Chapter 792: Following the Primordial Sage

Chapter 794: The Saint Who Followed Wu Shi

The exact era in which the Undying Heavenly Sovereign was born is long untraceable, for he was already a legend in the Primordial Age, the sole deity in the hearts of myriad races.

Who could his subordinates be? Just a brief thought would send shivers down one's spine. They were like divine generals descended from ancient heavens, and the three of them were fighting against such beings!

"To hell with you! Do you really think this is still the mythical era? So many years have passed; your bones should have long since rotted away. So what if they're divine patterns carved by the Undying Heavenly Sovereign? When faced with the Great Emperor Ruthless's weapon, you'll still be reduced to dust!" Duan De swore fiercely. One of his arms had been torn off, bleeding profusely, making him a ghastly sight.

The Old Blind Man was even worse off. He bore the brunt of the attack; a black claw had ripped a large, gaping hole through his chest, front to back, almost tearing him apart.

The Ancient Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot vibrated, and the void immediately collapsed, forming a black hole that pulsed with dark light, drawing in vital energy from all directions. It then aimed at the creature fighting Ye Fan.

In the arena, two figures clashed fiercely, like entangled bolts of lightning, moving too fast to be seen. Their power was ferocious and domineering, formidable and terrifying.

Ye Fan was greatly shocked. Although he was currently inhabiting a Saint's shell, he hadn't crushed his opponent instantly, which showed just how formidable that creature's physical body was.

"As expected of a subordinate of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, truly like a divine general descended upon the world!" This was Ye Fan's assessment.

The only thing that reassured him was that his opponent had lost all magic power; only its withered physical body remained, forcing it to fight purely with physical strength, just like Ye Fan.

The withered body was dark and shriveled, with nine heads—like those of a dragon, a *jian* (a mythical bird), a human, and a phoenix—standing side by side in a row, an unspeakably bizarre sight. Each head had a pair of chilling, sinister eyes.

A black divine ring encircled it, its greatest reliance. It could neutralize fifty percent of Ye Fan's strength; otherwise, its body, ultimately inferior to an ancient Saint's shell, would be suppressed.

"Boom!"

The Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot trembled, and the aura of an Ancient Great Emperor permeated the area. The creature let out a horrifying shriek, as grotesque as a vengeful spirit, a sound that made one's hair stand on end.

It sprang up, transforming into a dark streak of light, and turned to flee. How overbearing was the Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot? It was an Ultimate Emperor Armament; even without being fully awakened, the aura it released was enough to deter all directions.

"Still trying to run?" Ye Fan charged forward, shattering its divine ring, and seized one of its arms. His physical body ultimately proved superior.

"Snap!"

The dark, withered arm, like dry kindling, broke off. It felt heavy in the hand, as if forged from divine metal; ordinary cultivators wouldn't even be able to lift it.

With another piercing shriek, the creature shot skyward, utterly terrified of the Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot, desperately trying to escape.

However, its movements were too frantic, and it rushed towards Wu Shi's Dao Platform. This place was usually a forbidden zone; without the Emperor Jade in hand, any creature would be forced to halt, or else suffer a fatal end.

Instantly, a waterfall of chaos descended, interwoven with patterns of the Grand Dao, crushing it into dust on the spot. It transformed into a pile of black ashes and dissipated there.

The three were dumbfounded. Great Emperor Wu Shi's might was immense, his divine power unparalleled. The Dao patterns here were unimaginably powerful; such a physical body was annihilated without a trace of suspense.

Ye Fan was drenched in cold sweat. Even his Saint's shell was insufficient; having reached the Saint realm, he couldn't withstand a single strand of Dao pattern here. The name "Wu Shi" truly held the power to suppress all ages.

The Old Blind Man and Duan De each groaned. Dark light was invading their bodies, seeping into their flesh and proving difficult to expel. Their entire bodies were turning black, and their situation was dire.

"I've hunted geese my whole life, only to have my eyes pecked out in the end. I've finally encountered a formidable opponent in a tomb. This is primeval corpse poison; it'll be hard to get rid of it all," Duan De muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Old Blind Man's face was also dark. Even a powerful individual like him couldn't resist; his body was nearly desiccated, consumed by an aura of decay.

"Isn't there still the Medicine King?" Ye Fan pried open the dark, broken arm he had torn off and took out a fragrant ancient medicine plant, which radiated a hazy glow.

"This is so frustrating! I finally got a rare Medicine King, and now I have to eat it immediately," Duan De grumbled, baring his teeth.

"If you don't want to eat it, then give it all to me." The Old Blind Man chomped down half of the plant in a few quick bites. He choked, rolling his eyes, and swallowed with great effort.

"Damn it, you old fool, treating a peony like an ox chews grass! You're wasting a precious treasure!" Duan Fatty exclaimed, exasperated. He forcefully snatched the other half and swallowed it in a few bites as well.

It must be said, the rare Medicine King had miraculous effects. Shortly after ingestion, it transformed into a divine liquid, causing their bodies to emit dazzling divine radiance, like two small suns burning, rapidly evaporating all the dark energy from their bodies.

Their bones crackled incessantly as their physical bodies were rapidly repaired, gleaming with precious light. At the same time, their flesh became younger and more vigorous.

"A Medicine King! Having one in hand is like gaining an extra life. We must find a way to collect all the plants on the Dao Platform," Duan De said, almost drooling.

The Old Blind Man frowned, saying, "Something's wrong. That creature earlier had clearly lost all vitality, like a ghost corpse. Even a divine medicine would be useless to it; it couldn't possibly regain life. So why did it desperately try to seize the arm, even daring to step into this forbidden zone?"

"Could it be that it intended to give it to a more powerful, still-living ancient being?" Ye Fan suggested.

At his words, all three shivered. They had keenly felt the power of that nine-headed creature, which had almost killed Duan De and the Old Blind Man. Was there another living entity here?

After a moment of silence, they could only clutch the Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot, ready to unleash it at any moment to suppress and kill any creature. If anything felt wrong, they would strike first!

The ancient tomb was colossal, with endless chaotic energy descending from it, making it difficult to approach. Climbing it was arduous, and flying was out of the question, as the space before the Dao Platform was sealed.

"No matter what, I have to go up and find out, or I won't be satisfied!" Ye Fan stated gravely.

The three circled the altar, observing carefully to find a suitable way up. When they reached another side, they found a blindingly bright area: a pile of Divine Source blocks, their radiance dazzling.

"A living creature, escaped from its confinement... it wouldn't be nearby, would it?"

"So close to the Dao Platform..."

"Hey, there's writing here."

Before the cracked Divine Source, they found a line of ancient characters carved into the stone wall: "Gu Tianshu is willing to guard the tomb of Great Emperor Wu Shi for life."

"Gu Tianshu... Isn't he an invincible Saint from seventy or eighty thousand years ago?!" The Old Blind Man exclaimed in surprise, as he had some knowledge of powerful figures in the history of the Northern Region.

"It's him..." Ye Fan was stunned. When he first entered Purple Mountain years ago, he had found dozens of names at the entrance, and among them, Gu Tianshu was the strongest, his imprint even more profound than that of Divine King Jiang Taixu.

Gu Tianshu, an ancient Saint, had found this place and was willing to guard Wu Shi's tomb, which was truly astonishing.

"There are traces of battle here!" Duan De exclaimed. The imprints were clear; battle ripples had struck the stone wall and had not yet dispersed, a truly shocking sight.

After observing, all three's expressions changed. This was a battle of Saint-level beings, incredibly, taking place here.

"Looking at these marks, it must have happened two thousand years ago," the Old Blind Man said, touching the stone wall and making his deduction.

"Today, I fought the Dou Zhan Saint Ape and narrowly lost. Considering he came with the Emperor Jade, I allowed him to take three Medicine Kings and leave." These were still Gu Tianshu's carvings, clearly visible on the stone wall.

All three were astonished, exchanging dismayed glances. These few sentences revealed too much.

"Two thousand years ago, Gu Tianshu was still alive. He has survived until now; this news would surely shock the world!"

"The Dou Zhan Saint Ape must be the Dou Zhan Victorious Buddha from the Western Desert. He actually entered the Ancient Sovereign Mountain!"

What exactly happened? An ancient Saint from seventy to eighty thousand years ago, Gu Tianshu, had lived until now. The Divine Source liquid he used to seal himself could only be refined by an Ancient Great Emperor. Could it be that Wu Shi was still alive?

But why did he also say he was willing to guard Wu Shi's tomb for life? Was the Great Emperor on the Dao Platform truly dead?

The Dou Zhan Victorious Buddha from Mount Sumeru had been here, which was unexpected. He was a Great Saint, with boundless magic power!

At the same time, Ye Fan finally understood why the big black dog had repeatedly said it hated monkeys the most. The Dou Zhan Victorious Buddha had been here two thousand years ago, and most likely had dealt with it.

They searched carefully, but found no further traces. Gu Tianshu had long since vanished, his whereabouts unknown.

"Boom!"

A ten-thousand-zhang waterfall of chaos descended. Ye Fan's bones creaked as he struggled to climb upward, aiming to ascend the Dao Platform.

This place formed a small world of its own; the Dao Platform seemed to soar into the ninth heaven, majestic and magnificent.

The Old Blind Man and Duan De were within the Golden Sacred Domain that Ye Fan had opened. Together, they channeled power into the Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot, resisting the chaotic waterfall and the Dao patterns.

Otherwise, even a powerful Saint's shell would be crushed into bloody mud. This place was simply beyond human reach, capable of obliterating ancient Saints!

The surroundings were a vast expanse of white, with surging chaos, like a charge of a thousand armies, pressing down on Ye Fan, making his steps difficult and pushing him to his limit.

Even more terrifyingly, Great Emperor formation patterns appeared, densely imprinted in the void like a spiderweb, blocking their path.

Without the Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot, a Saint would have died dozens, if not hundreds, of times over. These were true, complete Emperor patterns—Wu Shi's Killing Formation!

Among Ancient Great Emperors' powers, apart from their own bodies, their weapons and formation patterns were the strongest. These were what later generations most coveted; Emperor Armaments and Emperor Patterns were on par, and comprehending even a corner of them could allow one to traverse the world unhindered.

Now, with Wu Shi's Dao patterns appearing, even a Great Saint of the human race would suffer a bitter defeat without any suspense.

It must be said that Great Emperor Ruthless looked down on the past, present, and future. The Demonic Pot, without being fully activated by the three, resonated on its own, resisting a formation capable of slaying ancient gods.

"No, this won't do; if we continue like this, we'll still die!" the Old Blind Man said.

The Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot intimidated ancient and modern times; it wouldn't be destroyed by Wu Shi's Dao patterns. However, the contest between the two was more than they could endure.

Even the Demonic Pot protecting them wasn't enough. The small, indirect confrontation between two Ancient Great Emperors, spanning across space and time, produced fluctuations that no one could withstand!

Ye Fan placed all six pieces of Emperor Jade on top of his head, but even that couldn't quiet Wu Shi's formation. Now, every step upward doubled the formation's power.

"There are still eighty-one steps. At most, we can only take three more steps. This... this is simply beyond human resistance. How powerful are Ancient Emperors, really?!"

They were almost in despair. The complete formation patterns had only just begun to activate a corner, and even with the Heavenly Swallowing Demonic Pot clearing the way, it wasn't enough. If they persisted, they would be suppressed and killed.

"Old Blind Man, I kowtow to Great Emperor Wu Shi. Seeing that the great tribulation of humanity is approaching, please awaken, save all mankind, quell the chaos in the eight directions, and suppress all races." The Old Blind Man knelt down solemnly.

Ye Fan held the snow-white, crystalline skull in his palm, then took out the crescent-shaped jade pendant. "I seek an audience with Great Emperor Wu Shi," he said.

"Rumble!"

Something astonishing happened: the ten-thousand-zhang chaotic waterfall that had been descending receded, and the dense Dao patterns also blurred and faded.

"It's... because of that crescent-shaped jade pendant!" Duan De exclaimed in surprise.

Finally, step by step, they climbed onto the Dao Platform. Right at its center, a majestic and imposing figure sat cross-legged, his back to them, his thick black hair cascading down like a waterfall.

From having the whole world as an enemy, to the whole world being silent around him! The sorrow of an Ancient Great Emperor was the loneliness of eternity, the solitude of a lifetime lived alone.

The female Saint's skull in Ye Fan's hand was crystal white, emitting a peculiar power. At that moment, the moon pendant sank and settled onto the skull, and a faint but deeply emotional fluctuation emanated from it.

"I... only wish to follow in your footsteps, even if for a lifetime I can only gaze up from behind."

The faint spiritual imprint trembled gently. The female Saint had been gone for countless millennia, yet this wisp of her essence refused to dissipate, a wish she had held onto even in death.