In the Northern Dipper Star Territory, somewhere in the vast Great Barren, Pang Bo stood with his hair disheveled and his entire body soaked in blood. Wound after wound flickered with a terrifying dark light — they simply would not heal. Stars dotted the sky; the moonlight was cold and clear; wild beasts howled across the barren wilderness. He gazed up at the starry sky, looking toward the other side, and said:
“Ye Fan, have you returned to your homeland? Have you looked after our parents for me? It is not that I was unwilling to go back — it is that I feared losing all hope entirely. Between us, at least one must survive and return. So long as one of us makes it back alive, it is the same — our parents will have someone to care for them. I planned to cross the void on my own one day, thinking that going separate ways would give us two chances at hope. Yet now it seems… I may not be able to hold on…”
He began coughing up blood — yet not a drop of it was red. Every bit was black, wreathed in that dark aura, and he had no way of knowing what manner of wound he had sustained — only that some mysterious force was eroding his life from within, and he could not stop it.
In the Northern Region, among mountains where not a blade of grass grew, the Monkey swept his black iron staff across the battlefield, fierce and peerless beyond compare — yet wounds continued to appear upon his body nonetheless, sprays of Sacred Ape battle-blood flying with each blow. Even the formidable physique of the Sacred Ape Clan could not hold out.
Around him, seven or eight ancient beings of the primordial age darted back and forth, each wielding boundless spiritual power as they launched their assault. Dao imprints manifested, transforming the surrounding space into an entirely different realm.
“It was that ungrateful wretch, the Heavenly Prince, who sent you to deal with me, wasn’t it?” The Monkey said with a cold laugh.
“Holy Prince, you have no one to blame but yourself. The Victorious Buddha of the Western Desert is said to have fallen into oblivion — it has yet to be confirmed whether he was truly the youngest brother of the Ancient Holy Emperor. Yet at a time like this, you chose to make an enemy of a child of the divine — which is tantamount to defying the will of heaven itself. This will not end well for you.”
“Divine my foot — it’s just one ungrateful little wretch. You lot can’t kill me. One day I’ll go and take his head myself, knock him dead with a single staff strike!” The Monkey was wild and unruly, his fiery golden eyes blazing, two beams of light shooting straight up into the heavens.
“Holy Prince, you are far too confident. The Heavenly Prince is the descendant of the divine. The gifts he possesses are unparalleled not merely in this era, but across all of time — past, present, and future. In due course, he will become a second Undying Heavenly Emperor, unmatched by any!”
“Unmatched nothing — let him come and bounce around in front of me if he dares. I’ll crush that ungrateful wretch with one hand the moment he shows his face!”
In the Southern Region, Ji Haoyue stood covered in blood before an ancient cave, blocking the path of a Ji Family elder and meeting his gaze with calm composure.
“Haoyue, the world is in great chaos and danger now. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble than invite it — even the great ancient lands are all keeping their heads down, unwilling to involve themselves in any conflict, striving only to preserve themselves. The clan hopes you will show restraint…” The Ji Family elder said with a sigh. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to alienate the future heir of the Ji Clan.
“Second Great-Uncle, rest assured — I know what I should do. Nothing will happen. No one will find out.” Ji Haoyue said.
“The world is in great chaos now — and it will grow more terrible still. Perhaps one day, what we must concern ourselves with will not be how to flourish, but simply how to survive.” The elder spoke in a low and heavy voice. His white hair was sparse, and his eyes were filled with deep worry. He said, “You bear the Divine King physique — one day you will surely reach full mastery, it is only a matter of time. Yet who can say what the future will bring? The ancient clans of primordial times have ancient kings. Only when you one day become a Sage will our clan truly be at peace. With the Void Mirror in hand at that point, even if ancient kings and all the saints descended upon us at once, the clan would fear nothing — you could kill them all.”
“Second Great-Uncle, please set your heart at ease. In time, I will ensure our clan stands eternal and unbreakable. Even if all the ancient kings were to descend together, they would not dare threaten us.”
“In truth, as long as you and Ziyue continue to cultivate and grow, we will not worry too greatly. In the coming days, venture out less frequently — so we may all be at ease.” The Ji Family elder, hunched and bent, turned and slowly walked away.
All fell quiet. The ancient cave was Ji Haoyue’s place of closed-door cultivation. From within came the weakened voice of Li Heishui: “Haoyue, I’ve brought trouble upon you — just let me fend for myself.”
“Do not say such things again.” Ji Haoyue entered the cave and said in a low, firm voice.
“Rest easy and tend to your wounds. You will be fine.” Ji Ziyue sat cross-legged in the air, her body radiating streams of rosy light, helping to dispel the damage his injuries had wrought.
“Save your strength — there’s no use. My time is almost up.” Li Heishui’s injuries were severe beyond measure. They simply would not heal, as some mysterious force continuously ravaged his life force, and there was no way to stop it.
“I’ll go to Falling Eagle Cliff and take a look — perhaps the barbarian didn’t die. Perhaps he survived.” Ji Haoyue said.
“Please don’t take that risk, Haoyue. Not knowing if he lives or dies — that may actually be the best news we can hope for. Whatever you do, don’t go. I don’t want to face something drenched in blood.” Li Heishui said. “Many years ago, I witnessed the death of that dog. I watched Wu Zhongtian, Liu Kou, Jiang Huairen — I watched them leave me one by one. It left me wishing I were dead. My closest friends, their faces covered in blood — it jolts me awake from nightmares every time. That truly is the greatest pain this world can offer…”
“None of the people you speak of are necessarily dead. Even that dog may still be alive. Do not despair — perhaps they will all reappear in this world before long.”
Li Heishui smiled — a harrowing smile, tears falling from his eyes. Wounds erupted across his body, and blood splashed and dripped as he said, “I am long past the age of fond illusions. The real world is truly cruel…”
“Heishui, please tend to your wounds. Believe that everything will be alright. Perhaps… one day, Ye Fan will come back too — and we will all meet again.” Ji Ziyue said softly in comfort.
In the Purple Subtlety Ancient Star Territory, in the domain exterior.
The Eight Trigrams Palace orbited the ancient star and caught up with the small celestial palace ahead. It was on the verge of docking with one of its halls — connecting with it.
“Boom!”
At last, with purple vapors swirling and rosy light flickering, the Eight Trigrams Palace collided with the palace hall ahead. Though everything shuddered violently, nothing was damaged. Between the two structures, some wondrous and mysterious force was now in motion.
“This is…”
The group exchanged surprised glances. Standing within the Eight Trigrams Palace, none of them moved rashly. The whole scene appeared deeply mysterious — as though the Eight Trigrams Palace had been sent here precisely to deliver them to this place.
In the outer void, what mortals called weightlessness was no concern whatsoever to cultivators. After a brief moment of hesitation, Ye Fan took the lead and stepped forward — though of course, both his ancient sacred weapons had been brought out as well, in case of unforeseen danger.
The exit of the Eight Trigrams Palace aligned perfectly with the main hall of the celestial palace, allowing them to step through smoothly. This was a hall whose age was beyond reckoning.
Walking through it, they felt as though they were crossing through history itself, returning to a time of great antiquity — arriving at a place where divine beings had long since fallen into eternal slumber.
“That old man on the ox — and that young one as well — don’t tell me they passed away here?” Li Tian muttered.
“Say something auspicious — if the one who calls himself the Divine Bull King comes out, you won’t have a good time.” Yan Yixi warned in a low voice.
Li Tian immediately shrank his neck and felt a chill run through him. Just thinking of that young bull’s immense strength — if it got a hold of him, it would be like squeezing a baby chick. The very image made him shudder.
Passing through this first hall, Ye Fan came upon a long scroll painting. An ancient city stood depicted within it; an old man rode an ox westward; a middle-aged man greeted him with great reverence.
Purple vapors rolled in from the east, stretching across thirty thousand li, spreading over mountains and rivers and vast lands — and then the old man entered the city, left behind a single scripture, and continued westward.
Then came what followed — and Ye Fan was utterly stunned. He finally understood the true meaning of the westward journey through Hangu Pass. To journey west — to open the western gate of Hangu Pass — was to step directly into a radiant, glittering field of stars.
“This… how can this be? What manner of place was this ancient city built in? Why is it that when you open the gate, there is only the starry void?”
Ye Fan was genuinely shaken. He knew that the middle-aged man in the scroll — the one who greeted and bowed before Laozi — must surely be Yin Xi, the guardian of Hangu Pass across all of history.
And now it was clear: that place held secrets beyond imagining. Ancient China contained regions that defied all reason and understanding. The Hangu Pass that Yin Xi stood guard over had extraordinary significance — it connected to the starry expanse. It was one of ancient China’s most mysterious cities!
In the legends, there were many stories surrounding Laozi’s westward journey. Yet none of the people or places involved could be found anywhere in ancient China — because it was all too fantastical. The truth, it turned out, was that everything had taken place within the star territories. With this truth now laid bare, all of those tales about Laozi’s westward journey could at last be pieced together.
“Yin Xi guarded a city that connected to the starry expanse — a sacred and divine stronghold like this. How could he possibly have been an ordinary mortal…”
Countless thoughts arose in Ye Fan’s mind. The many extraordinary places and particular cities of ancient China — did they all carry significance and value beyond what was known?
“A five-colored altar!” Yi Qingwu exclaimed softly.
Ahead, in a vast and spacious hall bearing no trace of age, utterly serene and still — there stood a great five-colored altar.
It was of considerable scale — large enough, without question, to traverse the star territories. Ye Fan reached this conclusion at once, and his heart surged with overwhelming excitement.
“Ha ha ha…” Li Tian burst into laughter. “Northern Dipper Star Territory, here I come! Ladies of the primordial age, tremble — the Holy Son Li Tian is about to descend!”
“Junior Sect-Brother, guard against arrogance and complacency. As Brother Ye has said, the Northern Dipper Star Territory is home to ten thousand clans, all of them mighty. The divine maidens of the ancient races would most likely be able to crush you with ease.” Yan Yixi said.
“As if the divine maiden furnace eats vegetarian — whatever she is, divine maiden, celestial maiden, mysterious maiden, or holy maiden, I’ll suppress them all, every last one.”
Ye Fan stepped onto the five-colored altar, his heart filled with excitement. This was a form of hope — a path of return had appeared before him.
Yet no matter how many times he probed it, no matter how much effort he poured into it, the five-colored altar showed not the slightest response. Not so much as a flicker of five-colored divine light.
“How can this be?” A sense of unease stirred in Ye Fan’s heart. He feared he would not be able to activate it.
Reality, however, was merciless. No matter how hard they tried, it was entirely beyond them — the ancient formation platform could not be roused, and the ancient starry path could not be opened.
“The five-colored crystal stones here have had their divine energy exhausted. It will need an effective replenishment before the journey can continue.” Yi Qingwu said.
Ye Fan understood this principle well. Turning out everything on his person, he found only a sparse handful of five-colored stones — obtained from the ancient star where the Sun Holy Emperor’s corpse had rested.
When these stones were arranged upon the platform, the five-colored altar flickered with the faintest thread of divine light, then dimmed once more. The stones he had brought were simply too insignificant.
“What do we do?” In the end, Ye Fan had taken out nearly every treasure he carried, trying them one by one in an attempt to activate the five-colored altar and open the ancient starry path.
“What manner of creature is this?” Yi Qingwu said in surprise, her gaze fixed upon the primordial king with the dragon’s head and a human body, sealed within divine source.
“This fellow’s head looks just like a dragon’s — do you think what’s growing on him might have some kind of similar effect?” Li Tian exclaimed.
“Hum!”
All of a sudden, the void shuddered. Out of nothing, a pitch-black cavern appeared and sucked the primordial king sealed in divine source straight into it.
“Don’t even think about running — leave the dragon whip behind! That is the very foundation upon which my sect’s great mission rests!” Li Tian shouted.
But the black void exerted a tremendous pulling force that dragged him inside as well.
“Junior Sect-Brother!” Yan Yixi called out. He reached out and grabbed Li Tian with all his strength — and was pulled in right along with him.
Ye Fan moved swiftly to intervene — yet he too was pulled in the same way, as though summoned, and found himself dragged inside as well.
“This is the aura of the Eastern Wilderness Northern Region!” In that instant, he was utterly stunned, shaken to his core — for he knew this aura all too well!
Could this passage be leading toward the Northern Dipper Star Territory? His heart was filled with bewilderment, far from calm.
“You remain on this ancient star to pursue your path. The road ahead is uncertain — difficult to foresee. There is no need to follow.” Ye Fan said to Yi Qingwu.
Yi Qingwu stood there without moving. She had no wish to leave, of course — yet if Ye Fan departed far from this ancient star, she would in a sense regain her freedom, unless he returned.
On the surface of the Purple Subtlety Ancient Star Territory, a young man riding an ox westward had sensed something the very instant the Eight Trigrams Palace rose into the sky. He lifted his head to the heavens and let out a furious roar.
He held in his hand the half-page divine ancient scripture, whose golden-phoenix blood characters blazed with radiance, and he said to himself: “I will comprehend it fully. I will storm that ancient star and slaughter every last one of you!”