Starlight flowed like water as Ye Fan strolled through the Divine City. He did not linger long at the Temple of Wondrous Desire, for many pairs of eyes were watching his every move. His actions could set certain people’s nerves on edge, so he headed straight back to his lodgings.

“How is it that no one has come to assassinate me?” The Great Black Dog wore a large floral pair of shorts, clasped his two great paws behind his back, walked on his two hind legs, and paced back and forth out of boredom.

“Are you actually hoping someone will come to kill us?” Ye Fan cast him a sideways glance.

“This Emperor has already set up a corner of an Ancient Great Emperor’s formation pattern, and yet no one has come seeking death. I feel terrible about it,” the Great Black Dog said with remarkable shamelessness.

On the other side, Xiao Nannan slept very soundly. Seven-colored specks of light at the center of her brow flowed outward in gentle ripples, enveloping the small bed entirely.

“Awooo—” At dawn, as the morning sun rose in the east, the Great Black Dog awoke and out of habit let out a long howl, causing many people along the ancient street to curse at him.

“Oh doggy, why do you wake people up like this every single day?” Xiao Nannan rubbed her big eyes, sat up in a drowsy daze, then obediently went to wash up on her own.

That day, Ye Fan and his companions wandered aimlessly through the Divine City, quietly waiting for Li Heishui to return so they could set off for the Jiang Family.

Their group drew spectators wherever they went — not only because Ye Fan’s reputation in the Divine City was enormous, but also because the Great Black Dog was so thoroughly despicable.

Xiao Nannan sat on the Great Black Dog’s back, holding a string of candied hawthorns in her left hand and a rolled mountain delicacy in her right, continuously sampling snacks. The little one was thoroughly content.

“Big brother, is it fun inside the stone workshops?” the little girl asked innocently.

Ye Fan was simply taking Xiao Nannan to broaden her horizons — they strolled the entire stretch of food stalls, stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, then made a round through the major stone workshops, which ended up causing quite a sensation.

Everyone assumed he had come to gamble on stones. However, Ye Fan merely waved his hand with an air of casual detachment, indicating he had absolutely no interest in that pursuit, much to the relief of the various stone workshops.

“Is this the dog?”

At dusk, an authoritative elderly voice rang out. The old man’s expression was extremely unfriendly as he glared at the Great Black Dog with a ferocity that nearly reached the point of killing intent.

“Elder, please don’t be angry — Tu Fei won’t have any problems.” Li Heishui tried to mediate from the side.

Tu Tian, the seventh of the North Domain’s great outlaws, had arrived to seek accountability and apportion blame. The moment he appeared, everyone on the street scattered and fled.

The thirteen great outlaws were known throughout the North Domain — there was no one who did not know their names, no one who did not recognize them. Especially this one’s master, who wielded the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Jar; if provoked, he would even dare capture a Holy Lord.

“Old man, who do you think you are? You’re fiercer than the tiger that quiets the street — you’ve scared everyone away,” the Great Black Dog said, baring his teeth and rolling his eyes. Then he suddenly seemed to remember something and added, “Could you be that old fossil who beat me to the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Jar?”

“Where have you sent my grandson?” Tu Tian asked, his face dark as a thundercloud.

“Li Heishui, you dare betray me?!” the Great Black Dog said furiously.

“The things you did — could I possibly hide them?” Li Heishui replied.

Nearby stood three young men Ye Fan knew well: Jiang Huairen, Liu Kou, and Wu Zhongtian — close friends of Li Heishui and Wu Zhongtian, and descendants of the great outlaws.

“This has absolutely nothing to do with me. Tu Fei wanted to take a trip through the Northern Plains on his own. I remember the coordinates of where he is — shall I send you there?” The Great Black Dog put on a most earnest expression.

“Elder, whatever you do, don’t listen to its nonsense. It says it’ll send you to the Northern Plains, but it might very well drop you in the Southern Ridge instead.” Li Heishui hastily warned.

“Tell me where the coordinates are!” Tu Tian had no pleasant expression to offer. His own grandson had been gotten rid of by a dog, and it had nearly drained all his patience.

The Great Black Dog was surprisingly cooperative and didn’t dare keep arguing. He stated a set of coordinates so distant it made people’s heads swim; even Tu Tian was speechless for a long while after hearing them.

“Waiting for him to find his way back on his own — that would take at least twenty years. He’s practically at the Northern Polar Sacred Sea!” Tu Tian flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

“I’ve heard this dog is quite rotten?” Jiang Huairen, Liu Kou, and Wu Zhongtian closed in with ill intent, wanting to give the Great Black Dog a good thrashing.

“You’re not allowed to bully the doggy,” Xiao Nannan said, fiercely protective of the Black Emperor.

“Woof!” The Great Black Dog struck pre-emptively, biting dozens of times in rapid succession. With a body of iron sinew and copper bone, the three men cried out wretchedly — without going in for the kill, they simply couldn’t budge him.

It was quite some time before the street returned to quiet. The three of them bore dog-bite marks all over their bodies, and had finally come to appreciate for themselves just how wretched the vicious dog Li Heishui had spoken of truly was.

In the end, they found a tavern and drank freely and heartily, not returning to Ye Fan’s lodgings until deep in the night. These several individuals intended to travel alongside them.

Jiang Yi, the thirteenth great outlaw, had already set out ahead of time for the Jiang Family. This trip required Jiang Huairen to guide them before they could enter the ancient Jiang Family’s grounds.

The next day, the group crossed the void and set forth for the North Domain’s most ancient and venerable heritage ground.

Emperor Hengyu had left a weighty mark upon the history of the human race — one of the most powerful individuals across all of history, past and present.

The territory where the Jiang Family resided resembled a sacred, unsullied land. The surrounding region for hundreds of thousands of miles was barren wasteland, yet here everything was lush and verdant.

Clouds and rosy hues billowed upward, colorful mist drifted and swirled, and great mountain peaks soared into the sky one after another — none of them settling earthward.

Each of the great mountains carried an aura of overwhelming power, as though they had existed since the very moment of creation, radiating an ancient and weathered energy.

Some peaks had a silver cascade plunging three thousand zhang, like the Silver River of the Ninth Heaven hanging inverted; others were swathed in demonic clouds, towering and dense, their presence deeply oppressive.

And these were merely the tip of the iceberg — the scenes at the innermost depths could not be glimpsed at all. It was said that the ancient structures and ruins from before the primordial age were countless and inexhaustible.

“Who goes there?” While still quite a distance away, numerous powerful figures rushed out and demanded loudly.

Jiang Huairen said nothing. He produced a divine wood token, gave it a wave, and the expressions of those figures immediately softened. Shortly after, an elder flew out to meet them.

“Ah, it’s worthy nephew Huairen. Since you’ve come this time, don’t leave — return to your roots, stop drifting out there in the world. The elder ancestors within the family have been urging your grandfather as well.” The old man was very warm and welcoming.

Jiang Huairen smiled in reply but neither agreed nor disagreed, and they flew in together with the old man.

“Today we’re benefiting from being acquainted with the Jiang troublemaker — first time entering an ancient family estate,” Liu Kou muttered.

Their group drew many sideways glances as they flew in, especially from the younger generation, who regarded Ye Fan with peculiar expressions.

The Jiang Family’s residential grounds were vast — endless mountain peaks and suspended divine islands stretched in every direction. After advancing several dozen miles, Ye Fan’s group arrived before a floating island.

This island was a place of great importance that ordinary people were not permitted to approach, for a figure of elder ancestor status within the Jiang Clan was in secluded cultivation here. In recent days, Jiang Yi had also been residing here, subjected to persistent persuasion.

“Where is Little Tingting? I want to see her,” Ye Fan said.

The expression of the Jiang Family elder shifted immediately. He had long since guessed Ye Fan’s identity but had not pointed it out. Now a look of difficulty crossed his face.

“What — am I not allowed to see her?” Ye Fan’s relationship with the Peerless Divine King was known to all. The Jiang Family had no reason to obstruct him.

“The little princess has only just returned. This concerns the Divine King’s very life or death, and she cannot freely receive outsiders. Please be patient and wait a few days.” The old man said.

Ye Fan and his companions were settled into a small, tranquil island to reside on, and they waited a full seven days without seeing Xiao Tingting.

However, they at last managed to see Old Uncle Jiang. Though the old man had found living there rather uncomfortable, his spirits had improved greatly. With a forceful uncle like Jiang Yi standing behind him, no one any longer dared look down on him.

In his daily meals, spiritual medicines had been added, and even though he was an ordinary mortal, over the past year he had grown visibly younger — his white hair showing signs of turning black again.

“Tingting came back, and I’ve only seen her twice — then she was taken away to go into seclusion.” The old man was overjoyed upon seeing Ye Fan, as though he had been reunited with his closest kin.

“Old Uncle, you’re growing younger.” Ye Fan teased.

“I’m nothing but old bones. What ‘young’?”

Ye Fan stayed with the old man for several days, but was still unable to see Xiao Tingting. Even Jiang Huairen and the others had grown impatient from waiting, and in the end, they tracked down Jiang Yi, who was in seclusion.

“They won’t let us see her? Why? I’ll take you there myself!” Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi was instantly furious.

Old Uncle Jiang was his own nephew by blood, and Xiao Tingting was someone he held in exceptional regard. His reason for returning to the Jiang Family was precisely for the sake of these two people.

With an outlaw famed throughout the North Domain demanding to see Xiao Tingting, the Jiang Family’s people did not dare refuse any further — for she was the little princess’s closest kin, and there was no justification for keeping them apart.

Tingting’s place of cultivation was beautiful and serene. Flower trees blanketed the ground, brooks babbled and gurgled, streams of water cascaded over the edge of the divine island, and colorful mist drifted softly.

“Grandfather—” Tingting floated forward without her feet touching the ground and came running out lightly, a picture of agility. She was dressed in a white robe, her beautiful hair streaming behind her, like a small spirit.

By now she was more than nine years old, resembling an oversized porcelain doll — delicately sculpted, eyes like calm water, her temperament ethereal and otherworldly.

“Big brother—” When she saw Ye Fan, Tingting was overjoyed and came running to him quickly.

“Hold on — this little girl is already a cultivator of the Dao Palace secret realm? How many years has she been cultivating?!” Li Heishui was utterly speechless.

“She’s on the same level as Xia Jiuyou,” Liu Kou also inhaled sharply in shock.

“She’s my niece!” Jiang Huairen said, his face the picture of pride.

“Little Uncle.” Tingting sweetly called out to him, and Jiang Huairen was very pleased.

“You all talk — I’ll be going.” Jiang Yi affectionately tousled Tingting’s hair, then turned around and vanished.

“Big brother, you finally came to see Tingting.” Tingting was very happy.

Ye Fan thought of many things from the past — the first time he had seen the grandfather and granddaughter in a small restaurant in the Southern Domain, with little Tingting wearing an old patched garment, yet being so remarkably sensible.

“Tingting has grown up.” He smiled and tousled her hair.

Tingting was very sweet-tongued and greeted Wu Zhongtian and the others one by one, calling each of them “big brother.”

“She’s my niece,” Jiang Huairen said.

“Damn it, now I know why you keep repeating that — you’re trying to claim seniority over us. Beat him!” Li Heishui and the others finally caught on and launched themselves at Jiang Huairen simultaneously.

Old Uncle Jiang stood to the side laughing, seemingly very fond of this atmosphere. Old people in their twilight years always enjoyed being surrounded by younger generations — he was clearly of that disposition.

“Big sister, hug me, hug me.” Xiao Nannan stretched out her small hands and opened her arms toward Tingting. She was only a little over two years old — soft and adorably cute, reaching only to Tingting’s waist, utterly endearing.

“What an adorable little one.” Tingting picked her up, and the little one immediately broke into a fit of giggling, unusual radiance flowing from the center of her brow.

“The Supreme Yin Physique,” the Great Black Dog muttered, circling around Tingting with its large copper-bell eyes spinning this way and that, unknown thoughts turning over in its head.

After a long, lively time together, Ye Fan walked aside with Tingting and sat in a pavilion, asking her about the Divine King’s current condition.

Tingting’s expression immediately became one of worry. She had followed the Peerless Divine King for more than half a year, learning boundless divine arts, cultivating nearly every single day.

“Your body—” Ye Fan was startled.

Tingting’s physical condition was clearly much better than before, which made him all the more uneasy. It must have been the Divine King’s doing.

“The Divine King performs the Divine King’s Rebirth Art for me as a blessing every single day.” Tears brimmed in Tingting’s eyes. “I wanted to stop him and couldn’t.”

“This—” Ye Fan was stunned. The Divine King was already like a lamp running dry of oil. To still use his own divine origin as a blessing upon her — to what dreadful state must his own condition have deteriorated?

“Where is the Divine King? I have the immortal sacred medicine — I can save him.” Ye Fan’s voice grew urgent.

“The elder ancestor sent me home, then journeyed far away. The family’s strongest members all went out, and none could track the slightest trace of him. No one knows where he is.” Tingting shook her head; tears rolled from her eyes, and she was filled with self-reproach.

“Don’t cry — this has nothing to do with Tingting.” Ye Fan hurried to comfort her.

“Tingting feels terrible.”

Over these past months, the Peerless Divine King had carried Tingting across the vast wilderness, appearing in many ancient places, as though he were retracing something from memory.

“It seems the Divine King’s heart is wounded…” Ye Fan sighed. The Peerless Divine King could not let go of the Fairy of Colorful Clouds’ death.

“They say the elder ancestor may have severed his own divine king’s origin,” Xiao Nannan whispered softly, and began to weep again.

“Don’t cry — big sister, don’t cry.” Xiao Nannan climbed up onto the stone bench and wiped Tingting’s tears.

The Great Black Dog’s ears were sharp, and it heard everything from where it stood nearby. Its expression flickered, and it said, “He has severed his own divine king’s origin — what extraordinary courage and resolve!”

“You rotten dog, what are you saying?!” Ye Fan scolded.

“I’m saying this person is remarkable — he actually had the audacity to do such a thing. Right now he has only two possible outcomes: either his form and spirit are annihilated within three years, or he is reborn into the world within three years, lives out a second life, and his cultivation soars to the clouds.”

“Is that truly the case?” Ye Fan’s heart jolted.

“Naturally it’s true. Even treating him with the immortal sacred medicine would be useless now — everything depends entirely on him. This is a genuine self-severing. Perhaps he can cut his way through to a second life of his own.”

The Peerless Divine King had poured out all his divine spirit’s blood to help Ye Fan sever the Dao fruit, exhausting his divine power, leaving him like a lamp dry of oil. Then he had selflessly aided Tingting, bathing her in divine light every day, severing his own divine king’s origin.

When Ye Fan thought of all this, a sourness rose within him, and with it a sense of guilt. He truly hoped he could save the Divine King’s life, and prayed that he would be able to live out a second life, passing safely through the gate of death.

“Is there truly hope?” Tingting asked, tears still on her face.

“It all depends on him now. To have come to such a point — if he is able to let go of his past, he will certainly be able to live out a second life.” The Great Black Dog said.

Ye Fan felt no small amount of worry in his heart. The Divine King had reached this point precisely because he couldn’t let go of the Fairy of Colorful Clouds — could he really release his past?

“Little big sister, don’t cry — be good.” Xiao Nannan stood on the stone bench and carefully wiped Tingting’s tears.

After quite some time, they finally calmed. Tingting seemed to recall something and said, “Big brother, your Cauldron of All Creation’s Primal Breath—”

“What about it?” Ye Fan asked.

“Not long after I returned, it was borrowed by Jiang Yichen, and he still hasn’t given it back.” Tingting sounded a little aggrieved.

Ye Fan let out a cold snort. Was the Jiang Family trying to keep his Cauldron of All Creation’s Primal Breath?

Jiang Huairen immediately became incensed and shouted, “Damn it — he even dares to take my niece’s treasure by trickery? That Jiang Yichen has always been insufferably arrogant and domineering, but this time he’s grown tired of living!”