Shrouding the Heavens

Damn, this stupid dog is going to get itself killed. Good thing it wasn’t us this time, Ye Fan thought, dumbfounded. He had seen unreliable characters before, but never one *this* unreliable.

“Doggy, are you alright? I smell something like roasted meat…” the pitiful little girl asked with concern.

“It smells really good!” Li Heishui, quite the character himself, actually couldn’t help but gulp at such a moment.

The Black Emperor instantly flew into a rage. “Damn it, you black-hearted ghost! What kind of look is that? What are you implying? WOOF!”

Whenever these two “treasures” got together, peace was hard to come by; they would bicker endlessly, no matter the situation.

This time, it was again thanks to the old madman’s healing that the Black Emperor managed to stagger to its feet. However, its once satin-like fur now looked as if it had been plucked, looking patchy and no longer smooth.

“There’s no justice! Why am I always the one getting struck? This Emperor must have had terrible luck for eight lifetimes!” the Black Emperor fumed indignantly.

“Do you even know whose Array Patterns these are?” Li Heishui asked, looking at it suspiciously.

“These are the Array Patterns of No Beginning! I clearly saw how they evolve in an ancient book! How could I still be struck?” the Black Emperor gritted its teeth.

“Nonsense! How could the Array Patterns of an ancient Great Emperor possibly be recorded in ancient books? Such things simply cannot be preserved in the world! Even if they were, even sovereigns studying them for ten lifetimes wouldn’t be able to understand them!” Li Heishui retorted, unconvinced.

Ye Fan’s heart, however, skipped a beat. He remembered some things the Black Emperor had said before: the No Beginning Great Emperor had once visited this place to pay respects.

Following that line of thought, it’s highly probable that the No Beginning Great Emperor truly carved these Array Patterns. But this damn dog knows far too much! Could it have actually followed the No Beginning Great Emperor? But how could it have lived to the present age? Even ancient Great Emperors couldn’t do that!

Throughout this process, the old madman remained silent. He stood to the side, gazing at this Ancient Land, seemingly lost in deep thought.

The Black Emperor no longer dared to lead the way. Instead, it urged Li Heishui to go forward while it offered directions from behind.

“Damn it! This ridiculous dog doesn’t dare go itself, and now it wants to get me killed!” Li Heishui refused, absolutely unwilling.

Ultimately, the Black Emperor had to steel itself. Grabbing a container of Divine Spring that Ye Fan had given it, it once again took the lead.

BOOM! CRACK! Almost every dozen steps or so, the Black Emperor would let out a wretched scream as it was struck by lightning yet again. It convulsed an unknown number of times.

“Great Emperor, you were struck by lightning so often back then. Is your resentment really this strong? Why are even the outermost Array Patterns so terrifying? They’re about to blast me to ashes!” the Black Emperor whined, baring its teeth and muttering incessantly.

Finally, after crossing a towering black Great Mountain, they arrived at a desolate, empty area. This region had no Array Patterns, but the Qi Mechanism here was very strange.

It was an expansive valley, nestled between the black Great Mountains. In its center lay a lake, its surface as smooth as a mirror.

By now, the setting sun had dyed the horizon crimson, bathing the lake in a golden hue.

“A Supreme Spiritual Medicine! It must be over twenty thousand years old!” Li Heishui exclaimed, pointing to a vibrant azure plant in the lake that shimmered with a dreamlike brilliance.

The Black Emperor also dashed over, preparing to pick it. But just then, the lake water suddenly erupted with a loud ROAR, and enormous waves shot skyward.

A humanoid creature emerged. Its hair was white as snow, and its skin was just as pale, without a trace of blood, like a zombie. It extended a large claw towards them.

“What is that thing?” everyone exclaimed in shock, retreating swiftly.

“It’s an Ancient Corpse! It must have been dead for at least tens of thousands of years! It recently achieved Spirit Communication and has a half-step sovereign’s cultivation base!” the Black Emperor shouted.

“Uncle, save us!” the pitiful little girl cried out, very tense. She grasped the old madman’s sleeve and shook it.