Chapter 468: Mortal World
Ye Fan walked through Zi Tian Du without noticing anything unusual, but Little Nannan tugged at his clothes and said in a sweet, innocent voice, "There's a person who keeps appearing."
"What?!"
Ye Fan's heart jolted. His spiritual perception was incredibly sharp, yet he had detected nothing at all—not even the slightest hint. This was not a good omen. If the person intended him harm, he could end up suffering greatly.
"He changes into a different person every time, and he's appeared several times already." Little Nannan spoke obediently.
"Where is he?" Ye Fan felt a bit uneasy.
"He's already gone. He never stays long each time, but he might appear again." The little girl blinked her big eyes, looking toward the crowd.
"Did you notice anything unusual?" Ye Fan asked Black Emperor and Li Heishui.
They were both alarmed. They had sensed nothing at all and had no idea they had been followed. This put them on high alert—the person was clearly no ordinary individual.
They questioned Little Nannan in detail, trying to understand what kind of person he was.
"He changes into a different appearance each time, but Nannan can recognize him at a glance..." Little Nannan said softly.
Ye Fan and the others couldn't help but marvel. Little Nannan's spiritual perception was astonishingly sharp, far beyond their imagination. She had seen the person's true form.
It was a very ordinary-looking man, the kind that would never draw attention. Each time, he took on a different guise, hiding in the crowd and standing about ten zhang away to observe Ye Fan.
"Ten zhang... that's a critical distance. He doesn't dare get closer, which is a good thing. If he could sneak right up to us without being noticed, that would be too dangerous." Li Heishui felt uneasy.
The big black dog looked grave and questioned Little Nannan in detail, even asking about the person's every movement and each step he took.
"Getting within ten zhang of us without being detected—that's highly unusual. This is a terrifying figure!" The big black dog fell into deep thought.
"Are you thinking of something?" Ye Fan asked. The fact that the person could approach within ten zhang without anyone but Little Nannan noticing was indeed chilling.
"I hope I'm wrong, because if I'm not, we're in big trouble!" The big black dog was tense and couldn't help glancing around.
"What have you deduced?" Ye Fan's heart sank.
"Mortal World!" The big black dog uttered these three words, growing even more uneasy. It scanned everything around them and told Little Nannan to keep an eye out for any suspicious people.
"Mortal World..." Li Heishui shuddered involuntarily.
They had just come out of the Immortal Mountain not long ago and had learned there what a terrifying force this was—one that made even the Holy Lands tremble in ancient times.
In ages past, on this vast land, there were three ancient assassin divine dynasties, eternal and undying, with ancient traditions that chilled the Holy Lands to the bone. They had even killed ancient sages.
Heavenly Court, wielding the supreme assassin scepter, ruled over the realm. With a single thought, blood flowed across the land like rivers, dominating the fates of others like the ancient Heavenly Court itself.
Mortal World, hidden within the vast sea of humanity, was impossible to defend against. You never knew when they would strike with a fatal blow, and even ancient sages could not escape.
Legend had it that in their ancient hall, there was a bone tower built from the skulls of kings, having slain the heroes of the mortal world without anyone daring to oppose them.
Hell, home to a group of fallen deities, wielded blood-dripping divine swords that cut down all the sages of the world—powerful, merciless, terrifying, and bloody.
It was said that in Hell, they preserved the divine skin, bones, flesh, and organs of the ancient sages they had slain over the ages—cold, horrifying, and utterly mysterious.
Heavenly Court had been destroyed by the combined forces of the ancient Holy Lands, but Mortal World and Hell had survived, though they kept a low profile. No one knew where they were.
"Is it really Mortal World?" Even Ye Fan couldn't stay calm. This was a thunderous revelation.
"We can't be sure yet, but I have a feeling it's them. Who else could evade my perception?" Black Emperor was tense. Its origins were mysterious, and it was especially wary of the ancient assassin divine dynasties.
"Who did we provoke to bring out Mortal World?" Li Heishui felt a chill run down his neck, eyeing every person on the street as if they might be a ruthless killer from Mortal World.
"They haven't completely vanished into seclusion. They've left various clues and accept commissions from the world. Many ancient traditions can find them and hire their services." The big black dog couldn't calm down.
"You mean someone hired them to kill us?" Li Heishui exclaimed.
"The three ancient assassin divine dynasties, though they follow the path of killing, never kill without reason. Someone from an ancient tradition must have found them." Black Emperor bared its teeth, also feeling uncertain.
It was usually fearless, but facing one of the three ancient assassin divine dynasties, it felt a chill of fear.
Just then, Little Nannan tugged at Ye Fan's clothes. Her big eyes blinked, looking very well-behaved without saying a word. Though innocent, she was also clever.
Ye Fan knew the person had appeared again. He pretended to glance casually and saw that this man was truly ordinary—no distinguishing features, no different from any passerby on the street.
Even with his powerful spiritual perception, Ye Fan could detect nothing unusual. Only when he activated his divine eyes did he see the man's other face, proving he was no ordinary person.
No divine power flowed, no vigorous blood energy, not a trace of killing intent—it defied the normal principles of cultivators. Too calm and ordinary, impossible to guard against!
After a brief pause, the man showed no flaw and moved on with the crowd, disappearing into the sea of people. The group did not act rashly.
"That terrifying technique—that perverse divine art of concealing aura—it really is Mortal World!" The big black dog was agitated, its black fur bristling.
"Why is this happening..." Li Heishui felt his hair stand on end.
"Pray that the Mortal World of today is no longer the assassin divine dynasty of ancient times. Otherwise, we're in for disaster!" The big black dog bared its teeth.
In the ancient hall of Mortal World, the skulls of kings were displayed. Adding the skull of a Sacred Body might be something they would welcome.
"What's there to fear? I have the inheritance of Heavenly Court and wield the scepter of the ancient assassin divine dynasty. If Mortal World really tries to move against me, I'll strike back!" Ye Fan spoke calmly but firmly.
"The key is that the Heavenly Court inheritance is incomplete. We only have the first half of the life-slaying sacred art, missing the second half's core—one of the Nine Secrets!" The big black dog looked worried.
"Which of the Nine Secrets did Heavenly Court possess?" Ye Fan asked.
The ancient divine dynasty had faded into the distant past. Not even people of that era knew which secret they held, let alone the present generation.
"Aside from me, there's probably no one in this world who knows." The big black dog spoke.
The "Stride" Secret, shaking the ages, was almost unknown as the core sacred art of the ancient assassin divine dynasty, Heavenly Court—the very foundation of everything.
"Is that secret so powerful?" Li Heishui was astonished.
"Powerful beyond measure. Legend says that at its ultimate limit, it can alter time!" The big black dog said.
The "Stride" Secret of the Nine Secrets represented the ultimate in movement. It not only granted the fastest speed in the world but also allowed one to leap to the nine heavens above and pierce the nine underworlds below, reaching any place.
Innate array patterns could not trap it, supreme Dao techniques could not block it. Even if a ten-direction absolute formation were set up, one could pass through it—that was the "Stride" Secret. Nothing could stop it.
"The supreme 'Stride' Secret—no matter how ancient your tradition, no matter how many array patterns seal your sect, it cannot stop someone who has mastered the 'Stride' Secret. They walk in as if entering an empty space." The big black dog sighed.
Ye Fan finally understood why Heavenly Court was so terrifying. No one could stop them. They could walk anywhere in the mortal world and rule over the realm—it was no exaggeration.
The "Stride" Secret could reach ultimate sublimation. When speed surpassed the limits of the world, it became the evolution of time! However, since ancient times, only the first master of Heavenly Court—the old sage who had obtained the divine immortality pill and lived two lifetimes—had touched the edge of this.
"We don't have the 'Stride' Secret, but I've mastered the Mad Old Man's footwork, which is also a form of extreme speed. It should be able to complement the Heavenly Court's life-slaying sacred art to counter those from Mortal World." Ye Fan said.
"I've always felt that your footwork has a hint of the 'Stride' Secret. Maybe there's a connection, and it could indeed align with Heavenly Court's killing techniques." The big black dog nodded.
Ye Fan and the others left Zi Tian Du and headed back to the Wind Clan's eight hundred divine islands. On the way, they erased parts of Feng Huang's maid's memories—some things couldn't be known to her.
The mysterious person from Mortal World didn't reappear, but they couldn't truly relax. Since they had been targeted, it wouldn't end so easily.
"We need to find out who's behind this!" Li Heishui said.
This time, they headed to the Wind Clan's largest ancient island, where all the guests were gathering. As they passed through the central area, they saw ancient mountains that had existed since the primordial era, surrounding an ancient divine city.
Many were discussing that all of the Wind Clan's "foundations" were gathered inside. That was the root of their dominance in the Eastern Wasteland, and even Saint Lords couldn't enter easily.
No one could stay long in this place; everyone had to pass through quickly, or they would be forcibly removed.
The Wind Clan's Saint Lord was celebrating his 1,500th birthday, drawing a huge crowd. The divine island was packed with cultivators, many of them famous figures who shook the world.
When Ye Fan and the others arrived, they saw several Saint Lords in succession, shocking them. The gathering of experts was overwhelming—anyone who dared to cause trouble here would surely die without a burial place.
Younger generation figures like Holy Son Yao Guang, Golden Wing Little Peng King, Holy Maiden of Yao Chi, and Ji Family's Divine King Physique could only sit at a distance. Too many senior figures had come, each a regional overlord.
Many were surprised to see Feng Huang's maid standing obediently behind Ye Fan and the others, looking confused.
Feng Huang naturally saw this. She had heard some rumors, and though her face was hidden behind a five-colored mask, one could imagine her expression was far from pleasant.
"Go back to your princess. We can't afford to keep you." Ye Fan released her restraints.
Feng Huang's maid didn't dare make a fuss. She lowered her head and quickly retreated, truly afraid that Ye Fan might say something embarrassing. If he did, the Wind Clan would never let her off to save face.
When it was time to present gifts, Ye Fan took out a black, rough stone about the size of a washbasin and handed it to the Wind Clan's people.
"I heard he inherited the Origin Heavenly Master's legacy and gave a source stone. It must be something precious," someone murmured.
Some of the Wind Clan's younger disciples frowned—the same group that had always been dissatisfied with Ye Fan. They didn't believe he could find a divine object in such a short time; otherwise, why hadn't he cut it open?
Zhao Fa from the Ziwei Sect laughed and said, "I know this stone. It's been displayed in my Ziwei stone shop for many years. I didn't expect Brother Ye to buy it. It's just a scrap piece cut from a strange stone that contained divine source."
The crowd buzzed with discussion. Many looked at Ye Fan, thinking he was out of line—buying a random stone to pass off as a gift.
"I knew he was just putting on a show. That's no divine object. He couldn't bear to part with the sacred sword or the divine medicine seed for the Saint Lord, so he brought a worthless stone."
"How outrageous! He dares to insult our Wind Clan like this."
The Wind Clan disciples Ye Fan had humiliated in the Northern Domain were all angry, glaring at him.
"Are you sure this is a scrap piece? Did you cut out divine source from it?" Ye Fan looked at Zhao Fa in surprise.
"That's right. I saw it myself. We cut a fist-sized piece of divine source from the main stone. This is just a piece of the stone skin." Zhao Fa nodded with a smile.