The big black dog was as powerfully built as a bull, broad-headed with large ears, its fangs snow-white and sharp as rows of daggers. It lolled its brilliant red tongue, speaking with great force, referring to itself as Dark Sovereign.

Ye Fan stared at it and could make neither head nor tail of it. The big black dog had no demonic aura whatsoever, nor any ripple of divine power — yet its bones were like copper, its flesh like iron, and it simply could not be struck.

“All right, let’s head back to the stone fortress for roasted whole lamb.” Master Zhang the Fifth tapped his cane and called out. In the red earth of this Northern Domain, mutton and beef were the most common fare — delicacies from mountain or sea were near impossible to come by.

Ye Fan pondered it. Was this big black dog truly the creature that had followed him out of Purple Mountain? Nothing about it matched what he had imagined.

“Have any people or livestock gone missing from the surrounding villages?” Ye Fan asked.

Wang Shu shook his head. “Ever since Blue Mist Fortress was crushed, every bandit within a five-hundred-li radius has gone silent — there isn’t a trace of them. The region is quite at peace.”

“What do you mean by that? You think this Sovereign has been causing trouble here?” The big black dog was certainly well attuned — it understood his meaning at once.

Ye Fan paid it no mind. The big black dog’s origins were extraordinary; it was better not to provoke a conflict with it.

The evening feast was lively — men and women, young and old, gathered to sit in the open air. The flames danced, the roasting meat sizzled, drops of fat dripping steadily into the fire, sending up fragrant smoke.

The big black dog ate ravenously, positioned well away from the fire. Ye Fan asked Master Zhang the Fifth, “Old man, do you know its origins?”

“I don’t. The first time I saw it, it gave me quite a fright…” Master Zhang the Fifth recounted it slowly.

It would be strange indeed for an ordinary mortal not to be frightened by a big black dog speaking in human tongue. But the big black dog had not harmed anyone, and was friendly toward Master Zhang the Fifth.

“I first saw it near Purple Mountain. It was wandering around, and Lei Bo recognized it at a glance as the black shadow that had carried off our roasted lamb.”

“Does it stay in the stone fortress every day?” Ye Fan continued asking.

“Every morning it runs a circle around Purple Mountain. The rest of the time it mostly swallows sunlight and absorbs moonlight in cultivation.”

Ye Fan nodded inwardly. The big black dog clearly had some connection to Purple Mountain — it could now be said with near certainty that this was indeed the creature that had followed him out.

“It truly hasn’t eaten other livestock? It truly has no evil acts to its name?!” Ye Fan remained uneasy about the big black dog. His experience of the ancient primordial races had left deep impressions on him.

In this present world, he had more close encounters with unknown creatures than any of the various great Holy Masters combined.

Because even once in a thousand years was considered rare for anyone to see such a creature — yet he had ventured deep into Purple Mountain and awakened several of them firsthand, encountering them face to face at close range.

As for the Primordial Forbidden Zone — everyone knew of it, yet who dared enter? Only those approaching the end of their lifespans, like the Emperor-Lords, would risk it — and it was considered a one-way journey. That they had managed to escape was truly a stroke of heaven’s fortune.

“Truly no evil deeds. I once read its bones — it is nothing more than an ordinary household dog that gained spiritual awareness. Not any other race.” Master Zhang the Fifth answered with certainty.

“Wang Shu, what do you make of it?”

“Hard to say. It doesn’t feel like a dog — it has a personality no different from a person’s.” Wang Shu shook his head.

“That mangy-tailed dog is incredibly arrogant…” Lei Bo muttered quietly beside them, afraid the big black dog would hear.

On their first meeting, he had been pounced on and pinned — a far worse encounter than Ye Fan’s — and had been mauled in the process. Even on ordinary days, he had suffered its rough treatment.

“That mangy-tailed dog holds grudges so well — just because I chased it once. But it really is remarkable — it taught Wang Shu and me some special cultivation methods.” Lei Bo recounted.

“It taught you cultivation methods?” Ye Fan was surprised.

“Always calling itself Dark Sovereign — the slightest mistake and it swats you with a dog paw.” Lei Bo complained.

Ye Fan nearly spat out his mouthful of wine. This big black dog was truly bizarre.

“What kind of cultivation method did it teach you? Let me have a look.” Ye Fan gestured to Wang Shu to circulate the mysterious technique, then placed a hand on him.

It was a very peculiar method, tailored specifically to Lei Bo and Wang Shu’s unique physiques — drawing out the mysterious energy within their forehead bones and using it to temper every inch of their flesh and blood.

“This mangy-tailed dog actually has some real skill.” Ye Fan was somewhat surprised. He nodded and said, “You two should keep learning from it. There’s no harm in it.”

“Little Brother Ye, please whatever you do don’t call it mangy-tailed dog — Lei Bo gets bitten constantly just for that reason.” Wang Shu warned him quietly. “It’s coming over. You need to call it Dark Sovereign.”

Dark Sovereign. This big dog truly had shameless ambition — actually thinking itself the equal of the ancient holy emperors?

The big black dog had eaten two whole lambs’ worth. Its head was held high, and its black fur was long and glossy, smooth as satin — except for the one discordant detail of its completely bare and patchy tail.

“Has Dark Sovereign eaten its fill?” Master Zhang the Fifth patted the soft mat beside him, and the big black dog curled up and settled there comfortably at his side.

Such a fierce and powerful dog — indifferent and dismissive toward everyone else, yet to Master Zhang the Fifth it was mildly obedient.

“Why are you always unkind to me, you little upstart?” Dark Sovereign cast a haughty glance at Ye Fan.

Ye Fan very much wanted to slap it. This truly was a case of a vicious dog biting back unprovoked — it had pounced on and bitten him on their very first meeting, and the attitude now was no different.

“What is this cultivation method you’ve been teaching Lei Bo and Wang Shu?” Ye Fan asked.

“Naturally it is the supreme ancient scripture this Sovereign has devised.” The big black dog wore an expression of great imperious pride.

“A supreme ancient scripture — does it have a name?” Ye Fan asked, sipping wine and chatting with the people around him.

“It is called the Dark Sovereign Scripture — a supreme secret method unrivaled across all ages.”

“Dark Sovereign? You gave it that name yourself, I take it. Search through every ancient text of the Eastern Desolation — that name appears nowhere. The Ancient Great Emperors whose names are known throughout the ages — there are only a handful of them.”

The big black dog let out a low rumble. “This Sovereign disdains having its name recorded in ancient history.”

“You’re full of hot air. Even if your tail went bald, how long have you been alive? Three hundred years? A thousand? A thousand and five hundred?”

The big black dog’s greatest taboo was anyone mentioning its bald tail. It shot to its feet, eyes hostile, its huge maw stretched wide, seemingly about to lunge.

Master Zhang the Fifth hastily soothed it, running a rough old hand through its glossy fur. “Dark Sovereign, please don’t be angry.”

“Little upstart, watch how you speak to me!” The big black dog threatened, settling back down with obvious ill humor. “This Sovereign has passed through ages beyond counting — so many years that even this Sovereign has lost track.”

Ye Fan snorted. “I have heard of the Great Emperor Heng Yu. I have heard of the Void Great Emperor. I have heard of the Western Empress Mother. But I have never once heard of a Dark Sovereign. Can you compare yourself to them?”

The big black dog seemed to want to argue, but the names of the three Great Emperors still carried supreme divine might across uncountable ages — it gnashed its teeth and bared them, yet ultimately could not bring itself to profane those names.

The moonlight was soft. The bonfire crackled and danced. The young women and men of the stone fortress were singing to each other and dancing lightly — full of festive cheer.

Ye Fan gnawed on a lamb leg and drained more than ten cups of wine. “The Eastern Desolation has only a handful of ancient scriptures, and I happen to know one of them. Why don’t we compare notes?”

“You want to compete with me?” The big black dog tilted its head and looked at him, its snow-white teeth showing.

“No need to be so fierce — let us compare through culture, not combat. Each of us will recite a passage from an ancient scripture, and we’ll see whose is superior.”

The big black dog laughed coldly. “Trying to trick me into revealing my supreme scripture? You’re still far too naive.”

Ye Fan shook his head with a smile. “I only want to compare notes. How about this: since you’re so guarded, I’ll recite a passage first.”

“The Eastern Desolation has only so many ancient scriptures — which one do you know?” The big black dog clearly didn’t believe him.

“From the utmost emptiness, hold to perfect stillness…” Ye Fan’s expression grew solemn as he recited a passage.

This was indeed from an ancient scripture — incomplete, naturally. It was the Ji Family’s Void Ancient Scripture, the work of the Void Great Emperor. Aside from the Great Void Art, he had only received a few passages of its cultivation techniques.

This was the supreme ancient scripture created by the Ancient Void Great Emperor as he observed the ten thousand things and captured the eternal, unchanging laws of existence.

“To think you truly do know something — so you weren’t trying to wring my supreme canon out of nothing.” A light flashed in the big black dog’s eyes. “Listen carefully, then — I’ll recite a passage of my Dark Sovereign Scripture for you.”

“Very well. I’m all ears.” Ye Fan quieted his mind and listened carefully.

“Swallow the sun and moon, illuminate the divine brightness…” The big black dog recited a passage. It was indeed profoundly abstruse, extraordinarily difficult to decipher.

But the more Ye Fan listened, the more something felt off. This was not something the human race could cultivate — this was a demon saint’s cultivation method.

“Hold on. This scripture of yours — I cannot cultivate it at all. This comparison is meaningless.” Ye Fan stopped it.

“The ancient scripture this Sovereign devised is naturally suited for this Sovereign’s own cultivation. It was not created for you.” The big black dog looked at him with undisguised contempt.

“My ancient scripture shook the ages. In all the Eastern Desolation, only a handful can stand alongside it — even demon saints could draw reference from it. Whereas your so-called Dark Sovereign Scripture falls far short.” Ye Fan shook his head.

“Save the boasting. Little upstart, you think you can get ancient scriptures out of me with empty hands? It won’t be that easy.” The big black dog wore the look of someone who had seen right through him.

“It’s getting ancient scriptures out of a black dog…” Lei Bo muttered from the side.

“Woof—!” The big black dog’s bark sent Lei Bo snapping his mouth shut immediately.

“My scripture is the creation of the Great Emperor Heng Yu — I have no desire for yours.” Ye Fan shook his head and sighed. “At the end of the immortal path, who stands at the peak? One glimpse of Heng Yu, and the Dao crumbles to nothing.”

“Nonsense and fabrications. Your scripture is clearly the Ji Family’s Void Ancient Scripture, created by the Void Great Emperor — why bring Heng Yu into it?” The big black dog seemed agitated. “And besides — how is it ‘one glimpse of Heng Yu, and the Dao crumbles to nothing’? I acknowledge that the Great Emperor Heng Yu is among the most powerful across all ages, but those words were not written about him.”

“Then who were they written about?” Ye Fan smiled.

“Naturally they were written about a world-shaking, age-transcending supreme figure — one of the Great Emperors…” The big black dog suddenly went silent.

Through a series of probes, Ye Fan had finally gained something. The big black dog was not an ancient primordial creature — it cultivated a demon saint’s technique and bore an affinity with the Great Emperor Wushi.

“Little upstart, you’re still far too young to play mental games with this Sovereign. As for getting an ancient scripture — not a chance.” The big black dog settled into stillness and said, “This Sovereign does, however, know the whereabouts of a few ancient scriptures. Would you like to know?”

Ye Fan was rendered speechless. This big dog was clearly toying with his nerves.

“What would an old black dog like you know? The most powerful ancient scriptures are held by the great holy lands.”

The big black dog showed an expression of contempt. “This Sovereign knows the place where the Great Emperor Heng Yu attained his enlightenment — and this Sovereign also knows which sheer cliff face the Western Empress Mother inscribed when she first drafted the Scripture of the Western Empress.”