Chapter 1018: Laying to Rest Worldly Affairs

Chapter 1019: Settling Mortal Affairs

Little Pine cried profusely, refusing to let go. Crystalline tears streamed down its face as it pleaded bitterly, its young voice imbued with a despair that tugged at one's heartstrings.

Ye Fan stroked its head and said, "I want to take you with me too, but it's really not suitable. Your master has great expectations for you."

Beidou is currently a place of conflict and turmoil. If it weren't for old friends there whom he couldn't abandon, Ye Fan would never rush back at this time.

Why have all the ancient races reappeared in this era, and why were some powerful ancient emperor's children sealed until now? All of them are awaiting a single opportunity: the opening of the path to immortality.

Throughout history, emperors have traveled to the Beidou Ancient Starfield, each leaving an indelible mark. Immortal medicines from various starfields have converged there. The "cause" has been sown, and the "fruit" is to ripen in this lifetime!

No one can live for such an immense period. Ancient emperors cannot seal themselves within divine sources; they are simply too powerful, and no material in the world can suppress them.

Although the ancient holy emperors and later human emperors have all passed away, their contingency plans will surely come to fruition. Since there are ancient emperor's children, it's highly likely that sons of emperors will also appear.

Achieving immortality holds an irresistible allure: severing the path in this world, breaking free from its confines, and entering the immortal realm!

Many heroes are waiting, all for this era.

Beidou has numerous ancient races and many people with exceptional talent. While Ye Fan is invincible on this side of the world, things will be completely different once he returns.

With the struggle for the Emperor's Path and the opening of the Immortal Path, even he might face a day of bloodshed. The future is unpredictable.

Earth, by contrast, is relatively peaceful. Little Pine's talent is extraordinary; in this Age of Dharma Decline, it relied entirely on instinct to cultivate its way into the Dao Palace Secret Realm, which is nothing short of a miracle.

Ancient emperors disregard origins! Before achieving fame, the background of any emperor was insignificant, especially for demon races, where one might simply be an ordinary beast.

Ye Fan was astonished by the vast, ocean-like potential within this small purple squirrel. He hoped it could forge its own path on Earth, perhaps one day becoming a great aid to him, or even, in the future, descending upon Beidou like a divine soldier, turning the tide.

"Given your nature, the path you'll take in the future will certainly be different from your master's. Constant battles aren't necessarily the quickest route to becoming a Great Emperor; returning to natural simplicity is also good."

The absence of oppression from ancient emperor's children, the watchful eyes of unfathomable powerhouses, or the sons of emperors awaiting battle is not a regret; rather, for Little Pine, it is a blessing.

"Master, I cultivate very fast. It won't be long until I can help you," Little Pine said with a tearful, tender voice.

"Having that intention is enough. I dare say, that day will come," Ye Fan said, looking up at the starry sky.

In the distant past, why did Hengyu, the Western Empress, Amitabha the Great, and others cross starfields to reach the Beidou Starfield? What was their aim?

Apart from the Ruthless Emperor, even Wushi couldn't be truly certain. Including the ancient emperors of all races, almost no emperor originated from that ancient star. Now, all the storms are about to unfold there!

Ye Fan had a premonition that the path to immortality would not be simple; it might even trigger an earth-shattering catastrophe. Heaven knows what will happen.

"Remember, in this great era, only by becoming stronger can you protect yourself and everything else. In the future, your master might truly need your help. Work hard to break through from the rear!"

Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, Zhan Yifan, and others were surprised. Ye Fan truly held great hopes for Little Pine, but they had no reason to be dissatisfied.

The fact was clear: in this Age of Dharma Decline, Little Pine attracted heavenly tribulations with every advancement, proving even more monstrous than ancient prodigies. Its tribulation experiences in thunderous weather were incomparable to theirs.

Evidently, Ye Fan was training this little purple creature as his inheritor, seeing in it the hope of walking the Emperor's Path.

Little Pine's big eyes were red from crying, but it insisted on seeing Ye Fan off, wanting to watch him step onto the ancient starry road. Ye Fan smiled; the little one still wasn't giving up. The journey to find the path would surely take some time.

"I believe the Heavenly Court will surely shine brightly!" Ye Fan encouraged his other disciples, not letting them see him off. He simply left; there was no need for sadness.

He had already taken out the Immortal Cauldron from Kunlun, believing that within decades or a century, spiritual energy would gradually flourish, and Penglai would further develop into a sacred land for cultivation.

Finally, Ye Fan departed riding the dragon horse, accompanied by Zhang Qingyang and Long Xiaoque. Little Pine wiped away tears while seeing him off, having pleaded to come along for the farewell, and Ye Fan couldn't bear to refuse.

The group left Penglai, and Ye Fan headed directly to Fangzhang Immortal Mountain to earnestly consult an old Taoist priest whom he had already met several times before.

Based on some historical records, Ye Fan deduced the existence of an ancient path, and the old Taoist priest from Fangzhang Immortal Mountain recently confirmed his hypothesis: the ancients indeed left one for future generations.

"Are you truly entering the depths of the starry sky, fellow Taoist? As I said last time, that path is very difficult, fraught with many hardships and dangers." The old Taoist's skin was snow-white and translucent, his hair like individual strands of snow, and his complexion was excellent.

Ye Fan dared not be negligent. This was a Dao-severing King from Penglai, also the old Taoist from the Central Lands mentioned by the Pope, who had once repelled the Vatican's powerhouses over a hundred years ago.

Ye Fan meticulously inquired about all the situations he might encounter on that path.

"This old man's knowledge is limited. Like you, my judgments were made based on Taoist texts left by predecessors, and it was only through a fortunate coincidence that the existence of a path was confirmed."

"In the future, please continue to look after Penglai, senior," Ye Fan said, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture.

"You are too kind, fellow Taoist. The stability of various orthodoxies is a great fortune. For years, the Celestial Venerable of Penglai became obsessed with practicing the ancient heavenly scriptures, even wanting to release the demonic fetus. I wanted to stop him but was powerless. Thanks to you, fellow Taoist," the old Taoist recited his Taoist title.

Ye Fan had once given him a medicinal king, which was a magnificent gift, and also shared insights on breaking through cultivation barriers. Such an elder, residing overseas yet sincerely guarding the Central Lands, deserved such respect.

Ye Fan departed, taking only Little Pine back to City B, where he met Xu Qiong's family. He treated them to a meal and gave them some small gifts.

Upon seeing Little Pine, the spirited girl Xu Ye immediately threw her arms out, eager to hold it every moment, doting on it immensely. Little Pine, meanwhile, wished it could vanish instantly.

"Look after them in the future," Ye Fan transmitted to Little Pine.

The little purple creature's large eyes turned red again, and it nodded seriously, passively protesting as Xu Ye carried it away.

Yang Xiao had a low alcohol tolerance and soon slumped onto the table.

"Are you...leaving?" Xu Qiong asked tremblingly. She had a premonition that this was likely their last meeting.

"Yes," Ye Fan nodded.

"Are you not coming back?" Xu Qiong's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't know," Ye Fan replied.

Finally, Ye Fan stood up, gave her one last look, and walked away, silently waving his hand.

"Ye Feng..." Xu Qiong called out from behind, unable to stop herself from choking up. She knew that this farewell meant they would never see each other again.

Missing out was an unavoidable choice. She had thought they could remain friends for life, but never imagined they would ultimately be separated by the vastness of space.

Ye Fan vanished, and Little Pine followed after him.

Along the way, master and disciple were silent. Faced with true departure, many things felt helpless. This world had given him birth and raised him, and he felt too much reluctance to leave.

"Master, Xu Ye saw me use my divine ability," the little purple creature whispered.

"Mom, who exactly is Uncle? I've wanted to ask you for a long time. How is he exactly like the uncle in the photo from over twenty years ago, without aging at all? And just now... Little Pine... it flew away!"

Xu Qiong looked at her daughter, vaguely seeing her own youthful appearance from her teenage years. Many memories surfaced: warm, unforgettable, bitter... She tried hard to control herself, not letting tears fall, and said, "That little squirrel will appear again. Be kinder to it in the future, and perhaps you can... walk a special path."

"I'm already very good to it!" Xu Ye's large eyes sparkled as she noticed many inconsistencies and kept questioning.

Ye Fan delayed for over a month, settling all his worldly affairs. He did not meet with relatives, old friends, or the parents of his classmates, but instead quietly did some things for them.

He didn't want to disturb their peace or cause ripples in their lives. Embarking on the cultivation path meant centuries would pass swiftly, and insisting on meeting would only leave behind fragments of sorrow.

Ye Fan secretly took many pictures, wanting to show them to some old friends on the other side of the starry sky—pictures filled with kinship, longing, and melancholy.

Ye Fan laid a bouquet of white flowers before his parents' graves, tears involuntarily streaming down his face. He had cultivated desperately and finally returned, but ultimately could not meet them.

"Master, I'll come here often to bring flowers in the future," Little Pine said, its eyes red.

As they were leaving, a group of children ran up and also placed a large bouquet of white flowers before the graves.

"Grandpa, Grandma, thank you for donating to the orphanage..." the children whispered.

Ye Fan took one last look, then departed with Little Pine.

On an unnamed low mountain, the Dragon Horse, Zhang Qingyang, and Long Xiaoque had been waiting for many days. They had already settled their own affairs, and there was one more person: the Divine Knight from the Vatican.

"Now, I have one minor regret: I still haven't managed to meet the mysterious Great Demon who manifested during World War II."

Ye Fan asked the Divine Knight if he knew any details, but was told that although he had heard rumors, he had never had a chance to meet it.

Ye Fan glanced at the world around him, then at the mobile phone in his hand. All of it would soon become distant again for him.

Suddenly, his phone rang. An Indian guru informed Ye Fan that they had discovered a mysterious Buddha child who exhibited the most mystical phenomenon of *terma*, known as "mind treasure." This child could recite complete ancient mantras and might be able to ascend to Spirit Mountain.

*Terma* refers to scriptures hidden during times of religious calamity, later to be rediscovered. They are categorized into *book terma*, *sacred object terma*, and *mind terma*.

The most miraculous of these is *mind terma*, said to occur when a scripture or mantra faces destruction and cannot be transmitted; a deity then embeds it deep within someone's consciousness to prevent its loss.

Under certain external stimuli, individuals who have received these embedded scriptures—some of whom are illiterate nomads—can recite or record mysterious texts.

Ye Fan arrived in the Tibetan region, met several gurus, and encountered a six-year-old child. This child had bright eyes and, after a severe illness in early childhood, exhibited the *mind terma* phenomenon, allowing him to recite many lost Buddhist scriptures.

The moment Ye Fan saw the child, he was stunned. He moved his hands, slowly performing a divination, and revealed the child's appearance decades into the future.

"An ancient Buddha from the other side of the starry sky!"

As for the next life, it exists if you believe, and not if you don't. Through the long years, two identical flowers will eventually appear in the world; a thousand years of looking back, one wilts, and one blooms.

Whether they are the same flower is for future generations to judge.

Ye Fan's expression was extremely solemn. Is there a next life? Should a profound part of his soul be left to reincarnation? He wanted to reveal it at this moment.