Ye Fan recognized the two complete characters and said so, looking toward Ji Hao. Ji Hao nodded as well.
A trace of gravity appeared on Ye Fan's face.
"Your guess was right. This is Yinghuo Ancient Star." After speaking, Ji Hao turned and curiously surveyed their surroundings. Although he had been born during Earth's most glorious era, when Ancient Emperors with Spirit Communication were everywhere and Saints and Great Saints were commonplace, when Earth was still called the Primordial Ancient Star, his physical condition had kept him indoors almost all the time.
The farthest he had ever gone was the bank of the Ji River outside his home. He was quite interested in traveling beyond Earth.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically, and they could not help staring in stunned disbelief. They had never expected this to be Mars!
When they looked again at the moon in the sky, it was only half its usual size. Only then did they completely understand that they were no longer on Mount Tai. Even if this was not Mars, they were somewhere unknown.
Everyone felt heavy-hearted. Only Ji Hao remained relatively calm. The moment he arrived, he had used his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes to observe this Ancient Star. He found the land incomparably desolate, covered in scarlet red and utterly barren, though he had yet to spot any Living Beings.
After all, his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes had only just awakened, making it difficult to detect beings on a higher level. The gap was there.
Seeing everyone frozen in place, Ji Hao took the initiative and stepped forward.
To be honest, Ji Hao was somewhat nervous as well. As a minor cultivator in the Dao Palace Secret Realm, he was little different from an ordinary mortal before Crocodile Ancestor, who was comparable to a Saint.
Though he had quite a few trump cards, this was ultimately his first true confrontation with this world—the world called Shrouding the Heavens. Yellow Emperor was no longer there to protect him.
In the end, he was like a butterfly that had arrived in this world and stirred up a storm of his own.
"Watch yourselves!" Ji Hao glanced back at the others, transformed into a streak of rainbow light, and flew into the distance.
Looking at this barren land, Ji Hao did not seem to find it desolate. Instead, he even felt a sense of familiarity.
Ji Hao had been sealed within Divine Source for over a thousand years, cut off from the world like a butterfly trapped in amber, unable to move. He had waited alone through those long Years. Even when he occasionally woke, he was still by himself and could only return to sleep.
Loneliness, solitude, and gloom had been the only melody of his years.
Now that he had broken free of his restraints, he had long grown impatient. If Jingwei had not held him back, he would probably have gone to fight Crocodile Ancestor already.
If Jingwei had not sealed herself alongside Ji Hao all these years and stayed removed from the Mortal World, she would have known that the current Ji Hao was exactly like a divine beast called a Husky.
In the distance, he saw a ruined Ancient Temple standing upon the red earth.
Before the Ancient Temple stood a Bodhi Tree, its trunk vigorous and twisted like a horned dragon. Five or six green leaves adorned it, each crystal-clear and gleaming with green light like jade Divine Jade.
His Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes circulated. Nine Emperor Characters appeared within his gaze, and Fortune Immortal Light condensed from his pupils as he stared fixedly at the Bodhi Tree. He only felt that it was filled with boundless mysteries and unfathomable profundity. The Bodhi Tree was known as the tree of contemplation and enlightenment.
Bodhi Seed beneath the Bodhi Tree!
He knew this was Ye Fan's opportunity, but in order not to disrupt the plot, he still... took it.
After all, he was not that Double-Pupils fellow next door and did not possess those invincible Double Pupils, which were exceptionally useful for both fighting enemies and seeking treasures.
Besides, opportunities belonged to whoever got them first!
Though the Bodhi Seed carried immense Karmic Retribution, it made no sense for an Immortality Elixir to be left on Mars. This was not one or two pieces of Source, but Divine Medicine that even Ancient Emperors treasured deeply. Not every Ancient Emperor was Ruthless, who wrote herself as a rich lady.
He measured Immortal Metal by the block and regarded Immortality Elixirs as nothing.
This Bodhi Immortality Elixir had likely undergone nirvana anew on Mars, a process that took a long time. That was why Shakyamuni had left it on Mars, with only a trace of his Divine Sense attached to it.
If Ruthless had not been watching over it, Ye Fan probably would not have been able to obtain this Bodhi Seed.
Shakyamuni was probably confused too. He woke from seclusion and found the Bodhi Seed gone. Where did my huge Bodhi Seed go?
But how could Ji Hao, a descendant of Yanhuang, be afraid? He had backers too. Flame Emperor was probably discussing the Dao with Shakyamuni right now!
He acted decisively, uprooting the entire Bodhi Tree. He did not even spare the few leaves on it. They gleamed brightly and were clearly enlightenment treasures no less valuable than Enlightenment Tea Leaves.
A flash of azure light appeared as a fist-sized Bodhi Seed burst from the earth and was directly taken into his Sea of Bitterness. He looked left and right with his little head, afraid someone might discover him.
After taking it, he pretended nothing had happened and strode into the Great Leiyin Temple.
The Ancient Temple was covered in dust. No Living Beings had existed here for thousands of years. There were many objects, such as Prayer Mats, prayer beads, and Jade Ruyi, but all had long lost their luster and spirituality.
"What a pity. They've all lost their spirituality. Still, these days, there may be shortages of everything, but never of weapons," Ji Hao said after looking around.
As the most favored child in his family, he might not have an Emperor Weapon, but he still had two Quasi-Emperor Weapons.
Besides, once he went to the Big Dipper, borrowing two Emperor Weapons should not be a problem.
Ji Hao wandered through the main hall. His pupils shifted slightly, and he saw quite a few treasures, such as half a Vajra Pestle. It shone with golden light and was clearly no ordinary object.
But the best one was still the Bronze Lamp Ye Fan would obtain in the future. It seemed to have been a Saint Weapon, though not an Inherited Saint Weapon, and had lost its spirituality through the passage of Years.
However, Ji Hao did not take any of them. Of the three thousand weak waters, he would take only one gourdful, though this gourdful was rather precious.
After circling around once, Ji Hao's face suddenly turned pale, and a stream of Death Qi flowed around his brow.
"It's happening again. How annoying!" Ji Hao sighed, found a random place in the Great Leiyin Temple, and sat down cross-legged.
He closed his eyes and sensed the situation within his Sea of Bitterness.
Within the Wheel Sea Secret Realm, a Divine Bridge hung high in the air, radiating Fortune Immortal Light. Blossoms of immortal flowers bloomed upon it, sacred beyond compare. At the foot of the immortal bridge, a Life Spring emitted the aura of life, though its condition was not good.
Death Qi surged like raging waves within the Sea of Bitterness, continuously washing against the Life Spring as though it wished to completely wear it away.
Outside, Ji Hao's body rumbled. The Divine Bridge rose toward the heavens like a divine dragon soaring into the sky. Chants seemed to travel from Past and Future. They were the Scriptures carved upon the Divine Bridge. The Divine Bridge was both a secret realm and one of the "Vessels" Ji Hao had forged, displaying his profound foundation.
Streams of Fortune Qi merged with the divine dragon projected by the Divine Bridge and descended along the bridge to the Life Spring.
The entire Wheel Sea Secret Realm shook. Auspicious clouds and radiant qi descended from the sky, merging with the five-colored divine light on the Divine Bridge and transforming into dancing dragons and phoenixes. Dragons and phoenixes brought auspiciousness, Feathering and Ascending to Immortality appeared, Dao carvings and divine traces emerged, Golden Lotuses bloomed, and immortal music sounded through the void.
The divine dragon reached out and suppressed everything. Fortune Immortal Light burst forth, Golden Lotuses bloomed one after another, and an illusory Heaven and Earth appeared within the Wheel Sea Secret Realm.
Phenomenon—Splendid Mountains and Rivers!
The pure Death Qi within the Sea of Bitterness was completely suppressed by the Mountain-River Diagram.