Chapter 1561: Great Retreat

Chapter 1565: The Great Retreat

The Celestial Road cracked during his wedding, and Ye Fan naturally arrived the following morning. Such a monumental event left no one able to sit still; no major power could remain calm.

Looking now, beams of light from several great forbidden zones pierced the heavens, reaching the highest firmament, a truly shocking sight.

Those seemed to be immortal lights shooting from the skulls of ancient supremacies, representing the pristine clarity of their Divine Altars, still undying, making onlookers tremble just by witnessing them.

"The road ahead is difficult!" Ye Fan recalled the words of the Divine King in White when he bade farewell, and now he deeply empathized. Living in such a grand era, though called a golden age, also held various tragedies.

As one ancient supremacy after another awakened, they directly pressured the people of this era to the point of suffocation. If a conflict truly erupted, it would be no problem for them to slaughter across three thousand worlds and shatter the Nine Heavens!

From this day forward, immortal light surged into the heavens; merely glancing in the direction of the forbidden zones was enough to fill the world with awe and fear, and a sense of lament.

Ye Fan saw this even larger rift, his heart turbulent and far from calm. The Celestial Road was finally opening, but the timing was not as hoped.

If it opened at this time, what good would it do for him, the Holy Prince, Ji Zi, and others, no matter how heaven-defying they were? They certainly couldn't compete with true Quasi-Emperors and ancient Supremacies!

If that were the case, anyone truly wishing to become an immortal would only end up battered, their spirit and body annihilated, with not a shred of hope.

"Unless everyone in the world becomes an immortal, and the gates of the Immortal Realm open wide without any restrictions, allowing everyone to enter, otherwise it's too difficult!" the Black Sovereign also sighed.

"A Battle Immortal... a Battle Immortal!" the Holy Prince murmured to himself, his gaze intensely burning as he stared at the colossal rift. He wished to emulate his father, to bide his time and, against the odds, transform into a Battle Immortal, fighting his way in through sheer strength.

"Wait for the future. Participating now would only be a pointless death!" Ji Zi also nodded, rationally acknowledging this reality.

"Is that how Father was?" Ji Chengdao asked, looking up.

Ji Haoyue had brought a six-year-old child, simply to broaden his horizons. He harbored great hopes for the boy's future and earnestly explained things to him.

Crack!

One could clearly hear the colossal rift expanding, growing even larger, making one truly wonder if it would one day tear apart the Big Dipper, or even split the universe in two.

The sound of falling water came, followed by exclamations from the majestic mountain peak. All the Saints retreated, as if fleeing a plague, causing a great commotion.

Something else fell from the great rift in the Celestial Road. Witnesses were instantly astonished: it was fresh red blood, emanating a terrifying Imperial aura.

Though the complete physical body was lost, and the essence within the shattered remains was mostly gone, this kind of blood was not something ordinary people could withstand; even Great Saints could be harmed by it.

Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, and Ji Zi stepped forward, walking side by side. Everyone else reverently made way for them. The events involving the Ji family had, of course, already spread: repelling the Emperor's son from the forbidden zone and forcing a Great Saint sent by the Divine Court Emperor to kneel—how could that not be astonishing?

The great rift resembled a dark cosmic void, immeasurably deep, while the occasional flashes of immortal light were like stellar rivers, brilliant and beautiful. That place appeared incredibly mysterious; the unknown always stirred both hope and fear.

Dripping blood flowed, falling drop by drop, enveloped by chaos, and landing on the mountain peak. It was a shocking sight.

"A familiar aura!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise, murmuring to himself.

"Who is it? Where have you seen it?" the Black Sovereign eagerly pressed.

Ji Zi and the Holy Prince were also astonished. This was an ancient supremacy who had fallen on the Celestial Road in the past; when had Ye Fan encountered them? Was it perhaps through a surviving Imperial Artifact?

"The Human Emperor!" Ye Fan said with a solemn expression.

When he battled the Overlord on the Human Race's Ancient Road, he had seen the Human Emperor's divine thought. This was precisely that aura; he could not be mistaken. It was regrettable that a Human Emperor of his era had also fallen short by just one step.

"Indeed, records state that the Human Emperor was on the verge of success when an accident occurred on the Celestial Road, resulting in his ultimate failure," Ji Zi said.

This was consistent with what Ye Fan had heard on the Human Race's Ancient Road. It was truly a great pity. One wondered what kind of accident it was; it was truly tragic for the Human Emperor.

He reigned over the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, was supreme throughout his life, and saw the dawn, yet died at the final moment, leaving behind an eternal regret.

With a violent tremor, the great rift spread, and then directly tore open a huge section. It wasn't just lengthening, but becoming immensely wide, like a black hole.

Within that chasm, chaotic energy swirled, and brilliant light surged as something else fell!

"The Human Emperor!"

Ye Fan's heart trembled. This sensation was unmistakable: it was half a torso. Although he couldn't see it clearly, he could feel its magnificent, tall, and imposing stature.

It was like a Great Emperor, gazing down upon all living beings. Even in death, even after millions of years, it still retained the might to swallow mountains and rivers.

Silently, with no thunderous eruption, this corpse dissolved into the Dao. Vast immortal flames suddenly erupted, engulfing it, burning fiercely and ceaselessly.

In the final blaze, a handsome face emerged, making hearts tremble. This was the Human Emperor of an era, looking like a young man, only with white hair.

At first glance, one felt he was a peerless great hero. Recalling the scene of the Human Emperor's divine thought reviving on the Human Race's Ancient Road only amplified the sense of his immense stature.

"What a pity, Heaven envies heroes!" Ye Fan sighed, mourning for the Human Emperor.

The last immortal flames flickered, leaving behind only ashes. The dissolution into the Dao still hadn't affected the Great Wilderness or the various heroes. Ye Fan stepped forward, collecting the dust in a jar, intending to bury it in a place of scenic beauty.

"What exactly happened?" Ji Zi murmured to himself. After the Human Emperor's accident in the past, part of his body had fallen into the mortal realm and was already buried, but another part had not been able to emerge.

The Celestial Road was too mysterious, especially for the few individuals who almost stepped into it; it was even more unfathomable!

"Brother, brother, that big sister is looking at me again." Little Nannan had also arrived, riding on the back of the big black dog, pulling at Ye Fan's clothes at his side. She looked towards the depths of the Ancient Forbidden Zone, her large eyes filled with a strange radiance.

Desolate, again desolate!

Ye Fan's heart trembled. The Holy Prince, Ji Haoyue, and others also showed grave expressions, all gazing in that direction. Unfortunately, even the Holy Prince's formidable Fiery Golden Eyes couldn't see through it.

"Let's go, get out of here first!" The big black dog was somewhat flustered, a stark contrast to its usual majestic and trickster demeanor.

This place truly couldn't be lingered in. Ye Fan and the others could all sense a slender figure standing above the abyss of the Ancient Forbidden Zone, looking through the mist with a pair of clear eyes.

They naturally had many conjectures, possibly close to the truth, but they dared not delay, fearing that lingering would break the tranquility and cause some unforeseen change.

"Let's go, leave the Big Dipper first!" the Black Sovereign suggested, his expression solemn.

The Celestial Road was indeed about to open, everyone realized that, but so what? One needed to be alive to compete! In the current Big Dipper starfield, only those above Quasi-Emperor rank were qualified to contend!

Everyone made a decision. Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, the Black Sovereign, Qi Luo, Huahua, Kade, and others would all return beyond the domain, back to Sky Village, and then relocate even further.

On this day, not only did they make such a decision, but after gaining a deeper understanding, many major powers in the Big Dipper also resolved to temporarily depart!

And for those like the Ji family, many had already begun retreating years ago, and now this had formed a consensus. The heroes were truly startled by the terrifying great rift and the immortal light soaring from the seven great forbidden zones!

From this day forward, the Great Xia Dynasty, the Nine Li Divine Dynasty, the Feng Clan, the Jiang Family, and others all began strategic major transfers, leaving this starfield to seek a way out.

Legacies like these, deeply rooted and with boundless foundations, finally stopped concealing themselves. Ancient Sages emerged, leading their clan members beyond the domain, some even still clearly remembering the location of their ancestral stars.

Finally, even the Jade Pool moved away, taking the Divine Fetal Stone with them, departing into the distance.

This was a great retreat. Everyone clearly recognized the crisis; the so-called golden age, the greatest upheaval in eons, was not their feast. Remaining would leave nothing but blood and bone.

But was retreat useful? Not necessarily!

Many Saints from beyond the domain had arrived. In recent days, the people of the Big Dipper starfield were shocked to learn that dark turmoil had also occurred on some glorious ancient stars, originating from the so-called "outside world."

The more they understood, the heavier their hearts became.

With the opening of the Celestial Road and the emergence of ancient Supremacies, it wouldn't just be the most intense Immortal War, but possibly the most terrifying dark turmoil in history.

But no matter what, leaving first was paramount. They departed without reluctance, the major legacies resolute, making choices, and rushing beyond the domain.

Of course, many also stayed behind, a significant number even. Ordinary legacies had no choice, and Saints whose lifespans were nearing their end no longer cared about life or death; they would fight, even without hope.

In fact, almost all of the "foundational figures" who escorted the major legacies away would eventually return. Many among them had long exuded an aura of decay, with not much time left.

Soon to pass away, with little time left, could anything be worse than this? What did it matter to stay in the Big Dipper? The worst outcome was merely death.

Besides them, even more Saints arrived from beyond the domain, many people coming!

"I entrust my sister to you!" Ji Haoyue solemnly told Ye Fan before parting.

"As long as I live, I will not let her suffer any injustice," Ye Fan nodded.

Ji Ziyue was displeased, giving each of her two closest relatives a glare. Why say such things? It wasn't like they were parting forever.

"Ziyue, you go back to Sky Village first. I need to make sure some old friends have left safely." Ye Fan had Ji Ziyue, Little Nannan, Huahua, and others go ahead while he covered the rear.

"I want to be with you, and leave together," Ji Ziyue insisted.

"No, you must leave first. I, the Holy Prince, Ji Zi, and the Black Sovereign will just take one last look and visit a few places, then we'll follow right after." Ye Fan disagreed. This world was truly no longer safe, especially with the people from Undying Mountain about to emerge. For the Ji family, this posed the greatest threat, possibly an annihilating disaster.

The Celestial Road could open at any moment, and this world could collapse into chaos in an instant. He didn't want Ji Ziyue, Little Nannan, and the others to delay for even a moment; they had to leave immediately.

Although Ji Ziyue protested and was extremely reluctant, she was eventually persuaded to leave.

Ye Fan went to many places. The Southern Ridge Barbarian Clan's lineage, including Dongfang Ye, had finally retreated. The surviving members of the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Region had also set off.

In the Arctic Lands, Tu Fei and the old woman were also gone. And in the Southern Domain's Taixuan's Clumsy Peak, Li Ruoyu had finally returned, having already taken Zhang Wenchang, and that great sect had almost entirely relocated.

"Wu Shi, how cruel you are! Do you truly not want to let me go?!" On this day, as Ye Fan and his companions passed through the Central Domain, near Saint Cliff, they saw a great surge of light from within.

The Investiture of the Gods, left by Emperor Wu Shi, was loosening, but it emitted the most brilliant light, tearing through the firmament, utterly terrifying.

The Divine List sealed on Saint Cliff was clearly loosening, but the Undying Daoist within the mountain let out a desperate roar, as if foreseeing the end of the world.

Ye Fan, the Holy Prince, Ji Zi, and the others exchanged glances, utterly astonished!

The Black Sovereign, meanwhile, was agitated beyond words, trembling as it said, "Great Emperor, are you still alive?" Then, as if疯了, it dashed towards Mount Zi in the Northern Region.