Chapter 1021: West Exit of Hangu Pass

## Chapter 1022: Westward Out of Hangu Pass

Ye Fan and the Divine Knight exchanged glances, a look of surprise on their faces. This Demon Venerable was stationed here by Guan Yinzi's command, which indicated an extraordinary origin.

Guan Yinzi, also known as Yin Xi, holds an extremely revered position in Taoism. He is honored as the True Man Wenshi and is directly linked to Taoist stories such as "Purple Qi from the East." It was his welcoming of Laozi into Hangu Pass that gave rise to various legends.

A Demon Venerable personally appointed by this Great Sage of the pre-Qin era to guard this place was naturally no small matter. No one could underestimate him; all were filled with awe.

This great demon was named Xuan Chi. How long he had lived was impossible to verify, but he had once received guidance from Guan Yinzi.

He had thick black hair, a face like white jade, showing no signs of age. His eyes contained a vast universe of stars, and he had deeply grasped the essence of "The True Scripture of Wenshi" written by Yin Xi. It was unknown if he had indirectly cultivated the technique of "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones."

"Sage Yin commanded that future generations must not pass Hangu Pass, for the path ahead is too dangerous," Xuan Chi stated resolutely. To pass, one would have to fight and defeat him there.

This great demon, who had made a fleeting appearance during World War II, was certainly no pushover. He had inherited the legacy of True Man Wenshi; a true confrontation with him would undoubtedly be a bitter struggle.

The Dragon Horse reared on its four hooves, being the first to attack this transcendent great demon. It was rare to encounter a demon expert, so it naturally wanted to "spar."

On this ancient battlefield, various brilliant lights shot forth. The Dragon Horse's hooves struck like great hammers, buzzing. It leaped, stomped, and spun, constantly shattering the void. Its neigh shattered the sky, dispersing the ribbon-like black mists in all directions, causing millions of soldier souls to tremble and quickly scatter.

The ancient great demon Xuan Chi, with his hands, manifested wondrous techniques, moving the sun, moon, and stars. Around him, the starry sky was vast and boundless. He possessed a demeanor where no myriad of laws could touch him, majestically surveying the universe.

A shower of meteorites fell from the sky, and countless comets streaked across the firmament. Between the two, there were endless wondrous moves and techniques; the battle reached a fever pitch, dazzling the onlookers.

Within the Dao-Slaying realm, the Dragon Horse was absolutely invincible unless it encountered a perfected king or higher. It was difficult to find an opponent of the same rank, yet at this moment, it was struggling immensely.

The great demon Xuan Chi was not higher in cultivation level, but his cultivated profound abilities were eerie and unpredictable, boundless in their mystery. His various spells and immortal techniques were often unexpected, many seeming like divine strokes of genius.

"This is a lineage inherited from True Man Wenshi. Being a demon, he couldn't fully inherit it, which only goes to show how terrifying this lineage is."

The Divine Knight stepped forward, his spear piercing the void. The spearhead was unadorned and emitted no divine power fluctuations, having returned to its primal simplicity. Yet, when it truly reached its target, it caused Xuan Chi to become extremely solemn.

Then, Ye Fan stepped forward. The great demon, who had survived since the pre-Qin era, immediately disengaged. Feeling an unparalleled pressure, he remained silent for a moment before saying, "The path ahead is very dangerous. Guan Yinzi asked me to guard this place precisely because he doesn't want people to venture into danger and needlessly lose their lives."

"Thank you for the information, fellow Taoist," Ye Fan said politely. This great demon was not someone to offend.

"Rumble..."

The majestic city gates swung open. Inside the ancient city, there was desolation, silent and still. The streets seemed untouched by human footsteps for thousands of years; the bluestone slabs were mottled and dim.

Ye Fan and his companions entered the city, stepping into this border pass that had been immensely mysterious throughout history. It belonged to the cultivation world, serving as a vital fortress connecting to the outer realms.

In ancient times, this place was once very prosperous, with many cultivators practicing here. Furthermore, it was personally guarded by a Great Sage like Guan Yinzi, whose prestige echoed through the ages.

"This place is extremely important; throughout history, a powerful Saint has always had to personally guard it. Now that it's the Dharma-ending age, all the sages have long departed, otherwise, I wouldn't even be qualified to stand guard here," Xuan Chi said solemnly.

Ye Fan unexpectedly learned a startling secret from him: Earth possessed many astonishing ancient formations for defense. If powerful enemies from outside wished to invade, Hangu Pass was the only way in.

"No wonder..." Even the Dragon Horse was lost in thought and dared not speak carelessly.

The city was quiet, without a sound. All the cultivators had departed, and it had become a dead city, preserving its ancient style and layout.

The streets were old, and the ancient buildings were grand, block after block, arranged in an orderly fashion, yet their silence was somewhat unsettling.

"In ancient times, it was far from peaceful outside Hangu Pass. Many great battles took place, and some powerful remnant tribes still exist today. The path ahead is very difficult, so you must be careful," Xuan Chi kindly warned.

Ye Fan and his companions looked solemn and expressed their sincere gratitude. It seemed the path ahead truly wouldn't be easy, no wonder the old Taoist from Fangzhang Mountain had issued such a serious warning.

Soon after, they arrived at the center of Hangu Pass. Lifelike divine statues were enshrined there: an old man with white hair and a youthful face, riding a green ox, appearing utterly detached from the mundane world. Beside him stood a middle-aged man with an immortal aura and dignified bearing, his hands respectfully at his side, accompanying him.

Without Xuan Chi needing to explain, the group knew who these figures were. Ye Fan was momentarily lost in thought; he had once seen the incarnation of Laozi's green ox in the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain.

Shortly after, they saw a massive stele, suppressing the city of Hangu Pass. Its power was immense, shrouded in wisps of immortal light. It was densely covered with carved characters, all divine marks of the Great Dao. This stele was personally erected by Yin Xi to guard the place.

Guan Yinzi had served by the side of a Taoist Quasi-Emperor, built a hermitage on Long Mountain, and invited Laozi to preach there, residing for many years. It was precisely because of this that the "Tao Te Ching" came into existence.

Undoubtedly, Yin Xi was a Saint; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to guard Hangu Pass, a vital point in the cultivation world that connected to the outer starry sky and held unknown ancient secrets.

"With this stele here, Hangu Pass is ensured to endure for ten thousand generations," Ye Fan exclaimed. It bore the laws and imprints of a Great Saint; every wisp of immortal light seemed to contain the primordial energy of the beginning.

Despite being a Saint, Yin Xi had served by Laozi's side for many years. His Taoist cultivation had consequently advanced significantly, reaching an unfathomable level. He had cultivated all the wondrous techniques secretly transmitted in Laozi's "Tao Te Ching," including "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones." As a disciple of a Quasi-Emperor, he was a Great Saint who had attained the highest realm in recent millennia.

Yin Xi himself also authored a scripture called "The True Scripture of Wenshi." This scripture, divided into nine chapters, expounded upon the laws of the universe and nature, seeking truth within emptiness, and is ranked among the five famous Taoist scriptures.

Finally, Ye Fan and his companions passed through the city, leaving this ancient and somber land. The massive west city gate was opened, and a brilliant starry sky appeared before their eyes.

Everyone gasped. All of this was too surreal; behind them lay solid ground and an ancient city, yet before them was a boundless expanse of stars.

Starlight shimmered, brilliantly boundless, like a beautiful painting. The stars seemed within reach, and rivers of stars flowed, casting down streaks of peaceful and sacred starlight.

"How can we enter this starry sky? Do you have coordinates for places like the Big Dipper star domain?" the Divine Knight asked.

All they lacked were coordinates. Otherwise, Ye Fan had already restored the ancient altar on Mount Tai, but he didn't know how to pinpoint their desired destination, making it impossible to cross the heavens.

"There are no star domain coordinates, only an ancient path that past sages followed one after another," Xuan Chi replied.

He pointed with his hand, and a five-colored altar appeared not far away. It was several meters in circumference, not very large, and its stone body shimmered with various crystalline lusters.

"Stepping onto this platform will lead you into the starry sky. Along the way, there may be numerous demons and monsters; you must be careful yourselves," Xuan Chi warned.

There was only this single altar, with no coordinates for the path ahead, as it was a special small altar already fixed to reach a specific secret location.

"So, does that mean there are more such small altars along the way, requiring multiple activations to finally reach our destination?"

"Precisely so," Xuan Chi nodded.

The group was taken aback. This truly was an ancient path, with a boundless, unknown destination. They could only continue onward, just as many past sages had departed.

Ye Fan, even more so, was lost in thought: Would this ancient starry path overlap with the mysterious star path left by the Nine Dragons pulling the Coffin? Everything was full of unknowns, and all of it awaited them ahead.

Zhang Qingyang, Long Yuxuan, and others could not remain calm. About to depart from Earth, they felt a mix of excitement, clenching their fists.

Only the little purple one was the most sorrowful, crying hysterically, clutching Ye Fan's clothes and refusing to let go, pleading repeatedly as tears streamed down its face.

"If fate wills it, we will meet again..." Ye Fan gently comforted it.

Finally, he steeled his heart and led the others onto the altar. There, a radiant light pulsed, and a Bagua gate appeared, its various symbols flickering on and off, gradually growing brighter.

"Master... please take me with you, okay?" The little purple one cried from behind, its voice tender, looking at him helplessly, weakly extending its small hand towards the sky, trying to grasp something.

Ye Fan couldn't bear it. Above his head, a clear qi emerged, transforming into another version of himself, instantly astonishing Demon Venerable Xuan Chi—this was the wondrous technique of "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones."

This Ye Fan detached from the five-colored altar, jumped down, pulled up Little Song, and gently said, "Your master will send you back."

"Master." Little Song looked at the five-colored divine altar, then at this master, and burst into tears. Finally, it was led away by this Ye Fan, the two figures, one large and one small, slowly walking into the distance.

On the five-colored altar, the Divine Knight, Dragon Horse, and others had already stepped into the Bagua gate. Ye Fan, however, remained standing there, watching the two figures, one large and one small, receding into the distance.

"Wuwu..." The little purple one's cries drifted on the wind, eliciting a soft sigh from him.

"Little Senior Brother, we'll wait for you on the other shore. Master is doing all this for your own good. If a great war truly breaks out in the future, you will be the main commander," Zhang Qingyang said.

"Take care!" Long Yuxuan, who was not very talkative, also uttered these two words and waved his hand vigorously.

"Let's go. We'll travel thousands of miles through the starry sky and head to the other shore," the Divine Knight said.

"Let's embark. Ten thousand streaks of starlight, the path ahead is in sight. All is for the sake of attaining the Dao," the Dragon Horse also spoke, this time not transforming into a fearsome beast.

"Let's go," Ye Fan turned, bringing his two disciples and the child Huahua, and stepped into this gate to the stars.

"Everyone, take care!" Xuan Chi called out loudly from behind.

"Thank you, Demon Venerable!" The group waved, expressing their gratitude.

"Whoosh!"

With a flash of light, the Bagua gate on the five-colored altar radiated an eternal brilliance. Its Bagua symbols, as if cast from metal, vibrated in unison, then flickered hundreds of times before opening the path ahead.

Then, the entire altar instantly dimmed. The Bagua gate and all the individuals vanished together. They had embarked on their journey, entering the boundless starry sky, where mysterious unknowns awaited them.