Ye Fan had not yet set out, but his name had already spread far ahead, causing a great tremor at the front of the Ancient Stellar Path, drawing the attention of countless parties in all directions.
The Sacred Physique of the Burial Emperor Star had come!
This was like a storm sweeping through the road ahead, carrying an aura that could devour mountains and rivers, startling all the great rivals who lay further down the path.
“I was negligent — I did not know it was you who had arrived. I imagine the entire ancient path will no longer be peaceful.” At the moment of parting, the Reception Envoy of the second human city said these words to Ye Fan — profound in meaning.
Many trial participants revealed unusual expressions. The Reception Envoy had spoken words of such nature — naturally it was a form of praise, more than enough to attest to Ye Fan’s potential.
“It has been a hundred thousand years. The Sacred Physique lineage has been silent this long — I imagine your rivals are also yearning for this. The battles to come will make people tremble. We elders are all looking forward to it.”
The Reception Envoy’s words made blood run hot in the veins.
It was said that the Burial Emperor Star was an ancient land. From ancient times to the present, no one knew how many powerhouses had emerged from it — especially when the Sacred Physique arose. Every single time, battles had raged until the Ancient Stellar Path broke apart!
The trial of the second human city came to its end. The group ascended the heavenly road and departed for the next trial ground, leaving behind a legend in this place.
The waves stirred by this incident were great — no one knew how long it would be before they quieted.
The people had all departed, and the second holy city grew quiet and deserted. There was one person sitting alone beneath the city gate, who had not set out. He had stopped here — gone no further.
He was a failure. No one paid him any attention; no one took any notice of him. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the road ahead, watching those with hope of attaining the Dao.
From that day on, an old soldier appeared in the city. Until the day he grew old, he never raised his hand against anyone again. Thousands of years later, his eyes cloudy and dim, his body hunched, he would occasionally tell people of the desolation of the road toward emperor.
Sometimes, when drunk, he would sigh in the autumn wind, his body trembling, gazing into the distance with murky old eyes toward the emperor’s path — then turn around, leaving people with a solitary, forlorn silhouette.
He had once had a name — Guan Cheng. He had twice been pinned to the ground by a long spear, blood flowing freely, and twice had struggled with great difficulty back to life.
But in truth, from that point forward, he no longer had a name — only a failure on the emperor’s path, a shadow, a reflection of many others.
That he could still be alive was already a miracle. Years passed, and most who had walked the emperor’s path were dead — blood staining the stars, bones piled into mountains — forging the brilliance of the one person at the end of that path.
When the autumn wind swept through, boundless leaves withered and fell, fallen branches blanketing the ground — a season of bleak desolation.
The struggle for supremacy on the emperor’s path — the strong forge forward!
Ye Fan pressed on in his conquest, continuing to advance. Through battle after battle of life-and-death trials, they passed nine successive gates, and more than a year had elapsed.
Traversing one stellar river after another, breaking through vast forbidden zones of life, Ye Fan had consolidated his realm and thoroughly fortified the foundations of his Dao after attaining sainthood.
The tenth gate was a particularly special place. Over the past year, many people had spoken of it — but now that he had truly arrived, it was another experience entirely.
In the dark void of the universe, a holy city floated in space, radiating holy radiance, orbiting an ancient star — like a satellite.
Standing in this city and gazing downward, one could see the hazy mountains and rivers on the life-bearing star below, and even terrifying creatures flying up into the sky, emitting fearsome howls that shook the vast universe.
This was the tenth gate, located above a life-bearing ancient star — unique in every way. It was a teeming and ancient land full of vitality.
This was the first life-bearing ancient star Ye Fan had laid eyes on since setting foot on the Ancient Stellar Path. It was not small — though nowhere near as vast as the Northern Dipper, it was still considered magnificent and sweeping.
This was a dangerous star, teeming with powerful creatures. Ye Fan and his companions naturally could not descend to its surface — instead, they were transported to the holy city through a five-colored sacrificial altar.
“That is correct. You have arrived at the tenth gate of the Ancient Stellar Path — the first life-bearing ancient star on this road. It is filled with danger, and also holds infinite opportunity.”
The moment they entered the city, someone was explaining things to them.
According to what he said, nine was a particular number — at the extreme, transformation comes. After the ninth gate, naturally they had entered a place that was special beyond measure.
Not to speak of anything else — the tenth gate alone being a life-bearing ancient star was enough to distinguish it from all the others.
“This place is like a great dam holding back a vast reservoir of water — which in truth represents the trial participants. Over the past several decades, countless heroes have stopped here, remaining and refusing to advance.”
The person in the city described a startling fact: this was a primordial ancient star, and cultivating here could bring dramatic leaps in strength — that was no myth.
What is more, this star was known as the Land of Attaining the Dao — also called the Sainthood Star. The reason was simple: many people chose to attain sainthood here, to accumulate strength and power.
“Here there are the most primordial and powerful laws. Choosing to attain sainthood in this place — once the breakthrough is made — you will seize the workings of creation. The Dao foundation you lay will be incomparably solid, providing the most unshakable groundwork for attaining the Dao in the future.”
For no other reason, since ancient times to the present, countless heroes have come and gone, including no few ancient great emperors — those who traveled the Ancient Stellar Path once passed this first life-bearing ancient star, and the heavens carved down their Dao and partial traces of their path.
It was not a matter of attaining the Dao and ascending to emperor here. For those seeking sainthood, these laws were enormously beneficial and without any adverse effects.
Entering the holy city, it was clearly larger than the previous nine cities, and far more densely populated. This city hung in space, orbiting the life-bearing ancient star below — and over these past few decades, no one knew how many trial participants had accumulated here.
Many people, for various reasons, had stopped here and not advanced — not because they were lacking in strength, but each had their own purpose.
It was said that someone no weaker than the Great Demon God might be here, awaiting the emergence of a secret stele. Others were searching for the written records left behind by ancient great emperors. Still others were excavating rare and precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Yet others were seeking divine beasts. This place harbored vast and terrible secrets, treacherous beyond measure — but it also contained things that tempted many cultivators.
“So this group has finally arrived — which one is the Sacred Physique of the Burial Emperor Star?” Quite a few people were on the streets, all watching the arriving cultivators.
Though more than a year had passed and the waves had gradually calmed, the arrival of Ye Fan and his companions still triggered a wave of astonishment.
“What an extraordinary figure — he even killed the city’s Grand Commander and stamped Enforcer Liu Fengdu’s nephew to death like a mashed pulp. I really want to see what he looks like.”
“A hundred thousand years, and the Burial Emperor Star has produced another Sacred Physique. Many on this path have been anticipating it — most of them must be unable to sit still any longer. There will certainly be a supreme battle of unparalleled proportions!”
Groups of people were discussing it. A great number of cultivators were lingering in the city.
On both sides of the main streets there were apothecary halls, weapon pavilions, scripture towers, and also various wine shops and teahouses — people coming and going, incomparably bustling and lively.
The Grand Commander of the tenth holy city of the human race and several soldiers wore dark expressions, involuntarily glancing at Ye Fan. They had no goodwill toward this lawless visitor from the Burial Emperor Star.
No matter what great wrongs Yu Han and Yan Yu had committed, they should not have been killed by Ye Fan — it should have been reported to the Ancient Stellar Path, allowing the Enforcer to come forward and execute them.
Now the cultivators throughout the ancient path were spreading the word. The fact that Ye Fan had killed the city’s Grand Commander brought all Grand Commanders everywhere a loss of face. It truly was not a glorious matter.
Roarr…!
Suddenly, a tremendous beast roar rang out, sending the entire ancient city shaking. The city walls trembled with a rumbling din, as though they were about to collapse.
The city’s body radiated light beam after light beam, propping up a brilliant curtain of light that covered the entire ancient city, guarding it against ruin.
Ye Fan and his companions were all startled, as they discovered a colossal ancient beast striking against the city. It resembled a massive tyrant dragon — larger than the entire city itself — and had flown up from the ancient star below.
As it opened its mouth and let out a roar, the heavens went into violent upheaval, cracks split open across the void of space, spreading everywhere — it was as though a world-ending divine beast had appeared.
“What… is happening?” Rui Wei was startled. Over the past year he had passed through the trials with close calls but no fatal injuries, reaching this gate.
The people in the city were relatively composed — clearly this was not the first time something like this had occurred. Some people were complaining and cursing endlessly.
“Who did this? Who went and provoked an ancient beast at the peak of the sage-king realm? Do you have a death wish?!”
“Just recently I heard someone say a tyrant dragon was about to lay an egg — surely someone didn’t go and steal the divine egg?!”
Many people were cursing, while others were deeply envious. Many of those stopped here were looking for a mount, and offspring of a high-tier sacred beast were naturally the most ideal.
Through the discussion of the people on the streets, Ye Fan and his companions learned that the ancient star below was far more dangerous than they had imagined.
The rampaging tyrant dragon caused a great commotion for nearly half a day before it finally retreated with reluctance, unleashing a roar that cracked the heavens open — and rather than returning to the ancient star, it plunged into the depths of the cosmos.
“You all saw that — this place is extremely dangerous. The ancient star below harbors extraordinarily powerful creatures that frequently assault this holy city. Going down there to accelerate your cultivation carries mortal risk.” The Grand Commander said.
On the life-bearing ancient star below, how powerful the strongest sacred beasts truly were no one could say — it was a place of peril. But for certain cultivators, it also held opportunities beyond imagining.
“The cosmos is vast. Life-bearing ancient stars in different regions vary greatly. Some places are paradises for cultivation, while others are no longer suited for the pursuit of the Dao.”
The Grand Commander of the tenth city shared some information quite responsibly, sincerely informing them so they could make more rational arrangements for their time here.
This ancient star was entirely special — unchanged since ancient times, a sacred ground for cultivation. All manner of great Dao resonated here, making it easy for people to fall into states of enlightenment.
Among those who set out on the Ancient Stellar Path this time, cultivation levels varied greatly. Some had long since achieved sainthood years ago, while others had barely become powerful sages, standing in the second level of the Immortal Platform.
Over these years, some Reception Envoys had directly sent certain individuals at the second level of the Immortal Platform here — not as favoritism, but out of sympathy for their peerless natural gifts that had been suppressed by the ancient stars they came from, making it difficult for them to break through.
“In certain ancient lands, the most staggeringly gifted individuals — those considered the foremost heroes of their ancient star — cultivated for several hundred years before barely reaching the second level of the Immortal Platform.”
“Yet on other ancient stars, there are those who, at the age of barely two hundred years, have already attained sainthood — a cause for deep lament.”
The Grand Commander introduced certain astonishing facts. Some who seemed weak — having cultivated for hundreds of years only to barely reach the powerful sage realm — came here and found themselves in an almost constant state of breakthrough, their strength growing at a terrifying speed.
“Extraordinary heroes who arrive here from the second level of the Immortal Platform, breaking through the gates one after another and attaining sainthood in the shortest possible time — accumulating deeply and releasing fully — the most relentless suppression is followed by the most boundless release.”
Roarr…!
Suddenly, a howl that sent chills down the spine cut off the Grand Commander’s introduction. A stone figure was actually emanating a vast ocean of blood energy, howling and forcibly shaking the ancient city.
A terrifying aura of pressure caused the entire ancient city to tremble — as though it might shatter at any moment!
“A Holy Spirit!” Ye Fan was thoroughly astonished.
The tyrant dragon that had departed earlier came flying back from the depths of the cosmos, and from somewhere had brought this stone figure whose blood energy surged like a boundless sea.
Truly this was a remarkable ancient land. Ye Fan and his companions had barely arrived, and they had already encountered this enormous calamity — a stone figure Holy Spirit had emerged, assaulting the tenth holy city of the human race!