Chapter 842: Human Emotions

The clairvoyant said that Ye Fan would be able to return to the other end of the starry sky in the near future. However, Ye Fan did not know how distant this "near future" truly was, or what period of time it encompassed.

Was it a matter of months, years, or even decades? Cultivators could easily live for several centuries, so a few years felt brief, and even a few decades was not considered long.

Yet, how could he wait so long? He had been inexplicably stranded on this side for over twenty years. How much longer could his gray-haired parents wait?

The most profound sorrow in life was to lose a child in one's old age. For elderly parents, their children were their sole hope, and for a child to pass away before them was the most devastating blow.

Ye Fan could not imagine the depth of his parents' grief when he disappeared from Mount Tai. The thought of his white-haired parents, murmuring and trembling as they caressed his photo in their twilight years, tore at his heart.

A constant fear gnawed at him: that by the time he returned, everything would have changed beyond recognition. For all these years, he had been desperately cultivating, solely for the purpose of returning.

Even if he could only see them once, to sit together and share a reunion meal, to see his white-haired parents' faces light up with their old smiles, even through tear-filled eyes.

When he left, his parents already showed signs of aging. Now, more than twenty years had passed, and he truly feared that their hearts were filled with sorrow, their health had worsened, or even worse. Whenever he thought of this, Ye Fan's heart ached and his vision blurred. The greatest kindness in this world was the nurturing grace of one's parents, and the thought that he couldn't return from a foreign land when they missed him most during their remaining precious years was agonizing.

Losing their only child in old age, how desolate the hearts of the two elderly parents must be. His father's back was no longer straight, and his hair had grown even whiter. How could they possibly bear such a burden?

While others cultivated to attain the Dao, Ye Fan's greatest purpose, from beginning to end, was simply to return and see the parents who had given him life.

Longevity, becoming a Great Emperor, immortality – none of these held more importance for him than seeing his parents again. This was the essence of human affection.

A stubborn stone could be immortal and exist forever, but it would remain cold, forever numb and unaware of human affection.

If he abandoned his parents merely to live longer in this world, what meaning would there be? Would he become as indifferent as a stone, forsaking his true human nature?

Since arriving in this world, he had simply been quietly working towards his goal, never loudly swearing or boasting about what he would achieve.

Now that he had learned he might truly be able to return in the near future, he would not give up, no matter what. He was not an indifferent stone; he possessed the sincere filial piety of an innocent child.

To prevent his aging parents from shedding tears, to prevent his white-haired parents from being disheartened, to prevent the two elderly parents from sadly waking up from their dreams, he would return even if it meant being torn to pieces, solely to ensure their twilight years were no longer filled with loneliness and sorrow.

He was also reluctant to leave this world. He had friends with whom he shared life and death, a captivating confidante, a challenging path ahead that inspired striving, and ancient mysteries waiting to be explored. Everything was so captivating, yet he had no choice but to make a decision.

Just as he couldn't abandon his parents, Ji Ziyue also couldn't leave her father, mother, and brother. She couldn't abandon this world, and would only follow his footsteps once her earthly ties had run their course.

Even the Black Emperor, with no family or relatives, was unwilling to leave his own world, missing the Great Emperor Wushi and wishing to remain in his homeland, even if it meant only guarding his tomb in the end. Everyone had their own persistence and reliance, for this was true human emotion. Ye Fan's greatest motivation for cultivating in this world was to go home, to quietly persevere, not to attain the Dao.

Time was short; his parents could not wait. While his friends in this world still had long lifespans, and his departure would sadden them, they could still continue along their original life paths. However, if he did not return, his parents would live out their remaining lives in sorrow and despair.

Despite the struggle and helplessness, a choice had to be made. Filial piety was the foremost of all virtues. He was merely a flesh-and-blood ordinary person; he could not forget the nurturing grace of his parents, and the bond of blood, thicker than water, could never be severed.

He wasn't so narcissistic as to believe that the world would stop turning without him, or that his friends would not continue their lives without him by their side.

He was merely someone who had not yet attained the Dao, not a supreme being who suppressed the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. His old friends and confidante did not live under his protection.

In fact, the foundations supporting these individuals were far stronger than his: the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Imperial families, the Peerless White-Clad Divine King, Qi Luo who would become a Killing Saint, and the First Bandit of the Northern Region who had successfully ascended to sainthood. Their existence could awe the world far more than his.

The individuals supporting Monkey, Ji Ziyue, Little Tingting, Li Heishui, and others were now far stronger than him. He had never been their protector.

As for Ji Ziyue, if they couldn't be together, and he didn't know if they would ever reunite, what promise could he give her? It was better to bless her and let go, allowing her to journey further, guiding her heart so she could find her own truly brilliant starry sky.

Although Ye Fan was saddened, he couldn't shed tears. He could only quietly proceed, allowing his old friends to continue along their original paths, without changing their future because of him.

"Are you really going back?" Li Heishui asked, sitting on the cliff.

"Yes," Ye Fan nodded.

"You must think this through," Monkey said, perched on the branch of an ancient tree stretching out from the cliff face. "More than twenty years have passed; perhaps everything has changed beyond recognition. It might not be the outcome you want to see."

"Even if there's a sliver of hope, I will go back," Ye Fan said in a low voice, "even if it means facing the cruelest possible outcome."

"To be honest, I understand how you feel," Monkey sighed. "If I had a chance to return to the Primordial Era, I would abandon everything and go back. It's a pity I don't even have a shred of hope to try."

"You need to be mentally prepared," Yan Yixi said, sitting on a large rock at the edge of the cliff. Ye Fan had not hidden anything from them, telling them about his past, which allowed them to infer some things that might have happened over the years.

"This is my obsession," Ye Fan said. "If I can't go back, I might go mad one day, or even suffer qi deviation."

"This is human affection," Li Heishui sighed.

"Some people seclude themselves for a lifetime of cultivation, some are bound by love their whole lives, some remain obsessive until old age, while some maintain a peaceful mind until the end," Ye Fan said. "This is human nature and emotion; everyone has their own pursuits, their own persistence, and their own kind of reliance."

The few of them all sighed, realizing there was no reason to stop him from leaving. Monkey grabbed a purple-gold gourd, took a hearty gulp, and offered it around. The others took turns taking a sip of the thousand-year-old divine wine, which was clearly stolen from Qi Luo.

"Damn you, Monkey, you stole my wine again! That was my last bottle of thousand-year-old aged wine! I'll kill you!" From a distance, Qi Luo's heartbroken shriek could be heard.

The people on the cliff immediately scattered in chaos, fleeing into the distance.

The Black Dog was the last to leave, guzzling down the wine from the gourd on the ground until not a drop remained. Hiccupping from the wine, it then conjured a formation platform and traversed through the void.

"Ahhh..." Qi Luo shrieked. Reaching the cliff, he picked up the gourd, heartbroken and cursing incessantly.

"Ancestor, Que'er wants to drink too," a tiny tot, sucking on a pacifier, tugged at his trousers.

"It smells so good..." Tongtong, Gu Fei, and Gu Lin also twitched their upturned little noses, their faces filled with longing.

"I'm telling you, this is poison! You're not allowed to touch it ever again!" Qi Luo warned. He was genuinely afraid that before he could rein in the big drunkard, a bunch of little drunkards would grow up, leaving not a single bottle of his precious collection untouched.

The future of the Heavenly Court was infinitely bright; anyone could see that. As long as the children grew up and individuals like those with the Grand Yin physique and the Holy Prince of Fighting were brought in, it would become an invincible divine dynasty.

The Black Dog was particularly valued by Qi Luo, almost revered, solely for the purpose of having it engrave the Great Emperor Wushi's formation patterns to protect the mountain gate.

However, the Black Emperor currently lacked interest, always feeling that training two Silver Blood Imperial Clan members was more fulfilling. It boasted that it would train the "Silver Blood Twin Emperors" in the future, destroying Prince Tian Huang and Yuangu.

"Could you guys stop looking at me like that?" Ye Fan said. "As if I'm about to leave. Although the clairvoyant said so, it might still take a few years, you know."

"Every look is one less, so hurry and take a few more glances," the Black Dog said.

"Damn dog, do you even know how to talk? I'm not about to die," Ye Fan said, kicking it.

The Black Emperor shamelessly sidled closer and said, "Anyway, since you're leaving, why not give me that Kylin immortal medicine and the Cauldron of Myriad Mother Qi?"

"You really have no conscience," Ye Fan said, grabbing its neck. "You're not troubled by my departure, but by the things on me. I'll strangle you!"

"Woof, I'm just afraid you'll kick the bucket halfway and lose these immortal treasures."

"Beat this damn dog," someone said, and a group of people came forward and ganged up on the Black Emperor. The sounds of dog yelps filled the air, somewhat diluting the melancholic atmosphere.

"This time I'm leaving, and the timing is uncertain," Ye Fan asked. "I want to eliminate a group of people before I go. Do you have any targets?"

"Wang Teng!"

"Yuangu!"

"Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman!"

"And those mysterious individuals who attacked us," someone added. "Among them, we only know of a crippled Nine-Aperture Stone Man whose identity is unknown."

They casually named a few people they wanted to kill, but then they all shook their heads, saying that he didn't need to act, as they would deal with them themselves in the future.

Monkey, in particular, flatly refused, insisting he would kill everyone himself. He had the right to say this, as a Holy Prince who had already attained the Dao; if no Saints appeared, who could contend with him?

"Brother Monkey, let's have a competition to see who kills more, who eliminates them first!" Ye Fan said. In this great era, much blood would be spilled, and some people were destined to fall.

He reminded Li Heishui, Li Tian, and others not to act, saying that this time they just needed to watch quietly and use this period to cultivate well.

Monkey's uncle had now been confirmed to be alive, sitting on Mount Sumeru and overlooking the entire land. If the Holy Prince went to seek revenge, no one would dare to trouble him.

"My grandfather passed away, and the Old Undying finally agreed to take me as his disciple," Li Heishui said. "I'll go into cultivation for a while, but I'll often visit the Heavenly Court to check in."

This time, even if Ye Fan left, he would feel at ease, as almost everyone else, except for Li Tian and Yan Yixi, had the backing of a Saint.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha, the War God of the Southern Barbarian Clan, the Ji family, the Peerless White-Clad Divine King, the First Bandit Old Undying, Qi Luo, and others were all so powerful they left people breathless.

"I'll introduce you to a Saint master."

Ye Fan smiled at Li Tian and the others.