In the frozen, snow-blanketed world, a small figure came running after her, calling out breathlessly, “Xiao Nannan, don’t go that way! Uncle Li just said there’s a sinkhole up ahead, and there are people who can fly in the sky coming and going — people who catch monsters. Don’t go there.”

Xiaocao came running over to warn her, then pressed another parcel of food into her hands before turning and heading back.

“Nannan doesn’t know where to go…” the little girl murmured softly to herself, watching Xiaocao’s departing figure. She wiped the tears from her face and set off in a different direction.

The icy plain stretched far and vast. Places with any vitality were few and scattered, so villages and settlements dotted the wide, snow-covered world like sparse stars, rarely encountered.

Cold winds howled and snow fell in thick flurries. Upon a stretch of frozen river, figures moved about, for a sinkhole had appeared there. Someone claimed to have seen a meteorite from beyond the domain crash down here, causing this spectacle.

Yet upon arriving, no meteorite was found, and there were no burn marks either.

Others said this was an immortal burial ground — that at some point in the past, either the Ancient Lunar Emperor or the Solar Sacred Emperor had passed through this icy plain, and had left behind a record of their enlightenment achieved after attaining the Dao — an unparalleled treasure.

Furthermore, some great sects of the northern lands had just recently declared that an immortal burial ground had appeared, demanding that outside powers withdraw. With a mysterious sinkhole now emerging here, it naturally drew quite a crowd of explorers.

When a king-realm expert descended into the sinkhole and never reemerged, the news exploded outward like a pot of boiling water splashing in all directions.

Whether it was Shenzhou — still unsettled from the Golden Crow clan’s fall — or the warm and tranquil spring-blooming lands of the south, nowhere could remain quiet. The forces of several major regions all set into motion at once.

Some even believed that Ye Fan, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi had been traveling northwest precisely for this purpose, that they must have obtained some secret intelligence.

Many had already arrived ahead of time, and after losing track of the three on the road, had simply come straight to this northwestern extremity and were now working back in the opposite direction, doing everything they could to find Ye Fan’s group.

And now, by fortunate timing, this group happened to be among the first to appear on the scene — and stood before that sinkhole both thrilled and excited.

“This might truly be the site where the Solar Sacred Emperor’s enlightenment record is sealed — after all, Ye Tong traveled with them, and even if his clan has fallen, it’s possible he left behind some clues.”

“Exactly — it must be so. A great emperor’s enlightenment record on the Dao — truly awe-inspiring and staggering to contemplate!”

Events had veered far from everyone’s expectations. Even Ye Fan, upon arriving at this icy plain, felt a jolt of astonishment, followed immediately by a growing unease. With this many people converging here, if they should stumble upon Xiao Nannan, it was deeply troubling to think about.

He could not allow anyone to seize the little girl and refine her as a medicine. Nor could he bear to see her suffer any more. He had to find her as quickly as possible.

On this cold, frozen ground, not everyone was entirely without a clue. One old Daoist walked along, eyes sweeping in all directions as though searching for something.

“To think my worthless disciple had such extraordinary fortune — stumbling upon a human-shaped undying medicine. Yet he was just too useless. Couldn’t even refine it properly, and was blown to pieces by the backlash,” the old Daoist muttered to himself.

“A human-shaped immortal medicine this defiant of heaven — how could the former Purple Subtlety Divine Dynasty possibly have been careless? There must be a forbidden weapon left on her body. My worthless disciple was so inept — couldn’t he have checked first?” The old Daoist was using special divine abilities to understand what had occurred, and was following the trail here.

In fact, he was not the only one. A middle-aged scholar in scholarly robes was there as well, hand-fanning a folding fan in the midst of the ice and snow, lightning flashing in his cold eyes as he searched for Xiao Nannan.

“Everyone says the divine infant has vanished and cannot be found — but that is misleading. Over these past several decades, she has appeared at least five or six times and fallen into someone’s hands. Unfortunately, those lucky finders were too eager for credit and moved immediately to refine her, only to suffer the backlash. With a life aura that transcends undying medicines — how could she possibly be ordinary? They were all far too careless.”

This world was never short of sharp-minded individuals. Through hints in the wind and grass, and through numerous informants and intelligence networks, even a few fragile threads of a clue were enough for them to glean the most valuable information.

More than one or two people were now suspicious — and believed the divine infant was in the northern lands.

Ye Fan appeared on the icy plain, approaching the area. As he neared the sinkhole and saw so many cultivators gathered, his expression turned cold and impassive. His gaze swept out across the boundless expanse of snow.

“What is this place? Could there truly be the Solar Sacred Emperor’s enlightenment record here, or perhaps a stone stele left behind by the Human Emperor?” Li Tian said in surprise. He was a person of the Purple Subtlety Star Domain and had naturally heard the legends of the northern lands.

By this point, saints had already appeared, and even a Saint King had arrived, hovering above the sinkhole with furrowed brows, not daring to descend. For word had just spread that a saint had gone down and had yet to resurface. Moreover, when one extended spiritual sense into the depths, it was quickly swallowed — impossible to perceive anything.

The three figures of Ye Fan’s group flickered and vanished from where they stood, plunging underground. With an emperor’s weapon in hand, they had nothing to fear — and intended to get to the bottom of this.

“A war chariot…”

It was a bronze war chariot — though it was barely recognizable. Nearly molten, it had fused together with a peculiar stone after colliding with it, the bronze and the stone merged into one.

“What is this thing? Why does the stone have blood vessels inside?” the divine child chimed in, muttering under his breath.

Inside the war chariot was a powerful expert, apparently from beyond the domain — though he had by now almost completely disintegrated into ash, with only a single fragment of a Dao bone remaining.

The material of this stone was extraordinary and terrifying. The collision of these two things had caused the death of a Saint King-level figure.

Li Tian and Yan Yixi were both instantly fixated, examining it carefully — then let out strange cries, their faces going completely pale, as though they had encountered the most terrifying thing imaginable.

They quickly retreated, their faces drenched in cold sweat. The spiritual sense they had extended had been partially devoured.

Ye Fan gripped his immortal sword, positioning himself in front of them, and he too felt a terrifying vibration — something devouring his spiritual sense. Yet ultimately it was blocked.

“Could this be the legendary Heavenly Desire Stone?!” Yan Yixi said in a trembling voice, seemingly struck by profound shock.

“Is this where the opportunity for the revival of our path of human cultivation begins?” Li Tian was trembling as well.

“What is the Heavenly Desire Stone?” Ye Fan asked, puzzled, seeking an explanation.

Yan Yixi said, “Legend has it, it is a stone formed from the crystallization of Heaven’s desires — holding within it endless cravings and longings that cause people to lose themselves, devouring the spiritual sense of all who approach it. It is the most terrifying thing imaginable.”

To probe such a stone incautiously even for a moment risked having one’s primordial spirit destroyed — for it was like the desires of an entire world concentrated into one object. Any individual who probed into it might have their memory sea explode in an instant.

“Some have theorized that the Heavenly Desire Stone is a product of an ancient era — the remnant blood and dying consciousness of a quasi-emperor who failed at the final step of proving the Dao, fused together with a star over countless ages,” Li Tian said.

The moment Ye Fan heard this, he was deeply moved. To have sought to become a Great Emperor, only to dissolve at the most critical final step and be forged into such an object — if true, it would be of incalculable value.

“There is another theory — that an entire ancient star was destroyed, and the boundless essence-blood and resentful souls of countless heroes melded together to form this remarkable object,” Yan Yixi added.

For those who walked the path of human cultivation, this was a supreme treasure — complementary to their cultivation methods. By using the heavenly desires within to temper one’s own human desires, a single day’s cultivation was worth several days’ effort in the past.

“Can you take it?” Ye Fan asked.

“No problem,” the two brothers said, nodding. They brought out the Divine Maiden Furnace — that extraordinary divine vessel — and swallowed even this defiant-of-heaven object inside with ease, sealing it completely.

Ye Fan showed a strange expression. He felt the Divine Maiden Furnace was many times more powerful than he had imagined — that it had actually sealed away the rare Heavenly Desire Stone, without leaking a single trace of energy.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the three figures emerged above ground, departing the area.

Those watching exchanged glances — then the bolder ones descended into the sinkhole and cried out at once: “The thing has been taken!”

A crowd followed them down. The others lingered at a distance in pursuit of Ye Fan’s group. Some recognized them and were afraid, not daring to speak. Others did not recognize them, yet also dared not act rashly, wanting to first observe how the situation developed.

Ye Fan paid no mind to any of it and continued forward — when suddenly he stopped in front of a small settlement, sensing a powerful surge of life energy. It was something only he could perceive.

In an instant he vanished, then returned carrying a young girl. With an urgent voice he asked, “Where did you get this crystal stone?”

Xiaocao was somewhat frightened. “It… was given to me by Xiao Nannan,” she said.

“Xiao Nannan…” Hearing that name again, waves surged through Ye Fan’s heart, and he was overcome with intense agitation. He looked at Xiaocao urgently. “Where is she?”

“You… don’t bully Xiao Nannan. She’s actually very pitiful — don’t seal her in a demon-suppression tower,” Xiaocao said.

“Who would dare seal Nannan in a demon-suppression tower?!” Ye Fan’s expression darkened immediately. In an instant he swept through Xiaocao’s memory sea — and what he saw filled his face with shock and fury.

He handed Xiaocao to Yan Yixi and asked him to take care of her, then in an instant vanished from where he stood, shooting toward the farthest reaches of the icy plain.

“Hm — this child has quite fine spiritual roots. What’s rarer still is that she has a genuine affinity with Xiao Nannan and has looked after her often. I believe Ye Fan will want to reward her. How about we bring her into our path of human cultivation?” Li Tian said.

Yan Yixi was briefly startled, then shook his head. “Our lineage is not suited for her. If she wishes to pursue cultivation herself, she could be sent to the Guanghan Palace.”

“You’re… not bad people?” Xiaocao was far calmer than other children her age. Though she was afraid, she had not panicked into helplessness.

…

At the far edge of the horizon, snow fell in thick flurries. Several figures stood facing one another in a standoff — and at the center of it all was a small girl, shivering, her tattered little clothes thin and inadequate. She was very small, almost buried by the wind and snow.

She stood there, unable to go forward, unable to retreat — like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, surrounded on all sides, with every figure present intent on claiming her.

“I found the divine infant first — she naturally belongs to this old one!”

“That’s quite incorrect — I arrived one step ahead of you!”

“Arguing like this will get us nowhere. I say we refine her into medicine and divide the result equally.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nannan instinctively stepped back. Her large eyes brimmed with tears as she said timidly, “Uncles… Nannan is very well-behaved. Please don’t hurt me.”

“Though this undying immortal medicine is extraordinary and has taken human form, it has ultimately not cultivated any great divine abilities. Your fate has already been decided — you were born to be medicine!” The middle-aged scholar smiled — yet the latent coldness underlying his expression sent a chill through those who perceived it.

“A fortune of the highest immortal magnitude, to be encountered by us — I agree we should first refine it into medicine, then divide the result,” one of the old Daoists said.

“Roar…!”

From the distance, a great cry rang out. Standing atop a mountain peak, a figure stood — eyes blazing like lightning, taking in everything that was happening here. It was Ye Fan.

He had sensed Xiao Nannan’s aura from a great distance away. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, his heart surged like a vast ocean throwing waves to the sky. In an instant he transformed into a streak of divine light and came rushing over — swift as a clap of thunder — making the vast snowy expanse tremble, triggering a massive avalanche.

“Who dares harm Nannan?!”

One great cry, and heaven and earth shattered. Shockwaves radiated outward toward every figure present — yet at the center, where Xiao Nannan stood, there was complete stillness. Not a single snowflake stirred.

“Who is that?!”

“Reckless madman — how dare you try to snatch the divine infant from us elders, to compete with us for her?! Do you have a death wish?!”

“Roar…!”

Ye Fan’s fury and battle intent surged straight into the nine heavens. This was the first time in all these years he had been seized by such rage. Golden blood energy billowed like a flood tide rising to the sky as he appeared on the scene.

Splat. Splat…

From the scene came sounds of furious curses and startled cries — yet none were as shocking as the blossoms of blood that bloomed one after another. These individuals were saints — yet they exploded in succession.

One after another, every single one of them was roared to pieces by Ye Fan directly — gleaming white bone fragments streaked with blood, scattering in all directions.

Yet even in the midst of this, Ye Fan had already moved first to reach her, scooping up Xiao Nannan and covering her eyes with his hand, shielding her from this horrifying scene.

“Is it… big older brother? Nannan is dreaming again…” the little girl murmured in bewilderment and grief, her eyes full of tears. Her fingers brushed against Ye Fan’s, and the tears spilled over.

Upon hearing her words, Ye Fan felt his heart almost shatter — overcome with an unbearable ache. “It’s big older brother’s fault for taking so long to find you,” he said. “This is not a dream. Nannan will never suffer again.”

The little girl’s body gave a sudden tremble. She reached out two tiny ice-cold hands and felt for his face, then asked timidly, “Is it… really big older brother?”

Ye Fan held her and carried her away from that place — away from the blood and the bones. He stepped onto a snowy peak, and only then did he set her down, and let his hand fall from her eyes.

The little girl was heartbreakingly pitiable. Every word she spoke made the very tip of his heart shudder.

“Big older brother… Nannan has finally seen you again…” The little girl tilted her head back to look up at him, her eyes overflowing with joy and wonder, tears spinning ceaselessly. She clutched a corner of his sleeve tightly, as though terrified that the moment she let go he would vanish again. “Nannan got sick and forgot a lot of things, and no one would play with me — they all ignored me, chased Nannan into the snow plain. I missed big older brother so much…”

Each word was like a needle piercing directly into Ye Fan’s heart, filling him with guilt and pain. It had taken him so long to find her. Xiao Nannan had suffered far too much.

The little girl’s clothes were tattered and thin. Her little shoes had holes in them — her toes nearly visible through the gaps. She was covered in dirt from head to toe, and only her large eyes, brimming with tears, were still bright and clear.

She wore her hair in two little pigtails, unchanged. A child who appeared to be around three years old, dressed like this, in a world of ice and snow — the sight of her was utterly heartbreaking.

“Big older brother is here now — Nannan will never have to suffer again!” Ye Fan picked her up and settled her on his shoulders. Golden radiant light flowed out, enveloping the little girl.

In the distance, one long howl after another rang out. There were those who had noticed the commotion here — and word that the divine infant had appeared in the world had already shaken everyone. The entire frozen plain erupted into frenzy. Not even the bitter cold could contain the fiery heat blazing in people’s hearts. Every great power that received the news sent its people rushing over in full force.

“Nannan is scared…” the little girl sat on Ye Fan’s shoulders, and upon seeing so many people rushing toward them, her clear large eyes filled with unease. This was not the first time she had experienced something like this. The shadow it had left on her heart made her somewhat frightened and panicked — even with her memories clouded, her instincts remembered.

“Nannan doesn’t need to be afraid. No one can ever hurt you again. They amount to nothing. Even if every last person in the world comes hunting for you — so what? If every soul in the world becomes an enemy — so what? I will sweep them all away and cut them all down!” Ye Fan said, his voice carrying the force of a declaration that shook the entire frozen plain.