Purple Mountain — majestic and grand, like a pillar holding up the sky, standing tall upon a vast and boundless crimson earth, displaying its magnificent bearing.
The old Daoist stood in the void, his back to Purple Mountain and his gaze turned toward the distant horizon. “All of you out there — come out as well. Must I send each of you away one by one?”
His eyes were a pale golden hue, his skin like copper — firm and powerful. His ancient Daoist robe billowed in the wind. He bore no air of transcendent or Daoist refinement; rather, he resembled an immortal, unaging sovereign king of the demon clan, making people feel a chill of dread.
Hiss!
Two golden beams shot out from his eyes, drawing out five human figures from the distant sky. All were in a sorry state, which made it clear that the old Daoist had no intention of actually harming anyone — otherwise, these people would have been in serious danger.
Four of the five were elderly — of such extremely advanced age that their teeth had almost entirely fallen out, and they were thin to the point of being little more than skin and bones. The hair atop their heads was almost entirely gone, with only a few sparse wisps remaining.
Ye Fan’s heart tightened. He recognized all of these old beings — he had seen them in the small world opened up by the ancient sage and worthy. They were old subordinates of the Black Flood Dragon King, whose lifespans were nearly at their end. He had not imagined they would come here as well.
The fifth was a man in his mid-thirties, tall and upright in bearing, with sword-like brows sweeping into his temples, sharp and piercing eyes, and a face cut like a blade — full of heroic spirit. It was none other than Kong Teng, the eldest disciple of the Peacock King.
“May I ask which senior you are?”
The several old demon cultivators, whose lives were drawing close to their end but whose status and power were comparable to the Supreme Elders of a sacred ground, were of remote and ancient age — yet upon seeing the old Daoist, they were clearly ill at ease and unsettled.
The old Daoist exerted far too much pressure on those around him. He seemed not at all like a person, but rather like a bottomless abyss that inspired dread. He spoke calmly: “All things from past years were long since forgotten.”
“All of you — leave.” The old Daoist said nothing more. With one sweep of his wide sleeve, grey mist surged like a flood tide, obscuring the entire sky. With a thunderous rumble, everyone was swept away, disappearing at the horizon.
Among all those present, only Kong Teng alone was not swept away. Chaotic light and brilliance shimmered around him, and he swiftly shot toward the distant horizon of his own accord.
“Chaotic Divine Light…” The old Daoist showed a hint of surprise. He extended a hand and reached into the void.
Hum!
The sky shuddered. Kong Teng, who had already shot far into the distance, was instantly seized and drawn back. His expression immediately changed, and he demanded loudly: “Old Daoist — what is your intention?”
He had not only inherited the Peacock King’s profound techniques, but also had something of the Peacock King’s unyielding pride. He showed no fear, but instead fought back directly.
Boom!
Kong Teng flipped his hand, and a great seal of dark, mottled appearance emerged, shooting out countless auspicious lights and striking toward the old Daoist not far away.
“Chaos Stone!”
Ye Fan’s heart gave a leap. Was this not the black stone from the Great Emperor’s Sleeping Quarters? He had not imagined it would end up in the hands of the Peacock King and his disciple.
The moment this great black seal appeared, the pressure in the area increased sharply, making it difficult to breathe. It quickly expanded, filling the entire sky with a dark and boundless shadow, generating an inconceivable force field that locked down the void.
Boom!
Auspicious lights cascaded down like the Milky Way of the nine heavens hanging inverted — crushingly oppressive, unimaginably heavy. Even powerful cultivators caught within it would likely be reduced to powder and ash.
Yet the old Daoist was completely unaffected, utterly at ease without the slightest fear. He murmured to himself: “This is a thread of innate killing intent refined from the Chaos Stone.”
Ding!
He lightly tapped with one finger, and the great black seal was instantly fixed in place — then rapidly shrank. He reached out a hand, and in an instant it appeared in his palm.
Crack!
The black stone seal shattered, dissolving into a mass of chaotic qi that coiled and drifted around the old Daoist’s hand and fingers.
Suddenly, a long cry rang out. Within the chaotic qi, a thread of keen and chilling killing intent emerged. A five-colored peacock materialized, releasing blazing and brilliant radiance, seeking to shatter that palm.
“Little Brother — it is you!” The old Daoist showed a look of surprise. The light between his fingers and palm flickered and flashed, fixing the five-colored peacock in place.
“You are… Crimson Dragon Elder Brother.” The five-colored peacock was a thread of the Peacock King’s divine consciousness, which had entered and taken up residence within the chaotic qi to provide essential assistance to his disciple when needed.
In the distance, Ye Fan’s heart gave a shudder. This old Daoist was the sworn elder brother of the Peacock King — he truly had an extraordinary origin.
“It is I. Having emerged into the world once more, I had not imagined I would encounter you the moment I arrived in the Northern Region.” The old Daoist nodded, released the chaotic qi and the five-colored peacock, and let them go.
Beside him, Kong Teng stood in a daze. His master’s sworn elder brother — just what manner of figure was that?
“Crimson Dragon Elder Brother — where did you go? How did you suddenly disappear fifteen hundred years ago? I thought you had perished.” The Peacock King asked.
Ye Fan was inwardly shaken. What manner of figure was this? To have vanished for a full fifteen hundred years!
It was said that the Peacock King had already cultivated for over two thousand years. This old Daoist must have possessed Dao cultivation of nearly three thousand years.
“There is much that is difficult to say. I was trapped at Sacred Cliff and nearly died there — trapped for a full fifteen hundred years.” The old Daoist gave a sigh.
“Sacred Cliff — the cliff wall that legend says was stained crimson-black by the blood of a fully-realized ancient Sacred Physique?” The five-colored peacock showed a look of astonishment.
“The blood of the fully-realized ancient Sacred Physique — I never found that. Instead, I blundered into a formation pattern carved by a Great Emperor and was nearly refined to death where I stood.”
“Hahaha… I see that Crimson Dragon Elder Brother’s cultivation has deepened considerably now. Great trials do not kill but become the foundation of great fortune.”
“Fifteen hundred years of solitary sitting — in the end, there was some measure of enlightenment, and I grew somewhat stronger than before.” The old Daoist smiled and nodded.
“I was just thinking — there is no one yet born in this world who could silently and without a trace slay us brothers. How could Crimson Dragon Elder Brother possibly have perished?” The Peacock King laughed out loud.
“Little Brother has received a great stroke of fortune. From that thread of innate killing intent extracted from confinement, one can see that you have obtained a natural Chaos Precious Seal. Holding it in your hand, the Sacred Masters of the major sacred grounds will likely find reason to worry.”
“I only recently obtained it. I was just about to intercept and kill the Sacred Master of Shaking Light — Elder Brother, come with me immediately. This time, I intend to destroy him!”
It was as he had guessed — the Chaos Stone had been taken away by the Peacock King. What had just been shattered was merely a thread of chaotic essence, not the main body of the Precious Seal.
“Must we leave immediately?” The old Daoist very much wanted to return to Stone Village, for the stone implements there had astonished him — they might contain something he needed.
“Yes — right away.” The Peacock King’s divine consciousness transformed into a graceful youth of sixteen or seventeen years. “I had demon clan cultivators come to this area specifically in order to draw the Sacred Master of Shaking Light — who is in this region — to come forward, intending to intercept and slay him along the way. By now he has likely received the news. It is best that we move quickly.”
“Very well — I will go with you.” The Crimson Dragon Old Daoist finished speaking, swept his gaze across the surroundings, and with a light shake of his sleeve, several dozen people — Ye Fan among them — were made to materialize from concealment.
Most were local minor cultivators who had heard the commotion and come to investigate. At this moment, all of them were trembling with apprehension. People who dared to kill a Sacred Master could be counted on one’s fingers in all the world under heaven.
“All of you had best leave as soon as possible. This is not a place for you to get involved in.” The Crimson Dragon Old Daoist swept a calm glance over the crowd.
“Crimson Dragon Elder Brother — we have not seen each other for fifteen hundred years. Let us talk freely at length along the way!”
Radiance blazed — and in the blink of an eye, the Crimson Dragon Daoist and the Peacock King had vanished. Kong Teng departed swiftly as well.
“So figures capable of contending against Sacred Masters are truly this terrifying — enough to fill one with dread…” Ye Fan murmured.
Every time he witnessed someone of this level make a move, he gained a completely new understanding. The more he came to know, the more fearsome he found the major Sacred Masters.
The Great Black Dog appeared at the horizon, transforming into a streak of dark light as it ran toward him, cursing under its breath: “Let us go quickly. Ruthless figures like that give me a tremendous sense of danger.”
They returned swiftly to Stone Village, where Wang Shu and the others had also arrived. With time pressing, and in order to depart this place rapidly, Ye Fan discussed matters with everyone and collected them into the Jade Purification Vase.
He then summoned the cauldron and stood in the sky. Every stone object in sight was collected into it — the rumbling filled the air as even the foundation stones were uprooted and taken away.
The stone implements that had caught the Crimson Dragon Daoist’s eye were absolutely extraordinary. Had it not been for this old Daoist, who could say how many more years or months might have passed before the secret of these stone implements came to light.
This included the stone rollers, stone mortars, foundation stones, and more — a great pile of stone materials, all entered the cauldron. The site was left considerably barer as a result.
At the same time, the Black Emperor had finished carving the Dao patterns. They traversed the void directly, putting as much distance between themselves and this place as possible first.
Half a month later, Ye Fan appeared in Quzhou, where he found Tu Fei and asked him to help settle these people.
The moment they met, Tu Fei rushed over excitedly. “That furnace — where is it? Take it out and let me see!”
Ever since learning that the Golden-Winged Little Peng King, the Sacred Son of Shaking Light, and Yao Xi had been suppressed, he had been desperate to find Ye Fan and see for himself.
Ye Fan had no way to refuse him, took out the furnace, and let him examine it to his heart’s content.
“Haha…” Tu Fei laughed heartily, holding it in his hands, shaking and rocking it in every direction. He transmitted his voice into the furnace: “Sacred Son of Shaking Light, Yao Xi — how are you both? I have been missing you terribly.”
Boom!
The Separation Fire Divine Furnace shuddered violently, a bulge suddenly popping outward — the impact left Tu Fei’s ears ringing loudly.
“Can this broken furnace really hold them?” He gave it a firm slap in return, also jolting the people inside.
Ye Fan took it back. “Suppressing them for a year or half a year is no problem. Quickly find me a place — I need to settle the people from Stone Village.”
In the end, Tu Fei led him to a place called Hao Prefecture. This oasis spanned several thousand li in extent — a fairly broad territory, and the domain of his grandfather.
Settling a few dozen households posed no problem at all. Any mountain with clear water and beautiful scenery would do — and the environment was far superior to the original Stone Village.
“I say — you move house, and yet you haul stones along with you?” Tu Fei stared in disbelief.
For there was an enormous pile of stones — the size of a small hill — that appeared completely ordinary at first glance, with nothing special about them whatsoever.
The people of Stone Village were very pleased with this place of clear mountains and beautiful waters. Since supplies had been purchased in large quantities beforehand, they lacked for nothing — they needed only to build their dwellings.
The villagers set to work with great vigor, raising new homes, everyone full of energy and enthusiasm.
Ye Fan entered closed-door seclusion directly. With ten thousand jin of source already at hand, it was enough for him to advance into the third level of the Dao Palace.
For a full month, he was immersed in a state of spiritual clarity, his physical body undergoing wondrous transformations.
The West Emperor Sutra was supremely profound. Ye Fan silently circulated it, perceiving all manner of inconceivable phenomena. Throughout this month, he heard the chanting of the Departed Self, reverberating with the sound of Dharma singing and ancient sacrificial hymns breaking through time and space, drifting to him from afar. Though living in the present age, there was a sense of “I” existing in the past — some believed that was the Departed Self chanting scriptures for one’s present life.
Of course, many did not accept this interpretation. The most supremely gifted believed it to be the Dao Self — the Dao-nature aspect of oneself, tracing the marks of the Dao and drawing upon the Great Dao of the world.
Whether called the Departed Self or the Dao Self, throughout this month both stirred the heavens and the earth, nourishing the life-master, allowing the “I” of this present life to be imperishable.
Throughout this month, within Ye Fan’s Dao Palace, the five qi moved like dragons, coiling and dancing in flight. He listened to the sublime sounds of the Great Dao, his physical body radiating brilliance, continuously shedding its old form and renewing.
When the thirtieth day had passed, the mental techniques recorded in the West Emperor Sutra ceased their operation. The refined essence of the heavens came surging down in a frenzied torrent, completely engulfing the place where Ye Fan had been in seclusion.
This continued for a full three days. With a thunderous boom, rocks split apart and flew in every direction. Ye Fan rose to his full height, and from his eyes shot two beams of dragon-shaped divine light.
His black hair cascaded loose, and he stood tall and upright. His body was filled with tremendous power — he felt as though a single punch might slay a dragon. His body contained a strength that seemed inexhaustible!