Chapter 1287: The Place of Enlightenment

Chapter 1288: The Land of Enlightenment

Ye Fan had not yet embarked on his journey, but his name had already spread, causing a major stir along the ancient starry road and attracting widespread attention.

The Holy Body from Buried Emperor Star has arrived! This news swept through the path like a storm, with an unstoppable momentum, startling all the major competitors ahead.

"I was negligent; I didn't realize you had arrived earlier. I don't think the entire ancient road will be lonely anymore," the Emissary of the Human Race's Second City said to Ye Fan as they parted ways, his words full of meaning.

Many trial-takers showed surprise; for the Emissary to speak such words was clearly high praise, enough to illustrate Ye Fan's potential. "For a hundred thousand years, the Holy Body lineage has been dormant. I imagine your adversaries are eager, too. The battles to come will be terrifying; even us old-timers are looking forward to them."

The Emissary's words stirred excitement. It was said that Buried Emperor Star was an ancient land from which countless powerful figures had emerged since ancient times. Especially when a Holy Body appeared, each time they would fight until the ancient starry road itself shattered!

The trials at the Human Race's Second City concluded, and the group ascended the heavenly path, heading to the next dojo, leaving behind a legend there.

This incident caused a significant stir, and it was uncertain how long it would take for things to settle down.

Everyone had left, and the Second Sacred City grew quiet. One person sat alone beneath the city gate, not continuing the journey, stopping there forever.

He was a failure, unheeded and unnoticed by anyone. All eyes were fixed on the path ahead, watching those who held the hope of achieving enlightenment.

From then on, the city gained an old soldier. Until his old age, he never fought again. Thousands of years later, with clouded eyes and a hunched back, he would occasionally tell tales of the desolation of the path to emperorship.

Sometimes, when drunk, he would sigh in the autumn wind, his body trembling, gazing at the Emperor Road with his cloudy old eyes. Then he would turn away, leaving behind a desolate figure.

He once had a name, Guan Cheng. Twice he was pinned to the ground by spears, his blood flowing, and twice he painstakingly survived.

In fact, from then on, he had no name, just a failure on the Emperor Road, a microcosm representing many others.

To have survived was already a miracle for him. Many years later, most who had walked the Emperor Road had died, their blood staining the starry sky, their bones forming mountains, forging the glory of one person at the path's end.

As the autumn wind swept by, endless leaves withered, fallen branches covered the ground—a season of desolation.

On the Emperor Road, where heroes vie for supremacy, the powerful are always on the move!

Ye Fan continued his campaign, advancing through a series of life-and-death trials. They successively cleared nine checkpoints, and more than a year had passed.

Traversing rivers of stars and breaking through vast forbidden life zones, Ye Fan solidified his realm, completely firming up his Dao foundation after becoming a Saint.

The tenth checkpoint was a unique place. He had heard many speak of it over the past year, but arriving there felt entirely different.

In the dark cosmos, a sacred city floated in space, emitting holy radiance, orbiting an ancient star like a satellite.

From the city, looking down, one could vaguely discern mountains and landscapes on the life star below. Terrifying creatures even flew into the sky, their dreadful roars echoing through the vast cosmos.

This was the tenth checkpoint, uniquely situated above a life-bearing ancient star—a vibrant, ancient land.

This was the first time Ye Fan had seen a life-bearing ancient star since embarking on the ancient starry road. It was not small; though it couldn't compare to the Big Dipper, it was still grand.

This was a perilous star, teeming with formidable creatures. Naturally, Ye Fan and his companions couldn't land on it; instead, they were teleported into the sacred city via a five-colored altar.

"Indeed, you have arrived at the tenth checkpoint of the ancient starry road, the first life-bearing ancient star on this path. It is fraught with danger, yet it also holds infinite opportunities."

Immediately upon entering the city, someone began to explain things to them.

According to him, nine was a special number, signifying a culmination and a transformation. Passing the ninth checkpoint naturally meant entering a unique place.

Apart from anything else, the mere fact that the tenth checkpoint was a life-bearing ancient star made it distinct.

"This place is like a dam holding back a vast amount of water, which in reality are trial-takers. For decades, countless exceptional individuals have stopped here, never continuing their journey."

The people in the city shared a startling fact: this was a primordial ancient star where cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds, which was no myth.

This star was even called the "Land of Enlightenment," also known as the "Saint-Making Star." The reason was simple: many chose to achieve sainthood here and accumulate power.

"It possesses the most primordial and powerful laws. Choosing to become a Saint here, once you break through, you will seize fortune, and the Dao foundation you build will be incredibly solid, laying the strongest groundwork for future enlightenment."

The reason was simple: throughout history, countless exceptional individuals, including many ancient Great Emperors, had passed through this first life-bearing ancient star on the ancient starry road. Heaven had imprinted their Dao and portions of their paths here.

While not a place to become an Emperor, these laws offered numerous benefits to those seeking to become Saints, with no adverse effects.

Upon entering the Sacred City, it was noticeably larger and more populated than the previous nine cities. Suspended in space and orbiting the life star below, it had held an unknown number of trial-takers for decades.

Many had stopped here for various reasons, not continuing their journey. It wasn't that they were weak, but that they had their own objectives.

It was rumored that individuals no weaker than the Great Demon God might be here, awaiting the emergence of a secret tablet. Others were searching for the lost writings of ancient Great Emperors, and some were digging for rare heavenly treasures.

Still others were seeking divine beasts. This place held immense, terrifying secrets, fraught with danger, yet it also contained things that greatly tempted many cultivators.

"This group has finally arrived. Which one is the Holy Body from Buried Emperor Star?" Many people on the streets were looking at the cultivators entering the city.

Although more than a year had passed and the commotion had largely subsided, the arrival of Ye Fan and his group still caused a stir.

"What a fierce man! He even killed the city's Grand Commander and trampled the nephew of Enforcer Liu Fengdu to a pulp. I really want to see what he looks like."

"After a hundred thousand years, Buried Emperor Star has produced another Holy Body. Many on this path are anticipating this; most people probably can't sit still. There will definitely be an unparalleled battle!"

Some people were discussing this, and a large number of cultivators were gathered in the city.

Along the main thoroughfare, there were pharmacies, weapon shops, scripture towers, as well as various taverns and tea houses. People came and went, making it incredibly prosperous and lively.

The Grand Commander of the Human Race's Tenth Sacred City and some soldiers wore grim expressions, involuntarily glancing at Ye Fan. They held no goodwill towards this lawless visitor from Buried Emperor Star.

No matter how grave the errors Yu Han and Yan Yu committed, it should not have been Ye Fan who killed them. It should have been reported to the ancient starry road, and an enforcer dispatched to execute them.

Now, cultivators across the ancient road were spreading the word that Ye Fan had killed a city guard commander, causing all the local commanders to lose face. It was truly not a glorious matter.

"Aooooh..."

Suddenly, a colossal beast's roar echoed, shaking the entire ancient city. The city walls rumbled, as if on the verge of collapse.

The city itself emitted beams of light, erecting a dazzling barrier that enveloped the ancient structure, safeguarding its indestructibility.

Ye Fan and the others were all astonished to discover a gigantic ancient beast attacking. It resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex, taller than the entire city, and had flown up from the ancient star below.

At this moment, it let out a roar, and the firmament erupted, the cosmic void tearing open, with huge fissures spreading everywhere. It was like an apocalypse-level divine beast.

"What... what's happening?" Rui Wei asked, astonished. He had arrived at this checkpoint after a year of adventurous but mostly safe travel.

The people in the city were relatively calm, clearly not encountering such an event for the first time. Some were complaining and cursing incessantly.

"Who did this? Who provoked an ancient beast at the peak of the Saint King realm? Do they have a death wish?!"

"Not long ago, I heard someone say a Tyrannosaurus Rex was about to lay eggs. Could someone have stolen that divine egg?"

Many cursed, but some were also very envious. Many had stopped here precisely to find a mount, and the offspring of a high-level Saint Beast was naturally the most ideal.

Through the discussions of the people on the street, Ye Fan and his group learned that the ancient star below was far more dangerous than they had imagined.

This attacking Tyrannosaurus Rex raged for well over half an hour before reluctantly retreating, letting out a furious roar that split the firmament. It did not return to the ancient star but entered the depths of the cosmos.

"You see? This place is extremely dangerous. The ancient star below has incredibly powerful beings that frequently attack this sacred city. Trying to accelerate your cultivation there would be life-threatening," the Grand Commander said.

On the life-bearing ancient star below, the most powerful Saint Beasts were of unknown strength, and it was full of perils. Of course, for some cultivators, it also presented unimaginable opportunities.

"The cosmos is vast, and life-bearing ancient stars vary from place to place. Some are havens for cultivation, while others are no longer suitable for practicing the Dao."

The Grand Commander of the Tenth City shared some information, acting very responsibly and informing them carefully so they could better manage their time there.

This ancient star was highly unique, unchanged since ancient times, a sacred land for cultivation where various Great Dao resonated, easily allowing others to enter a state of enlightenment.

The cultivators who had embarked on the ancient starry road this time had varying levels of cultivation. Some had been Saints for many years, while others had only barely become Great Experts, residing in the second layer of the Immortal Terrace realm.

Over the years, some Emissaries had directly sent Great Experts from the second layer of the Immortal Terrace here. This was not cheating, but out of pity for their unmatched talent; the ancient stars they came from had suppressed their cultivation too much, making it difficult for them to break through.

"In some ancient lands, some of the most astonishingly talented individuals, considered the foremost prodigies of their respective ancient stars, only reached the second layer of the Immortal Terrace realm after hundreds of years of cultivation."

"Meanwhile, on other ancient stars, some prodigies had already become Saints by the age of two hundred, which was truly remarkable."

The Grand Commander presented some astonishing facts: some individuals who appeared weak, having barely reached the Great Expert realm after hundreds of years of cultivation, had been almost constantly breaking through since arriving here, their strength increasing at an alarming rate.

"Some heaven-defying prodigies, after arriving here, broke through continuously from the second layer of the Immortal Terrace, achieving Sainthood in the shortest possible time. This was a result of vast accumulation, followed by the most unrestrained release after the most severe suppression."

"Aooooh..."

Suddenly, a bone-chilling roar interrupted the Grand Commander's explanation. A stone man, emitting an ocean-like aura of blood energy, was roaring and forcefully shaking the ancient city.

The terrifying pressure made the entire ancient city tremble, as if it could shatter at any moment!

"A Saint Spirit!" Ye Fan exclaimed, greatly startled.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex that had departed earlier had flown back from the depths of the cosmos, having seemingly summoned this blood-energy-infused stone man from somewhere.

This was truly a unique ancient land. As soon as Ye Fan and his group arrived, they encountered such a great calamity: a Stone Man Saint Spirit had emerged and was attacking the Human Race's Tenth Sacred City!