Ye Fan did not have a deep understanding of “Dao Runes.” He had only heard Elder Wu Qingfeng speak of them in broad strokes — that all truly powerful weapons had “Dao Runes” carved within them, which could be said to be the soul and life of a weapon.
Of course, “Dao Runes” were not limited to weapons alone. Their application on weapons was merely one aspect; they had endless wondrous uses across countless fields. For instance, they could be carved into the veins of mountains and rivers to form various kinds of “momentum,” condensing strange forces and turning a region into a mysteriously enigmatic “domain.”
The more profound “Dao Runes” were even more extraordinary, possessing inscrutable and otherworldly power. Once carved, they could alter the nature and structure of all things, regulating life and death. Some especially divine “Dao Runes,” once laid down, could even influence the flow of time within a certain range — truly achieving the feat of “capturing time within a single thought.”
There were also esoteric “Dao Runes” that could only be carved into rare materials. When arranged with flawless precision and supplied with tremendous divine power, they could pierce through heaven and earth, traverse the void, and cause something to appear in another place in an instant.
Still others — layered and intricate “Dao Runes” — could condense “celestial momentum,” possessing changes and forces beyond imagination.
Naturally, many of the most powerful “Dao Runes” did not circulate in the world. They were all held by the Sacred Grounds and the ancient noble families, kept as closely guarded secrets. Outsiders had no way of knowing what manner of might they possessed — only fragments of legend remained.
In truth, “Dao Runes” were vast and profound, encompassing an extraordinarily wide range. It was said that “Dao Runes” were things that the great masters of ancient times had come to understand by meditating upon the natural world, and what they “etched down” from their insights gradually spread through the world, forming the “Dao Runes” of today.
Ordinary cultivators could not touch this domain at all. Only after one’s strength had reached a certain level could one study “Dao Runes,” for in a certain sense, “Dao Runes” were “etched impressions of insight” left by the great masters of antiquity — and the stronger a cultivator was, the more they delighted in studying the “Dao Runes” that had been passed down through the ages.
The surface of the mysterious green bronze bore no “Dao Runes.” Only at the broken cross-section were they densely packed — a dense tangle of Dao Runes, layered and complex, profound and unfathomable, utterly beyond comprehension. Though deeply abstruse, they carried a flavor of the Dao following naturally from itself, and anyone who laid eyes on them would feel deeply moved.
“It looks very much like something born of nature itself…” Ye Fan murmured to himself. Elder Wu Qingfeng had once said that certain great treasures contained “Dao Runes” that were naturally born within them — not carved on through human refinement — and were unique, impossible to replicate, the very foundation of their power.
“Could these truly be naturally born Dao Runes…” Ye Fan could not be certain. He knew little of Dao Runes, and harbored only a vague sense of puzzlement.
Suddenly, Ye Fan felt a strange fluctuation. He found that the path ahead had been cut off — hazy and indistinct, the end nowhere in sight, with wave after wave of eerie mist shrouding the way forward.
At the same time, he heard the earth-shaking roar of a black flood dragon. A great figure from the ancient noble Ji Family rode a golden ancient war chariot thundering past, its killing intent sweeping across the vast mountain ranges.
“Seal the ruins — no one is permitted to leave!” Nine flood dragons pulled the chariot, cutting across the path ahead. The great figure of the Ji Family carved endless Dao Runes into the veins of the mountains and rivers, severing all routes of escape.
In another direction, nine nine-headed qilin beasts pulled a jade imperial carriage, soaring through the clouds with divine might that flooded the heavens, sealing off the east. At the same moment, from several other directions came similar shouts — several great figures had sealed the ruins, forbidding anyone from leaving.
Ye Fan’s heart lurched. Feeling that something was very wrong, he hastily stopped in his tracks and ceased channeling the mystical techniques recorded in the Scripture of the Dao. The golden Bitter Sea gradually returned to calm and then vanished.
A clamor erupted throughout the ruins at once, as the many cultivators there had no idea what had happened, fearing that the great figures were about to begin a mass slaughter.
“What happened?”
“Why won’t they let us leave?”
Many wandering cultivators were deeply unsettled. Only the cultivators of the great sects remained relatively composed, showing no signs of panic.
“The supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race still hasn’t appeared — the great figures have panicked!”
“Exactly — they’ve sealed the exits for fear that someone will make off with the treasure.”
“If these five great figures cannot find the supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race, how could anyone else possibly obtain it?”
…
The many cultivators buzzed with discussion. Once they learned that the sealing was on account of the Eastern Wasteland’s supreme treasure, most calmed down — they had never held much hope of obtaining the supreme treasure in the first place.
The five great figures carved Dao Runes into the mountain and river veins, sealing all four directions. Then they returned to where the Demon Emperor’s tomb had crumbled, and resumed their search.
“Why has our Eastern Wasteland human race’s supreme treasure gone silent? After the Demon Emperor’s tomb crumbled, there should have been an earth-shattering surge of power.”
The five great figures murmured among themselves. They did not bother to speak in secret — there was simply no need to conceal anything.
“Where is the Desolate Tower? Why has it not yet emerged into the world?”
“It has been missing for over ten thousand years. The Desolate Tower should truly reappear in the world by now — why is there no sign of it?”
From a distance, the many cultivators felt a chill. The great figures were evidently determined to succeed. If they could not locate this supreme treasure, there was no telling how long the sealing would last.
Ye Fan was inwardly astonished. Only now did he learn that the supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race was called the “Desolate Tower.” Just hearing its name made it sound extraordinary.
Many cultivators from the great sects were discussing it, speaking of the history of this supreme treasure.
“It is said the Desolate Tower has existed for endless ages. From what era it was passed down, no one can say.”
“Legend has it that it has existed alongside the Eastern Wasteland since the very beginning — when the first living beings appeared on this vast and boundless land, the Desolate Tower was already there.”
“What does the Desolate Tower actually look like?” Many cultivators were unfamiliar with it.
“As the name implies, it is naturally a tower — a nine-tiered Desolate Tower possessing immeasurable and unfathomable might, undying through the ages, capable of suppressing every powerful being in the world!”
“Is it truly that terrifying?”
“Even if your divine might covers the world and you look down upon the entire Eastern Wasteland, you cannot withstand the Desolate Tower’s suppression. Otherwise, how could it be called the supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race?”
“Throughout history, who knows how many peerless strongmen have met their end beneath the Desolate Tower. No one has ever been able to resist its suppression.”
With the path sealed, Ye Fan was unable to leave, and returned to the depths of the ruins. Listening to the cultivators’ discussions, he was filled with longing — the Desolate Tower was so breathtakingly powerful, it truly stirred the heart.
Just then, the unscrupulous Daoist Duan De appeared, rushing rapidly toward Ye Fan. His whole body seemed on the verge of igniting — he had reached the absolute limit of his speed and arrived before Ye Fan in an instant. His face was flushed with agitation as he blurted out: “Where is that scrap of bronze?”
“I threw it into a pond.”
“What?!” The unscrupulous Daoist’s face flooded with shock, then turned to extreme anxiety. He seized Ye Fan by both shoulders and shook him forcefully. “Which pond? Take me there quickly.”
Ye Fan’s heart immediately stirred. Could it be that the green bronze had a remarkable origin? Initially, he had thought it might have some connection to the Eastern Wasteland’s supreme treasure — but now that he knew the Desolate Tower was a nine-tiered tower, he understood at once that the green bronze could not possibly be the human race’s supreme treasure. It had absolutely nothing to do with a tower.
“The ruins are so vast, with dense forests and mountain peaks everywhere. I lost my bearings long ago — I’ve already forgotten which places I passed through.”
“That won’t do — you must remember!” The unscrupulous Daoist’s expression turned rather frightening. His eyes had already turned bloodshot as he refused to let go of Ye Fan.
“It’s just a piece of old bronze. You looked it over again and again for a full quarter of an hour, but then threw it on the ground yourself. Why are you now trying to find it again? Does that scrap of bronze have some remarkable origin?”
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Now hurry up and help me find it!” The unscrupulous Daoist was not smiling at all — at this moment he was gravely serious, pulling Ye Fan along as he walked.
Ye Fan inwardly understood. It seemed the mysterious green bronze truly had a remarkable background, and appeared to be extremely important.
“Boundless… damn it all!” He let out a heavy breath. “How could I have been so careless with my own hands — something that was already mine, and I threw it away…” The fat Daoist’s face had turned an iron shade of blue, consumed with regret and vexation, completely unlike the smiling, squinty-eyed appearance of moments before.
Ye Fan felt a quiet chill. He sensed that the unscrupulous Daoist was on the verge of wanting to kill someone right now. Not wanting to blunder into the edge of a blade, he obediently walked forward.
“My young friend, you must think carefully. If you can find that piece of green bronze, I will give you whatever you want!” The fat Daoist’s expression was grave and earnest as he instructed solemnly: “You must think hard and recall.”
“But what exactly is it?”
“Don’t ask! If you keep asking, this Daoist will go mad!” The fat Daoist gave his own right hand a vicious slap. “How could I have been so muddleheaded? I’ve spent my whole life seeking treasures, and in the end I’ve been this blind.” It was evident he was deeply reproaching himself — there was not the slightest hint of pretense. He looked as though he wished he could cut off his own hand.
“We parted here — then I watched you run off into the distance…” The fat Daoist led Ye Fan back to the mountain peak where the two of them had separated.
“Right, it was here. Let me think about which places I passed through…” Ye Fan unhurriedly began walking down the mountain. The unscrupulous Daoist followed closely behind and did not press him, letting him think things over slowly.
Ye Fan walked very slowly. He was thinking about how he might rid himself of this fat Daoist. Without quite realizing it, the two of them had crossed over three mountain ridges. Just as they were climbing the fourth, Ye Fan’s face lit up with a pleased expression. “It’s here.”
Looking in the direction Ye Fan was pointing, the fat Daoist’s face immediately darkened. On this mountain ridge lay a deep pool, black and still as a mirror, without a single ripple, emanating waves of bone-chilling cold that set the heart trembling.
“Don’t tell me you threw that scrap of bronze into this deep pool!” The fat Daoist’s eyes shot out a strange and bewitching light, which instantly made Ye Fan’s mind go momentarily hazy. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong — it seemed the other man was trying to see into the depths of his mind.
In that moment, Ye Fan tensed up sharply. He hurriedly concentrated his spirit, working hard to conjure up a mental image: standing at the edge of the black pool, throwing a piece of scrap bronze into it.
The fat Daoist’s eyes returned to normal. Gnashing his teeth, he said: “You wasteful child, I… I could throw you in along with it!”
“It’s just a piece of old bronze,” said Ye Fan, his expression completely nonchalant.
Splash!
The fat Daoist dove headfirst straight into the deep pool. At first, a divine radiance flickered beneath the water — but before long it dimmed and extinguished, and the black, fathomless pool gradually returned to stillness.
Ye Fan waited a full two quarters of an hour without seeing the unscrupulous Daoist emerge. He muttered to himself: “That despicable fat man couldn’t have met some karmic retribution down there, could he?”
After another quarter of an hour, the surface of the water let out a soft splash, and the fat Daoist came bursting out encased in a thick layer of black ice from head to toe, like an ice sculpture.
Thud!
Within the black mysterious ice, flashes of light continually surged. Only after the passage of several dozen breaths did the unscrupulous Daoist break through the solid ice with his divine light, sending chunks of ice scattering across the ground. At this moment his entire face was a mottled dark purple, his lips trembling.
“Boundless… this Daoist is frozen to death.” His entire body was shaking, quivering and shuddering, divine light continuously pouring from his body to drive out the cold. One could see wisps of black mist seeping from the surface of his skin, and the surrounding vegetation instantly froze solid in the black mist before shattering to powder in an instant.
From a distance, Ye Fan drew in a sharp breath of cold air. He had chosen this black pool simply because it seemed deep enough — he had never expected anything so terrifying. The solid ice that had fallen to the ground had frozen everything within a radius of ten meters. Many stones had already split apart, and Ye Fan, standing far away, could feel a bone-piercing chill from where he stood.
“Daoist, you didn’t retrieve it?”
“I dove down several thousand meters and saw a broken stone tablet along the way, with the two characters ‘Netherworld Pool’ carved upon it. The pool is bottomless — I had no way of knowing how deep it truly goes!”
“Daoist, you were the one who threw it away first. Regretting it now, aren’t you…”
“Say no more!”
Seeing the fat Daoist looking so flustered and exasperated, Ye Fan nearly burst out laughing. Inwardly he felt enormously satisfied, but on his face he wore an expression of boundless anxiety. “Does this mean it truly was a treasure?”
The fat Daoist’s face had turned ashen gray. He paced back and forth in fury, fuming: “I have nothing to say to you!”
Ye Fan tactfully stepped to one side, plucked two wild fruits, and began eating them with great relish.
Seeing him so utterly untroubled — still in the mood to eat wild fruit — the fat Daoist could not contain his anger. His face darkened as he said: “You are the greatest wastrel under all of heaven. You actually threw it into a deep pool. I… I could kill you!”
“Daoist, you were the one who threw it away first. How is it now being blamed on me? Didn’t you also consider it rubbish in the beginning…”
“I… I am filled with regret!” The unscrupulous Daoist looked as though he wanted to slap himself, and with a splash he jumped back into the deep pool once more.
This time, well over an hour passed before the fat Daoist came bursting out of the water, having become a complete block of ice — black light flickering all around him, the cold piercing to the bone.
Ye Fan retreated far back. This time the unscrupulous Daoist spent a full quarter of an hour breaking free of the ice. He emerged dark blue and purple all over, every pore on his body spurting black mist outward. A large swath of the mountain ridge had frozen solid in black ice, the vegetation withered and dead all around, many rocks split apart by the freeze.
After a long while, the unscrupulous Daoist finally recovered. He walked dejectedly out of the frozen zone and plopped down on the ground, muttering to himself: “I am filled with regret…”
Beside him, Ye Fan felt a secret delight. Seeing this despicable fat man in such a dejected state, he felt thoroughly satisfied.
Suddenly, the unscrupulous Daoist seemed to remember something, and leapt to his feet in shock. He looked toward the distant active volcano, then looked back at the black cold pool before him, and cried out in astonishment: “I understand now — the Demon Emperor had two tombs: one is the Yang Tomb, and the other is the Yin Grave!”
Ye Fan was startled. “Daoist, what are you saying?”
The fat Daoist paid him no heed, and began seriously sketching and marking on the ground. He mapped out both the active volcano and the black pool, then drew out all the surrounding terrain according to a certain proportion.
“Boundless… damn it all! It really is so! One yang and one yin, embracing the Taiji. The heart — the source of power — is buried in the Yang Tomb, while the truly cold, frozen body is buried in the Yin Grave.” The unscrupulous Daoist’s expression shifted and wavered.