Chapter 852: The Last Forbidden Secret Technique

There was no choice in the matter.

Despite the astonishing gains, Ye Fan felt a hint of unease, as if he could see Great Sage Huntuo standing on the ancient star, overseeing all beings and contending with the heavens for eight hundred years.

"Who can predict the future?" said the Black Sovereign, entirely unconcerned. "Eight hundred years is a long time. Perhaps Great Sage Huntuo will have passed away by then, and you might even become a Great Accomplishment Saint Body."

The joy of their immense gains quickly overshadowed any worries. Ye Fan, Dongfang Ye, Li Tian, and the others were all very excited, their eyes fixed on the wondrous stone, a divine treasure capable of cultivating prodigious talents.

The stone was over a foot tall, its yellowish-brown skin vaguely humanoid in shape. A small hole had been cut into its chest, from which five-colored liquid overflowed, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

The genesis of a Saint Spirit is mysterious, a product of the interplay between heaven and earth. Its liquid contains the essence of the Dao, embodying the laws of the cosmos. Once solidified, this essence forms the stone figure's inner skeleton.

It requires millions of years of nurturing by heaven and earth before it can emerge. Born from the resonance of the Great Dao, its appearance brings about profound changes, and once it reaches the pinnacle of the ultimate path, it can stand alongside ancient emperors.

This Saint Spirit was in its most primordial form, a product of cosmic harmony. It had just transformed into an egg when it was discovered, and its Dao essence was extracted, halting its development.

"Just one drop of this spiritual liquid in a bucket of water is enough to cleanse and refine a child's marrow and bones once a month," an elder explained.

Everyone present grew envious. What an extraordinary item! Imagine the kind of prodigies a clan could cultivate if they possessed such a treasure.

Three to five children couldn't possibly exhaust its supply; it could last for two or three generations. If someone already possessed great innate talent and then received such assistance, their future would be incredibly brilliant, truly inspiring envy.

Duan De rubbed his hands together excitedly, then lamented why he was already so "robust." Shamelessly, he added, "Actually, I feel my bones and internal organs are still quite tender. A few baptisms with the Saint Spirit liquid would be perfectly fine."

"Indeed, this Sovereign also feels quite young," the large black dog chimed in with thick-skinned audacity. "Like a freshly bloomed flower or a tender sprout emerging from the earth, I too need nourishment from spiritual medicine."

Ye Fan, the Monkey, Li Heishui, and the others looked at them with contempt. One was a ghostly Daoist who seemed to have crawled out of an ancient tomb, and the other was a dog that had once followed an ancient emperor—how could they possibly pretend to be so young?

They carefully sealed the Nine Aperture Divine Spirit Liquid and quickly left. The area was no longer safe; who knew how many eyes were watching. If it weren't for the ban on fighting and the deterrent power of the supreme primeval killing formation, a scramble for the liquid would have already broken out.

"Gentlemen, there's a teleportation array at the center of Tianfang that can ensure everyone's safe departure," an elder kindly reminded them.

The array was incredibly ancient, covered in dense Dao patterns that could be adjusted to alter direction and distance. Its very existence was to prevent ambushes or other unfortunate incidents.

Finally, they returned safely to Heaven's Village. When Qi Luo learned they had retrieved the Nine Aperture Saint Spirit Liquid, he was so ecstatic he nearly enshrined them.

On the steaming mountaintop, Little Que'er, Tongtong, Gu Fei, and Gu Lin underwent the baptism that very day. Their bones crackled incessantly, and vague fragments of laws imprinted themselves within their bodies.

"It hurts…" The little ones cried out, struggling fiercely. Even Little Que'er resisted vehemently, throwing her milk bottle directly at Qi Luo's head and flailing her arms and legs. Nevertheless, they were each held down in separate wooden tubs to undergo the marrow and bone cleansing, a transformative process.

"They truly don't appreciate their good fortune," Duan De remarked. "This humble Daoist genuinely wishes he could revert to youth and cultivate all over again."

"I want to keep some of the Saint Spirit liquid," the large black dog declared, still fixated on the Congenital Saint Body Dao Embryo, hoping to cultivate a second Wu Shi.

From that day forward, Ye Fan began to meditate, contemplating how to confront Yuan Gu. After their encounter at Tianfang, he had perceived Yuan Gu's terrifying and unfathomable nature.

Yuan Gu had inherited the physique of an ancient emperor, possessing unparalleled bloodline power. His physical body was arguably no weaker than Ye Fan's, and now that he had "cut the Dao," placing him a realm higher, he was even more formidable.

His chances of victory were genuinely slim; this was the conclusion reached by the Monkey and the others after their calculations. They all advised him against fighting, suggesting it wouldn't be too late to face Yuan Gu after he himself had "cut the Dao."

"The scriptures authored by Emperor Yuan are abstruse and profound," the Monkey explained, detailing the formidable aspects of this lineage's techniques. "Once fully comprehended, one can pluck stars, seize the moon, shatter star fields, and possess boundless divine power."

Ye Fan listened intently, while Duan De and the Black Sovereign assisted in the analysis, citing classic battles from ancient times where the weak had triumphed over the strong.

"How can I weaken my own momentum before even fighting?" Ye Fan said. "Even if he has 'cut the Dao,' it doesn't mean he's invincible."

Despite his words, he had to be extremely cautious, analyzing all potentially unfavorable factors and pondering how to face the challenge.

"You've studied several ancient scriptures; this is a hidden danger!" The Monkey immediately frowned upon learning the scope of Ye Fan's studies.

Although he possessed six scriptures, they weren't truly cohesive, like a true dragon cut into several pieces, unable to unleash the invincible momentum of a soaring dragon!

Ye Fan gave a wry smile. By now, he had realized this problem. Being strongest in one secret realm was useless; overall balance was the key, a truth he understood even more deeply as he approached the verge of "cutting the Dao."

The Dao Scripture, Western Emperor Scripture, and others coexisted. Though the various secret realms were connected, they lacked a seamless harmony and a dynamic rhythm.

"Unless you can merge several ancient scriptures, cultivate your own methods, and create your own Dao, possessing many scriptures won't be as effective as thoroughly understanding just one," Duan De stated.

This was true, but Ye Fan was helpless. The scriptures he had obtained years ago were all incomplete, pieced together by himself. Since he hadn't been born into a holy land or divine dynasty, he found it difficult to acquire a complete scripture.

"Being strongest in each secret realm once filled me with joy, but now that my cultivation has progressed, I've realized the truth: it has become a problem," Ye Fan mused. He wasn't fearful, however, as he knew that to attain the Dao, one must create their own methods.

The large black dog looked awkward. "Although this Sovereign also noticed the problem back then," it said, "I thought it was good to be daring and innovative. If you could gather all scriptures into one and eventually elevate them, perhaps you could obtain the strongest scripture."

"The ancient scriptures left by Emperor Yuan are terrifying, especially the final, forbidden chapter," the Monkey stated. "It is a supreme and profound method, unknown to anyone to this day because all who have seen it have died."

Ancient emperors would complete the scriptures they wrote before their demise. This "completion" involved adding the final, forbidden chapter, which contained the core and essence of their Dao.

Such a secret method, whenever it appeared, would astonish gods and make immortals weep. The moment the scripture was finally completed, various calamities would descend, unleashing ominous and exceedingly wicked phenomena.

Every person who attained the Dao was like this: before their demise, sinister winds would rage between heaven and earth, and great calamities would descend. They would leave behind their completed scriptures at the last moment, and countless legends surround this phenomenon.

Ye Fan sighed inwardly. To this day, he had never seen the last page of forbidden immortal script from any ancient scripture, a significant regret for him.

Ji Ziyue also nodded. "My brother previously only learned one forbidden technique and never had the chance to use it," she said. "Now that he's about to become the family head, he'll finally be able to thoroughly examine the last page of the secret text."

Given his unique status, Yuan Gu must have already perused Emperor Yuan's entire ancient scripture. It was safe to assume that the divine text on the last page was already perfectly memorized.

"This secret text is terrifying and difficult to contend with; all who have faced it in the past have died," the Monkey said. "The only saving grace is that you possess the Nine Secrets; otherwise, it would truly be impossible to resist."

"With Immortal Three Slaying Dao, Yuan Gu can now comprehend some of the essential meanings of the final page of the scripture. This is indeed problematic," the Black Sovereign stated.

"I had intended to teach you a secret technique created by my father," the Monkey said, "but you wouldn't be able to master it in such a short time. The final chapter of the secret text is simply too abstruse and profound."

Ye Fan thanked him, appreciating the kind offer. With less than half a month remaining, he had no time to learn the essence of an ancient scripture. Moreover, that was the Dao of the Battle Clan, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to truly observe it.

"I'll go beg my brother to teach you the last immortal text," Ji Ziyue whispered when they were alone. She was very worried, believing it would be too difficult to defeat Yuan Gu.

"There's no need for that. I will win this battle and return alive," Ye Fan quickly interjected, not wanting Ji Ziyue to become a sinner to her family.

When everyone else had left, leaving Ye Fan alone to quietly ponder how to defeat his opponent, the large black dog reappeared.

"Fine, this Sovereign will teach you a magical technique," it said, "but you must not mention its origin to anyone."

Ye Fan was stunned. He turned around, then realized with a start, "Is it… the Profound Art of Emperor Wu Shi?"

"Silence!" the Black Sovereign hissed, acting like a thief. It stood on the mountaintop, surveying its surroundings, terrified of eavesdroppers.

The name Wu Shi held dominion over the ages. Countless individuals coveted his scriptures, yet from ancient times to the present, no one had ever acquired them. While this was a source of regret for many, his power was undeniable!

Ye Fan suppressed the urge to beat the dog, waiting for it to transmit the scripture. In the past, he had more than once pressed the Black Sovereign, but the creature was always too tight-lipped, claiming it had never seen the scriptures.

"This time, this Sovereign genuinely feels your chances are grim. Didn't even those two spiritual children sweat profusely during their divination, unable to discern anything? I'm forced to save you this once. Of course, you must understand, I'm merely thinking about the Congenital Saint Body Dao Embryo coming into this world…" The large black dog rambled on endlessly, its words growing increasingly irritating to Ye Fan.

*Slap!* Ye Fan smacked the back of its head. "Stop dawdling," he said. "Quickly transmit the technique."

"Woof, damn it!" The attempt to transmit the scripture failed, and a man-dog battle erupted, startling the distant Silver Blood Twin Emperors, whose hearts pounded.

"Go, Son of God!" On another mountain, Little Que'er, pacifier in mouth, toddled along, waving her tiny hand and shouting.

When everything quieted down, the Black Sovereign transmitted its thoughts telepathically, speaking directly into Ye Fan's mind: "This Sovereign truly has not seen the Wu Shi Scripture, but I did observe him practice some Dao techniques and managed to remember some."

According to the large black dog, those secret techniques were so profound that even a Great Saint watching would find it difficult to fully master them or engrave them in their mind.

Consequently, this method was certainly incomplete; there was no hope of obtaining an unparalleled divine art. However, its immense power was undeniable, and it could certainly help him avert a fatal tribulation.

"I don't need you to transmit the specific technique," Ye Fan said. "Just show me the scenes you witnessed that day, and I'll comprehend it myself."

"What do you mean?" The Black Sovereign's expression turned sour. "Do you think you're stronger than this Sovereign? Do you truly believe you can comprehend the complete Wu Shi secret technique?"

"I just want to try," Ye Fan coaxed, "If it doesn't work, you can guide me later." He then promised to help it cut out a pile of divine materials from Tianfang next time.

The greedy large black dog eventually compromised. After some further haggling, it shed its usual shamelessness, adopting an air of solemnity and gravity, as if its very soul had been replaced.

"Watch closely!" At that moment, its expression grew solemn. Divine light burst forth from its brow, releasing an imprint. Ancient memories were unlocked, and a series of awe-inspiring scenes appeared.

A terrifying aura flowed forth. Within the vision, a great emperor was revived, a majestic figure appearing on a Dao platform, trampling all Dao patterns beneath his feet.