“You truly intend to enter the Purple Mountain?” Old Man Zhang the Fifth had long since understood Ye Fan’s intentions and knew nothing could stop him. He let out a long sigh. “Wait a moment.”

He turned and walked into his stone dwelling, and after a short while, strained to carry out a large wooden chest. Its color had yellowed with age — one glance was enough to tell it was an antique, old beyond reckoning.

“What is this?” Ye Fan looked at it with curious eyes.

“A thousand years ago, the ancestor who entered the Purple Mountain prepared carefully before he went. This chest contains some of the things he left behind.”

Old Man Zhang the Fifth undid the iron lock and opened the great wooden chest. Immediately a musty smell of rotted wood wafted out — no one could say how many years it had sat there; even the interior of the chest had begun to decay.

“This is…” What Ye Fan noticed first was a set of stone armor.

Indeed — it was a garment composed of stone slabs strung together. Plain and unpretentious, it had been folded neatly and lay flat within the chest.

“What is this for?” The workmanship on the stone slab armor was meticulous — clearly considerable effort had gone into it.

Old Man Zhang the Fifth lifted the stone garment carefully in both hands and ran his fingers gently over it. “This was made by that ancestor a thousand years ago with his own hands. He wore one set in himself and left this one behind.”

Ye Fan held the stone garment in his hands. He felt nothing unusual about it — this kind of stone was found everywhere, the very same special outer casing that enclosed source stones.

This particular stone skin could block the probing of a cultivator’s divine sense and could not be penetrated. That was precisely why no source stone could reveal whether treasure lay within until it was actually cut open — and it was the very reason the stone-gambling industry had flourished. Ye Fan was confident that if he chose to, he could crush this stone skin with ease. Armor of this kind was of absolutely no use to him.

“Do not underestimate this stone garment — it is no ordinary object. It carries a powerful spiritual nature.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth seemed to read his thoughts.

“It has spiritual nature?” Ye Fan extended his senses carefully, but detected nothing out of the ordinary.

“This is no ordinary stone skin.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth stroked it with his hands, his expression one of deep affection for the object. “This was peeled from a divine source — a material worthy of a Source Heaven Master’s discerning eye.”

“This is the outer casing of a divine source?” Ye Fan brought the stone garment close and examined it carefully — and still could not detect anything.

“The gap between disciplines is a vast one. You are a cultivator, but that does not mean you can understand how precious a garment like this truly is.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth spread the stone garment open. “Every source-seeker hopes to possess something like this. You must understand — spending every day digging for source underground, one inevitably encounters unpleasant things. But this kind of garment, made from divine source skin, can ward off evil and allow one to avoid things that ought not to be disturbed.”

Ye Fan nodded slowly. His memory went back to the time he had spent in the source region of the Yaoguang Sacred Land — one strange incident after another had unfolded there — and he knew well the dangers that lurked within.

“The stone skin of a divine source carries a peculiar spiritual nature. It can avoid things that ought not to be disturbed…”

According to Old Man Zhang the Fifth, this stone skin had coexisted with a divine source and absorbed something of its spiritual character over that time. It had taken on a life of its own — able to invite fortune and ward off disaster.

Inside the great wooden chest was also a stone helmet, shaped to cover the entire face.

“You must put on this stone garment, and you must wear the helmet as well — covering every bit of your presence. It may not be sturdy enough to stop a blow, but it can cut you off from the outside world entirely. It might be enough to let you slip past whatever inauspicious beings dwell within the Purple Mountain.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth impressed this upon him with grave solemnity.

Ye Fan’s heart drummed with unease. “Aren’t the terrifying creatures from before the Primordial Age sealed away inside divine sources?”

“The things inside the Purple Mountain — no one can say clearly. It’s best to prepare for every possibility. And honestly — I’m still saying what I’ve always said. I truly don’t want you to take this risk.”

Ye Fan’s heart really was unsettled. “I have no intention of going deep into the Purple Mountain. I only want to find the Source Heavenly Tome and come straight back. I have no wish to disturb whatever living thing might be in there.”

“Take this stone pendant as well.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth drew a stone pendant from the wooden chest. “It was refined by our Zhang Family ancestors. If you truly find yourself targeted by some malevolent entity, this might prove useful in some unexpected way.”

“Clang!”

Old Man Zhang the Fifth also drew out a stone knife. The wooden scabbard had long since rotted away; it crumbled into dust the moment the blade was unsheathed.

The knife was no more than two feet long. On its surface were carved the sun, the moon, and the stars, alongside some unusual patterns.

“Underground, you may encounter strange and bizarre things — phenomena that defy all explanation. Unless you have absolutely no other option, do not clash with them directly.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth’s expression was solemn and heavy. “Whether they be spirits or something else entirely — if they do not attack you first, treat them as illusions. You can use this knife to clear the way.”

The way he spoke was starting to unnerve Ye Fan. Before, when Old Man Zhang the Fifth had warned him away, he had not taken it particularly seriously — but now he was beginning to feel genuinely uncertain.

In the end, Old Man Zhang the Fifth also produced a star disc. “This star disc has been passed down to my generation and contains a great accumulation of stellar divine power. Keep it safe — it will be useful at a critical moment. If you become lost in a ghost mine, it will help you find a way out.”

By this point, Ye Fan was nearly at a loss for words. He was beginning to reconsider his plans. “Old man,” he muttered, “are you trying to support me — or scare me? The more you talk, the more uneasy I feel.”

The stone garment, the stone pendant, the stone knife, and the stone star disc were all carved from the outer casings of divine sources. Nothing about their appearance was striking, yet they carried an inner spiritual nature.

“Old man — your clan’s founding ancestor — did he spend his final years peacefully here in the village?”

The Zhang Family’s founding ancestor had been a Source Heaven Master. A figure of that caliber could only be called extraordinary. From ancient times to the present, only a tiny handful had ever appeared in the Northern Region.

Ye Fan had asked about the Source Heaven Master’s fate once before, and Old Man Zhang the Fifth had been vague about it — only saying that one who understood too many secrets about sources would inevitably encounter inauspicious events in their old age.

“His end is a mystery.” The old man shook his head.

“What exactly happened?”

“In the distant past, the Northern Region produced five Source Heaven Masters in succession — and every single one of them encountered something deeply strange in their final years. My Zhang Family’s founding ancestor was no exception.”

“What kind of strange events?” Ye Fan asked.

“In his old age, he began to see many unclean things — things others could not see. He said that was the final fate of a Source Heaven Master.”

“Unclean things?!” Ye Fan was startled.

“Yes. In the end, he vanished. No one knows where he went. On the night he disappeared, a red-furred whirlwind rose up outside, and some nameless, terrifying creature howled without pause — shrieking through the entire night.”

“Old man, I wasn’t raised on a diet of fear. If you want to talk me out of this, just say so directly — why go through all this…”

“I’m not trying to frighten you. Everything I’ve said is true. The Zhang Family’s founding ancestor truly vanished in exactly that way. When the Yaochi Saintess heard, she searched all across the Northern Region for him — but found nothing. In the end, she built a cenotaph for him with her own hands.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth let out a long sigh.

The man had made every sacred land’s face go ill with shame — a once-in-an-age marvel — and yet his end had been murky and unclear. Ye Fan’s heart was a complicated tangle of feelings.

“Was there truly not even a single trace left behind?”

“On that night, a four-year-old child of the Zhang Family had been by the founding ancestor’s side and was frightened into a stupor.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth shook his head slowly. “It took more than half a year before he could be brought back to his senses. According to him…”

“What did the child say?” Ye Fan pressed, seeing the old man trail off.

“He said that on that night, he saw that the ancestor’s hand had grown red fur all over it. He also saw something moving outside the window — human-shaped creatures walking about. He had only turned his head away for a moment, and when he looked back, the founding ancestor was gone forever.”

“Old man, you really can’t do this to a person — you know full well I’m about to enter the Purple Mountain…”

“These things were passed down through our ancestors, mouth by mouth. I have never spoken of them to anyone before.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth shook his head.

Ye Fan felt a deep chill settle in his heart. He sensed that this blood-red land was filled with far too much mystery — that many things here likely surpassed anything the mind could conceive.

“Just how powerful was the Source Heaven Master in terms of combat ability?”

“You mean his fighting strength?”

“Yes.” Ye Fan nodded.

“In his youth, my founding ancestor fought the Yaochi Saintess to a draw.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth said it plainly, without embellishment.

Ye Fan drew a sharp breath. A figure like that was truly extraordinary in every sense. As a Source Heaven Master and a fighter of that caliber — it was little wonder the Yaochi Saintess had eventually become his most intimate companion.

“Once one becomes a Source Heaven Master — capable of mapping dragon veins and locking divine sources — it would be hard not to be formidable.” Old Man Zhang the Fifth said with a far-off look of reverence.

In the end, Ye Fan set out all the same.

“Brother Ye Fan, when are you coming back?” Wang Shu saw him off, not knowing he was heading to the Purple Mountain — only thinking he was setting out on a long journey.

“Don’t worry — I’ll be back in a few days. When I return, I’ll take all of you to gamble on stones. We’ll make every one of those sacred lands go green with shame — and gamble a Saintess back while we’re at it.”

“The wind blows cold over the Yi River. A hero who departs may never return…” Er Lengzi waved his hand with his usual simple honesty.

“That verse I taught you — why is that the only part you remember?”

“I’m afraid you won’t come back…” Er Lengzi scratched his head.

Ye Fan felt there was no point in getting exasperated with him. He smiled, waved back over his shoulder, and moved quickly away — gone in the blink of an eye.

According to Old Man Zhang the Fifth, there was only one way to enter the Purple Mountain: through one of the nine dragon veins, going underground and advancing beneath the earth, then breaking through from below into the mountain’s interior.

To strike directly from outside the Purple Mountain would place oneself at an absolute disadvantage.

Ye Fan chose the eastern dragon vein — he would enter from there, since that was the same path the Zhang Family ancestor of a thousand years ago had taken.

As he walked, he silently recited the ancient scripture recorded in the Ancient Bronze Coffin, occasionally carving a few characters into the cauldron formed from primordial mother qi. He had done this consistently over the past two months.

Though the characters could not remain for long — they faded away before much time had passed — he continued carving them without pause.

This was the root foundation of primordial mother qi, and it was his greatest support at this moment. Even if the void itself were shattered, he could take refuge inside the cauldron and survive.

The ridgeline loomed ahead, majestic and commanding — like a great sleeping dragon, stretching across the earth.

The tall stone ridge was bare and exposed, a deep reddish-brown in color, devoid of grass or trees. It carried faint touches of purple that echoed the great purple mountain nearby.

According to Old Man Zhang the Fifth, this dragon vein had long since been hollowed out from within. Beneath the earth were dragon passages running directly to the Purple Mountain.

Ye Fan did not simply blast a hole straight through the earth and dive in — he had no desire to disturb anything unnecessarily, for fear of drawing unwanted consequences.

He searched patiently and at last found an ancient mine shaft. This was the very entrance the Zhang Family ancestor of a thousand years ago had used.

Ye Fan put on the stone garment. The moment it was on, he felt completely sealed — airtight in every direction, not the faintest trace of his presence able to escape.

He strapped on the star disc, gripped the stone knife, hung the stone pendant at his chest, and drifted silently down into the ancient mine.

Ye Fan quietly measured the depth as he descended. He was astonished to find that he fell a full three thousand meters before reaching the bottom of the shaft.

The ancient mine in pitch darkness — carved out more than a hundred thousand years ago — was thick with the aura of ages long past. The stillness here was absolute.

Ye Fan moved with light, deliberate steps. He did not draw on his divine power — instead he advanced one step at a time, carefully sensing everything around him.

Everything here was connected to an ancient great emperor. That weight pressed down on him, and he had never been this cautious before.

Step by quiet step, Ye Fan moved several li into the darkness. The ancient mine grew deeper and darker with every stride.

“What is that?!” Suddenly, his heart leapt. From somewhere ahead came the sound of beating wings — and through the gloom, a vague silhouette appeared, humanoid in shape, swooping toward him with wings spread wide.

“I’ve only just entered, and already I’ve encountered a creature from before the Primordial Age?!” Ye Fan felt a surge of alarm.