Chapter 923: Leaving This World

Ye Fan’s heart ached. He couldn’t help but cry out, rushing to the edge of the stone altar. Yet, he only saw raven hair rapidly whiten and fall out, a sign of severe aging, while the person had already plunged into the dark depths.

He stood there numbly, his mind reeling. What was good, what was evil? What was real, what was false? He was petrified, utterly motionless.

There was no joy from defeating a great enemy, only an indescribable emptiness and sorrow. Powerless, he sat on the edge of the five-colored altar, staring blankly into the depths below.

If Pang Bo was truly evil, how cruel would that be? What else could he believe in? If Li Xiaoman coexisted with the crocodile, how tragic would that be? How had she spent all those years?

Ye Fan felt a weariness he had never experienced before. He longed to fall into a deep slumber, even considering leaping into the abyss. Some of the most important people in his life... he seemed not to understand them anymore, and a strange sorrow welled up within him.

His mind was in turmoil. What was right, what was wrong? If even those closest to him could undergo such astonishing transformations, was there anything that couldn’t change then?

He was utterly exhausted, feeling an unprecedented weakness and grief. Sitting on the edge of the five-colored altar, he hung his head, gazing into the dark abyss, his mind numb.

This made him more exhausted than a thousand life-or-death battles. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to overturn the world, but he was powerless, unable even to lift a single finger.

Sitting there silently, alone, the power of Desolation seeped in from the dark abyss below. His temples turned white, yet he didn't want to move, his eyes devoid of any spark.

On the Central Plains side, Ji Ziyue couldn't resist the urge to rush over, but her brother grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.

Ji Haoyue, imposing and valiant, said in a deep voice, “Not long ago, I wouldn’t have opposed you going with him. But now, you cannot. At this moment, he needs to walk his own path.”

“Ye Fan, he’s in such despair…” Ji Ziyue’s large eyes were red and swollen as she whispered.

The Monkey and Duan De didn’t know what to say. They only hoped Ye Fan would think things through and pull himself together. At this moment, nothing they said would help; no one could assist him.

Among the ancient tribes, many winged races were still moving. They landed on the five-colored altar, but no one dared to disturb the figure in front of them, who resembled a demon god. Fearing they would invite disaster, they all quickly flapped their wings and flew to the opposite shore.

Ye Fan’s hair had turned white, and he looked somewhat dispirited. He sat there, his body drained of strength. Listening to the flapping wings and gazing into the abyss, he wished to remain seated there indefinitely.

“Ah…”

Some ancient tribes landed on the opposite shore and reached the Holy Mountain. They vied for the Nine Marvelous Divine Medicines and collected the divine spring water. Fierce battles for these resources erupted. Many people aged rapidly or died in battle, their cries of agony rising one after another.

Ye Fan remained indifferent to all of this. He stared blankly, sitting numbly. Nothing in the outside world seemed able to stir his inner turmoil.

“Bang!”

From the five-colored altar, a man with long, aquamarine hair emerged. He stood there like a towering divine peak. His eyes were like two divine lamps, capable of peering into others’ souls.

His physique was robust yet slender, powerfully masculine. His body radiated an ethereal glow. He possessed a striking, imposing presence, as if he transcended all living beings, with the bearing of an emperor, like an immortal primordial god.

Huo Linzi had arrived. The ancient emperor’s blood within him roared like a deafening tsunami! It was an unparalleled, mighty potential, as if a great emperor lay dormant within him, ready to revive at any moment!

On the Central Plains side, everyone was astonished. This was the second person after Ye Fan who dared to step onto the five-colored altar without divine wings, and he did so with perfect composure.

“Hum!”

The void rumbled. Huo Linzi leaped high, like a blue immortal flame illuminating the heavens and earth. He seemed capable of flight, traversing the vast sky, landing on the opposite shore, and standing tall on the Holy Mountain.

“He… he actually leaped across in a single bound! What a powerful physique! It’s as terrifying as that of the Human Sacred Body!”

“As expected of an ancient emperor’s direct descendant! His pure physical strength is so immense, surpassing the limits of his constitution. He cleared the Primeval Abyss in one leap!”

People were dumbfounded, finding it unbelievable. One Ye Fan was already astonishing, but now there was Huo Linzi, leaping across the air purely with his physical body. What incredible physique was this?

The bloodline of an ancient emperor inspired awe and fear!

Upon closer thought, Yuan Gu, the eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Yuan, truly couldn’t compare to a direct descendant of an ancient emperor. *This* was the true bloodline of a Primeval Emperor! Any individual who grew up like this could become a terrifying existence, a half-step toward becoming a Dao Prover.

Huo Linzi stepped onto the Holy Mountain, his eyes glowing with a faint blue light. He began a massacre, killing everyone who was contending for the divine spring or attempting to excavate the Nine Marvelous Divine Medicines. Blood flowed like rivers, and corpses lay in piles.

People gasped. Even those who had “severed the Dao” were no match for him. In this place, a powerful bloodline and an invincible physical body were the most terrifying assets, capable of overwhelming any strong foe.

Everyone was horrified. Such a bloodline and innate bone structure were truly powerful beyond measure. Sending any master against him would be futile. At present, only the Holy Prince could contend with him.

Of course, there was also Ye Fan. However, he was currently slumped on the altar, clearly in no mood to pay attention, not even sparing a glance.

With a sigh, Ye Fan finally stood up. His spiritual path was one he had to walk alone. He wanted to leave this place and never return.

Many people were startled, especially those from the Fire Lin Cave. Even Huo Lin’er showed a hint of worry, fearing Ye Fan would attack her brother. Within this Primeval Restricted Zone, the Human Sacred Body was absolutely terrifying.

Humans and all the ancient tribes held their breath. Every movement Ye Fan made attracted countless eyes. If he were to make a move, it would surely shake the heavens.

“Actually, I had already guessed some things, but I couldn’t change anything. Ah…” Ye Fan cried out, his black hair flying wildly. He wanted to leave this world and never return.

This was a place of sorrow.

If there hadn’t been that gathering, if he hadn’t climbed Mount Tai, if the Azure Dragon hadn’t pulled the coffin, he wouldn’t have come here, and none of this would have happened. His life would have been peaceful and tranquil.

“What is lost can never return…”

Feeling such weariness for the first time in his life, Ye Fan felt very weak. He struggled to his feet and stumbled to the center of the altar. He took out the aquamarine star, manifesting ancient symbols one by one and imprinting them into giant stones.

“I want to leave, and never return!” He wanted to escape, to journey far away. If he could go back to the past, he would rather be an ordinary person.

“Ye’er…” On the Central Plains side, Ji Ziyue, Dongfang Ye, and others called out.

A burst of immortal light shot up from the five-colored altar. They were ancient and mysterious symbols, converging to form a Bagua diagram. It was filled with a dense, metallic texture, as if forged from refined gold.

“Go home!” That was Ye Fan’s only thought. To leave this world where it was hard to say who was right and who was wrong. At this moment, he deeply missed his parents.

“Ye’er…” Ji Ziyue cried out loudly. Finally unable to hold back, she rushed towards the golden gate, wanting to land on the five-colored altar.

Ji Haoyue moved, grabbing her wrist. He said, “You cannot go. He is in a very bad state, and I don’t feel at ease with you accompanying him.”

Ji Ziyue cried loudly, but she couldn’t break free, because the God King Ji Haoyue had the Void Mirror hovering above his head, and a trace of imperial might suppressed her.

Above the five-colored altar, a Taiji diagram appeared in the center of the Bagua diagram. The two Yin-Yang fish nestled together, resembling a tightly closed pair of metal doors.

The Taiji Bagua was related to time and space. At this moment, space warped and light became hazy. The Bagua symbols corresponding to Qian, Kun, Xun, Dui, Gen, Zhen, Li, and Kan successively emitted dazzling light!

It was like a set of mysterious and ancient codes. They flickered precisely according to the symbol sets within the aquamarine star, using them to determine coordinates and open the Gate of Time and Space!

The various symbols flashed on and off in a specific sequence. Finally, a dull thud resonated. The Yin-Yang gate slowly opened, and a cosmic aura surged forth, astonishing everyone.

Everyone was stunned. Starlight flickered within the passage, clearly leading to the depths of the universe, revealing an ancient path beneath the starry sky.

Everyone was filled with shock and awe. Even far away in the Central Plains, separated by a spacetime gate, they could perceive a mysterious power – this was the Path to the Celestial Domain.

Even Huo Linzi was greatly surprised. He stared intently at the altar in the abyss and the ancient starry path. Even he felt an urge to leap forward.

“Boom!”

A massive surge of aura rushed up from the depths of the abyss. Several figures flew up through the air; each was incredibly powerful, beyond estimation!

“They are Desolate Slaves, transformed from legendary figures!” people exclaimed.

At this moment, Ye Fan turned around and took one last look at the golden gate. He couldn’t see his old friends on the Central Plains side, as this was a one-way teleportation array, so he could only bid them a silent farewell. He leaped high and vanished into the ancient starry path.

The Desolate Slaves surrounded the Taiji Bagua Gate. It was slowly closing now, about to disappear from this world. They watched motionlessly, making no move.

“Ye Fan…” Ji Ziyue cried loudly.

“Ye Fan!” The Black Emperor, the Monkey, Dongfang Ye, and others also shouted loudly, all clenching their fists.

This departure might be a permanent farewell. They might never meet again in this life.

Ye Fan couldn’t see through the one-way golden gate, but he knew that in that direction, someone was watching him, seeing him off. He silently waved goodbye, bidding farewell to this world.

“Boom!”

The ancient starry path completely closed. The mysterious star gate on the five-colored altar vanished, no longer visible, and the altar returned to peace.

“Brother… quick, escape!” On the Central Plains side, Huo Lin’er cried out.

Within the Primeval Restricted Zone, several Desolate Slaves moved through the air, heading towards the Holy Mountain. Huo Linzi let out a long sigh; he knew the Nine Marvelous Divine Medicines couldn’t be taken, they simply couldn’t be harvested. He summoned his clan’s ancient emperor weapon, transforming into a sacred light, and rushed out of the restricted zone.

The Desolate Slaves did not pursue him. They sensed the aura of a Primeval Emperor and stood silently on the Holy Mountain, gazing into the distance, looking out at the mortal world.

“That woman among the Desolate Slaves is the Heavenly Mark Saintess from six thousand years ago, the former foremost beauty of the Eastern Wasteland! Her appearance hasn’t aged; there’s not a single change!” someone exclaimed in surprise. Of course, they couldn’t have seen her before; they recognized her by comparing her to ancient portraits.

“That white-haired old man is the ancient sage Xia Feng from over ten thousand years ago, who had several audiences with the Demon Emperor Qing Di! Who would have thought that he disappeared in his later years and ended up here.” The person who said this was an old imperial uncle from Great Xia; that was an ancient sage of their clan, and Great Xia still preserved his statue to this day.

Silently, the several Desolate Slaves vanished. But an even more terrifying aura appeared, accompanied by the sound of iron chains.

Enveloped in mist, a figure appeared, its gender unknown. It was bound by iron chains, standing on the five-colored altar, and no one could clearly discern it.

“Ye Fan…” Ji Ziyue’s delicate arm was gripped tightly by her brother.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted. It actually reversed into the one-way teleportation array, passing through the golden gate from the forbidden land of the Eastern Wasteland all the way to the Central Plains!

Everyone was shaken. That unknown entity standing on the five-colored altar, its gaze shattered eternity! With a single glance, through the golden gate, it turned the ancient teleportation array far away in the Central Plains into dust.

All else became insignificant; the golden gate vanished.

“This Emperor hasn’t fully memorized this immortal array!” The Black Emperor screamed in agony, his heart tearing.

The only ancient magic array that could enter the Primeval Restricted Zone was now destroyed, causing many to lament.