Chapter 1792: The Great Era withers away

Dongge's original Sina Weibo name is back; you can find me by searching for "Chendong." Brothers and sisters who want to discuss the plot or offer suggestions are welcome to add me. Also, my Tencent Weibo name is "Chendong."

With tears and snot, he recounted the events of these past years, a dark chapter for him. He had been trapped on the Immortal Ascension Road, completely cut off from the world.

"What?!" Everyone was greatly surprised.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't this generation's Immortal Ascension Road, but a path from millions of years ago. Grandma dug through the ancient road, breaking open the chaos, and we fell into an unknown chaotic divine land."

Speaking of the old woman, Tu Fei became disheartened. The elder, who was from the same era as the Old Madman, could not resist the Heavenly Saber of Time and had already passed away, but she had taught Tu Fei a great deal.

They had originally only been digging for ruins to obtain the Arctic Immortal Light, but instead, they were sealed within an ancient immortal path, which was astonishing.

"You became a Quasi-Emperor; that's truly against the heavens," Li Heishui exclaimed, as Tu Fei's aptitude made it seem impossible for him to reach this stage.

Ye Fan saw more clearly than Li Heishui that Tu Fei had undergone a transformative rebirth, and his aptitude was vastly different. Becoming a Quasi-Emperor at over four thousand years old was not early, but his foundation was exceptionally solid.

"It was due to the Nirvana Heavenly Art. Unfortunately, Grandma didn't succeed, but I experienced nirvana, died once, and then was reborn through transformation," Tu Fei explained, revealing everything without reservation.

Upon Tu Fei's return to the Heavenly Court, learning of the events that had transpired over the years, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The Dark Turmoil and the subsequent Post-Golden Age were truly impactful.

What struck him most was that Ye Fan had become an Emperor. This shocked him, but then he felt relieved, as he himself was a Quasi-Emperor after all.

"Time, it passes like this, and we've achieved so much," Tu Fei sighed softly. Then, tears welled up in his eyes, as many people were simply gone, never to be seen again.

Three of the five young bandits had already died. Liu Kou, Wu Zhongtian, and Jiang Hairen were gone forever. Some had died during the insurrections of ancient clans and assassin dynasties, while others had perished in the era of the Dark Turmoil.

"Wuwuwu..." Tu Fei wept bitterly. Time had flown by; nearly four thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye. This was a permanent farewell; he would never see those friends again.

Li Heishui and Ye Fan also felt a pang of sorrow. They patted his shoulder, not knowing what to say.

The Black Dog's head nearly touched the ground. It was its fault that Tu Fei had been teleported away and only returned after so many years.

However, it truly couldn't be blamed. Back then, the situation was critical. Everyone was trapped in Undying Mountain, and the Headless Horseman had emerged. It had no choice but to experiment with the chessboard formation to teleport people away. Survival was the priority; accuracy was secondary.

"Where's my grandfather, he..." Tu Fei stammered, trembling.

"The elder is still here, always muttering about waiting for your return..."

Soon after, Tu Tian was brought over. He was incredibly old, having already entered his twilight years.

In fact, had it not been for Ye Fan extending his life with blood, he would have passed away many years ago.

"Grandfather!" Tu Fei cried out, his face streaming with tears.

"Xiao Fei, you... you've finally come back to see your grandfather." The old man's eyes were clouded with tears, and he trembled as he held Tu Fei's hand, his lips quivering.

He wept. Despite living to such an advanced age and having once forged a formidable reputation, in the end, all he had done was wait for his grandson's return, unable to let go, his heart filled with sorrow.

"Grandfather, may you live for ten thousand years! I'm back, and we'll never be separated again. I'm going to take good care of you," Tu Fei sobbed.

He now knew that of the thirteen great bandits who had once shaken the Eastern Wasteland, only one or two remained. They had either died in the Dark Turmoil or simply passed away from old age.

This filled him with immense sorrow. His grandfather, Tu Tian, had survived only because of a deep obsession, unable to let go, hoping for one last meeting with him.

"Being able to see you, your grandfather is content. Even if I die now, I'll have no regrets," Tu Tian said, his hair white, his eyes devoid of spirit, as old tears streamed down his face.

"Grandfather, you can't die! I want to take good care of you!" Tu Fei cried out.

"My foolish child, how can people not die? Thousands of years pass swiftly; new generations replace the old. This world belongs to you now. People like us will slowly pass away and disappear," Tu Tian said, as if comforting him, yet also sighing with emotion.

"I can't bear to lose you! I don't want Grandfather to die!" Tu Fei's tears fell like rain.

Ye Fan was about to refine the blood of an unparalleled Emperor again to extend Tu Tian's life, ensuring he would live on.

"No need, thank you, Xiao Ye," Tu Tian refused. "For all these years, I've felt a sense of guilt. If it weren't for wanting to see Tu Fei, I would never have let you waste a single drop of your blood."

Everyone tried to persuade him.

But he steadfastly shook his head, saying, "How could I do that? Extending life with sacred blood, as it's called, consumes Xiao Ye's own life. It's his life essence; it shouldn't be wasted on me."

"It's fine," Ye Fan said. "The Heavenly Court has medicinal kings and other resources that can allow the elder to live longer." Seeing the sorrow of parting and death, he felt great unease in his heart.

"I've already seen my grandson; I have no regrets now. I am content. I can go and join my old comrades now. We great bandits will reunite underground; I truly miss my old partners," Tu Tian said, his gaze distant.

He seemed dazed, saying, "The Golden Age will eventually end. Heroes will wither, and time will be like a blade. At that point, you will need the medicinal kings more than I do. I have already seen a desolate great age approaching. Divine medicines and such will be far more useful if left for you, my children."

Everyone was startled, then all sighed.

Six months later, Tu Tian passed away. Tu Fei accompanied him through the final stage of his life. The old man departed content, with no more regrets.

Time flowed like water, rushing onward, never to return.

Another thousand years passed. Ye Fan was now over five thousand years old, and his vitality grew even more vigorous. For others, reaching this age would signify the beginning of their decline from life's peak, heading towards their twilight years.

Yet, he was only just beginning. As a Saintly Physique, he was naturally capable of living for ten thousand years, and now, having become the Heavenly Emperor, it was hard to say just how long he would live.

However, time was merciless. While it couldn't steal his youth, it was reaping the lives of the older generation.

During this period, the Immortal Bladehandle, a Killing Saint of Qiluo, passed away, his life reaching its end. Soon after, grim news arrived from Big Dipper: Daoist Red Dragon, who had shown kindness to Ye Fan, also passed away. With his death, all thirteen great bandits had now departed. Subsequently, King Peacock, Daoist Crow, and others also passed away.

At five thousand years old, Ye Fan was invincible across the world. He could no longer find an opponent, and no one dared to cross swords with him. Yet, he carried a deep sorrow in his heart.

One by one, those who had been kind to him departed, causing him immense pain. Yet, there was no true solution. He wanted to extend their lives, but all his offers were refused.

Sacred blood was like a divine medicine, and the blood of a Saintly Physique who had become the Heavenly Emperor was even more precious. However, as those who refused him had said, his vitality was his very life, and extending others' lives would inevitably consume some of his own lifespan.

The elders, in their passing, preferred death over letting him deplete his own being.

Qilin medicine, Peaches of Immortality, and other treasures had matured once and been harvested and preserved. The older generation had not consumed them, choosing instead to save them for the next generation—Ye Fan, Monkey, Ye Tong, Yang Xi, Xiao Song, and others—because they would eventually reach their twilight years as the Golden Age concluded, and these would certainly be needed.

Though Ye Fan was invincible across the nine heavens and ten lands, he felt helpless. He was exploring the path to longevity, but those people couldn't wait.

For five thousand years, he rarely met an opponent, yet he was utterly powerless against the relentless march of time. He could not reclaim the youth and lives of those people.

Sometimes, Ye Fan would gaze alone at the starry sky, often remaining motionless for an entire night. His friends and family were passing away one by one, leaving him profoundly saddened and somewhat lonely. His wife and daughter had also departed, unlikely to be seen again in this life. Although he stood at the pinnacle of humanity, he could change nothing. In a few more millennia, would all his contemporaries be gone? At that time, he would be even lonelier.

From the earliest, Elder Jiang and Fifth Lord Zhang, to later figures like Victorious Buddha, Gu Tianshu, and Qiluo, then Human Devil and the Old Madman, followed by Tu Tian, and now Daoist Red Dragon—one by one, they had all passed away. If this continued, with constant farewells, how could he bear such sorrow?

In the years that followed, large numbers of Heavenly Soldiers began to age, and Heavenly Generals started to die. An entire generation of the Heavenly Court was growing old and nearing their departure.

Time continued to flow. Ye Fan was now six thousand years old, his world-shaking power even greater than before. Not only did he have no enemies, but it was difficult to find anyone who could even withstand a single move from him.

But he felt even more desolate.

Looking around, the Heavenly Court now held many more stone steles. Large numbers of Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals had died and were buried in the Heavenly Garden, along with many familiar old friends who would never return.

Autumn winds rose, and a biting chill penetrated to the bone. Ye Fan stood in the mausoleum, looking at the rows of tombstones. His heart felt cold as he walked slowly, becoming even more silent with each step.

By now, everyone in the Heavenly Court showed signs of aging.

To this day, only Monkey, Ye Tong, Yang Xi, and a few others still possessed vitality like a sea, having reached the peak of their lives. Around six thousand years old, this was their most glorious era, shaking the universe and subduing the eight directions.

In these years, whenever they appeared, no one could stand against them. They were revered by all, both above and below, reaching the zenith of their brilliance!

However, if time continued to flow, they too would eventually decline, like the midday sun beginning to tilt westward, gradually moving away from their peak.

Apart from them, everyone else had long since begun their decline, like the setting sun, their prime gone.

That year, Shan Huang, an important combatant and peak master of the Heavenly Court, reached the end of his life and passed away in Undying Mountain. Other great demon lords who had escaped the eighteen layers of hell with him and followed Ye Fan into the Heavenly Court had already died many years prior.

In the same year, after leaving the Underworld, Gu Xin'ao, who was half-human and half-ghost, disintegrated, returning to dust and ashes, thus ending his muddled life.

The peerless combatants of the Heavenly Court began to pass away one after another, signifying that after reaching the pinnacle of its glory, the Heavenly Court, like all things in heaven and earth, was beginning to wither. It could not escape this pattern of decline and eventual end.

It wasn't just the Heavenly Court; the entire world was the same. All bloodlines showed signs of aging, and the incredibly glorious Golden Age, after reaching its zenith, began to show signs of decline.

People knew that the great age was about to fall!

This law of succession was irresistible. All things develop, and what flourishes must eventually decay; this was long ordained.

"King Biluo is dead!""The Pluto Body, who contended for supremacy during the Golden Age, suffered a recurrence of old injuries and turned to dust.""King Yuhua attempted to break through against the heavens but was shattered to pieces and perished.""The Brahma Battle Physique's old ailments triggered new Dao injuries, turning him into ashes.""The Empty Sky Body grew old and passed away in a stone chamber!"

One piece of news after another arrived, as one world-shaking hero after another reached the end of their lives. The great age showed signs of decay; the so-called Golden Age was truly beginning to wither.

More tombstones appeared in the Heavenly Court. At a glance, the stone steles were like a forest, stretching endlessly. An entire generation of Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals had passed away. The wind rustled the fallen leaves, making the place feel desolate.

Ye Fan stood there, motionless for a long time.

"Master, seal me away!" A voice came from behind Ye Fan.

It was Xiao Song. He was in the most glorious period of his life, his youth still vibrant, still simple and pure. Time had left no trace on his face.

"I want to protect the Heavenly Court, to emerge again only when even Master is no longer young. I don't want it to wither; I wish for its glory to continue," Xiao Song said earnestly.