Chapter 793: Feathered Immortal Transformation

## Chapter 795: Ascension to Immortality

A faint mental imprint from the female Saint was emitted, causing Ye Fan’s heart to tremble. What kind of sentiment was this? To pursue with the true heart of a female Saint, only to find footprints, to follow behind, and to gaze up for an entire lifetime – it was truly lamentable.

To be able to become a female Saint, she must have been a peerless divine maiden, a prodigy of her generation, shrouded in a divine aura, the focus of all eyes, looking down on the world with pride. Yet, she abandoned everything, embarked on her journey alone, facing the cold and dark universe, ceaselessly searching. Over long years, on a lonely path, her beauty turned to dust, and she sat in silent meditation until death in a desolate corner of the universe. Living out her life in such solitude, no one knew her final thoughts. No outcome, no hope, yet this was her ultimate fate.

On the majestic dao platform, chaotic mists swirled. The tall figure seated cross-legged remained motionless, as if it hadn't stirred for millennia. Ye Fan felt that the crescent moon pendant's ability to pacify the Formless Killing Array was itself enough to explain everything. In the eyes of the world, Formless was divine and omnipotent, awe-inspiring to all races, suppressing the seven great forbidden zones, annihilating foreign gods, sweeping across the six directions and eight wildernesses. He was invincible across heaven and earth, feared by all, ancient and modern.

However, no matter his immense power, which shook ancient and modern times, he could not reverse time or change the female Saint’s fate. There must have been an unknown past between them; otherwise, the crescent moon pendant could never have quieted the Formless Array. One must know that even the Black Emperor could not set foot here, and Formless’s life or death was unknown.

“What a pity, what a lament! Although the ancient Great Emperors were invincible across heaven and earth, they were also the most sorrowful individuals.” Every person has their own story; the ancient Great Emperors were peerlessly powerful, suppressing all realms for eternity, sweeping away foreign deities, yet they too harbored such regrets.

“Greetings, Great Emperor Formless!” The old blind man prostrated himself devoutly. Duan De and Ye Fan were no exception; they performed the grand ritual solemnly, genuinely paying their respects to Formless. Those who walk the path of a Great Emperor fear no heaven, revere no earth, and believe in no one else, but this does not mean disrespect for their predecessors. Formless made great contributions to the human race, making him worthy of their homage. This was the proper reverence and respect due.

“Great Emperor…” When the old blind man looked up again, the front was empty; there was nothing left.

“How could this be…?” They were startled. The tall, majestic figure had vanished, no longer on the dao platform, as if it had never appeared at all.

“Was that truly him we just saw?” They felt some doubt.

“Perhaps it was a mere shadow left from bygone years…” After careful consideration, they concluded this must be the case. Otherwise, how immensely powerful were the ancient Great Emperors? A single wisp of imperial might could crush heaven and earth. If his true body had been there, they would not have been able to approach at all. They would likely have disintegrated instantly, their flesh, blood, and primordial spirits ceasing to exist.

Who had ever seen a true Imperial corpse? No one in the world could approach one. In the past, even the shed skin of the Undying Heavenly Sovereign required an Extreme Imperial Weapon to contend with; otherwise, one could not get close, let alone the true body of a Great Emperor.

The whole world fell silent. This was the desolate latter half of the Great Emperor's life. No one saw him alive, no one saw his corpse. Where was Formless, and where had he gone?

At this moment, the three were filled with doubts, their minds racing with countless thoughts. What exactly had happened? This dao platform was empty, with nothing on it. The dao platform was silent. Chaotic mist swirled. With complex emotions, they walked forward step by step, carefully examining every inch of the area. The ancient dao platform, etched with the marks of time, recounted the lifelong solitude of the ancient Great Emperor. He had sat alone, his back to all living beings. What was he gazing at in the distance? The majestic, cross-legged figure was gone from the center of the dao platform, but the image of his back, with black hair cascading like a waterfall, was hard for them to erase from their minds.

“There’s something on the ground…” Where he had sat, lay a shredded feathered robe, scattered there. It was unknown how many tens of thousands of years had passed, yet it had endured.

“A dao robe of ascension…”

“Could it be that Great Emperor Formless had dissolved into the Great Dao?” All three felt a jolt in their hearts, and a sense of desolation. Even the most powerful human Great Emperor could not ultimately withstand the passage of time, leaving no corpse behind. Formless left nothing behind. How divine and majestic he was in life, unrivaled across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Yet, when he departed, it was with such humility, vanishing like a wisp of wind. His death caused no earth-shattering commotion, nor did it shake the world. He simply dispersed with the wind. Was this truly the Great Emperor Formless who had once suffocated all realms and myriad worlds?

“He just left this world like that? This isn’t like the peerlessly powerful Formless! Even in death, he should have caused heaven and earth to tremble. How could he have chosen to dissolve his imperial body?” Duan De muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the old blind man’s body trembled, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. He said, “This… could it be ascension to immortality?”

Duan De exclaimed in shock, “What?! Impossible! Who has ever become an immortal since ancient times? All the legends of old are untrustworthy; evidence can be found to prove them false.”

“Perhaps Great Emperor Formless really succeeded, forcibly breaking through the world’s shackles, and ascended to immortality.” The old blind man’s eyes glowed with fervor.

Ancient texts record that “ascension to immortality” is actually dissolution into the Dao, marking the end of a life, not true immortality. However, others refute this, claiming that in the distant past, true ancient immortals existed. “Every ten thousand years constitutes a tribulation, allowing only one person to ascend.”

“I think he dissolved into the Dao. Look, there are still ashes here, clearly left from when the Great Emperor’s body was burned during his ascension.” Duan De stared at the shredded robe.

“If it were true ascension, the true body could only carry one weapon into the Immortal Realm. The ashes must be from other personal items of the Great Emperor that were destroyed…” The old blind man countered.

“This further proves that Great Emperor Formless dissolved into the Dao, because the Formless Bell is still here and was not taken by him.” Duan De said.

“Perhaps there was a special reason; he didn’t have time to take his Imperial Weapon, and went to the Immortal Realm alone. Who, ancient or modern, could open such a path? The opportunity is fleeting.” The old blind man’s confidence wavered.

“Enough, arguing about this is pointless. Whether it’s dissolving into the Dao or ascending to immortality, in any case, he has ascended and is no longer in this world. A chaotic era without a human Great Emperor is about to begin. We should be thinking about that instead.” Ye Fan interrupted them.

There was nothing else on the dao platform. The few of them sighed in unison. This outcome truly exceeded their expectations; they were very disappointed.

Finally, Ye Fan placed the snow-white skull of the female Saint among the shredded feathered robe, burying it there. “If they couldn’t be together in life, let them share a grave in death!” He sighed softly.

In a crevice of the cliff beneath the dao platform, an ancient medicinal king blossomed with seven-colored flowers, swaying and emitting dazzling divine radiance. The entire plant was translucent, and its fragrant aroma permeated the air.

“How can we enter a treasure mountain and return empty-handed? Every medicinal king is a life. Let’s harvest them all…” Duan De said. He was very uninhibited, pulling Ye Fan along and urging him to collect them. At this moment, they dared not discard the crescent-shaped pendant; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to move an inch, and would instantly turn to dust.

On the dao platform, dao patterns were densely packed. This was the complete Formless Killing Array. Unless a Great Emperor personally arrived, no one could enter. Chaotic waterfalls cascaded, falling from the dao platform. Swathes of dao patterns shimmered faintly, but they did not harm the trio in the slightest. They climbed all the way, collecting eight ancient medicinal kings in one go. Duan De and the old blind man trembled with excitement. Each plant could extend life by four hundred years. What an astonishing divine treasure this was! If they harvested a few more, it would almost equal an an undying divine medicine.

In the end, their entire bodies were permeated with the scent of medicine. Their flesh and blood became almost translucent, illuminated by the ancient medicinal kings. Breathing in the essence of the ancient herbs, all their pores opened up, giving them a feeling of lightness and impending ascension. When they climbed down from the dao platform, they had collected a total of thirteen ancient medicinal kings. If this news were to spread, it would surely shock the world. Aside from Purple Mountain, all other desolate mountains, wildernesses, and great wastelands combined likely didn't have this many. Each plant required the nourishment of earth milk for at least eighty to ninety thousand years.

“We’re rich now! Together, they’re almost comparable to a single undying divine medicine!” Duan De was so excited he was nearly convulsing. The old blind man couldn't remain calm either. His eyes were fervent, almost frenzied, as he continuously caressed one ancient medicinal king after another, seeing nothing but their lustrous and clear forms.

After the three had calmed down, Ye Fan flicked his wrist and threw the crescent-shaped pendant onto the dao platform. It landed precisely between the shredded feathered robe and in front of the snow-white, crystalline skull. Ten-thousand-foot chaotic divine waterfalls cascaded down, submerging the dao platform. No one could take another step forward; otherwise, they would surely turn to ashes. Not even a Saint could endure it.

“Wait a moment. Do you think this dao platform might be a great tomb, with Formless’s corpse inside?” Duan De suddenly said before they left.

“This…” Both Ye Fan and the old blind man were startled.

“Based on my many years of tomb-raiding experience, this is very likely an Imperial tomb.” Duan De stated with absolute certainty. Even if it were, they would be powerless to enter. The dao platform was densely covered with patterns everywhere. If they were to truly attempt to dismantle it, not to mention without the pendant, even if they followed a formation map to dismantle it, they would be utterly annihilated.

Finally, they left the place. Purple Mountain was vast, and there were many areas they hadn't explored, but Ye Fan had lost all interest. He only wanted to go to the Formless Bell.

The three walked back, and when they passed the row of crystal coffins carved by the Undying Heavenly Sovereign, they all froze in shock. A chill ran through their bodies, and their hearts grew cold. All the crystal coffins were open, and completely empty. There were some black footprints on the ground. The place was as chilling and terrifying as a hall of the netherworld.

“Quick, let’s go!” Duan De cried out. No one was more familiar with tombs than him, and upon seeing this scene, his face turned pale.

Howls… From all directions, piercing wails and howls echoed everywhere, as if the gates of hell had been flung open. Black, withered figures surged forward from every direction.

“Damn it! They’re all subordinates of the Undying Heavenly Sovereign! This time, we’re really in trouble! Every single one of them was a divine general from the Mythological Era!” Even though these beings had long been dead and devoid of their magical power, their withered bodies were still terrifyingly formidable. If such a horde charged, even an ancient Great Saint would be torn to shreds.

There was no other choice; they could only unleash the Ancient Sky-Swallowing Demonic Jar. Even with Ye Fan controlling the Saint’s shell, it wouldn’t be enough. There were simply too many terrifying specters. “There’s a terrifying living entity controlling these withered corpses! He wants to seize the medicinal kings!”

The Ancient Sky-Swallowing Demonic Jar trembled, spewing forth swathes of black light, carving out a path. They quickly ran forward, daring not to linger. The Ruthless Great Emperor’s weapon was indeed powerful, capable of annihilating a large area, but its consumption was immense. It might drain them dry. It was not advisable to fight to the death in this place. The three fled quickly, pursued closely by a horde of specters with dragon heads or qilin bodies. The entire interior of Purple Mountain erupted in chaos; corpse shadows were everywhere.

“Damn it! Even a Saint would suffer defeat here! How could that old scoundrel, the Undying Heavenly Sovereign, leave behind such a bunch of worthless subordinates?!” Duan De cursed loudly.

Boom!

Finally, they had no choice but to activate the Sky-Swallowing Jar, which unleashed a terrifying wave of black light. No matter how powerful the Undying Heavenly Sovereign’s subordinates were, they could only disintegrate.

“No, it’s too much! They’re not concentrated in one place, and there’s a living entity secretly orchestrating this.” The old blind man frowned.

Nevertheless, they eventually retreated to the rear of the most spacious great hall within Purple Mountain, where a stone scripture lay horizontally.

“You two go. I’m staying.” Ye Fan inserted a piece of Imperial Jade into a stone slot.

“Why are you staying? You’ll surely die here! Come with us, quickly!” The old blind man said.

“There’s no other way. The Primordial Myriad Races are about to emerge. Without a force to deter them, an unprecedented dark turmoil is bound to come.” Ye Fan said.

“What are you planning to do…?”

“Purple Mountain is my first stop. I want to make the Formless Bell ring for three consecutive months, to awe the human world and make them question Formless’s life or death.” Ye Fan said.

“You’re insane! Don’t even talk about ringing for three months; even three rings would turn you to dust! Not even a Saint’s shell can withstand the Formless Bell’s waves!”

“I have a way to block it. Hurry and go!” Ye Fan urged, pressing a piece of Imperial Jade into a slot, which immediately erupted in a curtain of light, tearing open the void.

“If you dare to stay, and we don’t do something, we’d have no face to go out.” The old blind man said, steadfastly insisting on leaving the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Jar behind.

Duan De was almost in tears, but he didn’t object. With a choked voice, he said, “Damn it! Don’t you lose it! I’ll come back in three months to dig up the grave and steal my own treasure.”

Moreover, of the thirteen medicinal kings, the two only took four, leaving the remaining nine for Ye Fan, for him to extend his life.

The Formless Bell was about to ring, and an unprecedented storm was approaching!