Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 473: Chapter 478: Divine Infant

The second cry echoed, causing all the mountains to tremble, with leaves rustling down from every tree and shrub. It was terrifying, like a fearsome mountain torrent crashing against the skies.

The cry was brief and soon ceased, yet all the beasts still trembled.

Not long after, the third cry resounded. The Endless Mountain Range and every Great Mountain began to shake, as if thousands of Great Dragons were leaping in this Dragon-rising land.

“The whole mountain range is going to overturn! How can a person’s cry be so terrifying?”

RUMBLE.

The myriad mountains shook, and rocks crumbled from the clouds, as if the heavens and earth were being created anew!

At that instant, a strange scene unfolded within the Endless Mountain Range. The vegetation withered and then flourished again, as if it had experienced several cycles of Spring and Autumn.

In this Heaven-Reaching Land, boundless Earth Dragon Qi connected heaven and earth, creating an astonishing sight.

“Who is crying like this? It’s terrifying!” Even the big black dog shivered.

A moment later, silence returned. The Merak Ruins became tranquil again, with no more sounds. All things revived, devoid of decay or overgrowth.

In the Barbaric Ancient Land ahead, countless Great Mountains stretched like dragons, and ancient trees soared into the skies. Old vines draped over the mountains, giving off a desolate, ancient, mysterious, and primordial aura.

The Great Mountains were majestic, each one grand and vast. Many waterfalls cascaded down them, stretching for thousands of zhang, like a vast white curtain—tremendously magnificent.

Long after the cries faded, spiritual beasts began to emerge. Longevity apes climbed the sacred mountains; Immortal Cranes danced amidst the clouds; the Seven-Colored Divine Deer leaped with Lingzhi in their mouths, along with many precious beasts and strange and powerful beasts whose names were unknown.

“Shall we go take a look?” said Li Heishui.

“We should not go. The cultivation base of the wailing person is unfathomable; angering them could bring great calamity,” Wang the Divine Doctor warned.

Could it be the old madman? Ye Fan felt unsure, though the crying did not quite match, not resembling the voice of an elderly man with white hair.

They felt unsettled, not expecting to encounter such an event. A Sacred Land that had been annihilated six thousand years ago actually had someone sobbing within it.

That person’s emotions are very unstable. It’s best for us not to provoke them. Let’s wait a couple of days and see what’s going on. Even the big black dog was unnerved; he backed down for a rare occasion.

Wang the Divine Doctor’s secluded dwelling was simple and unadorned, standing against a cliff, with several thatched huts, a small bamboo grove, and flowing waterfalls and streams.

In this area, Wang the Divine Doctor had cultivated several medicinal fields, planting them full of spiritual medicines. From a distance, one could smell the fragrance of the herbs.

In the various plots, bees and butterflies danced, buzzing with life, and the leaves and flowers shimmered with a myriad of colors, making it apparent they were all rare spiritual medicines.

The Black Emperor drooled at the sight, but Wang the Divine Doctor sternly warned him not to forage indiscriminately, as some exotic medicines could be highly toxic.

The Black Emperor readily agreed but sneaked into the medicinal fields that same day. He ended up poisoned, foaming at the mouth, collapsing, and convulsing on the ground.

If not for the pitiful little girl passing by while playing and seeing his miserable state in time to call for help, this dead dog might have lost most of his life.

“Doggy, don’t eat just anything,” the pitiful little girl earnestly advised, blinking her big eyes.

“Serves you right!” Li Heishui spat these two words mercilessly, without a trace of sympathy.

“WOOF!” The big black dog snarled in despair and frustration, foaming at the mouth.

Ye Fan also felt this dead dog was incorrigible. He had just arrived at Wang the Divine Doctor’s place and was already stealing spiritual medicines to eat, ending up poisoning himself so severely.

Wang the Divine Doctor had no particular concerns about Ye Fan’s injuries, as his Dao Injury had completely healed. Instead, he was puzzled over the pitiful little girl’s situation.

He locked himself in the cottage, flipping through various Ancient Books, searching for clues, his brows furrowed, deeply troubled.

It wasn’t until two days later that he pushed open the cottage door and emerged, holding a yellowed ancient tome, appearing with a shocked expression as he sought out Ye Fan.

“Where is that little girl?” He seemed a bit nervous, and his speech was slightly unnatural.

Wang the Divine Doctor was not only a divine physician but also a sovereign, a top master of the world, respected by all Peacock Kings. His current behavior was therefore surprising.

“What happened, Senior?” Ye Fan asked.

“I’m not certain. This little girl is not simple; she is unfathomable. I need to observe her more closely,” Wang the Divine Doctor replied.

“She is playing,” Ye Fan pointed to the flower garden by the Spiritual Spring in the distance.

The pitiful little girl was very happy, running here and there, chasing butterflies, her small, carved-from-jade face filled with innocent smiles, and her big eyes clear and bright.

The big black dog lazily lay to the side. Occasionally, when the pitiful little girl ran over, he would carry her for a short ride, his good temper astonishing.

“Damn it, ever since we encountered him, this dead dog has always shown a vicious and greedy face. He has bitten me countless times,” Li Heishui said angrily.

The ferocious big black dog showed a completely different demeanor toward the pitiful little girl. This made both Ye Fan and Li Heishui thoughtful, as their intuition told them the big black dog knew some ‘truth.’

“Pitiful little girl, be good. Come, have a spiritual fruit to eat,” Wang the Divine Doctor offered a golden and translucent spiritual fruit, with a fragrant aroma, to the pitiful little girl.

“Thank you, Grandfather,” the pitiful little girl obediently thanked him.

Wang the Divine Doctor seriously checked her pulse, examining her limbs and organs closely, then touched her head, revealing a puzzled and uncertain expression.

“No need to check. She is healthier than anyone, and there’s no need for treatment!” the big black dog growled from the side, seeming quite unwilling for Wang the Divine Doctor to discover anything.

“Grandfather, am I really sick?” the pitiful little girl asked softly, then looked down at her small shoes, saying, “I always forget the past, why is it like this…”

The little girl felt downcast, saddened and aggrieved, feeling different from others.

“Children haven’t grown up yet, so of course they easily forget the past. When you grow up, it won’t be like this,” the big black dog told her.

“Doggy, is that true?” the pitiful little girl asked naively, with pure eyes.

“Of course, it’s true. This Emperor never lies.”

“Don’t worry, the pitiful little girl is not sick. She’s very healthy, everything is quite normal. When you grow up, you will naturally be fine,” Wang the Divine Doctor said, stroking his white beard.

“Oh, then I am relieved,” the pitiful little girl said, then she cheerfully ran off, chasing after the big black dog.

“Did you find out anything?” Ye Fan asked.

Wang the Divine Doctor showed a grave expression, opened the yellowed journal, and turned to one of the pages. Pointing to an ancient illustration on it, he said, “Take a look; doesn’t it resemble her somewhat?”

Ye Fan’s expression froze. In this ancient journal, there was a little girl whose eyes were clear and pure, untouched by the world, extremely ethereal.

“It is so similar, almost identical to the pitiful little girl!”

He couldn’t help but be shocked. This ancient journal looked quite old; how could there be a little girl from the distant past who was exactly the same as the pitiful little girl? She wasn’t even three years old, appearing very young, and that pure gaze was identical.

“It truly is uncanny, but the Eastern Wastelands are vast, so it is understandable to encounter a similar person,” Li Heishui nodded in amazement.

Wang the Divine Doctor shook his head and said, “You’re mistaken. Look carefully at the notes above.”

“Losing memory once a month, vitality everlasting…”

Ye Fan and Li Heishui read further, and their faces changed; the few pages in this yellowed journal were limited in content but astonishing.

An elderly couple without children found a pitiful little girl in their later years. Overjoyed, they adopted her, treating her as their own.

However, strange events began to happen. For years, the little girl never grew and lost her memory on every full moon, forgetting everything.

Eventually, the couple passed away, and the girl remained the same, seen as a demon by locals and nearly drowned.

A kind old woman released her, and the pitiful little girl became a wandering orphan, vanishing into the crowd.

Her monthly memory loss and eternally unchanged vitality were symptoms strikingly similar to those of the pitiful little girl. Three years ago, she had been the same, never changing.

This… what on earth is going on?! Ye Fan’s heart pounded. This was unbelievable. Could it be that the two orphan girls were the same person?

This is hard to believe—the same symptoms, or the same person? How long ago was this? Li Heishui was also puzzled.

“This journal has existed for at least two thousand five hundred years, left by an ancestor of mine, with some additional notes at the end.”

Two thousand five hundred years… Ye Fan was shocked. Compared to the history on the other end of the Starry Sky, that would be the Pre-Qin period.

It might not sound like much at first thought, but on reflection, it was indeed very ancient, even before the Qin and Han emperors were born!

“Are you sure this is true…” Li Heishui was almost stuttering. If correct, the pitiful little girl’s origin was too mysterious.

An ancestor of Divine Doctor Wang once passed through the town of the elderly couple and diagnosed the girl but could not cure her.

Later, this Divine Doctor passed through again. The couple was gone, leaving the pitiful girl a beggar, disappearing into the vast crowd.

The matter did not end there. Hundreds of years later, as Wang the Divine Doctor’s ancestor aged, he was passing by the Ancient City of Purple Heaven City when he glimpsed the pitiful little girl again, leaving a strong impression despite it being a fleeting glance.

However, he was being chased by enemies at the time and could not stay. He ultimately missed the chance and later couldn’t find her when he searched.

This was a great regret for the old Divine Doctor, lingering in his mind until he passed away within half a year, leaving only the yellowed journal.

“How can this be? It’s unbelievable!” Li Heishui rubbed his temples, completely unable to figure it out.

The poor little beggar. Ye Fan thought of the pitiful little girl from the past, with ragged clothes, even with toe holes in her shoes, a heart-wrenching sight.

Could she have lived like this all along, experiencing all the bittersweetness, the warmth and cold of the world? If true, what hardships did she endure? A little orphan, under three years old, struggling alone in the vast crowd, constantly forgetting the past. Having lived through so many years, she must have tasted every worldly pain.

“This is really beyond conjecture!” Ye Fan sighed with slight bitterness.

Even a Peacock King can’t live beyond two thousand five hundred years, yet the pitiful little girl has never changed… Li Heishui couldn’t understand.

“Divine Doctor Wang, didn’t you find any clues?” Ye Fan inquired.

“My ancestor mentioned the little girl once more before his death, writing a conjecture on the last page of the journal.”

“What conjecture?” Ye Fan and Li Heishui’s eyes brightened.

“He only wrote two words—Divine Infant!” Divine Doctor Wang said.

“What does this mean?” Li Heishui was puzzled.

“I don’t know either. Too much has been lost in our line; by my generation, the mastered medical skills are less than a tenth of what they once were, not even five percent.”

“So much lost…” Ye Fan was astonished, knowing this old man was known as the Divine Doctor.

“Our ancestor in Ancient Times could even heal Dao Injuries and was himself a Saint. Later generations cannot compare,” Divine Doctor Wang shook his head.

“What does the term ‘Divine Infant’ mean, anyway? Although that senior from two thousand five hundred years ago did not possess your ancestor’s Holy Technique, he likely guessed something.”

“I also don’t know. ‘Divine Infant’ might have some story behind it, but unfortunately, over ninety percent of our Wang family’s medical books have been lost. I don’t know what specific knowledge they contained.”

An enduring Divine Infant in the Mortal World… Ye Fan pondered.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, the pitiful little girl was in the central region of the Eastern Wastelands but eventually ended up in the southern region; she had traversed almost half of the Eastern Wastelands.

“Catch that dog and interrogate him! He must know something!” Li Heishui said.

Ye Fan nodded and softly called to the pitiful little girl. The little girl came running happily, blinking her big eyes, tilting her head, and said softly, “Big brother, what is it?”

“Later, we’ll make black dog meat for the pitiful little girl to eat,” Ye Fan smiled, patting her head. Then, he and Li Heishui moved forward, suddenly ambushing and pinning down the big black dog.

“WOOF… Are you two tired of living, daring to provoke this Emperor?” the big black dog replied arrogantly.

“Tell me, what is the Divine Infant?” Ye Fan grabbed his large, square ears to avoid being bitten.

“You know about the Divine Infant?!” The big black dog was quite surprised; clearly, the question caught him off guard.

“Tell me quickly, or today you’ll be stewed into black dog meat!” Ye Fan urged.

“Big brother, don’t eat Doggy; though naughty, he’s not bad,” the pitiful little girl, taking it seriously, timidly advised from the side.

“WOOF… Today I want to eat the sacred body!” the big black dog was defiant, shouting loudly.

“Doggy, be good, don’t speak nonsense,” the pitiful little girl advised, a bit scared, but still reached out her little hand, wanting to pull them apart.

“Can the Divine Infant be eaten? This Emperor knows nothing, don’t ask me!” the big black dog bared his teeth and growled fiercely.

“Damn, this dog just deserves a beating!” Li Heishui couldn’t help but swing his large hand, smacking his backside several times.

“WOOF WOOF WOOF…” The big black dog barked wildly, his large mouth suddenly extending very far, snapping ferociously at Li Heishui, almost swallowing him.

“Damn, even so, I got bitten by the dog…” Li Heishui was furious.

The two interrogated him, but the big black dog remained extremely tight-lipped, refusing to say what the Divine Infant was, and instead continued to shout relentlessly.

They had no choice; they couldn’t really cook the big black dog, though he did bite them quite a bit.

“It’s been four days already; should we go take a look at the Merak Ruins?” Li Heishui suggested on the fourth day.

“Let’s go have a look.” Ye Fan nodded; he had wanted to check it out for a while.

The big black dog could hardly hold back any longer, carrying the pitiful little girl at the very front.

Ahead lay majestic mountains, a land of soaring dragons, full of diverse sights. The mountain range was vast and magnificent, almost reaching the high heavens.

As soon as they arrived in this region, they noticed rare creatures like flood dragons, qilins, and Nine-tailed Foxes, and everyone became carefully guarded.

Traveling over a hundred li, they came to the Mountain Gate entrance of the Merak Ruins.

Broken walls and remnants littered the area, a scene of desolation filled with a profound sense of antiquity. A supreme Sacred Land, due to a single calamity, had completely become a relic of the past, like clouds of smoke.

“Damn, there’s someone there!” the big black dog shouted. He stared at a figure resembling a wooden stake inside the Mountain Gate, his glossy, satin-like black fur bristling. He growled, “Powerful, bizarre, and utterly outrageous!”