Chapter 834: Heavenly Court Qi Luo
The Heavenly Court—a legacy that could make even the ancient sages change color—did it still exist in the world? Ye Fan and the others were all stunned, unable to speak for a long time.
Over a hundred thousand years ago, the various Holy Lands had joined forces, even mobilizing Extreme Imperial Weapons, to finally uproot the Heavenly Court root and branch. That battle was known to all the world.
"Is the Heavenly Court still in the world?" Ye Fan asked. This question was very serious; for him, it concerned life and death, and might create an unimaginably great enemy.
Because the Stride Art and a scroll of Heavenly Court scriptures were on his person. If the Heavenly Court still existed in the world, they would surely try every means to reclaim them.
Old Knife Handle seemed to guess what he was thinking and said, "You don't need to worry. My grandfather has no ill intentions; he simply wants to see you."
Black Emperor immediately set his sights on him, circling around him incessantly, sticking out his bright red tongue and asking, "Back then, the ancient halls of the Heavenly Court weren't breached?"
"They were breached. Everything turned to ashes. I only know this much; don't ask about anything else." Old Knife Handle said very bluntly.
"Alright, I'll go see your grandfather." Ye Fan said. If the other party wanted to harm him, they wouldn't have appeared in such a manner. He wasn't too worried.
Li Tian, Yan Yixi, and Black Emperor wanted to go along, but Old Knife Handle flatly refused. In the end, only Ye Fan went with him.
"Be careful. The ancient divine dynasties are no pushovers. Don't let them fool you." Black Emperor warned.
Ye Fan nodded. The human heart was the most complex thing; sometimes, even a seemingly accurate judgment might not be right. Perhaps it was all to make him relax, to scheme for the Stride Art on his person.
They traveled north all the way, eventually approaching the Divine City. Old Knife Handle's grandfather was waiting here, stationed in this eternally imperishable city.
Ye Fan didn't want to enter this place again, because the situation was already turbulent. He had made declarations here twice; who knew how many pairs of eyes were watching, hoping he would appear a third time.
"The Guardian of Celestial Pivot is stationed here. No one dares to stir up any trouble. It's to your advantage, so my grandfather is waiting for you here." Old Knife Handle said.
"Is that so? There's one thing I've always wanted to ask in detail, but never had the chance." Ye Fan didn't say much about this, instead bringing up an old matter.
"What is it?" Old Knife Handle asked.
"In the past, after we escaped from the Primordial Forbidden Zone, someone attacked us that deep night, slashing at the Yaoguang elder and killing wantonly. Was that your doing?" Ye Fan had never forgotten this matter.
"It absolutely wasn't me. After that happened, I became the prime suspect and had to flee far away." Old Knife Handle said.
Then, he mentioned something that made Ye Fan's hair stand on end. Back then, there weren't just a few of them who entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone; another person had followed behind them.
"Could it be an ancient spirit?"
"No, it was a powerful human expert. He was following in the footsteps left by the Holy Son Yao Guang."
Over a decade ago, Ye Fan's cultivation was low; he couldn't possibly have had such keen spiritual perception, unable to sense the powerful tracker behind him.
Only now, so many years later, did he learn that there was another unknown person who had ventured into the Primordial Forbidden Zone with them. The events of that time seemed rather terrifying.
"That person was very strong. We were both wary of each other, neither daring to act rashly." Old Knife Handle's single sentence revealed that person's cultivation level—at the very least, a top-tier Great Power.
"So that means it wasn't the Holy Son Yao Guang who made the move that night either." Ye Fan muttered to himself.
"No, it should have been him. Based on my many years of experience, that person was protecting the Holy Son Yao Guang, and the two of them were in contact." Old Knife Handle said.
"I see. That was his Dao Protector." Ye Fan realized with a start.
"So, I had to flee that night. After we escaped, they would definitely make a move against me. There was some unspeakable secret involved." Old Knife Handle said.
"Yes, Senior, it's good that you left in time. I think that top-tier Great Power went to kill you personally but missed, and that also saved me from disaster." Ye Fan broke out in a cold sweat.
Back then, it was really too dangerous. Escaping that calamity was due to a combination of various factors. Only now, understanding the truth, did he find it terrifying.
"Even as the Holy Son Yao Guang, it's hard to have such a guardian, because that person might be even stronger than the Saint Lord of Yaoguang." Old Knife Handle said.
"He obtained another inheritance. If I'm not mistaken, it must be the—Immortal Heavenly Art!" Ye Fan had long had a premonition, but after having it indirectly confirmed, he was still shocked. The Holy Son Yao Guang was a very deep person.
Old Knife Handle was startled. This heavenly art shook the past and present; it was spoken of by people in the world, but no one had ever seen it. It was the most mysterious.
Just like the Beginningless Scripture, it never appeared in the world, but that couldn't stop people's desire and reverence for it, like the bright moon in the sky, empty and distant.
"The Immortal Heavenly Art was created by the Ruthless Person in her later years, contending with heaven and earth for fortune, seizing the creations of past and present, shedding the old demonic shell, and using it to give birth to a divine fetus, beginning a new life." Old Knife Handle muttered in terror.
This kind of technique was too mysterious, never seen in the world. The Ruthless Person shook the past and present. In her later years, after understanding her life and reaching a higher level, she left behind such a scripture. How terrifying would that be?
From ancient times to the present, who knows how many people wanted to dig out this scripture, but could only sigh in vain. Who would have thought that now a successor had appeared?
"Each generation produces its own talents, each leading the way for thousands of years. What's more, an unprecedented great era has arrived. The Ruthless Person's unparalleled divine art has appeared. When will the Beginningless Scripture appear? Does it require an innate Saint Body Dao Fetus?" Old Knife Handle muttered to himself.
They entered the Divine City. Ye Fan was very cautious. Mortal World and Hell were definitely sources of terror; he dared not let his guard down.
Old Knife Handle's grandfather was named Qi Luo. The location he chose was very splendid, suspended in the sky, with a series of ancient towers built from five-colored jade. It was said to be supported by the Southern Ridge Demon Emperor Hall.
Qi Luo was very old, leaning on a walking stick. One eye was cloudy, while the other was a black socket, as if connected to a cosmic black hole, very terrifying.
At his level, even if he had truly gone blind, he could reforge his physical body. Unless it was a Dao injury, he could recover.
Ye Fan didn't believe he was blind in one eye. That black eye socket looked like it contained terrifying Dao principles, and might even contain a Dao weapon.
Qi Luo stared at him for a long time, especially when a wisp of black light shot out from that eye socket, it was even more intimidating, as if it had pierced through his body.
"No mistake. You have obtained the Stride Art and have seen the ancient scroll of the Heavenly Court, but you haven't cultivated it much." He was very direct, saying these words as soon as he came up.
Ye Fan was calm, but inwardly he was startled. This old man was very powerful; with just a glance, he had probed his depth. He was definitely an expert.
"Unless you become an Origin Heavenly Master, no matter how you disguise yourself, you can't hide from the Heavenly Wheel Eye." The old man said with a smile.
"Senior, what guidance do you have for me in seeking me out?" Ye Fan asked.
Qi Luo immediately burst into loud crying, tears streaming down his aged face. His crying made the entire palace rumble loudly, on the verge of collapse, startling the entire sky into shaking.
Such cultivation was indeed astonishing, far surpassing a Great Power. He was definitely a world-shaking figure who had severed the Dao many years ago and achieved profound mastery.
"Senior, what is this…" Ye Fan didn't understand.
"Heaven has shown mercy! The Heavenly Court's legacy has not been cut off. Finally, someone has continued it. The great hatred of our ancestors finally has hope of being avenged." The old man cried.
Ye Fan's hair stood on end. What did this old fellow want to do? Was he going to drag him into making enemies of the entire world?
Remember, the destruction of the Heavenly Court back then was a joint effort of the various Holy Lands. It was said that the imperishable imperial dynasties of the Central Province had also contributed. The whole world had united against it.
"Our ancestors used killing to attain the Dao and slew many experts from the Holy Lands. They later besieged us; we don't hold a grudge. That is the karma of heaven and earth. However, the Heavenly Court had overlooked the human world for ages. How could it have been completely destroyed and uprooted?"
The old man wiped his tears. Whether he was truly sad or just had this habit, his crying was so intense that the void was on the verge of collapsing, making people feel a chill.
"It was Mortal World and Hell that leaked the Heavenly Court's location and secretly made a treacherous move."
Ye Fan was somewhat shocked to hear this. The destruction of the Heavenly Court had the shadow of the other two assassin dynasties. It was indeed complicated, with all sorts of secrets.
"Because they knew that as long as the Heavenly Court existed for one day, it would always look down on them, and they could never surpass it."
After a long time, Qi Luo finally stopped crying. Ye Fan's ears were ringing incessantly. This old man's strength was too terrifying. With just a cry, Dao patterns densely filled the air. If he weren't a Sacred Body, his physical body would have shattered.
"Senior, what do you mean by seeking me out?"
The one-eyed old man wiped away his tears, leaned on his walking stick, and stood by the palace window. "Actually, nothing much. I just wanted to see what kind of person you are. Hearing is false; seeing is believing."
Ye Fan didn't speak, looking at him calmly.
"A while ago, Mortal World and Hell sent out all their assassins, even their trump cards. They almost made Wang Teng's form and spirit utterly destroyed, but at the critical moment, an immortal crane saved him."
Ye Fan was startled. Even Wang Teng had become a target of the two divine dynasties. This was somewhat unexpected.
At the same time, the immortal crane saving someone made him alert. He had long heard rumors that Wang Teng was gifted from childhood, carried away by a divine crane, which led to his later legend.
"A stray dog that everyone wants to beat. Mortal World and Hell have always envied and coveted my Heavenly Court's Stride Secret, but in the end, they never obtained it. Now, they are naturally targeting his 'Former' Secret. Once this secret is cultivated, one can foresee all opportunities. For assassins, it is as supreme a technique as the Stride Art."
"So, their main purpose in killing me is the Stride Art, not the grudges from before." Ye Fan sneered coldly.
"That's right. They have always coveted my Heavenly Court's supreme secret art. It can break through all formations as if walking on flat ground. One can go anywhere in the nine heavens and ten earths. After ultimate sublimation, it even evolves into the divine law—time."
Old Knife Handle stood to the side, never speaking, quietly listening to the conversation between his grandfather and Ye Fan.
After a long time, Qi Luo spoke again: "Within this five-colored jade palace, there are many experts. Not only are there ancient imperial clans from Blood Phoenix Mountain and Fire Qilin Cave, but also many young strongmen from the ancient tribes, as well as dozens of assassins from Mortal World and Hell. It seems their Divine Son and Divine Maiden are also here."
Ye Fan shot to his feet. "What do you mean?"
"I want to see how you perform when surrounded and killed by so many young elites. Oh, I forgot to mention. Fire Qilin's younger sister, Fire Qilin Child, has also arrived. She is an imperial princess with the bloodline of an ancient emperor, extremely powerful, and has come in person."
"You…" Ye Fan's expression changed.
"The Divine Son and Divine Maiden of Mortal World and Hell are said to be able to kill all kings. They are much stronger than the various holy sons. It wouldn't be surprising if they have already severed the Dao at the third immortal stage. You must perform well and not disgrace the Heavenly Court's reputation."
After saying this, Qi Luo let out a great roar towards the outside of the ancient palace: "The Human Clan's Sacred Body is here!"
"You old bastard!" Ye Fan cursed.
From all around, killing intent soared into the sky. Pillars of qi pierced through heaven and earth. Blood energy blotted out the sun, surging upward. Dozens or even hundreds of great experts surrounded the ancient palace.