Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 490: Chapter 495: Investiture of the Gods

The black dog’s large, bell-like eyes were wide as it paced back and forth, mumbling incessantly, clearly shocked to its core.

“How is this possible? Why is it sealed here? Back then… dammit, this doesn’t make any sense!”

Its eyes were profound, staring intently at the Investiture of the Gods. Its gaze was unblinking as it pondered something unknown, causing it to shiver involuntarily.

Then, the black dog lay on the ground, silent and lost in thought, as if sinking into distant memories.

“The Investiture of the Gods…” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

He showed no excited expression, yet he seemed almost petrified. These words were utterly familiar to him, hailing as he did from the other side of the Starry Sky.

He appeared calm, but a tempestuous wave surged in his heart. How could the creations of the Pre-Qin Qi Refiners emerge one after another?

The Investiture of the Gods had a massive origin. How could it appear in the hands of the Beginningless Emperor? What did he use this list for?

No, the timing doesn’t add up… His expression faltered.

The history of the ancient palace was long, and the Pre-Qin Qi Refiners were mysterious and unpredictable. However, the Beginningless Emperor was from over one hundred thousand years ago. Since he used the Investiture of the Gods to suppress this place back then, it was impossible for it to appear in later ages at the other end of the Starry Sky.

“What is the Investiture of the Gods?” Li Heishui asked, puzzled and suspicious.

“This is a secret treasure, personally crafted by the Beginningless Emperor. Its power is unimaginable!” the black dog said, baring its teeth.

Something’s not quite right… Ye Fan felt that this Ancient List was not quite the same as the Divine List from the other side of the Starry Sky.

“You’re just bragging, dead dog.” Li Heishui didn’t believe it. The golden Ancient Scroll on the black mountain shone brilliantly; it looked nothing like it had existed for over one hundred thousand years.

Ye Fan’s interest was piqued, and he asked, “What exactly is the function of this list?”

“Its function is enormous; it’s a holy divine relic for sealing! Once it’s pressed down, it’s as if one of the Beginningless Emperor’s hands is pressing on the black Great Mountain. Even gods would be helpless against it!” the black dog said, extremely excited.

What? It has such power? Dead dog, you must be spouting nonsense, right? Li Heishui’s heart pounded furiously.

Ye Fan also felt dizzy. The golden Ancient List sealed in this place was essentially equivalent to the hand of the Beginningless Emperor pressing down here—truly shocking.

“That’s the reality!” the black dog asserted, glaring.

“How was it crafted? Are there any particular considerations?” Ye Fan patiently inquired.

“The Beginningless Emperor mastered Creation. He wanted to craft a holy divine relic to seal Daoist saints and originally intended to call it the Sealing Immortal List. However, there are no Daoist saints to be found in the world, only ancient beings resembling gods. Therefore, he renamed it the Investiture of the Gods.”

“That’s even possible…” Ye Fan was dumbfounded. The Beginningless Emperor was so incredibly formidable, capable of sealing even Daoist saints.

“You didn’t live in that era, so you can’t possibly understand the sheer weight of the name ‘Beginningless.’ It could crush all of antiquity!” the black dog sighed.

“This is a real treasure! If it’s truly equivalent to one of the Beginningless Emperor’s hands pressed here, it wouldn’t be much inferior to a peak weapon. It’s an unsurpassed holy divine relic!” Li Heishui, much like the Black Emperor of old, had eyes that gleamed green, and he was practically drooling.

“That name really… aligns with what the Pre-Qin Qi Refiners might have thought of, but its function is completely different,” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

“What?!” The black dog jumped in fright, exclaiming, “Kid, you’ve also heard of another Investiture of the Gods?”

“You… what do you mean?” Ye Fan was also startled by it and swiftly looked over.

“Legend has it that when the Beginningless Emperor was crafting the Investiture of the Gods…” The Black Emperor finally refrained from saying “according to the Ancient Books,” this time using “legend has it” to explain.

The Beginningless Emperor once said he had seen an Ancient Scroll also named the Investiture of the Gods. However, it was too mediocre, so he wanted to craft a true holy divine relic.

Upon hearing these secrets, Ye Fan’s eyes immediately glazed over. What kind of backgrounds did these ancient Great Emperors have to even know about legendary items from the other side of the Starry Sky?

Wait a minute… Ye Fan suddenly froze.

Could it be that the Beginningless Emperor visited the ancient palace? Or perhaps he went to other starry skies and saw the true Investiture of the Gods? And was that why he wanted to craft a Sealing Immortal List?

This is too terrifying! Could the ancient path of the starry sky have been opened by such existences?

The more Ye Fan contemplated, the more unfathomable he found these ancient Great Emperors. They were anomalies beyond prediction, so it was no wonder they were often struck by lightning.

He thought of many things. During Ancient Times, Sacred Emperors sacrificed to Heaven at Mt. Tai, building a five-colored altar there. Could they all have entered the Starry Sky?

Many Pre-Qin Qi Refiners were renowned. Yet, to this day, he didn’t know where those people had gone. Only faint traces of them existed in this world.

“It’s so high…” the pitiful little girl said, tilting her head as she looked up at the black mountain that reached into the clouds.

Unknowingly, they had arrived nearby. As they walked around the colossal mountain, they felt an indescribable Qi mechanism.

“There’s something in this mountain!” Li Heishui declared.

“Do you even need to say that? The Beginningless Emperor even used the Investiture of the Gods, so he surely sealed some supreme being within,” the black dog bared its teeth, its thoughts unknown.

The black mountain had many dark red bloodstains. They remained undiminished after so many years, with dried blood caking them everywhere.

Ye Fan felt dizzy looking at this mountain soaring into the clouds. Just how much blood did a Great Success Holy Body shed to stain this entire Great Mountain?

“Isn’t little kid Ye’s blood bright red with a golden glow? So the Great Success Holy Body should have golden blood, right?” Li Heishui asked skeptically.

“What do you know? The Great Success Holy Body has already returned to its original purity. Its golden blood transformed into the most fundamental bright red. Drinking one mouthful can extend life by a hundred years,” the black dog drooled.

“little kid Ye, you must live well. Then, you can rear an Undying Divine Medicine to achieve your own salvation, and afterward, use your sacred blood to save us,” Li Heishui suggested.

“Indeed!” The black dog nodded its large head vigorously in agreement.

Ye Fan took out the Ancient Scroll obtained from the northern region’s Li State. After carefully examining it, he said, “The nine secret arts are atop the mountain, truly on the precipice of the Holy Cliff.”

They began to climb the mountain. At this point, the Array Patterns became increasingly terrifying. They followed closely behind the old madman, not daring to take a single wrong step.

Just earlier, Li Heishui had tested the way with a weapon. It disappeared without a sound, turning to dust. The terrifying scene made him tremble, fearing any misstep.

“One wrong step results in complete annihilation, body and soul! Be extremely careful. The Beginningless Emperor’s Killing Array has no solution, save for the fragment of the Natural Image of the Dao he left behind!” the black dog solemnly warned, its expression extremely serious, for this truly concerned everyone’s life and death.

This applied not just to them. Even if the various Peacock Kings came, taking one wrong step would mean everlasting damnation, forever removed from this world.

Even with a guide comparable to an Ancient Saint leading the way, progress was slow because the old madman also pondered each move. Every step needed absolute precision, without the slightest deviation.

“What if we accidentally take the wrong step?” the pitiful little girl asked innocently.

“Little Ancestor, please don’t say such things!” The black dog grew tense, genuinely fearing a mishap. “On this mountain, if one takes a wrong step, the killing power endured is equivalent to being struck by the palm of an ancient Great Emperor!”

Li Heishui felt even more jittery, his legs almost cramping. He muttered to himself, “We are walking a tightrope between Hell and Heaven. No one should say anything to jinx it.”

BOOM!

Not far away, a terrifying black hole appeared, its devouring power chilling to the bone.

“Could we have taken a wrong turn?”

“No, a leaf was blown onto this sacred mountain, triggering a sliver of the Array Patterns’ power.”

“This… is too terrifying! A single fallen leaf triggered such a black hole. If we made a mistake, we’d really be reduced to ashes on the spot!”

After a full two hours, they finally reached the mountainside. Fog arose, with bands of dark mist swirling around, making everything appear incredibly dim. The fog was even thicker at the summit and utterly impenetrable.

Please don’t let anything happen! A sense of foreboding surged in their hearts.

“The pitiful little girl saw several people, both men and women…” the pitiful little girl suddenly spoke, pointing forward with her small finger.

The old madman had already stopped. He faced off against several figures in the thick fog without taking action, standing motionless, his expression solemn.

Ye Fan opened his Divine Eye, but he could only vaguely see that these people wore ancient clothing, as if they had walked out from antiquity.

Although they were advanced in years, their bodies showed no vitality and were suffused with Death Qi. Yet, standing there, they exerted a great, suffocating oppressive force.

For the old madman to confront them like this was definitely a bad omen. Could they be Saints? The sense of unease worsened, and their hearts pounded with overwhelming tension.

The mountain wind blew. Those ancient figures stood like petrified relics in the thick fog, not moving a muscle. Only their ancient robes rustled.

“Damn it, Saints shouldn’t exist in the world anymore! How did these deities emerge!?” The big black dog was so terrified it nearly stuttered.

The old madman pondered for a long while before resuming his pace. He bypassed the figures and headed upward, transmitting his voice, “Do not look back at them. Do not sense their Qi mechanism. Just follow me forward!”

None of them dared to breathe heavily. Stepping precisely in the old madman’s footsteps, they advanced up the mountain one step at a time, not daring to look back even once.

Yet, their spines chilled. They distinctly felt those figures in the dense fog turn icy gazes upon them. Their archaic garments made the figures appear mysterious and unfathomable.

After walking a long distance, the tense atmosphere slightly eased. Li Heishui whispered, “Senior, who are those people?”

“Ancient dead people.” That was the old madman’s only reply.

Supreme experts who died many years ago? But we distinctly felt their icy gaze. They all found it eerie and inexplicable.

“Why does the pitiful little girl feel they are alive? Their cold gazes fell upon us,” the little girl said timidly, in a small voice.

“Yes, I feel the same way,” Li Heishui, also baffled, couldn’t help but glance back.

In an instant, he felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar. His body was nearly immobilized. His face turned ashen, devoid of blood, and he was unable to utter a word, feeling like an ant gazed upon by a colossal dragon.

“Do not look back! Do not observe them! They died long ago!” the old madman snapped, his large sleeve fanning out to turn Li Heishui’s body around.

“Heavens, that was too terrifying! little kid Ye, pitiful little girl, don’t either of you look back! I just glanced back once and saw nothing clearly, but that gaze nearly shattered my Heart Spirit!” Li Heishui muttered, on the verge of collapse.

They found it hard to believe those were dead people, but the old madman had said so. None of them dared to look back; they chose to continue forward, no matter what happened behind them.

The fog thickened. The huge Stone Coffin at the mountaintop was now completely obscured; even its outline was invisible, and spiritual perception couldn’t penetrate the bizarre fog.

Damn, there’s another person up there, and this one is likely alive! The big black dog’s fur bristled.

High above, a figure stood motionless like a statue, incredibly tall. Yet his eyes were terrifying, capable of piercing the thick mist.

It was a pair of cyan eyes, without whites or pupils, glowing like two cyan Ghost Lamps in the thick fog, looking down upon the group below.

“Do not look at him. Treat him as a dead person!” the old madman once again solemnly warned.

Simultaneously, he changed his route, climbing upward. Suddenly, a golden light blazed beside them, piercing through the thick mist.

As they were detouring, they reached the other side of the mountain. There, they saw many dark red bloodstains and, at close range, the Investiture of the Gods.

“Let’s just stay far from that person above. Even if it’s an ancient corpse, it doesn’t look ordinary. We could easily get into a huge fight,” Ye Fan suggested.

The old madman didn’t say much but was clearly thinking hard. Step by step, he altered their path, heading towards the side with the Investiture of the Gods, circumventing the mountain as they ascended.

The golden light was brilliant, undiminished by the dense mist. The stone wall bore the deep marks of time. The ancient Investiture of the Gods was adhered to it, extremely firm.

Even after hundreds of thousands of years, it showed no sign of loosening, and time had left no trace upon it.

“A blood pit…” Li Heishui said in shock. In this area, there was indeed an undried blood pit.

“This is the blood of the Great Success Holy Body! It’s an invaluable holy divine relic!” the big black dog exclaimed, nearly pouncing forward. However, mindful of the rule not to move recklessly, he forcibly suppressed the impulse.

“Such a shame, the essence has long since dissipated,” Ye Fan shook his head. Yet he couldn’t help but be shocked. After hundreds of thousands of years, the blood of the Great Success Holy Body still hasn’t dried? What incredible power it must possess!

“There’s a remnant root of a spiritual medicine!” Li Heishui exclaimed in surprise.

In the blood pit, spiritual medicine had once grown but was unfortunately harvested. It went without saying that spiritual medicines nurtured by sacred blood must have possessed astonishing medicinal power.

“There are inscriptions: ‘Red Dragon trapped here…ʼ” the black dog read, then began to curse. “So it was that Demon Path practitioner! He used this medicine to save his own life.”

Ye Fan’s heart lurched. So this was where the Red Dragon Daoist was trapped on the Holy Cliff! He actually made it more than halfway up the mountain. No wonder he was sealed for 1,500 years. From everything they had just witnessed, his survival and escape were already a miracle.

At this point, they were getting closer to the Investiture of the Gods, which was now clearly visible. It seemed to be cast from Gold and emitted peculiar fluctuations.

“A supreme holy divine relic, personally crafted by a Great Emperor. I’ve witnessed it again,” the big black dog said, a hint of sorrow in its voice. It sighed, “What a pity. Even heroes who transcend ages cannot ultimately resist the flow of time!”

“There are stone engravings beside the Ancient List…” the pitiful little girl said, stretching out her small hand and pointing ahead.

“Damn it! Who was so wicked as to carve a bald man next to the Investiture of the Gods?!” the big black dog fumed.

“Siddhartha Gautama!” Ye Fan exclaimed inwardly, startled. The carving was almost identical to the Buddha figures seen in temples.

“This is the mark left by this person,” the old madman suddenly spoke.

“What business does that damn fatty have leaving marks in front of the Investiture of the Gods?! Still, this old bald head must be incredibly powerful to come and go from this place as he pleases!” The big black dog was both indignant and deeply shocked.

“There’s another stone engraving,” the pitiful little girl said, pointing to the other side of the Investiture of the Gods.

It depicted an old man riding a Green Bull, with a purple aura seemingly drifting westward. The carving was vivid and remarkably lifelike.

“Who’s this old man riding a bull, and why is he also carving randomly here?!” the big black dog asked indignantly.