Chapter 1536: Meeting

Chapter 1540: Reunion

In the snow and ice, a small figure chased after her, panting, and called out from behind, "Little Nannan, don't go ahead. Uncle Li just said there's a sinkhole there, and people who can fly are lurking around. They catch monsters, so don't go."

Xiaocao ran over, warned her, then put a packet of food into her hand, and turned to leave.

"Nannan doesn't know where to go..." The little girl watched Xiaocao's retreating back, softly murmured to herself, wiped the tears from her face, and walked in another direction.

The ice plain was vast, and places with life were few. Therefore, villages and settlements were scattered like specks, dotting the immense world of ice and snow, not easily found.

Cold winds howled, and heavy snow fell. On an icy river, many figures flickered because a sinkhole had appeared there. Some people claimed to have seen an extraterrestrial meteorite fall, causing this phenomenon.

However, upon closer inspection, no meteorite was found, nor any traces of burning.

Others said it was a Celestial burial ground, claiming that either the Ancient Lunar Emperor or the Sacred Sun Emperor had once roamed this ice plain and left behind insights gained after achieving enlightenment, which could be considered an unparalleled treasure.

Moreover, some major sects in the northern lands had recently announced the emergence of a Celestial burial site, demanding the departure of external forces. The appearance of a mysterious sinkhole naturally attracted many people to explore it.

When a king delved into it and never reappeared, the news exploded, spreading like boiling water.

Whether it was the restless Divine Land due to the Golden Crow Clan or the peaceful, spring-blossoming lands of the south, none could remain calm. Forces from several major provinces began to move simultaneously.

Some even believed that Ye Fan, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi had traveled all the way to the northwest for this very reason, certain that they had discovered some secret.

Many people had already arrived. After losing track of them on the road, they came directly to the northwest polar region, then walked back against the usual direction, trying to find Ye Fan and his group.

Now, this group was perfectly positioned, being the first to appear at the scene, facing the sinkhole with both excitement and anticipation.

"Perhaps it truly is the sealed ground for the Sacred Sun Emperor's insights. One must remember that Ye Tong was with them; even if his family is in decline, they might have left some clues!"

"That's right, it must be! Insights from a Great Emperor's enlightenment are truly thrilling and astounding!"

The turn of events deviated from everyone's expectations. Even Ye Fan was surprised when he arrived at this ice plain, and then he felt a sense of unease. So many people here; it was truly worrying if they were to encounter Little Nannan.

He absolutely could not tolerate anyone capturing the little girl to refine medicine, nor did he want to see her suffer injustice. He had to find her as quickly as possible!

On this icy, frozen ground, not everyone was clueless. An old Daoist priest walked around, looking in all directions, as if searching for something.

"This unfilial disciple actually had incredible luck, encountering a human-shaped immortal medicine, but he was too incompetent. He failed to refine it and was instead blown up," the old Daoist priest muttered to himself.

"How could the Ziwei Divine Dynasty, in the past, have been careless with such a world-defying human-shaped immortal medicine? They must have left a forbidden artifact on it. This worthless disciple, why didn't he check first?" The old Daoist priest had learned what happened through a special divine ability and had been searching ever since. In fact, he wasn't the only one; another middle-aged scholar, fanning himself with a folding fan in the snow and ice, with cold lightning flashing in his eyes, was also searching for Little Nannan.

"They all say the Divine Infant disappeared and is invisible; that's misleading the world. In the past few decades, she has appeared at least five or six times, falling into people's hands. Unfortunately, those lucky ones were too eager for quick success, directly attempting to refine her as medicine, and suffered backlash. How could someone with the aura of longevity be ordinary? They were all too careless."

This world is not lacking in perceptive individuals. Through subtle hints and numerous informants, even a tiny clue can yield the most valuable information.

More than just one or two people suspected that the Divine Infant was in the northern lands.

Ye Fan appeared on the ice plain, approaching the area. Near the sinkhole, upon seeing so many cultivators, his expression turned cold as he surveyed the vast snowy landscape.

"What is this place? Are there really insights from the Sacred Sun Emperor, or perhaps inscriptions left by the Human Emperor?" Li Tian asked in surprise. As someone from the Ziwei Star Domain, he had naturally heard of the legends of the northern lands.

At this time, Saints had already appeared, and even Saint Kings were present, standing on the edge of the sinkhole, frowning and hesitant to descend.

Because there were rumors that Saints had already descended and never returned. Furthermore, any divine sense projected downwards would quickly be swallowed, making it impossible to perceive anything.

Ye Fan and the other two flickered and vanished from their spot, entering the ground. With Imperial Artifacts in hand, they were fearless and determined to investigate thoroughly.

"A war chariot..."

It was a bronze war chariot, but it was disfigured, almost melted, having collided with a unique stone. The bronze and the stone had fused together.

"What is this? How does the stone have blood vessels?" The Divine Child spoke up, chirping and cooing.

Inside the war chariot was a powerful expert, likely from beyond this realm, but now almost completely reduced to ashes, with only a single piece of Dao bone remaining.

The stone's material was extraordinary, so terrifying that its encounter with the expert led to the demise of a Saint King-level figure.

Li Tian and Yan Yixi's eyes widened instantly. They watched intently, then let out a strange cry, both turning pale as if they had encountered something truly terrifying.

They quickly retreated, their faces covered in cold sweat. Part of the divine sense they had just projected had been swallowed.

Ye Fan, holding his immortal sword, stood in front, also feeling a terrifying fluctuation that tried to devour his divine sense, but he ultimately blocked it.

"Is this the legendary Sky Desire Stone?!" Yan Yixi said with a trembling voice, seemingly very shocked.

"Is the opportunity for the revival of my Human Desire Dao arising from this?" Li Tian also trembled.

"What is the Sky Desire Stone?" Ye Fan asked, puzzled.

Yan Yixi said, "Legend has it, it's a stone formed from the desires of the heavens, containing endless illusions, causing people to lose themselves and devouring their divine sense; it is most terrifying."

Exploring this stone, even a slight carelessness, could lead to one's spirit being annihilated because it is like the desires of an entire world. If an individual probes into it, their sea of consciousness could burst instantly.

"Some speculate that the so-called Sky Desire Stone is the product of an ancient Quasi-Emperor's failed enlightenment, where their flesh, blood, remnant consciousness, and so on, fused with a star," Li Tian said.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan was immediately moved. To wish to become a Great Emperor, only to disintegrate at the crucial final step and fuse into such an object – if true, it would be immeasurably precious.

"Another theory is that an entire ancient star was destroyed, and the essence blood and resentful souls of countless heroic spirits fused together to form this strange object," Yan Yixi added.

For the Human Desire Dao, this was a treasure, aligning perfectly with their cultivation technique. Through this Sky Desire Stone, cultivating one day could equal several days of effort in the past.

"Can you collect it?" Ye Fan asked.

"No problem." The two brothers nodded, summoning the Goddess Furnace. This magical artifact was very special, easily swallowing such heaven-defying objects.

Ye Fan showed a surprised look, feeling that the Goddess Furnace was many times stronger than he had imagined. It actually sealed the Sky Desire Stone, a rare find through the ages, without letting out even a wisp of its aura.

Whoosh! The three instantly appeared on the surface, leaving the area.

The crowd exchanged glances. Then, some bolder individuals plunged into the sinkhole, immediately shouting, "The item has been taken!"

A group of people followed them, trailing Ye Fan and the two others from a distance. Some recognized them and dared not speak out, while others didn't but also dared not act rashly, wanting to first observe the situation.

Ye Fan paid them no mind and moved forward. Suddenly, he stopped before a village, sensing powerful life fluctuations that only he could perceive.

He instantly vanished, bringing back a young girl, and blurted out, "Where did you get this crystal?"

Xiaocao was a little afraid and said, "Little Nannan gave it to me."

"Little Nannan..." Hearing this name again, Ye Fan's emotions surged. Filled with immense excitement, he looked at Xiaocao eagerly and asked, "Where is she?"

"You... don't bully Little Nannan. She's actually very pitiful. Don't put her into the demon-refining pagoda," Xiaocao said.

"Who dares to put Nannan into the demon-refining pagoda?!" Ye Fan's expression instantly darkened. He instantly probed Xiaocao's sea of consciousness, his face then filled with shock and fury.

He entrusted Xiaocao to Yan Yixi, asking him to take care of her, and then instantly vanished from the spot, rushing towards the edge of the ice plain.

"Oh, this child has good innate talent. What's rare is that she's very fond of Little Nannan and has taken good care of her. I think Ye Fan will give her benefits. Why not just take her into our Human Desire Dao?" Li Tian said.

Yan Yixi paused at his words, then shook his head and said, "Our lineage isn't suitable for her. If she herself is willing and wishes to cultivate, she can be sent to the Guanghan Palace."

"You... aren't bad people?" Xiaocao was far calmer than other children her age. Although she was scared, she wasn't panicked or at a loss.

At the edge of the horizon, heavy snow fell. Several figures stood in confrontation, and in the midst of them was a small girl, trembling. Her tattered small clothes were very thin, and she was so small that she was almost buried by the snow.

She stood there, unable to move forward or backward, like a lamb awaiting slaughter. Several people surrounded her, all determined to capture her.

"I discovered the Divine Infant first, so she naturally belongs to this old man!"

"That's wrong! I clearly arrived first!"

"Arguing like this will yield no results. I suggest we refine her as medicine and then divide it equally."

Hearing this, Little Nannan involuntarily recoiled. Her large eyes filled with tears, and she timidly spoke, "Uncles, Nannan is very well-behaved. Please don't hurt me."

"Although the immortal medicine has defied nature and cultivated a human form, it ultimately hasn't refined great divine abilities. Your fate is sealed; you are born to be medicine!" The middle-aged scholar smiled, but the underlying coldness in his bones sent shivers down one's spine.

"What a tremendous immortal fortune, to be encountered by us! I agree to refine her as medicine first, and then divide it equally," said an old Daoist priest.

"Roar..."

In the distance, a great roar echoed. A figure stood on a mountain peak, his divine eyes like lightning, having witnessed everything occurring here. It was Ye Fan.

He had sensed Little Nannan's aura from a great distance. Witnessing it with his own eyes now, his heart surged like an ocean tide. In an instant, he transformed into a divine light and rushed over, swift as thunder, causing the vast snowy region to tremble and triggering a massive avalanche!

"Let's see who dares to harm Nannan?!"

With a furious roar, the sky and earth shattered. The shockwaves surged towards the figures, but around Little Nannan in the center, it was calm, and the snowflakes remained still.

"Who is it?"

"How dare this audacious madman snatch food from the tiger's mouth, contending with me and others for the Divine Infant! Are you tired of living?!"

"Roar..."

Ye Fan's rage and battle intent pierced through the heavens. For the first time in years, he was so furious. Golden vital energy surged, soaring skyward, as he appeared in the field.

"Puff! Puff!"

In the field, shouts of anger and cries of alarm resounded, but none were as startling as the blooming blood blossoms. These individuals were Saints, yet they exploded one after another!

One after another, they were all shattered alive by Ye Fan's roar, their pristine white bone fragments spattered with blood, scattering everywhere!

During this process, Ye Fan had already arrived first, picked up Little Nannan, and covered her eyes, preventing her from seeing the horrific scene.

"Light... Big Brother? Nannan dreamed again..." The little girl whispered plaintively, her eyes full of tears that, as they touched Ye Fan's fingertips, rolled down.

Hearing this, Ye Fan's heart shattered. With immense bitterness, he said, "It's Big Brother's fault for taking so many years to find you. This isn't a dream. Nannan will never suffer injustice again!"

The little girl's body trembled instantly. She stretched out a pair of cold little hands to touch his cheek, timidly asking, "Is it really... Big Brother?"

Ye Fan held her and left the place, away from the blood and bones. Only when they stood on a snow peak did he release his grip and then set her down.

The little girl was too pitiful; every word she spoke made his heart tremble.

"Big Brother, Nannan finally sees you again..." The little girl looked up at him, filled with surprise. Tears welled up continuously, and she tightly clutched a piece of his clothing, afraid that if she let go, he would disappear. She said, "Nannan is sick and has forgotten so much. No one plays with me, they all ignore me and drive Nannan into the snowfield. I miss Big Brother..."

These words pierced Ye Fan's heart like needles, filling him with self-reproach and heartache. After so many years to find her, Little Nannan had endured too much suffering.

The little girl's clothes were thin and tattered, her small shoes had holes, almost exposing her toes. Her whole body was dirty; only her large eyes, filled with tears, were bright and clear.

She still had her pigtails, unchanged. A child of about three years old, dressed like this in such icy, snowy conditions, appeared especially piteous and vulnerable.

"Big Brother is here. Nannan will never suffer again!" Ye Fan picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. Golden vital energy overflowed, enveloping the little girl.

In the distance, long cries echoed one after another. Naturally, some people had noticed the commotion here. The emergence of the Divine Infant had utterly shocked everyone.

The entire polar region boiled with excitement. The severe cold could not quell the fervor in people's hearts. All major powers who received the news rushed over with their forces.

"Nannan is scared..." The little girl sat on Ye Fan's shoulder. Seeing so many people rushing towards them, her clear, large eyes filled with unease. This was not the first time she had experienced such an event; it had left a shadow in her heart, causing her to feel fearful. Even if her memories were vague, she still had an instinctive reaction.

"Nannan, don't be afraid. No one can ever harm you again. They are nothing. Even if everyone in the world seeks you, it doesn't matter. What if the whole world becomes our enemy? I will sweep them all away and cut them down!" Ye Fan declared forcefully, shaking the ice plain.