Chapter 865: Emperor's Son's Shattered Memories

Chapter 867: Fragments of the Emperor's Son's Memories

The secret revelation that the Great Emperor Void might have visited ancient China left Ye Fan and Pang Bo wide-eyed, looking at each other in stunned silence for a long time.

At that moment, a name simultaneously surfaced in their minds: the Yellow Emperor. This half-human, half-divine being was born by the Ji River. Could there be some connection or cause and effect?

However, after a brief thought, they shook their heads, dismissing the idea. The timelines simply didn't match; the Yellow Emperor was an ancient figure from perhaps four thousand years ago, while the Great Emperor Void had passed away over one hundred thousand years ago.

"Elders, could you elaborate? We are all ears," Pang Bo stepped forward, eagerly supporting an old man by the arm.

"Easy there, you'll break my bones," the old man from the Ji family grimaced, unable to comfortably bear Pang Bo's arm, which was three times thicker than a normal person's. He said, "I saw this in ancient texts in the Scripture Repository. The records were vague, and I'd almost forgotten about them."

"This is not the place for conversation. Please, come inside," the Ji Family Holy Lord said with a slight smile, accompanied by Ji Haoyue, who would officially take over in a few years.

The Ji family ruled the Southern Domain, overseeing the Eastern Wasteland. Few legacies could compare; they had produced a human emperor, making their foundation immensely powerful and unparalleled.

Clouds and mist swirled, various halls floated in the void, spiritual birds danced, and orchids emitted a fragrant scent, like an immortal realm. It was a magnificent sight.

Pure lands floated and sank, suspended on clouds, while ten-thousand-foot-tall mountains stood tall, with vast, white waterfalls cascading down, creating an incredibly grand spectacle.

"Ooooh..."

From a distance, a great roar echoed. A large black mountain loomed amidst the clouds, where a black flood dragon, as thick as a mountain ridge, was tethered.

The group was quite surprised. A family that had produced a Great Emperor was indeed extraordinary. That flood dragon exuded immense power, had a pure bloodline, its roar accompanied by the sound of the Great Dao, and its cultivation level was unfathomable.

Ji Ziyue explained, "That is the Sacred Domain, connected to a small world. The black dragon guards it and can never move a single step away. It lives its entire life in front of the Black Dragon Pool. It's quite pitiful; my brother and I often went to keep it company when we were children."

Clearly, it was a secret location, of utmost importance to the Ji family. Only direct descendants could set foot there, confirming that their true power was indeed unfathomable.

On the way, Ye Fan encountered an acquaintance: Old Eighth of the Ji family, a prominent elder who had sided with the Wang family of the Northern Plains and had gone to great lengths to make things difficult for him in the past.

Both were startled at the sight of each other. Old Eighth of the Ji family's eyes flickered, and he finally sighed inwardly, cupped his hands, and departed. Things were different now. The Northern Plains Wang family had been flattened by Ye Fan and his iron cavalry. The situation was stronger than any individual; if he tried to cause trouble, he would likely be suppressed by the Ji family themselves first.

The Central Void Heavenly Palace, majestic and towering, stood like an ancient celestial court. Immortal cranes danced, and colorful luan birds called out, circling above. Only the most distinguished guests were allowed entry, but now its gates were wide open.

The Ji family was very courteous. Ye Fan's single battle had shaken the world and drawn widespread attention; he had even slain the bloodline of an ancient emperor. Who else could stop his progress?

The older generation of the Ji family had thoroughly investigated and, upon learning of the relationship between Ji Haoyue's siblings and Ye Fan's group, naturally wanted to draw him into their faction.

In the past, some had opposed Ji Ziyue's close association with Ye Fan, but now almost all had changed their minds. If this alliance brought a Great Accomplishment Saint Body to the Ji family, they would be worry-free for ten thousand years.

Before Ye Fan and Pang Bo could even ask about the Ji River, a living fossil cut straight to the chase, saying, "I hear you come from the other end of the starry sky. Is that true?"

By now, the mystery of Ye Fan's identity was no longer a secret; many people already knew. His question was therefore not surprising.

"Yes," Ye Fan nodded, admitting it.

"The star domains are boundless and hold too many secrets. It's no wonder ancient emperors traveled far; the universe contains many mysteries unknown to us," an old man sighed.

Graceful and beautiful maidens elegantly entered the Heavenly Palace, serving tea. The fragrant aroma filled the air; it was actually Enlightenment Tea, a divine item rarely offered to guests.

"I didn't expect to be able to taste this divine tea so often lately," the Black Emperor stood on its hind legs, extending a large paw to demand some, startling the maidens so much they almost dropped the tray on its face.

Soon after, an elder of the Ji family personally retrieved an ancient scroll and reviewed it with Pang Bo and Ye Fan, looking for the mysterious places the Great Emperor Void had visited.

"Hmm, speaking of which, our Ji family is not native to the Big Dipper Star Domain. In fact, it seems ancient emperors all crossed over from other star domains. It's not certain that anyone truly belongs to this world," a living fossil stated.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were both astonished. Only the Black Emperor poked out its massive head, shaking it and saying, "The Ruthless Emperor and the Great Emperor Wushi were born in this world and attained Dao here."

"Perhaps," the Ji family's living fossil smiled, not arguing.

"Perhaps our clan's Great Emperor also came from your world," the old man who was examining the ancient texts with Pang Bo said.

"Impossible. One hundred thousand years ago, our ancestors were still living in places like Zhoukoudian and Yuanmou, eating raw meat and blood. How could there have been cultivators?" Pang Bo shook his head.

Then he paused, dumbfounded. How could he understand everything about this world with an Earth-centric mindset? He shouldn't dismiss theories of mysticism.

Since figures like Laozi and pre-Qin Qi Refiners existed, perhaps ancient times were completely different from conventional understanding, and a war of gods might have truly taken place.

There were too many myths and legends on Earth, and some were connected to this world, even corroborating each other. Could they have really happened?

"Found it, here..." Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the two old men carefully read the ancient text sealed with Dao patterns. It mentioned Qi Refiners and spoke of the ancient starry sky road.

However, the records were extremely sparse, containing only a few key terms. This was recorded by the Emperor's Son in his late years, based on what he heard as a child. But what exactly the Great Emperor Void had said was not clearly remembered, only vague impressions.

"It must be Earth!" Ye Fan and Pang Bo stared blankly.

"And... the War of the Heavenly Court!" Even the Black Emperor stared wide-eyed, fixated on the last phrase, lost in thought.

The Ji family members, however, chuckled. Many old seniors shook their heads, saying not to take it seriously. Those were things the Emperor's Son heard as a child, long since blurred, only muttering them aloud when he passed away, and then recorded by later generations. Some had been verified, but many were just stories the Void Emperor's Son heard in childhood, not factual, although there were traces to be found.

"The War of the Heavenly Court!" Ye Fan murmured to himself, his thoughts undisturbed by their skepticism. There must be many unknown secrets on Earth that had vanished into the river of history.

"There's also a partial map," they found at the very end. It was a corner of a landscape map, depicting a large mountain, but with no text.

"It looks a bit like Mount Tai," Ye Fan and Pang Bo exchanged glances, finding it more and more similar the longer they looked.

"This is a mountain map the Emperor's Son conceived and drew based on his vague memories before passing away."

Mount Tai, known as the foremost mountain under heaven, was regarded in ancient times as the place where the sun first rose and all things developed. Historical records state that no mountain is greater, and no history is older!

"Laozi's departure from Hangu Pass to the west, riding an ox, yet leaving Earth, is enough to prove that many legends are true," Pang Bo said.

"The Laozi you speak of, was he an old man riding a green ox?" the Ji family's master suddenly asked.

"Exactly."

"I have seen him," the Ji family's master stated.

"Pfft!"

Ye Fan and Pang Bo spluttered out their Enlightenment Tea, their faces showing incredulous shock. The beautiful maidens rushed over to clean up.

"When I was young, I saw our clan elders respectfully welcome such a person..." the Ji Family Holy Lord began.

That was over two thousand years ago. He was young then and could only observe such honored guests from a distance, unable to say much. Afterwards, he learned that it was an unfathomable person who had come specifically to visit the legacy of the Great Emperor Void.

"Speaking of visitors from beyond this domain, there have been several instances," a living fossil said.

In the past, they would never have revealed these secrets. But now, Ye Fan was their peer and himself came from beyond this domain, which is why they spoke so much, wanting to explore these matters together.

Several ancient texts were brought forth, but unfortunately, no clear leads could be found. It was unknown which ancient star domain those few individuals came from; they didn't seem related to Earth, making it difficult to uncover clues.

"I really want to go back to the other end of the starry sky immediately. Ye Zi, do you think we can unearth fragments and ruins of the Heavenly Court?" Pang Bo asked.

"That... is hard to say," Ye Fan mused, stroking his chin.

Finally, Ye Fan and his companions inquired with the Ji family about the whereabouts of the Immortal Ascension Valley. They were told it was a very mysterious place, located within a vast wasteland.

In the past, a Divine King of the Ji family had entered the Immortal Palace outside the Primordial Forbidden Land, gained an opportunity, and was eventually teleported into the Immortal Ascension Valley, thus learning of its existence.

"Ziyue, you can go with him. I'm here at home, so you don't need to worry," Ji Haoyue told his sister when they were alone.

A living fossil of the Ji clan passed by and overheard their conversation. Instead of objecting, he stated that if they could indeed go to the other end of the starry sky, there would surely be a way to return.

The group left the Ji family and headed for the Immortal Ascension Valley. Ye Fan wanted to see Lin Jia, wondering how she was doing now, as he couldn't forget some past events.

A group of them had arrived in this world, yet the others never seemed to appear, leaving him with questions. He truly didn't know what they were doing or where they were scattered.

"How many of us came to this world back then? It should have been sixteen, right?" Pang Bo murmured to himself.

"Yes, on the ancient planet Yinghuo, more than a dozen people died in the ancient coffin. Only sixteen survived and made it to this world," Ye Fan said.

"Among them, Liu Yunzhi, Li Changqing, and Wang Yan tried to harm us, but they died in the tiger's den outside the Primordial Forbidden Land right after arriving in this world," Pang Bo nodded.

They were taken away to cultivate by the six Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands of Yan Province. Among them, three passed away within a few years: one had cultivation problems, one was killed while out, and one was torn apart by a strange beast while gathering herbs.

Now, only ten people truly remained alive. Li Xiaoman had turned hostile, becoming a major enemy. Zhang Wenchang was on Zhuo Peak, Liu Yiyi had entered the Jade Pool, and Kaide had been taken by an old monk to become a Buddhist guardian vajra. The remaining few—Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Lin Jia, and Zhang Ziling—had not appeared, and it was unknown what experiences they had encountered.

"Are you sure that everyone else, besides us, on ancient planet Yinghuo, in the bronze ancient coffin, and after arriving on this ancient planet, has died?" Ye Fan asked.

Pang Bo pondered, not responding immediately.

"I always feel like there's a ghostly figure standing in the darkness, watching me," Ye Fan murmured to himself.