Chapter 794: The Saint Who Followed Wu Shi
When exactly the Immortal Emperor was born could no longer be verified, for even in the Primeval Era he was already a legend, the sole deity in the hearts of all races.
What kind of beings would his subordinates be? A moment's thought sent chills down one's spine—they were like divine generals descended from the heavens in ancient times, and three people were fighting such an existence!
"Go to hell! You really think we're still in the Mythical Era? So many years have passed, your bones should have rotted clean long ago. So what if the Immortal Emperor carved divine patterns? When you run into the Ruthless Great Emperor's weapon, you'll still be ground to slag!" Duan De was ruthless, having had an arm torn off, blood dripping everywhere, leaving him a miserable sight.
The Old Blind Man was even worse off. Having borne the brunt of the attack earlier, a black claw had torn a huge hole through his chest, piercing him front to back, nearly shattering him into pieces.
The Ancient Devouring Demon Jar trembled, and the void immediately collapsed inward, forming a black hole that spewed dark light, absorbing the essence of all directions, then aimed at the creature fighting Ye Fan.
In the field, two figures clashed fiercely, like bolts of lightning entangled together, moving too fast for the eye to follow—fierce and domineering, powerful and terrifying.
Ye Fan was deeply shaken. The body he currently inhabited was a Saintly Shell, yet he hadn't crushed his opponent instantly. This showed just how formidable the creature's physical body was.
"As expected of a subordinate of the ancient Heavenly Emperor, truly like a divine general descending into the world!" That was Ye Fan's assessment.
The only thing that reassured him was that the being he fought had lost its magical power, leaving only its withered body usable, forcing it to engage in pure physical combat like him.
This withered body was pitch-black and dried up, with nine heads—dragon, hou, human, phoenix, and others—lined up side by side, indescribably bizarre. Each head had a pair of cold, sinister eyes.
A black divine ring surrounded it, its greatest reliance, capable of neutralizing half of Ye Fan's strength. Otherwise, it would ultimately be no match for the ancient Saintly Shell and would be suppressed.
"Boom"
The Devouring Demon Jar trembled, and the aura of an ancient Great Emperor spread. The creature let out a piercing shriek, as ferocious as a vengeful ghost, a sound that made one's hair stand on end.
It leaped up, turning into a streak of dark light and fleeing. How overbearing was the Devouring Demon Jar? As an Extreme Imperial Weapon, even without awakening, its released aura was enough to intimidate all directions.
"Still trying to run?" Ye Fan charged, piercing through its divine ring, and grabbed one of its arms, his physical body ultimately surpassing his opponent.
"Crack"
The pitch-black, dry branch-like arm snapped, heavy as if forged from divine gold—ordinary cultivators couldn't even lift it.
With a piercing scream, the creature shot into the sky, utterly terrified of the Devouring Demon Jar, trying to break free and escape.
However, its movements were too violent. It rushed before the Wu Shi Dao Platform, a forbidden ground where, without the Emperor Jade in hand, any living being must stop, or else meet their doom.
"Boom"
A waterfall of Chaos cascaded down, interwoven with a web of Dao patterns, instantly crushing it into powder, turning it into black ash that dissipated on the spot.
The three were dumbfounded. Emperor Wu Shi's might swallowed mountains and rivers, his divine prestige overwhelming the ages. The Dao patterns here were unimaginably powerful—such a physical body was destroyed without a shred of suspense.
Ye Fan was drenched in cold sweat. Even this Saintly Shell of his was inadequate; having reached the Saint realm, it still couldn't withstand a single Dao pattern here. The name "Wu Shi" truly could crush the ages.
The Old Blind Man and Duan De groaned respectively. Dark light was invading their bodies, entering their flesh and refusing to be removed. Their entire bodies were turning black, a dire situation.
"A lifetime of hunting geese, only to have my eyes pecked out. I've finally met a ruthless character in a tomb. This is Primeval Corpse Poison—hard to eliminate completely." Duan De was drenched in cold sweat.
The Old Blind Man's face was also black. Even someone as strong as him couldn't hold out; his flesh was nearly withered, overtaken by a rotting aura.
"Isn't there still the Medicine King?" Ye Fan pried open the black arm he had torn off, took out a fragrant ancient herb, which emitted a hazy glow.
"How unwilling. I finally got a rare Medicine King, and now I have to eat it." Duan De grimaced.
"If you don't want it, give it all to me." The Old Blind Man bit off half the herb with a crunch, choking as he forced it down.
"Damn it, you old fool, treating a peony like a cow chewing grass—wasting a treasure!" Fatty Duan panicked, snatching the other half and biting into it as well.
One had to admit, the rare Medicine King had miraculous effects. Soon after entering their stomachs, it turned into a divine liquid, causing their bodies to burst with blinding divine radiance, like two small suns burning, quickly evaporating the black aura from their bodies.
Their bones crackled incessantly, their flesh rapidly repaired, shimmering with treasure light, while their bodies became younger and more vigorous.
"A Medicine King in hand is like having an extra life. We must find a way to pick those few on the Dao Platform." Duan De was practically drooling.
The Old Blind Man frowned. "Something's off. That creature earlier clearly had its life force extinguished, like a ghostly corpse. Even divine medicine would be useless to it—it couldn't possibly recover. So why did it desperately snatch it, even daring to step into this forbidden ground?"
"Could it be trying to use it for a more powerful, still-living ancient being?" Ye Fan said.
At these words, the three shuddered. They had deeply felt the strength of that nine-headed creature—it had nearly killed Duan De and the others. Was there still a living existence here?
After a moment of silence, they could only hold the Devouring Demon Jar, ready to sacrifice it at any moment to suppress and kill any being. If anything seemed wrong, they would strike first!
The ancient tomb was towering, with endless Chaos Qi cascading down, making it difficult to approach. Climbing up was hard, and flying was out of the question—the void before the Dao Platform was sealed.
"No matter what, I have to go up and find out the truth, or I won't be satisfied!" Ye Fan said solemnly.
The three circled the altar, observing carefully to see where to ascend. When they reached another direction, a blazing light appeared—a pile of Divine Source blocks ahead, dazzlingly bright.
"A living being, breaking free... Could it be nearby?"
"So close to the Dao Platform..."
"Eh, there are words here."
Before the cracked Divine Source, they found a line of ancient characters carved into the stone wall: "Gu Tianshu vows to guard Emperor Wu Shi's tomb for life."
"Gu Tianshu... Isn't that an invincible Saint from seventy to eighty thousand years ago?!" The Old Blind Man was shocked. He knew something of the powerful figures in the Northern Domain's history.
"It's him..." Ye Fan was stunned. Back when he first entered Purple Mountain, he had found dozens of names at the entrance, with Gu Tianshu being the strongest, his imprint even surpassing Divine King Jiang Taixu.
Gu Tianshu, a Saint from ancient times, had found this place and willingly became Wu Shi's tomb guardian—truly astonishing.
"There are traces of battle here!" Duan De shouted. The marks were obvious; the ripples of battle on the stone wall hadn't yet dissipated, sending chills down their spines.
After observing, the three changed color. This was a Saint-level battle, happening here—unbelievable.
"Judging by these traces, it happened about two thousand years ago." The Old Blind Man touched the stone wall and made this judgment.
"Today, I fought the Battle Saint Ape and lost by a narrow margin. Considering he came with the Emperor Jade, I allowed him to take three Medicine Kings and leave." It was still Gu Tianshu's carving, clearly visible on the stone wall.
The three were shocked, exchanging glances. These words revealed too much.
"Two thousand years ago, Gu Tianshu was still alive. He has lived until the present day—if this gets out, it will shake the world!"
"The Battle Saint Ape—it must be that Battle Victory Buddha from the Western Desert. He actually entered Ancient Emperor Mountain!"
What had happened? An ancient Saint from seventy to eighty thousand years ago, Gu Tianshu, had lived to the present. The Divine Source liquid he used to seal himself could only be refined by ancient Great Emperors. Could Wu Shi still be alive?
But then why did he say he would guard Wu Shi's tomb for life? Was the Great Emperor on the Dao Platform truly dead?
The Battle Victory Buddha from Mount Sumeru had been here, which caught them off guard. That was a Great Sage, with boundless magical power!
At the same time, Ye Fan finally understood why the Big Black Dog had often said it hated monkeys the most. Two thousand years ago, the Battle Victory Buddha had come here and probably taught it a lesson.
They searched carefully but found no more traces. Gu Tianshu had long vanished, whereabouts unknown.
"Boom"
A ten-thousand-zhang waterfall of Chaos cascaded down. Ye Fan's bones creaked as he struggled to climb upward, trying to reach the Dao Platform.
This place was a small world unto itself. The Dao Platform seemed to pierce the nine heavens, majestic and towering.
The Old Blind Man and Duan De stood within the Golden Sacred Domain Ye Fan had opened, jointly channeling the Devouring Demon Jar to block the Chaos waterfall and Dao patterns.
Otherwise, even a Saintly Shell as strong as this would be crushed into bloody mud. This place was beyond human reach—it could annihilate ancient Saints!
"Boom"
All around was a blinding white, Chaos surging like a thousand troops charging, pressing down on Ye Fan, making every step difficult. He was barely holding on.
Even more terrifying, the Great Emperor's array patterns appeared, densely imprinted in the void like a spider's web, blocking the path ahead.
Without the Devouring Demon Jar, even a Saint would die dozens or hundreds of times. These were true undamaged Emperor patterns—the Wu Shi Slaughter Formation!
Aside from their own bodies, ancient Great Emperors' strongest assets were their weapons and array patterns, what later generations most desired. Imperial weapons and patterns stood equal; understanding even a corner of them could let one dominate the world.
Now, Wu Shi's Dao patterns emerged. Even if a Human Clan Great Sage came in person, they would meet their end without a shred of suspense.
One had to admit, the Ruthless Great Emperor looked down on past, present, and future. The Demon Jar, without the three's urging, had already begun to resonate on its own, holding off a formation that could kill ancient gods.
"No good. If this continues, we'll still die!" the Old Blind Man said.
The Devouring Demon Jar shocked past and present; it couldn't be destroyed by Wu Shi's Dao patterns. But the clash between the two was beyond what they could endure.
Even with the Demon Jar protecting them, the fluctuations from the indirect, time-spanning skirmish between two ancient Great Emperors were unstoppable!
Ye Fan placed all six Emperor Jades on his head, but it couldn't calm Wu Shi's array. With every step upward, the power doubled.
"Eighty-one steps left. We can only manage three more at most. This... isn't something human power can contend with. How strong were the ancient Emperors?!"
They were nearly in despair. Only a corner of the undamaged array had been activated, and even with the Devouring Demon Jar clearing the way, it wasn't enough. If they persisted, they would be suppressed and killed.
"The Old Blind Man bows to Emperor Wu Shi. Now, a great calamity looms over the Human Clan. Please awaken, save the people of the world, pacify the chaos of the eight wastelands, and awe the ten thousand races." The Old Blind Man knelt and bowed sincerely.
Ye Fan held the snow-white, crystal-clear skull in his palm, then took out the crescent-shaped jade pendant, saying, "I seek an audience with Emperor Wu Shi."
"Rumble"
Astonishingly, the ten-thousand-zhang Chaos waterfall receded, and the dense Dao patterns faded.
"It's... because of that crescent-shaped jade pendant!" Duan De exclaimed in surprise.
Finally, step by step, they climbed onto the Dao Platform. At its center sat a majestic figure, back facing them, with thick black hair cascading like a waterfall.
From being an enemy of the world to being alone in silence—the sorrow of an ancient Great Emperor was the loneliness of ten thousand ages and a solitary life.
The female Saint's skull in Ye Fan's hand was crystal clear and white, flowing with a strange power. At that moment, the moon pendant sank, landing on the skull, and a faint yet emotion-filled fluctuation emanated.
"I... only wish to follow in your footsteps, even if I spend my whole life gazing at your back from afar."
The faint spiritual imprint trembled. The female Saint had passed away countless millennia ago, yet this trace of her mark refused to dissipate—it was the wish she had held until death.
Brewing, I'll unleash before the end of this month to avoid being chased for debts. Alright, everyone, please support me more—ask for ***, ask for recommendation votes. Hmm, more brewing, more preparation, striving for explosive motivation next month too.