At the far edge of that grey expanse, not only were there many points of light — in the not-too-distant surroundings, beautiful mountain peaks rose, upon which palaces and towers stood, with brilliantly plumed birds soaring through the air.
“Those are a few immortal sects. A pity I have no chance to enter them — I’m not suited for cultivation,” young Bai Ye said with some regret.
Ye Fan had already discerned long ago that the old man was a cultivator, but this young man had never set foot on that path — only his muscles and bones had been tempered to an exceptional degree.
“Not suited?”
“My cultivation speed is too slow. I cannot draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into my body,” the young man said in a low voice, a trace of disappointment crossing his face.
Ye Fan said nothing. The path of cultivation was demanding — it required one in ten thousand, by nature. Not everyone could possess the talent or suitability for this road.
He had long since seen it clearly: the young man’s physique was exceptional, and among ordinary mortals he could become a supremely formidable fighter — yet he was unable to draw spiritual energy into his body, to receive its cleansing, and could not advance to a higher Dao.
“In this life, there are many things not worth dwelling upon too heavily. Let your heart remain serene and content, and hold fast to that state. Then nothing can trouble you.” Ye Fan offered what comfort he could.
Young Bai Ye gave a nod but said nothing more. Deep in his heart, however, he truly yearned for it — he longed to become a cultivator.
Ye Fan understood his feelings perfectly well, yet said nothing further. He turned and headed down the mountain. Finding himself unexpectedly in this place, he felt an unusual tranquility. He had fought an ancient supreme to the utmost and should by rights have died — yet fate had left him alive. He felt neither great sorrow nor elation.
His head still ached. His primordial spirit had been severed, as though an unnamed force was constantly cutting into his immortal platform, while also sealing and locking away the Dao-fragments throughout his body, imprisoning them within his flesh and blood.
In the days that followed, Ye Fan was very quiet. He strolled through the village and among the fields, breathing the clean air of the mountains and wilderness, wandering alone and often falling into deep contemplation.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, his condition simply refused to change. He could not perform any arcane arts. However, his physical agility and strength were recovering at an astonishing pace.
After floating through the frozen reaches of the universe for so many years — barely able to stir at all until recent years — and now that he had landed upon solid ground, he deliberately exercised his limbs and practiced breathing techniques, and at last began to feel that his body was fully his own once more.
During the half month that followed, Ye Fan would greet the morning sun each dawn, exhale impurities and absorb the crimson light of the horizon, beginning from the most fundamental Foundation Establishment, hoping to change his circumstances.
And every time he did this, young Bai Ye would come running, imitating him — because he knew Ye Fan was certainly a powerful cultivator. How else could someone fall from the sky and collapse the entire peak of Bull-Head Mountain upon impact?
In these days, the villagers had been endlessly discussing it, saying that a serpent demon had appeared in the stone mountain, and heaven itself had sent a great thunderbolt to smash the peak and strike the demon dead. Only Bai Ye and the old man knew that it was actually a person who had caved it in.
Half a month passed. Ye Fan wandered through the fields in the afternoon, throwing punches. In the mornings and evenings he practiced his breathing techniques — absorbing the crimson mist of dawn, taking in vital energy — hoping to restore himself.
There was indeed progress. His body became as lithe and powerful as a dragon, swift as lightning. With his bare hands he could pulverize the void — that explosive, staggering strength was enough to shake anyone who witnessed it.
It had to be noted: his Dao-fragments were still locked away. At present, only his flesh remained, with not a single principle or arcane art available to him.
Young Bai Ye had only glimpsed it once from a distance, and it left him awestruck beyond words. He could not believe what he had seen. He had heard Ye Fan say that this was merely the strength of his physical body — nothing but flesh alone — and it was already this terrifying: seizing and slaying wild dragons and savage beasts would absolutely be no problem.
Ye Fan tempered his muscles and bones, moving with the swiftness of lightning. A single leap could take him from the village to the mountain summit in an instant — like a divine demon striding forth through the world. Even the old man felt his heart lurch violently at the sight.
He truly had not used any arcane arts — had not invoked a single principle of the Dao? The old man felt his skin prickle with goosebumps. What a terrifyingly powerful person this must be, for his bare flesh alone to be this frightening — something he had never once seen in all his years.
With nothing but such a physical body, without even invoking the principles of the Dao, he could already slay powerful demon lords. This was truly a remarkable individual, and it left the old man deeply shaken.
“I… I can’t walk the path of the Dao. Would you teach me methods to temper the physical body?” Young Bai Ye summoned his courage and asked Ye Fan for instruction, his eyes brimming with hope and longing — and a trace of apprehension, for fear of being refused.
“I can,” Ye Fan replied simply. When he stretched and exercised his own muscles and bones, he never concealed it, and what he performed were the foundational movements of the most powerful battle techniques. He let the boy observe freely.
Several days later, Ye Fan ceased his physical tempering — for him it had become meaningless. His body’s strength was already at its absolute peak given his current state; what was missing were the Dao-fragments.
He spent his remaining time simply walking — as though surveying this piece of land, covering great stretches of the surrounding area in a single half-day outing, and guiding Bai Ye during his leisure hours.
Ye Fan let out a soft sigh. Still no result. The heart-rending, bone-splitting pain persisted. His primordial spirit showed no signs of emerging; he could not soar into the heavens. Just as before, there was not even a trace of improvement.
As time passed, he no longer forced himself to dwell on it. Sometimes he would sit by the fishpond and fish; sometimes he would walk into the fields to help some of the villagers plant rice seedlings; sometimes he would hunt wild game and bring it back.
Then one day, Ye Fan set out toward the Immortal Ascension Battlefield to take a look. Bai Ye was alarmed and hurried to stop him, insisting that the place was peculiar and that it was best not to take the risk.
But Ye Fan’s mind was made up, and the boy could not stop him. In the end, Bai Ye went along, and together they walked toward the far edge of that grey expanse.
At the horizon’s end, the light rain still fell in scattered flecks, and changes continued to ripple through the ancient battlefield. The beautiful mountain peaks in the vicinity had fallen completely silent — the cultivators of several small immortal sects had withdrawn, fearing they might be caught up in the terrible great battle to come.
“You two little ones have some nerve, coming all the way out here. It’s dangerous, you know — are you also hoping to enter the Immortal Ascension Battlefield to seek treasures and brush against an immortal destiny?” A big-bearded man called out from ahead.
There were more than a dozen cultivators in that group, none of them weak — at the very least far stronger than those immortal sect cultivators who had already fled. A burly man with a great curling beard stood at their head.
“Little one, you haven’t even set foot on the path of cultivation yet, and still you have the gall to come here? Go on home, don’t make trouble in a place like this,” a young woman said with a light laugh. Though her tone was teasing, it was a well-meaning warning.
“We only came to have a look,” Bai Ye protested.
“Then stay behind us. Don’t wander off — just watch from the outside, broaden your horizons.” The big-bearded man was the hearty sort; he had a great sword slung on his back and cut a very formidable figure.
“Thank you, uncle.”
This group was a mix of old and young, all rogue cultivators. They approached the outer edge of the Immortal Ascension Battlefield cautiously, their expressions grave as they peered into the world within.
Ahead, a rain of light fell, like clusters of fireworks blooming in succession. When great sweeping arcs of radiance sliced through the air, they resembled meteors blazing across the sky — truly dazzling.
Even Ye Fan was surprised. This place was truly mysterious. The world within was boundless; runes flickered periodically among the mountains and rivers, as though ancient immortal dwelling caves of an elder age were on the verge of opening.
“Those peerless champions should be appearing soon. I truly wonder how fierce this generation’s battles will be,” an old woman remarked.
“Those people are truly terrifying. Once they leave this battlefield and restore their original power, they could pluck the sun and grasp the moon with a wave of their hand, shatter stars to pieces — their divine might would overwhelm the heavens,” the big-bearded man sighed. Such power was world-shaking, something only a handful of this world’s greatest could possess.
Ye Fan noticed that it was not only their group here. In neighboring areas, people appeared from time to time as well — some in groups, some acting alone — all gazing out and taking stock. And he also noticed that some had already entered, heading deep into the vast battlefield.
One called it a battlefield, but the landscape within was magnificent: ancient trees, great waterfalls, no different from the outside except that light rain drifted constantly, condensing into runes that faded in and out of visibility.
“They’re hoping to find ancient treasures or brush against an immortal destiny,” the big-bearded man explained.
Before the great battle fully began, some would enter the battlefield to observe those runes and seek enlightenment from them — and if luck held, they might even find divine objects sealed within the rune-marked mountains. It had always been this way; every time the battlefield awakened, some would venture in. Of course, the risk was enormous: once inside, one’s cultivated attainment would be stripped away, and after emerging, it could take months or even years to recover. All manner of things could happen in the interim — dying inside was one thing, but emerging to be ambushed and robbed while stripped of one’s power was a grim prospect indeed. Ordinary cultivators would therefore never take such a gamble.
As for mortals — most could not withstand the overpowering field within, and their bodies would quickly deteriorate and perish. To expect them to find divine objects and bring them out was simply impossible.
Above all, once the great battle inside erupted, the peerless champions would ruthlessly slaughter anyone they did not recognize. Cultivators who had entered seeking opportunities would meet with a terrible fate — the blood-soaked scene that unfolded would be like a nightmare.
“ROAARRR!”
A dragon’s roar shook heaven and earth. Even the rain of light within the Immortal Ascension Battlefield scattered in chaos. From the distant sky, an enormous azure dragon came plunging down — ten thousand zhang in length, a sight truly astonishing to behold.
Even Ye Fan’s expression stirred. This was actually a Great Sage!
That dragon’s might made many cultivators tremble. In the end it entered the Immortal Ascension Battlefield, and the moment it crossed inside, its entire body blazed with light and its form shrank many times over. Moreover, it could no longer fly — it could only leap between the various mountain peaks, its cultivated attainment having been severed.
“That’s… the Azure Dragon Sovereign!”
Many people cried out in recognition. That azure dragon was a celebrated powerhouse of this world, its renown spreading far and wide, presiding over an entire domain.
“Is it going in to seek an immortal destiny?” Ye Fan asked.
“No — it’s going in to fight. To seize an immortal destiny through sheer force,” the big-bearded man said.
Those in this world who were powerful enough would sometimes choose to enter the field and contend with the supreme fighters arriving from beyond, fighting great battles and seizing their treasures and inheritances.
“That old dragon’s body is unrivaled — its frame is so massive that compared to other races, a single crushing blow can collapse mountains and shatter bone. If it goes in, it’s going to be overwhelmingly dominant.”
A Great Sage azure dragon possessed innate advantages from birth, and it entered without a trace of fear. Of course it wasn’t looking to sweep through everyone — once it obtained what it needed, it would immediately withdraw, and there would certainly be people outside waiting to receive it.
“DONG!”
Suddenly, a toll of a great bell resounded, shaking the broad human-inhabited lands. In this region bordering the Immortal Ascension Battlefield, it rang out clearly. Every face present changed color.
“This place has truly become the most terrifying battlefield now. The divine bell has rung, which means people from the outside have already begun descending. The bell is warning everyone — the mysterious duels, hunts, and siege battles have begun.”
Ye Fan’s expression froze — and then, two beams of light shot from his eyes. He had spotted dozens of enormous pillars of light descending from the sky, piercing through heaven and earth from above and below, as though gods themselves were descending.
Those were golden pillars propping up the sky — each one thick and magnificent, pressing against the nine heavens — as one supreme powerhouse after another descended.
Ye Fan’s gaze swept across them. Among those presences, he sensed some that felt familiar, their staggering fluctuations expanding outward — and their cultivation had not yet been severed!