Chapter 688: A Living Ancient Star

Chapter 691: A Living Ancient Star

Dust flew, violent sounds, and fierce earthquakes erupted as nine dragon corpses, pulling a coffin, descended from the sky, crashing onto an ancient star.

Ye Fan was flung many miles away, like a withered leaf in a gale, colliding with numerous rocks. His robust physical body was his only safeguard, otherwise, he would have been reduced to a pulp.

The nine dragon corpses and the bronze coffin had descended from the dark cosmos onto this ancient star, a place full of unknowns with no discernible clues. Lately, Ye Fan had been in reclusive meditation, in a state of profound detachment from himself and his surroundings.

"What is this place?" With the dust still swirling high, Ye Fan finally stabilized himself, having sustained no injuries during the rapid descent.

On the ground, a gigantic deep crater marked their landing. The nine dragon corpses and the bronze coffin lay within, unscathed, having merely created a massive depression and numerous large fissures in the earth.

"They've landed!" Is this the ultimate destination? A stir of bewilderment and yearning filled Ye Fan's heart; he desperately wanted to discover what kind of ancient star this was.

"There's air!" he suddenly realized, taking an involuntary breath. Yet, a wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Poisonous!" Even he felt a slight headache, which indicated just how toxic the air on this ancient star was – utterly unsuitable for human absorption.

"Is this a dead star?" Ye Fan murmured to himself.

As the dust dissipated, everything nearby became clear. The nine dragon corpses and the bronze coffin lay motionless, having landed, or perhaps, run aground, ceasing their forward movement.

This was a mountainous region, utterly barren, devoid of any signs of life. Ye Fan felt a pang of disappointment, having anticipated arriving at a vibrant life source.

"Oh..." His gaze suddenly froze in astonishment. Not far away, he spotted a colossal claw print etched into a stone mountain, a mark so immense it looked as though it had almost ripped the mountaintop apart with a single grasp.

"What an enormous creature; a single claw could uproot a mountain!" Ye Fan was utterly astonished. How could such a desolate planet, seemingly devoid of life, bear such a terrifyingly immense claw print?

He immediately became wary. This ancient star might be far more complex than it seemed; otherwise, the nine dragons pulling the coffin wouldn't have fallen onto it without cause.

Naturally, his curiosity intensified. What path were the dragon corpses and the coffin truly following? How could they navigate? What force was guiding them? Where were they ultimately headed? What was their final destination, and what awaited them there?

It was all a mystery, unfathomable and unclear to him; he had no idea what the journey's end would bring. Perhaps this very voyage aboard the coffin would unveil a hidden secret, revealing its ultimate destination.

Ye Fan ascended into the sky, gazing toward the distant horizons, keen to observe this world closely. He murmured to himself, "Who is forging a path through the cold cosmos, and where are they leading?"

Suddenly, Ye Fan paused, stunned. He spotted a streak of gold on the horizon, resembling lush vegetation, but its color was exceedingly peculiar.

"This is..." A planet teeming with potent toxins, yet displaying signs of life – this greatly astonished him. He briefly glanced at the ancient coffin and the other objects before swiftly flying forward.

After advancing ten *li*, Ye Fan left the barren expanse behind, discovering a vibrant landscape ahead, shimmering with an incredibly brilliant golden hue.

He was dumbfounded. It was a forest of golden trees, incredibly dazzling. Naturally, they weren't made of actual gold; they were living organisms.

He plucked a leaf; golden droplets oozed from it. When he tasted it, it was slightly bitter, with a faint aroma, and he sensed a subtle flow of vital energy within it.

"A strange place, a living ancient star, a source of unique life!" Ye Fan exclaimed as he entered the forest, heading towards its central region.

It was, without a doubt, a magnificent ancient forest; every tree was golden, vastly different from any vegetation he had ever encountered.

"Snap!" Suddenly, a gigantic golden flower on the oldest tree burst open. Its pistil, like a tongue, shot out, wrapping around Ye Fan and instantly pulling him inside the bloom.

The flower swiftly closed, shimmering with blinding golden light. Ye Fan's divine power flowed outwards, drawn by the enormous bloom, which sought to drain his vital essence and refine him.

"Break!" Ye Fan's expression hardened. With a powerful tremor, the flower and the ancient tree shattered simultaneously, falling like shimmering fragments of gold. A surge of vital energy burst forth.

He deeply inhaled the released energy, refining it into his body. Then, with a soft "ding," a crystal about the size of a pigeon's egg dropped to the ground.

This was a golden, dazzling crystal embedded within the ancient tree, brimming with a primordial power. Ye Fan held it in his hand, observing it closely. He found it profoundly sacred; its glow made his fingers appear crystalline and transparent.

He was astonished. What kind of ancient star was this, to cultivate such ancient trees that differed significantly from life forms in other worlds?

Within the entire ancient forest, only this particular old tree was unique; the rest were normal and did not absorb his divine power. Moreover, he noticed that the old tree's roots were entwined with every other tree, siphoning their vital energy.

"A tree spirit? Could it be an ancient demon, or merely a distinct form of life?"

As Ye Fan emerged from this ancient golden land, he realized that the peculiar old tree had been a dominant entity, with all other golden tree species supplying it with vital energy. Now, he had destroyed it.

As he traversed the area, he found no animals. It was profoundly quiet, utterly soundless, without even the faintest whisper of wind—a silence so profound it was despair-inducing.

"What kind of ancient star is this, truly?"

Far ahead, a dazzling purple light emanated, surging like an overwhelming tide.

Ye Fan pressed onward, quickly reaching the source. It was a magical expanse of vegetation where every part—leaves, flowers, and roots—was vibrantly purple, emitting a hazy mist that shimmered like radiant clouds.

"This world is truly peculiar," he mused. "There isn't a single green tree; all the tree bodies appear as if carved from gemstones, yet they are undeniably alive."

This time, Ye Fan was exceptionally cautious. In the very center stood an ancient tree, still remarkably unique, seemingly a dominant entity. As he drew near, the forest erupted with purple light that surged skyward, then coalesced into a colossal divine sword that cleaved down from the heavens!

In an instant, the ground ripped open, earth and stones flew upwards, and a colossal fissure, several *zhang* wide, stretched for miles. The power of that single sword strike was astonishing.

"What?!" Ye Fan was utterly shocked. He had initially assumed it was merely a peculiar forest, a life form somewhat distinct from those in other worlds.

But now, witnessing it condense into a colossal purple sword left him baffled and deeply intrigued. What kind of world was this, truly?

"Clang!" Ye Fan did not underestimate the attack. He swung his God-Beating Whip, striking down with immense force. It clashed with the purple divine sword, causing his body to tremble violently and pushing him back more than a dozen steps, yet he managed to withstand the blow.

The immense power of that sword strike was evident: the dozens of footprints on the ground were all cracked, and numerous fissures radiated outwards in every direction, a terrifying sight.

The purple divine sword shattered, transforming into a flash of purple light that vanished. More than half of the surrounding vegetation instantly withered and disappeared, and the central ancient tree crumbled into dust.

"Ding!" With a soft chime, a purple crystal the size of a chicken egg flew out, tracing a graceful arc through the air, shimmering with potent divine energy fluctuations.

Ye Fan caught it in his hand, muttering, "What is this? Why does every peculiar tree contain one?"

He now held two crystals in his palm, yet he had no idea what they were or their purpose. They seemed capable of functioning as source stones to absorb vital energy.

However, when he attempted to activate them, he found it immensely difficult. They were perfectly sealed and incredibly hard, making them nearly impossible to crush.

Ye Fan continued his journey. To truly understand the nature of this world, he knew he had to travel much further.

"Rumble!" Ahead, a sound like a tsunami echoed, and crimson light soared to the sky, resembling a vast, burning cloud, roaring loudly.

Ye Fan advanced, witnessing the true scene: a forest of ancient trees, crimson as blood, enveloped in endless swirling mists of red.

These crimson ancient trees were exceptionally tall, many reaching dozens of meters in height, while the central crimson Tree King soared hundreds of meters, resembling a small mountain. It looked as though it were sculpted from red coral—magnificently beautiful, with blood-red, crystalline leaves.

However, it was also exceptionally perilous. The moment Ye Fan drew near, the entire ancient forest transformed into a sea of blood, and then crimson mists engulfed the heavens and the earth.

"Boom!" A colossal crimson cauldron, a thousand *zhang* tall, materialized, entirely formed from coalesced crimson mists, descending from the sky and exuding an overwhelming, irresistible power.

Heaven and earth fractured! The crimson great cauldron, ancient in form, with three legs and two ears, and a rounded body, was almost identical to Ye Fan's own cauldron; even its patterns resembled his.

"Characteristics of ancient China!" Ye Fan was momentarily stunned.

He swiftly counterattacked. This strike was immensely powerful; even with his greatly advanced cultivation, he felt threatened, recognizing it as possessing the divine might equivalent to a peak Holy Lord's desperate assault!

"Boom!" Ye Fan did not expend his divine essence. He directly unleashed the Black Gourd, and nine-colored flames surged forth, instantly engulfing the ancient cauldron.

"Crack!" Divine flames engulfed the sky, incinerating the gigantic cauldron. Subsequently, a vast section of the crimson forest ahead withered, and the Tree King shattered, resembling a blooming firework.

A palm-sized crimson crystal flew out, radiating immense divine power, like a divine star streaking across the heavens.

Ye Fan caught it in his hand, securing his grip, and put it away.

Continuing his journey, he encountered ancient forests periodically. He discovered a total of five distinct colors of ancient trees, all glittering brightly, each possessing a Tree King that bore a crystal.

In this manner, he traversed over a thousand *li*, discovering dozens of forests. The most terrifying one sent shivers down his spine: an ancient tree radiating dark light that surged skyward. This dark light coalesced into a body resembling a god or demon, and with a single roar, an entire mountain range crumbled.

However, it was ultimately destroyed by the Black Gourd, from which a black crystal stone, one *chi* square, fell.

This world harbored ancient trees of five distinct colors. Ye Fan suspected they were linked to the Five Elements, much like the legendary Five Elements True Wood. Unfortunately, his knowledge was limited due to the scarcity of ancient records.

However, he knew that Five Elements True Wood was incredibly precious, exceedingly difficult to cultivate, and rarely found in the world.

He had never imagined that this ancient star would possess such an abundance of them, growing so vigorously and luxuriantly.

Two days later, Ye Fan arrived at an ancient land where he discovered traces of biological activity, and these marks were surprisingly recent, which greatly astonished him.

He proceeded along a stone forest, gradually nearing a colossal mountain. Upon reaching an open area there, Ye Fan was incredibly surprised.

"Ding!" The summit of the colossal mountain was expansive. On it, an old man was meticulously stacking five-colored crystals, one by one, to construct a small altar.

"A five-colored altar!" Ye Fan's heart jolted. There was actually a person here, constructing a five-colored altar. This sudden sight had a profound impact on him!

In an instant, he immediately understood: the crystals yielded by the five-colored ancient trees were the very materials used to construct the five-colored altar.

Ancient trees capable of unleashing strikes comparable to a peak Holy Lord's power, yet the crystals they bore were merely palm-sized, or more commonly, pigeon-egg sized. How many Tree Kings would be needed to construct an entire altar?

Ye Fan recalled the five-colored altar on Mount Tai and the one in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land. How powerful would the Five-Colored Tree Kings need to be to create those?

One must consider that some of those enormous five-colored stone blocks weighed thousands of *jin*, or even tens of thousands!

"The stones for the five-colored altar actually come from here?!" Ye Fan's heart swelled with profound shock. They were, incredibly, crystals produced by divine trees.

Ahead, the old man, dressed in green robes and missing one arm, was building the ancient altar alone. The scene felt incredibly eerie.