The two star charts were enormous, not carved into stone steles but rather branded into the stone ground — the result of careful and deliberate deduction.
The eras in which they were carved differed by no more than a few hundred years, but they clearly did not belong to the same period, which was discernible at a glance. Yet both maps had been completed roughly two thousand years ago.
Compared to over a hundred thousand years, two thousand years was not so terrifyingly long — yet it still placed them in the pre-Qin era, an age that could rightfully be called ancient.
The great holy lords of the Eastern Wasteland could perhaps live to such an age; any longer, and they would return to dust and earth. Since time immemorial, no one has ever truly escaped death.
“What mystery is this old cattle-herder trying to deduce? I can’t make heads or tails of it.” The Great Black Dog stared at one of the carved diagrams and puzzled over it for a long while, unable to understand.
Only the Old Madman’s gaze was deep and absorbed, looking intently. One could clearly see the two carved diagrams reflected and evolving in the depths of his eyes, being imprinted into his mind.
Ye Fan’s heart stirred, and he too imprinted the two star charts, committing them silently to memory. These might very well be the road home.
“Two little dragons swimming around…” Xiao Nannan pointed at the two faint lines in the star charts with her small finger. Her eyesight was extraordinary — she could see the two lines as they evolved, winding and extending.
Even with his divine eyes, Ye Fan spent a very long time before he could slowly make out the lines clearly, after which he memorized them without a single deviation.
In the future, if he could not return to the other end of the starry sky via the five-colored ritual platform in the Forbidden Ancient Land, he planned to have the Black Emperor carve the most intricate Dao inscriptions and cross back through them, step by step.
“Never mind about that old cattle-herder and that bumpy-headed baldy — let’s think about how to actually obtain the Movement character secret.” The Great Black Dog muttered. It truly had no fondness for those two whatsoever.
“I genuinely hope that someday you encounter them and say exactly this to their faces.” Ye Fan smiled.
His heart was awash with a thousand feelings. These were clearly two great sages of ancient Earth who should long since have vanished amid the river of time — yet somehow, they had become intertwined with cultivation.
The Old Madman circled the ancient coffin once, his brow deeply furrowed. Powerful as he was, even he had not opened the coffin, as if something within gave him pause.
The green hairs were very long, having grown out through the cracks of the stone coffin, blanketing the entire coffin body, lush and verdant — at a careless glance, they truly did resemble moss.
Merely approaching it sent a bone-piercing chill through the body. The stone coffin was like an ice cellar, nearly capable of freezing a person solid.
“Is it truly the Great Completion Holy Body’s remains? And who carved the stone coffin for him…” Ye Fan murmured to himself.
“Whoosh!”
The Old Madman inscribed in the void, manifesting the Celestial Traverse footwork — not a concrete technique, but a profound Dao diagram encompassing all things.
He was using the remnant fragments of the Movement character secret to attempt to trigger a response. Seeing him do this, Ye Fan grasped the Bodhi Seed and also began to manifest the technique. His movements were slow, but earnest.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, a light sound rang out from within the ancient coffin, startling everyone present. A peerless, bone-chilling killing intent seeped out — as if some ancient creature had just awakened.
The green hairs on the stone coffin shuddered violently. The chill grew bone-piercing — like ten million ghostly claws writhing and struggling — slowly extending outward, creeping toward the group.
“This place is far too strange!”
The fog grew thicker and thicker. They had the feeling that all of this was being caused by the coffin — the dense fog seemed to be pouring out from between the coffin’s seams.
“Hiss!”
Suddenly, the coffin lid shook violently and burst forth with light that shot skyward, scattering the clouds and fog. Brilliance blazed — and a Dao diagram surfaced and floated outward!
“The Nine Secrets!”
“The Movement character secret has passed through the coffin and emerged!”
The group was both startled and elated. Through a thousand hardships and dangers, they had come solely for the Nine Secrets’ Movement character secret — and at last they had laid eyes on it.
The very first moment Ye Fan saw it, he was certain — that was absolutely the Movement character secret. It bore many similarities to the footwork technique he had been cultivating.
“The most supreme holy technique of legend. Once mastered, all paths beneath heaven are open, and no road exists that cannot be traveled!”
“Wonderful — we must comprehend it thoroughly!”
No one was without excitement. All of them seized upon it with powerful divine sense, fearing to miss even the slightest detail.
“No — it’s too blurry. This passed through the coffin to emerge. The true Nine Secrets lie within the coffin!”
After careful examination, they discovered this disheartening truth, and their hearts sank halfway. There was clearly something ominous within the ancient coffin, and they were reluctant to open it.
“What do we do? We’ve already come this far — surely we won’t retreat now?”
“Nannan, can you see it clearly?” Ye Fan crouched down and asked Xiao Nannan.
The little girl wrinkled her delicate nose, blinked her wide eyes, and stared carefully for a moment before saying in her crisp voice, “Some parts I can see clearly, but some parts are blocked by something, so it’s not clear.”
The Old Madman stood completely motionless, as if petrified. From his hollow eyes, thread upon thread of silver radiance shot forth, connecting with the Dao diagram. However, it was clear the diagram was incomplete — blocked by whatever was inside the coffin — and the silver threads from his eyes could not connect to all of it.
The summit was flat, and no formation inscriptions had been laid by the ancient great emperor around the coffin. The group paced back and forth, deeply frustrated.
“Bang!”
The ancient coffin shuddered again, and peerless killing intent seeped out — as if the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month had descended, as if ten thousand li of frozen land and a million li of drifting snow had arrived all at once.
The Bodhi Seed in Ye Fan’s hand grew scorching hot. He was earnestly studying the Dao diagram, casting aside all other thoughts. With the Old Madman present, he paid no mind to anything else.
Even a fragmentary Movement character secret — he intended to comprehend it completely. To do otherwise would be the deepest regret of his life.
Time passed — he did not know how much — before Ye Fan finally stopped and emerged from his state of clear emptiness. By this time, the Old Madman was walking in circles around the ancient coffin, apparently preparing to open it.
The Great Black Dog and Li Heishui stood nearby, not even daring to breathe, having retreated far away, terrified of releasing some peerless demon lord.
The Old Madman walked nine full circles, as if deducing something. Then twin beams of silver radiance shot from his eyes in fine threads — he stood fixed at the center of the space, swept out his wide sleeve with a thunderous boom, and sliced away every strand of green hair in an instant.
He had finally made his move — to formally open the ancient coffin and behold the legendary unbroken Nine Secrets’ Movement character secret!
The very instant the green hairs outside the coffin were reduced to ash, the ancient coffin shuddered violently — as if some enormous being was about to emerge, its terrifying aura causing the mountain body itself to tremble.
Across this entire region, over fifty great mountains stood side by side. All of them were shaking now, as if a great earthquake had struck, massive boulders rolling and crashing down without end.
This great peak especially — had it not been restrained by the great emperor’s formation inscriptions, it would likely have already collapsed. Some inexplicable aura was surging turbulently.
In this moment, the formation inscriptions carved by Emperor Wushi manifested their supreme mystery. In all four directions, threads of light spread through the void, interweaving and converging together.
Although no Dao inscriptions had been carved upon this summit, it served as a gathering point — drawing ten million threads from every direction to converge upon the ancient coffin and bind it in place.
The commotion finally quieted. The stone coffin ceased its shaking, and everything gradually grew calm.
“Stand back!” The Old Madman called out lightly. Things had reached this point — the coffin must be opened to obtain the Nine Secrets’ Movement character secret.
The group retreated continuously. The Old Madman let out a roar like a dragon’s cry and a tiger’s howl, his voice carrying for hundreds of li. He swept out his wide sleeve with a thunderous boom, sending the coffin lid flying and letting it land upon the summit.
“Boom!”
A peerless, desolate killing intent surged out. Black fog billowed skyward, rolling and churning, completely drowning this place in darkness. Just as suspected — all the dense fog had been spilling out from the ancient coffin.
Li Heishui and the Black Emperor fell completely still, unable to even speak beneath that bone-chilling killing intent. They were utterly bound in place, their bodies on the verge of shattering.
“Hiss!”
Ten million threads of light interweaved and converged. The formation inscriptions left by Emperor Wushi activated, and a brilliantly blazing curtain of light appeared, enveloping the ancient coffin.
At the same time, the Scroll of Divine Sealing on the mountainside burst forth with a sweep of golden brilliance that descended like a rain of light, stilling the ancient coffin’s trembling.
Only then did the world-shaking killing intent recede like a tide — otherwise, Ye Fan and the others would already have been unable to endure it.
“The killing intent alone was nearly enough to obliterate body and soul. In such a short time, it has already cost me half my life…” Li Heishui said weakly, his body cracked all over, seizing the divine spring water Ye Fan passed him and drinking deeply.
The Great Black Dog’s entire coat of black fur had nearly fallen off. Having only just been cursing others for being bald, it was now nearly bald itself. It cursed continuously, saying, “Even this comes back around as retribution… damn it!”
Ye Fan himself was largely unharmed — his physical body was simply incomparably powerful. Xiao Nannan, who had been kept in the middle and protected, was also unharmed. The little one wore an expression of boundless curiosity, looking left and right.
Not far ahead — the Great Dao pressed down upon the heavens!
A Dao diagram stretched across the void, extremely clear — as if nine layers of heaven had descended, inspiring genuine awe from the depths of one’s heart, making one want to kneel and prostrate.
“The Nine Secrets!”
“The opportunity is right before our eyes. Whether we can comprehend it depends entirely on each person’s own fortune and destiny!”
They rushed forward quickly, sat cross-legged on the ground, and gazed at the Dao diagram floating in the air, beginning earnest comprehension.
As for what lay inside the opened ancient coffin, none of them spared it a glance. Nothing was more important than comprehending the Nine Secrets — whatever happened, the Old Madman would handle it.
“I cannot comprehend it!” Li Heishui consumed one leaf of the Enlightenment Tea, then opened his eyes, his expression extremely dispirited.
The Great Black Dog grew even more anxious, cursing and muttering: “Damn it — this is a supreme secret art created for two-legged beings. This Emperor cannot comprehend it unless I transform into a human form. Damn it — this Emperor is going to defy heaven itself. I will absolutely master this!”
The Great Black Dog truly did defy heaven then and there. It stood upright, like a person, standing on the ground, and declared, “There is no holy technique this Emperor cannot learn. I refuse to believe otherwise!”
“Damn it — it actually worked…” Li Heishui was left dumbstruck. Then his confidence swelled enormously. Even a dog could transcend the boundaries of its species to cultivate the Movement character secret — what did he have to fear? He grabbed several leaves of the Enlightenment Tea and immediately began comprehending again.
The Old Madman stood completely motionless, as if petrified, gazing up at the Nine Secrets Dao diagram. His entire being was on the verge of becoming an ancient diagram itself — profoundly mysterious.
Ye Fan’s heart was deeply shaken. The Nine Secrets’ Movement character secret was unfathomably deep. The Celestial Traverse footwork was merely one corner of it — just a small portion!
“No wonder comprehending it fully allows one to step into the domain of time. It is truly mysterious and immeasurable. Mastering it will likely require a lifetime of cultivation.” He comprehended in silence, grasping the Bodhi Seed and working through his understanding, bit by bit.
Time flowed on, bit by bit. The group remained perfectly still, comprehending in silence, pouring their entire beings into it. Without question, the Old Madman gained the most.
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and ceased looking at the Dao diagram, beginning to manifest it himself within his heart.
The Great Black Dog was the least settled of all. Standing upright, proclaiming its defiance of heaven, it both comprehended the Nine Secrets and ran back and forth like a person, all at once.
Yet its comprehension was truly remarkable. Its speed grew faster and faster, until at last it was nearly a blur of shadow.
It was extraordinarily brazen — its entire coat of black fur shed entirely, and it ran naked on two legs while shouting, “Damn it — this Emperor, for the sake of mastering the Movement character secret, shall henceforth travel on two legs. This Emperor will defy heaven, no matter the cost!”
Li Heishui was utterly provoked by it, forcing his full concentration into bitter comprehension. Even a dog could master it — how could he, a two-legged human, hold his head up otherwise?
He was not lacking in comprehension ability — this technique simply did not suit his cultivation path very well. Yet even so, the provocation drove him to gain considerably from the effort, and the deep furrow in his brow gradually began to ease.
Xiao Nannan also watched with great curiosity, and in the end could not help but begin mimicking the movements herself. She lifted her little feet, and with a soft whoosh, vanished from where she stood — which jolted everyone out of their states of comprehension.
“Nannan…” Ye Fan called out.
Xiao Nannan appeared on the wall of the coffin, startled into tears, looking helplessly down at the group below. The little one was utterly innocent, her eyes brimming with tears, saying, “I was only trying it out…”
This left Li Heishui completely speechless. He looked up at the sky and sighed deeply, “My comprehension ability, if not the finest of my generation, is certainly among the very best — yet I cannot even match a dog. And now even a toddler of two-something years has surpassed me. Can it truly be that the Nine Secrets are simply not suited for my cultivation?”
Ye Fan and the others hurried over to the coffin and lifted Xiao Nannan up, intending to help her down. In doing so, they inadvertently glimpsed the scene inside the coffin — and every scalp crawled.
At the very bottom of the stone coffin lay half a pool of blood water, vivid and glaring — as if it had only just flowed from a living body. Within it, an old man lay prostrate, floating on top of the blood water.
His flesh was imperishable. He held a golden scepter in his hand, from which peerless killing intent emanated — enough to pierce straight through a person’s soul.
“Heavens — is this truly the Great Completion Holy Body? Dead for over a hundred thousand years, and still not decayed, looking perfectly lifelike!” Li Heishui was stunned.
“Why does this person carry such overwhelming killing energy — as if he has slaughtered tens of millions of living beings?” Ye Fan said in shock.
“This… should be the Lord of the Celestial Court — an ancient holy sage!” The Great Black Dog was so startled it nearly fell in.
“Weren’t the two old holy sages of the Celestial Court killed? How did one of them end up here?” Ye Fan asked, puzzled. He had once heard the Great Black Dog recount that past incident in detail.
“The world believed he had exhausted his life span and was slain in the final battle. Who could have imagined that he personally carried the Nine Secrets’ Movement character secret and fled into the Sacred Cliff, dying here!” The Great Black Dog was deeply shaken.
The faint tendrils of killing intent seeping from that golden ancient scepter were freezing the entire Sacred Cliff — making it feel like a netherworld of ice, utterly without doubt the supreme scepter of the Celestial Court.
“In those days, the Celestial Court, wielding the supreme scepter, could command nearly all under heaven.” The Great Black Dog sighed.
“It is time for it to see the light of day again — to shine brilliantly once more!” Ye Fan declared loudly.
“After tens of thousands of years, his body has not decayed — worthy indeed of an ancient holy sage. But why did he die inside the ancient coffin?” Li Heishui was bewildered and uneasy.
“His neck was snapped by someone…” The Great Black Dog said in shock. It had been entertaining ill intentions just a moment ago — the bones of a saint were treasures throughout, and it had wanted to haul them out and refine them.
Yet now it was overwhelmed with chills. The neck of this ancient saint had been snapped by someone — a clear handprint was visible, with some strands of green hair clinging to it.
“Nannan is scared…” Xiao Nannan buried her little head in Ye Fan’s arms, not daring to look down, and said softly, “There is someone lying in the blood pool… his body is covered all over with green hair…”
“The Great Completion Holy Body!” Everyone was struck dumb with shock.
The Great Completion Holy Body had perished countless ages ago — yet had snapped the neck of an ancient holy sage. The thought of it made every one of them break out in a cold sweat.
In silence, the Old Madman had also taken his place atop the stone coffin, his all-penetrating gaze fixed upon the indistinct silhouette in the blood pool.
“Crash!”
Beneath the ancient saint — the Lord of the Celestial Court — the blood water suddenly surged violently. With a loud splash, a great emerald-green claw reached upward out of the depths, covered all over in corpse hair.