Chapter 458: Heavenly Court Legacy

Chapter 462: The Heavenly Court Legacy

The sage's skin, a square piece over a foot long, was perfectly intact, almost transparent and crystalline, with an eerie, shimmering glow that made one uneasy.

Tiny, densely packed characters covered both sides, numbering tens of thousands. The script was so minuscule that an ordinary person couldn't decipher it.

These ancient characters, like iron hooks and silver strokes, were as vigorous as dragons and snakes, resembling millions of knives and swords fixed upon the skin. The divine sage skin emitted a crystalline luster, imbued with a terrifying killing intent that pierced one's soul.

At this moment, the group felt as if they stood in a land of extreme cold, an icy chill piercing their bones, as if facing millions of wailing spirits. Mountains of corpses and seas of blood seemed to materialize before their eyes.

Who could have stripped the skin of an ancient sage and refined it into a scroll for writing? The cruelty and horror of such a method were truly terrifying.

The big black dog, intimidated by the killing intent emanating from the divine sage skin, trembled so much that its large paws spread out on the ground. Even it couldn't hold it, a testament to its horror.

“This definitely isn’t the skin of the white skeleton on the ground,” someone remarked. “That individual certainly didn’t reach the sage realm. Legends say that even after death, every inch of a true ancient sage’s flesh and skin remains uncorrupted, yet this one is merely bones.”

“This is… a sacred art of killing,” the big black dog muttered, trembling uncontrollably as it read the ancient characters, unable to calm itself.

Everyone gathered closer, scrutinizing the text word by word, sentence by sentence. They had experienced much, but at this moment, their emotions surged with unparalleled excitement.

The divine sage skin recorded various methods of assassination, truly bizarre, terrifying, and unparalleled sacred techniques, designed solely for killing, leaving no stone unturned.

“This is truly terrifying,” someone exclaimed.

After reading just a small portion, a chill ran through their bodies, and their scalps tingled. These assassination secrets were impossible to guard against; they knew that if they ever encountered them, their chances of survival would be slim.

The art of killing had evolved into a 'Dao'—a unique path to slay all living beings in the world, achieving the ultimate Dao Fruit with a blood-dripping sacred sword.

“This is an evil book, a demonic scroll, it should truly be destroyed…” Tu Dazui said with a tremor in his voice.

“Wrong,” Li Heishui countered. “This is a supreme Dao with many valuable insights. If mastered, even without using it to kill others, it could be used to preserve one’s own life.”

“I know what this is…” The big black dog stared at the sage's divine skin and the golden token, its mind shaking as it recalled certain ancient legacies.

“You know what it is?” The others were surprised, all fixing their gaze on it.

“It is… the Heavenly Court’s sacred art of killing,” the big black dog sighed softly, an endless stream of memories surging within it, making it difficult to calm down.

“The Heavenly Court?” Everyone was stunned, their faces showing disbelief.

“This Heavenly Court is not *that* Heavenly Court. In ancient times, there were three divine assassin dynasties, legacies that endured for countless generations, even older than the ancient holy lands of the Eastern Wilderness…” the big black dog recounted slowly.

Assassin organizations evolved into holy lands, then became immortal divine dynasties. One could imagine their terror, making people across the land pale at the mention of ‘kill.’

All the holy lands feared them, yet were helpless, deeply apprehensive, and never dared to provoke them. This was because the three great assassin dynasties were too terrifying, even daring to assassinate ancient sages.

“The assassin holy lands of ancient times were absolutely incomparable to later assassination organizations. They never targeted nobodies; they only killed individuals at or above the half-step Great Power realm.”

“That’s… too terrifying!” Tu Fei and the others gasped in horror.

“The ancient legacy, the terrifying Dao of Slaughter, is indeed incomparably fearsome,” the Black Emperor sighed.

Heavenly Court, Human World, and Hell—three names that carried immense weight, representing the three most terrifying legacies from over a hundred thousand years ago: the three great assassin divine dynasties of ancient times.

It wasn't that their secret arts surpassed the ancient scriptures of the holy lands, but rather that their 'Dao' was created specifically for killing, making it impossible to guard against. They sought to achieve the supreme Dao Fruit through this path.

The three great assassin dynasties of ancient times had all slain ancient sages. Who wouldn't fear such terrifying powers? Moreover, each had produced assassin sages who were unrivaled in the world.

The thought of individuals entering the sage realm through the Dao of Slaughter was enough to make one's scalp tingle. Their lives were forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood; their combat sacred arts were unmatched. If they wished to assassinate someone, that person's death was practically a foregone conclusion.

Before the Primordial Era, the names Heavenly Court, Human World, and Hell were a supreme deterrence that no one dared to defy.

However, this invisible atmosphere of terror caused great unease and dissatisfaction among the holy lands. Finally, they joined forces to attack the three great assassin divine dynasties.

The holy lands chose their moment well. At that time, they had all reached their peak prosperity, with several supreme sages emerging. In contrast, the old sages of the three great assassin dynasties were on the verge of passing away, with little strength left to act, and no successors had yet appeared.

That was a world-shaking war from before the Primordial Era, in which all the holy lands participated. Such conflicts had rarely occurred throughout history and could be considered a great calamity for humanity.

In that campaign, the land bled as the ancient assassin divine dynasties were pervasive, assassinating everywhere. It was an extremely dark and bloody era, and countless top experts perished.

Ultimately, the holy lands gained the upper hand with overwhelming power, using extreme Dao weapons to suppress and kill the aging sages of the three dynasties who were on the verge of passing. The war concluded successfully.

The Heavenly Court, ranked first, disintegrated completely and was eradicated, its legacy never continuing. The holy lands focused their siege on them, killing all the top experts of this divine dynasty.

The Human World and Hell, the other two ancient assassin divine dynasties, were not annihilated, but they vanished from public view after that war, never regaining their former glory.

They understood that without an ancient Great Emperor's extreme Dao sacred weapon, even with unrivaled personal killing power and peerless assassination skills, they could not withstand the suppression of such a weapon.

Legend has it that these two great assassin dynasties traveled far to Central Plains, leaving the Eastern Wilderness. Others say their headquarters remained in the Eastern Wilderness, but they became incredibly low-key.

In the post-Primordial Era, 'Human World' and 'Hell' reappeared, but they no longer reigned supreme as they did before the Primordial Era, forcing even the holy lands to retreat.

“The Heavenly Court… are you saying this is the grand art of slaughter from the leading ancient assassin divine dynasty?” Everyone was dumbfounded.

This jade-white skeleton belonged to someone from over a hundred thousand years ago, a top assassin of the Heavenly Court who died here.

It was conceivable that during the great dark turmoil, the world's mighty powers jointly annihilated the assassin divine dynasties, with the Heavenly Court being a primary target. This person, with no other recourse, fled into the Undying Mountain.

Ye Fan and the others finally understood why the divine sage skin and the golden token exuded such bone-chilling killing intent, making them difficult to endure. It was natural for the tokens and mental arts of the leading ancient assassin divine dynasty to be so.

“We need to study this carefully,” Ye Fan said, examining it closely. “This is a terrifying and ancient legacy; even if not used for assassination, it's more than enough to protect one’s life.”

His current situation severely lacked various sacred arts. The Golden-winged Little Peng King and the various Holy Sons were eyeing him fiercely, and the Ruthless Emperor's legacy was enigmatic, with an unknown number of inheritors, all possessing peerless sacred arts. He needed methods to contend with them.

The group squatted down to read carefully. The Heavenly Court's legacy was priceless; if it were to spread, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar, even leading to boundless bloodshed.

They finished reading the front, then turned to the back, growing more startled with each line. The art of killing indeed employed every means imaginable, from the despicable to the overt… making it impossible to defend against.

Finally, the ancient scroll of sage skin concluded, indicating that there was a second volume to the Heavenly Court's legacy, which was its core: surprisingly, one of the Nine Secrets.

“No wonder they could summon wind and rain in ancient times; they actually possessed one of the Nine Secrets!”

“Could it be the secret from the Holy Cliff?”

“Hehe…” The little girl's laughter drifted over.

The group had been so engrossed in studying the sage skin legacy that they hadn't noticed Little Nannan. Now, to their astonishment, they saw her playing with several small creatures, her laughter joyful.

Beneath this stone cliff were several ancient caves with clear chisel marks. Little Nannan ran to one of them, where a small golden horse and a tiny golden swallow surrounded her, incredibly docile, letting her pet them.

“What are those?” The group was surprised.

The tiny golden horse was barely a foot tall, pulling a golden miniature carriage behind it. The golden swallow, half the size of a palm, fluttered gracefully, and a foot-long golden calf nudged Little Nannan playfully.

Additionally, there were other strange small creatures whose names they couldn't identify. They shared one common trait: they weren't creatures of flesh and blood but rather made of gold, yet they moved and behaved as if alive.

“These ancient caves are divine mines, containing sacred objects that have gained sentience! They are treasures for artifact refining!” the big black dog exclaimed excitedly.

The group immediately stood up. For cultivators, secret scriptures and weapons were always precious items that appealed to everyone.

“Heavens, how mysterious! There are tiny figures in the golden carriage!”

A tiny golden figure jumped from the carriage, tugging at Little Nannan's sleeve and bouncing around, lifelike and incredibly mysterious.

“They all came from the ancient caves; let’s go in and see,” the group said, about to move forward, when suddenly a terrifying pressure emanated from one of the caves.

Then, a pair of emerald green eyes lit up, with tears flowing, shining as dazzlingly as divine lamps, making it impossible to look directly at them.

At that instant, the group was frozen, unable to move, as if plunged into an ice cellar. They couldn't even speak. An unknown creature was in the ancient cave.

“Big brothers, what’s wrong?” Little Nannan noticed the abnormality, ran over, and pushed them with her small hands.

Only then did the group regain their ability to move, but the invisible deterrence remained, completely locking onto them.

“Quick, let’s go! The divine gold in the ancient cave has gained sentience and will likely become a Holy Spirit in the future,” the big black dog whispered.

Ye Fan endured the boundless killing intent, sealed the golden token and the divine sage skin, and put them away. The group rapidly retreated, moving far away from the ancient caves.

Little Nannan reluctantly waved her small hand goodbye to the golden figures and other little creatures.

It wasn't until they had walked a considerable distance that the terrifying deterrence vanished. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief. There was definitely an extraordinary existence there; if not for Little Nannan, they would all have died, just like the white skeleton, which served as a grim warning.

“Nannan, how did those little creatures come to you?” Ye Fan asked, wanting more details.

“Nannan doesn’t know either,” Little Nannan said innocently. “They’re very cute, and they came to me by themselves.”

“If I’m not mistaken,” the big black dog said gravely, “there might be a Great Emperor's exclusive sacred material inside: Immortal Tear Green Gold.”

“What?!” Everyone exclaimed in shock.

“That is clearly a divine gold mine. Didn’t you notice that the eyes were green, with mystical tears flowing? It must be Immortal Tear Green Gold,” the big black dog stated with increasing certainty.

Phoenix Blood Red Gold, Dragon-Marked Black Gold, and Immortal Tear Green Gold are all supreme sacred materials, rare beyond compare. Even ancient Great Emperors might not be able to gather them, let alone ordinary people.

“That piece of Immortal Tear Green Gold has already gained sentience and might become a Holy Spirit in the future. Even top experts wouldn't be able to deal with it, so we should leave quickly.”

The group felt both astonished and regretful. A supreme sacred material was right there, shaking their hearts, yet they couldn't obtain it.

“Be content,” someone said. “We've obtained the Heavenly Court's sacred art of slaughter; we could even re-establish this ancient assassin divine dynasty with it.”

After traveling another dozen miles, the black mountains grew even more imposing, as if they had unknowingly stepped back into the Primordial Era. Ancient auras flowed, causing their hearts to pound.

Another dozen miles further, the massive black peaks seemed to reach the heavens above and suppress the Nine Netherworlds below, majestic and awe-inspiring. Ancient trees formed dense forests, enveloped in wisps of black mist.

“Swish!”

A streak of green light shot up from the black mountains ahead, piercing the sky and flying towards the depths of the Undying Mountain Range. A refreshing fragrance wafted down from the air.

“What was that… did you see it? It was a green turtle. How can it fly in the Undying Mountain? We can’t even do that!”

“No, wait. It has roots and stems. From this far away, there’s still such an intoxicating fragrance. That’s an immortal medicine!”

Everyone stood still, utterly astonished. There truly were world-shaking immortal treasures in the Undying Mountain that could fly, burrow through the ground, and choose their own habitats. They had actually witnessed one firsthand.

“That’s the legendary immortal medicine—the Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle! I can’t believe it’s actually in the Undying Mountain!” the big black dog drooled so much it almost bit off its own tongue.

In the entire world, each immortal medicine was unique. Once it died, it would become completely extinct, never to reappear.

Even before the Primordial Era, there were only a few immortal medicines, and each one was meticulously documented, describing its appearance.

This immortal medicine, named 'Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle,' resembled a small green Xuanwu when mature and possessed endless medicinal power. Legend held that consuming a mature one could extend one’s lifespan by ten thousand years.

Various immortal medicines had different effects: some could help one comprehend the Great Dao, others could grant supreme divine abilities, while this Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle medicine focused on extending life.

“It truly lives up to its name, a thousand-year king turtle and ten-thousand-year turtle! Eating it can extend one's lifespan by ten thousand years—that’s truly defying the heavens! It’s comparable to the lifespan of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body!” Tu Fei drooled profusely.

“Ten thousand years…” Pang Bo also felt a stir of desire. “Ancient Great Emperors each cultivated an immortal medicine; they must have lived far longer than we can imagine.”

“If only we could catch it,” Li Heishui said, his eyes gleaming.

“It’s hard to catch,” the big black dog grumbled, annoyed. “That old tea tree must have alarmed the Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle medicine when it bolted, causing it to fly off into the depths of the Undying Mountain to avoid us.” It blamed the others for scaring the Enlightenment Ancient Tree.

“This Undying Mountain is truly mysterious and unfathomable,” Ye Fan sighed. “It has everything: the Nine-Aperture Stone Man, the Enlightenment Ancient Tree, Netherworld Grass, Immortal Tear Green Gold, and now even the Ten-Thousand-Year medicine has appeared.”

“There are houses over there…” After walking a few more miles, Little Nannan suddenly pointed forward with her small hand.

Ahead lay many black mountains, several of which were impressively weighty in aura. Although not particularly tall, even shorter than the surrounding peaks, they exuded the dignified presence of mountain lords.

“Why are there ancient buildings?”

On those mountains stood some ancient structures—dilapidated palaces, resembling ancient temples or crumbling Daoist monasteries, all very old.

“Who built these? It’s incredible that someone dared to construct such things within the Undying Mountain.”