Ye Fan had not given his real name. Even here in the Central Province, announcing himself would invite endless trouble — the upheaval he had stirred in the Eastern Desolation was too great.

By now, even the heroes of the five great domains gathered in the Extraordinary Masters’ Hall had vaguely heard that a prodigy had emerged from the Eastern Desolation. That alone said everything.

“Young master, your life-saving grace is beyond repayment. I said I would give you an ancient scripture, but I did not bring it with me. Come with me — I can also help you fully recover your vital energy.” Princess Yudie said with a smile.

Ye Fan hesitated. He was genuinely drawn to that ancient scripture — yet he was reluctant to enter a supreme ancient imperial dynasty. This was no ordinary dynasty founded by mortals.

Without question, this was an ancient dynasty belonging to supreme cultivators, a form of ancient inheritance — where its emperor and ruling figures would certainly be supreme great elders.

“Your Highness!” A voice called from the distant sky. A group of people arrived rapidly, reaching the near vicinity in the blink of an eye.

Ye Fan’s heart lurched. Among them was one supreme great elder, five half-step great elders, and at the very end — a young man of upright and striking bearing, clearly within the Dragon Metamorphosis secret realm.

“Grand Tutor.” Once Princess Yudie saw that supreme great elder, the tension left her completely.

“It is good that you are unharmed, Your Highness!” The young man, following just behind the Grand Tutor, was the first to speak, his face full of eager warmth.

“Your Highness — is it true that Chunqiu City actually had dragon marrow?” The supreme great elder spoke. Then he caught a faint trace of fragrance, and a look of pleased surprise crossed his face.

“Dragon marrow truly did appear, as the legends said. I managed to obtain it before anyone else could.” Princess Yudie nodded.

The border between the Chiyang Nation and the Anping Nation had long been a source of friction. In recent days, someone had seen dragon energy rising into the sky and speculated that dragon marrow might have appeared — both nations had dispatched great elders to arrive at the first possible moment.

Ye Fan was inwardly astonished. Princess Yudie did indeed carry a divine object on her person — his instinct had not been wrong. Though it could not compare to an immortality divine medicine, it could extend a lifespan by a hundred years — an extraordinarily rare treasure beyond price.

In the Central Province, dragon veins were abundant. Dragon marrow was the refined essence of ten thousand veins concentrated together — supremely rare and precious, extraordinarily difficult to find. In the eyes of a great elder whose lifespan was nearly exhausted, it was an invaluable immortal treasure.

Ordinary dragon marrow could extend a lifespan by a few years — which was already considered exceptional. Dragon marrow capable of extending a lifespan by a hundred years was something the world had almost never seen — it could go tens of generations before anyone witnessed it even once.

“Wonderful — escort Her Highness back to the court!” Grand Tutor Xiao was deeply moved. As a supreme great elder, he could gauge the nature of the object from the scent alone without needing to open the white jade vessel.

“Your Highness truly has great fortune!” Beside him, Grand Tutor Xiao’s grandson Xiao Mingyuan smiled. Then, with a seemingly casual air, he glanced at Ye Fan and said: “Is he one of Your Highness’s shadow guards?”

“I owe my escape entirely to Brother Ye’s help — without him, I would not have been able to get away…” Princess Yudie introduced him, giving a brief summary of what had happened.

Grand Tutor Xiao nodded, looked at Ye Fan once, and said nothing further.

“To escape from a great elder’s pursuit — you must be among the foremost young powerhouses of this age. Why was I unable to see Brother Ye at the Extraordinary Masters’ Hall?” Xiao Mingyuan asked.

“I was delayed by certain matters and missed the opportunity.” Ye Fan shook his head and sighed.

“What a shame.” Xiao Mingyuan smiled lightly.

“Uncle Qi was left behind — I wonder how he is now.” Princess Yudie frowned. Strands of dark hair drifted about her face. Her skin was ivory-white and lustrous. On her delicate oval face, her beautiful eyes held a clear and vivid inner light — fresh and refined, standing apart from the ordinary world.

“He is more than capable of protecting himself — nothing will happen to him.” Grand Tutor Xiao said.

“A hundred years of dragon marrow, worthy of being called a divine quality — I doubt the Chiyang Nation had more than a handful of people who knew about it. Grandfather, don’t you plan to act? Go rescue Uncle Qi, and silence the ones who saw it — to prevent any leaks.” The corner of Xiao Mingyuan’s lips curved in a faint, cold smile.

A chill ran through Ye Fan. This man’s words carried an implication — surely he didn’t intend to include him in the silencing as well? If so, this was truly the behavior of a white-eyed wolf.

“Supreme great elders command boundless divine power — they are very difficult to kill. Besides, it matters little. The dragon marrow already has an owner; they will not come to seize it.” Grand Tutor Xiao shook his head.

Ye Fan was considering making his departure and foregoing the ancient scripture — when Princess Yudie spoke to detain him: “Brother Ye is my savior. How can I let you leave like this?”

Xiao Mingyuan said nothing — merely swept a light glance over Ye Fan.

“The Princess has extended her invitation — please stay.” Beside them, the supreme great elder Grand Tutor Xiao locked a thread of his aura onto Ye Fan. Ye Fan found himself unable to withdraw, and inwardly felt a chill.

The Anping Nation stretched across an immense territory — of untold number of miles — dwarfing any ordinary mortal kingdom many times over.

Traveling south, they passed through majestic landscapes of rivers and mountains, spectacular as a painting. On this boundless vast land, all resources belonged to the upper tier of cultivators of this ancient nation — the nation itself was a means of handing down supreme arts from generation to generation.

In the Central Province there were four undying imperial dynasties — colossal and immovable presences, stretching from the remote ancient era down to the present, over a hundred thousand years of unbroken prosperity, with no one able to challenge them.

Beyond those, there were the various Schools and Teachings — likewise incomparable and undying inheritances. Some had roots even deeper than the four great divine dynasties and possessed foundations no less profound.

And in addition to those, there were nine ancient nations — less powerful than the four great imperial dynasties, yet still formidably mighty. They had stood for seventy or eighty thousand years. The Anping Nation and the Chiyang Nation were counted among them.

“This vast a territory…” Ye Fan was struck into a daze. They crossed through the void several times over, traversing endless mountains and rivers — before at last arriving at the capital of the Anping Nation.

The ancient city was imposing and grand — overwhelmingly immense, stretching across a vast expanse like an undying divine city descended from the heavens, radiating an aura of ancient, weathered grandeur.

The city gates were enormous. Dozens of savage beast mounts could ride through side by side without crowding. The walls were worn and mottled — yet divine power still rippled across their surface. If a great enemy came to attack, brilliant light could flow from them and envelop the entire ancient city in protection.

Inside the city, it was tranquil. There was no clamor of a marketplace, none of the bustle Ye Fan had imagined. Peace and serenity reigned — it was almost impossible to spot a single person on the streets.

“This is…”

Ye Fan was greatly taken aback. Along the ancient avenues, auspicious mists coiled and rose. Within the courtyard gardens of many ancient buildings, cool springs cascaded and ancient trees soared, spiritual herbs filling the air with fragrance.

This looked nothing at all like a capital city of tens of thousands of years — it was more like a secluded mountain sanctuary. Not a single mortal could be seen here. This place was a sacred ground for cultivation.

“Surprised?” Princess Yudie smiled softly. “We are cultivators. We establish nations in order to make better use of resources for cultivation — not out of love for power and worldly glory.”

The Anping Nation had mortal cities too — a great many of them. But their imperial city was not among them. This was a cultivation ground for the ruling upper tier.

At the center of the city, purple energy burst toward the sky, spreading in thick, luxuriant drifts, condensing into the shape of a dragon. Any observer could tell at a glance that this was where dragon veins converged. The essence energy of the earth flowed and circulated here — a supremely ideal ground for cultivation.

“The Central Province is not quite the same as the Eastern Desolation. Many dragon ancestor veins run beneath the earth here. Many supreme great sects build cities to nurture and accumulate the pure essence energy of heaven and earth, evolving them into pure lands for cultivation.” Princess Yudie smiled.

Ye Fan heard this for the first time, and was struck immediately by how wondrous it was. The Central Province was truly unlike the Eastern Desolation in many ways — great sects did not necessarily seclude themselves in deep mountains here.

By building cities, nurturing spiritual beauty, embodying the great Dao of heaven and earth, and awakening the ancestral roots of dragon veins — over the long passage of ages, a piece of pure land could evolve into sacred soil for cultivation, a divine nation for the practice of the arts.

In the Central Province, the four great undying imperial dynasties stood supreme above all. Their imperial capitals had nearly evolved into celestial cities — as though a divine kingdom had descended to the mortal world.

“This is an ancient scripture — it expounds the great Dao of nature. It is simply that most people find it very difficult to cultivate…” Princess Yudie presented a volume of ancient writings.

It was evident that this was not a complete ancient scripture but rather a single hand-copied scroll. Ye Fan took it in hand and examined it carefully, and found himself at a loss for words.

The scripture described the Dao of nature — carrying the principle of withdrawal from the world and non-contention. It contained no secret arts, no mysterious techniques. By any reading, it looked like a manual for nurturing one’s character.

Yet if one pondered it carefully, something extraordinary could be found within. It held the great Dao of nature in its depths — profoundly mysterious. Nurturing the character and tempering the mind: if one followed it in its entirety, one’s state of heart could undergo a true elevation.

But it was far too unusual. Unless one was an immortal untouched by mortal affairs, everyone carried the seven emotions and six desires. How could any ordinary person possibly cultivate this scroll to completion? To Ye Fan, it seemed largely impractical.

“This ancient scripture…” Ye Fan truly did not know what to say.

“It is said this was written by a great emperor in his later years, when he retired from the world into seclusion. Later generations were never able to grasp the essence of it and could not cultivate it successfully.” Princess Yudie said, with a trace of apology in her manner.

“This ancient scripture — if one could actually cultivate it to completion, one could ascend to immortality.” Ye Fan muttered to himself.

“It was transcribed by Her Highness’s own hand. An ordinary person could not even see it once. You must not dismiss it lightly — in ancient times, even sages of remote antiquity have borrowed it to read.” A nearby elder bodyguard spoke.

“Did the ancient sages succeed in cultivating it?” Ye Fan asked.

“No.”

Ye Fan thought about it, and kept it anyway — he would treat it as a manual for tending flowers and plants. If one day he ever had a chance to cultivate immortality divine medicine, it might well prove useful.

“I know I have given you far too little in return, Brother Ye. Here is what I propose: I will go and obtain a drop of dragon marrow to help you restore your vital energy. And I will also petition my father, the Emperor, to grant you a sacred ground in the cultivation realm — it can accelerate your cultivation by one or even two times.” Princess Yudie turned to leave.

“There are places like that?” Ye Fan said in astonishment.

“By building a city, nurturing the pure essence of heaven and earth, and imprinting upon it the supreme Dao — after the long passage of countless ages, the land can naturally evolve into sacred soil for cultivation.” The elder bodyguard explained.

Ye Fan was deeply struck by this. The Central Province was truly extraordinary — it left one in admiring awe.

Shortly after, Xiao Mingyuan appeared. He entered the residence — a place of interweaving mountain views and spiritual springs — and once he had learned of the situation, his expression shifted oddly. “Could it be the ‘Purple Dragon Terrace’ or the ‘Fire Phoenix Ridge’? Both are sacred grounds for cultivation.”

When he learned that Princess Yudie intended to also give Ye Fan a drop of dragon marrow, Xiao Mingyuan paused briefly, then broke into a smile. “Those two sacred grounds probably already have owners. Let me go look into this for you. The Anping Nation spans a million miles or more — surely one or two excellent plots of sacred land can be found among all that.”

Not long after, news reached Ye Fan: the old Emperor of the Anping Nation intended to grant him a territory and have him become its lord. This left him both amused and baffled.

“What use do I have for land?” he grumbled inwardly, and was on the verge of taking his leave.

“Congratulations — that was the hermitage where a great emperor spent his final years. He ultimately entered his final sitting within that very place.” Xiao Mingyuan appeared and delivered this news.

Ye Fan had already been preparing to bid farewell — yet at these words, his heart gave a sharp jolt. A great emperor’s hermitage in his final years — the very place he had passed from this world. This was something extraordinary indeed. He had to make the journey.

“The place is not far from the Extraordinary Masters’ Hall. Once you are there as its lord, Her Highness and I can come visit often — we are both cultivating within the Extraordinary Masters’ Hall.” Xiao Mingyuan clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Xiao Mingyuan left. Ye Fan watched his retreating figure, then turned to the elder bodyguard beside him and asked: “Is that place truly so unusual?”

“Well…” The elder bodyguard hesitated a moment. Seeing that Xiao Mingyuan had disappeared, he then said: “Over the untold ages, I don’t know how many lords of that land have died for no apparent reason.”

“What?!” Ye Fan was greatly startled. A cold light flickered in his eyes. He turned the matter over in his mind for a long while before finally saying: “I want to see exactly what is strange about it.”

“Young man, I advise you not to go. Every one of those past lords was just like you — refusing to believe there was anything to fear, hoping to obtain the secret treasury of the ancient great emperor. Every last one of them paid with their lives.”

Ye Fan learned that this was once a territory held by the Xiao family, now being carved out and ceded. He didn’t need to think hard to piece together something of what was behind it.

“I have no grudge with Xiao Mingyuan. Why does he want me dead?” He quickly thought of Princess Yudie — the third most beautiful woman in the Central Province. Could this be because of her?

“Is it really not far from the Extraordinary Masters’ Hall?” Ye Fan asked.

“Not very far.” The elder bodyguard nodded, then hinted that with all the prodigies of the five great domains now assembled in that area, appearing in that territory would make for a chaotic and dangerous situation, and urged him not to go and court suffering needlessly.