Chapter 1608: First Tribulation Star

Ye Fan was still alive, but utterly exhausted, unable to move a muscle. Not only his body but also his spirit was on the verge of collapse.

The battle had been too devastating for him. Especially when he vaguely glimpsed the mangled bodies and blood of Ji Zi and Jiang Taixu, he felt profound sorrow. He had drifted for many years, still unable to move.

That day's battle had left a ruin of blood and bones. Great Emperors had departed, heroes had fallen, and a rain of blood seemed to fall across the heavens and earth.

Ye Fan fought valiantly on the cosmic battlefield, playing a crucial role in that engagement. He assisted two Great Emperors by launching two pivotal strikes, which directly led to the downfall of the Lord of Reincarnation and the Light and Darkness Supreme.

Relatively speaking, he was but an ant, yet he had fought with such ferocity at that critical juncture, paying an immense price. The Immortal Cauldron had shattered, and he himself had bled profusely in a foreign domain.

Moreover, the Dao Yan Immortal Robe had also exploded, scattering into fragments stained with his blood, shining brilliantly in that final moment.

He survived because the deity within the Dao Yan Immortal Robe protected a wisp of his spiritual consciousness from being extinguished, using dozens of fragments to block the earth-shattering destructive bloody light.

Both Great Accomplished Saint Bodies were reduced to bloody pulp, bones splattering. His original body, of course, could not be preserved and was mixed in with the blood and mud. Yet, like divine armor, these two bodies shielded him from countless deadly calamities and destructive forces.

They shared a common origin, a single essence. The bloody pulp of the Great Accomplished Saint Bodies safeguarded a single drop of his true, undying blood, embedding it within the gore, ensuring it was not extinguished by the supreme killing intent.

Little Nannan rushed to the scene, weeping profusely amidst the bloody pulp and fragments of Dao Tribulation gold. Her tears fell like rain, her grief boundless. These tears were akin to an immortal medicine, protecting the last indelible mark of his being.

At that moment, however, he could not utter a single word. His entire being was engulfed by boundless darkness; perhaps it was death, and he had entered that realm.

He remained unaware of what transpired after the Emperor's Battle. The fragments of the immortal robe, along with residual blood and broken bones, drifted far into the distance, floating in the darkness and cold, steadily moving away and becoming isolated from the outside world.

He did not know how many years passed. He spent them in desolate stillness, a wisp of undying divine consciousness merged with a drop of true blood, protected and preserved, existing in the darkness.

Perhaps decades, perhaps even a century, passed in that darkness. He tried to open his eyes but could never manage it, remaining in a dazed, hazy state.

Later, he heard a scripture echoing in that wisp of undying divine consciousness. It was deafening, yet it gradually drew him back, slowly reviving him. This was the ancient scripture of several hundred characters inscribed within the bronze coffin pulled by nine dragons, which had kept him from perishing.

Eventually, he regained genuine sensation. At that time, the "Zhe" character secret art was in operation, using a single drop of blood to facilitate his rebirth, nourishing and recreating his body.

It was also then that he discovered a green lotus beside him, scattering light rain that surprisingly contained the essence of his bloodline. It contributed to the repair of his body, and his true form gradually began to grow.

Simultaneously, his divine consciousness slowly grew, guided by the immortal scripture within the ancient bronze coffin, repaired by the "Zhe" character art, and nourished by the green lotus.

Decades ago, he finally possessed a true body again. It was his own flesh and blood, solid and indestructible—even colliding with a meteorite would not harm it. Yet, this was the extent of his recovery; he had no more fluctuations of the Great Dao, no more order of the Sacred Path.

He felt as if he had been forged from divine metal, sturdy and unbreakable, yet he could no longer employ his former secret arts. The fierce battle against the Supremes had been utterly tragic, and the fragments of the Great Dao were nowhere to be found within him.

In those years, he could barely move. Perhaps fragments of the Dao were hidden within his flesh and blood, but they remained beyond his use. He could only travel alone, drifting through the dark, desolate fringes of the universe.

During that time, he seemed to glimpse half of the Void Mirror accompanied by a remnant body—was it the Void Emperor, Ji Zi, or the Yellow Emperor? He longed to roar, yet he could only watch helplessly, unable to move, as they drifted into the distance, buried in the cold.

Similarly, he also saw the blood and bones of Emperor Hengyu and Jiang Taixu, along with many blood-stained fragments of Emperor artifacts, which caused him immense heartache, yet he remained powerless.

Only in recent years had he regained the ability to move, though he still couldn't fly independently, and his physical state remained poor. Later, he fell into another deep slumber, only awakening upon crashing onto this great star.

So many years had passed, and he had no idea what the outside world was like, where his old friends were, or even the outcome of the Dark Turmoil.

Even now, on ordinary days, he was plagued by bone-deep, tearing pain. His primordial spirit felt as though it were being sliced open, piece by piece, and his bones seemed to be ground into dust by fragments of the Great Dao. This was the grim aftermath of battling an ancient Supreme; though he had survived, his condition was wretched.

He was dazed, his body and mind weary, and he felt a profound ache in his heart. Had Ji Zi truly perished? Would the White-Clothed Divine King never reappear? And Gai Jiuyou, whose declaration, "Who dares to fight me throughout this lifetime?" still echoed in his mind, unsettling him.

Many had departed, their final farewells merely fleeting intersections in the cold expanse of the universe. He could not even gather their blood and bones.

"We're home. This is my house."

The boy's name was Bai Ye—a peculiar yet, literally, very common name. He was cheerful and optimistic, only fourteen years old, but possessed remarkable strength, easily surpassing that of an adult. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to swiftly carry Ye Fan back to the village from the mountainside.

These were a few ordinary stone-tiled houses, situated beside a fish pond at the easternmost edge of the village. The furniture inside was old and worn, but the rooms were kept very tidy.

Bai Ye's eyes were clear. He handed Ye Fan a dry towel to wipe his face, then brought a pile of clean, soft bedding for him to rest.

Ye Fan silently accepted them, wiped away the mud, changed into a semi-new set of clothes, and sat there, lost in thought.

His head still ached intensely. Whenever he tried to circulate his divine consciousness to aid his recovery, this pain would flare up. The imperial path of the ancient Supremes had inflicted immense damage upon him; even though his true body was indestructible, serious issues remained.

An ordinary person would have long turned to dust. He had survived only due to a confluence of various factors.

So many years had passed, and Ye Fan yearned to once again traverse the Eight Desolations, soaring towards the heavens. Yet, he still couldn't control his body. He vaguely sensed powerful energies operating within his flesh and blood, but they remained beyond his command.

"Ah, how did it grow on the kang?" At that moment, the young Bai Ye exclaimed. The green lotus had actually rooted itself into the earthen bed and was growing.

It had only three leaves and no thick root system, yet it displayed such astonishing vitality in a waterless environment, leaving one dumbfounded and incredulous.

Old Man Bai opened his mouth as if to speak but then held back.

Ye Fan pulled it up, went to the pond in front of the house, and placed it in. The result was the same: it instantly rooted itself in the water. Faintly, wisps of white mist diffused around it.

"Rest here and recover in peace," Young Bai Ye said, a sunny smile on his face.

"Thank you," Ye Fan said. Although his divine consciousness felt as if it were being torn by knives, in a short time, he had still managed to perceive their thoughts and understand the language of this star.

Perhaps this was also a sign and hope for his recovery.

"No need to thank me," the boy said, scratching his head, his sunny demeanor radiating simplicity.

At that moment, the old man brought a bowl of hot soup for Ye Fan to drink. Despite knowing that Ye Fan's origins might be astonishing, he still offered him this simple, mortal food and drink.

"Has the Dark Turmoil ended?" Ye Fan asked, gathering his thoughts. This was his most pressing concern. In the battle of yesteryear, many heroes had paid an immense price, and the outcome... had been despair-inducing. At this moment, his voice trembled slightly.

It had been a bloody battle where he, Ji Zi, Jiang Taixu, and others had desperately tried to alter a cruel reality. The Void Emperor, Gai Jiuyou... so many had died. The true outcome was terrifying to contemplate.

"What turmoil are you talking about? Do you mean the Qiongqi appearing or chaos destroying the world? None of those ever happened," the boy said.

"I mean, has this star experienced any bloody calamities, with ancient Supremes descending?" Ye Fan asked. He had already sensed that the old man was a cultivator, and though the boy didn't practice magic, his physique was exceptionally strong, indicating he was no ordinary person and likely knew about the cultivation world.

The grandfather and grandson exchanged bewildered glances, then both shook their heads, indicating they had no idea what he was talking about.

"Are you... from the outside world?" the old man finally asked, after a moment's hesitation.

Ye Fan was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly understood the nature of this place. It was a peculiar star region, completely cut off from the greater universe by a barrier of chaotic mist.

"The Dark Turmoil you mentioned, are you referring to the Immortal Flight Battlefield? Don't worry, as long as you don't actively enter to participate, the people inside generally won't come out. Bloody disasters are very rare here," young Bai Ye explained.

"The Immortal Flight Battlefield?!" That name immediately sparked numerous associations for Ye Fan, and an astonishing light gleamed in his previously dim eyes.

"Look, it's right over there. We live right next to it," Bai Ye said, pointing into the distance. It was a vast, hazy land, and at its edge lay the Immortal Flight Battlefield.

"Many extremely powerful individuals come here to contend, all originating from the outside world..." After learning this, Ye Fan murmured to himself. Without resting, he walked directly outside.

"Hey, are you feeling better? That place is very dangerous. It severs people's Dao cultivation and diminishes their power; it's incredibly mysterious," Bai Ye called out.

"I just want to climb the mountain and take a look," Ye Fan said. He could move without issue now; he simply couldn't fly, as the fragments of the Dao within him were confined to his flesh and blood.

Bai Ye followed him, concerned, and together they ascended a mountain peak, gazing towards the Immortal Flight Battlefield. At the edge of the hazy land, numerous points of light glimmered, resembling a divine land in revival.

"Our star is called the First Calamity Star, and that region is vast and boundless, much larger than any human habitation, covering a quarter of this star's territory."

First Calamity Star—a very peculiar name.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan silently calculated. This was a continent even vaster than the Eastern Wasteland, truly an expansive battlefield.

Faintly, he could sense a mysterious fluctuation emanating from the area. Within the battlefield itself, runes were coalescing one after another, imprinting themselves into the mountains and rivers.

"Look, the Immortal Flight Battlefield is recovering. It's about to witness terrifying hunts, duels, and large-scale sieges. It's said that whenever a golden era arrives in the outside world, people come to our Immortal Flight Battlefield to contend, and every single one of them is an unparalleled master," young Bai Ye said excitedly, filled with yearning.

"Is that so? Will I see many old friends so soon?" Ye Fan murmured. The Dao fragments within him remained dormant, and his eyes lacked their usual brilliance, yet they seemed even more profound.