Chapter 491: The Investiture of the Gods

The large black dog's bell-like eyes were wide with shock. It paced back and forth, muttering incessantly, clearly astonished to the extreme. "How is this possible? Why was it sealed here? Back then... this defies all logic!"

Its gaze was deep as it stared intently at the Investiture of the Gods, its eyes unmoving. Lost in thought, it shivered involuntarily, realizing something profound. Afterward, the large black dog lay on the ground, silent and contemplative, as if lost in ancient memories.

"Investiture of the Gods..." Ye Fan murmured to himself. He showed no outward excitement, yet he was almost petrified. These three words were certainly not unfamiliar to him, coming from the other end of the starry sky. He appeared calm, but a tempest surged within him. How could artifacts of the pre-Qin Qi Refiners be appearing one after another?

The Investiture of the Gods has an immense origin; how did it end up in the hands of Emperor Wu Shi? What did he use it for?

"No, the timeline doesn't match..." His expression froze. While ancient China has a long history and the pre-Qin Qi Refiners were mysterious, Emperor Wu Shi lived over a hundred thousand years ago. If he used the Investiture of the Gods to suppress this place back then, it couldn't possibly appear in a later era at the other end of the starry sky.

"What is the Investiture of the Gods?" Li Heishui asked, puzzled and suspicious.

"It's a secret treasure, personally refined by Emperor Wu Shi; its power is beyond imagination!" The large black dog bared its teeth.

"Something's not right..." Ye Fan felt that this ancient list was different from the divine list from the other end of the starry sky.

"You're just bragging, you dead dog," Li Heishui retorted, unconvinced. The ancient scroll on the black mountain shone with brilliant golden light; it didn't look like it had existed for over a hundred thousand years.

Ye Fan's heart stirred, and he asked, "What exactly is the purpose of this list?"

"Its purpose is immense! It's a sacred object for sealing. Once it's placed, it's like Emperor Wu Shi's own hand pressing down on this great black mountain. Even gods would be helpless!" The large black dog was very agitated.

"What? It has that much power? You're not just spouting nonsense, are you, you dead dog?" Li Heishui's heart pounded violently.

Ye Fan also felt dizzy. For the golden ancient list to be sealed here, effectively as if Emperor Wu Shi's palm were pressed upon it, was simply too shocking to hear.

"That's simply the truth!" The large black dog glared.

"How was it refined, and what's its significance?" Ye Fan patiently inquired.

"Emperor Wu Shi's cultivation reached the pinnacle of creation. He wanted to refine a sacred object to seal immortals, initially intending to call it the 'Immortal Sealing List.' However, since immortals were not seen in the world, but there were ancient creatures resembling deities, he changed its name to the 'Investiture of the Gods.'"

"That works..." Ye Fan was dumbfounded. Emperor Wu Shi was truly formidable, aiming to seal even immortals.

"You don't live in that era. You can't possibly comprehend the immense weight of the name 'Wu Shi,' capable of crushing eternity!" The large black dog sighed.

"This is a treasure! If it truly is equivalent to Emperor Wu Shi's hand pressing down here, it's not much inferior to an ultimate weapon—it's a supreme sacred object!" Just like the Black Emperor always was, Li Heishui's eyes glowed green, and he practically drooled.

"This name really is... coincidentally similar to what the pre-Qin Qi Refiners used, but its function is completely different," Ye Fan mused.

"What?!" The large black dog jumped in surprise, exclaiming, "Kid, have you heard of another Investiture of the Gods?"

"You... what do you mean?" Ye Fan was also startled and suddenly looked at it.

"Legend has it that when Emperor Wu Shi was refining the Investiture of the Gods..." The Black Emperor finally didn't say "according to ancient records," using "legend has it" this time. Emperor Wu Shi once said that he had seen an ancient scroll, also called the Investiture of the Gods, but it was too mediocre. He wanted to refine a truly sacred object.

Upon hearing these secrets, Ye Fan's eyes widened. What exactly were the origins of the ancient Great Emperors? They even knew about legendary divine artifacts from the other end of the starry sky?

"Wait a minute..." Ye Fan suddenly froze. Did Emperor Wu Shi perhaps visit ancient China, or had he traveled to other star regions and seen the true Investiture of the Gods, which is why he wanted to refine an Immortal Sealing List? "This is too terrifying! Were the ancient starry roads perhaps opened up by such beings?"

The more Ye Fan pondered, the more unfathomable he found the ancient Great Emperors. They were anomalies, impossible to comprehend; no wonder they were often struck by lightning. He thought of many things: in ancient times, Sacred Emperors performed heaven-worshiping rituals at Mount Tai, where five-colored altars were built. Had they all come to this star domain? Many pre-Qin Qi Refiners were known by name, but to this day, he didn't know where those people had gone; only faint traces of them existed in this world.

"So tall..." Little Nannan looked up, gazing at the black mountain that towered into the clouds. Unknowingly, they had approached the mountain, walking around its massive body, feeling an indescribable aura.

"There's something in this mountain!" Li Heishui said.

"Do you even need to say that? Emperor Wu Shi even used the Investiture of the Gods, so it must be sealing a supreme being," the large black dog bared its teeth, wondering what it was thinking.

The black mountain had many dark red bloodstains. It was unknown how many years had passed, yet they had not faded, still appearing as splotches of clotted blood. Ye Fan immediately felt a little faint. This was a massive mountain towering into the clouds; how much blood had the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body shed to completely stain the entire peak?

"Isn't its blood supposed to be golden within the crimson? The Great Accomplishment Sacred Body should have golden blood," Li Heishui wondered suspiciously.

"What do you know? The Great Accomplishment Sacred Body has returned to its original simplicity. Its golden blood has transformed into the most primal crimson. Drinking even a mouthful could extend one's life by a hundred years!" The large black dog drooled.

"You must stay alive and well. When the time comes, you can cultivate an undying divine medicine to extend your own life, and then use your sacred blood to aid us," Li Heishui said.

"Exactly!" The large black dog nodded its big head in agreement.

Ye Fan took out the ancient scroll he had obtained in Lizhou of the Northern Region and carefully examined it, saying, "The Nine Secrets are at the summit, on the true perilous cliff of the Sacred Peak."

They began to ascend the mountain. At this point, the array patterns became even more terrifying. The group followed closely behind the old madman, not daring to take a single wrong step. Just now, Li Heishui had tested with a weapon, which silently turned to dust. The terrifying sight made his hair stand on end, fearing he might misstep.

"One wrong step means complete annihilation of body and spirit. You must be careful! Emperor Wu Shi's killing array is unsolvable, except for the corner of the Dao Diagram he left behind!" The large black dog warned with extreme seriousness, its expression grim, for this truly concerned everyone's life and death. Not to mention them, even if the various Sacred Lords came, one wrong step would lead to eternal damnation and their permanent removal from this world.

Even with a guide comparable to an ancient saint, they moved very slowly, as the old madman also deliberated, ensuring every step was precise to the slightest degree.

"What if we accidentally take a wrong step?" Little Nannan asked innocently.

"Little ancestor, please don't say that!" The large black dog tensed up, genuinely fearing trouble. It said, "If you take one wrong step on this mountain, the destructive power you'd face would be equivalent to being struck by an ancient Great Emperor's palm!"

Li Heishui's hair stood on end even more, his calves cramping slightly. He muttered to himself, "We're walking on a tightrope between hell and heaven. Nobody say anything unnecessary." *Boom!*

Not far away, a terrifying black hole appeared, its devouring power making one's skin crawl.

"Did we take a wrong turn?"

"No, a single leaf was blown onto this sacred mountain, triggering a trace of the array's power."

"This is... too terrifying! Even a fallen leaf can trigger such a black hole. If we make a mistake, we'll truly turn to ash on the spot!"

It took a full two hours for them to reach the halfway point of the mountain. By then, a ribbon of dark mist had risen, making everything appear incredibly dim. The fog at the summit was even denser, completely impenetrable to sight.

"Please, don't let anything happen!" An ominous feeling surged in everyone's hearts.

"Nannan sees several people, men and women..." Little Nannan suddenly spoke, pointing forward with her small finger.

The old madman had already stopped, confronting the few figures in the thick mist. He remained motionless, his expression solemn, without making a move. Ye Fan opened his divine eyes, but could only vaguely discern that the figures were dressed in ancient attire, as if they had walked out of antiquity. They were all very ancient, their bodies devoid of vitality, utterly lifeless. Yet, their mere presence exerted an oppressive, suffocating force.

The old madman confronting them like this definitely boded ill. Could they be several saints? The ominous premonition intensified, and everyone's hearts pounded with extreme tension! As the mountain wind blew, the ancient figures in the thick mist remained motionless like fossils, only their ancient robes fluttering.

"Damn it, saints shouldn't be appearing in this world! How did these deities emerge?!" The large black dog was so frightened it almost stammered.

The old madman deliberated for a long time before taking a step again, bypassing them, and continuing up the mountain, while transmitting a message: "Do not look back at them, do not sense their aura, just follow me forward!"

The group dared not breathe, treading in the old madman's footsteps, ascending the mountain step by step, not daring to glance back. However, chills ran down their spines. They clearly felt the figures in the dense mist looking at them with icy gazes. Their ancient attire made the figures appear mysterious and unfathomable.

After walking a good distance, the tense atmosphere finally eased a little. Li Heishui whispered, "Senior, who are they?"

"Ancient dead people." The old madman only offered these five words.

"Supreme powerhouses who died many years ago? But we clearly felt icy gazes." Everyone felt it was very strange and perplexing.

"Nannan somehow feels they're alive, and their icy gazes landed on us," the little girl said timidly in a soft voice.

"Yes, I feel that way too." Li Heishui was also puzzled and couldn't resist looking back. In that instant, he felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar. His body was almost paralyzed, his face pale and drained of all color. He couldn't utter a word, like an ant being gazed upon by a dragon.

"Do not look back, do not observe them! They are people who died long ago!" The old madman lightly admonished, then swept his large sleeve, turning Li Heishui's body around.

"Oh my god, that's too terrifying!" Li Heishui muttered, almost collapsing. "Nannan, none of you look back! I just took one glance, didn't see anything clearly, but that gaze made my mind feel like it was going to shatter!"

None of them quite believed they were dead, but since the old madman said so, they all dared not look back. Whatever happened behind them, they chose to keep moving forward. The mist grew thicker and thicker. The huge stone coffin at the mountain's summit was completely obscured, not even a faint outline visible, and even spiritual senses could not penetrate the strange dense fog.

"Damn it, there's another person up there, and this one might be alive!" The large black dog's black fur stood on end. Far above, a figure stood motionless like a statue, immensely tall. Yet, its eyes were captivating, capable of piercing through the thick mist. They were a pair of bluish-green eyes, with no whites or pupils, glowing like two greenish ghost lanterns in the dense fog, looking down at the group below.

"Do not look at him; treat him as if he were dead!" The old madman cautioned again with solemnity. At the same time, he changed their route, climbing upwards. Suddenly, a golden light shone nearby, emanating through the thick mist. As they were circling around, they arrived at another side of the mountain, where they saw many dark red bloodstains and, even more closely, the Investiture of the Gods.

"Let's just keep our distance from that person up there. Even if it's an ancient corpse, it looks far from ordinary; we might end up in a big fight," Ye Fan said.

The old madman said little, but he was deep in thought, gradually changing their route, heading towards the Investiture of the Gods and circling up the mountain. The golden light was brilliant, so intense that the thick mist could not obscure it. The stone wall was filled with traces of time, and the ancient Investiture of the Gods was firmly adhered to it. Even after over a hundred thousand years, there was no sign of it loosening in the slightest, and time had left no mark upon it.

"Blood pit..." Li Heishui exclaimed in surprise. In this area, there was an un-dried blood pit.

"This is the blood of the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body; it's an invaluable sacred object!" The large black dog cried out in alarm, almost pouncing forward, but restrained its impulse, mindful of the danger of moving carelessly.

"Unfortunately, its essence has long dissipated," Ye Fan shook his head, but couldn't help feeling shocked. Even after over a hundred thousand years, the blood of the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body hadn't dried up. How defy-the-heavens powerful was it?

"There are roots of a spiritual medicine, albeit incomplete," Li Heishui said, surprised. Spiritual medicine had once grown in the blood pit, but it had unfortunately been picked. There was no doubt that spiritual medicine nurtured by sacred blood would have astonishing medicinal power.

"There are writings: 'The Red Dragon is trapped here...'" The large black dog read aloud, then began to curse, saying, "So it was that demonic Daoist! He used this medicine to save his own life."

Ye Fan's heart jolted. The Red Dragon Daoist was trapped on the Sacred Cliff—this was that very place! He had even reached above the halfway point of the mountain. No wonder he was sealed for fifteen hundred years; judging by everything they had just seen, escaping alive was already a miracle.

By now, they were getting closer and closer to the Investiture of the Gods, which was clearly visible. It appeared to be cast from gold, emitting strange fluctuations.

"A supreme sacred object personally refined by the Great Emperor, and I've seen it with my own eyes again!" The large black dog felt a trace of sadness, sighing, "What a pity! Even heroes of eternity ultimately cannot withstand the passage of time!"

"There are stone carvings on the side of the ancient list..." Little Nannan extended her small hand, pointing forward.

"Damn it, who's so wicked as to carve a bald man next to the Investiture of the Gods?!" The large black dog fumed.

"Shakyamuni!" Ye Fan's heart jolted. The carving was almost identical to the Buddha he had seen in temples.

"This is the mark left by that person," the old madman suddenly spoke.

"Why would this dead fatty leave a mark in front of the Investiture of the Gods for no reason? Still, this old bald man is very powerful if he can come and go from here!" The large black dog was indignant yet also startled.

"There's another stone carving," Little Nannan pointed to the other side of the Investiture of the Gods. It depicted an old man riding a green ox, with what appeared to be purple energy drifting westward. It was remarkably lifelike and evocative.

"Who is this old man riding an ox, and why is he also carving randomly here?!" the large black dog asked indignantly.