The hall was strewn with cups and plates in disarray. Everyone had drunk deep into the night, all collapsing drunk beside the tables, and only when the sun was already high in the sky the next day did they rouse one by one, bleary-eyed.
“What a release! It’s been so long since I’ve drunk so freely.” The moment Dongfang Ye got up, he grabbed a wine jar and gulped down several mouthfuls.
In the days that followed, they all celebrated and drank freely. Only after five days did they each go their separate ways, agreeing to gather again in the future.
“I look forward to that battle!”
Everyone already knew that Ye Fan had made a powerful pact with the Holy Prince — there would inevitably be an earth-shattering battle in the days to come!
“Where is my master?” The young child Huahua was somewhat timid, feeling unfamiliar with everything in the Village of Heaven, and was being led around by Little Sparrow to get acquainted with the surroundings.
“You are the disciple of the Divine Son, and I am the Divine Maiden of the Heavenly Court. Do you know what to call me?” Little Sparrow had a slender figure, bright eyes and gleaming teeth, with an immortal grace and jade-like bearing — though she appeared a little young and inexperienced.
“I don’t know.” Huahua blinked her big eyes and said, finding everything around her novel and curious.
“A little immortal seedling!” From a distance, beneath an old locust tree, Qi Luo smiled with eyes crinkled. In these years since he had become a Slaughter Saint, he had barely made a move, spending his days passing the time with chess and tea.
Only those who had stepped into the half-saint realm could understand how terrifying this decrepit old fellow truly was. This was a transformation — washing away all superficiality, shedding every trace of killing intent — the Slaughter Saint had risen to an even higher level!
It was precisely because of such a Slaughter Saint that Ye Fan felt at ease in his heart. No matter what happened in the future, the outcome for those of the Heavenly Court would not be too dire.
He had left Huahua in the Heavenly Court and once again taken on the role of a hands-off master, letting the child grow freely on his own. He dared to do so because he knew that Qi Luo and the others would certainly nurture her with great care.
The Heavenly Court possessed the Nine-Aperture Holy Spirit Divine Liquid, which could lay the most solid Dao foundation for a child. And within Huahua’s sea of consciousness lay the supreme profound arts of Buddhism. With a sage overseeing and guiding her, her future achievements would be beyond measure.
“Master, we wish to travel extensively through this vast heaven and earth — reading ten thousand scrolls of books, walking ten thousand li of roads.” Zhang Qingyang said.
“We will return in ten years.” Long Yuxuan also spoke.
To truly integrate into this world, one had to experience it firsthand. They chose to measure this real world with their own feet.
The Divine Knight was the same. His cultivation was extraordinarily profound. On Earth he had been suppressed by the Great Dao, but now that he had arrived in this world, he could break through barriers at any moment.
“Indeed — treading across mountains and rivers, experiencing the mortal world in person. The tempering of one’s state of mind is more important than bitter cultivation.” Ye Fan nodded and saw them off, watching as they disappeared beyond the horizon.
As for Long Ma, there was absolutely no intention of going on an ascetic journey. These days it was thoroughly content and reluctant to leave, and it was less a case of kindred spirits with the Black Emperor and more a case of birds of a feather flocking together.
During these past few days, the two troublemakers had put their heads together, then roped in Duan De as well. They spread open a map, whispering and muttering to one another, unknown what mischief they were scheming.
“This seat has no time to go wandering with you — there’s a big score to settle!” That was Long Ma’s reply.
Ye Fan’s face went dark with exasperation. Duan De, the Black Emperor, and Long Ma — these three scoundrels — he had no idea who they were going to afflict this time. He didn’t bother stopping them, because a fleeting glance had revealed that what they were poring over appeared to be a terrain map of the Yao Guang region.
The Yao Guang Holy Land was suspected to have been built atop an emperor’s tomb. The terrain there formed a massive earthen mound, containing profundities that ordinary people could not begin to fathom.
This was a grand scheme that Duan De and the Black Emperor had been plotting for over ten years, never daring to act on it — though for some unknown reason, they now seemed ready to make their move.
“This Daoist master, through painstaking deduction at great cost to my heart and mind, has learned that something lies within that emperor’s tomb. A few months at the least, half a year at the most — and it will come bursting out…”
Ye Fan heard these words from a distance and shook his head with a scoffing smile. That unscrupulous Daoist was most likely spinning wild tales. How could a perfectly fine holy land simply come crashing apart?
On that same day, Ye Fan also departed. He had some matters to attend to and might soon have no time at all.
After leaving the Village of Heaven, the land stretched for a million li without a single blade of grass — bare and red, for this was the Northern Region, and the lack of vitality was entirely normal.
A cool breeze brushed his face. After stepping out, Ye Fan stood atop a mountain peak and gazed out over the desolate, barren land — not a thread of life to be seen.
Passing through the Divine City, Ye Fan sensed the prosperity within. All manner of blood auras mingled together, forming a vast and surging tide, like a great furnace of heaven and earth.
“Only I returned to Earth, and now I have successfully come back. I need to tell Liu Yiyi, Zhang Wenchang, and the others about the situation with their families.”
Ye Fan did not enter the Divine City. Instead, he chose to continue crossing the void, heading directly for the Jade Pool Holy Land.
The Northern Region was dry and barren, lacking vitality, but not every place was so — and the Jade Pool was naturally no exception, being magnificent and picturesque.
This holy sect did not hover in mid-air but sat upon the earth itself. That very day, Ye Fan arrived there.
The sacred mountains soared majestically, their elegant peaks ethereal and otherworldly, as though one had stepped into an immortal realm. Divine springs flowed from stone cliffs, spirit herbs grew alongside the precipices, auspicious beasts lay at rest in the mountains — there was both an immortal aura and strange scenery of magnificent variety.
“The legendary sacred land of the Eastern Wastelands that has been renowned for so long!” Ye Fan murmured to himself. After so many years, he once again stood outside the mountain gate of this place.
Swoosh!
A flash of blue light — a gateway in the distant void swung open, and several members of the ancient races stepped out, descending to the ground. They glanced at Ye Fan with expressions of surprise but paid him no particular mind. For at this point, no one could see through Ye Fan’s “Reshaping Heaven and Earth” technique.
“The one at the lead is a Dao Severer!” Ye Fan’s expression shifted with surprise. Why would powerhouses of the ancient races be coming to the Jade Pool Holy Land? In an era when sages did not emerge, Dao Severers stood at the absolute pinnacle of combat power.
Ye Fan watched the figures of their retreating backs for a moment in thought, then stepped forward toward the mountain gate himself, informing the guardian cultivators that he wished to see Liu Yiyi.
Everything went smoothly. He entered the Jade Pool.
This place was coiled in dragon energy — strands upon strands of it transforming into clouds and mist that steamed upward. The purple qi was noble and magnificent, with no fewer than tens of thousands of streams flowing from every single mountain peak.
That such a pure and unspoiled land could exist in this Northern Region was truly a miracle. Every stone cliff was draped in veils of immortal mist, ancient medicinal herbs took root in the rocky peaks, and the scenery was both elegant and awe-inspiring.
“You are…” Liu Yiyi had been notified and hurried over soon after. She met with Ye Fan inside a guest chamber set amid a bamboo grove, gazing at him with suspicion.
Ye Fan swept his divine sense outward and confirmed that no one was watching. He smiled faintly and revealed his true appearance.
Liu Yiyi’s slender hand trembled. The teacup nearly fell from her grasp. Her face was written all over with shock, and in a near-trembling voice she asked: “It’s you… Ye Fan.”
By now, who under heaven did not know — fourteen years ago, Ye Fan had stormed the ancestral temple of the Central State, fought with divine valor, cut down the exiled immortal Hua Yunfei, and stood alone and supreme atop the Five-Colored Sacrificial Altar. No one had dared to compete with him for the teleportation array within the ancient forbidden grounds, and in the end he had departed from this stellar domain.
So many years had passed. All had assumed he could never appear again — merely a single wave in the long river of the Northern Dipper stellar domain now lost to time. And yet here he had appeared once more.
“Yiyi, it’s me.” Ye Fan said.
“You returned to Earth — you saw our families. How are my parents?!” Liu Yiyi’s chest heaved violently. She rose to her feet, overwhelmed with emotion. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at him with burning urgency.
“They are in reasonably good health.” Ye Fan offered words of comfort, though within his heart he quietly sighed — for although he had successfully returned, his own parents were no longer of this world.
“Really?” Liu Yiyi’s tears rolled down in streams. She was a person of the modern world, and no matter how wondrous this side might be — even if one could live forever — it could never ward off the longing for the other shore of the starry sky. There was not a moment when she did not wish to return.
Ye Fan said little more, but produced a great heap of things — perfume, clothing, and snacks from the other side of the star sea… and even touch-screen computers.
With tears in her eyes, Liu Yiyi watched the clear and warm footage that Ye Fan had captured — images of her parents supporting each other, her younger brother, and a darling little niece she had never met.
She could not hold it together any longer. Heartsore beyond measure, she wept without ceasing, wishing she could return to the other shore of the starry sky that very instant.
Ye Fan withdrew from the inner chamber and wandered aimlessly through this stretch of grounds. By now his origin arts had reached great mastery — he was just a thread away from becoming a Celestial Master of Origins — and he could perceive far more of the mysteries here than before.
“Mm. The fifth-generation founding master Zhang Lin truly put in remarkable effort here. Origin arrays are densely laid out, allowing spiritual energy to nourish every inch of stone and soil, transforming it into supreme sacred land.” He rubbed his chin and began studying it with genuine appreciation.
He had come here to visit a friend and naturally could not enter any restricted areas — he could only observe within the permitted range. Suddenly he sensed someone approaching, but paid it little mind and continued forward.
“Ye Fan.”
Someone called out from behind. A young woman came floating lightly toward him, white robes fluttering, her figure slender and graceful, her dark hair elegant and beautiful, her lotus steps gentle and unhurried, like a celestial being skimming across the water.
Ye Fan’s heart stirred. He feigned curiosity and turned around, following along as though searching for this so-called “Ye Fan,” his face arranged in an expression of “bewilderment.”
This woman’s skin was like congealed fine jade, her cheeks luminously fair, her forehead pristine and radiant. Her pair of eyes held a spiritual and poetic radiance, carrying a trace of a smile — like an immortal stepping out from a painting.
It was none other than the Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool — ranked alongside An Miaoyi and Yan Ruyu as the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Wastelands. Even the great imperial families of the Central State and even the ancient races had sought to form marriage alliances with her, but none had succeeded.
After so many years, her appearance had changed little. As beautiful as ever, her every movement was exquisite to the extreme — naturally graceful and ethereal. Her white teeth gleamed as she spoke: “You can deceive the world, but you cannot deceive me.”
“You are… the Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool?” Ye Fan appeared puzzled, with a look of confusion on his face.
“When Ye Tong fought Wan Chu, the Holy Son, I was present on the scene — and I witnessed a person exerting his Aura of Power over all the clans, dominating the many Dao Severers.” The Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool glided forward gracefully, her figure willowy and elegant, her chest full, pushing the snowy white robes into perfect curves. Her slender waist was trim enough to be held in a single hand, and her legs were long and shapely.
“What is the Holy Maiden saying?” Ye Fan pretended ignorance.
“I wish to say that you are Ye Fan. Just now I happened to catch a glimpse of Yiyi — she was emotionally overwhelmed, her eyes red and swollen. Though she tried to conceal it, she could not hide it from me. All these years, the one thing weighing on her heart has been the longing to return to the other shore of the star sea. Who else but you could have returned and brought her news that moved her so deeply?”
Ye Fan spread his hands, feigning incomprehension, and walked toward her with a smile. “I have long admired the Holy Maiden. Perhaps we are truly fated, and thus feel a natural affinity for one another — as though we have met before.”
The Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool smoothed a strand of her dark glossy hair. The spiritual radiance on her luminously fair forehead was restrained and inward-turned, her keen eyes flashing with wisdom. “There is no need for concealment before me. To speak plainly — I have studied some origin arts myself, and I am certain you used the Reshaping Heaven and Earth technique.”
“Very well then. Since the Holy Maiden believes me to be Ye Fan, then I am Ye Fan. In that capacity, I invite the immortal lady to admire the moon with me and speak of life’s aspirations — would she be willing?”
The Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool’s red lips were lustrous — pure and beautiful with a faint trace of allure. Her figure was light and graceful, her gaze full of self-assurance, the corner of her mouth curved upward in an expression that was neither quite a smile nor not.