“I misspoke. Treat it as though you heard nothing.” Li Tian reined in his wicked and strange expression, his face becoming extremely solemn.

“No — just now you said the Eternal Universe Great Emperor cast a Divine Maiden Furnace for your patriarch!” Ye Fan fixed his gaze upon Li Tian’s pupils, demanding a full explanation.

“Ah, senior brother, you witnessed it too — it is not that I wished to bring the Divine Maiden Furnace into the world. It is that someone has learned of it. It is time to let it reappear.” Li Tian said.

“Absolutely not!” Yan Yixi refused him with firm and absolute words.

“Well then what are we to do? An outsider now knows this secret. We could join forces and kill Brother Ye — that way, the Divine Maiden Furnace can continue to be buried in the mountain.” Li Tian said this with a perfectly serious expression, not the slightest trace of joking in his manner.

This man was deeply wicked. Judging by his past conduct, he truly might well act on it — otherwise Yan Yixi would never have said he had fallen into the demonic path.

“Give up that idea, now!” Yan Yixi stared at him.

“Ah, Brother Ye — how about this: you and I join forces and do away with my senior brother instead? This man is far too dull.” Li Tian said in complete seriousness.

“The two of you…” Ye Fan stared at them both. All he wanted to know now was the secrets surrounding the Eternal Universe Great Emperor — as for the Divine Maiden Furnace, he cared comparatively little.

“Brother Ye — don’t think he’s joking. He genuinely wants to kill me. In the past, he has made attempts five times, all of them very nearly successful.” Yan Yixi said.

“Senior brother, there is only one thing I wish to say to you now: without breaking, there is no building. If the Dao is not opened wider, how can it be developed?” Li Tian said in genuine earnest.

Yan Yixi fell silent. He understood this reasoning. Their lineage had been due for a breaking of its old conventions for a long time — if things continued as they were, the decline would only deepen.

“You should know what terrible consequences will follow the moment it appears.” He looked at Li Tian with a grave expression, as though this matter was extremely serious.

“Do not look at me like that. The Divine Maiden Furnace may have an infamous reputation, and yes, its appearance will draw condemnation from all sides — but you cannot let that stop you from ever using it. Change must begin now.” Li Tian said in a firm and measured voice.

…

As Ye Fan listened from the side, he gradually came to understand several hidden matters. The lineage these two belonged to was, in the ancient age, of an origin that was astonishingly grand — it was known as the Way of Human Desire.

This was an incomparably powerful ancient Daoist order. It cultivated the Human Dao, possessed the Six Desires Heavenly Skill, and also the Great Method of Severing Sentiment — a single lineage that housed several extremely opposing ancient Dao inheritances within it.

In those years, a former disciple cast out by this order had mastered the Six Desires Heavenly Skill and grown unrivaled — and then returned to seize the order’s sacred weapon, the Divine Maiden Furnace, wreaking havoc upon the world.

Li Tian said, “Ah, to say it plainly — that elder, in a certain sense, is my goal. But he was too hated by all. While he lived, no one could touch him. After he entered nirvana, the heroes of the world rose together and annihilated the Way of Human Desire.”

“The Divine Maiden Furnace swept up every beautiful woman in the world into its net — whether the divine maidens of the Hall of the Human King or the immortal ladies of the Guanghan Sanctum, not a single one escaped. For the women of that era, it was an utterly dark chapter of ancient history.” Yan Yixi added.

Ye Fan finally understood. The Divine Maiden Furnace had an infamous reputation — no wonder the Way of Human Desire had been destroyed. The survivors of the lineage had not dared to bring it out and use it.

“Are you certain that ruined furnace was refined by the Eternal Universe Great Emperor for your patriarch?”

“What do you mean ‘ruined furnace’ — that is a supreme sacred divine weapon, at the very least one that has tasted the blood of four Sages.” Li Tian was deeply displeased.

Ye Fan was not particularly concerned with this furnace of notorious repute spanning tens of thousands of years. What he wanted to know were the hidden matters surrounding the Eternal Universe Great Emperor — why his traces had appeared in the ancient Ziwei Star Domain.

“Don’t tell me you’re from outside the domain? You don’t even know the Eternal Universe Great Emperor?!” When he heard Ye Fan ask again, Li Tian exclaimed in shock, and Yan Yixi’s expression also shifted with curiosity.

“Do people from outside the domain come here often?” Ye Fan asked.

“Almost none have ever been heard of. The ancient roads have been severed for who knows how many tens of thousands of years.” Yan Yixi answered.

Li Tian asked in astonishment, “Where did you come from? I have only ever heard of the Northern Dipper Star Domain — there is an ancient world of life there, and it is said the last great ancient sage set out from that place.”

“Ah — I am a wanderer who drifted here from the Northern Dipper Star Domain.” Ye Fan replied. He knew concealment was impossible, and moreover unnecessary.

“What?! Truly someone from outside the domain? Could you take me to the Northern Dipper Star Domain? I very much wish to see what another world is like.” Li Tian was filled with wild excitement.

“Do you think this is a pleasure trip? I came here only after a brush with death nine times over.” Ye Fan gave a brief account of what had happened.

The Eternal Universe Great Emperor had been born in the ancient Ziwei Star Domain — this news left Ye Fan somewhat stunned. Yet the Emperor had achieved the Dao outside the domain, returning only once before vanishing completely and forever.

He and the founding patriarch of the Way of Human Desire had been contemporaries, and had been close friends in youth. Upon returning after attaining the Dao, he had helped the patriarch refine the Divine Maiden Furnace.

Due to the limitations of the materials, though this furnace was the work of a Great Emperor’s hands, it could only be a supreme sacred divine weapon — it was impossible for it to enter the Emperor-tier sequence.

“To think it was like this…” Ye Fan stood in a momentary daze.

“Ah — why did the Great Emperor go to the Northern Dipper Star Domain?” Li Tian muttered, and then seemed to recall something, saying, “Could there be one or two undying divine medicines over there?”

“I would imagine there are five or six or more.” Ye Fan answered honestly.

“What? How can that be? A single world at its limit can give birth to one or two — and your domain has…” Even Yan Yixi was shocked, showing a bewildered expression.

“The several varieties I heard of are survivors from the primordial age. It is said that if there were no disruptions, there would be even more.” Ye Fan replied.

“Impossible — absolutely impossible!” Li Tian was extremely agitated, and then asked, “What kinds of undying divine medicines are there?”

“The Ten Thousand Dragon Nest has the true dragon undying medicine; the Immortal Mountain has the black tortoise divine medicine; the Ancient Emperor Mountain has the divine phoenix undying medicine…” Ye Fan said.

Yan Yixi fell into a stupor. He said, “Can this be true?! The ancient stone carvings record that the true dragon undying medicine was born in the ancient Ziwei Star Domain, yet no one has ever seen it — how did it end up in the Northern Dipper Star Domain? And the divine phoenix undying medicine — that certainly did not originate in the Northern Dipper Star Domain. In ancient times, a great sage from outside the domain came through, saying he sought to retrieve the divine phoenix undying medicine from his own world. He was certainly not from the Northern Dipper Star Domain.”

“Could it be that the ancient Great Emperors all went to the Northern Dipper Star Domain? What is there, that made it worth their while to go?” Li Tian felt a jolt in his heart, as though he had perceived something.

The Northern Dipper Star Domain possessed supreme extreme Dao imperial weapons — but setting aside the influence of those weapons, its overall power was inferior to the ancient Ziwei Star. In his days in the domain, Ye Fan had encountered many great orders, all of renowned prestige, with patriarch-level figures in great numbers — and from this comparison he had drawn his conclusions.

“All the ancient Great Emperors went to the Northern Dipper Star Domain…” Ye Fan fell into a brief reverie. So those several Great Emperors may have come from different ancient star domains.

What had they been searching for? What had they found? In the end, some had died, while others had simply vanished — had they achieved their purpose?

This was a world-shaking secret. The Northern Dipper Star Domain must contain something extraordinary, something capable of capturing the interest of the ancient Great Emperors themselves.

“Immortality!”

At last, Ye Fan uttered these two words. Nothing else. For the ancient Great Emperors, this had been their sole pursuit — for they had long since ascended to the absolute peak of the mortal world.

Then his mind turned to the ancient star roads, and he fell into silence, his thoughts suddenly reaching toward a great many things.

In a ruined ancient cave dwelling, Li Tian and Yan Yixi dug out an ancient furnace from where it had been buried in incense ash for who knew how many years.

It was shaped like a divine maiden lying in repose, weathered by the marks of ages, cast from a divine copper and then hammered and refined through a hundred different processes.

“Crafted by the hand of the Eternal Universe Great Emperor…” Ye Fan cultivated the Four Extremities Secret Realm with the Eternal Universe Scripture, and the moment he channeled it slightly, the ancient furnace — previously still and silent — immediately emitted a burst of brilliant light.

“You—” Both Yan Yixi and Li Tian were startled.

“I happen to have studied a scroll of the Eternal Universe Scripture.” Ye Fan said.

“Excellent — with our combined efforts, we’ll be utterly unstoppable!” Li Tian was brimming with confidence. The Way of Human Desire also possessed a method for controlling the furnace, left behind by the Eternal Universe Great Emperor himself, and both the junior and senior disciples had cultivated it.

Over the past half month, the Lu Region had been deeply unsettled. The exchange of the Divine Spirit Ancient Scripture between the Longevity Temple and the Hall of the Human King had come to nothing — the great battle that night had ended with no one gaining anything.

Recently, an even more astonishing piece of news had arrived: the Undying Fusang Sacred Tree had appeared in the world, shaking this entire great domain.

The Golden Crow clan had almost entirely gone out to sea, seeking the ancient sacred tree that could determine whether or not their entire clan could attain the Dao.

“No wonder — I killed the Golden Crow Ninth Prince, and they still made no move. They were occupied with this great matter.”

Ye Fan, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi traveled through the Lu Region, hearing a great many rumors, and an unknown number of powerful experts had already set out for the Northern Sea.

“The Supreme Yin Divine Son has gone. The Celestial Fiend Grandmother has gone. Yi Qingwu has gone. The Golden Crow clan has gone. None of them are any good — we’re going too, and with the Divine Maiden Furnace we’ll seize the Fusang Sacred Tree.” Li Tian said.

The Northern Sea — vast and dark, waves of ink rolling and tumbling, immense and magnificent.

According to the records of the ancient Ziwei Star Domain, the Fusang Sacred Tree was born in the Roiling Valley of the East Sea, disappearing at some unknown point in history.

Now, the Golden Crow clan had excavated a corner of a fragmentary map from an ancient ruin, learning that this undying tree still existed in this world — growing somewhere in the Northern Sea.

The ocean was endless. Black waves surged upward to the high heavens, scattering the clouds above, the sound deafening and earth-shaking.

Ye Fan and the others entered the Northern Sea, unmoved by the spectacular scene before them, concerned only with how many powerful figures had arrived.

By now, Ye Fan had entered the second level of the Immortal Stage not long ago, and with the Eight Forbidden Domain, he could battle supreme great powers, and could even match an ancient fossil in combat.

Yet he was not invincible. Which patriarch of any major order was not a figure of outstanding natural talent? Though they could not touch the Eight Forbidden Domain as Ye Fan could, crossing three or four forbidden levels was no problem for them.

“With the Divine Maiden Furnace in hand now, even the divine spirits with undying bodies from within the Eight Virtues Treasure Wheel can be wiped out!” Li Tian was brimming with confidence.

They had been at sea for nine days, encountering many powerful figures along the way, engaging in a number of great battles — and yet still had found no trace of the Fusang Sacred Tree.

Suddenly, ahead of them, immortal music filled the air, golden light soaring to the heavens, bathing the entire stretch of sea in a brilliant golden hue.

“Has the sacred tree appeared?” Ye Fan and the others rushed forward rapidly.

The sea ahead was boiling with battle — countless figures in fierce combat, dozens of golden crows streaking in every direction like divine rainbows. In the midst of the sea, an island rose upward, breaking through the surface of the water.

This was an ancient cave dwelling from high antiquity, emerging into the world today. Inserted into its stone gate was a branch, golden as cast metal, radiating brilliant, gleaming light.

“A Fusang Divine Branch — there is an important clue here!” The crowd cried out in astonishment.

“Caw caw caw… Children, you’ve come again!” The Celestial Fiend Grandmother descended from the sky, immediately spotting Ye Fan and the others. This existence that surpassed the ancient fossil level stood alongside an aged golden crow, arriving in joint formation.

“Old thing!” Li Tian ground his teeth.

At the same time, many among the Golden Crow clan looked over, fixing their gaze on Ye Fan — eyes filled with hatred.

The aged golden crow standing beside the Celestial Fiend Grandmother shot forth beams of divine light from its eyes, locking onto Ye Fan, and walked toward him step by step.

“Fourth Patriarch — that is the powerful figure surnamed Ye. We must slay him and avenge the Ninth Prince!” A member of the Golden Crow clan called out at his side.

“Allow me. I require his flesh and blood.” The Celestial Fiend Grandmother spoke, stepping forward ahead of the Golden Crow clan’s Fourth Patriarch, making straight for Ye Fan.

She was a Celestial Fiend Physique — her supernatural power was unfathomably deep. Ancient fossils were no match for her in her presence, and the Golden Crow clan’s elder patriarch naturally had no wish to offend her; he was more than happy to let her make the move.

“Clear the field. All unnecessary parties step back.” The Celestial Fiend Grandmother overawed all present. This was her true body arrived in person — no one dared meet her gaze.

“Indeed — this field should be cleared.” Yan Yixi also gave a cold smile.

“Grandmother has missed you dearly. Come here!” The Celestial Fiend Grandmother smiled, a smile as sinister as a ten-thousand-year-old ghost weeping.

“But I cannot stand you. Now — clear the field.” Ye Fan spoke, holding in his palm an ancient furnace the size of a fist.

“I smell the scent of Sacred Physique fresh blood…” The Celestial Fiend Grandmother licked her withered lips with a chilling hunger.

“The Supreme Yin Divine Son has come — and Yi Qingwu is over there as well. We cannot let this chance pass.” Li Tian said with a gleeful chuckle.

“Let us deal with this old thing first.” Ye Fan channeled the Eternal Universe Scripture, and in one motion brought the Divine Maiden Furnace forth in offering — a Sage’s might blanketed the heavens and the earth!

“Ah—!”

The Celestial Fiend Grandmother screamed. The distance had been too close — she had never anticipated that a supreme sacred weapon would appear, and cracks spread across her entire body!