Chapter 1476: Heavenly Road's Peerless Enemy

Chapter 1480: Unrivaled Foes on the Celestial Path

“Who are you, friend?” Pang Bo asked. This person was too mysterious, uttering such strange words.

“A struggler crossing the bitter sea of the mortal world.” The newcomer was ethereal and indistinct, enveloped in mist, appearing truly extraordinary.

“You are indeed a master, friend; your every word and action carries profound meaning,” Pang Bo said.

The man in the chaotic mist smiled faintly and said, “Are you making fun of me, fellow Daoist?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Pang Bo replied with a serious expression, asking why he focused specifically on the "fiftieth" position and what its mystery was.

“The Great Derivation Number is fifty, but it’s merely to contend for the one that escaped. In truth, it holds no profound meaning; it’s simply a competition among peers. If one recognizes this number, they aspire to align with it,” the man explained.

Everyone agreed that this person must be incredibly powerful, sensing his unfathomable depth, vast and boundless like an ocean.

“May I ask if you are the legendary Chaotic Body from the Mythological Era?” Ji Haoyue suddenly interjected, staring at the man.

“I apologize for disappointing you all; I am merely a mortal body, with no special bloodline talents. The mist you saw was simply brought forth because I just traversed through a small chaotic realm,” the newcomer replied, shaking his head. The chaotic mist around him dissipated, revealing his true appearance.

He was a young man, appearing quite ordinary, not tall nor remarkably imposing. His looks were common, making him just another member of the vast populace, with nothing particularly striking about him.

If anything about him could be called extraordinary, it was only his eyes—remarkably clear, like two pools of pure, transparent immortal spring water.

Ji Ziyue secretly nodded to the others. This person truly was a mortal, with no special bloodline origin, yet his power had reached an inconceivable level.

“May I ask your esteemed name, friend?” Pang Bo inquired.

The ordinary-looking young man smiled and replied, “Zhang Bainian.” He was a mortal who had gained profound insight into the natural world, achieving astonishing strength.

His name, however, made Pang Bo feel peculiar. His mouth twitched; he first shook his head in disbelief, then nodded.

Ye Fan was also startled, looking him over carefully. At that moment, the dark red killing sword on his back hummed and unsheathed itself, emitting wisps of immortal light.

Zhang Bainian was surprised, saying, “Could that be one of the four immortal-slaying swords of the Lingbao Heavenly Venerate?” He instinctively recoiled a few steps, as if to create a safe distance, not wanting to be too close to Ye Fan.

“Is that truly your name, friend?” Pang Bo asked earnestly.

“My name was given by my parents, and since I’m not famous, why would I need to impersonate someone? It’s merely an ordinary symbol,” Zhang Bainian said.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the Dragon Horse exchanged glances. This person, this name, to them, contained thunder within its ordinariness!

“Do you think the number fifty is particularly good, friend?” Ji Ziyue asked with a faint smile.

Zhang Bainian shook his head and said, “I was too conventional and held onto an obsession. The Dao follows nature; there’s no need to be deliberate, just act spontaneously. Only by acting from one’s true heart can one approach the Dao, gradually align with it, and then transcend it.”

Upon hearing these words, everyone was immediately startled. Even the usually silent Ancient Golden Peng couldn’t help but flap its wings, its divine feathers emitting wisps of iridescent light.

Zhang Bainian stepped forward to the crystal stele and, quite casually, carved his name, placing it at the fifty-fourth position. He truly let nature take its course.

This surprised all twelve Saints. The man exuded a sense of composure and mystery; he had been sighing moments ago, yet instantly let go of everything.

“Fellow Daoist, you seem to know this person called ‘Emperor.’ Who is he, and why does he have such a name?” the Dragon Horse asked, pointing to the person in the fiftieth position.

Zhang Bainian shook his head and said, “I have never met this person and know nothing about him. I merely recalled some scattered legends upon seeing that name.”

“Oh, there are legends? I’d be honored if you could enlighten us, friend,” Pang Bo inquired politely.

“Hmm, during the Primordial Era, this name once appeared startlingly, causing a great stir. A single person killed all the Great Saints of that time,” Zhang Bainian said.

“What?!” everyone exclaimed.

Under the vast sky, while ancient life-bearing stars were extremely rare, small worlds with living beings were abundant, known as the Myriad Worlds. If all the Great Saints in the entire universe were to appear, their number might be astonishing.

“My apologies, I misstated. What I meant was, he once stood here, with his back to the formidable pass, facing all the heroes, and slew every trial participant who arrived,” Zhang Bainian clarified.

Even so, it was enough to shock the world; it was too terrifying and astonishing. Just how powerful must such a figure be?!

Everyone was stunned.

“How many people did he kill?!” Ji Haoyue asked gravely.

“Fifty-four,” Zhang Bainian calmly replied.

Everyone was dumbfounded. According to ancient records, there was once a trial with the fewest participants, where a total of fifty-five people reached the final formidable pass and carved their true body imprints.

This implied that the Emperor had appeared in that era and killed the other fifty-four participants.

“What was the final outcome? Did he not become an Emperor?” the Black Bear Saint, one of the twelve Saints, asked in a deep voice.

“He let out a soft sigh facing this formidable pass, didn’t enter, and simply turned around and left,” Zhang Bainian recounted.

“This…” Everyone showed surprise. This person’s actions were truly unfathomable; he directly killed all competitors outside the pass and then departed, which was profoundly unexpected.

Was this truly the same person? One from the Primordial Era, one from the present — the gap in years was vast. Of course, it wasn't impossible; at the very least, one could seal themselves with divine source to survive.

“So, this is Brother Ye? I’ve traveled to many domains and heard your name in numerous places. Seeing you today, you are indeed remarkable, even surpassing your reputation.” Zhang Bainian’s eyes were excessively clear, almost transparent, like carved crystal, as he stared at Ye Fan’s blood, bones, and internal organs.

Ye Fan returned the greeting, and a luster appeared all over his body, instantly isolating everything and making him unseeable. At the same time, wisps of immortal light from his Origin Heavenly Eye turned towards Zhang Bainian.

“Farewell, everyone. We shall meet again on the Celestial Path. I look forward to contending for the Emperor’s form with you all and fighting to my heart’s content another day.” Zhang Bainian clasped his fists, tore open the sky, and vanished through the void.

The crystal stele towered into the clouds, gleaming translucently. Fifty-four names were inscribed upon it, each person extraordinary and unmatched in power.

Tai Chu, Yin Tiande, Jin Chanzi, the White-Clothed Divine King Jiang Taixu, the Human Devil Dongfang Taiyi, Emperor, and Zhang Bainian – among the fifty-four names, only these had they either seen or heard of; they knew nothing about the others.

But this was enough. None of the people they knew were insignificant; each was a peerless hero. It was easy to imagine how arduous the path ahead would be.

Ye Fan and the others gazed at the formidable pass, their minds filled with myriad thoughts.

Since ancient times, the Celestial Path opened once every ten thousand years, but not every opening produced a Great Emperor; sometimes, one wouldn't appear for tens of thousands of years. Would one emerge in this era?

“Even if we fight our way in, reaching the summit doesn’t guarantee becoming an Emperor,” the Golden Lion sighed softly.

Ji Haoyue said, “This era will be different; it will be more terrifying than all previous prosperous eras, truly unprecedented. Even figures like the Emperor have converged in this generation.”

“I wonder how Beidou is doing now?” Ji Ziyue murmured. She felt a little homesick, missing her parents. She longed for every blade of grass and tree in that world and deeply wished to return.

Hearing this, Ye Fan looked up and said, “We have reached the end of this path; we can go back now and see how the Beidou Star Domain is doing.”

Everyone was startled. They had been away for over a hundred years, spending most of their youth and time on the ancient path, and all wished to return and see.

“In fact, Beidou might be even more brutal than here. The Path to Immortality is about to open, and who knows how many peerless heroes it has attracted. Even Quasi-Emperors might appear!”

“That’s right, even the beings from the seven great forbidden life zones might emerge.”

“I think those who left their names on the Emperor’s Road here might have already rushed there, as the Path to Immortality, seen only once in eternity, is about to begin.”

Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and the others looked grave and discussed earnestly.

“We really should go back.” Ye Fan stepped forward and carved his name onto the crystal stele. It shone brightly, not with any title, but just the simple two characters—Ye Fan.

“I have claimed this path. In the future, I will gather all the heroes of the cosmos!” These were his resonant, powerful words before the formidable pass.

Only he left his name. Though not a Great Saint, he had established himself in the forbidden realm, no weaker than an initial-stage Great Saint, thus meeting the requirements.

As for the others, they were still a step short. After all, there was the barrier of the Great Saint realm, and they had not yet reached the Great Perfection of the Saint King realm, making it impossible for them to meet the requirements.

“Take good care of my sister,” Ji Haoyue said earnestly, looking at Ye Fan. He didn’t want to leave; he wanted to stay and wait for his cultivation to advance further so he could also leave his name on the crystal stele.

“Brother!” Ji Ziyue pouted. Although she had always clamored about wanting to suppress her “evil” brother, when it came to a real separation, it was hard to part.

“We’ve been away too long; you should go back and see,” Ji Haoyue said with a resolute expression, sending her off.

The Dragon Horse boisterously said, “I say, Brother-in-law Ye Fan, why be so persistent? You want to go back to Beidou, right? What if you happen to catch the opening of the Path to Immortality and become an Immortal directly? What’s the point of contending for an Emperor’s throne then? If you can’t become an Immortal, then come back here to fight against the universe’s prodigies like Tai Chu, Emperor, and Zhang Bainian to your heart’s content.”

“Ye Zi, I want to stay too,” Pang Bo suddenly announced, also deciding not to leave. He wanted to continue his training and leave his name on the crystal stele later.

“Alright!” Ye Fan nodded.

The Dragon Horse looked dejected and said, “With your dedication, aren’t you making me look unmotivated? I, a supreme being destined to become an Immortal, am deeply hurt.”

“We’ll wait for you two on the path ahead,” Ye Fan said.

“Let’s not,” Pang Bo shook his head, “If I don’t cultivate an invincible technique or create a peerless method, returning to Beidou might be even more dangerous.” He insisted on going alone.

Ji Haoyue did the same. These past few days, he had been contemplating how to transcend his ancestors’ methods, break free, and comprehend his own Dao.

Thus, Ye Fan and his companions set off, moving slowly rather than returning immediately. Over the next twenty years, they ventured onto the ancient paths of other powerful races, traversing various star domains.

These twenty years were filled with battles, flashing blades and swords, and a star-studded sky stained with blood. They encountered numerous formidable enemies from different races. Ye Fan’s name resounded throughout the world, astonishing all domains!

Dragons soared, horses neighed; for twenty years, they traversed the lands—who could stand against them?

For cultivators of the starry sky, this was destined to be an indelible period. Ye Fan, with a spirit that devoured galaxies, fought against enemies from all directions, traversing various ancient paths and clashing with powerful experts of different races.

He never used his immortal sword; relying solely on himself, he forged a reputation for invincibility, silencing dozens of ancient paths.

The name Ye Fan echoed through all domains, becoming synonymous with invincibility. During this time, five or six individuals, whose names had been seen on the crystal stele, and whose races were unknown, came to challenge him.

Now, meeting in person, Ye Fan swept through them, leaving a shower of blood and writing a glorious chapter of invincibility.

Over twenty years, Ji Ziyue, the Dragon Horse, Little Tot, and the Ancient Golden Peng also carved out formidable reputations, with the group proving invincible wherever they went.

“It’s time to go. We should return to Beidou and see how things are there now, and how our old acquaintances are doing…” Finally, Ye Fan embarked on his journey home, returning to the most mysterious Buried Emperor Star!

“Path to Immortality, here I come!” the Dragon Horse neighed.