Chapter 480: Old Madman Travels Together
Under the moonlight, the tall figure stood with hair flying wildly, his hollow eyes flickering faintly, yet his features were obscured.
A yellow great hand reached forward. The big black dog's fur stood on end, because Little Nannan was sitting on its back.
Seeing this, Ye Fan rushed forward to block, even knowing he was no match—he didn't want anything to happen to Nannan. With a "clang" of sword cry, he drew the Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Holy Spirit Sword and slashed downward.
"Dang!"
The earth-yellow great hand didn't dodge at all, reaching straight forward. The black holy sword struck one finger, sparks flying everywhere, but couldn't cut through it.
This was chilling. The indestructible black holy sword couldn't even chop a finger—one could only imagine what level of body refinement the opponent had achieved, how high his realm must be.
"Weng!"
Ye Fan swung his golden fist, smashing forward. His physical body was extremely powerful; he activated his strongest blood energy and struck with all his might.
"Dong!"
It was like beating a divine drum—a dull, heavy sound rang out between them. Ye Fan was knocked backward, his arm numb. Even the powerful sacred body's flesh couldn't withstand that great hand.
It reached forward slowly but forcefully, its trajectory impossible to alter. This was a chilling realization for Ye Fan—his powerful sacred body was being overpowered by someone else's physical strength for the first time.
Moreover, the opponent was so casual, not even focusing on him, letting him land a heavy blow with his golden fist.
"Woof!"
The big black dog grew anxious. It summoned a black Dark Jade Platform, intending to cross the void and escape.
"Shua"
Light flashed, and it vanished with Little Nannan. But that great hand merely pressed down lightly in the void. With a "boom," it collapsed the empty space, shaking them back out.
This was a terrifying scene. The earth-yellow great hand reached into the shattered void, covering them, and the terrifying energy currents were all frozen in place.
The endless void force couldn't harm them in the slightest. The earth-yellow great hand dragged Black Emperor and Little Nannan out of the void.
"Woof!" The big black dog barked wildly.
"Aiya..." Little Nannan was on the verge of tears.
Ye Fan charged forward desperately, his golden hand striking out again, trying to save them, but he couldn't budge it!
At that moment, he felt the helplessness of an ant trying to shake a tree, filled with frustration. This person was like an endless abyss, impossible to fathom.
"Bang"
Ye Fan's tiger's mouth split open, and he was sent flying backward hundreds of zhang. This wasn't even the opponent's attack—it was the recoil from his own strike against that great hand.
"What do you want?" Ye Fan feared he might harm Little Nannan.
Li Heishui also attacked, but fared even worse than Ye Fan, flying back a full thousand zhang, grimacing and shaking his numb arm.
The night wind blew, lifting the tall man's hair, revealing a righteous face of bronze complexion—straight nose, square mouth, sharp features.
Except for his hollow eyes, he was a very imposing man, like an undying war god, inspiring awe.
"You are..." Ye Fan's eyes widened in shock, an expression of disbelief on his face. It was Old Madman.
How had he become like this? In the past, his white hair was messy, his body withered, old and decrepit, his eyes murky, his mind deranged.
Now, he was completely different—his physique robust, his hair jet-black and thick, like a different person, as if he had regained eternal youth.
"What happened? Was it the transformation last time?" Ye Fan was astonished, then shouted, "Senior, do you remember me? You taught me the Celestial Pivot Step Technique. What are you doing? Don't hurt Little Nannan."
"He's the mad old man who survived six thousand years without dying?!" Li Heishui's mouth fell open, his heart surging with shock.
Old Madman's hollow eyes flashed with light. He glanced at Ye Fan but said nothing, instead tossing the big black dog aside and fixing Little Nannan in the void to observe her.
"Uncle, what are you doing?" Little Nannan asked timidly, instinctively stepping back.
At that moment, Old Madman's expression became extremely solemn. Two divine beams shot from his hollow eyes, as brilliant as golden lamps.
The divine light shone on Little Nannan, instantly distorting the surrounding void, as if it were about to collapse.
"Big Brother, I'm scared..." The little girl's voice carried a sob.
"Nannan, don't be afraid—he won't hurt you..." Recognizing Old Madman, Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief, believing the man wouldn't strike ruthlessly.
Old Madman's expression grew even more grave. His two thick black brows stood on end, and a divine light shot from his brow, landing on the little girl.
The big black dog was terrified, not daring to breathe, feeling an unparalleled, terrifying pressure. It looked at Little Nannan, then at Old Madman, anxious and worried.
"Shua"
Light flashed, and Old Madman and Little Nannan vanished into the high sky, then disappeared.
"Ah, where did they go?" Li Heishui was startled.
"They must have entered the sacred land of Celestial Pivot!" Ye Fan said gravely.
"Damn it! This old madman's power is terrifyingly unfathomable—this emperor can't see through him. Could he be trying to seize Little Nannan's dao fruit?!" Black Emperor was frantic.
"Ding dong!"
Celestial music rang out from the sky. A pure land burst forth with radiance, ten thousand auspicious ribbons and a billion divine beams cascading down, revealing a magnificent scene within.
Green grass spread like a carpet, immortal flowers gave off fragrance, one spiritual spring after another bubbled up, and petals drifted everywhere, like a dreamlike realm.
But on the ground of this pure land, rows of vermillion great coffins were laid out, looking quite eerie.
This was the sacred land of Celestial Pivot—the last hidden place never discovered by others, likely containing Celestial Pivot's ancient scriptures and supreme inheritance.
"Ah..." Old Madman let out a great roar, shaking ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers. Not only the beasts among the great peaks, but even the ancient flood beasts in the neighboring wilderness trembled.
A divine beam shot into the sky, tearing through the heavens as if to pierce the boundless starry sky. He was like an ancient deity.
His ancient green robes rustled in the wind as he stood tall, hair flying wildly, eyes flashing with cold lightning, his aura terrifying beyond compare, completely different from his usual appearance.
At the same time, Little Nannan closed her eyes. Her small hands began forming seals continuously—profound, mysterious, complex beyond understanding.
"What's happening?" Ye Fan's heart raced.
"He's discovered... what do we do?" The big black dog couldn't sit still, jumping and pacing, extremely uneasy.
"Shua"
Old Madman's gaze swept over like twin lightning bolts, nearly cracking Ye Fan and the others' bodies, terrifying them utterly.
Old Madman circled Little Nannan, his eyes growing brighter, as if trying to see through everything about her. Especially at his brow, a deity-like figure appeared, sitting cross-legged in the void, solemn and dignified, staring at the little girl.
"This is no longer the ancient era—the world has long changed. How can someone so terrifying and unfathomable still be born?!" The big black dog grew even more alarmed.
The deity before Old Madman's brow seemed to be creating the world, swallowing chaos, staring at Little Nannan, causing the sacred land to expand continuously.
Little Nannan kept forming seals. The seven-colored little stone at her brow grew brighter but didn't fall off, fusing into a seven-colored light point, emitting mysterious energy.
"Boom!"
A great sound rang out. The sacred land closed, and the scene within could no longer be seen.
Divine Doctor Wang was also alarmed and rushed over. After learning what happened, he sucked in a cold breath and said, "Fall back—stay far away from here."
Reluctantly, the group retreated into the distance. But nothing bad happened afterward. Late at night, the sacred land in the void reappeared, and Little Nannan walked out, looking around in confusion.
The little one wasn't harmed. The only change was that the seven-colored little stone had been fused into her brow, no longer falling off, giving her an added aura of spirituality.
Old Madman materialized in the void, his eyes hollow again, expressionless. With a sweep of his sleeve, the entire sacred land vanished.
The big black dog took the little girl down, examining her left and right, uncertain. "He healed your hidden injuries..."
Black Emperor turned to look at the tall figure in the void and muttered, "He truly has great spirit—didn't seize the dao fruit, but helped instead."
Ye Fan transmitted his voice secretly, "Thank you, Senior, for teaching me the art, and for helping this time. I have nothing to repay, but I know of a place that might contain the complete 'Stride' character art..."
In recent days, he had learned from Divine Doctor Wang that one of the Nine Secrets held by the ancient family in Li Prefecture of the Northern Domain was likely the Stride Art.
And the ancient scroll left by that family pointed toward Sacred Cliff, suggesting he might obtain the Stride Secret.
But that place was no good ground—it was covered with Great Emperor array patterns, where even Red Dragon Daoist had been trapped for fifteen hundred years. Even the big black dog had been grumbling these past few days.
Now, meeting Old Madman was a great opportunity. He wanted to invite him to go together to Sacred Cliff to seek the Nine Secrets, also as a way to repay the favor.
Sure enough, Old Madman's hollow eyes flickered with two beams of light, but they quickly faded, with no indication.
"The Stride Art is at Sacred Cliff!" Ye Fan transmitted, revealing the exact location. If the other party didn't want to go, so be it—he couldn't force it.
Silently, Old Madman vanished, nowhere to be seen.
"That was the sacred land—with Celestial Pivot's secret arts—and we saw it, but can't gain anything." Li Heishui was deeply regretful.
"Nannan, how are you?" Ye Fan asked.
"Nannan is fine, but I feel like I can remember a lot more things now," the little one answered obediently, rubbing the seven-colored light point on her brow.
"Shua"
Light flashed, and Old Madman reappeared, his disheveled hair covering his face, following behind Ye Fan and the others. Clearly, he intended to travel with them!
"Digging out a divine being like this—we could walk sideways across the Eastern Wasteland!" Li Heishui's heart pounded; he nearly jumped up. Though he transmitted secretly, Old Madman seemed to hear him and swept him with a glance.
Ye Fan and his group left the Celestial Pivot ruins, bidding farewell to Divine Doctor Wang, heading for Sacred Cliff—a strange combination.
A big dog carrying a delicate little girl, a tall middle-aged man with disheveled hair and an unseen face, a dark, rugged brute, and a harmless-looking, clean youth... walking together, they looked quite bizarre.
Ye Fan didn't let the big black dog carve dao patterns to teleport to Sacred Cliff, saying they would walk the whole way.
"Ye Black, oh Ye Black..." Li Heishui muttered, quickly understanding Ye Fan's intention. With an invincible expert by their side, teleporting directly would be a waste of Old Madman.
The big black dog was also full of mischief, riding on borrowed authority. With a man who had survived six thousand years beside them, it decided to make full use of him.
"Ancient Assassin Divine Dynasty—Mortal World—aren't you supposed to kill gods and buddhas without mercy? Come on, if you dare!"
"Those holy lands and supreme sects that want to test us—bring it on!"
"I hope all those blind fools come crashing into us!"
The big black dog crowed inwardly, ecstatic. As soon as they left the wilderness, it went around greeting everyone, eager to provoke a few holy lands immediately.