Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 578: Chapter 582: Divine Thought

“What is that thing?” Ye Fan hadn’t been looking in that direction. Hearing the words, he turned around to ask, wondering what they had seen.

“I’ve walked these underground Ancient Tombs for more than twenty years, and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this…” Daoist Duan De’s lips turned pale. Even someone like him felt fear, indicating the seriousness of the issue.

“Could it be what the ancients referred to as ‘Divine Thought’?” The old blind man was visibly moved, his expression extremely solemn.

“Most likely, it’s that kind of thing.” Daoist Duan De stared at the corner of the mountain cliff, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Divine Thought was a legend, fleeting and elusive. It was rarely recorded in ancient books because people severely doubted its authenticity. Only a few ancient sects possessed a mere hint of it.

“How can you be sure with just a glance?” the old blind man asked.

“This is most likely the burial ground of the ancient Great Emperors. I’m naturally well-prepared. Look at the reaction of this divine mouse.” Daoist Duan De took out a small metal cage from his sleeve.

A little mouse, emitting glowing rays, was rolling its eyes and twitching incessantly. Nine small beams of light shot out from the Sky Gathering Parasol at the top of its head; it was an extremely bizarre sight.

“The perfection of numbers, nine thoughts manifesting together… it is most likely—Divine Thought!” The old blind man was startled.

“You understand these things as well?” Daoist Fatty was somewhat surprised.

“I’m skilled at deducing the Eight Diagrams and naturally know some Ancient Burial Science. This underground Ancient Tomb truly is an Immortal Burial Land!” The old blind man looked around, his expression grave.

“Do we retreat or continue forward?” Daoist Duan De asked.

“We’ve already come this far. Is there even a way back now?” The old blind man was doubtful.

“What exactly is Divine Thought?” Dongfang Ye asked.

“After the ancient gods passed away, they transformed into immortal divine thought…” The old blind man slowly explained.

“Are there really gods in this world?” The barbarian was shocked. During his time in the Primitive Tribe, he had only believed in his own strength and had never heard of such things.

“Whether gods exist, even the ancient Great Emperors couldn’t say for certain. There is no shred of evidence, and it’s neither acknowledged nor verified by the world, hence seldom recorded in ancient books.”

Divine Thought, a terrifying existence born from the immortal residual thoughts of deceased gods, resembled humans in form and possessed unmatched power.

However, the truly frightening aspect was that Divine Thought was a demon. It slaughtered all living beings, destroyed everything, was extremely cruel and extreme, and almost impossible to resist.

It is said that its formation reflects the evil aspect of a god during its lifetime. This evil is released after death, forming a powerful Telekinesis and becoming a human-shaped demon.

Have gods truly existed in this world? Ye Fan murmured. This mystery had perplexed countless cultivators through the ages; even the Monkey’s old father, the Fighting Saint Emperor, couldn’t answer it.

“It’s hard to say whether there are gods or not. However, just now, that person appeared for a moment and then vanished, and this divine rat immediately displayed the ultimate divine wave,” Daoist Duan De said grimly.

Tombology was a profound and vast esoteric study. Daoist Duan De had studied it for many years, venturing into various ancient tombs and plundering the resting places of many legendary, invincible Kings.

For instance, the Nine Divine Weapons of the Feathered King—who lived fifteen thousand years ago and whose power covered the world—were brought back to light. Even the Heavenly Demon Lamp, thirty thousand years old, once again shone with brilliance.

Daoist Duan De’s mastery of Tombology was at the Grandmaster Level. Naturally, he possessed many heaven-defying methods. The ultimate divine wave was one he created specifically for verifying the existence of Divine Thought.

I thought it was just nonsense written in the *Tomb Burial Scripture*,” Daoist Duan De muttered to himself. “I never expected it to be real. To think I would one day witness Divine Thought with my own eyes.

They arrived at the rock face. The person had long since vanished, leaving only a few corpses on the ground. They bore no scratches, but their eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace.

“‘Scared to death!ʼ” The old trickster frowned. After careful inspection, he found their divine scans were all shattered, as if they had been extremely terrified.

Divine Thought… There is a demon here! Thinking about this, no one could remain calm. They might witness it firsthand at any moment.

Ahead, the sounds of fighting shook the heavens. Another cave mansion had been discovered, and many rushed to seize it, including several Grand Elders from the Sacred Lands, who were engaged in fierce combat.

Valuable cave mansions continued to appear, and it was expected that soon, Emperor Master Level figures would have to take action.

Advancing several miles, they came to a huge, sheer cliff that barred their way. Indistinct markings covered its surface—birds, beasts, fish, insects, all imaginable things—along with many ancient lines whose meaning could not be deciphered.

This place had attracted many cultivators. Among them, several half-step sovereigns stood at the very forefront, staring intently.

“This is most likely an Enlightenment Map. Let’s take a look too.” Dongfang Ye, being a martial fanatic, stopped immediately upon seeing the Mystic Map and stood there to observe.

Jue Youqing, who hadn’t spoken for a long time, finally said, his white clothes making him seem like a god, his voice magnetic, “This is a Heavenly Dao Natural Map, containing the true meaning of the Dao. But I fear even the Peacock King couldn’t comprehend it.” He resembled a Bodhisattva walking the Mortal World.

Ye Fan examined it closely, and his heart shook. The patterns carved on the cliff face were from the same Source as the Ancient Natural Scripture Princess Yu Die had gifted him.

That manuscript, along with these markings on the cliff, seemed to be the work of a single person. It contained no esoteric secret arts or specific cultivation methods, merely an exposition of a natural Dao.

We can’t comprehend it… Everyone shook their heads. This was too profound and ephemeral. All humans possess the seven emotions and six desires. It’s impossible to be as this scripture recorded—to enter the world without action, desire, or thought.

“‘Was this ancient scripture created for Immortals?ʼ” even the half-step sovereigns remarked before turning to leave. “‘How could beings of flesh and blood possibly cultivate this? If they succeeded, they would become like vegetation and rocks, devoid of human emotions.ʼ”

BANG!

Suddenly, a Heavy Artifact pierced through the void, appearing abruptly. It struck Ye Fan mercilessly on the spine, sending him flying nearly a thousand meters away to crash into the sheer cliff.

The rock wall instantly cracked, revealing a human-shaped hole. Ye Fan had been driven deep into the cliff, a testament to the immense force of the blow.

BANG!

The stone wall cracked open, and Ye Fan rushed out, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He was burning with anger. Someone had ambushed him with a force as heavy as ten thousand pounds!

If it had been another cultivator, that attack would surely have obliterated both form and spirit, leaving not even bone dust behind. Even Ye Fan felt his blood surge, and he spat out a mouthful.

Not far away, a black Stone Seal floated in the air. Clearly, it was what had struck Ye Fan’s back, causing him some minor injury.

CLANG!

A small silver War Spear, no longer than a chopstick, appeared just as suddenly, aiming viciously for his Sky Gathering Parasol.

This time, Ye Fan was prepared. He executed Shifting Form and Position and dodged to the side. The chopstick-length War Spear, like a streak of silver lightning, easily traversed the void, its power immense.

“‘This is a forbidden slaughter item! It can pierce even sovereigns!ʼ” the old blind man murmured, somewhat surprised.

The black Stone Seal and the small silver spear were both forbidden items. Their uses were limited, but their power was immense. Otherwise, how could they have damaged Ye Fan’s body?

In the distance, a group of people stared, astonished and speechless for a long moment. They had used forbidden items, expecting a single strike to be lethal, to obliterate Ye Fan’s form and spirit. Yet, he had merely spat out some blood.

“‘Even a sovereign would have been pierced by that! What’s his background? How did he withstand such a blow?!ʼ”

“‘Is he related to that barbarian? Are they blood brothers? How can his physical body be so abnormal?!ʼ”

They controlled the black Stone Seal and the chopstick-length silver War Spear, attacking continuously, trying to eliminate Ye Fan. Two of them even flew over, rapidly closing in.

“‘Ye brat, prepare to die!ʼ” This person was Xiao Zhi of the Xiao Family, a half-step sovereign. Not long ago, Ye Fan had thrown him across countless mountain ridges, and he had been unable to catch up.

“‘Ye Zhetian, pay for my brother’s life!ʼ” The other, a man appearing to be in his forties, also possessed a strong cultivation base at the Ninth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation realm. He was Xiao Mingyuan’s older brother.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!…

Other Xiao Family members threw down a slew of Array Flags, attempting to trap Ye Fan. However, it was useless. The Arrays here had failed, and no one below the rank of sovereign could fly.

“‘Surround him! Don’t let him escape!ʼ”

The Xiao Family members rushed forward. There were even two more half-step sovereigns among them, blocking several escape routes. They sneered coldly as they pressed in.

“‘You arrogant brat! How dare you act so wantonly in my Xiao Family’s territory and even kill Mingyuan! Today, I’ll flay you alive!ʼ”

“‘Killing him would be too easy! Extract his Divine Soul, seal it in a bronze lamp, and burn it for a hundred years! Let him suffer endless torment!ʼ”

A group converged on them, including three half-step sovereigns. The rest were also experts from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. All of them summoned their Weapons and attacked Ye Fan, their murderous intent palpable.

CRASH!

The old blind man consulted a tortoise shell on the ground and shouted to Ye Fan, “Head east! The gate of life is wide open! There must be a way out!”

“‘Divination in a life-and-death battle?ʼ” Dongfang Ye glared at him, then hefted his Wolf-toothed Stick. “Brother Ye, I’ll help you!”

BUZZ!

He swung the Wolf-toothed Stick, instantly smashing an expert from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm into meat paste. There was no suspense; even their ancient treasure was pulverized.

“‘Members of the Xiao Family, you brought this upon yourselves!ʼ” Ye Fan had been ambushed and suffered minor injuries. Though not serious, he was still enraged.

He directly uprooted a cliff over three hundred meters high, stunning everyone in the distance. Their jaws dropped to the ground.

What a monster! Is he even human? Such terrifying strength!

BOOM!

Ye Fan casually threw it, smashing several experts from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm into meat paste beneath it. Then, he uprooted another cliff of similar height and hurled it at a half-step sovereign.

BANG!

The half-step sovereign summoned an ancient treasure and shattered the cliff. Smoke and dust billowed into the sky. When he looked again, Ye Fan was already drawing his bow, repeatedly twanging the bowstring.

ARGH!…

Members of the Xiao Family cried out continuously as they were pierced and their bodies shattered, sending flesh and bone flying.

“‘Die!ʼ” The three half-step sovereigns, furious, charged forward as three beams of light. Their massive hands swept across the void as they summoned a Purple Copper Eight Diagram Furnace that seemed over three thousand meters high, all of them attacking Ye Fan simultaneously.

“‘This way!ʼ” Daoist Duan De shouted from a distance, leading the way.

Dongfang Ye swung his Wolf-toothed Stick, killing four or five people in quick succession. Jue Youqing also took action, using Buddha Light to help Ye Fan fend off some attackers.

Only the old blind man continued his on-the-spot divinations with the tortoise shell. “East, then south! A sign of great fortune! The Ancient Emperor’s Cave Mansion is about to appear!”

“‘Trying to escape? Today, there’s no road to heaven and no gate into the earth for any of you! Ye Zhetian, I’ll turn you all into sky lanterns!ʼ” Xiao Mingyuan’s brother, his voice dripping with venom, pursued them along with the three half-step sovereigns.

“‘Divine Thought! I saw it again!ʼ” Daoist Duan De shuddered, his lips turning a shade of blue. (To be continued. For more, please visit www., support the author, support legal reading!)