Chapter 1800: Old Friends

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Ye Fan stood in the vast, desolate Northern Region. He couldn't find his old acquaintances, but this land held many people he could never forget, marking a period of unforgettable years.

When the myriad ancient races caused chaos, the Purple Mountain bells rang for three consecutive months. Grandmaster Zhang Lin, whose spiritual intelligence persisted ten thousand years after his death, fought alongside him against the ancient races before dissipating into specks of light and rain one morning.

The Peerless Divine King, whose zither music at Jade Lake moved the ten directions, his white robes stained with blood, was of unparalleled grace and splendor...

So many people, so many events; he found it hard to let go, impossible to forget.

Ye Fan stood among the ruins where Grandmaster Zhang Lin had fallen in battle. This place had now become a site of Dao transformation. Yang Yi, who had been sealed by Zhang Lin for ten thousand years, came here to undergo her final transformation, her tears flowing like rain as she turned into a light of Dao, finally able to dance with Zhang Lin forever.

To die in battle, buried amidst the clash of blades, is a hero's destiny. To slowly grow old, white hair turning to dust, is a hero's helplessness.

In the Northern Region of today, the Thirteen Great Bandits were all gone. Only two of the younger bandits remained, both residing in the Heavenly Court, making it difficult to find anyone from the past.

Ye Fan's body flickered, shattering the void. He temporarily parted ways with Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse, heading alone into a small world.

This was the small world of the Azure Dragon King, the Fourth Great Bandit of the Northern Region. It had now become a sacred land for the demon race, but sadly, even Qing Yi, the Azure Dragon King's son, had passed away.

The former Immortal Palace had also long since collapsed. This was because the demon race, in killing the ancient creature sealed at the bottom of the palace, had destroyed the entire structure.

Ye Fan swayed, appearing on a mountain peak. Though the pines rustled in the distance, here it was perfectly quiet. A solitary grave stood, with the name Qin Yao carved on its tablet.

So many years had passed that the grave was ancient and weathered, yet no weeds grew on it, indicating someone still tended to it.

Unfortunately, even Jin Yan, who had been close to Qin Yao, had passed away. Now, there was no one left to mock or reprimand Ye Fan.

Ye Fan sat before the solitary grave, feeling dejected. She had been a good woman, yet she had passed away too soon.

Jin Yan had once shed tears, lamenting for Qin Yao and saying that she was merely a transient figure in Ye Fan's life.

Ye Fan had met many people in his life, but he never forgot Qin Yao. Yet, even as the Heavenly Emperor, he sometimes felt desolate and powerless, unable to achieve certain things.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't find the Divine Fate Flower," Ye Fan whispered dejectedly to her, sitting quietly before the grave.

In the past, he believed that with the Origin Master's inheritance, he could find the Divine Fate Flower. However, over six thousand years had passed, and he had found nothing.

Too much time had passed—over six thousand years. Even if the Divine Fate Flower truly existed, it would be difficult to defy fate now.

The more he knew and understood, the more powerless he felt. The Divine Fate Flower simply did not exist in this realm; it only grew in the Immortal Realm.

In the past, all who sought the Divine Fate Flower, including the Fourth Generation Origin Master Grandmaster, never truly obtained it. The legends had, in fact, misled future generations.

The Human Essence Fruit, Earth Fate Fruit, and Heavenly God Fruit were divine products born from stone, representing three stages in the evolution of the same divine item. The first two types were found in the world, with the Earth Fate Fruit being nearly as potent as Immortal Medicine.

As for the Heavenly God Fruit, it had never been seen because it grew only in the Immortal Realm. It was said that when the Earth Fate Fruit evolved into the Heavenly God Fruit, a flower, named the Divine Fate Flower, would appear alongside it.

It could only be seen in the Immortal Realm. But if he entered the Immortal Domain, the efficacy of the Immortal Medicine he carried would increase manyfold, rendering the Divine Fate Flower unnecessary.

A solitary grave held an unforgettable person and a segment of his affections from his younger years. Ye Fan whispered, recounting many things to the ancient tomb.

Finally, he stood up and walked down the mountain.

"Ye Fan," Yan Ruyu said as she appeared.

"Princess," Ye Fan said, turning back. He didn't leave immediately, as he had many questions. Directly, he asked, "I want to ask about Emperor Qing."

"He... might be buried in the Desolate Pagoda, having passed away while attempting the method of eternal life," Yan Ruyu said, as beautiful as ever. These were merely her speculations.

This was naturally a shocking revelation, yet Ye Fan remained calm. At his current realm, nothing could make him lose his composure; he would be equally calm even if Emperor Qing appeared before him.

Ye Fan then departed to reunite with Pang Bo and the others.

The myriad ancient races of the past had all departed, leaving the Northern Region desolate. Everything from those bygone years could never return.

The years spent in God City left a deep impression on Ye Fan; past events like stone gambling and the Divine King's grand battles felt as if they had just happened yesterday.

Now, God City was flourishing once more. As he walked through it, surrounded by countless people, he realized he didn't recognize a single soul.

"Heavenly Emperor Ye!" someone exclaimed, trembling with fright.

His portrait was now widely circulated among all races, so it was no surprise that someone recognized him.

After the news spread, the Eastern Wasteland was abuzz, and all quarters were astonished. Old acquaintances who were still alive rushed to the city. It was the same city, and some of the original people were still there.

"Brother Ye..." the former Prince of Great Xia, now the Lord of Great Xia, said. He was very old, having lost the youthful vigor of his past.

Ye Fan smiled, feeling good about seeing old acquaintances, especially the former young nun, who had long since renounced her vows and grown old.

"You two siblings certainly have a deep bond," Ye Fan chuckled.

"When one grows old, being able to reunite is truly wonderful," said Yao Yuekong, who had also arrived and was now the old master of the Sky Demon Palace.

Subsequently, Jiang Yifei, the head of the Jiang family in the Northern Region, and his sister Jiang Caixuan also arrived. Everyone, reuniting after more than 6,500 years, felt a deep sense of emotion.

"Let's have a good gathering," Jiang Yifei said.

His vitality was abundant; he had surprisingly achieved an alternative path to Dao and was extremely powerful, certainly a peerless expert on par with Southern Demon, Ye Tong, and others.

"Brother Jiang is truly an outstanding figure," Ye Fan said.

Jiang Yifei said, "I know Brother Ye has always been suspicious of me. There's nothing left to hide now: I did indeed obtain a portion of the Ruthless Great Emperor's inheritance."

Everyone was surprised by these words. Only Ye Fan sighed; he had always felt that Hua Yunfei, Yaoguang, and Jiang Yifei had a remarkably similar and special aura, and he had previously harbored suspicions about it.

By now, he no longer needed to doubt; as the Heavenly Emperor, he could discern everything with a single glance.

"They secretly chose Yaoguang," Jiang Yifei said. "They also came to my Jiang family to select disciples, and I ended up obtaining the Immortal Heavenly Art. However, their ambition was too great, and eventually, the powerful individual who had infiltrated my Jiang family was killed by one of my clan's masters."

Ye Fan suddenly understood. This was likely why the secret controllers of Yaoguang Holy Land lent out the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron to kill Jiang Taixu, as they had long held a grudge against the Jiang family.

Soon after, several former peerless beauties, including the Jade Lake Saintess and the Dao One Saintess, arrived.

Time spares no one. Though still powerful, they too bore the marks of age; white hairs had begun to appear, even as their beauty persisted.

"Over six thousand years have passed, and the Jade Lake's divine fetus still hasn't been born," Pang Bo mumbled.

The Jade Lake Saintess looked at Ye Fan and sighed, saying, "With Brother Ye as the Heavenly Emperor, even a divine fetus wouldn't want to confront him, choosing a future life instead."

She was once one of the most beautiful women in the Eastern Wasteland, and now she had countless disciples, at least dozens of generations of successors.

When the Congenital Dao Embryo Zixia arrived, the Dragon Horse couldn't help but let out a strange cry, but it was invisibly suppressed by Ye Fan. The Dragon Horse, sweating profusely and unable to move, thought to itself, "Brother Black Emperor, I can't even let out a roar to help you."

During this time, another person arrived who surprised Ye Fan: Li Desheng of the Yin-Nether Eye, with whom he had once entered the Primeval Forbidden Zone.

"Daoist Master Duan De came to my door several times, asking me to explore ancient underground tombs with him. He once gave me some divine marrow, and I owe much thanks to him for being alive today."

As the gathering concluded, Ye Fan offered a final cup of wine, then stood to bid farewell. Everyone sighed as they parted, knowing they might never see each other again in this life.

Walking through God City, Ye Fan whispered dejectedly, "You said a similar flower would bloom after ten thousand years and reunite with me, but now over six millennia have passed."

Late at night, he wandered alone through the city, thinking of a woman who had died many years ago. They had met in this very city back then.

Unfortunately, the Miaoyu Nunnery no longer existed.

Soon after, Ye Fan's footsteps also reached the Northern Plains. He sought the old crane, Wang Teng's master, but it had already passed away. However, it left behind an inheritance, ensuring a successor for the Chaotic Ancient Great Emperor.

Ye Fan left behind a repaired Imperial Array here, passed down the "Former" character secret, and then drifted away.

He traveled to the Western Desert, then entered the Central Province, surveying old familiar places. He saw the tranquility of Sumeru and witnessed the dragon qi steaming in the Central Province.

In the western part of the Central Province, in the Qinling Mountains, he met an acquaintance: Xiang Yufei, the Central Emperor, a peerless talent from over 15,000 years ago who had once been sealed for 9,000 years.

He was indeed a hero of his generation, exceptionally powerful. Ye Fan had heard that he once challenged the Golden Crow Great Emperor; though the outcome was not widely known, he presumed it had been a glorious achievement.

This was because he had once been mentioned alongside Gai Jiuyou, both being figures of the same era.

The Central Emperor now seemed quite desolate, living in a simple hut by a lakeside, a palpable melancholy etched on his brows.

Ye Fan invited him to join the Heavenly Court, but the Central Emperor politely refused, saying, "I once died and was then sealed for 9,000 years, missing too much. My beloved woman committed suicide for me, throwing herself into this lake. Now, I only wish to guard this place."

Ye Fan recalled the past; when he walked in the Qinling Mountains with the old sick man back then, he had seen the Central Emperor standing blankly before this very lake. Gai Jiuyou had indeed spoken of this past event concerning the Central Emperor.

Two celestial talents, taking different paths, yet sharing the same desolation.

Ye Fan departed and met the descendants of Princess Yudie. He also learned that Princess Yueling, another renowned figure of the Central Province, had passed away a year prior. Afterward, he found an old acquaintance, Ye Huiling, who had helped him when he went to the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone to gather Immortal Medicine.

Ye Huiling's vitality was still quite abundant because she had eaten an Immortal Medicine fruit, though not one from a complete Immortal Tree. Seeing Ye Fan again, she was deeply surprised and delighted.

"What is this?" she asked, as Ye Fan handed her a tear crystal.

"This is a gift from Little Nannan," Ye Fan said.

"She always forgets the past," Ye Huiling sighed softly, "does she still remember me?"

"Thank you for looking after her back then," Ye Fan said with a smile. "Even if the little one forgets those who were good to her, she will remember them again after a while."

After parting ways, he reunited with Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse and re-entered the Qishi Mansion in the Central Province. Unfortunately, the old mansion lord had died many years ago.

Here, he repaired the altar array leading to the outer regions, then traveled south into the Southern Ridge.

The Demon Emperor Palace remained magnificent, but Southern Demon and his sister were nowhere to be found; they had not returned. Their last parting had been their final meeting in this life.

In the Southern Ridge, many barbarians had returned from beyond the domain and were living there. Dongfang Man, Dongfang Ye's younger brother, had become the chieftain, as Dongfang Ye was permanently stationed in the Heavenly Court.

"Rest in peace, Senior Xuanwu," Ye Fan murmured, paying respects before a large tomb. The Black Tortoise was the guardian deity of the barbarian tribe, and at the Jade Lake Assembly, it had displayed immense power, protecting humanity and earning widespread respect.

Afterwards, he also paid respects to the old Barbarian King, that respectable elder who had passed away thousands of years ago.

"It's you..." Ye Fan exclaimed, unexpectedly meeting an old acquaintance in the Southern Ridge. Her beautiful hair had been whitened by time, yet her countenance remained unmarred; it was Yao Xi.

The former Yaoguang Saintess now actually lived in the Southern Ridge.

Yao Xi saw him, her expression complex. Remembering their entangled past grievances, she finally let out a soft reprimand: "What Heavenly Emperor? Back then, you were nothing but a shameless little thief!"

After saying these words, she herself blushed, feeling a bit regretful. So many years had passed; why bring up old matters?

Since learning that Yaoguang Holy Land was secretly controlled by others, she had chosen to leave. Later, when everything was overthrown and the old order abolished, Yao Xi did not return, choosing instead to live in seclusion.

The old events of the past made Ye Fan embarrassed; even as the Heavenly Emperor, there were times he was left speechless.

"I invite you to join the Heavenly Court."

Ye Fan had not expected Yao Xi to agree.

The only thing Ye Fan was grateful for was that Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse were still drinking among the barbarians and had not witnessed this scene, otherwise the Heavenly Emperor's "lifetime of glory" would surely have been ruined by their words.

Finally, they departed and returned to the Heavenly Court.