The evening glow scattered across the lake like shattered gold, shimmering with golden light amid the rippling waves.

In the distance, grain stalks swayed, rustling in waves like ripples spreading outward.

Chickens clucked and dogs barked within earshot of one another — the mountain village bathed in evening glow was filled with peace and tranquility, undisturbed by the outside world, like a paradise beyond the mortal realm.

An old man sat on a small stool, leaning against the wall, telling stories to a group of children, his eyes narrowed, gazing into the distance, his tone slow and measured. Listening closely, these were events happening on the battlefield beyond the world.

This was the Village of Heaven’s new location, hidden away in the countryside.

In the distance, a green ox walked slowly by, a shepherd boy riding atop it, playing a flute, like a stream of clear water flowing through a desert, peaceful and cool.

Several women washed clothes by the river while a group of half-grown boys caught fish, filled with laughter.

The path to immortality was about to open, yet the Village of Heaven had chosen to lie low, unwilling to get involved, even planning to slip deep into the universe, far from this place of trouble and conflict.

Because once the opportunity for immortality appeared, the entire ancient star would become a battlefield, and who knew how many would die — this would surely be the most terrifying battle since time immemorial.

Everything was in preparation and fermentation. The Black Emperor’s fur was practically falling out from the strain, pouring his heart and soul into deciphering the star gate, wanting to thoroughly research the starship.

Perhaps they would leave soon, and so whether children or elders, everyone was making the most of this last precious stretch of time.

Away from the battlefield, having temporarily left the cultivation world behind, living this life among ordinary mortals — everyone found it quite comfortable, with no secret techniques, no ancient treasures, no warfare among the myriad clans, only simplicity and joy.

People can only truly appreciate ease and contentment, body and mind both relaxed, after passing through tension, anxiety, and worry.

At the village entrance, beneath an old peach tree once struck by lightning, Li Tian, the Sage Emperor’s Son, and others sat on stone stools, gazing at the evening glow on the horizon, tea fragrance drifting from the stone table.

Ye Fan tore open a pack of cigarettes and lit one, pinching it skillfully between two fingers and bringing it to his lips. As the smoke drifted out, he too felt a wave of relaxation.

This was perhaps one of the few usable “foreign objects” he had brought back from the other shore of the starry expanse. He wasn’t much of a smoker, rarely smoking at all — only after a great battle like this concluded would he light one up.

The Monkey, curious, asked for one, and the moment he took a puff, he immediately spat it out, the cigarette’s smoke shooting out like a streak of light, piercing straight through a distant mountain.

Li Heishui, Li Tian, and the others followed suit, resulting in a chorus of dry coughing, genuinely unable to understand how this could possibly be considered enjoyable.

The little bald-headed Hua Hua, mischievous and sly, quietly stole one from his own master, lit it up without hesitation, and took a light drag, acting far beyond his years, sighing: “Fallen leaves do not understand the wind’s lingering pull — what I’m smoking isn’t tobacco, but clearly chewing on the bitter softness of the breeze.”

“Nonsense!”

A group of people, including the Sage Ape’s Son, Dongfang Ye, Yan Yixi, and others, each gave him a knock on his bald head, causing the little fellow to cry out in pain, tears welling up, retreating into the distance clutching his head, looking utterly aggrieved, sending everyone into laughter.

The sun had set. Ye Fan tossed the cigarette butt toward the distant bonfire, where the fragrance of meat drifted over — a golden, glistening roasted wild goat leg was nearly done, and several jars of aged wine had also been opened, their fragrance intoxicating.

“It would be very dangerous for Master to go out right now,” Ye Tong said.

The outside world was already in great chaos, in an uproar — the two great Divine Dynasties had been destroyed, and the Green Cauldron containing the secret of immortality had emerged, stirring the hearts of who knew how many people.

Yan Yixi nodded, saying: “We should endure for a while longer. Right now the storm is raging, and the people of the ancient clans have gone half-mad, searching everywhere — going out now would easily cause trouble.”

The appearance of the broken Green Cauldron had made all the great ancient royal clans across the primordial era restless, emerging one after another, searching the entire world.

Especially with the path to immortality about to appear, people believed that holding such an immortal object might make it easier to draw close to immortality — thus, powerhouses from across the world had all emerged.

Fortunately, the Village of Heaven had obtained four World Stones, which the Killing Saint Qi Luo had refined, reopening a small world, fused into the void, impossible for anyone to find.

And it was precisely because of these four World Stones that the Killing Saint Qi Luo had gained tremendous fortune, touching upon the most fundamental essence of heaven and earth, and had begun secluded cultivation.

“The various Sacred Grounds are truly of mixed quality — we were the ones who conquered the ancient Divine Dynasty, yet only they got to see the Green Cauldron. Clearly someone among them leaked the information,” Li Heishui said indignantly.

This was an obvious matter — that night, Ye Fan had used the cauldron to pierce through numerous restrictions within the Mortal Realm, delving deep into the void, bringing back the coordinates of the Heavenly Domain, shocking everyone present.

Everyone’s faces showed worry — Ye Fan now practically had enemies on all sides; the moment he showed his face, it would surely spark fierce battle, with no one willing to let him go.

This was an enormous crisis looming — even if he were powerful enough, could he possibly stand alone against the myriad clans of the entire world?

Moreover, even among the human race’s powerhouses, there were likely more than a few with malicious intentions harbored in their hearts.

“What is there to fear? Master possesses talent that defies heaven itself — so what if he has enemies on all sides? Just fight his way straight up to becoming a Great Emperor!” the little bald-head said, flattering shamelessly.

Everyone laughed — it was a kind of bitter laughter.

Having enemies on all sides now was no longer a matter of facing the powerhouses of a single ancient star, but of facing powerhouses from numerous star domains — it might even evolve into a war against Sages across the entire universe!

Once the path to immortality opened, sages from every domain beyond would emerge — this was no longer merely the world of the Northern Dipper’s cultivators, but had become an ancient battleground where Sages from every domain contended for supremacy.

If Ye Fan went out now, the worst possible outcome would be drawing the combined assault of every Sage, facing life-threatening danger.

This was a terrifying crisis — everyone’s brows furrowed deeply, sensing an ominous premonition.

“It must be trash like the Four Symbols and Nine Heavens Sacred Grounds — who else would be so shameless as to leak news of the Green Bronze Cauldron,” Long Ma said, puffing white smoke from his mouth.

“Not necessarily. Human hearts are treacherous — who can say for certain? In any case, someone wants to see Ye Fan trapped in a place of death,” Li Tian said.

Ye Fan smiled, shaking his head, and said: “The moment I took the cauldron out, I already knew this outcome was inevitable.”

Everyone was stunned, all turning to look at him.

“What do you intend to do?”

“You all know, I must eventually walk into the starry void, continuing down that ancient road,” Ye Fan said.

“You did this on purpose — you want to lead the enemies into the starry void, let them follow you there, and annihilate them along the way?”

Ye Fan smiled, saying: “Whoever wants to seize the cauldron, whoever wishes me dead, will follow me onto that road, journeying together into the distance. Setting aside everything else, the Eternal Main Star alone is already a vast battlefield — both sides will inevitably clash eventually. Why not let me thread the needle, adding a bit more fuel to the fire?”

“You rascal!”

“For the sake of the evolutionary liquid, and to avoid the chaos of the path to immortality, it would be best for the Village of Heaven to also leave the Northern Dipper and lie low for now.”

Everyone discussed the matter — when the path to immortality opened, ordinary mortals would have no chance to compete for it; to preserve their strength, it would be best to stay far away.

As for the outstanding among them, if they were unwilling to accept this, they could return on their own to contend for the path to immortality!

“Tomorrow I’ll head out. Some people really think they can push me around however they please — I’ll go pay them a visit first! Come, let us drink to this.”

Around the bonfire, people raised their cups, drinking freely, eating meat heartily, drinking wine by the bowlful, a lively atmosphere — even Little Sparrow drank until her little face flushed red.

As for the mischievous little bald-head, needless to say, his tongue grew heavy, loudly demanding to go to Mount Sumeru to be the head monk among monks.

The firelight flickered, the fine wine’s fragrance drifted, and naturally the Crocodile Ancestor’s divine flesh was placed on a silver platter, becoming the most tragically famous Demon Sage in history, sampled at every grand feast by this group, constantly praised for its excellence.

“Aoooh… let me tell you all, Wushi the Great Emperor, he…” the Black Emperor slurred drunkenly.

The group’s eyes immediately lit up, all leaning in eagerly, staring at it expectantly, hoping to hear some secret revealed.

“He… actually loved eating roasted meat too!”

“Bah!”

Everyone pummeled it together — this dog was clearly deliberately toying with everyone’s appetite for gossip.

“Let me tell you all… the ruthless Great Emperor you speak of once went to Kunlun — his brother died there… the Quasi-Emperor Rongcheng also went there, taking away the legendary ginseng fruit tree from the myth — who knows if he’ll one day call himself the Earth-Suppressing Immortal Elder in the future.” Long Ma, having come out of Kunlun, had spent some time mingling among mortals, and had learned of the tale of Journey to the West.

The group did not disperse until deep into the night.

The next day, Ye Fan and the Sage Emperor’s Son left the Village of Heaven’s new location, appearing out in the wider world.

The storm was gathering, heralding the mountain rain to come!

Sages from beyond the world continued to descend one after another, sparking a great storm, and now with news of the Green Cauldron surfacing again, the ancient star of the Northern Dipper grew even more turbulent.

Not only the ancient clans, but even cultivators arriving from across the universe were searching for Ye Fan, wanting to seize the cauldron.

“Caw…”

The Fire Crow soared across the sky, golden light sweeping across the earth, flames blazing, turning the great wilderness into a sea of molten lava.

Amid the various clamoring voices, two Golden Crows were the most arrogant and domineering, proclaiming that the human race’s Sacred Body belonged to them, whether his soul or his physical body — both were, in their words, their rightful prey.

As for that Green Cauldron, it belonged even more to the Golden Crow clan, for their Great Emperor had once schemed for it in ancient times, losing nine of his offspring in another star domain — and now that it had reappeared, it was surely the will of heaven, meant to return to the Golden Crow clan.

“What human race Sacred Body, what Undying Golden Body — in the eyes of my Golden Crow clan, these are nothing at all. If he dares show himself, strike him down on the spot!”

Naturally there were those who found this distasteful, but none dared act rashly, for according to those in the know, the Fire Mulberry Star was truly terrifying — the entire ancient star was populated by Golden Crows, and in ancient times a Quasi-Emperor had once emerged from that golden fire-tree divine nest!

Ye Fan, after emerging, did not immediately go looking for trouble with the two Golden Crows, but instead headed toward the Silver Moon Ancestral King.

Originally, it was precisely this figure who, together with the two great Divine Dynasties and others, had joined forces with the Village of Heaven, intending to kill him and the Sage Emperor’s Son to seize the evolutionary liquid.

In the battle beyond the world, Wei Yi had not fought against the Great Sage Qianlun directly, only killing that King of Killing Saints along with a few other small fry.

The Silver Moon Ancestral King, being one of them, had fled faster than anyone, escaping that calamity, and upon returning had stirred up all manner of trouble, causing the ancient clans’ various kings to emerge en masse — much of it thanks to his efforts.

He feared that the one from Mount Sumeru would settle scores with him, so he had been fanning the flames, diverting people’s attention, letting the whole world chase after the Green Bronze Cauldron. He had personally gone to report it, inviting no small number of people to emerge.

“Jumping around causing trouble, trying to shift blame onto me — do you really think I don’t know? I’ll destroy you first!” Ye Fan said.

“If you want to take a risky gamble, first kill the human race’s Sacred Body and seize the Green Cauldron — that’s how you can obtain the secret of immortality!” the Silver Moon Ancestral King had often persuaded people this way while moving about.

Given the Sage Emperor’s Son’s status, he naturally had dealings with certain ancient primordial royal clans. People, respecting his father, had told him a great deal, saying that the Silver Moon Ancestral King might also act against him.

“If he wants to take a risky gamble, then let’s kill him first to establish our authority!” the Sage Emperor’s Son also sneered coldly.

The mountains and ridges rose and fell, ancient trees grew dense and verdant, endless mountain ranges stretched on, savage beasts roamed about, strange birds circled overhead, their cries never ceasing, a prehistoric scene in every direction.

The Silver Moon Ancestral King was truly afraid. These past days he had been employing various schemes, merely trying to protect himself, hoping to let all the various kings emerge together to deal with Ye Fan, while inadvertently also offending the Sage Emperor’s Son. If he could kill these two, he could use it as a way to extricate himself.

With the two great Divine Dynasties destroyed, he found himself uneasy every moment, fearing that his own end might be approaching as well.

In this world, once a cause exists, some effects cannot be escaped. Within these ancient ridges, he was cornered by Ye Fan and the Sage Emperor’s Son.

“You…” He turned to flee, but how could he possibly escape?

He quickly confirmed that no one else had followed, only these two “juniors,” and immediately sneered again, saying: “You two are far too presumptuous. I am an Ancestral King — as long as you haven’t become Sages, you have no capital to suppress and kill me. I’ll send the both of you on your way!”

The great battle erupted. The Silver Moon Ancestral King was shocked — first, half his body was blasted apart by a golden fist from Ye Fan, then his spine was shattered by a club strike from the Sage Emperor’s Son.

A tragic end proved unavoidable!

When news of the Silver Moon Ancestral King’s death spread, the world was in an uproar — what exactly did the human race’s Sacred Body intend to do? Daring to fight against the tide, engaging in wholesale slaughter at such a critical juncture — his audacity was simply too great.