Chapter 1457: Old Man's Background

The Bodhi tree swayed, rustling. They had moved to a new location, and everyone was sitting cross-legged beneath the sacred tree. Pang Bo, Dragon Horse, Ji Haoyue, and others were focused on healing their injuries.

Ye Fan also stood motionless beneath the tree, pondering what had just transpired and consolidating his enlightenment.

The Bodhi tree's roots, like dragons, delved deep into the earth. Its leaves rustled loudly, like the resounding of ancient bells. Ye Fan, Ji Ziyue, Little Dot, and the others felt serene. Some were engaged in enlightenment, others in healing, their essence, energy, and spirit merging, bringing them closer to nature.

After an unknown period of time, the Bodhi tree seemed to turn like a scripture, emitting chanting sounds. Strange images appeared one after another, astonishing everyone.

Upon closer inspection, they noticed the images began with recent times and gradually receded into ancient history. Several figures appeared sequentially, each with a distinct aura.

Ji Haoyue, Dragon Horse, Ancient Golden Peng, and others gradually awoke and stared blankly at everything unfolding before them.

"Could that be Sakyamuni?!" Pang Bo exclaimed. The first figure closely resembled the Buddha statues worshipped in temples on Earth. This filled everyone with surprise and doubt. Was it a mark left by an ancient supreme being? Did it signify something special, or perhaps an unknown danger?

The shadows flickered again, revealing another indistinct Buddha image. It exuded an ancient, weathered aura, like a passage of time or a piece of history flowing from the past.

"This is... Amitabha!" Ji Ziyue and her brother's expressions changed simultaneously. The second figure, also very blurry, was similar to the Buddha statue worshipped in the Great Thunder Sound Temple in the Western Desert.

As the two Buddhas appeared one after another, everyone felt a profound resonance. They experienced a sudden enlightenment, seemingly grasping truths through unique paths and reaching a transcendent state.

Ye Fan was the first to awaken from his trance. He observed everyone and realized they had not been misled; it was merely a state of mind recorded by the Enlightenment Tree that evoked these feelings, which then put his mind at ease.

It was related to Buddhas, but there was no need to reject it. There were myriad methods in the world, all worth observing, but one didn't necessarily have to follow the same path.

A profound aura spontaneously arose, as if the two Buddhas were preaching. It conveyed magnanimity, great compassion, the discernment of good and evil, and the realization of truth.

The others also awoke. They silently contemplated, cross-referenced, and came to understand their own methods and Dao.

With a rumble, the two Buddhas suddenly shone with immense light. They took seven steps each in all four cardinal directions beneath the Bodhi tree, totaling forty-nine steps, and then stopped. Exotic flowers bloomed in their wake, emitting unusual light.

"The Bodhi tree is truly extraordinary," Ji Haoyue sighed softly. "It has recorded a supreme realm of Buddhism, a great fortune for any Buddhist follower."

Suddenly, the leaves on the tree rustled, and another image appeared. It was an old man with white hair and beard. His forehead was full, his gaze wise; he clearly appeared to be an ancient figure of great wisdom, exuding an aura of tranquility and non-action.

Naturally, an even more ancient aura swept over them. It seemed to pierce through the entire ancient history of humanity, extremely distant.

"I feel like this image is coming from the ends of heaven and earth."

"This might be a figure from the mythical era, especially since the Bodhi tree once belonged to various Celestial Venerables and Great Emperors."

Pang Bo and Dragon Horse discussed, agreeing that this person was undoubtedly incredibly ancient. He seemed to have emerged from the mists of antiquity, with the weight of ages upon him.

In fact, this was precisely the case, from Sakyamuni to Amitabha, and then to this person. It was a process of progression, moving backward against the river of time.

"Why does he look a little familiar?" Ji Ziyue mumbled confusedly.

Ji Haoyue's body trembled at her words. As if remembering something, he showed an incredulous expression and looked towards his sister.

"Brother Haoyue, have you noticed something?" Pang Bo pressed.

Beside him, Ji Ziyue was also startled, her beautiful eyes gleaming with astonishing light. She said, "It's him! He visited our Ji family, and our elder ancestors and uncles have all seen him."

"What? You've seen this person? He went to your Ji family?" Even Ye Fan was shocked.

Ji Ziyue nodded, her bright eyes and white teeth gleaming, her face filled with surprise. She said, "That's right. Over two thousand years ago, an old man riding an ox visited our home. Some of the elders in our clan had seen him and drawn his portrait, which was kept in the library. My brother and I stumbled upon it by chance."

Laozi!

Back then, this ancient man of great wisdom traversed the starry sky, descended upon Beidou, and had visited the Ji family. Ye Fan had heard the brother and sister speak of this before.

"How is this possible? Laozi... an ancient figure from the mythical era, never died?!" Pang Bo felt as if his mind was reeling. This was truly shocking.

Ye Fan was lost in thought, remembering some legends from the other side of the starry sky. He pondered deeply, thinking that perhaps it could explain some issues.

According to legend, a woman named Li was washing clothes by the river at the village entrance when she found a yellow plum, and thus conceived a child. However, upon birth, the child had white eyebrows, white hair, and a fluffy white beard, hence he was named Laozi.

To later generations, this was clearly too absurd, considered nonsense, and unbelievable. But now, it seemed there might be another hidden truth.

"Can such things be believed? They must have been fabricated to deify ancient figures," Ji Haoyue frowned.

"No, these are folk legends from our homeland, Ye Zi. Have you thought of something?" Pang Bo asked.

Ye Fan nodded and shared some conjectures.

According to historical records, Laozi was born in Kuxian, Chu State, which is now Guoyang County, Anhui. During the Spring and Autumn period, over two thousand five hundred years ago, the Chu region experienced numerous flash floods.

The flash floods in Chu were severe, causing mountains to collapse and land to sink. Bone scriptures, stone tablets, and even skeletal remains were revealed, drifting with the current.

"How could a person be born resembling an old man, with white hair and a white beard..."

Ye Fan conjectured that Laozi was an ancient Venerable with a reincarnation mark inside his body. After the flash flood, he was washed out of a mountain's interior by the torrent. As the water subsided and he drifted downstream, he was discovered by the Li family and pulled ashore.

"Clearly, he has an extraordinary origin. He is a Celestial Venerable from the mythical era, with a reincarnation mark within him. His former primordial spirit had died, but his physical body remained immortal, giving birth to a new sentience, which became Laozi in this life."

Pang Bo listened, dumbfounded, then sighed, "Ye Zi, this is only possible on this side of the starry sky. If you said something like this on Earth, people would curse you to death."

"I think it's possible." Dragon Horse disregarded other considerations. He believed that the so-called Laozi was a Celestial Venerable from the mythical era who saw the light of day again after a flash flood.

The Bodhi tree was verdant. They meditated on the Dao, discussed principles, pondered ancient lineages, and debated the possibility of immortality. For a time, they were filled with many emotions.

"Ye Fan..." Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside. The roar shook the heavens, like a raging god, causing people's blood and qi to surge.

The Ten Saints, Ancient Golden Peng, and others were all horrified. Who was this, so powerful as to transmit their voice through the dense formation arrays?

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Ji Ziyue, and the others were all stunned when they heard the roar. Then, expressions of surprise crossed their faces, followed by great joy. It was truly unexpected; it was an old friend.

"Is it him?"

"Yes, it's Brother Monkey."

They never expected to hear the Holy Prince's voice and swiftly dismantled the formation patterns. As they exited the great formation, they saw a Sacred Ape with a thunderous mouth and golden eyes, his entire body radiating brilliant golden light.

"No wonder he's so powerful! It's the legendary Battle Saint Ape!" The Black Bear Saint and others felt their hearts pounding. They had encountered one of the most terrifying bloodlines.

"Brother Monkey!" Pang Bo burst out laughing.

Ye Fan, Ji Haoyue, and the others all went forward to greet him. It was truly unexpected that the Holy Prince had also appeared on the other shore, exceeding everyone's expectations.

"See that? This monkey is my little brother; we once killed the Emperor's Son together," Dragon Horse boasted shamelessly, bragging to the Golden Lion, Azure Luan, and others behind them.

The group rolled their eyes, collectively looking down on him.

The Holy Prince's demeanor was even more magnificent than before, with fiery golden eyes and radiant fur. His essence, energy, and spirit burned like flames, radiating an intimidating aura.

"Boom!"

He immediately struck Ye Fan with a mighty and domineering palm. It made the entire God-Devil Burial Ground tremble, as if heaven and earth were collapsing!

Everyone's expressions changed; this palm strike was too fierce. How could an ordinary person withstand it? His vital energy was like a vast ocean.

Seeing this, Ye Fan calmly threw a punch. The two collided with a rumbling sound, incredibly powerful.

"Good, the rumors are true! You alone killed all the supreme experts in this starry sky!" The Holy Prince laughed heartily. He stopped his attack and greeted everyone.

It turned out that as soon as he arrived on this ancient planet, he heard about Ye Fan's rampage and bloody cleansing of the God-Devil Burial Ground. He immediately rushed over, fearing they might encounter trouble.

"Chirp, chirp..." Little Dot stepped forward, squeezing through the crowd, and rubbed its head against the Holy Prince's large hand.

"This is... the Divine Egg of the Lightning Phoenix Bird from back then?!" The monkey was also surprised.

Reuniting in this place, everyone felt a bit surreal. Naturally, they wanted to celebrate and walked together out of the God-Devil Ridge.

Over the years, many Great Saints had challenged the region, and Old Man Shen had attacked with a killing formation diagram. A safe passage had long been forged, allowing entry and exit from this forbidden land.

"Brother Monkey, why are you here?" Pang Bo asked.

"I've been traveling the starry sky. For decades, I've always heard rumors about things like imperial coffins and ancient trees of life. I've pursued these clues, crossed many ancient regions, and finally arrived here," the Holy Prince said.

Back then, guided by the Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Holy Prince entered his father's burial ground, which was the ancestral mountain of the Sacred Ape lineage. From there, he discovered a domain gate to the starry sky and directly returned to their ancestral planet.

"Brother Monkey, has that scoundrel Duan De woken up yet? Be careful, don't let him find the burial site of the Old Holy Emperor," Dragon Horse chuckled.

"Go!"

When the Holy Prince returned to his ancestral planet, he found it desolate, with no trace of his clansmen. Even during its prime, this lineage had few members on the ancestral planet, and now it was completely extinct.

He found a domain gate there. He then wandered through various ancient regions, honing himself and forging an invincible path.

"By the way, are you really Brother Monkey, or could you be the Six-Eared Macaque?" As they walked, Pang Bo suddenly blurted this out.

Everyone was startled, but quickly relaxed. The monkey had spoken of many secret affairs of Beidou, which the Six-Eared Macaque would surely not know.

"You mean there's a Divine Ape similar to me?" The Holy Prince's eyes sharpened.

"That monkey is far from simple; you must be careful," Ye Fan said.

"In all these years wandering the starry sky, there's nothing I haven't encountered. I'm not afraid of him!" the monkey said, then recounted many of his experiences.

He particularly mentioned encountering a strange green ox that insisted on becoming sworn brothers with him and called itself the Ox God King.

"Laozi's ox!" Ye Fan was greatly startled. He had seen the Ox God King's imprint in the Ziwei Ancient Starfield.

"How do you know?" The Holy Prince was surprised.

"Where did they go? Did you see Laozi?" Pang Bo asked. Having just witnessed Laozi's previous incarnation under the Bodhi tree and now hearing of his whereabouts from the monkey, he was naturally astonished.

"The Ox God King invited me to travel with him, saying he was going to an extremely important ancient land, but I refused," the Holy Prince replied.

"Why did you refuse?!" Everyone felt regret and excitement. They knew Laozi's identity was extraordinary, and the ancient land he sought must be equally remarkable.

"It's someone else's mount. If I walked with it, wouldn't I be asking for trouble and putting myself under someone else's restraint?" the Holy Prince said, rolling his eyes.