Chapter 689: The Ancient Undying Obsession

On this ancient planet, there was nothing but the Five-Colored Ancient Trees; it was difficult to spot any living creature. At this moment, suddenly seeing the Five-Colored Altar and a one-armed old man in green robes, Ye Fan's shock was immense.

The Five-Colored Altar was not very large because the crystals within it were too small to form the massive, multi-ton boulders seen on the ancient planet of Yinghuo or in the Primordial Restricted Zone. It was hard to imagine how ancient a tree king would be required to produce such crystals; perhaps only a Saint could fell one, or even a Quasi-Emperor might have to act personally.

The old man in green robes was tall and gaunt, possessing an ethereal, otherworldly presence, completely devoid of worldly dust, as if he were a natural embodiment of ancient Dao. Why was such an old man here, alone? What level of cultivation had he reached to be able to construct such an altar? He knew that the Black Emperor had once said that the array patterns of the Five-Colored Altar could only be inscribed by a Great Emperor; no one else had any possibility, nor could they even comprehend them. Just how powerful was this person to build an altar by himself? Ye Fan was filled with awe and wonder, asking himself if this could be a Great Emperor. The absurd thought that this might be a Great Emperor filled him with dread. Ancient Great Emperors were mere legends; how could he possibly encounter one in person?

"It shouldn't be a Great Emperor," he mused, "otherwise, how could he have a severed arm? Such figures are already defying the heavens; let alone a missing limb, even if their bodies were shattered and their divine consciousness extinguished, they could still restore themselves." He made his deductions silently, not approaching, only observing from afar, afraid of startling the old man.

The Five-Colored Altar was small, no more than three meters long, but it consumed a vast amount of five-colored crystals. Most of them were no larger than a pigeon's egg, implying countless tree kings had been felled to construct it. "Such a small Five-Colored Altar might only be for one person to cross. Is he leaving? And where will he go?" In the dark and eerie cosmos, it was incredibly rare to discover an ancient planet with life, let alone encounter another person. Ye Fan found it hard to remain calm.

He was far from the Five-Colored Altar and continued to retreat, unsure of the one-armed old man's cultivation depth and fearing detection. However, even as he concealed his aura, the old man looked over, his eyes dim and lifeless, his face devoid of expression. Ye Fan's body stiffened. He stopped, then, after a slight hesitation, strode forward. He reasoned that since he was already here, if someone of the old man's cultivation level intended him harm, he would likely be unable to escape anyway. Even now, he was still muttering to himself, wondering if the other party was indeed a Great Emperor, because the Black Emperor's words—that only an Ancient Emperor could construct a Five-Colored Altar—were deeply ingrained in his mind.

"Return to my homeland, not to be buried in a foreign land..." As he ascended the great mountain and approached the Five-Colored Altar, he heard this voice, echoing repeatedly like a spell. Ye Fan was surprised; the old man's mouth wasn't moving, yet the voice resounded clearly and ceaselessly in the area, as if from ancient times.

"Senior..." Ye Fan called out, but the other party didn't spare him a glance, continuously adjusting the altar. "Return to my homeland, not to be buried in a foreign land..." This phrase repeated incessantly, like an incantation, reverberating by the altar, as if it would never cease.

Gradually, Ye Fan sensed something was amiss. Not only the voice, but the old man himself seemed problematic; he didn't appear to be a real person. "A Divine Thought!" Suddenly, he was terrified, every hair on his body standing on end. He felt a unique aura, one belonging to an evil spirit. Ye Fan stumbled back. There was no mistaking it; this was a supreme Divine Thought. Its fluctuations and divine power were very similar to those he had encountered in the Immortal Mansion previously. The former was a manifestation of the Undying Heavenly Emperor's malevolent thought after his death. What kind of being had this old man in green robes become after his demise?

"How can there be a Divine Thought on this ancient planet?" Ye Fan felt a chill from head to toe. He had no Extreme Emperor Armament to suppress such an evil spirit now; how could he possibly fight it? What was a Divine Thought? It was rumored to be the manifestation of a deity's malevolent thoughts after death, incredibly powerful, almost impossible to contend with. Legendary deities were already ethereal enough, but for their malevolent thoughts to materialize was boundlessly bizarre and difficult to comprehend.

Ye Fan noticed the severed arm, which bore the aura of a lightning tribulation. It was likely a divine punishment from the heavens, incompatible with the natural order, making it impossible to regenerate, as opposing forces had attached themselves to it.

"Who can bury me in my homeland?" Before the Five-Colored Altar, the ancient voice continued, like an undying obsession. Ye Fan stopped. His Source Heaven Divine Eye emitted a glow, revealing a phantom image rather than a solid entity standing before him. The old man in green robes seemed very unreal. "Eh, this is..." This Divine Thought had undergone "Dao transformation," and now only a wisp of obsession remained, not a tangible, invincible divine body. This both surprised and relieved him.

"Just how many years have passed? A deity died on this ancient planet, and after countless ages, a Divine Thought was born, but it too is now almost exhausted, nearly dissipating." Ye Fan felt a shiver. It was hard to imagine how many years ago a deity had descended here and been buried on this ancient planet. Perhaps he could unearth a divine corpse! This wisp of obsession posed little threat. Even its malevolent thoughts had dissipated, leaving only a persistent determination. It continued to adjust the altar, making repeated modifications, but with little change.

"This altar was already complete. It's just that the Divine Thought itself is failing, transforming into Dao and returning to the heavens and earth. Without a dominant consciousness, it's not even a ghost anymore, merely mechanically repeating everything from the past." After standing there for a long time, Ye Fan finally understood everything. From the various ancient sounds, he gleaned an astonishing secret: this deity originated from the Ziwei Ancient Starfield. Its persistent thought was to return to its homeland, to the legendary Ziwei Starfield.

"In ancient Chinese myths and legends, the Ziwei star is the Emperor's Star, known as the Lord of the Dipper numbers..." Ye Fan pondered. Daoist texts record that the Lord of Ziwei commands the celestial and terrestrial networks, leading the star gods of the three realms and the mountain and river deities. It is the sovereign of all phenomena, capable of summoning wind and rain, and commanding thunder, lightning, ghosts, and spirits.

Ye Fan stood there for a long time, eventually finding nothing else. He then swiftly moved across the ancient planet, preparing to search for the divine corpse. This planet was not very large, significantly smaller than the Big Dipper Starfield, perhaps even smaller than a single oasis in its Northern Region. Ye Fan didn't spend long before exploring the entire planet, but unfortunately, he still found no divine corpse, only the lingering obsession of the Divine Thought—the old man in green robes. He spent an entire month on this small asteroid, almost turning over every inch of land, yet he couldn't find the body.

"It might not necessarily be a deity; it's more likely an Emperor's corpse, but it certainly wouldn't decay. Perhaps it has already entered the cosmos..." Ye Fan sighed softly. Perhaps, like the Void Great Emperor, it ultimately buried itself in the boundless starry sky, and a Divine Thought was born midway. It was this Divine Thought that entered this ancient planet, wishing to return to its homeland, the Ziwei Starfield.

Ye Fan returned to the dragon corpses and the bronze coffin. He saw the claw marks that had nearly torn apart the stone mountain and, after careful sensing, confirmed that they were made by the Divine Thought from that time. "Am I trapped on this asteroid?" he murmured to himself.

Over the next six months, he battled the ancient tree kings daily, seeking those divine crystals. Of course, this wasn't for building a Five-Colored Altar, but to hone his skills and engage in rigorous cultivation. This ancient planet was very special, naturally suited for the growth of Five-Element True Wood. Perhaps it was the last place in the universe where Five-Element True Wood existed. This was suggested by the vague meaning of the wisp of obsession before the Five-Colored Altar. The ancient voice was difficult to understand; although it was a fluctuation of divine consciousness, it wasn't easy to discern.

Each day, he would spend a certain amount of time watching the old man in green robes adjust the Five-Colored Altar. It was merely repetitive work, with no substantial improvements being made. It was merely the last lingering hope of a ghost about to dissipate, so much so that it didn't even know who it was or that Ye Fan had arrived. Finally, Ye Fan made up his mind to risk leaving this ancient planet and traveling elsewhere! This was because the ancient planet was too peculiar. It was naturally suited for the growth of Five-Element True Wood, absorbing all the power of the Great Dao for its own use, making it very difficult for cultivators to comprehend the Dao here.

Finally, Ye Fan decided to abandon the nine dragon corpses and the bronze coffin and cross the void alone, as the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin had truly run aground and wouldn't move at all. Using the Five-Colored Altar built by the Divine Thought, he wanted to risk traveling to the Ziwei Ancient Star. Since there was no path forward, he might as well take a chance. The Five-Colored Altar was almost complete. Although small, it was definitely feasible. If this Divine Thought hadn't undergone Dao transformation and lost its main consciousness, it probably would have crossed long ago.

"Activate..." If he could activate it, he could control everything about the altar, which meant he could cross. Ye Fan had observed here for half a year and had already discovered some secrets. He injected a wisp of divine power into it, and the Five-Colored Altar immediately shone with dazzling light. It was already in a semi-activated state; all it lacked was a trigger. He succeeded on his very first attempt.

Without hesitation, Ye Fan stepped onto the altar, standing in its center. A small Bagua gate appeared, its runes flashing as it opened a gateway to the starry sky. He no longer had thoughts of returning to Earth. What was important now was to enter a source of life, and the Ziwei Ancient Starfield was a very strong option.

Suddenly, the previously unconscious old man in green robes opened his eyes wide. Two dazzling divine lights shot out, like two blazing torches, piercing the sky, as if he had temporarily regained consciousness. The old man in green robes extended a large hand, instantly tearing through the earth down to the ancient planet's core, and pulled out a sealed stone coffin. Ye Fan's eyes widened. The Divine Thought, experiencing a brief resurgence of awareness, almost reverently lifted the ancient coffin, stepped onto the altar, and stood beside him.

"A deity's corpse!" He knew without a doubt that the stone coffin contained a divine corpse. He had searched for it for a long time without success, never expecting it to be in the planet's core. But how could an ordinary person possess the immense power to pull it out in one go?!

"Am I going to the Ziwei Ancient Star with him?!" Ye Fan's hair stood on end. This was a Divine Thought, a manifestation of a deity's malevolent thoughts, not a benevolent entity. "He's about to undergo Dao transformation and disappear. I hope he dissipates midway." Ye Fan was certain that if the old man in green robes vanished, the divine corpse would surely fall into his hands!

With a loud bang, five-colored divine light shot skyward. Ye Fan, the old man in green robes, and the stone coffin containing the divine corpse instantly disappeared behind the Bagua starry gate. "Return to my homeland, not to be buried in a foreign land..." Only this single phrase echoed from the starry gate.

***

Big Dipper Starfield, Eastern Wasteland, Ji Family.

It was another late night, the starlight brilliant. Ji Ziyue gazed up at the starry sky, sitting for most of the night, finally letting out a soft sigh. Several years had passed in a flash. She didn't know if the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin had reached the other end of the starry sky. She just gazed up every night, remembering the past, unable to smile.

In the Northern Region, important archaic royal families like the Divine Spirit Valley and Myriad Dragon Nest were also gazing at the starry sky, discussing a major matter. "Are you certain they went to the Ziwei Ancient Starfield back then?" "We can activate the divine platform left by an ancient emperor and try to summon them!" "But that would be too costly!"