The Qin Mountains spanned no less than a million li in circumference, vast and boundless — yet even so, they were merely a corner of the western reaches of the Central State.
This was a mysterious ancient land, difficult for the outside world to understand. Countless legends surrounded it. Since time immemorial, it had produced powerful cultivators of extraordinary might, yet few had ever heard of them.
Some said that long ago, a certain Ancient Saint had been undefeated beneath the heavens, traveling across the Five Great Domains without meeting a worthy opponent — yet upon arriving in the Qin Mountains, he was beaten to the ground by an old man herding sheep.
Even in more recent times, some two thousand years ago, something similar had occurred when eight great masters came to the Qin Mountains in search of ancient relics, only to be thrown into a lake, every last one of them, by a simple fisherman-farmer.
This was an ancient land with its own unique heritage — mysterious to outsiders, shrouded in an ever-present veil of mist.
Across the million li of the Qin Mountains, mountain ranges stretched in every direction, and beneath the earth lay countless ancient mausoleums. There were those who, in the span of half a year, had unearthed the tombs of twelve Ancient Emperors one after another.
This region was truly extraordinary. In the distant past, the emperors of divine dynasties, upon their deaths, would go to great lengths to have themselves buried beneath the earth of the Qin Mountains — a fact that puzzled many.
Some said this was a land connected to immortality, as passed down through the ages — people had witnessed individuals ascending to the heavens in a blaze of radiance.
Others said this was a land beyond comprehension, its underground riddled with mausoleum gardens where cultivators trained in secret, seeking to attain the Dao, unknown to the outside world.
There were far too many secrets surrounding the Qin Mountains. Some even claimed that the Green Emperor, whose brilliance had shaken both ancient and modern times, had been born here in the Qin Mountains, only later departing for the Eastern Wilderness.
A local legend held that somewhere in the Qin Mountains lay a pool called the Immortal Transformation Pool. Three thousand years ago, a green lotus within it had gained spiritual awareness, and before long attained the Dao and took human form — growing step by step until it became the body of the Green Emperor, whose glory would shake the ages.
“The Qin Mountains — full of reclusive masters, full of ancient underground mausoleums…” This was the conclusion Ye Fan had reached after spending some time here, and he felt a quiet sense of wonder.
Though he had spotted Li Xiaoman, he could not approach her. Instead, he had remained behind, wandering through this ancient land, observing quietly, hoping to uncover traces of Hua Yunfei’s whereabouts.
The small, declining sect occupied four modest hills and had no more than twenty members in total — a pitifully small number. Li Xiaoman was a disciple on one of those hills, belonging to the southern branch.
Ye Fan had observed them from a distance and found them rather strange. The members’ cultivation levels varied wildly: the weakest had only reached the Wheel Sea realm, while the strongest had attained the first tier of the Immortal Platform.
“Something isn’t right. This tiny, declining sect actually has someone at the level of a Sacred Ground’s Supreme Elder…”
Moreover, he had noticed that two or three of the disciples possessed extraordinary cultivation, having reached the Dragon Transformation realm — no weaker than the young powerhouses of the Hall of Wonder. This was genuinely unusual.
All of them were concealing their cultivation. An ordinary person would never be able to see through their disguise. Only Ye Fan, having cultivated the Origin Celestial Eye, could pierce through illusion and perceive the source, discerning their true cultivation levels.
“Something is very wrong here. There must be a reason for all this. I’ll need to be careful.” Ye Fan settled in for the long term, intent on understanding everything thoroughly. He learned that this declining little sect was called the Qin Sect, and this location was merely one of its branch divisions — an outer gate, one might say.
“Even an outer gate this small has a great master at the first tier of the Immortal Platform…” He found it hard to believe.
The Qin Sect was not large. It had only a little over a hundred members in total, divided into four branches — east, west, south, and north — which served as what were commonly called outer gates.
The main gate was located at the center of this mountain region, no more than twenty to thirty li from each of the four branches, making the distances quite short.
Scattered across the area were several mountain villages, home to ordinary commoners who lived alongside the Qin Sect. Mischievous children often ran up the small hills to play, and no one ever stopped them.
It could be said that this declining little sect of barely a hundred members truly had no strict rules or regulations. It looked loose and scattered — not at all like a hidden secret sect.
“Could the Nine Secrets really be within this small sect?”
The Qin Sect’s head lineage bore the surname Qin, which seemed quite distant from the Cai clan, with no apparent connection.
The one thing that raised suspicion was that this declining little sect had a history spanning several thousand years. Relative to the mortal world, no one could say how many dynasties had risen and fallen in that time.
The nearby villages had no knowledge of how far back the Qin Sect’s origins stretched, for it was simply too ancient — it seemed to have existed since their ancestors’ time.
“Not the Cai surname — yet a small sect with such an ancient lineage…”
Ye Fan proceeded with great caution. In the days he had spent observing, he found that aside from the southern branch where Li Xiaoman was stationed, the east, west, and north branches were much the same — each harboring someone at the first tier of the Immortal Platform, and each with one or two disciples at the Dragon Transformation realm.
This defied all reason. Even the greatest of the top-tier sacred grounds could not boast such a thing. How could so few people produce this many powerful young disciples?
In the end, he quietly drew closer to the central main peak, hoping to assess the strength of the main gate.
Though called the main peak, it was barely over a thousand meters tall — only two or three hundred meters higher than the surrounding hills. It had none of the towering majesty one might expect, no swirling divine mist, no air of the extraordinary. It was thoroughly plain and unremarkable.
In that way, it shared something in common with the small Daoist shrine where the Old Saint had resided — outwardly plain and ordinary, yet carrying a hint of having returned to the natural and unadorned.
Before long, Ye Fan’s heart gave a sudden lurch. He had spotted a great master sitting in meditation before the sect gate, motionless.
“Is this truly a small sect? I’ve barely reached the gate and already found a great master!”
He was inwardly shocked. The hillside held a cluster of buildings — could there be even more powerful figures within? Perhaps several great masters?
Ye Fan did not advance any further. Such individuals possessed transcendent spiritual senses, and one moment of carelessness could alert them. Had it not been for the golden lake between his brows having been baptized by heavenly tribulation — sharpening his divine sense to extraordinary levels — combined with his Origin Celestial Arts, he would have been discovered long ago.
“This is a hidden secret sect!”
He was now certain of it. This seemingly declining little sect was far from ordinary. It harbored secrets unknown to the outside world. Although its members did not bear the Cai surname, this place was very much worth lingering in.
Over the following days, Ye Fan read through every county chronicle and regional gazetteer of this area, and discovered that in ancient times this region had been home to a powerful clan surnamed Cai.
Unfortunately, at some unknown point in time, the entire clan had relocated, their whereabouts after that unknown.
“The ancestral homeland of the Cai clan…”
Before long, Ye Fan chanced upon an ancient text in the private library of a local prominent family, and learned even more.
In an era of great antiquity, there had been only one dominant clan in this land — the Cai clan. For reasons unknown, they had departed as a whole three thousand years ago, vanishing without a trace.
“Three thousand years ago — isn’t that the very era in which the Green Emperor is said to have taken form and attained the Dao?”
The Cai clan had once lived in the Qin Mountains, and one legend claimed that the Green Emperor had also emerged from this very region, originating from within the Immortal Transformation Pool.
“In all likelihood, the Qin Sect is made up of Cai clan members who have returned to their ancestral homeland — though they’ve changed their name and appearance. Yet the Green Emperor passed away ten thousand years ago. What could they still have to fear?”
Ye Fan had found no trace of Hua Yunfei, but he was certain the man had to be nearby — possibly within the Qin Sect itself.
“He almost certainly carries some kind of secret treasure that conceals his aura. Even my Origin Celestial Eye cannot see through it. This is troublesome.”
After much deliberation, Ye Fan concluded that his only real option was to join the Qin Sect first and slowly search for the Nine Secrets from within. Otherwise, he would have no legitimate way to get close.
He would need to avoid the southern branch where Li Xiaoman was stationed, lest she catch wind of something and the consequences become unpleasant.
The branches were only tens of li apart, so encounters were inevitable. As long as he did not reveal any of his old habits, and relied on the Heaven and Earth Transformation Method he had learned from the Origin Celestial Scripture, there should be no problem.
The Eastern Branch of the Qin Sect occupied three small hills. Above the elder rank were four individuals, with fifteen disciples — plus several hundred chickens, ducks, and geese.
Ye Fan found it both exasperating and amusing. This place had a great master at the first tier of the Immortal Platform keeping watch, yet they also raised hundreds of domestic fowl, just like a household in the mortal world.
The reason he chose this branch was that the Eastern Branch was opening its doors to recruit new disciples — and he had arrived at exactly the right time. He intended to slip in under the cover of confusion.
“Dogwa, once you’re up the mountain you better apply yourself to cultivation and stop stealing goose eggs. This is your sect now.” A hunter fixed his child with a stern stare.
Ye Fan was left speechless. Accompanying him up the mountain were four snotty-nosed children, all from the villages below — kids who used to run up the hill for fun and were now somehow becoming disciples.
The Qin Sect’s standards for taking in disciples were incredibly lax. There was no testing of spiritual roots whatsoever — they simply recruited from the local children nearby. He truly did not know what to say.
“One cannot judge a hidden secret sect by ordinary standards…” That was all he could tell himself. The snotty little brats looked to be around six or seven years old, and all of them stared at him with wide, curious eyes.
Ye Fan felt genuinely awkward. He was about to become sect brothers with a bunch of little brats. Fortunately, before long two more people came up the mountain, also seeking to take on a master.
One of them was eighteen or nineteen years old, refined and elegant in bearing, dressed as a scholar with an unmistakable air of literary grace. The other was past fifty, with thinning hair, gaunt and bony, looking sicklied and frail — his beard already gone white — and yet here he was, apparently coming to cultivate the Dao.
The Eastern Branch of the Qin Sect turned no one away. All of them were accepted. The four snotty children plus Ye Fan and the other two made seven disciples in total, all bowing their heads and entering the sect.
Vaguely, Ye Fan sensed that the scholar and the sickly old man were not as simple as they appeared — but in front of others, he could not casually use his Origin Celestial Eye to probe them.
“This hidden secret sect has absolutely no fear of whoever shows up. The fact that they dare take in anyone is itself a sign of their deep reserves.”
This was the genuine impression he had formed after spending a few days on the mountain. The scholar turned out to be a powerful cultivator at the Dragon Transformation realm, while the sickly old man was a special cultivator who had refined a single secret realm — a type Ye Fan had never encountered before. His true strength was difficult to gauge.
Ye Fan clicked his tongue in amazement. The Eastern Branch — barely three small hills — had a total of barely over twenty people, and among these new disciples, aside from the scholar and the sickly old man, there were also two other young cultivators at the Dragon Transformation realm.
“Say this out loud and you’d scare people to death. This hidden secret sect — counting all the branches together — has disciples whose overall quality rivals that of a sacred ground.”
Just over a hundred members in total, yet with such remarkable achievements. It was like something out of a fairy tale — no one would believe it.
“Most of these people, like me, must have followed some clue that led them to the aura of the Nine Secrets…”
After a thorough investigation, Ye Fan concluded that this tiny patch of land was teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, likely harboring the most outstanding heirs of certain supreme sects — impossible to predict.
“Boom!”
Not far away, a cloud of dust and smoke erupted toward the sky. Immediately after, chickens flapped and dogs yelped, and one snotty-nosed child came running out from beside the chicken coop, wailing piteously.
“Senior Brother, help! Save me…”
“What happened, Dogwa?” Ye Fan asked with a grin.
“Little Rock and the others fell into an underground hole, and there’s a big crimson coffin inside…” The four snotty children were just as unruly as they had been before coming up the mountain. They had gone off to steal eggs, and somehow the ground had inexplicably split open, sending them tumbling into an underground cavity.
The commotion alarmed many people on the mountain. They rushed over, and upon seeing it, every one of them was stunned — an ancient underground mausoleum had been exposed to the open air.
Ye Fan couldn’t help but marvel. As expected of the Qin Mountains — ancient tombs were everywhere. Even within the sect grounds, one had appeared. Truly a remarkable place.
“Paying respects to Sect Uncle…” Before the dust had even settled, a graceful figure descended from the sky. Li Xiaoman had come to the Eastern Branch of the Qin Sect, offering a respectful bow to the hill master who stood at the first tier of the Immortal Platform.