Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 494: Chapter 499: Immortal Daoist

The Great Success Holy Body radiated with an immense brilliance, fine strands of its light permeating the heavens and earth, causing many great mountains to collapse. Apart from the regions protected by the Great Emperor Array Patterns of old, other areas had almost become barren deserts, with some black mountains reduced to fine powder. This was an unparalleled and terrifying Holy Power; almost no one in the Mortal World could resist it. It was not a deliberate attack, but merely the natural, surging overflow of its divine energy.

Ye Fan’s heart trembled. If I could enter this body, whom would I fear in this world? Even if I faced the peerless masters emerging from the ancient halls of the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty, I would have no fear! He was deeply shaken. This was merely some of the residual divine energy of the Great Success Holy Body. How terrifying would its combat power be if it were at its peak? Perhaps… I could truly destroy this Great World with my bare hands!

Ye Fan carefully explored it, thoroughly imprinting the complete auxiliary secret arts in his mind. His heart surged with excitement; this would be a powerful asset for his future advance into the Supreme Domain.

CLANG!

With a wave of his hand, he drew the Golden Ancient Staff out from the Stone Coffin. Divine energy surged through him, and he felt as if he could pluck the stars and seize the moon—that nothing was impossible. At this moment, dwelling within the Great Success Holy Body, he almost believed it was his own flesh. It moved as he willed, seamlessly and without the slightest hint of sluggishness, as easily as directing his own limbs.

Ye Fan was incredibly excited. If I could take this away, I would go and directly flatten the Mortal World and Hell! Even though the lifeless body of the Great Success Holy Body could not compare to its peak condition, it still possessed immeasurable combat power. Holding the Golden Scepter, he possessed combat power that could look down upon the world. Killing intent surged around him, and he felt he could completely sweep clear this Holy Cliff.

The Supreme Scepter of the celestial court was chillingly oppressive, stained with the blood of millions of beings. It now emitted strands of light, as if the gates to the black abyss had swung open.

SWISH!

Suddenly, Ye Fan was expelled from the corpse by a strange force. The Supreme Killer Scepter fell to the ground with a crisp CLANG. The green lotus enveloped his divine scan, instantly returning it to his own body. He was shielded by the old madman within a curtain of light, standing in confrontation with the Great Success Holy Body.

“The corpse of the Great Success Holy Body is too terrifying! We must take it away! Its combat power is enough to awe the world, comparable to a Supreme Holy Weapon!” Li Heishui shouted.

“Even though it’s covered with corpse hair, that’s irrelevant! This is an invincible humanoid weapon!” The big black dog also grew restless.

Unfortunately, Ye Fan was ultimately forced out and had failed to take control. Moreover, the old madman frowned and said, “Don’t touch it. There’s something ominous within its body.”

At this moment, the divine energy of the Great Success Holy Body converged. Its eyes turned green, and its corpse hair grew wildly, becoming even more frightening.

“My descendant…” it suddenly spoke. Its voice was strong and resonant, like metal grinding against stone. Its eyes blazed with intense Divine Light as it stared at Ye Fan, unblinking. “Take me away!” it said.

“You…” Ye Fan was startled.

The pitiful little girl was extremely nervous. She tugged at Ye Fan’s sleeve and said in a trembling voice, “There’s… a ghost inside its body…”

“You are my descendant. Help me resurrect… take me away…” The voice was distant, as if drifting from ancient times, possessing a demonic charm that was impossible to refuse.

Ye Fan snorted coldly. He came from the Paramita beyond the starry sky and had no blood relation whatsoever to this sacred body from before the world’s Ancient Desolation. His eyes immediately turned cold.

The old madman then emitted a Heavenly Sound that shook the entire Holy Cliff. “If you wish to act, then come!” he declared, taking several large steps forward, pressing closer.

HMPH!

The Great Success Holy Body let out a cold snort. Its corpse hair grew even denser, nearly submerging it, and the eerie power emanating from it grew stronger. Its killing intent flared. It moved forward step by step, then suddenly shot out a large hand, grabbing for the old madman, intending to smash him into a bloody pulp. This was the peerless Great Success Holy Body. Whether it was alive or dead, no one could damage its physical form; it was truly terrifying!

The old madman let out a soft cry. Raising his hand, he manifested a complete natural image of the Dao and pressed it forward. He intended to seal the corpse of the Great Success Holy Body.

BOOM!

At the same time, the Holy Cliff trembled. The Investiture of the Gods, located halfway up the mountain, blazed with brilliant golden light, unleashing a world-destroying Qi Mechanism that instantly enveloped the sky above.

BANG!

A giant golden hand descended, pressing down so hard that the corpse of the Great Success Holy Body was forced to resist with all its might!

“The Investiture of the Gods isn’t just suppressing the being in the mountain’s belly; it’s also suppressing this corpse!” Li Heishui exclaimed in alarm.

“Wrong. It must be the being in the mountain’s belly that’s causing trouble. It has possessed the Holy Body’s corpse, thereby triggering the Investiture of the Gods,” Ye Fan speculated.

DONG! A heaven-shaking sound erupted. The giant golden hand instantly knocked the corpse of the Great Success Holy Body back, then pressed down once more.

The big black dog was excited beyond measure. It said in a trembling voice, “Did you see that? The Investiture of the Gods is sealed here! It’s equivalent to a hand of the Unbeginning Emperor pressing down on this place!”

The Great Success Holy Body, covered in corpse hair, let out a great roar. In the distance, numerous mountain ranges collapsed, and even many of the black peaks fractured and crumbled. It raised its hand to strike at the high heavens, its power shaking the firmament and the earth!

However, the golden hand manifested by the Investiture of the Gods was equally terrifying. It descended with unstoppable force, covering the entire Holy Cliff.

BANG!

The Great Success Holy Body was blasted back. The golden hand pressed down, destroying everything in its path. Even the physical body of the Great Success Holy Body could only retreat to avoid its sharp edge.

How could this be…? Ah, it must be because the physical body of the Great Success Holy Body has withered, and its divine energy is mostly depleted, Ye Fan consoled himself; after all, that state was his ultimate goal.

“Kid, don’t be discouraged. The physical body of the Great Success Holy Body is peerless, but the Investiture of the Gods was refined by the Unbeginning Emperor…” the Black Emperor said.

BOOM!

The golden hand forcibly lifted the corpse of the Great Success Holy Body, dropped it into the ancient coffin, and then, with a loud RUMBLE, sealed the coffin lid on top.

“This…” Li Heishui was shocked, saying, “Was that truly equivalent to a hand of the Unbeginning Emperor pressing down?”

“A hand of the Unbeginning Emperor is pressed onto the mountainside; this is just a manifestation derived from a part of it,” the big black dog said.

“Is the physical body of the Unbeginning Emperor even more formidable than that of the Great Success Holy Body?” Ye Fan frowned.

“The physical body of the Unbeginning Emperor possesses all the strengths of a sacred body. This is like two sacred bodies colliding, except one has already become a Great Emperor,” the big black dog revealed this astonishing piece of information. Then, it added, “The Great Emperors of old were all incomparably powerful, reigning supreme over the world. Each was a figure of lonely invincibility throughout the ages! Setting aside their prior physiques, their Emperor Bodies alone could shatter all opposition.”

The Holy Cliff returned to tranquility. The golden hand manifested by the Investiture of the Gods disappeared, and everything reverted to calm.

“The secret character formulas of the Nine Secret Arts and the Holy Master of the celestial court have also been sealed in the ancient coffin…” the big black dog muttered. It had only memorized four of the natural images of the Dao and felt somewhat resentful.

“Leave them for the next fated person,” the old madman said.

Ye Fan walked over. He forcibly endured the terrible torment that threatened to shatter his Heart Spirit and sealed the Golden Scepter—the symbol of the celestial court of the Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty. Moreover, it was a weapon, an extremely terrifying secret treasure. It was capable of unleashing power corresponding to the wielder’s cultivation Realm.

“This is a weapon refined by Ancient Saints to strengthen the celestial court’s heritage. It has a self-sealing effect; unless one reaches the Saint Realm, its full power can never be unleashed,” the big black dog drooled, wanting to leap up and rob Ye Fan several times.

“Damn it, this outrageous dead dog even wants to rob acquaintances!” Li Heishui and Ye Fan both felt like giving it a good thrashing.

The pitiful little girl gently patted it and said, “Doggy, be good, okay?”

Upon hearing this, the big black dog nearly stumbled and fell. If it had been anyone else, it would have charged over and bitten them long ago. But facing the pitiful little girl, it could only restrain itself sullenly. It bared its teeth but didn’t dare to entertain any more wicked ideas.

They did not linger much longer and started back down the mountain along their original path, preparing to leave the Holy Cliff. This place was definitely not safe; staying too long might lead to disaster.

Suddenly, as they were descending, about halfway down the mountain, they saw a figure in the distance blocking their path. The Daoist robe he wore was exceedingly ancient, vastly different from any seen in the present age. It was impossible to tell which era it belonged to, as it was filled with the marks of time.

The few remaining tufts of fur on the big black dog’s head stood straight up. It gritted its teeth and said, “Damn it, we’ve run into a truly ancient one! These are clothes from over a hundred thousand years ago!”

“Could it be another ancient corpse?” Li Heishui whispered.

“He is not a corpse!” The old madman, who was walking at the forefront, wore an extremely grave expression as he stared at the old Daoist.

The old Daoist was like a living fossil, slowly making his way up the mountain path. Every aspect of him was ancient, and he himself appeared extremely decrepit. The violet-gold crown on his head was dim and lusterless, almost decayed. His Daoist robe looked as if it could turn to dust at any moment. He was chanting a Daoist incantation, his face showing a compassionate expression.

“Benefactors, might this humble Daoist request your assistance? I am willing to offer two peerless Holy Techniques from the Nine Secret Arts in return.”

For the old Daoist to make such an offer right upon meeting them was startling. To bring out two of the Nine Secret Arts at once—what kind of background did he possess?!

“Who are you, grandpa?” the pitiful little girl asked, her voice soft and tender, like a curious child.

Meanwhile, the old madman grew increasingly solemn. His aura surged like mountains and peaks, and his entire being actually transformed into an Ancient Map, no longer appearing as a human body! One could imagine how gravely he regarded this opponent; he was like a man facing a formidable enemy. For a Saint to be so cautious was enough to demonstrate the old Daoist’s terrifying nature!

“This humble Daoist has forgotten the past, for my true self has long since decayed. No one can withstand the passage of time,” the old Daoist said calmly, an ancient aura emanating from him.

“He… he must be the supreme being from within the mountain’s belly—the one suppressed by the Investiture of the Gods!” The big black dog trembled all over, its face a mask of extreme terror. If this were true, it would mean a colossal catastrophe.

In bygone days, the Unbeginning Emperor had personally dealt with this being, ultimately using the Investiture of the Gods to suppress him. If he were still alive… the mere thought was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

“My physical body has long since returned to the yellow earth. I only remember that others called me the Undying Daoist,” the old Daoist continued.

The Undying Daoist… Could he be a supreme being from the Undying Mountain? Ye Fan’s heart sank. The Holy Cliff had been carved out from the Undying Mountain!

The old madman had transformed into a complete Ancient Map, drawing upon the Great Dao of all heavens, evolving a Supreme Dao Fruit. An eternal Qi Mechanism permeated the air, seeming as if it had always existed, unchanging through eternity.

“This humble Daoist left only a sliver of my primordial spirit, buried within Immortal Source. I wish to emerge only to fulfill a long-held wish and bear no ill intent,” the old Daoist said, his expression calm.

So many eons had passed. Even though his physical body had long turned to dust, he had still managed to leave behind a primordial spirit. The mere thought of it was terrifying.