Chapter 479: The Millennial Cycle
The ruins of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land were desolate and barren. Overgrown weeds and wild trees had buried the mountain gate. Withered old trees, so thick that a dozen people could not encircle them with their arms, stretched their dry, hard branches toward the sky.
Within the collapsed mountain gate, a figure stood motionless, like a wooden stake, without a single ripple of movement, as if turned to stone.
When walking in the distance, one could not sense his presence at all. Only upon approaching did one suddenly realize with a start that someone had been standing there for a long time.
He faced away from the mountain gate. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and his stature was tall. One glance could not fathom him; he was like a bottomless abyss, or like the boundless starry sky—unfathomably deep.
The big black dog had once been a Great Power. Although his cultivation had fallen, his insight remained keen. The hairs on his back stood on end; he could not discern the other's depth.
"Impossible to gauge, terrifying to the extreme!" This was Black Emperor's evaluation transmitted via divine sound. He felt his legs trembling, and carrying Little Nannan on his back, he turned and fled.
The big black dog was utterly without loyalty. Without saying a word to anyone, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Ye Fan's heart also pounded violently. He had initially thought it was the Old Madman who had returned, but now he was uncertain. This person's back was imposing, his black hair thick—completely different from that gaunt, crazy old man.
"Let's retreat too!" Li Heishui called out, stepping backward one pace at a time. That person blocked the mountain gate, truly not someone to provoke.
But he also knew that, given the other's cultivation, he had surely already detected them. They did not flee in panic but slowly backed away.
Ye Fan was also filled with doubt. Without saying much, he retreated along the original path. An unknown, terrifying existence—a mysterious powerhouse whose combat strength could not be estimated—keeping a respectful distance was the best choice.
That person still did not move, like an immortal statue, standing frozen within the collapsed mountain gate, without a trace of life force.
"Gone! Vanished!"
Ye Fan and Li Heishui retreated a bit further. They had not even blinked, yet they found that the tall figure had already disappeared without a trace.
"What kind of movement technique is this? Too fast, as if he had never appeared at all!" Li Heishui's heart pounded with fear.
"So fast! The Peerless Divine King has a rival. This world truly does not lack extraordinary people!" Ye Fan was also startled.
When they returned to Divine Physician Wang's thatched hut, the big black dog was muttering, "Damn it, who is this person? This Emperor can't see through him at all. Too terrifying!"
"You dead dog have no loyalty! You abandoned us and turned tail!" Li Heishui said contemptuously.
"For a figure like that, whether we flee or not is the same. We were just putting on a show to let him know we held him in awe. If he wanted to strike, even if I laid down array patterns to teleport away, he could slap the space apart with one palm and drag us out of the void," the big black dog retorted.
Only Little Nannan remained calm. Although the little girl was curious, she was well-behaved and did not ask many questions, just listening quietly.
Divine Physician Wang came out of his thatched hut. After hearing the full account, he sighed softly, "The Heavenly Pivot Holy Land is indeed not simple. Six thousand years after its destruction, such a terrifying figure still exists. Truly chilling."
"This is a land that reaches the heavens. Every mountain range is a soaring great dragon. That such divine soil has not been occupied by later generations naturally means there is a problem," the big black dog said suspiciously.
"It's not that later generations didn't want to seize it, but this place is strange..." Divine Physician Wang said. Although he lived nearby, he had not visited it many times.
In ancient times, the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land was at its peak. After its destruction, it left behind many divine treasures, which were divided among the other Holy Lands. But in the end, none dared to completely occupy this divine soil.
Six thousand years ago, after failing to attack the Ancient Forbidden Land, the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land, which had reached an unparalleled peak, was reduced to ashes overnight. Only three or four people escaped, but soon their lifespans dried up, and they perished in both body and spirit.
For the Holy Lands, this was a grand feast. They almost completely stripped the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land bare. Several supreme great sects even wanted to move in.
But not long after, every full moon night, loud weeping would come from the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land. Several Saint Lords went to investigate in the dead of night but could find nothing. This continued for many years.
In the years that followed, every thousand years, sorrowful weeping would appear once in the dead of night, truly terrifying all the Holy Lands.
From then on, no one dared to set their sights on this place. Even though they knew it was a land of soaring dragons that could reach the heavens, they dared not touch it.
"Thinking carefully, another millennial cycle has arrived. The full moon night is coming soon. Could it be that person has returned?" Divine Physician Wang frowned.
"Truly abnormal. Appearing once every thousand years. Can even the passage of time not wear him away? Too terrifying!" the big black dog muttered, fear in his heart.
Ye Fan remembered something and asked Divine Physician Wang for guidance, "Senior, do you know what ancient scripture the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land cultivated? What is the origin of their miraculous movement technique?"
The big black dog had once said that the Old Madman's movement technique bore the shadow of the "Stride" character secret of the Nine Secrets. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"The ancient scripture of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land was powerful and profound, but unfortunately it has been reduced to ashes and not passed down. Their movement technique was unparalleled in the world, surpassing the extreme speed of the Heavenly Roc by a hair."
Divine Physician Wang paused here, then said, "Few in the world know that the Heavenly Pivot movement technique evolved from the Nine Secrets."
"What?" Ye Fan was startled, realizing that the big black dog had guessed correctly.
"In ancient times, our lineage produced a Sage, so naturally we know some of those ancient secrets," Divine Physician Wang said slowly.
Over a hundred thousand years ago, the Holy Lands besieged the Heavenly Court, causing this ancient divine dynasty to fall. Every major sect gained something, more or less.
What the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land obtained was the most precious. A corner of the ancient scroll of the "Stride" character secret, the core sacred technique of the Heavenly Court, was cut off by them and became their highest secret, passed down through the generations.
The Old Madman's movement technique originated from the "Stride" character secret of the Heavenly Court, but it was incomplete. In the end, the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land continuously evolved it, leading to the unmatched divine speed of later generations.
The full moon night arrived quickly. Ye Fan and the others stood on a distant peak, gazing toward the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land.
As the watery moonlight fell, a great cry like thunder shook the clouds, startling thousands of beasts into stampeding and causing the mountains to tremble.
"It's him... that tall back!" the big black dog said in terror.
Ye Fan and the others saw that person again. Like a ghost, he appeared and disappeared within the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land, darting east and west. Too fast—their eyes could not keep up with his speed.
"Woo..."
The weeping was like thunder, like the roaring of rivers and seas, deafening. It traveled especially far in the dead of night, causing the entire world to shake.
"Indeed, all the Holy Lands have sent people!" Divine Physician Wang said, his eyes gazing into the distant sky.
The millennial cycle was a very special day. All the Holy Lands wanted to see if that person would return, whether he had died or not.
One could imagine their shock. The weeping had risen again. This millennial cycle had not been broken.
"Too abnormal. Using a thousand years as a cycle, several generations of old Saint Lords have died, and he can still come here to weep!" the big black dog muttered.
"Dead dog, keep your voice down! Don't talk nonsense!" Li Heishui warned.
In the distance, the people from the Holy Lands silently withdrew, not daring to stay long. They had only come to confirm it. After all, in the past, they had plundered the divine treasures of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land, and they felt guilty.
Now, this world-dominating figure was still alive. Not a single person could remain calm. In the blink of an eye, the distant sky was empty and silent.
"Is it the Old Madman or not?" Ye Fan wondered. Aside from the crazy old man, could the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land have another inconceivable existence that survived? How was that possible!
The weeping lasted for half an hour, quieting only at midnight. The myriad peaks stopped shaking, and the land that reached the heavens fell into peace.
"This time, he should be gone. Legend says that after each weeping, he vanishes for a thousand years," Divine Physician Wang sighed.
"Let's go take a look!" Li Heishui said.
In the dead of night, the ruins of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land were utterly silent. Broken walls and collapsed pillars were everywhere, an indescribable desolation.
Once glorious and supremely powerful, an immortal Holy Land had come to this. It made one sigh—there truly is nothing eternal in this world.
Green stone steps were covered in moss. Wild grass had buried the ground. Desolation reigned. Some massive stone slabs were inscribed with many ancient characters.
Six thousand years had passed. All valuable items had long been carried away. Nothing was left. Even the medicinal fields were overgrown with weeds.
"Take a look around. I'll study the layout of these medicinal fields more carefully," Divine Physician Wang said. This was not his first time observing them, but each time he could find some incomplete Dao patterns that could accelerate the growth of spiritual herbs.
Ye Fan and the others walked through the vast ruins. Broken tiles, collapsed walls, and half-toppled ancient halls covered in thick dust were everywhere.
"An underground palace..." They discovered a massive underground palace. The structures inside were still intact.
But when they went deeper, they all drew in a cold breath. Endless graves stretched in a continuous expanse—this was an underground cemetery.
Firelight flickered. In front of each grave were paper money and some offerings. Clearly, someone had just visited the tombs.
"Divine Physician Wang said that the only divine soil of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land has never been found. Their ancient scripture might be buried there. Could it be among these graves?" Li Heishui wondered.
Unfortunately, even with Black Emperor's mastery of Dao patterns, nothing was found. After paying their respects, they all withdrew.
When they reached the deepest part of the Heavenly Pivot ruins, the scene was even more desolate. Collapsed ancient halls, broken green stone steps, a massive training ground...
Everything recorded the glory of the past and the desolation of the present. The once-supreme Holy Land had become nothing but history.
"The most mysterious divine soil of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land remains unfound. Their ancient scripture has truly become the ashes of history..." They all felt regret.
The bright moon shone in the sky. Large swaths of moonlight fell like white feathers onto the desolate forest. Little Nannan's body emitted a seven-colored radiance. Her small stone slowly sank into her body.
"Nannan is going to forget the past again..." The little girl's mood was low, her voice very soft.
On the full moon night, she would undergo a rebirth, forgetting everything from before. But Ye Fan was prepared. He took out a bright, gleaming piece of beautiful jade.
"Nannan, don't worry. Everything you've experienced is recorded here. You'll understand it all in a moment."
"Mm!" The little one nodded seriously.
As the watery moonlight fell like thin smoke, a seven-colored light shot out from Little Nannan's brow. A new small stone emerged.
She was utterly confused. She didn't recognize anyone. She was a bit timid, fearfully surveying everything around her.
Ye Fan imprinted the jade containing her memories into her mind. After a short time, the little girl calmed down again. She was very happy and cheerful, saying, "Nannan didn't forget the past."
The seven-colored small stone on her brow became even more crystalline and dazzling, about to fall off. At that moment, the little one suddenly cried out in surprise, "There's a world over there!"
She stretched out her tender little hand, pointing at the void. Her small mouth formed an "O" shape. She was very surprised and curious.
"Nannan, what are you talking about?" Ye Fan, Li Heishui, and the big black dog all showed astonished expressions.
"Nannan sees a pure land. There are so many sparkling petals dancing inside... but the ground is covered with coffins, and there's a person!" The little girl cried out in alarm.
She timidly stepped back a few paces, still staring at the void.
"Could it be the divine soil of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land?!" They were all stunned.
The void Little Nannan pointed to was high in the sky above the deepest part of the Heavenly Pivot ruins. Ye Fan activated his divine eyes but could see nothing. Yet she saw through it with a single glance.
"That person sat up from the only coffin without a lid. He's coming out. It's the person we saw a few days ago. He... has discovered us." The little girl became even more frightened, unable to speak.
"Shua"
Silently and without a sound, a tall figure appeared on the ground in the deepest part of the ruins. That person had walked out from the divine soil.
He wore an ancient green robe. His black hair was thick. His eyes were hollow. In one step, he arrived before Ye Fan and the others. He fixed his gaze on Little Nannan, then reached out a large hand toward her.