The Celestial Court — a legacy that had caused even the ancient sages to change their countenances. Did it still exist in this world? Ye Fan and the others were all struck dumb, unable to speak for a long while.

More than ten thousand years ago, all the sacred grounds had joined forces, deploying even extreme path imperial weapons, and finally uprooted the Celestial Court. That battle was known to all in the world.

“The Celestial Court still exists?” Ye Fan asked. This question was of the gravest importance to him — a question of life and death. It might mean a new, unimaginable enemy had appeared.

For the Movement Word Art and a volume of Celestial Court scripture rested upon his person. If the Celestial Court still existed in the world, it would find every means to take them back.

The Old Knife-Handle seemed to have anticipated what he was thinking, and said: “You need not worry. My grandfather bears no ill intent — he simply wishes to meet you.”

The Black Emperor immediately fixed its gaze on the man, circling him without pause, its scarlet tongue lolling as it asked: “Back then, were none of the Celestial Court’s ancient halls broken through?”

“They were broken through. Everything was reduced to ash. That is all I know — ask me nothing more.” The Old Knife-Handle said, plainly and directly.

“Very well. I’ll go meet your grandfather.” Ye Fan said. If the other party wished him harm, they would not have approached him in this manner. He was not particularly worried.

Li Tian, Yan Yixi, and the Black Emperor all wanted to come along, but the Old Knife-Handle flatly refused. In the end, only Ye Fan accompanied him.

“Be careful. The ancient divine dynasties are not good people — don’t let them deceive you.” The Black Emperor warned.

Ye Fan nodded. Human intentions were the most complex of all things. Even one’s most confident assessment might be wrong — there was the possibility that all of this was designed to make him let down his guard, scheming after the Movement Word Art in his possession.

They traveled northward, and ultimately drew near to Kaiyuan City. The Old Knife-Handle’s grandfather had chosen to wait here, stationed within this city that had stood unbroken through the ages.

Ye Fan had no desire to enter this place again. The situation there was already stormy, and twice he had made public declarations from within its walls — who knew how many pairs of eyes were watching, hoping he would appear a third time.

“The guardian of Tianxuan stands sentinel here. No one dares stir up trouble — it works in your favor. That is why my grandfather waits for you here.” The Old Knife-Handle said.

“Is that so? There is something I’ve always wanted to ask in detail, but never had the chance.” Rather than addressing that point, Ye Fan raised an old matter.

“What is it?” the Old Knife-Handle asked.

“Long ago, after we escaped from the Primordial Forbidden Zone, someone launched a night attack and cut down the Yao Guang elder, killing with abandon. Was that your doing?” Ye Fan had never been able to let this matter go.

“It absolutely was not me. When that happened, I became the prime suspect, and I had no choice but to flee far away.” The Old Knife-Handle said.

He then spoke of something that made Ye Fan’s skin crawl. The people who had entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone that day were not only their group — there had been one more, lagging behind them.

“Could it have been an ancient being?”

“No. It was a powerful human cultivator, following in the footsteps that the Yao Guang Holy Son had left behind.”

Tens of years ago, Ye Fan’s cultivation had been weak — he had nowhere near the keen spiritual perception needed to detect such a powerful pursuer from behind.

After so many years had passed, only now did he learn that there had been another unknown person who had ventured into the Primordial Forbidden Zone together with them. What had happened back then took on an unsettling cast.

“That person was very powerful. We kept our guard against each other, and neither dared make a careless move.” The Old Knife-Handle’s single sentence revealed the pursuer’s level — at the very minimum, a supreme apex expert.

“In that case, it wasn’t the Yao Guang Holy Son who struck that night either.” Ye Fan murmured.

“No — in my estimation, it was indeed him. From my many years of experience, that person was protecting the Yao Guang Holy Son, and the two were in contact.” The Old Knife-Handle said.

“I see — that was his path-guarding protector.” Ye Fan understood with a start.

“And so, I had no choice but to flee that night. After we escaped, they would certainly have moved against me — there were secrets that could not be disclosed.” The Old Knife-Handle said.

“Yes. It is fortunate that you left in time, Senior. I believe that supreme apex expert went personally to kill you — only to find you gone. At the same time, it caused me to narrowly escape as well.” Cold sweat ran down Ye Fan’s back.

That time had truly been dangerous beyond measure. The fact that he had survived was the result of many factors happening to align — only now, understanding the full truth, did he feel how truly terrifying it had been.

“Even as the Yao Guang Holy Son, it would be difficult for him to have a protector of that caliber — because that person is likely even stronger than the Yao Guang Holy Master.” The Old Knife-Handle said.

“He obtained another inheritance. If I haven’t guessed wrong, it must be that — the Indestructible Celestial Art!” Ye Fan had long had a premonition, but even upon this indirect confirmation, his heart gave a great lurch. The Yao Guang Holy Son hid his true nature very deeply.

The Old Knife-Handle was shaken. This divine art shook all of ancient history and lit up the present era — the world had heard it spoken of, but no one had ever witnessed it. It was cloaked in more mystery than anything else.

Like the Wushi Scripture, it never appeared in the world — yet nothing could stop people from yearning for it and venerating it, distant and luminous as the bright moon in the sky.

“The Indestructible Celestial Art was created by the Merciless One in his later years. He contended with heaven and earth for fortune, seized the creative power of all past and present ages, shed the shell of his demonic elder form, and through this art gave birth to a divine fetus, beginning anew.” The Old Knife-Handle spoke in a trembling voice.

This divine art was profoundly mysterious — it had never been seen in the world. The Merciless One had shaken all of ancient history, and in his later years, having understood the whole of his life and reached a level still higher, he left behind such a scripture. How terrifying would it be?

From ancient times to the present, who could count how many people had sought to dig out this scripture, only to sigh in helplessness — and yet now a successor had appeared.

“In every age great talents emerge, each supreme in their own time. All the more so when an unprecedented great era has arrived. The Merciless One’s unrivaled mystic art has emerged into the world. I wonder when the Wushi Scripture will appear — does it truly require an Innate Holy Physique Dao Fetus?” The Old Knife-Handle murmured to himself.

They entered Kaiyuan City. Ye Fan was cautious — Hell and the human world were sources of terror, and he could not afford complacency.

The Old Knife-Handle’s grandfather was named Qi Luo. The location he had chosen was magnificent — suspended in the sky, ancient halls stretching in every direction, built from five-colored jade, said to be supported by the Southern Ridge Demon Emperor’s Palace.

Qi Luo was very aged, leaning on a walking staff. One eye was clouded and dim, while the other was a black hollow — like a gateway connecting to a black hole of the universe, utterly horrifying.

At his level of cultivation, even if he had truly gone blind, the flesh could be re-tempered and rebuilt. Unless it was a wound of the Grand Dao itself, everything could be restored.

Ye Fan didn’t believe he was blind in one eye. That black hollow looked in every way as though it harbored terrifying Dao principles within — it might even contain a Dao weapon.

Qi Luo stared at him for a long time. In particular, a thread of dark light shot from the hollow of his eye — deeply intimidating, as though it had pierced straight through his body.

“No mistake — you’ve obtained the Movement Word Art, and you’ve read the ancient Celestial Court scrolls, though you haven’t cultivated them much.” He was direct, saying this the moment the two were face to face.

Ye Fan remained composed, though inwardly he was startled. This old man was extraordinarily powerful — a single glance had laid bare all his depths. Without question, this was a master.

“Unless you become a Source Heaven Master, no disguise will conceal you from the Celestial Wheel Eye.” The old man smiled slightly and said.

“What guidance does Senior have for me?” Ye Fan asked.

Qi Luo burst into great weeping. Tears streamed down his aged face, his sobbing so powerful that the entire great hall rang and trembled as if on the verge of collapse, the whole sky shaking with it.

Such cultivation was truly astonishing — far beyond what a supreme expert could claim. He was undoubtedly someone who had cut the Dao many years ago and whose power approached that of creation itself — a figure of world-shaking stature.

“Senior, why are you…” Ye Fan was at a loss.

“Heaven has shown mercy. The Celestial Court’s inheritance has not been severed. At last someone has carried it forward — the great hatred of our ancestors now has hope of being avenged.” The old man wept.

Ye Fan listened with his hair standing on end. What was this old figure planning? Did he want to drag him into a war against the entire world?

For it was known to all that the fall of the Celestial Court had been brought about by the combined effort of all the sacred grounds. Supposedly the undying imperial dynasty of Central Region had lent its strength as well. It had been a joint execution by all under heaven.

“Our ancestors used killing to achieve the Dao, cutting down no small number of sacred ground powerhouses. Those who later banded together to attack — we bear no resentment. This is cause and effect in the world. Yet the Celestial Court looked down upon all of humanity from above — how could it have been wiped out in a single stroke, uprooted entirely?”

The old man wiped away tears. Whether the grief was genuine or simply an old habit, his weeping had the void on the brink of collapse — an unsettling sight.

“It was Hell and the human world who leaked the Celestial Court’s location and struck at it from the shadows.”

Ye Fan was struck with surprise upon hearing this. The fall of the Celestial Court had involved the shadows of two other assassin divine dynasties — truly murky and complex, with secrets layered upon secrets.

“Because they knew that as long as the Celestial Court existed for even a single day, it would always look down upon them from above — a height they could never surpass.”

After a long while, Qi Luo finally stopped weeping. Ye Fan’s ears rang and buzzed without cease. This old man’s power was too fearsome — his grief alone had caused Dao patterns to densely emerge. Had it not been for the Holy Physique, the flesh would already have been shattered.

“What does Senior seek from me by this meeting?”

The one-eyed old man wiped away the last of his tears. He stood leaning on his walking staff before the window of the great hall and said: “In truth, nothing much. I wished to see what kind of person you are — hearing is one thing, seeing is another.”

Ye Fan said nothing, watching him calmly.

“A short while ago, the assassins of Hell and the human world went out in full force — even their trump cards were deployed. It nearly cost Wang Teng his body and soul, but at the critical moment he was carried away by an immortal crane.”

Ye Fan was startled. Even Wang Teng had become a target of the two great divine dynasties — this was somewhat beyond his expectations.

At the same time, the detail of the immortal crane saving the man made him start. He had long heard the story: in Wang Teng’s childhood, he had shown extraordinary gifts, and a divine crane had carried him away — that was how the legend had begun.

“A pack of stray dogs — anyone will beat them. Hell and the human world have envied and coveted the secret of our Celestial Court’s Movement Word Art since ancient times, yet ultimately they never obtained it. Naturally, they now have their eyes set on his ‘Foresight’ art. Once this art is mastered, it allows one to perceive every advantage before it comes to pass. For assassins, it is equal to the Movement Word Art — both are supreme techniques.”

“So the primary reason they want to kill me is not the old enmity, but the Movement Word Art.” Ye Fan said with a cold laugh.

“That is so. They have always coveted our Celestial Court’s supreme secret techniques. It can break through any formation and array, moving unhindered through all nine heavens and ten earths. At its ultimate height, it evolves further into the divine law of the gods — Time.”

The Old Knife-Handle stood to one side, saying nothing throughout, listening in silence to his grandfather’s conversation with Ye Fan.

After a long time, Qi Luo spoke again: “Within this ancient hall built of five-colored jade, there are many powerful figures — not only the ancient royal tribes of Bloodbird Phoenix Mountain and Fire Unicorn Cave, but also many young powerful cultivators of the ancient tribal factions, as well as dozens of assassins from Hell and the human world. It appears their Holy Sons and Holy Daughters are here as well.”

Ye Fan shot to his feet: “What do you mean?”

“I wish to see what kind of performance you give when surrounded and hunted by so many young elites. Ah — I forgot to mention: Huo Qizi’s younger sister, Huo Lin’er, has also arrived. She is a princess who carries the blood of an Ancient Emperor — extraordinarily powerful, and she is personally present.”

“You…” Ye Fan’s expression shifted.

“The Holy Sons and Holy Daughters of Hell and the human world are said to be capable of killing any king — far exceeding even Holy Sons of the sacred grounds in power. That they have cut the Dao three times at the Immortal level would come as no surprise. You had best perform well, and not disgrace the name of the Celestial Court.”

When Qi Luo finished these words, he turned toward the outside of the great hall and let out a tremendous shout: “The human race’s Holy Physique is here!”

“You rotten old fossil!” Ye Fan cursed.

From all four directions, murderous intent shot into the heavens. Column after column of energy tore through heaven and earth. Blood energy blotted out the sun, surging upward. Several dozen to over a hundred powerful experts closed in from all sides, surrounding the great hall.