Chapter 457: Naked Running

In front of the Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment, the Great Emperor Ruthless stood in a black hole. It was impossible to discern if they were male or female, old or young. They extended a hand and slowly carved characters in the void, and the aura of the Great Dao immediately permeated the air.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the Big Black Dog all widened their eyes and held their breath, eager to see what was being written. Cold lightning shot from their divine eyes as they stared intently at that part of the void.

With a rustling sound, the Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment swayed, and all its leaves fluttered. They resonated with the ancient characters, making the entire tree glow brightly. Various small cauldrons, immortals, bagua symbols, divine bells, and immortal phoenixes all appeared.

Everyone was astonished. The fact that the Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment reacted this way to the carving of an ancient Great Emperor showed an unimaginable and incredible profound realm.

"What was carved?" Tu Damouth asked impatiently.

"Damn it, why can't I see anything?" the Big Black Dog howled.

Not only the dog, but even Ye Fan and Pang Bo couldn't see anything. They couldn't even observe how the characters were being formed; the more closely they stared, the blurrier their vision became.

"Nannan, what did you see?" Ye Fan asked softly.

"I only saw a cute, mischievous ghost face, crying and laughing, always blocking the characters," little Nannan replied, her large eyes pure and flawless, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

With a whoosh, Emperor Ruthless vanished. Emperor Wu Shi appeared, pacing towards them, a large bell hovering above his head. The bell emanated ten thousand streams of chaos, cascading down like misty silk ribbons.

He seemed to merge with the heavens and earth, his true face indiscernible. Standing where Emperor Ruthless had been, he appeared to be observing some ancient characters, then showed a thoughtful expression. Only after a long time did he begin to carve.

This time, they still saw nothing. The chaotic silk ribbons falling from the great bell blocked everything, making it impossible to know what the two Great Emperors had carved.

"I know!" the Big Black Dog sighed, thinking of past events. "The two Great Emperors are competing across the river of history."

"What do you know?" Li Heishui couldn't help but ask.

"According to ancient records, Emperor Wu Shi once said..." the Big Black Dog muttered.

The others all showed strange expressions. Every time the dog claimed something was from ancient records, no one in the Eastern Wasteland had ever seen such books, but they found it hard to interrupt.

Great Emperor Ruthless was born very early, a full hundred thousand years before Emperor Wu Shi. Even Great Emperors are not immortal, and the time span between them was too vast for them to have met.

However, Emperor Wu Shi had learned about their battle prowess and described Great Emperor Ruthless as "very strong and terrifying," claiming to have seen the Dao traces they left behind.

"So the competition happened here, a confrontation spanning the river of time. It's a pity we'll never see their figures again; how many heroes have returned to the yellow earth..." the Big Black Dog sighed deeply.

"Are you saying no ancient Great Emperor survived?" Ye Fan's heart was far from calm. He had held some fantasies, but now he felt that glimmer of hope was shattered.

"Alas," the Big Black Dog sighed softly.

"This damn dog has too many secrets. We should torture it to get them out!" Tu Damouth suggested.

"Woof!"

"Alright, stop arguing. Let's quickly pick the Enlightenment Tea and then leave this place," Ye Fan said. This was the legendary Undying Mountain, one of the seven great life forbidden zones in the Eastern Wasteland. Every moment they lingered increased the danger.

After Ye Fan collected fifty-odd Dao leaves, he couldn't pick any more. The Qilin Divine Medicine seed had already become a "rice dumpling," completely wrapped up.

An idea sparked in his mind. He took out the God-Beating Whip and handed it to Pang Bo, telling him to try using it.

"That's right, this piece of wood is so sturdy it can't even be pierced by the star sand formed from the bone fragments of ancient sages. Maybe it really is refined from a divine root. It's perfect for a test."

Pang Bo carefully picked the Enlightenment Tea leaves with the God-Beating Whip, while Ye Fan held the Qilin seed below to catch them, preventing any waste of the precious Dao leaves in case of a miscalculation.

With a whoosh, the leaves of the Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment adhered to the God-Beating Whip instead of falling to the side, surprising everyone.

"It really is refined from a divine root! It's indeed a secret treasure. What a pity it can only strike divine senses and isn't powerful enough," the Big Black Dog said.

Pang Bo worked quickly. All the Dao leaves on the tree were picked and adhered to the God-Beating Whip. They glittered brightly, each one unique—some resembled small qilins, others miniature suns or moons—all shimmering and filled with the aura of the Great Dao.

Everyone was incredibly excited. Even if two of these leaves combined were only equivalent to one mature leaf, they still amounted to over fifty Enlightenment Divine Tea leaves. If word got out, even Saint Lords would go mad and fight fiercely for them.

These were immortal treasures, rare holy objects that could calm one's mind and lead to enlightenment. While one or two might not guarantee success, several would certainly provide an opportunity for enlightenment.

After reaching the Four Extremities, cultivators need enlightenment to break through to higher realms. Two or three more enlightenments might allow them to break through their shackles and reach a new level. These were precious divine objects, extremely difficult to acquire even with vast amounts of 'source' (spiritual energy/resources), and usually not for sale.

The Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment was now bare, but it remained incredibly mysterious, as if it had stirred the supreme Dao, giving off a very special feeling.

"Let's just dig it up and take it with us," Li Heishui suggested.

"Good idea, that!" Tu Fei nodded, fully agreeing.

"I'll dig," Ye Fan offered, wanting to do it himself. After all, he was "experienced" in digging up the roots of undying divine medicines.

"Let me help you," Pang Bo stepped forward, offering assistance.

"Are you locusts? Why are you even more determined than I am?" the Big Black Dog exclaimed, somewhat dumbfounded. "Taking the leaves is one thing, but wanting to dig up the entire root, not even leaving a single strand — that's too much!"

"Are you planning on coming back in the future? This is our only chance," Ye Fan said, setting little Nannan down and preparing to act.

The Big Black Dog was nearly speechless. "How are you all more like me than I am myself? Is it because of my influence?" it asked.

The others felt a bit embarrassed, realizing they were indeed acting "more Black Emperor-like than the Black Emperor."

The Big Black Dog continued, "Stop it, all of you. It won't survive anywhere else but Undying Mountain. Emperor Wu Shi tried to transplant it back then and nearly killed the old tree."

"He really lives up to his reputation as someone often struck by lightning from the heavens, to have done something like that," Tu Damouth mumbled, completely oblivious to the fact that they had just wanted to do the same.

"If we can't dig up the root, surely we can break off a few branches? I feel like these branches also have wonderful uses," Pang Bo said.

"Exactly, that's what we should do!" Tu Fei agreed.

With a whoosh, a brilliant light erupted, five-colored rays shot skyward, and seven-colored light obscured the sun. The old tree uprooted itself, its two main roots resembling a pair of human legs, a remarkably vivid sight.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! It burst from the ground and sprinted away, moving at extreme speed, vanishing into the depths of Undying Mountain in the blink of an eye.

"I'm dizzy! It... it ran away!" Tu Damouth's mouth hung wide open, completely unable to close.

Pang Bo was also completely dumbfounded. The old tree had actually run off, stunning him so much his jaw nearly dropped. After a long moment, he finally blurted out, "It... it went streaking!"

Everyone was wide-eyed and speechless, stunned into silence for a long time. The old tree was simply too comical; to run away like that left them utterly at a loss for words.

"Well, are you dumbfounded now?" the Big Black Dog spluttered, scolding each of them indignantly. "If you hadn't scared it away, two hours of meditation here would have been equivalent to a month of arduous cultivation outside!"

The Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment was a type of undying divine medicine, naturally capable of flying and burrowing, choosing its own dwelling place. It was extremely difficult to catch.

"Alright, be content," Li Heishui said, despite his heart bleeding. "We harvested all the Dao leaves from the tree. Any single leaf sold outside would be worth hundreds of thousands of catties of 'source.' It's like we unearthed a divine treasure."

At this moment, only little Nannan was quiet, blinking her large eyes and curiously observing everything in Undying Mountain.

"Let's go, don't waste any more time. We need to leave quickly," Pang Bo urged.

Little Nannan again sat on the Big Black Dog's back, guiding them with her soft child's voice, following the winding path of the golden array patterns.

"This... this is clearly heading towards the center of the Undying Mountain Range. Are we looking for a way out, or are we seeking our own demise?" Everyone mumbled to themselves.

No one knew what lay at the center of the Undying Mountain Range. Even the Void Great Emperor of old entered with a resolve to perish together, so how could they not be worried?

On both sides, magnificent black mountains loomed, shrouded in mist, immensely mysterious. These were kings among mountains, emperors among peaks, each one rarely seen anywhere in the world, incredibly oppressive. The group felt as though they had returned to primeval times.

"Rumble..." The roar of a river echoed, surprising them all. Ahead, a black river surged, eerily dark and devoid of any life, making their hearts clench just by looking at it.

The waves surged violently, like a black evil dragon about to soar into the sky, unsettling their minds. Before it, their Dao hearts felt unstable, and their life origins trembled.

"The River Styx! Does this kind of water really exist in this world?" the Big Black Dog exclaimed, clicking its tongue.

Legend had it that this was the great river of the Netherworld Underworld, and seeing it in reality stunned them.

"Look, there's also a spring there, frighteningly yellow!" Li Heishui pointed.

Right by the black river, there was a spring pool, yellow like corpse water and exceptionally terrifying. It bubbled and flowed, forming a lake nearby.

"Yellow Springs?" Ye Fan's heart jolted.

"That's right, it really is the Yellow Springs. Could the Nine Hells truly exist?" the Big Black Dog wondered suspiciously.

The lake formed by the Yellow Springs was like a yellow dragon pearl, while the black River Styx resembled an evil dragon. Together, they created a truly terrifying sight.

"There's something incredible beneath this sinister water; definitely don't go near it," Ye Fan warned. His 'source art' could observe mountain ranges and earth veins, allowing him to sense that this was definitely a place of great ominousness and death.

"Undying Divine Medicine!"

"That's right, look quickly! There really is an undying divine medicine!"

Pang Bo, Tu Fei, Li Heishui, and the others exclaimed, and even the Big Black Dog drooled.

Just then, a black divine grass slowly emerged from the Yellow Springs. Its enchanting aroma was intoxicating and pervasive, making it hard to resist the urge to rush towards it immediately.

It resembled a dark orchid, sparkling with crystalline points, as if carved from black jade. It flowed with intoxicating radiance, bobbing in the Yellow Springs, imbued with the aura of the Great Dao.

The group took a deep breath, and all their pores opened. They felt refreshed and invigorated, as if they had undergone the most sacred baptism, seemingly on the verge of ascending to immortality.

"Heavens! It really is a mature undying divine medicine! If we can get our hands on it, in our old age, when our life essence runs dry, eating it could allow us to live another lifetime!"

"We absolutely must find a way to harvest it. Missing out on such a heaven-defying holy object would be a lifelong regret."

Everyone was excited. A true undying divine medicine was many times rarer and more precious than the Enlightenment Divine Tea leaves they had harvested. Only the undying divine fruit produced by the Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment could compare to it.

Unfortunately, after the divine fruit produced by the Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment matured, it would naturally fall off the branches after hanging there for over a thousand years. Decades ago, it was unknown whether it had been picked by terrifying creatures in Undying Mountain or had simply fallen off on its own.

If it were to bloom and bear fruit again, it would take at least five thousand years to mature, possibly even over ten thousand years.

"Let's go for it! We must get this undying divine medicine. Opportunities like this won't come again!" Even Pang Bo made up his mind.

"Wait a moment," Ye Fan said. He had also been tempted, but he suddenly remembered something.

When the Peerless Divine King was resurrected, three heaven-defying old fiends, who had lived for over four thousand years without dying, emerged. They had broken the lifespan limit of top experts, who could only live for a little over two thousand years, extending their lives by more than double.

At that time, those three old fiends had said that four thousand years ago, they were chased by the Divine King into Undying Mountain. They survived the great disaster and accidentally consumed Netherworld Grass, which allowed them to live until today.

"This isn't an undying divine medicine. This is terrifying Netherworld Grass. Eating it will turn your body into a decaying corpse, leaving only your divine consciousness immortal," Ye Fan said, stopping the others.

He fully recalled now. The three heaven-defying old fiends had mentioned plucking Netherworld Grass from a Yellow Springs pool, which must be this very place.

After Ye Fan finished explaining, everyone gasped. Netherworld Grass possessed some properties of an undying divine medicine, but it also had terrifying negative effects. Such a thing was not to be meddled with.

"What a shame!" Pang Bo, Tu Fei, and the others expressed immense regret, and the Big Black Dog cursed repeatedly.

They had no choice but to resume their journey, detouring far around the River Styx and the Yellow Springs pool. That was an exceptionally ominous place, and even from a distance, it sent shivers down their spines.

Only after walking a great distance did they finally exhale, the inexplicable sense of dread at last diminishing.

After traveling several miles, vegetation became sparse, and rocks became more prevalent. They entered a large area of stone cliffs where the ground was hard and dry, with only a few scattered ancient trees.

It was very dry here, with giant rocks everywhere. Beneath a black stone cliff, the group discovered several ancient caves carved by human hands. Obvious traces of knives and axes marked them, etched with the weathering of ages.

"Someone has been here before."

They found a skeleton, as crystalline as jade, which still gleamed with a faint light, despite countless years having passed. It lay prostrate before one of the ancient caves.

"This must have been a top expert who likely entered Undying Mountain to extend their life, but died here instead."

"Huh? Beside him, there's a golden token and an ancient scroll that haven't decayed!" Tu Damouth, sharp-eyed, noticed something unusual beneath the jade skeleton.

"Treasures! They haven't been destroyed after all these years; they must be good stuff!" the Big Black Dog was the first to pounce forward.

Little Nannan pointed the way, and the others followed, arriving outside the ancient cave.

"Clang!" The Big Black Dog grabbed the golden token with its large paw. It shone brightly but was chillingly cold, emitting an endless killing intent that startled the dog, causing it to immediately drop the token onto the ground again.

"Thud!" The golden token was only palm-sized, with a single ancient character engraved on it: Kill.

The killing intent emanating from that single character made the Black Emperor, Ye Fan, and the others feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. It was almost unbearable, sending shivers down their spines.

The killing intent was too immense, as if it had been stained by the blood of millions of living beings. A single character transmitted an endless aura of slaughter across eons, almost enough to snap one's bones and sinews.

"How is it more terrifying than an unparalleled fierce weapon? What is this thing?" Pang Bo asked, shocked.

This was definitely not a weapon; it bore no Dao patterns. It was merely a token, yet it possessed a killing intent that spanned eons. The single character "Kill" almost ripped their very souls apart.

"This is a world-shaking ominous object!"

They were wary of the golden token and dared not touch it easily. It truly seemed to have been stained by the blood of millions of living beings, its chilling cold piercing deep into their bones.

The Big Black Dog retrieved the ancient scroll from beneath the skeleton, but it seemed startled and almost instantly threw it away, yelping in surprise.

"What's wrong?" The others all recoiled.

"It's human skin... stripped from an ancient sage! Divine flesh that hasn't decayed in over a hundred thousand years," the Big Black Dog stammered.

"What?! This is the skin of an ancient sage?" Everyone was stunned.

This sage's human skin was undamaged in the slightest, and despite countless millennia having passed, it still glowed. It was densely covered with small characters.

"Quick, see what's written on it!" The group's breathing quickened, their minds unsettled. So many words inscribed on the flesh of an ancient sage could certainly not be ordinary.