That aura was deeply familiar—he felt as though he had encountered it somewhere before. Ye Fan stilled his mind and thought carefully. Then, in a flash, it came to him, and a look of shock spread across his face.
“They… have come here as well? Did they arrive here even in ancient times?”
He had once fought against the Ancient Golden Crow clan and knew their kind well. Now his heart began to pound rapidly. “A golden divine egg—its aura is close to that of a divine feather I once encountered!”
When Ye Fan had left the Northern Dipper and stepped out into the vast stellar domain, the saints had hunted him down. He had entered an ancient star where a quasi-emperor had failed to attain the Dao, and certain events had unfolded there.
That mysterious quasi-emperor had been like an ancient god who had sundered heaven and earth—rivers of stars wreathing his body, overlooking the entire cosmos. Yet his skull had shattered, leaving behind only endless regret.
The Ancient Golden Crow had once wielded a golden divine feather, claiming it was a magic weapon refined from a tail feather belonging to their clan’s quasi-emperor. Its power was beyond compare—yet that feather had been slain by “a god” in that very place.
“Without a doubt—the aura of the divine egg and that golden divine feather are far too similar!” Ye Fan was certain. There could be no mistake.
The Golden Crow clan made their home on a star called “Firemulberry”—so why would they appear here? All of this hinted at a staggering hidden truth.
Ye Fan’s expression shifted between light and dark. The Twelve Saints also had many questions, and they debated among themselves at length—all of them profoundly shaken by the Fire Crow Grand Saint’s power.
To be comparable to Cang Yan the Fire Spirit—such a level of cultivation was genuinely frightening, as extraordinary as anything under heaven. Forget this single star; even casting one’s gaze across the boundless expanse of the starry sky, this was a peerless powerhouse.
Ye Fan said nothing. He led the twelve holy beasts back into the Primordial Mountains—but this time, he deployed the Heaven-Deceiving Formation Patterns, concealing their auras so their presence would not be exposed.
He moved his hands in flowing strokes, inscribing markings upon mountain after mountain. Wielding his source arts to reshape heaven and earth, he began running calculations, seeking to map out the underground situation in exhaustive detail.
He was the sole Source Heavenly Master of the present age, and among all those in history he was one of the few with the most precise grasp of the natural mountains, rivers, and myriad things. His source arts could pierce the heavens—this was a proud achievement and a Dao fruit unto itself.
Rune after rune flickered upon the great mountain peaks, appeared between sweeping rivers—above, corresponding to the sun, moon, and stars; below, connected to the nine layers of the underworld springs. Heaven and earth stirred together.
Long Ma, the Golden Lion, the Scorpion, and the others dared not interrupt. They watched in silence from behind, lending their assistance in his effort to comprehend the mountains, rivers, and all things.
A vast network of source-heaven veins took shape, spread across the sky and covering the earth, blanketing the most central region of the towering mountain range. A brilliant radiance coalesced and transformed into an ancient mirror.
“The mountains have become transparent—a clear view straight down into the underground world!”
“These towering peaks have become crystalline and translucent—how can they look like mirrors?”
All twelve saints were utterly astonished. They opened their eyes wide and peered inward, carefully studying the wonders in the depths below.
Dimly, vaguely, they glimpsed the Fire Crow Grand Saint, and saw upon the Immortal Platform a single point of golden light—flames billowing, submerging and shrouding that place entirely.
Light gleamed in Ye Fan’s eyes. He could see far more clearly than the Twelve Saints, and his heart was stirred. He could now confirm it with near certainty: the Fire Crow Grand Saint was most likely not a native of this ancient star.
The Celestial Soldier Star was suspected to be the transformed skull of a supreme being. And on that Immortal Platform at its deepest center, the Fire Crow Grand Saint plainly carried within it the bloodline power of the Ancient Golden Crow.
Though it bore black feathers, shimmering with dark light, that alone could not be taken as proof that it was unrelated to the Golden Crow—for the most fundamental aura radiating from its very core had revealed its bloodline heritage.
And the golden divine egg it guarded—its aura was unquestionably close to that of the divine feather he had seen long ago. It was a truly heart-pounding matter.
The space between Ye Fan’s brows split open, revealing a vertical eye. This was a divine ability that had appeared when the treasure gate within his body unlocked, one that could see through any veil of illusion.
Long before recorded time, a supreme existence had fallen. Its skull had transformed into an ancient star, and within the vast Immortal Platform of its frontal bone rested a strange liquid—brilliantly clear and crystalline, resembling flames, leaping and dancing. The divine egg had been submerged within it, undergoing incubation.
Upon the enormous supreme-level Immortal Platform, this was the only pool of liquid. Radiant with rosy light, it was nearly undetectable at first glance; one would easily mistake it for flame. The Fire Crow Grand Saint was not immersed in it—the liquid barely managed to soak the golden egg within it.
“Could this possibly be the sole fragment of undying divinity left behind after the supreme being’s fall?” Ye Fan murmured to himself, profoundly shaken.
This was divine liquid preserved on the Immortal Platform—surely world-shaking in nature, likely possessing some inconceivable divine potency—and yet it was being used to incubate a single divine egg.
The Golden Crow clan of Firemulberry Star had arrived here long ago. A Grand Saint was standing watch upon that ancient Immortal Platform, waiting quietly for the divine egg to hatch. The more he thought about it, the more his heart hammered in his chest.
According to what Wang Ziwen had said, the Fire Crow Grand Saint was deeply mysterious and extraordinarily low-profile. It had appeared approximately two thousand years ago.
“A golden egg—incubating for two thousand years and still not yet hatched…” Ye Fan’s head began to ache.
It was said that Firemulberry Star had a supreme “Emperor” of its own, yet that being had never once appeared. Ye Fan had also tried to search out traces of Golden Crow Immortal Platform markings, but every time he approached the subject, he encountered only a wall of chaos.
Today, discovering a mysterious golden crow egg in this place, a series of strange thoughts immediately arose in his mind. Could this be connected to the true form of that “Emperor”?
The road to immortality was on the verge of opening, yet still there was no sign of the Golden Crow clan’s “Emperor” making an appearance. At the time, the various saints from beyond the domain had made many unusual speculations.
“Whoosh!”
In nearly the same instant, Ye Fan erased every marking he had inscribed upon the mountains and rivers. Every pattern of runes vanished completely. He led the Twelve Saints away, covering millions of li in a single bound before coming to a halt.
Even as a Source Heavenly Master, he could not peer into the affairs of a Grand Saint without restraint. The true window of safety was only three breaths long—once exceeded, even source arts could no longer conceal what he had done.
Therefore, after seeing everything clearly upon the ancient Immortal Platform below, he had activated his escape at the end of the second breath, vanishing into the far reaches of the vast earth. It was as though nothing here had ever happened.
“A quasi-emperor seeking to attain the Dao has a nine-in-ten chance of failure. The most tragic I ever witnessed was the one I encountered in the starry void—skull shattered, rivers of stars wreathing his body, the mother star that had nurtured him reduced to a dead world. Too sorrowful a sight.”
Ye Fan had once heard that the highest existence of the Golden Crow clan had made an attempt at attaining the Dao—though the outcome remained unknown.
“I believe the Golden Crow clan’s lord has passed into death. This is the sole bloodline he left behind, sent here to draw upon the undying divine essence of an Immortal Platform from before recorded time, so that in the future it may charge toward the highest realm.”
“Very likely. This is almost certainly a divine-egg imperial son bearing all the hopes of the Golden Crow clan.”
Long Ma, the Golden Lion, the Nine-tailed Crocodile Dragon, the Black Bear Saint, the Scorpion, and the others all discussed it together, arriving at this conclusion.
Ye Fan said nothing. The most pressing matter was to return to the Lin Clan and learn from Wang Ziwen the full history of the Fire Crow Grand Saint—when it had first appeared, and every action it had taken since.
The Lin Clan was quiet, without incident. Everyone was waiting in anticipation, hoping Lin Han would recover quickly. The relentless calls for retribution from the outside world weighed heavily on every soul within.
When Wang Ziwen saw Ye Fan return, he let out a long breath of relief. Learning what Ye Fan wanted to know, he summoned the Lin Clan’s elderly steward and had him give a thorough account of everything relating to the Fire Crow Grand Saint.
“Some of the older figures have indeed suspected that he came from beyond this domain, and was not a cultivator native to this ancient star…”
Though Ye Fan gleaned some useful information, the Fire Crow Grand Saint was far too low-profile—its secrets could not be fully uncovered.
From antiquity to the present, more than one powerful figure had obtained immortal fortune from that ancient Immortal Platform, but it was speculated that none had gained as much as the Fire Crow Grand Saint. The place had since become its dwelling, and no one could enter it any longer.
Ye Fan believed this star must have a connection to the Ancient Heavenly Court—perhaps it truly had been the Court’s training ground, a place for forging and housing its soldiers. The name “Celestial Soldier Star” seemed to reveal everything.
“The Golden Crow clan has truly powerful means. They have followed the trail all the way here, exploring everything from before recorded time. Can their ambition be to seize all the hidden wealth of the Ancient Heavenly Court?”
“You are saying that the immortal palace outside the forbidden wilderness is a relic of the Ancient Heavenly Court’s ancient halls, and that it can be used as a gateway to descend into the various secret sites of the Heavenly Court throughout the stellar domain?” Wang Ziwen’s expression shifted with surprise.
Ye Fan nodded. “That is right. My guess is that Zhou Yi, Zhang Ziling, and even Lin Jia—who made a second attempt on the immortal palace—each entered different secret sites of the Ancient Heavenly Court scattered across the stellar domain.”
“The Golden Crow clan harbors grand ambitions—they seek to inherit everything of the Ancient Heavenly Court, to reign supreme over all under heaven. Is an emperor who would rule the entire cosmos about to emerge?” Wang Ziwen asked with uneasy bewilderment.
Just then, someone came to report: Lin Han’s condition was excellent. He had passed the crisis, and it seemed highly likely that he would charge toward the Grand Saint realm in the coming days. The chances of success were great.
This was unquestionably good news, enough to lift every spirit.
“The entire ancient star is the transformed skull of a supreme being—it’s like something out of myth, truly beyond all imagination. What a pity it was seized by the Golden Crow clan. I really want to take that bird egg and make it into egg fried rice!”
“Exactly. That is undoubtedly divine liquid capable of defying the natural order, and yet it has been turned into a nest for hatching a bird egg.”
Long Ma, the Nine-tailed Crocodile Dragon, the Black Bear Saint, and the others were all deeply aggrieved. With a Grand Saint sitting watch, no one could hope to break in—that treasure was simply not fated for them.
Ye Fan asked whether there were any other places of particular significance on this ancient star.
Wang Ziwen thought carefully for a moment. “There is a divine stele—an artifact from before recorded time. Carved upon it in ancient divine script are the two characters ‘celestial soldiers.’ Through countless ages of warfare it has changed hands many times, passing through the possession of many great powers, yet none have ever gained anything from it. It is the oldest relic on this star.”
As ill luck would have it, the stele was presently in the hands of the Gu Family. Just as with every dynasty and great power that had held it before, the clan had gained nothing from it, and it had become merely a decorative piece.
Wang Ziwen speculated that if there truly were a connection to the Ancient Heavenly Court, it lay with this stele alone—it was the only ancient relic left over from before recorded time.
“Though the Heavenly Court fell, once one travels the star paths, its remnants appear again and again. Perhaps in time its entirety will be uncovered.” Ye Fan murmured to himself.
He swept a hand through the air. All twelve saints surged with excitement, preparing to assault the Gu Family and borrow that divine stele for a look—perhaps it would yield some astonishing discovery.
The Wang Family and the Lin Clan were also moved to act. They had held themselves in check for many days; now that Lin Han had recovered, they no longer needed to walk on eggshells.
In all these days, the Gu Family had been stirring up trouble, fanning the flames, and rallying the great powers in preparation for a siege—and now it was almost time for that storm to break. The atmosphere outside had grown tense to the extreme.
“The Lin Clan is finished—they will be bathed in blood, left without a blade of grass, with nothing remaining!”
“Ha—within days, the powerful lords from all sides will make their move, and those demons from beyond the domain together with the Lin Clan will be reduced to ash and obliterated from the face of the earth!”
The outside world was full of clamor. Certain parties were stirring in secret, building an atmosphere in which a great battle was imminent and the Lin Clan’s destruction was only a matter of time.
Yet on this very day, a pack of savage beasts and members of alien clans came charging out—like beast gods and demon gods descending upon the world—diving toward the Gu Family. Their battle-aura was overwhelmingly vast!
No one had expected it: the so-called demons from beyond the domain struck straight at the heart of the matter, charging directly at the Gu Family and striking first. Murderous intent rolled back against the nine heavens.
Hum!
Ye Fan’s body shook violently. An expression of disbelief spread across his face—for he felt the bronze cauldron within his body tremble, sending out strand after strand of green radiance, so that his entire body became suffused with crystalline light.
“That is… it has something to do with the mottled divine stele before the Gu Family’s gate!” Ye Fan’s heart and mind were shaken to their core.