Chapter 1252: Gaining Enlightenment

"You are... the Indestructible Golden Body, from the Buried Emperor Star?" Mountain Lord Junwei coughed up a mouthful of blood, his remaining upper body exclaiming in the pool of blood.

Ye Fan's eyes flashed. The opponent knew many secrets, making it necessary to explore their Sea of Consciousness to uncover the full truth.

Not far away, a figure shot up, attempting to flee. It was the sole survivor from the Four Symbols Formation, whose forehead had escaped the broken spear.

Without even turning his head, Ye Fan conjured a golden bead of blood on his fingertip. The moment he flicked it, the world seemed to tear apart as phantom images of gods and demons appeared, swirling around the blood bead and piercing through the man's body.

"Ah..."

He let out a tragic shriek as his body seemed to have been struck by a mountain, disintegrating into a bloody mess, leaving only his head intact.

Just as his primordial spirit was about to ascend, the Dragon Horse stepped forward, placing a hoof the size of a washbasin atop it, poised to stomp down at any moment.

"The Buried Emperor Star... you truly are from there. It's... the Indestructible Golden Body. To think, after a hundred thousand years of dormancy, your physique has reappeared!" Mountain Lord Junwei revealed his shock.

"You know a great deal. Tell me everything you know; don't make me search your Sea of Consciousness," Ye Fan said.

"I admit you are powerful, but on this path, you are not invincible. Someone ahead will surely strike you down," Mountain Lord Junwei cackled hysterically, filled with despair. He was utterly defeated today, with no hope left to contend on the Emperor's Road.

"Is that so? Who are these people?" Ye Fan asked nonchalantly.

"There are many, not just one adversary. Even the Indestructible Golden Body cannot prevail until the very end. You are merely one of the witnesses to the myth, not a supreme being," Mountain Lord Junwei laughed, though his face was already streaming with tears.

"Witnessing the myth?" Ye Fan said coldly.

"The splendor of the mythical era will reappear. Even someone as powerful as the Indestructible Golden Body will merely be a green leaf. The physiques once only conjectured and hypothesized have now appeared; you won't succeed," Mountain Lord Junwei cried out hoarsely, profoundly melancholic. He felt immense sorrow and despair for himself, having failed to even clear the first human trial.

"Then tell me specifically how I am supposed to fall on the path ahead," Ye Fan said calmly.

"With the return of myth, divine stars will naturally shine. Without mentioning others, just two types of individuals you've heard of will be enough to slay you," Mountain Lord Junwei said, his heart filled with loss. Perhaps only by describing the brilliance of others could he feel a shred of illusory dignity by trying to diminish Ye Fan.

"Never mind, I won't tell you. Wait until you truly encounter them and experience that fear for yourself," Mountain Lord Junwei suddenly laughed manically.

"In the future, I'd like to see who can truly suppress and kill me," Ye Fan said coldly. He prepared to act, intending to search the man's Sea of Consciousness, but he didn't dare to push too aggressively, fearing the man might self-destruct instantly.

"Boom!"

Mountain Lord Junwei's remaining half-body burst into flames, his primordial spirit burning like a torch. The small purple figure of his spirit emerged, enveloped by a chaotic fire, on the verge of disintegrating.

Ye Fan's expression changed. There was no way to stop it; a powerhouse of this caliber intent on self-destruction was incredibly difficult to halt. He ultimately failed to completely stop him.

He stared at the cluster of chaotic fire, realizing something as he watched Mountain Lord Junwei allow himself to self-destruct.

"Have you realized something? You see, I've only glimpsed a fraction of the Divine Chains of Chaotic Order, but what you'll face in the future is... *Heh*."

Ye Fan frowned. That particular physique had never appeared, or if it had, it was impure. Legend had it that it could only be witnessed during the mythical era, with the probability being so minuscule as to be negligible.

"Indestructible Golden Body, you are powerful, but truly just a green leaf. It is precisely your vibrant greenness that will highlight the brilliance of those divine flowers. Their splendor will spread across the universe."

His physical body turned to ash in the inferno. The small purple figure was in immense pain, on the verge of complete annihilation, embarking on its final self-destruction.

"I am defeated, far inferior to you, but you too will find it difficult to reach the end of this path. A hundred thousand years ago, several Indestructible Golden Bodies perished, slain by another supreme physique. Simply knowing you are from the Buried Emperor Star, the Indestructible Golden Body's fated enemy will turn to strike you down!"

The small purple figure was consumed by sorrow, screaming and roaring madly as it approached its demise.

Ye Fan's expression flickered. He recalled ancient history, how some Sacred Bodies had bled out on the ancient starry road in foreign domains, dying in the cosmos. It was rumored to be the doing of a certain terrifying fated enemy.

Of course, not all those battles were defeats; some Sacred Bodies emerged victorious, slaying peerless adversaries and returning to the Big Dipper ancient star region.

"The mythical era has arrived, and some impossible beings have been born. Am I merely a green leaf, a foil for them?" Ye Fan murmured, then smiled coldly, staring at the small purple figure. "Myths are meant to be broken," he declared.

Mountain Lord Junwei's purple primordial spirit shattered, dispersing into the heavens and earth. His final life imprint vanished completely, no longer able to witness the myriad myths of the Emperor's Road.

Ye Fan then looked at the other man, now just a head, filled with terror and pinned beneath the Dragon Horse's hoof. He was extremely unwilling to die but knew there was no hope.

In reality, Ye Fan considered the other four individuals to be of even greater value than Mountain Lord Junwei. Their Primordial Magnetic Immortal Light was exceedingly peculiar, truly a peerless secret technique.

Mountain Lord Junwei could fight him because of his inherent strength, whereas these four had contended with him purely through the mystery and potency of their secret arts.

"I want the Four Symbols Formation, and the cultivation method for the Primordial Magnetic Immortal Light," Ye Fan stated.

"You won't get it. If you force me, I will shatter my divine consciousness," the man declared, his face ashen. Though he tried to appear fierce, the panic in his eyes betrayed his inner weakness.

"Hand over what I need, and I'll let you escape eight hundred li. If you manage to get away, I'll spare your life," Ye Fan said.

The man's face turned pale. He wanted to bargain, but seeing Ye Fan's cold indifference, he immediately stopped speaking, threw down the four-corner array diagram, and his head shot into the sky.

Ye Fan took it into his hand and carefully observed the array diagrams. When put together, they formed a crescent shape, bright and pristine white, as if carved from mutton-fat jade.

Inscribed upon it were many minute characters, all ancient divine script, detailing a secret technique called Primordial Magnetism.

"It truly is an astonishing divine art, engraved onto the precious Four Symbols Array diagram to protect its legacy," Ye Fan sighed, committing the secret technique firmly to memory.

"This lord finds this crescent-shaped array diagram quite good," the Dragon Horse said, its eyes narrowed.

Ye Fan nodded. This array diagram was extraordinary; once deployed, it could trap numerous powerful enemies and was incredibly difficult to breach. He flicked his wrist and tossed it to the Dragon Horse.

Then, he took out a large bow, one he had personally crafted during his ten years of bloody battles, using a flood dragon tendon for the string and ancient treant essence for the bow's body. He pulled out a bone arrow, notched it, and released it instantly.

A streak of white light shot out, instantly covering eight hundred li. The escaping head had already glimpsed the exit, believing it had secured its survival, but at that very moment, it was pierced by the arrow. With a soft *thud*, it disintegrated into pulverized bone and muddy flesh, a mist of blood rising as it met an unnatural end.

The bone arrow was refined from the bone spurs of a sacred-level ancient beast's spine. Ye Fan had slain such a beast, then collected dozens of its spurs and crafted them into arrowheads.

With a flash of white light, Ye Fan retrieved the arrow, not wanting to waste it, as he knew not how many perils lay ahead on his journey.

The entire world fell silent. Ye Fan, alone, had almost annihilated the cultivators from two major regions, devastating various powerhouses in a cross-realm battle.

In his wake, all surviving fierce birds and beasts trembled, retreating into hibernation, gripped by immense fear, daring not to show themselves.

The Dragon Horse toyed with the Four Symbols Array diagram, absorbed in a state of immense delight. It was certain that those four individuals had not fully exploited the ancient formation's capabilities.

Ye Fan departed the scarred battlefield, sitting cross-legged on a stone peak. His heart was serene, filled with a sense of accomplishment.

The exquisite art of Primordial Magnetism was undoubtedly a supreme divine technique, comparable to the Five-Colored Divine Light he had obtained from the Eternal Star Domain, making it incredibly rare.

This secret technique made four individuals, who were not exceptionally formidable, incredibly difficult to deal with, demonstrating its extraordinary nature and placing it on par with the exquisite arts from the Ancient Emperor's Forbidden Chapters.

Possessing the Sacred Fighting Art, Ye Fan's cultivation of other secret techniques was exceptionally rapid. Two hours later, a hazy grey mist appeared around him as the power of Primordial Magnetism began to manifest.

He then continued his cultivation, and the grey mist dissipated, transforming into strands of Primordial Magnetic lightning that swirled around his body.

Ye Fan himself transformed into a human-shaped immortal light, sweeping through everything with destructive force, reducing an entire mountain range ahead to dust in a single breath, utterly annihilating it.

"What a powerful secret technique!" the Dragon Horse exclaimed in surprise, its eyes gleaming with envy. It then began to ponder the art itself.

Ye Fan frowned, feeling no joy from the mastery of this divine ability, as it was still a considerable distance from perfection. It lacked a divine magnet to aid in cultivation, preventing its ultimate completion.

"This secret technique is too profound; it's truly terrifyingly boundless!" The Dragon Horse also grasped some insights, transforming into an electromagnetic horse that galloped across the sky, emanating tsunami-like fluctuations.

They realized that to cultivate this art to true perfection, they needed to delve deep underground, capture the legendary divine magnets, and use them for refinement.

"This is Saint Fall Island, not a true ancient star. It lacks the divine magnets needed to continue this cultivation," Ye Fan said, rising to his feet. He then walked into the primeval mountains to begin comprehending the Great Dao of the land.

Forbidden secret techniques were important, but completing the trial mission was paramount at this moment. His mind and body became clear, cleansed of all murderous aura, his physique shimmering with radiant light as he merged with the natural world.

"The Way of Nature."

Ye Fan sighed and opened his eyes. In half a day, he had grasped the Great Dao of the ancients, comprehending its fundamental essence.

Soon after, he unrolled the scripture scroll given to him by Princess Yudie. He read and meditated on it simultaneously, merging with the natural world.

"Man models the Earth, Earth models Heaven, Heaven models the Dao, and the Dao models Nature."

Ye Fan murmured, his entire body radiating a faint glow. The fresh, clear air from the vegetation wafted over him, washing away his murderous aura, leaving his heart feeling tranquil and ethereal. The cries of apes and roars of tigers once again echoed in the deep mountains, and peace returned to the trial grounds.

"This is indeed a supreme Great Dao, but it is not my own path."

After an unknown period, Ye Fan closed the ancient scroll, rose to his feet, and punched towards the sky. Golden light pierced into the cosmos, shattering the surrounding restrictions and almost destroying the entire ancient land.

"Who is this?"

Outside Saint Fall Island, some soldiers' expressions changed in alarm. Even the Grand Commander, astride his Celestial Wolf, was startled, but then he shook his head, instructing them to disregard it.

"By forging a hundred scriptures, I shall walk the path of invincibility in this era, shattering myths," Ye Fan murmured to himself.