not transformed into a fierce beast.
“Let’s go.” Ye Fan turned, bringing his two disciples along with the child Huahua, and stepped through this gate into the starry sky.
“All of you, take care!” Xuan Chi called out loudly from behind.
“Many thanks, Demon Sovereign!” Everyone waved their hands in gratitude.
“Whoosh!”
A flash of radiance — the trigram gate on the five-colored altar blazed with an eternal brilliance. The eight trigram symbols on it rang out as if cast in metal, and after flickering hundreds of times, broke through to the road ahead.
Then, the entire altar in an instant dimmed and went dark. The trigram gate and the figures of the group vanished together. They had set out on their journey, entering the infinite starry sky, the mysterious unknown waiting ahead.