The commotion grew fiercer with each passing day. By the time word spread, many people across the Five Domains had come to believe that someone was constructing a Five-Colored Altar that would open a path leading beyond the domain.

The great financial clans began purchasing five-colored precious stones from every corner of the world, and prices climbed steadily. Supply could not keep up with demand, and in a quiet, gradual way, these stones had begun to supplant Source Stones, becoming the most prized currency among cultivators.

In Heavenly Village, Qi Luo regarded the situation with suspicion. “Are you certain it isn’t you lot doing all this?” she asked.

“Everything has been left to the Black Emperor. It truly isn’t me.” Ye Fan sat cross-legged on a mountain cliff, breathing in and out in steady rhythm, drawing threads of quintessential energy into his body.

“What a shameful extravagance. Do you have any idea how much Source that consumes? It’s an obscene waste,” Qi Luo said, her heart aching. She could not understand what they were trying to accomplish and asked as much.

“This Emperor is engaged in a monumental research endeavor,” the Black Emperor declared without the slightest hint of embarrassment, “to see whether the Five-Colored Altar of the ancient Great Emperors can be reconstructed and the road leading beyond the domain opened.”

“All of this just for that?” Qi Luo said.

“What else did you think it was for?” The Black Emperor continued drilling the Silver Blood Twin Emperors technique while burying itself in deep contemplation over various formation patterns.

“You people are far too extravagant. All that Source — do you know how many people would have to be killed to earn that much?!” Qi Luo felt as though her very flesh was being cut away.

“Don’t worry about it. Ye Fan dug up six or seven dragon veins not long ago and made a tremendous haul. We have more than enough to spend freely,” Li Tian said with a casual wave of his hand, his manner easy and generous.

“What are you people really trying to do?” Qi Luo refused to believe their explanation.

“Someone intends to literally crush a group of great enemies to death with Source Stones.” Li Heishui said without concern, tending to his breakfast beside them. He was roasting meat, golden-brown and fragrant, its aroma drifting through the air in enticing wisps.

“Crush who?” Little Sparrow clutched her milk bottle and blinked her wide eyes. She stood nearby, gazing longingly at the fragrant roasting meat. Unfortunately, she was still far too young to eat such food.

Tong Tong and the two spirit children were enjoying their breakfast with great satisfaction, showing off in front of the little one — and received a milk bottle smashed squarely against them with a resounding thwack.

“There is a group of people whose whereabouts are unknown. Once they learn that Ye Fan is about to leave, they will most likely come at us with every means at their disposal. The idea is to draw them out,” Yan Yixi explained.

“And if they don’t come?”

“Then no great harm done. It simply becomes a materials collection exercise for the Black Emperor, allowing it to venture further along the path of formation patterns,” Ye Fan said.

“Boy, you have real vision. This is a fine investment, and the more I look at you, the more I approve.” The Black Emperor grinned at the side, baring its teeth in a wide smile that made one want to punch it — false and theatrical as a wolf with an enormous, bushy tail.

It pored through various ancient texts, formation pattern classics purchased at astronomical prices, then lifted its head, raised its once-bare but now somewhat restored great tail with dignity, and crossed the void to enter a secret location where a Five-Colored Altar was taking shape.

The more closely something is guarded, the more it draws curiosity; the more mysterious it becomes, the stronger the desire to unravel it. The secretive manner in which Ye Fan and his companions had conducted themselves naturally ignited the investigative drive of countless cultivators, all of whom were now probing and searching for information.

The mystery of the Five-Colored Altar drew ever more attention. By now, many people believed the altar was nearly complete, on the verge of being activated, and that someone was about to open a passage beyond the domain.

“Do you know the truth? It is actually the Ancient Clans who have been collecting the precious stones — not human cultivators at all. They wish to enter the star domain and make their way home.”

This ancient star had not originally harbored so many races. Even humanity had arrived only later. The so-called Ten Thousand Ancient Clans had all crossed over from beyond the domain, and whatever indigenous inhabitants had once existed had long since vanished without a trace.

Some speculated that this was a grand undertaking by the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans — a deep push into the star domain, a journey home in search of their primordial ancestral stars.

“Everyone has been misled. Do you remember? The Extraordinary Scholar Mansion has a path leading beyond the domain, and it is about to open. They are sending a group of outstanding young talents through it — they are the ones gathering the precious stones.”

During this period, countless theories circulated. People lost sight of the matter itself and elevated it to an entirely different dimension of speculation.

“Wrong. Every single guess is wrong. It must be the work of the Human Sacred Physique. Have you forgotten? He once left this star domain and then returned. It is obvious that while beyond the domain, he learned the secret of the Five-Colored Altar — and he has now mastered the art of traveling among the stars!”

That speculation, once spoken aloud, caused an uproar. Many people wavered and began to reconsider. Ye Fan was, after all, the only person ever to have successfully traveled back and forth through the celestial void. If it was indeed him, it seemed entirely plausible.

During this same period, several other major events unfolded — events that demanded attention, some of which even drew the notice of the Ancient Clans.

The Southern Demon finally severed her Dao. On the day she achieved her Dao, nine great demonic stars appeared in the heavens, each one blotting out the sun as they stretched across the entirety of the Southern Mountain Range, shocking the entire age.

Demonic stars, as recorded in human ancient texts, were stars that heralded calamity. The least harmful were things like comets. That nine of the most powerful demonic stars had appeared on the day the Southern Demon severed her Dao was a matter of chilling significance.

On that day, the entire world was shaken. People spoke of nothing else in every region. Nine great demonic stars appearing together was a phenomenon rare across all ages. According to legend, from ancient times to the present, even among the demon race, only the Green Emperor in his youth had produced a similar extraordinary sight.

Someone connected the nine great demonic stars that hung across the Southern Mountain Range on that day and found that their arrangement took the shape of an imperial crown — making the spectacle even more astonishing.

A Dao-severing phenomenon of such magnitude was deeply awe-inspiring. Every person felt a reverence for the Demon Emperor’s Palace that was difficult to put into words. Could it truly be that a Demon Race Great Emperor would one day emerge?

In nearly the same period, several other great events occurred — cause for joy for some and cause for grief for others.

From Zhongzhou came sorrowful tidings. The Nine Li Dynasty’s Fifth Imperial Prince, Shen Li — upon whom boundless hope had been placed — failed to sever his Dao and sat in peaceful death upon the Dao Platform. Decades of cultivation had come to nothing in a single moment.

From the Eastern Desolation, the old Sacred Master of the Dao Unity Sacred Ground had died and his Dao had vanished, passing away in seclusion and becoming a dried skeleton. He was two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five years old at the end.

The elder generation could not help but grieve. Though many had been lifelong enemies, the animosity had faded with the years, leaving only a deep lament that time was growing short.

In nearly the same moment, the Great Yan Sacred Master also fell.

The Heavenly Demon Palace likewise sent word that a demon race king who had lived to three thousand, six hundred years of age had become a skeleton. Furthermore, the master of the Heavenly Demon Palace sat in peaceful death at the same time — a double blow, losing two important figures at once, leaving the Heavenly Demon Palace shrouded in grief.

People could not help but sigh. It was the end of one era and the beginning of another. For the elder generation, the twilight of their years had arrived.

Not long after, another piece of shocking news spread and captured the world’s attention. Hua Yunfei had engaged in a fierce battle against the Western Desert Buddhism’s “Female Bodhisattva” Jue Youqing. The battle raged across the sky and shattered the Western Desert’s renowned Mount Amitabha range.

The Five Domains shook! Unfortunately, no one knew who had won. Not long after, an old monk from an ancient temple revealed that Jue Youqing had returned alive, though her injuries were severe. As for Hua Yunfei, people did not know whether he lived or died, nor whether he had won or lost — the old monk offered nothing more.

In years past, the Central Emperor, the Southern Demon, and the Western Bodhisattva had been spoken of as equals. Now Hua Yunfei had grown to the point where he could clash with the Western Bodhisattva and attempt to seize her Buddhist source. His speed of growth was terrifying.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Art once again cast its shadow over people’s hearts. A small number of ancient sects joined forces, gathering their finest experts, all hoping to drag him into the open.

If he were allowed to continue growing, the harm he would cause was too great. In the future, he would surely make prey of countless powerful figures from the great sects, hunting them as his intended targets.

“He has always kept a low profile — willing to enter ancient tombs to seek out corpses rather than bringing widespread calamity upon the world. Has he finally cast aside all restraint?” Ye Fan murmured to himself in Heavenly Village.

Within a few days, another piece of news emerged. Yao Guang, the Sacred Son, had made his move, displaying a terrifying and peerless fighting power, pursuing Wang Teng three hundred thousand li on his own.

When the sacred light erupted, ten thousand techniques were reduced to ash, unable to get near, illuminating the entire northern grasslands. Many cultivators were struck with fear, unable to endure the pressure emanating from it. In that battle, the Sacred Son of Yao Guang demonstrated a power that inspired dread, cutting Wang Teng down without leaving him any room to fight back.

Wang Teng, once spoken of alongside the Central Emperor, the Southern Demon, and the Western Bodhisattva as the Northern Emperor — how formidable he had been, with the great sects of the world unanimously believing in his future!

Yet ever since Ye Fan had destroyed him once more than ten years ago, his prestige had fallen sharply. His strength remained — few could truly match him — and yet he had now suffered another grave defeat.

The reason Yao Guang’s Sacred Son had acted was simple: Wang Teng had killed one of his junior brothers. That, at least, was Yao Guang’s claim — whether a killing had truly occurred, no one could say for certain.

“He is after the ‘Forward’ character secret among the Nine Secrets!” When word reached the people of Heavenly Village, that was the conclusion they reached. Ye Fan, too, had long been searching for Wang Teng, but no trace of him had ever surfaced.

In that battle, Wang Teng was cut down to near ruin, chased three hundred thousand li by Yao Guang’s Sacred Son, his body split into four or five pieces. In the end, an immortal crane appeared and carried his severed head away in its beak.

“That immortal crane again. It was that ancient crane which bestowed upon him the inheritance of the Chaotic Ancient Emperor and carried him away in his childhood,” Ye Fan and the others said in astonishment when they heard.

The immortal crane had intervened and rescued Wang Teng. Though the Sacred Son of Yao Guang had been unable to finish the deed, he had killed another person.

Purple Sky Phoenix, the sole survivor of the Divine Spirit Valley, was bound together with Wang Teng in spirit and purpose. She had led her people to ambush Yao Guang’s Sacred Son along the way — but the Sacred Son cut every single one of them down. Not one escaped.

“Wang Teng is finished. He has become a stepping stone for Yao Guang. He will likely never accomplish anything of note again,” Li Heishui said.

“Not necessarily. If he continues to suffer defeat after defeat, utterly shattering his Dao-heart, he might one day forge a devil’s core from the wreckage,” Duan De said.

“One or two defeats aren’t enough — he needs to keep losing, over and over again? Can you be any more extreme?” Li Tian said.

“Never mind. This kind of state of mind is beyond your comprehension.” The fat Duan De twisted around and strolled off to take a walk among the graves in Heavenly Village’s cemetery — by his own account, the sight of all those grave mounds and stone tablets put him in an excellent mood, far preferable to any garden of flowers and trees.

But this thoroughly disgusted Qi Luo, who wanted nothing more than to be rid of him, assigning several assassins to watch him around the clock. If he dared rob a grave, they were to report it at once and pursue him to the ends of the earth.

“Black Emperor, is the Wushi Slaughter Formation finished? I’ve prepared rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures for you this time — it can be brought to bear at the critical moment, yes?” Ye Fan asked.

Over these many days, the Black Emperor had been extraordinarily busy. Ye Fan had spent a fortune collecting five-colored precious stones and purchasing ancient formation pattern texts for it — and that came with conditions: it was to carve the slaughter formations.

By now it had completed five formation pattern segments; only the final one remained. These were noticeably more refined than what it had produced before — exquisitely detailed and precise in every particular, crafted entirely for maximum power.

“A single corner is more than sufficient. You’re having this Emperor carve so many — are you trying to work me to death?” The great black dog stuck out its enormous crimson tongue, displaying one hundred and twenty percent reluctance.

One month later, the secret of the Five-Colored Altar was gradually beginning to come to light. Another formation pattern grandmaster let slip the truth: it was a valley in the Northern Domain.

Furthermore, the one overseeing the operation was unmistakably the Human Sacred Physique — for this grandmaster had seen the great black dog. The Five-Colored Altar was nearly complete, constructed according to a formation diagram brought back from beyond the domain by the Human Sacred Physique, with only certain details restored and repaired by his companions.

“Did you know? The Human Sacred Physique, Ye Fan, is about to open the Ancient Star Road!”

“I’ve heard. He will be crossing the starry void within the next few days. It truly is astonishing!”

Shortly after, people discovered that Wei Yi, the old sage of the Celestial Pivot Stone Establishment, had disappeared. It was said that Ye Fan had brought him in to guard the Five-Colored Altar, fearing unforeseen complications.

The organizations known as the Mortal World and the Hell dispatched large forces to sabotage the Five-Colored Altar. Following the trail of clues, they unearthed a vital piece of information and made it public: the Five-Colored Altar was located within a desolate mountain range in the western reaches of the Northern Domain.

Furthermore, in their view, the Five-Colored Altar was truly on the verge of completion — it would be activated within the next few days. Since they were sworn enemies of Ye Fan and were working so vigorously against him, one might have expected the people of Heavenly Village to be furious. Instead, every single one of them burst out laughing.

Two days later, news came from the Northern Domain: Wu Zhongtian and Jiang Huairen had revealed their whereabouts, trapped within Nine Abyss Mountain, crying out for rescue.

That same day, someone in the Southern Domain put a jade carving up for sale — a beautifully crafted sculpture of a woman. The seller claimed the real person was alive, and that anyone interested could offer a high price to compete for her. This woman’s name was Lin Jia, and she came from beyond the domain. The announcement caused a tremendous sensation.

And on that very night, a piece of shattering news also emerged from the Central Domain: a celestial herb had appeared in the Tianduan Mountain Range. It had taken human form, and wherever it passed, fragrance filled the mountains.

Someone rendered its appearance, and it turned out to be a small girl — delicate and exquisite as jade, tear stains on her little cheeks — identical in every way to Xiao Nannan.