Chapter 1011: Seeking the Heavenly Path

Ye Fan put away the Cauldron of All Living Things. The Dragon Colt, having been suppressed for half a month, was so furious it was almost spitting blood. Divine patterns flowed on the cauldron, automatically retracting its killing intent.

The moment the Dragon Colt was freed, it immediately lashed out with a hoof. Half a month of suppression had left it fuming with rage, clearly indicating it was not to be trifled with, but rather a true tyrant of the Kunlun Immortal Vein.

Bang!

Little Pine's eyes flickered with light, emitting two dragon-shaped purple beams. "Divine Injury," one of the Nine Slashes of the Demon Emperor, struck out, defending its master.

The Dragon Colt snorted disdainfully, blowing a breath that dispersed the attack. Little Pine plopped down on the ground, disheartened, muttering under its breath. Ye Fan smiled, patted its head, and comforted it, "You've only been cultivating for a few years."

He flashed, instantly mounting the Dragon Colt. "If you don't learn your place, don't blame me for being merciless," he said. "You must understand that this time, you voluntarily entered with me."

The Dragon Colt struggled, but against a monstrous anomaly like the Human Saint Body who had achieved Dao Slaying, even its invincible Immortal Three Realm cultivation was useless. It simply couldn't budge this "mountain."

"It's rare that we successfully entered the Immortal Birthing Ground. The water in this pond is divine liquid; it will be incredibly useful for both alchemy and cultivation," Ye Fan said.

"Yes, it's very sweet," Little Pine said in a tender voice, holding up a small jade bowl. With wide, bright eyes, it looked up at Ye Fan, inviting him to drink some too.

Ye Fan smiled, taking out various spatial artifacts to collect the divine liquid from the pond. Such a substance was incredibly rare, a creation of heaven and earth with endless miraculous uses.

He had already tasted it; it had a richer, more potent fragrance than the divine springs in forbidden zones of life. It could be called a miraculous medicine, capable of preventing human aging and extending one's lifespan.

"Unfortunately, the immortal essence and dragon treasures within the various dragon-headed peaks have been lost," Ye Fan sighed softly. "Otherwise, the flowing divine liquid would be truly heaven-defying."

The Ruthless Emperor's methods were awe-inspiring. To be able to act within the formations laid by the Ancient Heavenly Court and pierce through every single dragon-headed peak was truly shocking, spanning all of time.

The Dragon Colt wasn't idle either; it opened its mouth and greedily sucked in, trying to collect as much divine liquid as possible. Little Pine, too, patted its small medicine basket, which transformed into a purple light, drawing the divine liquid towards it, claiming it for itself.

However, what they didn't expect was that as soon as they began to massively collect the divine liquid, an anomaly occurred: the immortal pond rapidly dried up, and the water and immortal light flowed back, receding into the distance.

"What's going on?" The Dragon Colt's eyes widened.

Ye Fan let out a soft cry, activating the "Soldier" character secret art to seize the divine water. With a whoosh, the last few dozen catties of water were swept towards him, while the rest flowed backward, disappearing into the mountain.

The numerous dragons drew the water back!

Ten thousand dragon-headed peaks simultaneously drew back the divine liquid, reclaiming all the essence and immortal light. This was a reversal, the opposite of what had been happening before, no longer nourishing the area.

Each of these dragon heads let out a dragon's roar, as if alive. Stone dragon scales opened up on their bodies, and their eyes even emitted dazzling divine light. Ye Fan was astonished. If the Ruthless Emperor hadn't acted decisively, what state would these stone dragons have reached?

Boom!

With a final violent tremor, all the immortal radiance was swallowed into the dragons' mouths. Only a faint, shimmering mist lingered, and the spiritual energy throughout the entire valley significantly diminished.

"This is for the best," Ye Fan said. "The vitality of heaven and earth on Earth will slowly recover." After taking away this immortal cauldron, the ten thousand dragon-headed peaks would no longer draw spiritual energy from Earth or continue to nurture the immortal land; instead, they would even feed back into Earth's rivers and mountains.

Ye Fan had no way to destroy this place. Not only him, but even the countless heroes throughout history couldn't do it! The killing formation set by the Ancient Heavenly Court deterred all for eternity; no one could break it, and touching it meant certain death.

Inside the immortal valley, auspicious light flowed. Although it was much less vibrant than before, it still far surpassed any other place Ye Fan had visited. Ancient medicines diffused their fragrance, and a wisp of scent from an immortal medicine permeated the air, intoxicating the mind.

"Let's go... This world is finally about to change again," Ye Fan said, riding the Dragon Colt and taking Little Pine, they left the Immortal Ascension Ground and disappeared into the mountain range.

The majestic Kunlun Mountains, with their endless, continuous peaks, stretched boundlessly. Ye Fan and his companions walked for a long time before finally emerging. They found themselves at the border of Xinjiang and Qinghai, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, which felt somewhat illusory. Many areas in this vast land were concealed within ancient formations, unknown to ordinary people, like two separate worlds.

Upon leaving Kunlun and arriving in the outer world, the Dragon Colt was immediately filled with surprise, and much disdain. The outside was too desolate, devoid of any spiritual energy; compared to the world within the ancient formations, which resembled a fairyland, what it saw now was like a vast desert.

Little Pine, however, was very happy. It had originally lived in such a world and was long accustomed to it, cheering with joyous cries.

Ye Fan's return riding a Dragon Colt caused a great sensation. All the various Daoist sites were shaken. It was rumored that this was the mount of an ancient Saint Emperor, which only a person of great virtue could ride. Yet now, this individual had directly subdued one and brought it back, leaving everyone speechless and dumbfounded.

This was a pure-blooded Dragon Colt, not a descendant of mixed blood. Few had ever been born in ancient times; it was an auspicious holy beast born from the very essence of heaven and earth.

"Master!" Heavenly Master Zhang Qingyang greeted him with a bow.

This unnamed low mountain had not changed; it still had only a few thatched huts and a patch of medicinal herbs. Ye Fan sat cross-legged on a bluestone, noticing that his disciple was severely wounded.

"What happened?" Who dared to bully his disciple in this world now? Years ago, he had single-handedly entered the Holy City of Jerusalem and then stormed into the Vatican, long establishing his formidable reputation both domestically and abroad.

"Fortunately, you returned on the Dragon Colt at this time, otherwise, the Heavenly Court's teachings might have been greatly affected," Zhang Qingyang said.

Just a few days ago, someone entered one of the Heavenly Court's Daoist sites, spoke with extreme disrespect, set fire to the Heavenly Emperor's statue on the spot, and severely wounded Zhang Qingyang, causing a significant impact.

The Heavenly Court's Little Heavenly Master being wounded was naturally a major event. That person had boasted, saying that the Heavenly Court did not know its place, questioning what virtue or ability it had to establish a sect under that name, and warned them to disband soon, or else they would be swept away.

Ye Fan naturally knew there were many extraordinary people in the world. Even in the external Age of Dharma Decline, Earth certainly had unknown masters. However, such audacity was somewhat beyond his expectation.

"That person wasn't very old, not much older than me. They were young and vigorous, and didn't seem like one of those extraordinary individuals with an ageless appearance," Zhang Qingyang explained.

Ye Fan nodded. The current Little Heavenly Master was no longer what he once was; with Ye Fan's help, he had undergone multiple thunder tribulation baptisms. In this world, only Long Xiaoque and You Weiyu could compare to him.

"Mainly, one of their treasures was too powerful. It was called the Void Seal, and with a single tremor, it broke dozens of my bones," Zhang Qingyang recounted the events of that day in detail.

If it hadn't been for Phoenix Heavenly Maiden and Yan Xiaoyu also being present, quickly taking the Little Heavenly Master away, he might have been in serious danger this time.

Ye Fan nodded and said, "This has gone too far. Didn't he want to sweep away the Heavenly Court? I'll wait for him to appear."

Little Pine stepped forward and took out a King Medicine, about half a meter tall, from its small medicine basket. The entire plant looked like it was made of red agate, crystalline and radiant. It was a spiritual vine with an overflowing medicinal fragrance, and Little Pine handed it to the Little Heavenly Master.

"Ah, this is... thank you, Little Master," Zhang Qingyang said, very composed. Unlike Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, who often teased Little Pine, he naturally recognized the value of the item, knowing it was likely a rare spiritual medicine.

"This is a King Medicine," Ye Fan explained. "It can bring the dead back to life, regrow flesh and bone, and extend lifespan."

"A King Medicine?" The Little Heavenly Master stared blankly. He had thought it would be precious, but he hadn't imagined it was a treasure medicine rarely seen even in ancient times. He stammered, "It's... too precious."

Ye Fan told him to put it away for future life-saving use, then took out some divine liquid from the immortal pond and bestowed it upon him, only then allowing him to go and recuperate.

Soon after, Yan Xiaoyu, Zhan Yifan, and others arrived one after another, all incredibly astonished. Each of them received a share of the King Medicine and some divine liquid. For them, this was simply "immortal elixir"! Because even in ancient times, these items were considered divine herbs, and a King Medicine capable of extending one's lifespan by several centuries could make even a Saint bend their knee.

"Master, your trip to Kunlun Mountain this time truly yielded immense rewards! Next time you go treasure hunting, you must take us with you."

"Quickly, think of any other ancient Daoist sites on Earth! Let Master visit them all; he's sure to find many rare divine items."

"Exactly! The birthplace of the Greek gods, the ancient Daoist sites in Egypt and India, and some ancient lands within our own borders should all contain hidden treasures."

Having tasted the benefits, the group urged Ye Fan to take action again.

This trip to Kunlun yielded immense rewards. Not to mention the Immortal Cauldron and the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda, they obtained seventeen King Medicines alone. As for other less potent treasure medicines, they filled Little Pine's medicine basket. Even if Earth's environment didn't change, they wouldn't have to worry about a lack of spiritual medicines.

"You must cultivate diligently; everything depends on yourselves. You need to grow quickly, because one day, I might leave," Ye Fan admonished them. Having stayed on Earth for so long, he couldn't forget his old friends on the other side of the starry sky.

"Master, where are you going?" his disciples pressed, wanting to follow him into the star domain and leave this world.

A few more years passed in a flash. The young man who had severely wounded Zhang Qingyang and threatened to flatten the Heavenly Court did not reappear. Ye Fan had been back on Earth for ten years now, his cultivation having advanced. Every day, he gazed up at the starry sky. Not being able to see his parents one last time was a lifelong regret. Now, his earthly ties were complete; only the path to immortality remained. But how could he leave?

In these past few years, Ye Fan had traveled to many places, searching for ancient star domain coordinates. So many Sages had left back then; they must have left some clues.

During this time, several Indian Masters had re-contacted him, saying they might be able to obtain more complete ancient incantations, which would likely allow entry into the Spirit Mountain. For this, Ye Fan personally traveled to India, causing quite a stir.

He visited one ancient land after another, sparring with some so-called reclusive masters. Naturally, he met no match, and he obtained a copy of the *Vedas*. Although severely incomplete, it was still enough to shake the world.

Both Brahmanism and Gautama Buddha's Buddhism were deeply influenced by this scripture. It was a primordial ancient scripture, recording some unique profound mysteries.

Ye Fan meticulously studied it for several months, nurturing hundreds of scriptures, integrating myriad Dao into a single body, using this to nourish and refine his own Dao methods.

Finally, he obtained many incantations in India and then set off with several Masters, bringing Little Pine along, towards the Spirit Mountain. This was because he felt that there might be a Five-Colored Altar on the Spirit Mountain in the Tibetan region, perhaps even the coordinates to the Big Dipper star domain!

However, he was disappointed. The incantations were incomplete, and he still couldn't enter Gautama Buddha's Daoist site. Ultimately, his efforts fell short, and he couldn't glimpse the mysteries of Buddhism.

"Ten years have passed. I wonder what kind of turmoil has swept through the Big Dipper star domain..." Ye Fan murmured to himself, gazing up at the starry sky.

On the other side of the starry sky, an unprecedented grand era had begun, where kings rose together and myriad races coexisted! There, heroes emerged one after another, ancient imperial princes gathered, and even emperor's children might appear. All this was not for anything else, but simply to await the opening of the path to immortality. Without needing to think deeply, it was clear that these years must have been magnificent and tumultuous, with heroes contending for supremacy, heavenly maidens soaring through the air, and stars shining brightly.

"Ten years have passed. Perhaps many have already forgotten me as a rival," he mused.

As Ye Fan gazed at the starry sky, in the home of an ordinary nomadic family in the Tibetan region, there was a mix of surprise, joy, and worry. After a severe illness, their three-year-old child had experienced the most miraculous "conscious hidden treasure" phenomenon from the "terma" tradition: without having learned to read or study scriptures, the child could recite scriptures totaling a million words, all of which were long lost.

Over these years, Ye Fan had visited numerous secret lands and entered many ancient Daoist sites. What he sought was naturally known to those within the Daoist sect.

On this day, an old Daoist priest from Longhu Mountain, the ancestral home of Daoism, visited him and informed him that there might be a divine land on Earth capable of leading to the depths of the mysterious star domain.