Chapter 1505: Red Dust Fate Has Ended

After leaving Mount Sumeru, the chatterbox continued his incessant talking, affectionately holding the old monk Maha's hand. Anyone unaware of the details would have truly believed them to be a pair of fast friends with a significant age difference.

Maha was at his wit's end, but in the end, he could only endure it once more.

In the end, it was unclear whether Maha was obeying the decree of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, or truly felt remorse, or perhaps felt pity for Huahua's previous life, or was simply persuaded by the chatterbox. With a somber expression, he surprisingly agreed to serve as the mountain gate guardian king for several years.

This outcome left the group utterly dumbfounded.

"Master, don't worry, I will certainly heal that bowl-sized scar on your nose in the future."

"Get lost!"

Having finally seen off the troublesome group, the bodhisattvas and ancient Buddhas were all stunned into silence. It was a long while before they returned to Mount Sumeru.

Originally, Dongfang Ye and the others were still considering whether to ambush the old monk. Seeing this outcome, they let the matter drop. Moreover, they feared that if they continued to act in this place, the Demon-Subduing Pestle and other imperial artifacts might not approve.

"Let's see how he behaves. If he dares to misbehave, we will strip him of all his cultivation." The group then truly departed.

"Delicious!"

After leaving Mount Sumeru, they arrived at a city. In an old restaurant run by mortals, Kaide held a large pork hock in his left hand and a roasted goose in his right. He ate like a reincarnated hungry ghost, his cheeks puffed out and grease dripping from his mouth.

He devoured everything ravenously, leaving the table a mess of empty dishes. He even swallowed the bones. The restaurant owner served him several tables of meat dishes, and only after eating until he was full of burps did he reluctantly look up.

Kaide first expressed his sincere gratitude to Ye Fan, then glanced at the crowd. He had noticed the Divine Knight on Mount Sumeru for a long time but hadn't asked about him until now.

He babbled a string of words that Dongfang Ye and the others considered "birdsong." After receiving a response from the Divine Knight, he immediately let out a loud shout, rushed over, and gave him a warm embrace.

"My immortal eyes are blinded!"

"I've got a stye, I didn't see anything!"

Dongfang Ye, Li Heishui, Wu Zhongtian, Jiang Hairen, and the others all cursed. It was too scandalous! Two big men hugging each other — or more accurately, the monk had embraced the Divine Knight.

"As the Chinese saying goes, 'Fellow villagers meet fellow villagers, tears well up in their eyes.' I've suffered for so many years, seeing nothing but aliens all day long. I've finally met one of my own kind."

Kaide was a snotty, teary mess, wiping himself all over the Divine Knight. He showed no respect for this Great Saint at all. It was fortunate that the Divine Knight's aura was contained, otherwise, he would surely have been shattered.

"This world is too dangerous. Minotaurs, Bigfoot, Corpse Ghouls, Cat Demons—there's everything! They even call themselves Ancient Royal Families and eat people all day long. And the monks in this world are all fanatical religious extremists. I've tried to escape thirty-eight times, and they've caught me every single time! They almost burned me alive and told me to go meet Amitabha Buddha — I don't even know him!"

Kaide was so agitated that he spoke incoherently, seemingly delirious. He just kept prattling on and on, endlessly.

"I came here in a coffin; how did you get here? I think God has abandoned both of us. I've always had a dream: to return to Earth and join forces with Satan to attack God!"

Listening to his rambling nonsense, the Divine Knight was somewhat speechless. In the end, he simply patted Kaide's shoulder and said, "Emotional wounds take time to heal."

"What do you mean? I'm not crazy; those monks are!" Kaide retorted, displeased.

The group burst into laughter.

The Divine Silkworm Princess had learned of the Victorious Fighting Buddha's whereabouts on Mount Sumeru, but ultimately found no evidence that the Victorious Buddha had been converted. Unwilling to accept this, she led her followers away.

The Old Immortal, the Old Blind Man, Tu Tian, and others also departed, taking the Heaven-Swallowing Pot with them. The Ji family members, Yao Yuekong, the Great Xia Prince, and others likewise set off.

Ye Fan bid them farewell, expressing his sincere gratitude.

Not all of the Heavenly Court's forces withdrew from the Western Lands; they truly intended to establish a base here. Of course, this would only be a branch, to be managed by Huahua.

"Heavenly Court Buddhist Branch." This was the name Huahua gave it, with a mischievous grin.

One could imagine how grim Maha's expression would be when he arrived. However, generally speaking, his safety should not be an issue. All the bodhisattvas and ancient Buddhas in the entire Western Desert were waiting for his subconscious to awaken, proving the existence of past and future lives.

Kaide joined the Heavenly Court without hesitation. However, when he heard that he was still to be a Guardian Vajra, staying behind in the Western Desert, he nearly tripped and fell.

"You can kill me, but I'm not becoming a monk again!"

"Wine and meat pass through the intestines; there's no need to observe those strict precepts." Huahua tried hard to keep him, making him a Guardian Heavenly King.

In the end, Kaide unloyally abandoned God and forsook Satan, becoming a Guardian Heavenly King of the Heavenly Court.

The Divine Knight departed, like a lone boat sailing into the vast ocean. He decided to venture beyond the domain and forge his own path.

The Village of Heaven was outside the domain and could not be found. Many people from the Heavenly Court, such as Qi Luo and the Silver Blood Twin Sovereigns, remained in the Western Desert, allowing the Heavenly Court to temporarily establish roots there.

As for Yan Yixi, Li Tian, and some others, they chose to travel the world. With this grand era dawning, there was too much wonder on this land.

Of course, everyone had agreed that it wouldn't be too long before they would cross the star domain and leave Beidou (Ursa Major), as they knew that once the path to immortality opened, this place would inevitably be shaken to its core!

By then, even Saints would easily perish...

After a grand celebration involving much drink, everyone embarked on their respective journeys.

This battle solidified the Heavenly Court's formidable reputation. In the eyes of the Golden Crow race and the ancient races, Ye Fan had also forged an unparalleled fearsome name for himself. He had used several imperial artifacts at once, shocking the world and making everyone tremble.

In a sense, the various factions that deployed imperial artifacts were now tied to the same war chariot. Provoking one of them in the future could lead to several imperial artifacts striking at once. Who would dare to contend against that?!

The Five Domains were abuzz with noise, and discussions were widespread. For days, all conversations revolved around Ye Fan's great battle on Mount Sumeru, making it a focal point of global attention.

Ye Fan walked alone in the Western Desert, an immortal sword on his back, his sleeves fluttering. He appeared ethereal and detached, no longer possessing any murderous aura. His green robes made him seem transcendent and otherworldly.

He arrived at the shores of Ayut Lake and stood there for a long time, then traveled through various monasteries in the Western Desert, finally arriving at Latuo Monastery once more.

"Benefactor, you have arrived," an old monk with snow-white eyebrows said, as if he had long anticipated Ye Fan's arrival.

Latuo Monastery was a magnificent ancient temple complex. In the evening glow, its numerous buildings were bathed in golden light, each ancient temple appearing incredibly solemn and increasingly sacred.

In the Western Desert, several ancient monasteries were most renowned. Latuo Monastery, Shenxia Monastery, Xuankong Monastery, and others all possessed immortal Buddhist legacies. Of course, the Great Thunder Sound Temple was undoubtedly the foremost among them.

In the past, Ye Fan had fought a great battle here, challenging several divine monks, solely to see An Miaoyi and secure her freedom.

Today, he returned to this place. The old monk in the temple naturally hadn't forgotten him, and chanting "Amitabha Buddha," invited him inside.

In that previous battle, both sides did not fight to the death and ended in reconciliation. Thus, there was no talk of hatred or resentment. However, the recent battle on Mount Sumeru had created a rift with the Buddhist practitioners.

Ye Fan traveled throughout the Western Desert, learning that An Miaoyi had ultimately chosen to cultivate here and was in secluded meditation. This was why he came to see her.

"The Bodhisattva has been in secluded meditation for decades and has not emerged. Perhaps it will take a hundred years before she reappears," a divine monk said.

The nine-story stone pagoda still stood, with An Miaoyi secluded within it. She was comprehending the ultimate truth and cultivating her own Dao fruit.

"Did she say anything?" Ye Fan asked.

"Yes," the Saint Monk nodded, and spoke a sentence.

"It's better to miss than to meet."

Upon hearing these words, Ye Fan's body trembled, and he stared blankly, unable to calm down for a long time. He gazed at the sealed stone pagoda, wanting to break in.

This was a sacred pagoda, left behind by a Great Saint from an unknown era. It could imprison monks undergoing asceticism, or be used for self-seclusion and self-suppression. Forcibly opening it would likely destroy the pagoda and harm the person inside.

"Our worldly ties are severed; we shall meet on the path to immortality!"

The old monk handed Ye Fan a letter, which contained this sentence in addition to the previous one.

Ye Fan stood there motionless, unable to utter a single word, and quietly sighed. He walked around the pagoda. He clearly felt a certain sentiment, and holding the letter, various past events surfaced in his mind.

Why did she say "our worldly ties are severed"? Was it because of Ji Ziyue, or did she know he had other entanglements, or did she simply not see a future?

An Miaoyi was an extraordinary woman. Her thoughts, reflections, and decisions were all so unexpected, leaving one feeling wistful and a touch bitter.

"It's better to miss than to meet"—distance lends beauty and haziness. If they were truly together, perhaps only ordinariness and blandness would remain. Was An Miaoyi trying to make him remember her forever, to leave the most beautiful side of herself and the deepest imprint in his heart?

A fervent encounter, the most beautiful moment, a fleeting brilliance, then turning away to gaze at each other from within the mundane world.

Ye Fan was speechless. The phrase "it's better to miss than to meet" left his heart feeling hollow. Walking through the ancient monastery, he found it difficult to maintain his composure with such emotions.

"Benefactor, I think the latter two sentences are the most crucial," a young novice monk, sixteen or seventeen years old, spoke up.

Clearly, his identity was unusual; otherwise, he wouldn't know the contents of the letter, let alone be by a divine monk's side.

The old monk glared at him, warning him not to speak carelessly.

"Buddhists teach liberation and do not speak falsehoods. I am merely speaking the truth," the young novice monk said.

Ye Fan was startled. Seeing that this young novice monk had innate wisdom, he predicted that he would certainly not be an ordinary person in the future, but would stand out and one day soar to great heights.

He nodded, slowly calming down. He understood that the last sentence was the main point and grasped its meaning.

Our worldly ties are severed; we shall meet on the path to immortality!

Let him go his way in the mundane world—marry, have children, raise them, repay debts of gratitude... They would only meet again on the immortal path, joining hands, going to the same place, and never parting in life or death.

Ye Fan walked silently, circling the stone pagoda again and again. Then he strode into the distance. That day, he wandered alone beneath the setting sun, walked alone by Ayut Lake, and walked alone on the high ground.

Everywhere they had once left their footprints, he walked alone. All the memories of the past surfaced in his mind.

Finally, Ye Fan returned to Latuo Monastery. He stood before the stone pagoda for a day and a night. Not seeing An Miaoyi, he slowly turned and walked away.

Before he left, the old monk told him that An Miaoyi had comprehended the Dao in her dreams, looking back to see a flower of the past and looking up to gaze at a blooming flower of the future, with a shower of blossoms falling all around.

"I will guard her Dao, ensuring that only one undying flower of this life will forever bloom brilliantly!" Ye Fan declared, filled with an invincible resolve, and strode away.

He was no longer wistful or hollow. His heart now held only a single conviction: if he was invincible in this era, what was there to fear? Everything would be crushed beneath his fist.

As Ye Fan took a step, the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers seemed to reverse. The Western Desert receded rapidly behind him. He entered the Northern Plains, then continued northwards until he arrived at a vast ice plain.