After a separation of over a hundred years, this reunion now left both of them half-believing they were in a dream. They opened their eyes with a hint of daze, feeling that all of this was simply too unreal.

“Yes, I have returned.” Ye Fan nodded, his heart filled with emotion, his thoughts surging like waves.

In his eyes, the two of them had always been children. Yet inevitably, many years had passed—the two of them had long since become sages. The vicissitudes of time had changed so very much.

Ye Tong let out a great cry, finally confirming this was real and not a dream—but quickly he groaned in pain again, as cracks appeared across his body and blood splattered outward.

“Brother, it is really you…” Jiang Ting’s eyes were filled with tears. She had thought it would be very difficult to see him again—she could never have imagined that in the instant her eyes opened today, that familiar face, that strong and vigorous figure, would appear once more.

“Master…” Ye Tong endured his pain, his voice somewhat choked.

“Don’t cry. It is nothing so terrible—none of this amounts to anything.” Ye Fan comforted them. He spoke of the current situation, though he knew well enough that these were tears of joy and excitement.

The two of them were inside the Imperial formation array and could not come out—on that day they had fled here and were inexplicably drawn in. Ye Fan called out toward the cocoon of light: “Duan Fatso, let these two out.”

Though all the evidence suggested that Duan De might be the physical body of an ancient Heavenly Venerable that had developed its own spirit, Ye Fan could not bring himself to show any reverence toward this unscrupulous Daoist—just as in the past, he treated him as a peer.

“So noisy—if you dare shout again, I’ll go dig up your ancestral graves.” A reprimand came from within the cocoon of light.

The moment that shout sounded, the scene fell quiet. Ye Tong and Jiang Ting exchanged glances—they had been living here for several years and had never once heard Dao Lord Duan speak. How had he suddenly come back to life?

As for the Golden Lion, the Ancient Golden Roc, the Black Bear Sage, and the others—they were all left dumbfounded. Who was this person? Even when threatening others, he was so completely unique—they were simply at a loss for words.

Even Ye Fan was a bit stunned. He had only spoken offhandedly, never expecting Duan De to actually wake up—and to produce such a remark. He called back: “Since you’ve woken up, why don’t you come out of seclusion?”

“You decrepit old horse, I’m back—are you still breathing, or should I just arrange your burial?” Long Ma burst out laughing and took the opportunity to mock from the side.

“You’ve managed to find me even here, where I’ve hidden myself away—I can’t get a moment’s peace.” Old Fatso Duan cursed back. The enormous cocoon trembled again and again, but he refused to come out.

With a hum, light flashed, and Ye Tong and Jiang Ting were transmitted out of the Imperial formation array—it was evident that Duan De was the one controlling everything here.

“This seat has not yet completed my seclusion. I estimate I need to sleep for several more years. The path to immortality is about to open, and my transformation is not yet complete—if I come out now, I will certainly be beaten to a pulp.” Duan De muttered to himself.

The Black Emperor had once said that Duan De experienced breaking down to rebuild and rebuilding to break down again—cyclical and repeating—and that whether his flesh or primal spirit, both had endured many tribulations. His origins were extraordinary.

“About that—young one, you… you came back!” Duan De seemed to rouse from a great dream, in something of a daze. He said urgently: “What did you encounter along the way? How did you actually manage to come back alive?”

“What kind of thing is that to say? Were you hoping I’d be killed out there?” Ye Fan replied with exasperation, then dangled the bait: “I encountered the Demon Emperor’s Great Tomb on the ancient path, and bore witness to the Human Emperor. Are you interested in making a trip?”

“Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable—do you think I’m that kind of person?” Duan De seemed to come fully awake in an instant. He quietly began chanting sutras, reminding himself: “Calm down—all of that is floating clouds. Only I am real. This seat shall not be moved.”

Ye Fan burst out laughing, conveying his scorn for this self-deceptive attitude.

Long Ma was even more direct, telling Duan Fatso that they had ventured deep into the Demon Emperor’s tomb and passed in and out of the ancient Heavenly Venerable’s Sea of Bitterness—and had gained enormous benefit from it all.

“You obtained the life-spring divine liquid of an ancient Heavenly Venerable?” Duan Fatso seemed extremely agitated. He said: “Give me some immediately—pour it over the cocoon of light.”

Ye Fan had originally come to find his disciple, yet Duan Fatso had inserted himself into the middle of everything and become the center of attention. The enormous cocoon squirmed and thrashed, as though wanting to come rushing over on its own.

Ye Fan could see that this ancient Heavenly Venerable’s life-spring divine liquid was of great importance to Duan De. Without saying more, he immediately retrieved a jade bottle, tossed it forward, and it passed directly into the cocoon without any obstruction from the Imperial formation.

With a crash, the jade bottle shattered. All the crystalline liquid splashed onto the cocoon of light, blazing like streams of flame, making the cocoon even more brilliant and dazzling.

“Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable—the killing intent here is too heavy! It’s nearly burning this poor Daoist alive. Could this be the life-spring of the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable? Far too domineering.” Duan Fatso let out a muffled groan.

“Grave-robber, when are you coming out of seclusion? On just one human ancient path we ran into the Demon Emperor’s tomb and the rest—there must be similar finds on other ancient paths too. I cordially invite you to serve as our technical director. Let’s pull off one big score together—what do you say?” Long Ma pressed his case.

Duan De replied through gritted teeth: “Stop tempting me. This poor Daoist truly wants to go, but I don’t want to miss the path to immortality, and I will not leave the Northern Dipper by a single step. All right—disappear at once, all of you. I need to go back into seclusion. I must fall asleep immediately.”

After saying all this, he went silent at once, like a chrysalis waiting to become a butterfly—anticipating the day of awakening.

Little Que’er’s wounds were of no ordinary nature. A terrifying Buddhist power coursed through her body, something she could not expel on her own—but under the infusion of Ye Fan’s domineering vital energy, it gradually dissolved and faded.

“Divine Son… I feel much better now. You don’t need to exhaust your foundational power.” Little Que’er opened her eyes—her gaze was far clearer than it had been before.

Ye Fan nodded. He extended a hand and pressed a finger to her brow. A secret technique appeared in an instant within her sea of consciousness. He said: “With this secret art, you will henceforth have nothing to fear from any such injury.”

“This is…” Little Que’er was initially puzzled, then her expression shifted to one of shock—for what appeared in her sea of consciousness was a passage of text, and the very name at its beginning was: the Character Secret of 者.

Ye Tong’s injuries were also severe. He had been afflicted by the Golden Crow clan’s curse—he had shattered and rebuilt his body several times, yet still could not free himself from it, for this power had wound itself around his primal spirit.

Ye Fan moved both hands, and a supremely powerful vital energy spread outward. With a clear cry from his mouth, he sent it flowing in an instant into Ye Tong’s body, washing away and extracting the curse. Then he also pressed a single finger to Ye Tong’s forehead, passing on the Character Secret of 者.

Little Que’er and Ye Tong sat cross-legged and began to recover on their own, their divine power surging powerfully through their bodies.

“Brother, have you been well these years? Was it very dangerous, fighting on the ancient path?” Jiang Ting asked, her face written with concern, her heart overwhelmed with excitement. To be reunited—it still felt unreal to her.

She too had sustained injuries, though they were not severe. Even so, Ye Fan treated her carefully, extracting the remnant curse power from her body and also passing on to her the Character Secret of 者.

“On the ancient path, there were bitter battles, but also gains—it was an unforgettable period of years…” Ye Fan recounted the experiences of all those years, while also asking Little Tingting about her circumstances during the same time.

Before long, Little Que’er and Ye Tong both awoke as well. Old ailments purged, the two of them glowed with radiant vitality—their spirits many times more vibrant than they had been just a short while before.

A reunion is always joyful. The group had endless things to say to one another, talking of their experiences over the years. The broad situation was roughly in keeping with what Ye Fan had already come to understand.

At present, there was no way to return to the Heavenly Village. The precise coordinates of where it lay in the space beyond the domain were unknown—the Black Emperor was lost, and they were in the Northern Dipper, with no way to go back.

The Slaughter Sage Qi Luo had demanded justice for Ye Tong, and had been gravely wounded by the Golden Crow clan in return, going into hiding. Dongfang Ye, Yan Yixi, and the others should be all right—likely recuperating somewhere in the Southern Ridge among the savage tribes.

The one who caused the most concern was Hua Hua. Multiple rescue attempts had all failed, and Li Heishui, Li Tian, and Little Que’er had all come close to meeting their end in the attempt.

“Attacking the Buddhist sect and suffering heavy losses—the waters of Mount Sumeru run very deep. Our Heavenly Village is counted among the most formidable forces in this age, yet in the Western Desert we suffered a crushing defeat and nearly had our entire force annihilated.” Little Que’er had personally participated—the Heavenly Village was extraordinarily strong by any measure, yet they had nearly been wiped out in the Western Desert.

“They converted my disciple—I will certainly go to demand an accounting for that.” Ye Fan set their minds at ease.

In broad terms, his eldest disciple was safe and unharmed—and that settled half his anxieties. Now he began to turn his thoughts to venturing far to the Western Desert, to ascend Mount Sumeru and rescue Hua Hua.

“How insufferably arrogant—when this seat comes out of seclusion, I shall confront them personally and dig out every last tomb of every Buddha, patriarch and grandchild alike, until there is nothing left.” The voice naturally came from the cocoon of light within the Imperial formation. The group was rendered speechless.

“Close yourself back in seclusion.” Ye Fan rose to his feet and led his disciples out of that place.

“If you truly intend to attack the Great Mount Sumeru and raze the Great Thunder Sound Temple to the ground, notify me in advance so this seat may go and lend support. I have a serious suspicion that something good is buried beneath Mount Sumeru!” Duan De’s true nature was incorrigible—these were his parting words.

Ye Fan emerged into the world with Little Que’er and the others, having rescued his disciple Ye Tong, and immediately the world erupted in an uproar.

The might of the human Holy Physique had every sage trembling with apprehension. He had found his disciple and annihilated the Golden Crow lineage this swiftly—anyone who heard could not help but feel a deep wariness in their heart.

Ye Fan made no effort to conceal his whereabouts. At his current level, he moved openly and without fear. Of course, the most important reason was to let Li Tian, Li Heishui, Dongfang Ye, and the others know where he was, so they could gather once more.

“All of you wait here for me.” Having descended from the Sun Star onto the land—landing squarely in the Southern Region—Ye Fan raised his head and gazed into the distance at one hundred and eight mountain peaks. Their presence was magnificent and imposing. That was the Supreme Profound Sect.

Ye Fan entered the Supreme Profound Sect alone and ascended the Zhuo Peak. The place was overgrown with wild grass and its ancient halls had collapsed—it remained a stretch of desolate ruin, just as before.

On a stone platform sat a lean and refined middle-aged man, cultivating in cross-legged silence. His aura was not especially powerful—it was very tranquil, as he contemplated his own technique and Dao.

“Wenchang.” Ye Fan called out.

“Ye Fan—it is truly you. The rumors from the outside world are true: you really did come back!” Zhang Wenchang opened his eyes, greatly astonished. He invited Ye Fan onto the stone platform and offered him a meditation cushion.

Many years had passed since they last met, and naturally there was no shortage of things to say. Only after a long while did the two of them finally settle into calm.

“Where is Senior Li?” Ye Fan asked.

“My master disappeared nearly a hundred years ago. I suspect he may have entered the starry sky.” Zhang Wenchang replied.

Ye Fan was momentarily stunned. Could it be that in the future he would encounter this old friend on the one and only Imperial path?

“Wenchang, your cultivation level…”

“The Great Dragon Transformation—perfection stage,” Zhang Wenchang said.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan truly did not know what to say. He had already discerned Zhang Wenchang’s cultivation long since, but could hardly bring himself to believe it—so many years had passed, the heavens and earth had already undergone tremendous change, yet this old schoolmate was still so remarkably “steady.”

Zhang Wenchang himself took it quite well. He said: “At least it’s stronger than a mortal—I can fly through the sky and burrow through the earth, which is very convenient for getting around. Besides, the Zhuo Peak technique is a special one. It suppresses progress severely in the early stages. My plan is to spend four hundred years tempering the Wheel-Sea, the Dao Palace, the Four Extremities, and the Dragon Transformation—those four great secret realms—and then find a way to break through into the Immortal Platform.”

Ye Fan had an impulse to spit blood. This old schoolmate was truly unflappable—too steady by far. He was actually prepared to spend four hundred years in the Dragon Transformation secret realm, not the slightest bit anxious. He had truly grasped the essence of Li Ruoyu’s approach to cultivation.

To be honest, hearing all this, Ye Fan did not know how to offer advice—he genuinely did not know what to say.

“Then… take your time with it. Keep these safe.” Ye Fan gave him a bottle of the ancient Heavenly Venerable’s life-spring divine liquid, then left behind the scripture of the Natural Great Dao, placing it in his care.

The Natural Dao Scroll had once been given to Li Ruoyu. When Ye Fan had achieved sagehood, he had taken it back with him. Now, as though completing a cycle, Ye Fan was sending this scripture back to the Zhuo Peak once more.

As Ye Fan departed the Zhuo Peak, Zhang Wenchang saw him off. Ye Fan raised his head—not far away was the Star Peak, still gleaming with starlight. He thought of Hua Yunfei, who had come from that very place.

Suddenly, Ye Fan’s expression froze. He caught sight of a child of about eight or nine years, on a small hill beside the Star Peak—delicate and clear-featured, his hands resting on an ancient qin. The resemblance to Hua Yunfei was uncanny. They could have been carved from the exact same mold.

Ye Fan had personally killed Hua Yunfei, and had glimpsed certain images in the moments before his death. The man’s greatest wish in his heart had been to return to the way things once were—to be nothing more than a carefree qin-playing boy with not a worry in the world.