Chapter 491: Approaching the Sacred Cliff
Snow-white petals, like funeral flowers in a graveyard, each stained with traces of blood, drifted and scattered throughout the entire ancient street.
Black petals represented death, mist filled the air, radiating an aura of destruction as they danced between heaven and earth, chilling the hearts of all who witnessed them.
The simultaneous emergence of the two ancient assassin divine dynasties shook everyone, tugging at the nerves of every individual. The various Saint Lords found it especially difficult to remain calm, as their predecessors had participated in the campaign to annihilate the divine dynasties.
In years past, the three divine dynasties had reigned supreme over the realm. For a considerable span of time, they silenced all the ancient traditions of the Eastern Wasteland, none daring to provoke their wrath.
Because once offended, peerless figures would inevitably be assassinated—a burden too heavy to bear, one that no Holy Land could withstand.
The three ancient divine dynasties were both domineering and terrifying. They dared to assassinate even ancient sages and succeeded in doing so. Who in the world did not fear them?
That was a dark age, truly a calamity. The ancient divine dynasties ruled the world, looking down upon the Eastern Wasteland, placing unprecedented pressure on every Holy Land.
Petals fluttered through the streets, all stained with fresh blood. Intangible killing intent swirled in the air. The legendary death warrant had been issued, and from ancient times to the present, no one had ever escaped it.
"I wonder how strong they are now. Before the ancient times, once a death warrant was issued, not a single person had ever managed to escape!" the Big Black Dog muttered.
Many people looked at Ye Fan with strange expressions. The ancient assassin divine dynasties had an undefeated legend; the death warrants they had issued had never had an exception.
"The two divine dynasties retreated for endless ages. Now that they've emerged, they're being so blatant. They must be confident in their strength," the Wind Clan Saint Lord said with a frown.
There were some things he didn't say out loud. The fact that they dared to issue a death warrant at this time was clearly a provocation against the current sages. Most likely, they intended to establish their authority!
If that were the case, the problem would be extremely serious. It would prove that the foundations of the two assassin divine dynasties had swelled to a terrifying degree.
"Could it be that they've restored their former glory?" the Saint Lord of Yaoguang also furrowed his brow.
In the past, within the ancient halls of the Mortal World, the skulls of various kings had almost been gathered together, missing no type of physique. They had slaughtered the heroes of the world, leaving none able to withstand their edge!
And Hell was even more extreme. They were like a group of fallen, merciless deities, wielding blood-dripping divine swords to cut down all the sages of the world—powerful and terrifying.
Within Hell, they preserved the divine skin, bones, flesh, and organs of the ancient sages they had slain. The bloody sight was horrifying, making them the most mysterious and fearsome of all.
"This..." the Saint Lord of the Ji Family also showed a grave expression. "If they truly recreate the grand spectacle of yesteryear, it will likely be another dark age, bringing about a great calamity."
The ancient assassin divine dynasties specialized in killing. These people spent their entire lives entering the Dao through slaughter. They were the world's foremost experts in life-slaying arts, making them nearly impossible for those of the same cultivation level to resist or defend against.
All the Holy Lands had participated in that shocking war before the ancient times. They had not been unwilling to uproot both the Mortal World and Hell, but only after engaging in battle did they realize the immense price required.
The supreme divine dynasty—the Heavenly Court—had two sages whose lifespans were nearly exhausted. In their twilight years, they couldn't unleash their full combat power, yet they still managed to drag three peak-condition supreme sages from the Holy Lands to their deaths.
The Holy Lands had chosen their moment well, striking when the ancient assassin dynasties' old sages were about to pass away and their new sages had yet to be born.
Yet even so, they paid such a heavy price. Thus, they lacked the strength to destroy the Mortal World and Hell, allowing them to retreat unscathed.
"Swish!"
A heaven-spanning rainbow descended from the sky, three zhang in diameter. It was a sharp sword beam, slashing toward Ye Fan—a truly world-shaking edge!
"What? They're making a move right in front of a sage? This is the Mortal World's sage-slaying sword art!"
Everyone's expression changed. Had the Mortal World gone mad? Or had their foundation swelled to such an extreme, terrifying degree that they no longer feared the Old Madman, a world-dominating figure?
This was a life-slaying grand art unleashed by a Saint Lord-rank figure. It cut through both the illusory and the real, annihilating everything in its path, carving out a trace of the Great Dao as if severing the barrier between ancient times and the present.
"Pop!"
The Old Madman's robe sleeve unfurled, blotting out the sky as it swept forward. Not only did it absorb the sword beam into his sleeve, but it also drew the entire heavens into it.
"Boom!"
The heavens shattered on the spot, a massive black hole appearing there. The sword beam had been launched through a domain gate; the Mortal World's strongman had not dared to show himself.
"Chi!"
Another sword beam slashed down—a blood-red divine radiance tearing through the void, two thousand zhang long, aimed at Little Nannan on the Big Black Dog's back.
Ye Fan's eyes turned cold. The ancient assassin divine dynasties targeting him was one thing, but including Little Nannan in their attack filled him with fury.
"Bang!"
The Old Madman flicked his finger. A beam of finger light pierced through heaven and earth, not only shattering the blood-red radiance but also tearing through the void, striking toward the other end of space.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the tall and imposing sage moved both hands. For the first time, he displayed a divine art before the crowd, but no one could see it clearly.
At his fingertips, complex Dao patterns coiled like foot-long true dragons swimming. His hands shook violently, and the heavens instantly collapsed.
"Rumble!"
In Wangkong City, aside from a few Saint Lords, almost everyone collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand this pressure. It was a suppression originating from the very soul.
"Boom!"
A terrifying wave of Dao power rippled out, instantly crossing the void to strike at the other end of nothingness. No one knew how he had accomplished it.
"This... he didn't open a domain gate. He's killing enemies across boundless void!"
The Saint Lords were stunned, expressions of shock on their faces. The Old Madman hadn't used any grand art; this was merely a secret technique he had casually traced out.
"Thump!"
The heavens were like a broken drum, smashed apart. The Dao power the Old Madman had struck crossed the void. At the other end, two screams rang out before falling completely silent.
A contemporary sage could not be insulted. Such heaven-defying methods were truly astonishing! Yet the Old Madman's hollow eyes flickered with a trace of light as he said, "Something from the Bronze Immortal Hall."
These words sent a shock through Ye Fan's heart. His Primordial Mother Qi Root had come from that place—a graveyard for peerless experts.
He had heard some legends. Peerless experts of the Eastern Wasteland who entered never returned, except for him and Ji Ziyue. Only once had someone successfully emerged alive, bringing out a corpse suspected to be an immortal, which was then divided among the Holy Lands.
As a sage of the Celestial Pivot Holy Land, the Old Madman must have seen the inherited bones. Could the secret treasure on Ji Ziyue be related to that "immortal body"?
But how could Little Nannan sense it? She had actually discovered that Ji Ziyue carried a treasure. The little one was becoming more and more mysterious.
Ye Fan and his group continued northward. Many followed behind, as if on a pilgrimage, but no one dared to approach or disturb them.
Over half a month, the Mortal World and Hell appeared four times. They not only tried to kill Ye Fan but also implicated Little Nannan. Twice, killing swords had slashed toward her.
With a sage accompanying them, they naturally faced no danger. Those assassins were not their true bodies but ancient strange corpses inhabited by puppet avatars.
"Which ancient inheritances hired the Mortal World and Hell?" Li Heishui pondered.
"There must be some Holy Sons. Hua Yunfei, that ruthless one, is likely among them. Probably some from the Yin Yang Sect too. Many seem to suspect your injuries have healed," the Big Black Dog muttered.
Ye Fan rubbed his chin, saying nothing. He knew that earth-shattering battles lay ahead. For now, he had to make himself stronger first.
Afterward, they began crossing the void. Several jumps later, they shook off all their followers without a trace.
Finally, Black Emperor carefully carved Dao patterns, preparing to head to the ultimate destination—the Sacred Cliff!
Seeing how serious it was, Li Heishui felt a headache coming on, because he recognized the chessboard patterns again—those left by Emperor Void.
"Dead dog, put those away right now! We don't want to end up in the Western Desert or the Northern Plains. Haven't you caused enough trouble for Pang Bo and Tu Fei?"
The Big Black Dog fumed indignantly. "Do you have so little faith in this emperor?"
Little Nannan, for once, showed a worried expression. She crouched down and spoke seriously, "Doggy, be careful. You always mess up. Don't send us to the wrong place."
The Big Black Dog felt embarrassed. Without a word, it continued carving, replicating the chessboard array patterns. Throughout the process, the Old Madman watched the patterns intently.
Ye Fan knew the Big Black Dog had done this deliberately, hoping the sage would evaluate them.
"Alright, heading to the Sacred Cliff. Absolutely no mistake. We'll be there in a moment," the Big Black Dog said.
"These are array patterns for the Western Desert..." the Old Madman suddenly spoke.
"Damn it, dead dog! You're too unreliable! Do you want to kill us? If we land on Mount Sumeru and smash the Great Thunderclap Monastery, those buddhas and bodhisattvas will fight us to the death!" Li Heishui said angrily.
"This is clearly for the Sacred Cliff..." the Big Black Dog said, puzzled. It rolled its eyes and asked the Old Madman.
The Old Madman said nothing. He simply pointed, altering one or two spots in the array patterns to correct them.
"So that's where the problem was. No wonder I felt something was off," the Big Black Dog muttered.
"Swish!"
Light flashed, and the group crossed the void, vanishing from their spot. The array patterns they left behind automatically disappeared without a trace.
Long after they had left, a shadowy figure rushed over from a distant mountain. Vague and indistinct, it stood in place for a long time before letting out a cold laugh that seemed to come from hell itself. All the birds and beasts in the mountain range dropped dead instantly.
Not long after, another person appeared beside it. This figure was even more blurred, almost transparent, as if it might dissipate in the wind at any moment. It stared fixedly at the void, saying nothing, but its killing intent withered every plant and tree across the entire mountain range.
Ye Fan and his group didn't know how many tens of thousands of miles they had crossed, traveling from the central region of the Eastern Wasteland to a place near the Northern Domain.
The Sacred Cliff was located at the border between the Central Domain and the Northern Domain, a very special position. On ordinary days, almost no one came here, keeping their distance out of reverence.
Because this was a place of ill omen. In his later years, the Great Accomplishment Saint Body had stained the black cliff with his blood, dying here. This filled everyone with fear.
After all, that was a supreme existence who could contend with the ancient Great Emperors. Yet he had met such an end, becoming an eternal historical mystery.
Though its name suggested a single cliff, upon approaching, one realized it was incredibly vast. It was a great mountain range, majestic and imposing.
Its entire body was black, as dark as ink. Even the dense ancient trees covering it couldn't hide its color. Over fifty great peaks stood side by side, radiating immense grandeur.
"The Great Accomplishment Supreme Saint Body was too powerful. This was severed from the Immortal Mountain and brought here as his secluded cultivation ground," the Big Black Dog sighed.
Ye Fan and the others couldn't help but feel awe. They imagined that the invincible Great Accomplishment Saint Body, after his qi and blood had declined in his later years, had been taken advantage of by some unknown entity.
Otherwise, with his world-dominating divine might at his peak—comparable to a Great Emperor—it would have been nearly impossible for anyone in this world to eliminate him.
"A hero in his twilight years—the world cannot bear to see white hair. This is the greatest sorrow of the mortal realm..." the Big Black Dog lamented.
"Little Leaf, you must find an Immortal Divine Medicine and plant it, living a second life. My grandfather told me that the later years of Great Accomplishment Saint Bodies were never peaceful. You absolutely cannot wait until your qi and blood decline..." Li Heishui also spoke.