Chapter 830: Towards War with the Ancient Divine Dynasty

Chapter 832: Declaring War on Ancient Assassin Dynasties

Twelve years had passed. Looking back, everything had changed; the people were gone. In the quiet pine forest, only a solitary grave remained. He could no longer see that woman; they were separated forever by life and death.

The wind stirred the white flowers brought by Kuzhu and others, scattering them over the grave. A trace of sorrow, a few wisps of fragrance—this was Qin Yao's life.

Who was merely a transient in whose life? Scattered flowers, a cold tombstone, a lonely grave—no answers were needed, no words necessary.

A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky, sparsely, wetting the white flowers, diluting their faint scent, and adding a touch of chill.

“The last time you came, you left immediately after seeing Senior Red Dragon, without even pausing for a moment. Did it ever occur to you that an old acquaintance, a woman with whom you once had ties, was here?” Jin Yan's voice grew high-pitched, seemingly agitated. She clenched her fists and glared at Ye Fan.

“Were you in such a hurry? What earth-shattering event was waiting for you? Were you going to mend the sky?! There’s a woman here, lying in a cold coffin—is she really that insignificant? You’ve long forgotten her, even a brief pause would have been enough.” Jin Yan pointed at him, her body trembling with anger.

A pine forest, a grave, a lone figure. The world was desolate and cold. Rain fell. Ye Fan stood for a long time; what could he say now?

Qin Yao had withered like a flower, her life reaching its end. She had blossomed brilliantly like a firework, only to return to eternal darkness and silence.

Jin Yan, Kuzhu, and the others had left. Ye Fan was alone on the mountain, facing the new grave amidst the rustling rain.

The rain grew heavier, finally pouring down and drenching him from head to toe. Drops constantly fell, some on his face. His lips moved, his voice hoarse, but it was indistinct, lost in the wind and rain.

He had achieved the Celestial Eye ability, allowing him to see through the mud and the grave, down to the crystal coffin underground. The woman lay cold and silent, unmoving.

She had faded away, her beauty untouched. She lay quietly and mournfully in the coffin, so close yet unreachable, as distant as the ends of the earth.

One step, life; another step, death. Even with only a layer of earth between them, she was unreachable, separated by the underworld, impossible to bring back.

Ye Fan sat before the grave, his hand pressed to the earth, letting the heavy rain pour down on him. He spoke softly for a long time, until dawn.

The next day, the rain had not stopped, though it had lessened considerably. Mist swirled through the pine forest. Ye Fan took one last look at the grave, then slowly descended the mountain, step by step, leaving a trail of footprints.

Down the mountain, Jin Yan, Kuzhu, and others stood, watching through the rain and mist. Finally, Jin Yan could no longer hold back. She pointed a finger at him and shrieked, speaking much, as if venting deep resentment.

Some of her words were sharp, harsh, and hurtful, yet Ye Fan could not refute them. Some of her statements might well have been true, piercing deep into his heart.

“Sister, show some mercy when you can. Do you think Ye Fan wanted to see this? Who wants to see an old friend gone, or experience the separation of life and death? If he didn't have urgent matters, why wouldn't he stop?” Li Tian said.

“Let’s go,” Ye Fan stopped Li Tian, preventing him from saying more. He walked away, step by step, leaving the place that left him disheartened and speechless.

“That little girl was truly something. It’s a pity she died like this,” the Black Emperor mumbled.

Along the long path of cultivation, countless cultivators had fallen. Indeed, at every stage, large numbers of people failed to pass and perished. Only the true heroes achieved success.

This was inherently a ruthless path. Those who ventured into it experienced much cruelty. All one heard were the legends of world-renowned heroes; who would pay attention to the demise of a minor cultivator?

In truth, the path of cultivation was filled with endless tragedies. Yet, apart from those renowned heroes, who would notice the joys and sorrows of others?

Yan Yixi patted Ye Fan’s shoulder without saying much. They left the place, traveling ninety thousand li.

“Where are we going, and what are we going to do?” Li Tian asked.

“I’m going to undergo tribulation,” Ye Fan said.

“Where will you choose?” the Black Emperor chuckled dryly.

“Rack your brains and think carefully. Find me a crucial location for the Underworld and the Human World. I want to face my Heavenly Tribulation in such a place,” Ye Fan said seriously.

He had sealed a portion of his primordial spirit within Yan Yixi’s Goddess Furnace, not integrating it into his own Immortal Platform, thereby forcibly delaying the arrival of his tribulation.

“Let this Emperor think hard. It’s been too long; those are obscure places. I wasn’t very clear about them back then, and now they’re almost completely forgotten,” the big black dog scratched its head, lost in thought.

The group began to wander through the Northern Territory, like ghosts, or perhaps reapers. All of them knew that Ye Fan was brimming with suppressed anger and needed to find someone to unleash a slaughter upon.

These past few days, they tried to find lighter topics to keep the atmosphere from becoming too heavy, though they did not avoid discussing Qin Yao’s death.

“I, Li, have always been one to pass through a thousand flowers. If I were to leave for twelve years, what would happen? Most likely, many women would cheer, damn it!” Li Tian cursed.

“None of you are good at this; you need to learn from this Emperor. With great perseverance, great wisdom, and great fearlessness, cut down everything, bury them in the grave of your heart, and you’ll never have worries.” At this point, the Black Emperor nudged Ye Fan and said, “For you, this is an added experience. The opportunity for Immortal Stage Three Dao Severing might arrive earlier.”

“Dao Severing…” Ye Fan looked into the distance and said, “Let’s go. We’ll talk more once we find the Underworld and Human World.”

“Tell me, young man, have you considered what Dao you will sever in the future?” the Black Emperor asked seriously.

Ye Fan thought for a moment and said, “It’s not about what I want to sever. Seriously considering it, perhaps severing my entire being would be most suitable, as I have too many ties and shackles.”

“...” The Black Emperor, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi all wore bewildered expressions.

“You can’t be serious. Severing yourself? What kind of joke is that? Who has ever done such a thing throughout history? Even if you want to commit suicide, this isn’t the way,” the Black Emperor chided.

Ye Fan said, “Dao Severing is a distant matter. The strongest few prodigies in history, who rivaled young Great Emperors, all eventually fell. My own Dao seems difficult to sever. Let’s get past this tribulation first.”

Following its ancient memories, the Black Emperor searched many places but found no clues. After tens of thousands of years of changes, countless old locations had long been transformed beyond recognition.

Moreover, in its younger years, it wasn't particularly clear about these two great assassin dynasties, nor did it know the whereabouts of their crucial strongholds; it had only vaguely heard some mentions.

One day, they arrived at a desolate mountain range outside Kaiyuan City in the Northern Territory. They immediately stopped and then proceeded on foot into the mountains.

This was because Li Heishui had mentioned that his grandfather, Li Heng, had died fighting here to save them. The group decided to pay their respects.

“It must be that stone cliff.”

A broken spear was embedded in the cliff face. The bloodstains had long dried, forming a dark red, humanoid shape—a shocking sight that hinted at the tragedy of that moment.

Li Heishui had once tearfully recounted that his grandfather had been impaled alive onto the cliff by an old assassin from the Underworld Dynasty with a spear.

One could imagine the valiant sacrifice of a white-haired old man who died fighting to save his descendants. Looking at the broken spear and the dried bloodstains, the group gritted their teeth.

Half a month later, the Black Emperor led them into the western part of the Northern Territory. It recalled that something related to the Underworld Dynasty had happened here years ago.

They entered an ancient mountain range, devoid of life, where not a blade of grass grew. Still, they found nothing, almost completely losing hope. If even a living fossil like the big black dog couldn't find it, who else could possibly know?

“Found it!” Suddenly, the Black Emperor exclaimed excitedly, pointing to a faint mark almost eroded by time, claiming it was a hidden trace of the Underworld.

“They must be in this mountain range. Be careful not to be discovered by them. Search slowly.” Having finally found some clues, they naturally became extremely cautious.

They spent several days hiding in the shadows, only rushing out and heading towards a mountain cliff after seeing a black-clad figure vanish there.

“Yes, I understand now! There’s a minor world here, opened by an ancient sage, a crucial secret stronghold for the Underworld!” the Black Emperor exclaimed.

Besides their supreme ancient main hall, which served as their foundation, the Underworld also had eighteen layers of 'hell,' which were eighteen main branches extending from their core.

These eighteen layers of 'hell' were extremely important. They were all minor worlds from ancient times, independent of the main world, almost impossible to find, immensely mysterious, and all crucial strongholds.

“A minor world opened by a sage—their foundation is truly profound! You all wait outside; I’m going to undergo tribulation!” Ye Fan declared.

Thinking of Pang Bo, whose fate remained unknown; Liu Kou, who was blasted into a bloody mess; Dongfang Ye, whose blood stained Eagle Fall Cliff; and Li Heishui’s grandfather, who was impaled alive—all these bloody incidents, these gruesome scenes, made the anger in his heart boil!

“From today onwards, the Underworld will lose one layer. This is the first account I settle!” Ye Fan’s voice was chilling, echoing throughout the entire mountain range. He had found the entrance, retrieved his primordial spirit from the Goddess Furnace, and stepped inside.

Initially, the Black Emperor, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi were still a bit uneasy and followed him in. However, they immediately started smoking black and quickly retreated.

“This is outrageous! How can such a massive lightning tribulation include humanoid lightning and ancient heavenly palace structures?!” Li Tian had never seen such a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation before.

“Let’s retreat. This isn’t safe either. This minor world is bound to collapse, and anyone stuck inside will be finished!” the Black Emperor bared its teeth, smoke coming from its mouth, its fur standing on end.

They retreated decisively, stopping only after they were far enough away. Everything unfolded as expected: this minor world had existed since ancient times, and after tens of thousands of years, it had become unstable. With the Heavenly Tribulation’s arrival, it finally collapsed.

“Ah…” Screams echoed as the minor world was ripped apart, bordering the outside main world. Everything became visible: lightning had transformed into an ocean, and thunderous storms merged into scorching purple light.

It was a human tragedy. After this collapsing minor world appeared, all sorts of horrific sights became visible. Swathes of figures turned into charred corpses, and countless palaces became ruins.

This was a crucial assassin stronghold, teeming with experts. Everyone was involuntarily undergoing tribulation, unable to escape. Although they attempted to break out, the tribulation clouds constantly loomed overhead, and heavenly thunder continuously struck, leaving no place to flee.

Moreover, Ye Fan had transformed into a humanoid bolt of lightning, relentlessly pursuing and killing experts everywhere. Wherever he passed, people were inevitably reduced to ashes by the tribulation.

“There’s a king!” “There’s actually a powerful king here!”

The Black Emperor, Li Tian, and the others soon discovered a super-being whose power was astonishing. His Heavenly Punishment was boundless, forming an ocean of destructive energy.

“It’s one of the assassin kings who tried to assassinate Ye Fan last time! That’s his aura. We never expected his true self to be here!”

“Ah…” Screams filled the air. People continuously turned into tribulation ashes, truly making it a living hell—but this time, it was others claiming their lives.

There was no suspense in this battle. After Ye Fan rushed forward and locked onto the assassin king, an even vaster sea of divine lightning descended, reducing the king to tribulation ashes.

The battle razed the place, leaving behind only a vast expanse of ruins and piles of humanoid ashes.

That day, the Eastern Wasteland trembled. A secret stronghold of the Underworld had been attacked and dismantled; from then on, there was one less layer of 'hell'!

Ye Fan declared that since the Human World and the Underworld wanted to play, he would see it through to the end. Next, he would hunt down their Divine Sons and Divine Daughters.

At the same time, he put out a bounty for everyone under heaven, offering generous rewards. Whether for providing information on the assassin dynasties or for killing their members, there would be an exorbitant bounty.

The world erupted in an uproar. Was one person truly going to declare war on two ancient assassin dynasties? Everyone was stirred.