Chapter 492: Bald Head, Old Bangzi

The thick fog grew denser on the dark mountain, making it almost impossible to see one's hand in front of their face. Yet, an atmosphere of peace pervaded the area.

“How utterly thoughtless! How could someone scribble all over this place? Do those two old geezers really think they’re so heroic?!” the large black dog grumbled.

The Investiture of the Gods, flowing with golden light and never accumulating dust, dispelled the thick fog, exuding an aura of supreme Dao.

“Who exactly is this bald old wanderer? He looks benevolent enough, but something about him just doesn't feel right. And that old geezer riding the ox, cloaked in monstrous demonic energy—he’s clearly not a good sort,” the black dog cursed.

Ye Fan was somewhat speechless. The black dog was truly outlandish; Sakyamuni was cursed as a bald wanderer, and the one whose purple energy came from the east was described as having monstrous demonic energy.

“Could you possibly say something more pleasant…?” Ye Fan asked.

“What’s the deal with this lumpy-headed bald man and this old ox-herder?” the black dog babbled nonsensically, speaking utter nonsense.

“Doggy, don’t talk rubbish,” Little Nannan gently patted it. The little girl, only a bit taller than its knee, was delicate and childish.

“I just can’t stand that bald wanderer and the ox-rider. Damn it, they’re so utterly depraved, daring to carve haphazardly in front of the Investiture of the Gods! They deserve a good beating!” The black dog was furious, believing that scribbling in front of the seal laid by Emperor Wu Shi was an act of great blasphemy.

Ye Fan thought of the identities of Sakyamuni and the ox-riding elder, and hearing the black dog’s absurd ranting, he felt an urge to spit out his food. That wretched dog’s words were truly outrageous.

“Don’t let me see them, or I’ll beat them every time I do!” the black dog boasted wildly.

Ye Fan was truly defeated by it and said, “Don’t be so arrogant. Forget those two; you can’t even beat the ox that old man is riding.”

“Damn it, it’s just a water buffalo! It wouldn’t even be enough to fill a gap in my teeth if I chopped it up!” the black dog retorted, utterly unconvinced.

“Even if you were ten thousand times stronger, you wouldn’t be a match for these two,” the old madman suddenly spoke. He stared at the imprint, his expression grave, observing it intently.

Ye Fan felt the Bodhi seed heating up and quickly took it out, holding it to sense carefully. He found that the two imprints on the black mountain seemed to come alive.

In a trance, he saw a compassionate Buddha seated beneath a Bodhi tree, with endless Buddhist chants echoing, bringing tranquility to the heart, making one want to take refuge under him.

On the other side, purple energy emanated from the east, as a green ox carried an elder westward. It flowed with the essence of the Great Dao, immeasurably distant and embodying detachment from the world.

One could say that both Sakyamuni and the elder riding the green ox possessed a supreme and profound aura of the Dao.

Even a faint imprint left by them was enough to stir one’s heart, making one feel an irresistible urge to follow, truly wondrous.

Ye Fan’s heart was far from calm; it could even be described as seething. How many ancient sages from China had truly reached this end of the starry sky?

His path home might not be severed; it should be traceable. He found a glimmer of hope that perhaps one day he could return to Earth.

“Dead bald man, old geezer…”

Ye Fan was pulled back to reality by the black dog’s cursing. He found no cultivation techniques within the imprints, only proof that the two individuals had been there.

“Stop barking. Your shouting won’t make them appear, and it’s uncertain if they’re even still in this world,” Li Heishui said.

“I’m just furious! Scribbling here is a great disrespect to Emperor Wu Shi!” the black dog fumed.

The old madman closed his eyes, silent. His divine sense delved into the Investiture of the Gods, and after a long time, he opened his eyes again, no longer lingering, and walked forward.

“It’s been suppressed for over a hundred thousand years; surely whatever’s in the mountain isn’t still alive, is it?” Ye Fan wondered, filled with apprehension.

“You can’t be sure,” the black dog said tremblingly, almost frightening itself. “If it was buried in divine essence like the Primordial Creatures, it might very well still be alive.”

There must be an unimaginable entity within this great mountain; otherwise, Emperor Wu Shi wouldn't have suppressed it with the Investiture of the Gods.

“Could it be that the Sacred Body cultivated here, and his blood-stained Saint Cliff in his later years was related to the entity within the mountain?” Li Heishui exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Fan said, “Perhaps it is so. A creature that could cause the Great Accomplished Sacred Body to suffer such a bitter end in his twilight years—it’s terrifying to imagine its power. Thankfully, Emperor Wu Shi sealed it.”

“It could contend with the Great Accomplished Sacred Body, yet it only acted in his later years. Could it have been enduring in the heart of the mountain all that time?”

They all knew that Saint Cliff was carved out of the Undying Mountain by the Great Accomplished Sacred Body to serve as his cultivation retreat. Thinking about it closely, it was truly frightening.

“The Emperor’s aura…” The black dog was rarely sentimental, but upon seeing the Investiture of the Gods, it repeatedly showed such an expression, finally departing reluctantly.

With the mountain enveloped in thick fog, they walked for over an hour more, finally nearing the summit. Ahead, a towering figure stood on a rock, looking down.

“Didn’t we avoid him before? How did he get ahead of us again?” Li Heishui’s expression changed.

This person was exceptionally tall, with eyes that had no pupils, only two beams of green light that could penetrate the thick fog, making him extremely terrifying.

The old madman had said not to look at it, treating it as an ancient corpse. But this terrifying corpse, devoid of life fluctuations, was moving on its own, blocking their path.

“What kind of existence is this, appearing on Saint Cliff and daring to obstruct a contemporary Saint…?” The black dog’s fur stood on end.

The old madman stopped, confronting the cold body above. His long, thick hair cascaded down, and his aura surged as he took several large strides forward.

“Just like before, do not look, and do not extend your divine sense. Wait here!” the old madman warned, then strode forward.

“Things aren’t looking good. Even a Saint has been forced to act,” they all felt uneasy.

“Uncle, be careful,” Little Nannan called from behind.

Ye Fan and the others heeded the warning, not looking up and retracting their divine sense, completely isolating themselves from above to avoid encountering anything unpleasant.

“Boom!”

Above, terrifying fluctuations erupted, nearly causing them to collapse to the ground. Had it not been for Emperor Wu Shi’s array patterns in this place, perhaps the entire great mountain would have ceased to exist.

The contemporary Saint engaged in a fierce battle with the unknown entity, the intensity of which reverberated through the ancient Great Emperor’s array patterns.

“Terrifying…” Finally, the black dog collapsed onto the ground, trembling all over, utterly unable to withstand the pressure.

Li Heishui was even worse off, slumping to the ground first, his body refusing to obey him. He said indignantly, “You wretched dog, you’re sitting on me!”

The black dog, as sturdy as a bull, almost knocked the wind out of Li Heishui, leaving him utterly weak and unable to push it off.

Ye Fan resisted with all his might. His physical body was incomparably robust, his essence qi surging, and golden blood energy overflowing. He managed not to collapse under the Saint’s pressure.

Only Little Nannan remained unharmed. She didn’t resist, simply blinking her large eyes, squatting on the ground, watching the black dog and Li Heishui.

Half an hour later, the immense terrifying pressure vanished. The thick fog churned, and the old madman walked back step by step, the left half of his body stained with blood.

“Uncle, you’re hurt…” Little Nannan cried out.

“What? A contemporary Saint is injured and bleeding!” The black dog scrambled to its feet, staring with wide, bell-like eyes.

“It’s not my blood; it’s the ancient corpse’s,” the old madman replied.

Blood splattered on a Saint’s body was frightening enough. The ancient corpse earlier must have forced the old madman to use his true methods.

Ahead, the towering body lay motionless on the ground. Glowing blood could be seen flowing, a very bizarre sight.

“Saint Cliff is endlessly terrifying! One wrong step and you’ll fall into hell. These ancient powerhouses have been gone for countless ages, yet they still cause trouble!” Li Heishui frowned in worry.

“Uncle, those people we saw earlier have reappeared…” Little Nannan pointed into the depths of the thick fog, delivering very bad news.

Above the cliff, several figures stood like fossils in the thick fog, motionless, looking down.

“Aren’t they ancient corpses? How can they all move?” Li Heishui felt goosebumps all over.

Ye Fan’s scalp tingled. These were indeed the same individuals they had seen halfway up the mountain: extremely old, both male and female, all wearing ancient attire.

The old madman said nothing. He took out the black dog’s corner of the array diagram, studied it carefully, and pondered silently. Ye Fan and the others dared not disturb him.

So, after standing for a full day and night, the old madman finally looked up and continued forward. A golden great path suddenly appeared beneath their feet.

“He actually manifested such a path, directly to the summit…” the black dog’s eyes looked strange.

Thus, they advanced along the golden great path. Half an hour later, they reached the summit. The figures clad in ancient attire did not approach.

This was a vast cliff, so wide that a small town could be built upon it.

However, it was a barren land; not a blade of grass grew. The entire area was pitch black, with numerous dark red bloodstains.

In certain spots, there were still some puddles of dazzlingly fresh red water. Even after so much time, though the spiritual energy had dissipated, for some unknown reason, the sacred blood had not dried.

Most striking was a massive stone coffin at the edge of Saint Cliff, a full hundred *zhang* long, suspended over the precipice.

“An ancient coffin that has existed in the world for nearly two hundred thousand years…”

Everyone’s heart stirred. If there were no surprises, this was the resting place of the Great Accomplished Sacred Body, and he should be within the coffin.

“The Great Accomplished Sacred Body is a treasure in its entirety; a single bone is priceless, and the entire body could be refined into a supreme Saint Weapon!”

They approached the hundred-zhang-long stone coffin, all observing it carefully. This was a burial ground for a Saint, potentially containing peerless immortal treasures.

“Where is the ‘Line’ character secret of the Nine Secrets? Could it be inside this ancient coffin?!”

Their main purpose in coming here was to find the ‘Line’ character secret, a supreme Saint Art that shook the past and present. Every cultivator desired it; even Saints yearned for it.

“Is this stone coffin moldy? It has a lot of moss growing on it…” the black dog wondered suspiciously.

“It’s not moss, it’s long green hair!” Li Heishui felt a chill from head to toe, his entire body going cold.

Although thick fog still permeated the mountaintop, as they drew near the ancient coffin, they could see the surroundings clearly.

“Damn it, it’s long green hair growing out of the coffin, so thick it’s almost engulfing the ancient coffin!” The black dog’s black fur stood on end. It jumped high as if its tail had been stepped on, utterly terrified.

“Oh no, something terrible has happened! Could it be that the Great Accomplished Sacred Body’s corpse has undergone some transformation?”

“No matter how many tens of thousands of years ancient Great Emperors have been dead, their physical bodies do not decay or perish. The Great Accomplished Sacred Body would surely be the same. If his corpse has transformed, that peerless physical body…”

They were all stunned, an ominous premonition rising in their hearts.

“Let’s quickly find the ‘Line’ character secret of the Nine Secrets and get out of here. Whatever you do, don’t touch this ancient coffin,” the black dog said, its fur bristling. It was the first time it saw a treasure without being greedy.

Ye Fan took out the ancient scroll, carefully compared and examined it. He was dumbfounded; the ‘Line’ character secret of the Nine Secrets actually pointed to the location of this ancient coffin.

“Do we have to open the coffin?” He felt a surge of horror. If they provoked some ancient corpse of the Great Accomplished Sacred Body, they might all be annihilated here.

“Damn it, that accursed bald wanderer and that ox-riding old geezer came here too! There are their imprints here!” the black dog cursed indignantly.

Next to the ancient coffin, there were two more stone tablets with memorial inscriptions.

Additionally, there were two vast star maps. It seemed they had each performed some kind of deduction here, with countless stars covering the ground.

In each star map, there was a faint, almost invisible line pointing towards the depths of the starry sky. This made Ye Fan’s heart stir. Could it be the ancient star path?