Chapter 789: The Origin of the Black Emperor

After stepping in dog poop, Duan De spun around eighteen times on the spot, flailing his arms wildly in a furious rage. He was almost convulsing in a frenzy, with veins throbbing on his forehead.

He glared fiercely at Ye Fan and demanded, "Did that wretched dog come in here too?!"

Back then, the big black dog was the only one who could get the better of him. It had brazenly declared its intention to make him its pet, and he had come away empty-handed several times when they met.

The Black Emperor was utterly unscrupulous. When it had the upper hand, it would bark wildly and bite, but when things looked bad, it would bolt, even abandoning Ye Fan to be cannon fodder.

The terrain here was very complex. The ancient path was deep and winding, with dust-covered divine pearls emitting a faint glow, illuminating the way forward.

"From my many years of experience, you stepped in a pile of dog poop from over ten years ago," the old blind man stated, intentionally rubbing salt into the wound and further irritating the fat man, Duan.

Just as Duan De calmed down, he jumped up again and cursed the old blind man. However, he had to admit that it was indeed an "imprint" left a long time ago.

Ye Fan carefully explored the area, puzzled. Had the Black Emperor not returned, and these were just old hairs left behind?

"What's the origin of that dog? Don't tell me it's not the same one that used to follow you. I'd recognize its bone fragments even if it turned to ash. Why did it stay here?" Duan De asked.

"It left from here," Ye Fan replied. He had long suspected the big black dog's origins, and now, seeing traces of its presence, he was even more certain.

"It couldn't be an ancient creature, could it? I always knew something was off about it. It must be one of those," Duan De said.

"Why don't you think it's Emperor Wushi?" Ye Fan asked with a smile.

At this, Duan De stumbled. He actually started pondering the idea, a look of uncertainty and surprise on his face.

"Perhaps it's true. I've seen the formation patterns it laid down. They contain the profound mysteries of ancient Great Emperors..." Duan De muttered suspiciously.

The old blind man slapped him on the back of the head. "If Emperor Wushi truly behaved like that," he scoffed, "would he have such supreme renown? Would he even be called by that name? He'd surely be called 'Shameless' instead of 'Wushi' (No Beginning)."

Duan De said, "I remember something. Some jade slips were unearthed from a large tomb in the Eastern Wasteland. They recorded a lot of miscellaneous things."

The jade slips were disorganized, like unofficial histories. What they recorded was far from orthodox. They involved many ancient figures and even a few fragments about ancient Great Emperors.

One passage, a seemingly trivial detail, stated that Emperor Wushi, who shook the past and present and was awe-inspiring across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands like a divine being, also had a very human side. In his later years, he encountered a dying stray puppy, revived it with an ancient technique, and took it with him.

"Holy cow!" Ye Fan couldn't help but blurt out the two words he hadn't spoken since arriving in this world. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor in astonishment.

He had long speculated that the Black Emperor was connected to Purple Mountain and Emperor Wushi, but he never imagined it was once a small stray puppy. He had thought it was some kind of Celestial Dog becoming a spirit.

"Damn it, if I had known it was connected to Purple Mountain before, I would have exposed its true form long ago!" The fat man, Duan, was also stunned. He had never imagined that it was a dog from over a hundred thousand years ago, one that had followed Emperor Wushi!

The old blind man was also dumbfounded. He mumbled, "It's the little stray puppy Emperor Wushi picked up in his later years? Unbelievable! And now it lives in the same era as us, still alive."

A single piece of unofficial history, a small detail, revealed the Black Emperor's origin. It left all three of them in a daze, pondering for a long time.

There was no doubt that Emperor Wushi's dog must know many great secrets. It might even have read the Wushi Sutra. This was practically a living immortal treasure!

Why the big black dog could live for over a hundred thousand years, even longer than ancient Great Emperors, was not a difficult mystery to solve; it could be easily understood.

From ancient times to the present, divine source liquid, apart from naturally occurring types, could only be refined by ancient Great Emperors. It was used to seal living beings, allowing them to remain immortal for hundreds of thousands of years as if it were a single day.

However, ancient Great Emperors themselves could not be sealed. Their vital energy was too strong, capable of traversing all heavens. Divine source liquid was completely ineffective for them. There was no divine object in this world that could suppress them.

With a little thought, it became clear that the Black Emperor had been sealed by Emperor Wushi and had only now emerged.

By now, nothing about the Black Emperor was a secret anymore. Its origin could be easily deduced, but it also left the three of them sighing with emotion.

This was a dog that had lived for over a hundred thousand years, and most importantly, it had followed a human Great Emperor—Wushi!

"One should look upon a follower of Emperor Wushi with reverence. But this dog, I wish I could stew it alive!" the fat man, Duan, gritted his teeth.

"Did something really happen to the Black Emperor? Has it not been staying in Purple Mountain for the past decade or so?" Ye Fan asked, worried.

The old blind man said, "From my many years of experience, it has been back. There's an 'imprint' there from seven or eight years ago, and the tomb-robbing rascal almost had good fortune again."

Hearing this, Duan De immediately jumped up again.

Ahead, there was a small pond formed by Earth Milk, only a few feet long. It was milky white and crystalline, with a fragrant aroma. There were several shiny black dog hairs here, left years ago.

"It has been back; it definitely isn't dead. But it seems it hasn't moved for several years. Where could it have gone?" Ye Fan wondered suspiciously.

They continued forward. Without the deterrence of the ancient creatures, the danger within the mountain belly sharply decreased, and many areas could be traversed without obstruction.

Before long, they arrived at a secluded corner where giant rocks lay scattered. Ye Fan was startled and said, "This place..."

He saw the patterns left by the Source Heavenly Master, who had once sealed strange stones here. Soon, he found a Source Eye of Creation!

"There really is a Source Eye of Creation in this world?" Ye Fan stared blankly. He stood for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

Among the scattered rocks was a black hole, only about the size of a human head. Shaped like an eye socket, it extended deep into the earth. Occasionally, colorful mist would well up from it, making one feel completely comfortable.

"What is a Source Eye of Creation?" Duan De asked eagerly.

"It's a place of creation within the source. I can't explain it clearly. The Source Heaven Book only has vague records, mentioning a few things. It's said that before ancient times, it could give birth to deities." Ye Fan's expression was grave.

"No way, that's too incredible! Doesn't this mean we're going to get rich, now that we've found a Source Eye of Creation?" Duan De cackled wildly.

"You're thinking too much. This Source Eye of Creation has already dried up; its essence has been completely drained," Ye Fan said, deflating him.

"What? Who? Was it that dog?" The fat man, Duan, immediately looked crestfallen.

Ye Fan carefully observed the Source Eye of Creation. Finally, his expression darkened, and he said, "It's the Heavenly Sovereign's Son of the Primordial Race!"

"What? How could it be him?" Even the old blind man couldn't remain calm. Even he often paid attention to the movements of this heaven-defying divine son of the Primordial Era, because his aptitude was so extraordinary, surpassing others' millennia of cultivation in just over a decade!

Compared to ancient Great Emperors, he was even more outstanding. All Primordial Races said he was the offspring of a god, and it seemed fitting.

"Back then, the Source Heavenly Master had taken a strange stone from Purple Mountain and placed it in Jade Lake. I eventually cut out a divine egg from it, and its aura is present here."

All of them were stunned. In the endless eons before the Primordial Era, the name of the Undying Heavenly Sovereign resounded across heaven and earth. All races worshipped him; he was the only immortal divine being whom everyone had to revere.

His descendant was naturally hailed as the Son of God!

It was obvious that the Heavenly Sovereign's Son possessed the most terrifying bloodline. Now, having absorbed the Source Eye of Creation, it weighed heavily on everyone's mind.

"The direct descendants of ancient Great Emperors were all figures unsurpassed throughout history. They only needed half a step to achieve the Dao, possessing unparalleled talent and terrifyingly powerful bloodline strength. Had they not lived in the same era as their Imperial Fathers, they would have been incredible and ascended to heaven!" the old blind man said.

After speaking, he glanced at Ye Fan, his meaning unspoken yet clear. Even a fully developed Sacred Body would have rivals. There was more than one ancient emperor's bloodline now, and all had avoided living in the same era as their fathers and were bound to shock the world.

Especially the Heavenly Sovereign's Son; now that they knew he had absorbed the Source Eye of Creation, it was even more alarming. He would most likely become a second Undying Heavenly Sovereign.

"The other ancient emperor bloodlines, such as Huang Xudao and Huo Qilin, are also unimaginable. Their fathers likely also left behind something similar to a Source Eye of Creation," the old blind man said.

Then, he patted Ye Fan's shoulder. "As a Sacred Body, living in this great era, even if you reach full mastery, you will still have rivals. None of those ancient emperor bloodlines are lambs; they are all dormant divine lions."

Ye Fan suddenly asked, "The ancient emperors of the Primordial Era already saw that as long as they were alive, their direct descendants could not achieve the Dao, because there could only be one emperor in the world, they sealed their descendants until the present era. Did our human Great Emperors not foresee this step? Did they not consider their descendants? Did they not leave behind a most powerful direct descendant to be born in a later age?"

"That... is hard to say!" The old blind man shook his head.

"I know some secret information about this," Duan De suddenly said. "In the past, an Emperor's Son was born and died fighting in the Dark Turmoil, suppressing the great chaos."

"Ah..." The others sighed softly and said nothing more.

The old blind man divined with hexagrams, Duan De observed geomancy, and Ye Fan probed for source veins. They continued their journey without encountering any accidents. Along the way, they saw a few deceased ancient creatures, but nothing else.

A buzzing sound.

Suddenly, at that moment, the Sky-Devouring Demonic Pot chimed on its own. It began to vibrate without being activated. Its lid closed with the pot, and it hovered above their heads.

"What's happening?" the old blind man exclaimed in surprise.

This pot was different from other Imperial Armaments. It seemed to still possess a life beyond ordinary understanding. It was hailed as one of the most terrifying Imperial Armaments of all time.

"If any weapon could resist the ripples of the Wushi Bell, it would be this one," Duan De said. He carefully observed their surroundings, trying to detect any anomalies.

"It's here..." Ye Fan found the place familiar. He had been to this place before. In the past, he had hidden here to avoid a group of terrifying ancient creatures.

This was an open area, a plaza, and also a terrifying stone hall. Upon careful observation, one would be surprised to find that the overhanging rock wall above resembled a giant bell.

"The Wushi Bell!"

"It's hidden within the stone, and it's so massive! I really want to see its true appearance!"

Duan De and the old blind man were terrified. If they accidentally stumbled in, the bell might ring incessantly, suppressing and killing everything!

"Let's go around it first. We absolutely must not let the bell ring," Duan De said. The old blind man also nodded. Only Ye Fan stared blankly. The Wushi Bell was the most crucial part of his journey.