Chapter 1730: Hundred-Year Agreement

An extraordinary and magnificent existence.

A century had swiftly passed. A generation of mortals had turned to dust, and the passage of time had erased many things. Ye Fan still hadn't appeared. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, never to return, with not a single piece of information about him emerging.

Many people sighed, wondering if he had simply faded away like that. After enduring a century of struggle, it seemed he ultimately couldn't defy fate.

On the hundredth year, Ye Fan did not appear as expected, leading to profound regret and disappointment. Everyone knew his immense competitiveness and boundless potential on the Imperial Path, but under the vast pressure from the ancient supreme beings, he had encountered a significant problem!

Some rejoiced, while others grieved; with differing stances, their reactions naturally varied.

"Haha..." Old Killing Saint Qi Luo let out a sorrowful laugh. This outcome was too cruel. The Heavenly Court's followers had endured humiliation and heavy burdens for a century, waiting for the day Ye Fan would return, never imagining this would be the result.

"Master!" Xiao Song's eyes were red. Standing on a cliff, he gazed at the galaxy, the wind rustling through the surrounding pines as large drops of tears streamed down his face.

"Did he just die like that?" In the Netherworld, where the vast underworld was engulfed in black mist, a cold voice emanated from the Hall of Suppressing Prisons.

"What a pity," someone sighed softly within the Dao Palace.

"Has he really failed? That saves me some trouble!" An emotionless voice echoed under the starry sky from the ancestral star of the Heavenly Tyrant Bloodline.

A hundred years of waiting, a hundred years of anticipation, a hundred years of silence—it ended in such an ordinary, uneventful way, without even a ripple.

Overall, Ye Fan's influence in the universe was considerable. A whole generation had been inspired by him, fighting fiercely against ancient supreme beings and battling in the dark turmoil, leaving behind a formidable reputation.

His failure, his quiet end, evoked a sense of sorrow in many. Numerous young people had once looked to him as their aspirational goal, only for the one ahead of them to fall.

This marked the end of an era; Ye Fan's glorious age had come to a close.

"You said you'd come back; that was our promise," Ji Ziyue said, her face streaked with tears and profound sorrow. On the mountain peak, swathes of Snow Orchid trees swayed in the wind, scattering large white petals.

She didn't cry out loud, but tears silently streamed down her face. Having endured too many partings and deaths, her resilience was immense, yet the heartache remained unbearable.

"Ye Fan, you bastard, come back quickly! If you die like this, can you face Ziyue and us, your good brothers?!" Pang Bo roared.

"Ye Fan, what did you promise your brothers back then—that you would definitely return after a hundred years? We don't wish for you to break through; we just want you alive!" Li Heishui also roared skyward, tears streaming down his face.

In a secret room, where a soul lamp burned, many rushed in to see for themselves.

"It's shattered," the Holy Prince sighed.

Upon hearing these words, people were thunderstruck, their faces paling. Was there truly no hope left?

"He shattered it himself when he left back then," the Black Emperor said.

Before departing, Ye Fan had secretly shattered his own soul lamp, ensuring no one would know his future fate. Why had he done this? Perhaps he had already foreseen the outcome, and by having no soul lamp, he wished to leave everyone some hope.

"How could that bastard do this?! He promised to come back, he promised!" Pang Bo roared, then squatted on the ground, holding his head as tears continuously streamed down.

He and Ye Fan came from the same place, sharing life and death, enduring countless hardships, and witnessing blood and bones. To have struggled so much only to be separated by life and death in the end was unbearable.

The turmoil was far from over. A hundred years had passed, and the Heavenly Court's various divisions were restless and uneasy. They had waited too long, but the promised date had arrived, and Ye Fan was nowhere to be seen.

Many rumors now circulated externally, with one point almost universally agreed upon: Ye Fan had failed and died on the path to becoming an emperor. His soul had returned to the earth; he could not possibly have returned alive.

"How could this be? We don't believe it!"

"We agreed the Heavenly Court banner would be re-established, and we were to conquer the Nine Heavens. Not even the Forbidden Zones were our limit; we were to advance into the Immortal Realm, with a vast battle map awaiting us. How could it end like this?!"

The Heavenly Court had dozens of battle divisions, each with over ten thousand people. Over the past century, they had begun to regroup, but now it was all in vain, leaving only sorrow.

"I still wanted to see him, but it's a pity he was short-lived. Now I won't have the chance to take his head, hahaha..." someone laughed loudly under the starry sky.

Moreover, the person stood at the former headquarters of the Heavenly Court, which was now desolate and abandoned, with only empty halls remaining.

In recent years, people had continuously emerged from several major Forbidden Zones, including ancient supreme beings' mounts, personal guards, and descendants, all with astonishing identities.

After the Black Emperor, Ye Tong, Yang Xi, and others killed the Sky-Slaughtering Ferocious Beast, the world had been quiet for a time. But with their subsequent retreat, the peace had been disturbed again in recent years.

"So, you're a fellow Daoist from the Sea of Reincarnation, expressing your sentiments here? The Lord of Reincarnation from your lineage has fallen. It's said that though the Sacred Body Ye Fan wasn't strong, he played a role in that over three hundred years ago." A woman descended from the starry sky. She wasn't particularly beautiful but possessed an otherworldly aura, with a third vertical eye on her forehead, exuding an imposing presence.

"The Divine Ruins aren't doing much better, are they? Even the Thunder God Prince who emerged later died in battle." The young man from the Sea of Reincarnation turned around, looked at the woman, and asked, "Are you the Maiden of the Ruins from back then?"

"I am," the woman asked coolly. "And you are Brother Wangsheng from the Sea of Reincarnation, aren't you?"

"Indeed," Wangsheng said. "You don't seem to be looking for a fight with me, do you?"

The Maiden of the Ruins replied, "Why would I fight you? I hear three old fellows have joined forces, calling themselves the Three Outsiders, and are searching for the whereabouts of the Chaos Body. We can't just do nothing."

Wangsheng immediately smiled and said, "I also want to make a move. I hear the Heavenly Court's foundation is extraordinary. How about a few of us also join forces to utterly destroy this lineage?"

"Exactly," the Maiden of the Ruins said. "With the Sacred Body Ye Fan gone, I think we should let this sect turn completely to ash. I hate that name!"

"Indeed, I also hate that name," Wangsheng chuckled, his snow-white teeth glinting coldly. "Since our elders cannot emerge, only we can wipe them out."

"Once this matter is settled, the universe should be at peace," the Maiden of the Ruins said with a faint smile, a terrifying glint in her eyes. "And by then, another Immortal Path should be almost ready to open, right? I hope this time it comes true, and we can see the Immortal Realm."

After this day, some disciples from the Forbidden Zones came together, forming an alliance. They aimed to ruthlessly kill Ye Tong, Xiao Song, Yang Xi, and others, intending to completely annihilate them and utterly eradicate the Heavenly Court!

This was a terrifying decision and a formidable alliance. Every one of these individuals had an astonishing background; although there were only a few of them, they were formidable enough to sweep across the universe, with few who could match them.

"The Golden Lion Battle Division has been annihilated, completely wiped out!" a report came. "Only the Lion King survived by chance, pushed into a spatial gate by his followers. Over ten thousand people were utterly slaughtered!"

The Black Emperor's face was terrifyingly grim. Upon receiving this dreadful news, it almost leaped up, on the verge of summoning all quasi-emperors to attack together.

But it held back. Their opponents were trying to force them out. The Forbidden Zone disciples had allied to eliminate their key figures, and now they were using mass slaughter to make them reveal themselves.

"The Scorpio Division has also been annihilated!" This time it was even more complete; even the Scorpio Saint, who had followed Ye Fan on the ancient starry road, was dead, his skull crushed by Prince Wangsheng of the Sea of Reincarnation, his body and soul utterly destroyed.

This was a brutal slaughter, infuriating the Heavenly Court's followers.

They had endured for a century, scattered in all directions, yet now, someone was still moving to wipe them all out.

"Only a few battle divisions had managed to regroup so far, and they were wiped out like this," Ye Tong said grimly.

"Order them to endure and not gather," the Black Emperor said, choking on a mouthful of blood and forcing it down. "The enemy is too strong; now is not the time for a direct confrontation."

The annihilation of two battle divisions, tens of thousands of people, filled their hearts with burning rage, making them wish they could immediately go out and fight.

"But the brothers can't hold back," Yang Xi said. "They feel too stifled and want to raise the Heavenly Court banner, regroup the former generals, and avenge their fallen brothers!" The Heavenly Court's dozens of battle divisions, hundreds of thousands of elites, were all enraged. Though scattered, upon receiving the news, they were regrouping to take action.

"Those from the Forbidden Zones also want us to come out, don't they? Wouldn't that play right into their hands?" the Black Emperor said coldly, its murderous aura surging. Then it looked up at the sky and said, "Don't forget, this is only the hundredth year. There's still one more year; the hundred and first year hasn't arrived yet."

"Master... will he... still come back?" Ye Fan's several major disciples asked, their voices trembling. For days, they had been burning with anxiety and filled with grief, yet they couldn't show it because there were still various battles to contend with.

"Wait," the Black Emperor said fiercely. "Tell them to endure for another year. If Ye Fan is truly dead, I will risk everything and lead them to overturn this universe!"

It must be said that the Black Emperor still possessed a certain authority. Having followed the Great Emperor Wushi, once it became serious, the generals of all divisions felt a chill.

"Very well," many battle divisions responded, enduring their heartache. "We will endure, waiting for the Heavenly Court banner to be re-established!"

"We know we are no match for the Forbidden Zone disciples," they said. "We hope our Heavenly Court's quasi-emperors will lead us out to fight soon. But since we must endure, we will obey!"

They waited for orders, filled with unwillingness and suppressed frustration.

"Oh? A few Forbidden Zone disciples have allied to eradicate the Heavenly Court. Very good," a voice commanded. "Let the descendants with Heavenly Tyrant Blood in their veins also go out and join them in the action. Wipe them all out!"

On this day, several figures emerged from the Ancestral Star of the Tyrant Body. Though not possessing pure Tyrant Blood, they were all incredibly formidable, and two of them had even broken free from an ancestral cave.

"The commander of the Immortal Crane Battle Division was killed!" a report came. "He hadn't even regrouped his division; he was simply discovered and then sliced into bloody paste by someone with Tyrant Blood!"

Upon receiving this news, the Heavenly Court's divisions were enraged. Thirty years ago, they had been furious and killed the mount of a Great Accomplished Tyrant Body, asserting their might across the universe. They never imagined this clan would now move again to kill their heroes.

"One battle division couldn't endure it and launched an attack with a crippled Emperor Formation, but failed," another report stated. "They were massacred by the Tyrant Body lineage; over twelve thousand brothers perished, their blood staining the starry sky red."

Upon receiving this news, the Black Emperor flew into a rage, letting out a roar that shattered the great hall as it stood up. During this period, tens of thousands of Heavenly Court followers were killed. They hadn't died in the glorious wars of the past; instead, they were humiliatingly slaughtered by invaders, summarily executed with arrogant disdain.

"They humiliated my Heavenly Court, killed my comrades. This vendetta must be repaid!" the Black Emperor swore, beginning to hasten its preparations for even more terrifying Emperor-level array patterns.

On the cosmic frontier, atop a chaotic stone, lay a white-haired man. His hair was snow-white, his body had long lost its luster, appearing dull and yellowish, with bones protruding beneath his skin. He was extremely weak, seemingly in his final years. He showed no signs of life, no fluctuations, as if he had been dead for ten thousand years.