Chapter 1238: Ten Years

## Chapter 1239: Ten Years

The great war ended, and specks of Dao radiance dissipated like a wilting shower of flowers, leaving behind only sorrow—an ineffable desolation.

Yan Qi's torso was reduced to a bloody pulp, and his head was split open. In his final moments, his dim eyes gazed towards the Big Dipper, filled with an inexplicable sadness.

With a 'poof,' a streak of light passed through, and his head exploded. His primordial spirit burst open like fireworks. The great saint of Fire Qilin Cave, a venerable generation, had fallen, tragically returning to dust.

“The cultivator's path is too lonely…” Only these words drifted out, whimpering and choking with the wind.

On the ancient star, blood mist lingered, all belonging to saints, mingled together and indistinguishable. Occasionally, a few white bones could be seen, stained with blood, recounting the endless sorrow. With the war's end, all the saints of the Big Dipper had perished.

Leaves rustled down, dry branches covered the desolate fields, and the Fifth Divine Star became a veritable dead star.

The Qilin Divine Staff struggled, vibrating as if in grief. Its entire body was ice-blue like a diamond, emitting myriad rays of light, but alas, it could not escape.

The Dao Yan Divine Robe had long since fallen from the Great Saint’s body and was now “worn” by the Ancient Emperor’s Staff, suppressing it. Simultaneously, the array diagram contracted, pressing down on the immortal robe.

This dual suppression gradually calmed the Qilin Staff. Its divine spirit fell into a deep slumber and ultimately failed to fully revive.

Dao Yi stood motionless in the mountain range for a long time, showing no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness; no emotional fluctuations were visible.

“The human world is a bronze furnace; we all strive to cross through the raging fires of the mortal realm…” He sighed softly, his eyes regaining their clarity and revealing their original brilliance.

He and the Great Saint worked together to clear the battlefield, refining the Fifth Divine Star into a fist-sized crystal, heavy as the heavens, capable of crushing the cosmos. It was then put away.

Meanwhile, deep within the dark cosmos, inside a cosmic mothership, Huo Qilin Zi sat in a corner with his legs hugged to his chest, embarking on a lonely journey filled with endless grief.

“Ah…” On the Eternal Main Star, Luan Feng, Mi Luo, and others began a massive slaughter, sweeping all before them, their divine valor unstoppable.

With Yan Qi defeated and the saints fallen, some Ancestor Kings who had not journeyed to the Fifth Divine Star faced a reckoning. They were besieged from all directions, engaging in fierce battles across the land.

In this battle, the Ancestor Kings of the various Big Dipper clans were destined to be defeated. Without the guidance of a Great Saint, and with the strongest individuals fallen, this campaign inevitably resulted in failure.

Beyond the realm, a grim wind and bloody rain fell as the Big Dipper's war against the Eternal finally concluded, leaving behind numerous saintly bones.

Furthermore, nearly all the saints from beyond the realm were annihilated; they gained nothing and lost their lives.

After the war, the various factions of the Eternal felt no joy. They had a profound realization of the Big Dipper's terror. Was it truly over? No one could say for sure.

“Leave, escape the Eternal Starfield!” Some major families prepared for the worst, relocating parts of their forces from the area and sending them to distant places.

“Awoo…” Cries of sorrow echoed throughout the Eastern Wasteland. The ancient clans were deeply shaken, unable to believe the reality: even Yan Qi had fallen, and the Ancient Emperor's weapon had been seized.

Some smaller clans, possessing only one Ancestor Saint, had ventured forth to claim a share of the spoils but consequently declined, leading to great lamentation.

It was a sorrowful rain that brought chaos to the Eastern Wasteland of the Big Dipper, with many unable to accept the outcome.

The ancient clans roared in rage. With this campaign concluded, only a few strong individuals, such as King Nine Phoenix, King Qilin Tian, and King Ox Demon, returned. News of the defeat swept across all clans.

“Alas, what a pity! So many heroes lie buried in foreign lands, and even Yan Qi, a Great Saint of his generation, did not return alive!”

“This is an unbearable burden. So many have fallen. The expedition to the Eternal came at too great a cost.”

Everyone sighed, especially the Fire Qilin Cave, filled with murderous intent, wishing to spread endless war throughout the Eternal and undertake a final expedition.

Yan Qi had fallen, and the powerful figures were annihilated. Huo Qilin Zi had not returned to this day, his fate unknown. The defeat was utter and too dismal.

“The Path to Immortality is about to open. I wonder how many are still willing to venture forth…”

The Eternal was a tough nut to crack. Now, all factions were preparing for immortality, unwilling to exhaust the accumulations they had gathered since ancient times.

“How can it end like this? My Primordial Lake and Blood Phoenix Mountain are willing to seek justice for our fellow Daoists.”

The Archaic Ancient Emperors were very strong. Some stepped forward, advocating for a third punitive expedition to establish their formidable reputation, unwilling to accept such a defeat.

On the Eternal Main Star, standing on a broken mountain with fallen leaves scattered across the fields, he gazed up at the gloomy sky and whispered, “A great calamity is coming.”

“Your Highness, let us go,” said the Great Saint who had once fought Yan Qi, standing with his hands hanging loosely behind him.

Dao Yi spoke, “The Eternal will surely be defeated; its strength is far incomparable to the Big Dipper. Relying on the imperial immortal might, holding on for a few years is no problem. Perhaps this could even draw in divine beings.”

“Even if we can hold out for ten or a hundred years, what then? Eventually, we will still be overrun. The Big Dipper has gathered the descendants of all the emperors in this cosmos,” the Great Saint sighed softly.

Dao Yi smiled and said, “Perhaps it’s not that bad. Maybe in a few years, there will be a shocking divine change. The Big Dipper’s Path to Immortality is about to open. If it truly appears, who will care about this place?”

The collision between the starfields paused briefly. Both sides felt suppressed, almost suffocated, for they knew that the next time would bring an even more terrifying storm.

“Your Highness, you have no time to delay. It’s time to embark on that path,” the Great Saint reminded.

Dao Yi nodded, “Yes, time is pressing. I also want to see what peerless experts I will encounter on this journey, who will temper me to the peak.”

“The strongest races within this cosmos all have their own Ancestral Paths, but they all lead to the same destination, eventually converging. Your Highness doesn't yet know whom you will encounter.”

“Which do you think is more important, this path or the Path to Immortality?” Dao Yi asked with a smile.

“The Path to Immortality is the change ancient emperors have awaited, while this ancient path can make one stronger. It is said that at its end, there will be an ultimate transformation, and those who overcome it will all attain Dao. I also don’t know which path is more important.”

Ye Fan’s strategy came to fruition, sparking a ten-year war between the Big Dipper’s Ancestor Kings and the Eternal, a canvas paved with blood and bones.

The fifth stage of the evolution fluid was successfully refined, its clear fragrance permeating the new Heavenly Village. This would undoubtedly have a profound impact, giving the Heavenly Court sufficient confidence to cope with future changes.

Yet, he remained deeply worried. The greatest upheaval in all ages was about to appear. Would the Path to Immortality open? After this war, what would remain in this world, and would old friends ever meet again?

Ye Fan suggested that the Heavenly Court stay far from the Big Dipper and not in the Eternal, detaching from all battlefields, to stand alone in the starry sky, enduring a century of solitude.

Golden wheat fields and lakes where shimmering scales leaped—it was a season of harvest. Ye Fan sat at the edge of a field, listening to the rustling sounds, his heart peaceful.

“Fight, fight, fight; kill, kill, kill. Too many have died…” After withdrawing from the Eternal, he felt somewhat weary, but this was the path of a cultivator: to advance against adversity and hardship.

He took out a jade cauldron containing the fifth-stage evolution fluid. He consumed some and poured the rest over his body, beginning to refine it.

He did not wish to become a saint through this, yet in his unintentional attempts, he discovered that his sacred domain's barrier far surpassed that of ordinary people, astonishingly sturdy and difficult to break.

Ye Fan did not worry; instead, he smiled. Let the astonishing accumulation break through; when the time comes, he would shatter completely and transform into a saint.

He refined his body with the fifth-stage evolution fluid. Though it couldn't help him attain Dao and become a saint, it still proved useful to him, a fact that even Qi Luo found perplexing.

For an entire year, he spent most of his time in meditation, occasionally wandering among the mountains, rivers, and fields, dissolving his killing intent, poring over the scroll of the Great Dao of Nature, and comprehending the secrets of his own being.

During this process, he successively unlocked treasures within his body: stars residing in his blood, deities forming in his bones, the Dao manifesting with a single thought—all these phenomena elevated his combat power.

After a year of quiet cultivation and a year of comprehension, Ye Fan finally set off again. This time, he brought the Dragon Horse, no longer traveling alone.

It was said that this was an ancient starry path where even enlightened emperors might have competed in their youth. So, for him to ride a mount that only ancient great emperors could possess was not considered attracting trouble.

Most importantly, the Dragon Horse, perhaps having a sudden whim, no longer resisted this time and insisted on joining the journey. It declared its intention to attain Dao, first become a Great Emperor, and then return, riding Ye Fan.

Of course, such outrageous talk earned it a large golden slap that nearly crushed it.

“Withered vines, old trees, evening crows; small bridges, flowing water, humble homes; ancient path, western wind, lean horse; the sun sets in the west…” From a distance, the little bald monk yelled out nonsense, seeing them off.

“Am I lean? I can devour a few saints without a problem!” The Dragon Horse snorted, stepped into the starry sky, and departed.

At Heavenly Village, everyone saw them off, silently waving, uncertain of how many years would pass before they met again.

Ji Zi and the Saint Prince also successively embarked on their journeys in the following years, setting out on their own imperial path of tempering, their whereabouts unknown thereafter.

The Big Dipper saw dramatic changes: saints descended, and it was said that the Crown Prince of the Golden Crow clan also arrived, shaking the entire starfield and prompting all clans to come and pay homage.

Subsequently, people arrived from the Tongtian Ancient Star, and peerless experts descended from the Gouchen Ancient Star… The commotion surrounding the Path to Immortality intensified!

Alas, none of this concerned Ye Fan anymore. From then on, this starfield would only hear legends of him, never seeing him in person again.

Ten years. Ye Fan was gone for ten years. Riding the Dragon Horse, he journeyed alone along that ancient path, following the footsteps of his predecessors, embarking on the trial road of the strongest.

Far from the Big Dipper, having crossed the Eternal, he faced continuous crises and relentless bloody battles along the way. He had fought his way through.

The hardships he encountered and the terror of the strong opponents he faced were unknown to outsiders. Even as powerful as he was, there were several accidents where he nearly perished.

In his ten-year journey, he himself did not know where he had arrived. He had met the Ant Clan Saint King, fought the remnant Saint of Stone, battled the remnants of the Spirit Clan, and traveled by cutting through thorns and enduring sun and moon.

These were ten years of weariness for him, but also ten years of harvest. He witnessed one strong individual after another, encountered thousands of secret arts, and eradicated the flaws of his impatience after consuming the evolution fluid.

Along this path, he left behind a myth of invincibility. Even the Dragon Horse became renowned in foreign lands, establishing a formidable reputation.

The journey was long. For ten years, the Dragon Horse traversed starfields, but they did not encounter a true ancient life star, at most only small worlds on barren stars.

Some races, however, did not require vitality and could survive in desolation, such as the remnant Saint of Stone.

Ten years of great battles, a baptism of blood and fire, forged Ye Fan's heart into iron, and he stepped onto his own path.

Ten years of instability. The Eternal Main Star was nearly obliterated, and major clans suffered severe losses. Had it not been for a white-haired figure with a black sword appearing and, with a single cold flash of his blade, slaying ten archaic clans, this place would likely have become a desolate wasteland.