The ancient city of Purple Sky had endured since the Barren Ancient era, surviving the catastrophe of darkness. It had existed for immeasurable ages and was one of the ten great ancient cities of the central region of the Eastern Desolation — this stretch of land was dotted with many powerful factions.
Ye Fan and his group did not linger long. They truly set off toward the Purple Subtlety Sect to carry out their “reconciliation.” Along the way, the Great Black Dog was in an ecstasy of excitement.
When they asked passersby for the precise location of the Purple Subtlety Sect, many people revealed odd expressions. What were these “divine figures” trying to do?
“Naturally we wish to pay a visit to the Purple Subtlety Ancient Land — surely you don’t think we intend to attack it!” the Great Black Dog howled and yapped.
Everyone was stirred by this. These few had kicked up boundless waves in recent days, with a holy man traveling at their side. Could they truly be thinking of killing their way into the Purple Subtlety Sect?
The central region had been rich in famous mountains and great rivers since antiquity — a place of outstanding people and remarkable spirit. It gathered ten-thousand-year-old purple energy and concentrated the dragon energies of ten thousand veins, nurturing the spiritual roots of heaven and earth.
Ten thousand miles from the ancient city of Purple Sky, within a range of mountain peaks, purple energy surged vigorously. Cloud and mist coiled around ancient trees of lasting green — it resembled a stretch of immortal veins beyond the world, truly extraordinary.
Ye Fan and his group traveled forward, arriving in this mountain of immortal peaks. Silhouettes appeared and disappeared in their wake as several cultivators, having received word of their coming, had followed along.
Over these past few days, their group had stirred the entire central region, and an untold number of eyes had kept watch over them. Ye Fan’s sword had cut down the Holy Son of Yin and Yang, shaking the younger generation.
The Old Madman’s bare hands had slapped Great Abilities to death — a shock like waves of furious seas crashing against the shore, pulling taut the nerves of countless people.
The supreme great sect of the Central Province had been made to look thoroughly disheveled in the Eastern Desolation. News had already traveled back — yet the Yin-Yang Sect had not dared make a single move, utterly cowed.
“Doggy, don’t run off — walk with big brother and the others.” Xiao Nannan was quiet and well-behaved, sitting upon the back of the Black Emperor. Seeing it grow too excited and run off too far, she called out to it softly.
“Rest easy — no one would dare launch a sneak attack.” The Great Black Dog was completely unconcerned, dashing across one cliff face after another. It was searching for worldly peerless spirit medicines.
This was a land of immortal energy. Ancient pines stood proudly among rocky crags. Immortal cranes circled overhead. Waterfalls plunged downward, and wisps of misty spiritual energy swirled in the air.
“Zheng!”
Suddenly, a killing intent cold enough to pierce bone erupted outward. Sword radiance split the mountains — a single sword rising to heaven, resplendent and blinding. Like a comet streaking across the sky, it came stabbing toward them.
A single sword strike of peerless, razor-sharp lethality!
The Great Black Dog was shocked and furious. It had never imagined that anyone would dare attempt assassination even with the Old Madman traveling alongside them — and such a swift and fierce strike, clearly aimed to kill in a single blow.
“Woof!”
In that instant, the Black Emperor did not dodge the world-shaking sword. There was no longer time to. Instead, it opened its massive jaw and howled with force.
A tremendous blast of air, like a volcanic eruption, shot from within its oral cavity, completely collapsing the void all around.
“Boom!”
It was as though ten thousand cavalry were charging in full gallop. The sound waves roared like a true dragon’s bellow — terrifying beyond measure — toppling and crumbling a cliff face ahead.
Yet that streak of sword radiance possessed peerless, razor-sharp lethality. It descended from beyond the sky, aimed straight at Xiao Nannan on the Black Emperor’s back — intent on killing her outright.
The Great Black Dog was shocked and furious. With its bronze sinew and iron bone, it could withstand a sword strike without concern. But the little girl was tender and fragile at this moment — how could she survive such a blow?
Its brow split open, and the third vertical eye between its brows opened wide. It shot forth a terrifying streak of black radiance — and at the same time, it leaped up, throwing itself in front of the divine sword.
“Clang!”
The beam of light shot from the vertical eye between the Black Emperor’s brows struck the killing sword, sending sparks flying in all directions. The sword’s speed was slowed — yet it continued to slice toward Xiao Nannan.
In the distance, Ye Fan heard the Black Emperor’s howl and his expression changed sharply. He stamped the footwork of Celestial Pivot and charged forward at top speed. Simultaneously, the All-Character Secret triggered successfully, boosting his speed tenfold.
Like a beam of light, he swept past more than a dozen mountain peaks in the blink of an eye and arrived at close range — arriving at precisely the moment the killing sword descended upon Xiao Nannan.
Ye Fan’s eyes were wide with fury. The people of the Mortal World had appeared again — daring to act so viciously in the full knowledge that the Old Madman was traveling with them!
He saw the panic on Xiao Nannan’s face — her small face snow-white, at a complete loss — as the sword point aimed directly at the center of her brow. Shock and rage surged together in his heart.
“Boom!”
Ye Fan called upon the might of the All-Character Secret. The small golden lake at the center of his brow seemed to boil. His powerful divine sense transformed into a small golden cauldron that erupted outward, moving to rescue Xiao Nannan from her crisis.
“Clang!”
The small golden cauldron struck the killing sword, sending it vibrating and shaking. At the same time, the radiance from the vertical eye between the Black Emperor’s brows grew more intense and struck it once more.
“Puff!”
The killing sword was blocked — though it still slid forward a distance, carving a bloodstain across the top of the Great Black Dog’s head. It did not manage to harm Xiao Nannan.
But at this very moment, a supreme killing intent descended. A wave like an ocean surged toward Ye Fan — intent on shattering him utterly, body and soul, so that he would never exist again.
A supreme powerhouse had been hidden in the darkness, waiting for him to arrive. They had unleashed a strike of world-dominating and earth-crushing force, intent on destroying him completely.
The people of the remote ancient killing divine dynasty — the Mortal World — had an astounding audacity. They feared nothing, not even an existence comparable to an ancient holy man, and had lain in wait here to strike!
“Bang!”
At precisely this moment, the Old Madman — standing beyond more than a dozen great mountains — exhaled a light breath of air. He stood absolutely still, yet that breath transformed into a white streak and came rushing in.
Heaven and earth seemed to congeal because of it. Time itself seemed to stop. Everything came to a standstill — only that white breath moved, charging through in a single pass.
“Pop!”
The killing sword crumbled to powder. A black-robed figure tumbled out from the darkness on the spot — and body and soul were annihilated together.
At the same moment, a dried, withered body of flesh fell out of the void at Ye Fan’s side. Cracks spread across it, and the white energy streak sliced through it — with a “puff,” it dissolved to dust.
“The corpse of an ancient Great Ability — someone has entered it as a puppet with their primordial spirit, using it to control all of this!” the Great Black Dog cried out, shaken.
“The remote ancient killing divine dynasty — the Mortal World!” Ye Fan’s eyes turned ice-cold. The other party intended to kill him completely. Even in circumstances such as these, they still dared to act.
Had the Old Madman — standing some twenty-plus miles away — not exhaled that single breath of vital energy to annihilate the ancient Great Ability’s remains, Ye Fan would likely have been in danger just now.
“Big brother… are you not hurt?” Xiao Nannan had been frightened, yet her first question was this. She asked about him first.
Just moments ago, the killing sword had aimed straight at the center of her brow, intending to cut her down. The little girl’s small face was snow-white, her large eyes brimming with tears, utterly at a loss.
After all, she was a child of barely two years old. Where had she ever experienced anything like this? An ordinary infant in her place would have been wailing long ago.
“Little Nannan, don’t be afraid — I am fine.” Ye Fan walked up and soothed her gently, lightly patting her head and playfully flicking her delicate little nose.
At this point, Li Heishui also came charging over, yelling loudly: “Has the Mortal World consumed the courage of immortals?! They dare to kill even cultivators who travel with a holy man?!”
“In the remote ancient era, the killing divine dynasty of the Mortal World lorded over all under heaven. With a single thought, blood flowed in rivers across the earth. They dared to kill even ancient holy men — of course they are unafraid.” The Great Black Dog was chilled to the bone, sighing softly.
“But do they not think about what age this is now? There are no more holy men in the world. Could it be that they still have figures of that stature presiding over their divine dynasty?” Li Heishui said.
“They are probing.” Ye Fan murmured.
“Precisely — probing the might of the holy man.” The Great Black Dog nodded. “Under ordinary circumstances, the disciples they dispatch are of comparable strength to the target — the primary purpose being to temper oneself — and they rarely send out figures as terrifying as this.”
To deploy a corpse possessed by an ancient Great Ability against Ye Fan was far too elaborate an operation merely to kill him. The group speculated it had been done to probe the Old Madman.
“The remote ancient killing divine dynasty — would the Mortal World not fear a holy man?” Ye Fan’s brow furrowed deeply. A hint of anxiety appeared on everyone’s faces.
The Old Madman walked forward step by step — the same as always, without a single word. Silent. As though nothing in the world could stir his spirit.
Behind them, several cultivators who had followed to this place witnessed the scene just now and were deeply shaken. They began to discuss it in hushed voices.
“The remote ancient killing divine dynasty is truly terrifying — they dare kill even someone sheltered by an ancient holy man!”
“Perhaps the times are about to change. The Heavenly Court has fallen, but both the Mortal World and the Underworld have survived intact. Developing in the shadows until now — who can say how powerful they have grown? Perhaps this is the signal they are releasing — that they are about to return.”
…
Ye Fan’s eyes were cold. The remote ancient killing divine dynasty of the Mortal World posed too great a threat to him. They had even moved against Xiao Nannan — something he could not tolerate!
“Do you know where their ancient hall is located?” Ye Fan asked the Great Black Dog.
“No one knows. It is an ancient hall built from the skulls of kings — a tower of death!” The Great Black Dog shuddered involuntarily as it said these words.
“If only we knew where it was, we could certainly invite the holy man beside us to wipe them out.” Li Heishui said through clenched teeth.
“Difficult indeed. In former days, holy men emerged together in great numbers and still could not exterminate the Mortal World or the Underworld. I fear that even now it cannot be done.” The Great Black Dog shook its head.
“This is a very troubling sign. The remote ancient killing divine dynasty coming to kill me at this juncture may stimulate many others to hire them!” Ye Fan thought of this serious problem.
The journey to the Sage Cliff must be undertaken as quickly as possible. He needed to obtain the complete Heavenly Court inheritance — to hold the supreme scepter of assassins, and use it as protection and as a counterweight.
The Purple Subtlety Sect was nestled deep within the mountain range of immortal veins. Gazing at it from afar, stars filled the sky above it — a single great purple star positioned at the center, with the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise guarding the four directions.
The sky had not yet grown dark, and the blazing sun hung overhead — yet stars such as these had manifested. It looked uncanny and mysterious.
“They have activated the star patterns — these are projections of the stars!” the Great Black Dog said.
“The Purple Subtlety Sect genuinely seems to be something different.” Ye Fan murmured, fixing his gaze upon them steadily.
Ahead, the mountain range stretched on endlessly. The ancestral roots of ten thousand veins converged here. Purple energy coiled in spirals and spiritual energy pervaded all around. Across the ancient mountains stretching in all directions, spirit medicines grew in abundance, ancient trees towered, and everything had been touched with the grace of spiritual refinement.
“They are a supreme great sect with an ancient lineage. Some say they have a connection to regions beyond this world.” Li Heishui said.
“What? That is one of the sayings about them?” Ye Fan was astonished.
The Great Black Dog revealed a look of puzzlement, turning things over in its thoughts with great effort — and then seemed to recall something. “Perhaps there truly is some connection. A great emperor of ancient times mentioned this lineage when gazing up at the stars.”
The mountain gate of the Purple Subtlety Sect was lofty and grand, built from a single piece of meteorite. It had existed since before the remote ancient era and had endured nearly two hundred thousand years of history.
“You are—”
When the people within the mountain gate caught sight of Ye Fan and his group, they changed color on the spot. Over the past several days, the news of the holy man’s appearance had shaken the Eastern Desolation — there was no one who did not know.
Now, seeing this group arrive at their doorstep with their own eyes, not a single person could remain composed.
The Purple Subtlety Sect was vast and boundless, composed of countless purple mountain peaks. Immortal mist drifted through the air. Strange flowers bloomed. Medicinal grasses covered the ground. Fragrance filled every direction.
This was a land of purity, removed from the noise and clamor of the mortal world — an ideal place for cultivators to pursue their practice.
Upon receiving the report, the Purple Subtlety Sect Master leaped up at once and stood upon a summit, gazing toward the mountain gate from afar. His expression changed completely in that instant.
An existence comparable to an ancient holy man had arrived. Was this to demand justice and launch an attack? If truly so, even the powerful Purple Subtlety Sect could not bear the weight of it.
“This…” The Supreme Elders of the Purple Subtlety Sect all changed color as well. Not one of them could remain calm.
“Junior Ye Fan has come to pay respects to the mountain!” Ye Fan called out to the guardians of the mountain gate.
These people were thoroughly overwhelmed. To come paying respects to the mountain while leading an existence comparable to an ancient holy man — this was truly torturous. Even the various sacred grounds would feel their hearts hammering and their heads aching.