Chapter 1703: Mythical End Great Secret

Ye Fan stroked his chin. The old man's words were profound. The person they were looking for was connected to the ancient Heavenly Court and had a great link to the Emperor. Mentioning events spanning countless ages instantly brought many thoughts to Ye Fan's mind.

"Young man, do you believe in reincarnation and cycles of rebirth?" the old man asked. Though his hair was white, his skin was as rosy as a baby's, making him resemble an ancient deity.

"No!" Ye Fan shook his head. He honored only this life, firmly believing that being invincible in this existence was the foundation of everything. Disregarding all else, this conviction was also the basis of his Great Dao; if it wavered, his world would one day collapse.

The old man nodded, then rose to his feet. Standing on the edge of the cliff, his white hair danced in the wind, and a sharp, powerful aura emanated from him. "The Emperor said the same thing," he stated.

Ye Fan paused, surprised. He knew too little about the Emperor. Since it was rare to find someone willing to speak about him, Ye Fan naturally listened attentively, eager to learn everything about that Heavenly Emperor.

"He never looked back on the path he walked. Standing on vast mountain peaks, even if he pierced through the mists and saw the future, he never relied on it. He believed the journey was full of variables. He trusted only this life: as long as he himself was invincible, he could control everything, change everything, and no one could stop him!"

The old man's words stirred Ye Fan's emotions, like a vast ocean with towering waves crashing against the sky. Wasn't this his consistent philosophy? The two were indeed similar; if they had lived in the same era, they might have been close confidants.

"However, it's truly possible for two similar flowers to exist in the world, whether you believe it or not." The old man sighed softly, his gaze fixed on Ye Fan.

This made Ye Fan pause. It sounded as if the old man was implying something about him, that "two similar flowers" might refer to some connection between him and the Emperor.

This was truly astounding. After a flicker of thought, he quickly calmed down, refusing to believe such a notion. He was simply himself; he couldn't have a past that wasn't his own, nor could he be someone else.

"Don't misunderstand," the old god explained with a smile. "While you have expressed similar sentiments to the Emperor, you are quite different in other aspects."

"What happened in the past? Why did the Heavenly Court collapse overnight? How could the Emperor, being so powerful, die suddenly and be unable to ensure the Heavenly Court's legacy for eternity?" Ye Fan had many questions. Encountering someone from the Divine Organization, he naturally wanted to inquire further, as rumors claimed they were descendants of the ancient Heavenly Court.

"There were various complex reasons. Firstly, the Celestial Venerable of Longevity used a similar 'flower' to disrupt the Emperor's mind, which then initiated the great change. That was the beginning," the immortal-like old man said with endless emotion, shaking his head helplessly at that period of time.

"Please elaborate, senior." Ye Fan was immensely interested and curious about the Emperor and everything concerning the ancient Heavenly Court, which was a great secret from ancient times.

"Even if the Celestial Venerable of Longevity was very powerful, possessing a peak Emperor's destiny at that time, he alone couldn't have changed much. What the Emperor was attempting was far too strenuous..."

As the old man spoke, a piece of ancient history truly emerged, leaving Ye Fan astonished and longing for that era.

The Emperor was incredibly powerful. His ambitions were vast. He forged an Immortal Cauldron, not to achieve immortality alone, but to lead the Heavenly Court he founded to ascend together and enter the Immortal Realm.

Ye Fan was speechless. The ancient Heavenly Court was indeed excessively powerful. Was an entire sect supposed to ascend into the Immortal Realm? At that time, it wasn't even certain that the Immortal Realm existed, as none of the Nine Great Celestial Venerables had successfully broken through.

The Immortal Cauldron pierced through the Immortal Realm's barrier. At that moment, something from another realm seemed to cross over, aiming to obstruct and contend with the Emperor.

The Celestial Venerable of Longevity interfered with the Emperor at that precise moment. He had speculated that the Emperor would eventually cast them aside, perhaps even settle accounts with them and act ruthlessly.

"During the most critical period, the Undying Heavenly Emperor also arrived, and his fierce attack was utterly fatal!" At this point, the old god's eyes became sharp as swords, beams of light shooting out and shattering the starry sky, his mood filled with sorrow and rage.

Ye Fan was stunned. The Undying Heavenly Emperor had emerged at that time? Coexisting in the same era as the Emperor? This was truly shocking.

In the past, similar legends had circulated, but they were never confirmed. More commonly, it was believed that the two lived tens of thousands of years apart.

"At that time, the Undying Heavenly Emperor had not yet attained his Dao; he was still a young man. The Emperor had given him the highest praise, saying his potential was limitless and that the Heavenly Court could be entrusted to him in the future."

Ye Fan listened in complete astonishment. This was utterly incredible, a truly earth-shattering secret. So many events had transpired, yet they remained unknown to later generations.

"Originally, the Undying Heavenly Emperor was a person about to achieve Dao, and quite young; he fundamentally couldn't harm a Royal Dao master. However, the remnants of Kunlun had a scheme: they temporarily lent him the Immortal Bell, which was stained with Kunlun blood, allowing him to launch the most terrifying attack at the critical moment!"

The old god sighed deeply at this point, feeling despondent and filled with endless regret. The Heavenly Court's efforts had fallen short.

"So, that's how the Emperor fell?" Ye Fan asked.

"No, who is the Emperor? Even if the Celestial Venerable of Longevity and the Undying Heavenly Emperor, wielding the Immortal Bell, both attacked, they couldn't have caused his downfall. Throughout ancient and modern times, across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, he could not have met an adversary, simply because his name was—the Emperor!" The old god's voice was resolute and filled with emotion.

"Others also attacked?" Ye Fan was surprised.

"Yes, the Emperor not only extended the life of the Celestial Venerable of Longevity by two thousand years but also did so for others, for other Supremes!"

This news was undoubtedly explosive and startling. That multiple emperors coexisted in that era was true, and the Emperor's methods were indeed defying heaven, inspiring admiration.

"Additionally, beings from the forbidden zones of life emerged, undergoing extreme sublimation to collectively intercept the Emperor, who was caught between advancing and retreating, trapped in the Immortal Realm passage."

By this point, the white-haired old god remained unperturbed, completely calm, as if recounting a very ordinary event.

Yet Ye Fan was utterly shaken. What kind of ancient history was this? It was too magnificent—a true battle for immortality, with multiple emperors attacking together in a world-shattering war!

"Why did they attack the Emperor? Didn't they want to become immortals with him?" Ye Fan asked, puzzled.

"They unilaterally believed that if the Emperor succeeded, he would kill all of them, destroy this universe, and reclaim the lifespans he had granted them, choosing to become immortal only with a select few of his direct lineage," the old man said expressionlessly.

"This..."

Ye Fan didn't know what to say. All of this seemed so strange and unreal. He had guessed a lot in the past, but only today did he learn part of the truth.

"Could that battle prove the existence of the Immortal Realm? It wasn't just a void woven from laws, was it?" Ye Fan asked.

"No, because the Emperor didn't manage to enter, after all." The old man shook his head. To still hope to become immortal while being attacked by multiple emperors was simply impossible.

Even under those circumstances, the Emperor did not die. He retreated, broke into the forbidden zones, killed two of their inhabitants, and caused a massive collapse in the starry sky.

"There were forbidden zones even back then..." Ye Fan's thoughts drifted.

"Yes, but the forbidden zones at that time were not in the Big Dipper. The beings there were even older than the current masters of the forbidden zones," the old man stated.

How many people throughout history had been stumped by the difficulty of achieving immortality? Did immortals truly exist? Even the Emperor had failed. How many heroes had sighed towards the heavens? From ancient times to the present, not a single person had succeeded!

Immortality seemed distant, yet Ye Fan yearned for it. Perhaps one day, after he stepped onto the path of an Emperor, it would become a goal he would strive and work for.

No one in ancient times had achieved it; this was the ultimate challenge. If successful, it would bring an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.

When the Emperor withdrew from the path to immortality, he was at the end of his strength, yet he still killed two individuals. Finally, he chose to depart, returned to his birthplace, and buried himself.

The Undying Heavenly Emperor sealed himself in an immortal source for ten thousand years, then emerged and successfully achieved his Dao. As the Emperor had once praised, he indeed surpassed all in the late Mythical Era, towering over past, present, and future, ushering in a period of glory unimaginable to ordinary people.

"Some say the Undying Heavenly Emperor is actually a creature from the Immortal Realm. Is that true?"

"There's no proof, because no one has ever entered the Immortal Realm," the old man replied.

Ye Fan sighed somewhat. In that ancient battle, multiple emperors conspired against each other, and even the Emperor met a somber end. Clearly, the truth was more convoluted than he imagined and more complex than the old man described, but all of it was meaningless now, having ultimately become a part of the past.

"What about the Underworld Emperor?" Ye Fan asked. Since he was destined for a future battle with the Underworld, he was naturally very concerned.

"The Underworld Emperor is a terrifying and unfathomable person!" This was the old man's assessment, delivered with a solemn expression as he recounted some events.

"Underworld Emperor" is merely a contemporary title; in the distant past, he was known as the Underworld Venerable.

The Underworld is a mysterious organization, and its founder was the Underworld Venerable, or Underworld Emperor. He had an extraordinary origin; it is rumored that he attained Dao from an ancient corpse, becoming an emperor of his generation.

Before this, his previous incarnation as a corpse had already been an invincible Dao attainer, with a truly shocking background. He was the first person to become an emperor again from a corpse after death.

In fact, to this day, his "Dao" has influenced many. The source of the Corpse Calamity originated in the Underworld, providing a method of longevity for various venerables; it was a specific direction.

The Underworld was very strange; it aimed to recreate reincarnation and establish a unique path to longevity, naturally attracting some ancient Supremes.

During the periods when the Underworld Emperor was in slumber and seclusion, other individuals took control of the Underworld in different eras, studying this method.

The Underworld had many different masters. The most famous were several Supremes who took control, causing a sensation at the time; the Celestial Venerable of Longevity was one of them.

"The Underworld Emperor's origin is so astonishing, having a previous incarnation even in the Mythical Era, achieving Dao twice—truly terrifying!" For the first time, Ye Fan felt such apprehension towards the Underworld Emperor, believing his danger level should be elevated significantly.

Of course, the so-called rebirth and two-lifetime body only maintain the physical form. The primordial spirit would have long since withered, with a new spark of divine consciousness blooming, effectively belonging to a different being.

This was the direction of the Underworld's research into longevity: they believed everything else was illusory, only the physical body was immortal, safeguarding the "true self" from perishing. They thought that one day, all reincarnation imprints would connect and merge, and eventually the "true self" would reappear. At that point, one would become an immortal, with past, present, and future united, thus achieving eternal life.

"That was a Mythical Era that cannot be traced or replicated. The beings in the forbidden zones of that period were terrifyingly ancient, unlike those of today," the old man also sighed.

During the Mythical Era, the Underworld was a forbidden zone of life, eventually evolving into its current form, becoming an organization and a terrifying legacy.