What gravity lay in those two words — ancient emperor. Years of trials and tribulations pass like clouds before the eyes. What truly remains is the solitude of ten thousand ages.
Brilliant beyond compare — later generations envied them. Yet who truly knew the experiences of their lifetimes — born into battle and fighting until old age, facing it all alone? It was a song of tragedy.
Old friends, companions, those of the same era — all had died. Only they remained, carrying their wounds in weary battle. Long lives filled with loneliness.
The upheavals of the ancient age — the passage of time erased all things. Later generations forgot his deeds. He had once fought alone in the outer realms — and continued doing so until this very moment.
In the eyes of the world, an ancient emperor was invincible, glorious, standing upon the absolute apex — brilliant and worthy of all longing.
Yet who could truly understand the Void Emperor’s desolate twilight? Even as his body grew old and his vitality ran dry, he continued to fight. His companions, his beloved — all had long since turned to dust beneath the earth. Only he remained, living out the second half of his life alone.
In the end, he quietly set out on his own path — choosing to face his supreme and unrivaled enemies in the outer realms, all the way to the final moment of his life — walking alone to that ending.
After ten thousand years, it had come to its close. One person, one coffin — no one to see him off, only himself. Alone, he drifted away into the cold and dark depths of the cosmos — a lonely and sorrowful burial far from home.
This was what it truly meant to be a great emperor.
Beams of sacred light shot upward, blazing throughout the star domain. The massive fleet — including all four great sage vessels — fractured inch by inch, swiftly dissolving.
The Void Emperor’s coffin had drifted away, shattering its chains, the body setting off alone, to be buried within the boundless void. The remaining vast fleet was in the process of destruction — a sight that shook the heavens and the earth, terrifying beyond words.
“The ancient ghost ships have collapsed — they have reached their end!”
From an immense distance, the people of the Eternal Main Star all moved swiftly, activating formation arrays to transfer the various ancient ships and holy artifacts within that region of space. These were priceless treasures.
The four great sage vessels became the focal point of all attention. Divine treasures were within — matchless and rare. They could not stand by and watch them be destroyed.
Bang!
But from the moment the nine-layered coffin departed, nothing there was under control any longer. The vast fleet fractured and crumbled, turning into cosmic dust — impossible to stop.
The hearts of the twelve Wang-level lords bled. Even the saints clenched their fists with all their might, doing everything possible to salvage the situation. This was the glorious fleet from ten thousand years ago — it was invincible.
Regrettably, no amount of effort could defy the heavens. The Void Emperor’s coffin had drifted away, and the space it had occupied began to collapse — an irreversible turn of events.
“Quickly — construct the grandest star gate possible! We must draw out the four great sage vessels — their divine treasures are within!” Even ancient sages were shouting, personally taking action.
Above the heavens, a gateway seemingly forged from metal appeared — vast and immense, as though connected to the very end of the world. Talismanic inscriptions flickered as the gate locked onto what lay ahead.
Boom!
Fragments of metal came flying out from within in vast quantities, with continuous explosions erupting. Even the outflying holy artifacts were reduced to flying ash.
“It’s out — one great sage vessel has been retrieved!” A Wang-level lord shouted with excitement.
They trembled, waving their arms forcefully, their eyes fixed with nervous intensity on the ancient sacred ship emerging from within the star gate, radiating a magnificent and overwhelming might.
“This is bad — it too is dissolving. It won’t hold either.”
Everyone’s heart sank. The great sage-level ancient ship had emerged, but it was already fractured — and it was still disintegrating, silently being annihilated.
“Terrifying — that was merely the residual shockwave from the ancient coffin, yet it destroyed a great sage ancient ship. Truly horrifying!”
People trembled. No one had the courage to pursue the divine coffin of a deity. Even though dozens of ancient great sages had once set it as their expedition’s objective — even though it was extraordinarily precious — all they could do was let it drift away.
Brilliant light erupted, and the explosions continued. The great sage ship disintegrated into shards. Then, from within it, a cold body fell out, drawing cries of astonishment from the crowd.
“It’s a great sage from ten thousand years ago! Everything else has been destroyed — yet his body has been preserved!”
Amidst the destructive shockwaves and continuous explosions, only one withered body had not dissolved — the sole relatively intact thing remaining.
Saints acted together, all of them desperately wanting to seize it. Yet Dao patterns interlaced, and the great sage’s body began to collapse, sending several ancient sages stumbling backward in shock.
“This is truly… a supreme and world-ending terror. The final shockwave from that ancient coffin has caused such devastating consequences!”
The great sage’s body was shattered into blood and bone fragments. From within it, a dim blood gourd fell, bearing the brunt of the Dao law’s residual shockwave.
“Crack!”
The blood gourd also emitted a shattering sound under the strain — but was not completely destroyed. Half of it remained intact.
Everyone was stunned. The residual shockwave had broken through three layers of great sage weapons in succession — the ancient ship, the body, and the gourd — and only at this point finally dissipated. One could only imagine how terrifying it had been.
“That was merely the residual fluctuation of an ancient coffin from a hundred thousand years ago — and still it could do this…”
Faced with all of this, people could only feel shock and dread. For a long while, no one could say anything more.
In the depths of the cosmos, the fleet that had once been invincible and swept the starry heavens ten thousand years ago had been completely annihilated — turned to ash, with nothing remaining.
Of the four great sage-level motherships, only this one had broken free from that expanse of space, bursting through the star gate — and in the end, only half a blood gourd remained.
“Quickly — examine what treasures have been left behind.”
The blood gourd was gathered by several ancient sages, who carefully inventoried its contents inside one of the motherships. Outsiders were not permitted to approach — violators would be executed on the spot.
Everyone knew that something precious had been salvaged.
Anything belonging to an ancient great sage could never be ordinary. Within the damaged gourd, quite a few objects had been preserved.
“Evolutionary elixirs — there are actually supreme elixirs from ten thousand years ago! This is something unimaginably transcendent!”
An excited cry came from within the mothership. A Wang-level lord with the authority to observe within brought back this stirring news — and the fleet instantly erupted with exhilaration.
“It is eighth-stage divine evolutionary elixir!”
This news, once announced, caused an enormous uproar. One had to understand: the most sensational achievement in the Eternal Star Domain over the past fifty thousand years was the successful refinement of sixth-stage evolutionary elixir.
And now, a nearly perfect supreme elixir had emerged — what manner of transcendent and heaven-defying substance was this? It left people’s mouths dry with longing.
“A pity — ten thousand years is far too long. By today, the medicinal potency has degraded. It can no longer compare to what it once was, and can only be considered barely approaching fourth-stage evolutionary elixir.”
An ancient sage examined it carefully before reaching this conclusion. It was inevitably disappointing — but there was nothing to be done.
“Although it is regrettable, this is still a major harvest. And the quantity within is not small — worthy of a great sage’s legacy. All twelve of our royal clans can receive a share.”
Within the half blood gourd, there were also some other precious objects, which the ancient sages divided among themselves — outsiders never learned what these were.
As for the supreme evolutionary elixir, it was distributed equally among the twelve clans, each receiving a portion.
An unexpected encounter with the ancient ghost ships — two saints lost, several motherships destroyed — the losses were considerable.
The Sun Inextinguishable Royal Clan had suffered the most tragically of all. Their saint who had accompanied the expedition had fallen, and only one mothership remained. Their fleet still existed in reasonable numbers, and the portion of evolutionary elixir fell into the hands of their Wang-level lord.
At this moment, Ye Fan composed himself, no longer gazing into the distant starry sky. He withdrew his gaze and fixed it on the Wang-level lord within the mothership.
This Wang-level lord was a figure of considerable standing — a prominent authority within the clan, who had reached the Half-Saint realm. He may not have had the highest cultivation aboard the mothership, but he had the greatest voice.
“The saint has declared that if these evolutionary elixirs are combined with certain divine mineral substances and further refined, they may fully reach the pinnacle of fourth-stage supreme elixirs. This expedition to the Northern Dipper will reward those who render merit — this vial of elixir awaits you to claim!” The authority figure declared, rallying the morale of the troops.
The other clans all had saints presiding over them. Their own clan now appeared the weakest, able only to rely on themselves. Otherwise, they would likely claim little reward in the Northern Dipper.
Light flickered within Ye Fan’s eyes. He had been recruited — he had no standing to enter the mothership, and was currently aboard a warship, watching this authority figure through the main screen.
He was absolutely determined to obtain that vial of evolutionary elixir!
Massive star gates appeared. Dozens of motherships, leading their dense formations of fleets, set off on the road. Everyone composed their hearts and minds — they were about to set course for the Northern Dipper Star Domain.
“This time we will conquer that ancient star. Nothing and no one can stop our advance!”
“Even the ancient ghost ships have disintegrated without being able to do anything to us — this is an auspicious omen. We will become the masters of this expanse of stars!”
The twelve Wang-level lords began to rally their respective forces, reframing what had been a terrifying ordeal moments ago into a favorable sign.
They set out, performing one spatial jump after another in succession.
“Beneath the starry sky, our glory will be everywhere. The mysterious Northern Dipper will belong to us — we will bring the light of hope there, and transform it into a divine land!”
In the events that followed, no further accidents occurred. After another month of long and arduous travel, the expeditionary army drew close to the Northern Dipper, sensing a strand of vital energy.
“We’ve arrived — just ahead. Through that quiet star domain, a faint aura of a life star has leaked through. It will be conquered by us!”
Everyone cheered, eyes fixed on the main screens.
“Hey — effort always brings its rewards. We’ve left our homeland behind and traveled all the way to this star domain. We are finally about to reap our gains.”
“It is said that those indigenous people sit atop a mountain of treasure without understanding its value. All the rare and world-transcending resources there will bloom in radiance under our hands.”
As the motherships advanced to this point, they began to separate in an orderly fashion. Each of the twelve great clans took a different position — clearly, they were beginning to partition the Northern Dipper.
“That ancient star is large enough — comparable to our Eternal Main Star. But the most precious resources are concentrated primarily in the Northern Region. We need to negotiate — how to divide it equally.”
“Our Lanto Clan only requires these three areas.” The Wang-level lord of the Lanto Clan pointed at a section of a secret map as he spoke.
“What? Your Lanto Clan’s appetite is too great — beyond wanting both the Blood Phoenix Mountain and the Fire Scaled Serpent Cave, you still intend for your clan alone to swallow the Primordial Ancient Mine? The command stones there are the most precious of all!” The Wang-level lord of the Cao Family immediately voiced displeasure.
“It was primarily our Lanto Clan that provided the intelligence and secrets of this ancient star. Without us, would any of you have been able to find this place? It is entirely reasonable and just for our clan to take the Primordial Ancient Mine.” The Wang-level lord of the Lanto Clan replied.
“Absolutely not!” Several of the great clans protested in unison.
The Wang-level lord of the Mo Family from the Primordial Demon Sea spoke up: “You are all welcome to compete for the Primordial Ancient Mine. Our clan only wants the Undying Mountain and Sacred Cliff — that area is far from the Northern Region, so we won’t be contending with you for it.”
“Our Zhao Family will take the Divine Ruins, with the Ten-Thousand Dragon Nest in the Northern Region and the Primordial Lake added in as well.”
The various Wang-level lords each declared their targets in turn, refusing to yield to one another, all embroiled in contention and dispute.
A strange expression crossed Ye Fan’s face. But he said nothing — he watched with cold detachment, observing their choices in silence.
The Wang-level lord of the Purple Cloud Clan spoke with composed calm: “There is no need to argue, everyone. All of this came from the demon’s divine consciousness sea. Whatever the truth of it is, let us go witness it with our own eyes before deciding.”
“Quite right. We are about to arrive in the Northern Dipper Star Domain. Let us first make a pass through and survey the situation. Seeing is believing — we can make our decisions then.”
“One thing must be agreed upon from the outset: we must absolutely not attack one another. Even if the Primordial Ancient Mine, the Undying Mountain, the Divine Ruins, the Fire Scaled Serpent Cave, the Ten-Thousand Dragon Nest, and their various affiliate territories truly contain immortal medicines — no one is permitted to harbor ulterior motives or scheme against others.”