Chapter 1243

Chapter 243: The First Year

"The killer has been caught, dragged out by soldiers. Now the truth will come to light." A day later, a commotion arose in the First City of the Human Race.

Many people flew towards the central plaza, where a disheveled man appeared, thrown to the ground. He was covered in blood, having failed in an assassination attempt on a cultivator. He had been captured by several soldiers and brought here for public trial.

However, people were disappointed. This was a Half-Saint. How could he have killed a true Saint with profound cultivation? Upon examining his Sea of Consciousness, it was discovered that he was not the killer of the Saint.

This incident caused even greater concern, making everyone feel insecure and guard against each other. If all the powerful figures resorted to assassination, great chaos would surely erupt.

"This is the First City of the Human Race. How can assassinations be happening here? Even the City Lord can't find the true culprit. Won't this allow others to exploit weaknesses? Someone might even launch a night raid on us," the Dragon Horse mused.

The city was massive, grand, and magnificent, with buildings clustered along its streets. The powerful figures resided separately, not trusting each other, and dared not stay too close.

Starlight spilled down like thin mist. In the dead of night, a sudden, chilling scream echoed.

A squad of soldiers rushed over like a torrent, but unfortunately, they found nothing. They only saw a corpse from which blood was gushing.

The city fell into a great commotion. Many people looked on indifferently, while some rushed to the scene.

"What a pity. This was just a child, only thirty years old, yet he had already achieved Dao Severing many years ago and reached the Half-Saint realm. He was truly a prodigy of his generation, and now he has been cut down like this."

A man sighed softly. Although he appeared young, he was in fact over 180 years old, and thus qualified to call a thirty-something-year-old expert a "child."

"This was definitely a hero of his generation. If he hadn't died, even if he couldn't step onto the Emperor Road, he could have become a king among Saints."

A Half-Saint in his thirties was indeed astonishing, making even some who had become Saints sigh. Such powerful momentum was rare throughout history, truly an anomaly.

People realized that the assassin was unfathomable, and the targets chosen were clearly those who might achieve something on the future Emperor Road.

The first was a powerful Saint, the second a rising star with boundless potential. Who would be the third? Everyone felt that the assassin would likely not stop.

"What is this? Hiding in the shadows, are they even fit to walk the strongest trial path? They dare not fight openly, only kill in secret. They are inherently despicable, nothing more than a rat!" someone exclaimed indignantly.

"Perhaps this person is inherently a killer, who needs to use this kind of bloodbath to achieve their Dao," someone else speculated.

The Emissary ordered a city-wide manhunt, demanding that the killer be captured and executed. Two seed-level experts had already died.

"We haven't even entered the trial grounds yet, and something like this has already happened," the Dragon Horse muttered to itself.

The starlight hung low, and the ancient city was hazy and indistinct. It was peaceful and serene, with no hint of killing intent.

In the latter half of the night, Ye Fan suddenly opened his eyes, transformed into a golden lightning bolt, shattered the window, and lunged towards a void in the courtyard.

With a single punch, he shattered the void. Golden, scorching lightning intertwined as he moved like a primordial beast unleashed, or a resurrected God of War.

A blurry black figure was sent flying backward by his shockwave, with blood splattering. Then, the figure rapidly merged into the nothingness of the world.

Ye Fan let out a cold snort, and his body vanished as well. He fully unleashed the Heavenly Court's secret techniques, shadowing his opponent, and, combined with the Lineage Movement Secret, his killing techniques reigned supreme.

This was a Saint, with extraordinary and extremely powerful methods. It made even Ye Fan's heart tense; this was undoubtedly a rare and terrifying individual.

He evolved the Holy Fighting Law. A fiery furnace appeared and pressed down; phoenix cries echoed through the nine heavens, and firelight scorched the ancient city as the Hengyu Furnace descended, suppressing everything.

The person splattered a shower of blood and retreated like a specter, incredibly swift, faster than lightning.

In this world, perhaps only Ye Fan's Lineage Movement Secret could keep up with him. Several times, as he tried to break through, Ye Fan cut off his path, blocking him here.

"Boom!"

The Dragon Horse launched a sneak attack, using its rumored "Stepping Immortal Shadowless Kick." It launched 108 kicks right away, each hoof shattering heaven and earth.

The person took a kick from a horse's hoof, flying dozens of yards away. Using the momentum, he vanished into the void, attempting to disappear with a secret art.

Ye Fan was an expert. He unleashed the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, shattering the cosmos, and an aura like that of a primordial beast engulfed everything, knocking the person down.

Such a battle naturally alarmed the powerful figures in the city. Cold gazes emerged from nearby residences, observing the situation, and some also rushed over to offer assistance.

"Kill!"

Unified shouts of battle, like a galaxy crashing down onto the earth, stirred up boundless waves and were deafening.

The soldiers guarding the great city arrived. Over twenty of them immediately surrounded the area, clearing buildings and forcing their way in.

Under the cool moonlight, Ye Fan stood alone, holding a piece of human skin, examining it intently.

The Dragon Horse ran back from afar. It found no accomplices of the assassin, nor anything suspicious, and kept cursing.

"What happened?" a soldier asked in a deep voice.

Beneath the starry sky, shadowy figures flickered. Large numbers of powerful figures arrived, most of whom were those who would walk the strongest ancient trial path, and surrounded the area.

"Someone tried to assassinate me, but they failed," Ye Fan replied.

The scene fell silent. It was like a layer of gloom, hanging over the city, making people feel suppressed. Yet, Ye Fan was unharmed; he had repelled the assassin. Many showed strange expressions; being targeted absolutely proved his value, as the assassin considered him a threat.

Ye Fan had ultimately struck out with the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, shattering everything. Even that figure had dimmed, leaving behind only a piece of human skin.

This was a relatively intact piece of human skin, like a snake's shed skin, as if someone had peeled it off. Except for the face, all other parts were perfectly intact.

"Is this the killer's skin?" People showed strange expressions.

"Could it be that you killed him?"

As dawn broke, this incident caused a great stir. Many soldiers reconstructed the battle scene here, but gained no further discoveries.

In the following two days, no assassinations occurred in the city; it was peaceful. Some speculated that the killer had been slain by Ye Fan, while others shook their heads.

The soldiers took the human skin and sent it to the Emissary's manor, but no findings were ever announced.

"That person is definitely not dead. I don't know what secret technique he possesses." Ye Fan clearly knew that leaving behind a piece of human skin didn't mean he had truly slain the killer.

"It seems he won't appear again for a while," the Dragon Horse said.

Ye Fan pondered, saying, "If it were purely an assassination attempt on me, that would be one thing. But if it's meant to highlight me, draw others' attention, set up rivals for me everywhere, and make me an obvious target, then it smacks of a conspiracy."

The next few days were peaceful, with no more bloodshed. People waited for the trial grounds to open, but the Emissary gave no indication.

After many days of recuperation and cultivation, many people stopped their secluded cultivation and took to the streets, entering teahouses, taverns, and other establishments, quietly awaiting the right moment.

Ye Fan went out and met a slender youth. This youth had kindly warned him the first time he encountered the Thirteen Riders of Heaven's Desolation, telling him that on this path, the strong do not yield to others.

Although he had arrived at the First City of the Human Race, Ye Fan was still unclear about some things. He was the only one who had set out alone; people from other star domains all had companions.

"Why have so many people come?"

Ye Fan humbly asked for guidance. He found that the number of people from some star domains was simply too large, often a dozen or more, all originating from a single ancient land.

"The number of people who come is entirely decided by the ancient path guardians of their respective star domains. There are no specific restrictions, unless there are hidden concerns."

The strongest ancient trial path is a burial ground where only heroes perish. Even those with imperial talent might fall along the way; it's too perilous, and few are able to return alive.

For the long-term prosperity of their own star domains, some ancient lands naturally wouldn't send too many people. Usually, it's only about a dozen.

"A dozen or so..." Ye Fan was startled. As far as he knew, the Qishi Mansion usually sent out three people. Only this generation was particularly special, with no restrictions imposed, because the Path to Immortality was about to open, and its fortunes were unpredictable.

"There are also some ancient lands that, due to formidable arch-rivals, are forced to send only two or three, fearing retaliation."

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan was immediately startled. It seemed there were many intricacies on this ancient path that the old head of the Qishi Mansion had not elaborated on before.

The Big Dipper might have formidable, generational enemies. The path ahead likely held the most terrifying competitors. Had the animosity persisted for tens of thousands of years?

"You... you're from the Big Dipper!?" The youth's eyes widened in surprise. Then he quietly warned him that it would be best not to mention it to others.

"Why?"

"I once heard that it's a star where emperors are buried, where heroes rise together, and where children of gods lie dormant. For tens of thousands of years, it has been a common rival to many star domains."

Ye Fan was deeply surprised. The path ahead might mean facing the entire world as enemies! And the people he had seen so far were only a small fraction; large numbers of people had already set out.

There were many minor ancient paths in the starry sky. Some paths were smooth sailing, while others had been intervened upon by ancient Great Emperors and were fraught with difficulties. However, the paths from powerful ancient star domains were all difficult to traverse.

"It is said that there are ancient paths for humans, and ancient paths for gods, and so on," said the slender youth named Rui Wei, "Ultimately, all paths lead to the same destination, converging onto one main trunk." He recounted some of the secrets he knew.

Not everyone who embarked on this ancient path did so to achieve Dao enlightenment; they each had their own purposes, because ultimately, only one person would have the opportunity to become an Emperor.

Some people were very rational and did not wish to push to the very end, because when experts from the entire universe contended, it would be unimaginably brutal, with countless deaths!

Rui Wei said, "For me, becoming a Saint is enough. My most important goal is to find an ancient life-bearing star for my clan, because our Heavenly Domain space is rapidly drying up."

Ye Fan was silent. Rui Wei's birthplace was a Chaotic Pure Land, much like the Heavenly Domain of the Killer God Dynasty or the Ruthless One's Chaotic Immortal Land.

This was their ancestral land, discovered by an ancient Great Saint. Initially, the clan prospered immensely due to an abundance of ancient medicines and divine treasures, but now it was no longer suitable for habitation.

"Many people don't come from life-bearing planets, but from small worlds created by peerless ancient experts. Some are still prosperous, while others have declined to an unimaginable degree."

Rui Wei sighed softly; their Divine Spirit Minor World was rapidly withering, its resources limited. At that moment, he didn't even have a single piece of Divine Source on him, as it had all been left for the children in his clan who needed it more. Since entering the city, he had been sleeping on the streets.

"Those truly qualified to contend for the Emperor Road all come from powerful and glorious ancient stars. For example, the Thirteen Riders of Heaven's Desolation are from a powerful ancient star domain," Rui Wei said.

Ye Fan secretly sighed. He gave Rui Wei a jade cauldron containing hundreds of ancient medicines and a pile of Divine Sources.

"Let's go check out that tavern ahead. Many people are going in and out; there must be some latest news there."

As soon as the two entered the enormous palace suspended in the sky, they heard a piece of news: Tomorrow, everyone would enter the trial grounds. This was absolutely a major event.

Inside the colossal palace, a young man in brocade robes sat alone at a table, lightly fanning himself. No one dared to approach him. It was said that he came from a very powerful ancient star domain, a genius blessed by heaven who had already achieved Sainthood.

On the other side, a bald monk wore a golden headband and had disheveled hair. A birthmark like a knife scar marred his face. Although he was a Buddhist disciple, his appearance was not very benevolent.

Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat. Besides the Western Desert of the Big Dipper, other star domains also had powerful Buddhist sects? Soon, he heard others discussing that this monk was from an ancient star domain called Amitabha.

In this palace, eight or nine tables were very special, and others dared not approach them. These were the most powerful among the 437 trial-takers!

Besides them, there were naturally many others forming factions and alliances, with like-minded individuals gathering together.

"Who the assassin is, I think many people must have realized," someone said shrilly. "Isn't it that person named Ye Fan? Saying he repelled the assassin is clearly an act. It's him!"

Ye Fan looked over. Besides the speaker, he also saw the middle-aged Daoist nun with whom he had almost crossed paths before.

"Tomorrow, we're entering the trial grounds. He's in for a show, hmph hmph hmph..." Those people were all unfriendly.