Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 454: Chapter 459 Great Emperor

“Pitiful little girl, what did the person you saw look like?” Ye Fan squatted down and asked softly.

The pitiful little girl, who looked around three years old, had eyes like black gemstones, bright and pure without any impurities. She seriously tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, “He disappeared when I rubbed my eyes; I didn’t see clearly.”

This was an extremely serious matter. If humanoid creatures were indeed present, they would undoubtedly be in great danger, as it would be hard to survive once discovered.

This was one of the seven Ancient Desolation Forbidden Lands, the Undying Mountain, renowned through the ages. A Great Success Holy Body and an ancient Great Emperor had struggled for two lifetimes over it. Although they had managed to break in once, they could never completely conquer it—a fact that spoke volumes.

“Be careful, don’t step on those patterns, or who knows where you’ll be teleported to,” the big black dog reminded.

This black Short Mountain had ancient carvings on some rocks, appearing mysterious and unfathomable, as if an invisible giant net was sealing this place.

“Which Great Emperor entered back then?” Pang Bo asked.

“The Void Emperor,” the big black dog replied.

In the world, there were few legends about the Void Emperor. Few had expected this Great Emperor to be so powerful, having once entered the Undying Mountain, achieving such a great feat and resolving a great catastrophe for the human race.

“The ancient Great Emperors—each one was a supreme hero. Among endless eras, only one was born from billions of living beings. Even if there are few tales about a certain Great Emperor, they are not something ordinary people can fathom,” the Black Emperor said.

Everyone deeply agreed. Every Great Emperor was the sole protagonist of their era; if one looked only at their life stories, each was filled with endless legends.

“Let’s head down the mountain; we must find a way to escape.” The big black dog walked in front, using its exquisite Dao Glyphs mastery to judge and clear the path.

Entering the legendary Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land in person, no one could relax. All felt heavy-hearted. This wasn’t a game; it was a matter of life and death.

“Why did the ancient Great Emperors leave so many Array Patterns?” Tu Fei asked.

“It was said that the great war back then had been very arduous. The Void Emperor had needed the assistance of endless Array Patterns to gain the upper hand; otherwise, the outcome might have been very different.”

“What exactly is in the Undying Mountain?!” Everyone was shocked.

“I don’t know. The final decisive battle never occurred. The two sides faced off for a long time, and then each retreated.”

“No ultimate showdown?” Several people were very surprised.

“According to legend, when the dark era arrived, the Void Emperor slew an existence no weaker than himself, one that had emerged from the Undying Mountain. But evidently, that wasn’t the only supreme existence. The Void Emperor went into the Undying Mountain with the determination for Jade and Stone to Burn Together, but for some reason, the battle never started.” The big black dog recounted this secret.

However, after this, the Void Emperor returned to the Ji Family and was never seen in this world again. People do not know what happened, and many suspect something inauspicious occurred to him.

“The Ji Family has some Divine King Ancient Tombs, but no one knows where the grave of the Void Emperor is. Was he really buried in their family lands?” Li Heishui wondered, wanting to confirm how the Void Emperor died and what had happened.

“The Void Emperor, who proved his Dao with the Endless Void, is said to have buried himself in the Endless Void. No one can find him, not even the Ji Family.”

“The sealed past, endless history… just how many secrets are hidden?” Ye Fan sighed.

The Hengyu Emperor left for another land because of the Great Primordial Mine and never returned to the Eastern Wastelands. The Void Emperor disappeared from the world after the battle at the Undying Mountain, believed to have met with misfortune.

The Great Emperors certainly knew what lay within the seven Ancient Desolation Forbidden Lands. Perhaps they could individually fight any existence within, but unfortunately, they were ultimately alone, with no one to stand beside them in battle.

The Black Emperor spent a full hour leading everyone down the black Short Mountain, nearly stepping on Array Patterns several times, narrowly avoiding danger.

Everyone frowned; this was not a solution. Some Array Patterns had long since disappeared, but their effects remained. Stepping on one would lead to another world, where life and death were unpredictable.

Ye Fan intended to put the pitiful little girl into the pure jade bottle, not wanting her to follow them outside for fear of accidents. But the big black dog strongly opposed, saying, “No, let the little dear stay outside. She won’t be in danger, and whether we can leave alive depends entirely on her.”

“What are you talking about? The pitiful little girl doesn’t even know who she is. What can she do?” Tu Fei asked suspiciously.

“Trust me; you don’t have to ask.” The big black dog refused to say more, seemingly somewhat apprehensive.

“Be careful; that lake ahead is very dangerous. Everyone just saw it; there are mysterious creatures in the water that easily kill cultivators even from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. We need to go around it,” Pang Bo warned.

The big black dog was very cautious, steering far away as if fearing calamity. Yet the more it worried, the more likely problems were to arise. Not even five hundred meters out, it finally stepped on a peculiar Array Pattern.

With a flash of light, everyone vanished from where they stood, disappearing into thin air.

「WHOOSH」

When the void twisted and they reappeared in the black mountain range, it was far from where they had been before. They were now within a maze of black mountains, much deeper into the range.

“If this continues, we’ll reach the center of the Undying Mountain Range.”

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from nearby. Beneath a stone cliff, some mysterious creature was moving, passing through a patch of forest and approaching them.

“Damn it, we’ve finally come across a living thing!” Their expressions all changed.

The footsteps drew nearer. Through the forest, they saw a humanoid creature swiftly darting about, closing in on them almost like a flash of light.

“Why isn’t it stepping on Array Patterns? Damn it, we’re in danger!”

This was the first living entity they had encountered in the Undying Mountain Range. Upon seeing its true form, they were all shocked, their hearts growing even more uneasy.

It was a Stone Man!

Indeed, it wasn’t a creature of flesh and blood but a being of stone, about two meters tall and very robust.

However, it wasn’t completely intact. A part of its head had been cloven off, leaving only one eye, and the left side of its body had many holes, as if pierced by sharp weapons.

Even so, it still instilled fear in them. This was a naturally formed nine-aperture Stone Man, an existence that could grow into a Holy Spirit!

Its single eye emitted a cold, eerie light, fixating unblinkingly on the Dragon Pattern Black Gold Sacred Spirit Sword in Ye Fan’s hand. Seemingly sensing some sort of Qi Mechanism, its face filled with frenzied killing intent.

“It’s over; it’s payback time! You cut that nine-aperture Stone Man; its kin has sensed it!” The big black dog’s face instantly turned bitter.

“Let’s fight it! This Stone Man is incomplete. It hasn’t formed flesh and blood. It was obviously cut out and brought into the world prematurely, eternally losing the chance to become a Holy Spirit. We might be able to kill it!” Pang Bo said.

The big black dog’s face turned green. “It indeed came into the world a million years too early and can no longer become a Holy Spirit. But it’s not something we can handle; it’s already at the Half-step Great Power Level.”

This was a Stone Embryo, nurtured by heaven and earth, gestated for millions of years while absorbing the Sun and Moon Essence. It was capable of growing into a Holy Spirit comparable to an ancient Great Emperor, yet it had arrived in this world at least a million years prematurely.

At this moment, its single eye was full of hatred as it approached step by step, determined to take Ye Fan’s life to avenge its kin.

“Half-step Great Power… we truly have no chance!” Ye Fan sighed heavily.

Yet, he wouldn’t sit idly by. He pushed the Fighting Saint Technique to its limits, and the All Secret technique successfully activated, preparing him to fight. All the others did the same, raising their combat power to the maximum, preparing for a desperate battle.

However, the incomplete Stone Man stopped when it came close, halting its steps just tens of meters away. It stared at the pitiful little girl Ye Fan was protecting, its expression one of anxious suspicion and uncertainty.

Ye Fan had long wanted to hide the pitiful little girl in the pure jade bottle, but the Black Emperor absolutely refused, saying she might be their only hope for survival.

Indeed, something bizarre happened. The nine-aperture Stone Man looked very uneasy and kept retreating after spotting the pitiful little girl.

“What’s going on?” Everyone was puzzled.

The pitiful little girl was initially very frightened, hiding behind Ye Fan. She nervously peeked out with half her little face, her big eyes filled with unease.

“Quick, bring the little dear to the front!” the Black Emperor urged.

Ye Fan picked up the pitiful little girl and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, sweetie. It won’t dare to harm us.”

The nine-aperture Stone Man looked even more uneasy. Staring at the pitiful little girl, its body trembled uncontrollably. Then, it let out a strange cry, turned around, and fled, its speed reaching an extreme as it disappeared behind a black cliff in the blink of an eye.

Everyone looked at each other, utterly shocked that this was the outcome.

Only the pitiful little girl wasn’t very happy. Blinking her big eyes and pouting her little mouth, she asked, “Am I very scary? Why did it react like that?”

The others laughed, unable to resist patting her head and then playfully tweaking her delicate little nose.

“It’s because you’re too cute. Even that Stone Man couldn’t bear to harm us.”

“Who would dare say our pitiful little girl isn’t cute?”

They laughed, but their hearts were far from calm. Just what was the pitiful little girl’s identity, to scare away even a nine-aperture Stone Man from the Undying Mountain? It was truly astonishing.

“Let’s go, quickly!” The Black Emperor led the way again, but not long after they started, he almost stepped on an Array Pattern again.

It couldn’t be blamed, as anyone would find it unavoidable. The traces of the Dao Glyphs had worn away, yet as Emperor Patterns, their effects remained, impossible to fully detect.

Even when Ye Fan opened his Divine Eye, he couldn’t see through them. The mysterious patterns left by an ancient Great Emperor were beyond anyone’s grasp.

“Are we really going to die here?” Li Heishui sighed.

“Damn!” the Black Emperor exclaimed as he took a step, thinking he’d made another mistake. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm this time.

“You’re so silly, Blackie! Even I’ve figured it out. These patterns are quite clear, and I know how to navigate them,” the pitiful little girl suddenly said, her tone innocent.

Had it been anyone else, the Black Emperor would have mocked them, perhaps even snapped at them a few times. But hearing the pitiful little girl say this, he merely felt awkward and didn’t react, his usual temper absent.

“What? Pitiful little girl, you can see them clearly?” Ye Fan asked in surprise.

“Yes.” The pitiful little girl nodded seriously like a chick pecking at grain. “I see many patterns. There are black lines surrounded by a black mist, and golden lines shining brightly.”

“Those are paths to death and paths to life!” The Black Emperor jumped up in surprise and said, “You can even see that?”

“At first, I saw nothing. But after watching Blackie navigate the patterns, I slowly began to see them all,” the pitiful little girl said, her voice tender and naive.

“Where do the golden lines lead?” The Black Emperor asked eagerly.

“They’re winding, like many little snakes crawling, leading into the depths of the mountain,” the pitiful little girl said.

“What?” Everyone was shocked.

“This… pitiful little girl, are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Tu Fei asked.

“No, the golden lines really do point into the depths of the mountain. Oh, they’re little dragons, not little snakes! Their dragon heads are all pointing in that direction,” the pitiful little girl corrected herself.

“Could this mean finding life in a place of death?!” Pang Bo pondered.

The Black Emperor nodded. “Yes, perhaps this is what the Void Emperor thought. Back then, he had been forced, prepared for Jade and Stone to Burn Together, to delve deep into the heart of the Undying Mountain for a final confrontation with the supreme existence within. Perhaps that was when the idea of finding life in a place of death first came to him!”

“Are we supposed to keep going?” Li Heishui asked skeptically. “We are not the Void Emperor. He could enter a land of death and yet survive; we don’t possess such heaven-defying combat power. Throughout history, how many could compare to him?”

“There’s truly no other way now. According to what the little dear has seen, this area is covered in terrifying Great Emperor Array Patterns. We can’t retreat on our own.” The Black Emperor mused, “It seems the Void Emperor sealed this entire region, dividing it into many zones to prevent those mysterious beings from escaping.”

The Black Emperor carried the pitiful little girl, letting her guide them deeper into the Undying Mountain Range. Along the way, they sensed unseen beings watching them, and a chill permeated their hearts.

“This path seems to lead towards the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree,” everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Following the pitiful little girl’s directions, it seemed they were indeed heading towards that area, and it wasn’t very far.

After walking for some time, the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree became faintly visible. Although many ancient woods obscured the view, its unique Qi Mechanism could still be keenly felt.

It was as if endless Dao flowed there, filled with a mysterious power that cleared their minds, making them feel as if they were on the verge of Enlightenment even without cultivating.

“No wonder it’s the legendary Undying Divine Tree, capable of assisting cultivators in achieving Enlightenment—an unparalleled holy divine relic!” The Black Emperor cheered happily. “If we’re lucky enough to survive, we might find a great fortune!” His eyes gleamed with a green light.

After advancing several more miles, the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree was clearly visible, its appearance leaving everyone awestruck.

It wasn’t incredibly tall, only a little over three meters high, yet it was as robust as a Coiled Dragon. Its old bark was cracked, looking as if it had taken eons to grow to its current state.

It was extremely peculiar; no two leaves on the entire tree were the same. Each leaf was unique, all exquisitely transparent, as if carved from jade.

Some leaves were shaped like small cauldrons, veiled in mist. Some resembled a Divine Phoenix, shimmering with radiant light. Some looked like Daoist saints sitting cross-legged and were incredibly vivid.

Some were like Gold, shining brilliantly; others were like Red Jade, resplendently colorful.

“I see him again! Pitiful little girl sees him again!” the pitiful little girl suddenly exclaimed.

At this moment, Ye Fan and the others also saw a person through the swaying tree shadows, and their hearts leaped into their throats.

“It’s… a Great Emperor!” The Black Emperor nearly jumped up, almost throwing the pitiful little girl off, tremendously excited.

Sweating. I haven’t given up; how could any of my dear readers say such a thing? I see everyone’s support. I just don’t want the review section to resemble a battlefield; that would be terrible. I only want a peaceful review section.

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