Dragon-Tiger Mountain — embraced in a configuration like a dragon coiling and a tiger crouching, precipitous and majestic, with peaks layered upon peaks. A dragon soars, a tiger pounces, shaking off the dust of ages, violet energy rising.

Accumulated through thousands of years and through multiple rises and falls, Dragon-Tiger Mountain is universally recognized as the number one mountain of Daoism — its place of origin, holding a prestigious status as an ancestral court.

At this moment, Ye Fan stood here with the old crane and the Third Valley Master, exchanging glances. Dragon-Tiger Mountain was exceedingly mysterious, the ancestral holy land of Daoism — not something easy to provoke.

“No wonder Daoism chose this place. My demon race’s ancient sages were always puzzled by this choice, but now it’s finally clear — there is an Earth Immortal here.” The Third Valley Master said.

The old crane sighed. “Indeed. In the ancient era, this place was guarded by a great formation — the Earth Immortal’s burial site had only just taken shape and could not yet influence the surrounding terrain. Now that its divine beauty has fully emerged, it can no longer be contained, and a corner of it can finally be glimpsed. Daoism has truly had wise and farsighted individuals — they chose this place so early.”

When speaking of the Daoist lineage, one must mention the pre-Qin sages Laozi and Zhuangzi. Its origins stretch even further back and, properly speaking, can be traced all the way to the ancient era.

The Dao has existed since antiquity. Huang-Lao learning gave it articulation, with vast and profound classical texts. Later generations honored both the Yellow Emperor and Laozi as founders.

The Daoist school existed early on. But as a genuine organization, its emergence came relatively late. The rise of the Celestial Masters Tradition and the establishment of Dragon-Tiger Mountain as an ancestral court marked a milestone event.

Afterward, through thousands of years of rise and fall, Daoism gave birth to hundreds of sects, mutually supportive, branching out, and sometimes standing in opposition — it was never unified.

From ancient times to the present, through repeated cycles of prosperity and decline, though Daoism has many branches, they can broadly be divided into two major schools. One is the Complete Truth Teaching, focused primarily on the cultivation of the inner elixir, which rose in the north.

The other is the Orthodox Unity Teaching, focused primarily on talismans and registers, with its ancestral court at Dragon-Tiger Mountain. It occupied half of the Daoist world, and its source was also the beginning of organized Daoism.

Ye Fan and his companions naturally had to be careful coming to this place. It was the ancestral court of Daoism — one wrong move and they might make enemies of the entire Daoist tradition.

Because the Orthodox Unity Teaching wielded an enormous influence in the Daoist world. It was the integrated result of the Celestial Masters Tradition, the Lingbao School, and the Supreme Purity School.

In ancient times, the Celestial Masters Tradition honored Laozi, the Lingbao School honored the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and the Supreme Purity School honored the Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning. The Three Pure Ones revered by Daoism were born from these three traditions.

Ye Fan and his companions entered the mountain, observing as they went. This Daoist ancestral site had ninety-nine mountains and twenty-four crags. Though the ninety-nine peaks did not take on the form of dragons, they possessed the momentum of dragon and tiger.

“The essence of heaven and earth has dried up, yet this place still holds violet energy absorbed inward — truly worthy of being the birthplace of the Dao.” The Grand Valley Master exclaimed.

Yet the glorious scenes of former years were nowhere to be seen. At its most splendid, Dragon-Tiger Mountain had boasted ten great Daoist palaces, eighty-one Daoist temples, and thirty-six Daoist courts.

During the rule of the Qing dynasty, which revered Tibetan Buddhism and suppressed Daoism — the faith primarily held by the Han people — this place had fallen into decline.

What followed were the great tribulations of the Central Plains — a hundred years of fire and war. And when peace finally arrived, the Breaking of the Four Olds was carried out. The outer mountain of Dragon-Tiger Mountain was completely emptied of Daoists. Every Daoist temple was destroyed. Only a single Celestial Masters Manor remained.

Yet Ye Fan and his companions dared not look down on it. The outer mountain of the Orthodox Unity Teaching had been reduced to smoke — but the cultivators themselves remained. They had entered the ancient inner mountain and severed their ties with the mundane world.

“Nine Dragons Pulled the Coffin away, the ancestral altar on Mount Tai manifested, and a fierce battle among great practitioners broke out at that time. Had it not been for the old Daoist masters of Dragon-Tiger Mountain being summoned forth, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

From that battle alone, one could glimpse the might of the ancestral court of the Orthodox Unity Dao. Great masters were still stationed there — surpassing those of other sects.

“This should indeed be the place. Look — on the cliff faces of the outer mountain, there are already hanging coffins everywhere, all of them ancient objects more than two thousand years old. How much more so within the inner mountain.” The Third Valley Master said.

The cliff tombs of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, mostly dating from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, are regarded as one of the great wonders of China. When Daoism first took root here and truly began to flourish, it is said this was also connected to the divine magnificence of the hanging coffins.

The old crane said: “Thinking on it now, Daoism is truly cunning and farsighted. They knew long ago that the Earth Immortal’s hanging coffin was here, came before anyone else, took this land as their ancestral court, and have been guarding it for so many years. Even if we enter now, there’s no telling whether anything left by the Earth Immortal remains.”

For thousands of years, as the ancestral court of Daoism, the inner mountain would be completely unknown to people in the mortal world, while those from the demon race, the western Daoist traditions, and others had never managed to breach it. Even if there were world-shaking secrets here, outsiders could never know. Ancient great practitioners presided over it, personally guarding it — utterly mysterious.

Ye Fan had returned from beyond the star regions, and this was a rare opportunity. In this final age of the law, a cultivator of his Daoist attainment should be able to come and go freely. The Orthodox Unity Teaching could not stop him.

The three made several turns and detours. Nearly triggering a forbidden formation several times, they at last arrived at the true holy land of the Daoist faith and saw the true Dragon-Tiger Mountain.

“Far more dragonlike than the ninety-nine outer peaks — this place is truly extraordinary!” The Grand Valley Master exclaimed.

The mountain terrain was majestic, as if about to leap upward and surge into the clouds. Dragon and tiger coiled and intertwined here, and in this final age of the law, faint traces of violet energy still steamed and rose — a rare sight in the world.

This place, in the ancient era, was absolutely a sacred ground of the first rank. No wonder it became the founding soil of Daoism — magnificent without losing its beauty.

Peak after peak towered magnificently with violet energy twining around them. Flying waterfalls and flowing springs, cranes soaring, young Daoist acolytes gathering medicinal herbs, elderly Daoist masters sitting open-legged on cliff ledges breathing in and breathing out — the scene was rich with meaning and spirit.

The temple buildings were well-ordered, with upturned eaves and fine beams reflecting among the mountains and waters. Lofty terraces and deep towers wound through and amid the mountain forests. A grand scene from ancient times had at last reappeared.

This place had the sweeping momentum of dragon and tiger leaping and surging as if to burst through the sky — yet the ninety-nine ancient small dragon mountains were nowhere to be seen. Empty, nothing in sight.

They were cautious throughout. Ye Fan led the way, skirting past Daoist temples and violet-energy-wrapped peaks, stepping from a distance into the mountain forest — not approaching the key sacred grounds of the Orthodox Unity Teaching.

“This is no simple matter — this place actually has someone at the hierarch level. Most likely a very ancient figure.” Ye Fan thought to pay a visit by ascending the mountain to one of the Daoist temples.

But the old crane and the Third Valley Master both hurriedly pulled him back, telling him absolutely not to show himself — this place could not be entered rashly. If discovered, they might face a severe divine punishment.

“Nothing — how can there be nothing?!” They had searched for several hundred li in every direction, yet the ninety-nine ancient small dragon mountains were nowhere to be found. The Earth Immortal’s burial site remained unknown.

Auspicious light gathered over several ancient Daoist temples on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, violet energy dense and steaming upward, moving something in one’s heart. Beyond that, nothing unusual was visible in the vast uninhabited zone.

The old crane and the Third Valley Master were growing anxious. This place could not be lingered in — they were well aware of the terror and strength of the Orthodox Unity Teaching. If hidden great practitioners who had withdrawn from the world discovered them, there would be no escaping.

Ye Fan stilled his mind and steadied his thoughts, opened his Source Heaven Eyes. His body blended into the wonderful scenery of Dragon-Tiger Mountain as if he were about to disappear, and boundless earthly energy poured into his body. He perceived a clue.

“What astonishing methods — it nearly fooled even my Source Heaven Eyes.”

His expression grew solemn. In the current world, no one other than himself could have discovered that there was a mountain beyond the mountain, a heaven and earth beyond the heaven and earth. Beyond the ancestral court of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, an ancient formation remained — this must be the Earth Immortal’s burial ground, and also the true reason Daoism had chosen this place.

The path in was arduous. There were no killing formations — everything made ingenious use of the natural terrain to create an arrangement that made approach impossible. If not for Ye Fan being of the Source Heaven Master lineage, he could never have entered. Even so, it took him a great deal of time, and it was only after three full days of carefully guiding the two along that he managed to bring them inside.

“The wisdom of ancient sages is beyond reckoning. Their methods penetrate the heavens. At that level of attainment, the terrain arrangement they lay down is comparable to that of a Source Heaven Master.”

The moment they entered this hidden land, all three immediately felt a vast and desolate energy surging over them — like a host of dragons rising.

There at the horizon, mountains stretched in great waves, lush and green, dragon energy swirling. Numerous dragon mountains danced and soared, as if about to burst through the sky!

“Found it — this is the place! The Earth Immortal is buried here!” They were deeply excited.

Worthy of being called an Earth Immortal — this person must have possessed heaven-defying methods. Having obtained the great secrets of the ninety-nine ancient dragon mountains and touched upon forbidden territory, they must have left behind earth-shaking secrets.

“The people of Daoism have certainly come to this place. I wonder if anything remains.” The old crane said.

The Daoist predecessors who chose Dragon-Tiger Mountain as their ancestral court had certainly seen something here. Treating this place of dragon and tiger energy as the ancestral court and guarding it for so many years — no one would believe they had taken nothing from the Earth Immortal’s secrets.

The mountains danced and soared. The terrain was breathtaking — a host of dragons, towering and magnificent.

Suddenly Ye Fan stopped in his tracks. He saw a skeleton, dressed in a Daoist robe. It must have passed away in seated meditation hundreds of years ago — the form remained intact and undecayed, seated cross-legged on a boulder. Its appearance suggested it had been here guarding the entrance to the dragon mountain cluster.

“A guardian of the Dao from the Orthodox Unity Teaching!” The old crane immediately recognized the flying immortal pattern on the Daoist robe — unique to those who guarded the Dao.

All who served as guardians of the Dao were extremely powerful — sometimes surpassing even the hierarch — great masters of attainment who protected the Daoist heritage.

On the ground were several lines of characters written in pre-Qin bird-script. The group studied them for a moment with a heavy sigh — these had been left by the elderly Daoist master. The general meaning: having guarded this forbidden ground for two thousand years without anyone to succeed him. As heaven and earth dried up, Dragon-Tiger Mountain could no longer produce anyone capable of severing the Dao to enter. Truly lamentable.

“This was a king who had severed the Dao. He passed away in seated meditation several hundred years ago, yet remained here all along, guarding the Dao. It is awe-inspiring.” The Third Valley Master exclaimed.

“If that is so, then the Earth Immortal’s secrets are still here, undisturbed — otherwise there would have been no need to station someone here as a guardian.” The old crane was deeply shaken and could not help but gaze at Ye Fan — only a king who had severed the Dao could come here. Did this not mean the person before them was terrifying beyond all measure?

“No need to look at me like that. I merely have a rough understanding of certain formations and have not severed the Dao.” Ye Fan smiled.

They went forward. The moment they arrived at the first dragon mountain, they found a bone tablet — white as jade, taller than a man. Even after so many years, it was still unbroken and undamaged. On it were oracle bone inscriptions.

Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains!

Those were the only characters on it, and yet an overwhelming energy of the great Dao came pressing down. The old crane and the Great Sage looked at it from a distance and immediately began coughing up great mouthfuls of blood — unable to look upon it directly.

“An Earth Immortal — truly worthy of being an Earth Immortal. Even a few ordinary characters are like this.” The Grand Valley Master sighed.

Ye Fan fell silent, yet within his heart a tidal wave of astonishment surged. Even he felt his mind somewhat unsettled as he looked at these characters. This was absolutely a supreme master of the age!

He murmured: “No killing intent was left behind — these were simply written normally, leaving behind only the faintest trace of the Dao.”

The moment they entered the mountain, the Third Valley Master’s face lit with joy and he called out: “Found it — I didn’t expect it to be this straightforward.”

Beneath the cliff wall, a great crack had opened wide. Hanging coffins numbered in the thousands, dense and tightly packed, with dragon energy swirling around them. It was as though the dragon mountain had opened its great mouth and was now holding ancient coffins within it.

Deep within the dragon’s mouth, a jade coffin could faintly be seen — luminous and dim at the same time, its glow drifting beneath layers of dust, yet imperishable from the ancient era through to today.

“The Earth Immortal’s abode — half up the cliff, thousands of hanging coffins.”

“Said to be where the immortal’s bones were buried.”

A faint fragrance drifted over. Though extremely faint, it made one’s body feel light, as if about to ascend on clouds and rise to immortality. Ye Fan was astonished — this was absolutely an immortality divine medicine.

At the Earth Immortal’s hanging coffin site, could there truly be something so heaven-defying? He felt he had previously underestimated this place. The Earth Immortal was more mysterious and powerful than he had imagined.

The fragrance came from the great crack beneath the cliff, from deep within the dragon’s mouth. He opened his heavenly eye and looked — the jade coffin’s luster had dimmed beneath its dust, yet the Dao markings were undamaged. And there was a section of branch and twig — its green light sparkling and glistening, tender and lush, the fragrance wafting straight at him.

“An immortality divine tree!”

Ye Fan was astonished. This place was truly extraordinary. Just a single section of branch — or was there an entire immortality tree here? The Earth Immortal’s true form had yet to be seen, and yet already something like this had appeared.