“ไธดๅ ตๆ่ ๏ผ็ๆฐ็ปๅ่กใAll nine words, when silently recited, can ward off all evil. The Way is not complicated โ this is what is meant.”
This passage is recorded in the Baopuzi, written by Ge Hong, the leader of Daoism during the Eastern Jin dynasty. In it, he mentioned the Nine Secrets, yet did not reveal their true meaning โ he only told the world to silently recite them as a means of repelling evil and warding off harm.
In this day and age, if one were to bring up the Nine Secrets, most people would no longer recognize them, assuming they had originated from Japan. Little do they know, the source is Chinese, and that the Eastern Esoteric school made an error when transcribing them, mistakenly writing the nine characters as: lin, bing, dou, zhe, jie, zhen, lie, zai, qian.
Tracing it back to its roots, the Nine Secrets can be found in China’s ancient text, the Baopuzi โ yet many people have taken those miscopied characters as the true words of power, which cannot help but leave one feeling rather speechless.
During this period, Ye Fan had entered many cultural relics repositories that were not open to the public, reading through a great number of rare and unique editions, hoping to find the cultivation secrets within the Baopuzi. He was disappointed โ everything he found was merely what had already circulated in the mortal world.
From the records in the Baopuzi, it is clear that the Nine Secrets have existed since ancient times and were not created by Ge Hong himself. Regrettably, he offered no detailed explanation and the true meaning was never revealed.
Any cultivator familiar with the ancient era knew full well that the origins of those nine words ran incredibly deep, and that their true meaning had been understood by very few throughout all of history. It would have been impossible for Ge Hong to reveal it in the Baopuzi.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, being a Great Sage, could look down upon an entire ancient star. By the time of the Eastern Jin dynasty, it was still alive in the world, and ultimately fought a world-shaking battle against Ge Hong, after which it disappeared entirely.
Though these people were descendants of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, they had no knowledge of the outcome of that battle. There were only two theories: one held that their ancestor had been sealed away, the other that it had departed beyond the domain.
Ge Hong was rightly called a once-in-a-generation genius in the history of Daoism โ revered as the “Little Immortal Elder.” Throughout all of history, how many could have even a single character of “immortal” attached to their name? That alone speaks to his breathtaking brilliance.
He came from a family of deep learning and left behind an extensive body of work. His great-uncle was already a renowned cultivator of the Dao at that time โ Ge Xuan by name โ and it was he who guided Ge Hong onto the path of cultivation, from which he went on to shine brilliantly within Daoism.
In his later years, Ge Hong went into seclusion on Mount Luofu. Many came searching in later generations, yet all returned empty-handed, and his remarkable art of Qi cultivation was never passed down to the world.
Ye Fan did not trouble the Dragon Sparrow clan. He asked many questions, learned many secrets, and then departed. He traveled along the course of the earth’s veins and made his way into Mount Lu.
In his view, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow’s branch had settled in seclusion at Jiujiang merely by diverting a thread of dragon energy from that purple dragon vein. It seemed likely that the true Mount Lu would be home to a far more formidable clan.
However, the moment he arrived, his brow furrowed. The purple dragon vein had already withered โ precious little purple energy was still seeping out. Within a matter of decades or centuries, it would become a dead vein.
If the heavens and earth continued on this way, sooner or later the earth would become a lawless wasteland, a dying star where not a single person could cultivate.
Many people first came to know of Mount Lu through Li Bai’s timeless poem โ its silver cascades truly resembling the Milky Way spilling down from the nine heavens, a spectacle of extraordinary grandeur.
Ye Fan fell into silence. He sensed a profound Desolation โ nothing lasts forever. Even the spiritual energy of this place was nearly spent, impossible to sustain much longer.
Here, he encountered no clan whatsoever, though he did sense the presence of several ancient formations from the remote era. He sank below the earth, wanting to see for himself what lay beneath.
The moment he descended, he gave a start. An ancient cavern appeared before him, winding downward with no visible end, from which waves of bone-chilling killing intent emanated. An ordinary cultivator would never have been able to withstand it.
Little Pine, though innocent and simple, had already cultivated to the Dao Palace secret realm โ yet even in this place, it could not sit or stand still. Its body of lustrous purple fur stood on end, every single hair bristling with agitation.
Ye Fan conjured a curtain of light to shield it within, then stepped forward one pace at a time, determined to see what ancient formation had been laid here by a cultivator of the remote era.
The cavern went deep, descending into a vast underground palace below. In the end, forking passages and ancient grottos spread in every direction โ an ordinary person venturing in would become lost within moments and never find their way out.
Moreover, the bone-chilling killing intent had grown even stronger. He estimated that even a cultivator at the Dragon Transformation secret realm would be unable to endure it โ prolonged exposure would certainly damage their body.
“There is no ancient hidden clan in seclusion on Mount Lu, and this is most likely why โ this is clearly a place of annihilation. Over time, it can erode one’s cultivation and strip away one’s power. For ordinary people, however, it poses no harm.”
Ye Fan pressed several li deeper. The underground palace grew vaster still โ deathly silent, the earth hard and dry, the rocks mottled and worn. Impossible to say how many years had passed since anyone last came here.
At last, he arrived at the deepest chamber of the underground palace โ the heart of Mount Lu. Here, flames blazed and a deathly aura hung thick in the air. Before him stood an enormous altar, bound in iron chains.
In this place, the killing intent had taken on physical substance, ringing out like swords drawn from their scabbards, blade upon blade singing a sharp, metallic cry. Even a sect masterโlevel figure could not withstand it or draw near. And scorching flames surged forward โ actual fire essence. To touch them was to be reduced to ash. Had Ye Fan not carried the Bodhi Seed on his person, even his sacred body could not have lingered here for long.
Little Pine clutched the hem of Ye Fan’s robe, nervous and twitching. Its large eyes rolled around and around, a look of pure terror on its face.
Ye Fan did not stop. He took a few more steps forward and finally made out what rested atop the altar at the far end of the underground palace. In that instant, his expression changed entirely.
Iron chains of some unknown material gleamed with an icy black light, impervious even to the fire essence, binding a figure to a bloodstained altar. An aura of immense age washed over him โ as though this being had been here for tens of thousands of years.
Whether it was the reflection of the flames or whether the person’s hair had always been this way, it was a wild, tangled mess of red, like overgrown weeds. The body had been stripped of nearly all flesh and blood โ only dry bones remained.
Ye Fan’s eyes flashed with sharp light as he stood motionless, observing. What a tremendously powerful figure, to have been imprisoned here. The killing intent alone was enough to keep even a sect master from approaching.
Sadly, after countless ages, it was impossible for this person to still be alive. The fire essence had burned them down to nothing but withered bone, and on closer inspection, the torso, head, and other parts had all been severed.
It seemed as though their enemy, fearing a resurrection, had chained them in this place and subjected them to millennia of torment โ kept bound to the altar as the fire essence slowly burned away their spirit.
Ye Fan drew no closer. A dead person was not worth risking himself for โ and he had already noticed that the altar was engraved with a killing formation. Most likely, it was of a Sage-level nature. There was no need to take the risk.
“Hmm!”
All of a sudden, Ye Fan was greatly startled. When he rose into the air and looked down from above, he saw that the altar bore an engraved stone diagram, clearly visible.
“This is…”
He opened his Heavenly Eye and found that it appeared to be a topographical map โ the mountains and terrain were complex, and he could not tell what place it depicted. What shocked him most was this: the time of its carving was roughly one hundred years ago, incomparable in age to the iron chains and the ancient altar.
Ye Fan studied it carefully, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became. It had been left by the figure whose torso, limbs, and head were all separated โ carved forcibly by the right arm that remained bound in chains.
“Just who was this person? At the very least, they were imprisoned here during the ancient era, yet somehow lived until a mere hundred years ago…”
Ye Fan was certain: this being was now completely dead, without the faintest trace of life remaining. It seemed most likely that once the stone diagram was carved and their final wish fulfilled, they had breathed their last.
“Back then, when they were imprisoned here โ could it be that someone was trying to force them to give up this secret?”
He committed the stone diagram to memory and did not linger. This was a death ground laid down in the ancient era, and unknown dangers might yet lurk within. Shortly after, he returned to the surface and departed.
Ye Fan was in Jiujiang, situated in Jiangxi Province. He was in no hurry to return, wanting first to visit another location within the province โ Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Dragon Tiger Mountain was the ancestral home of Orthodox Unity Daoism and held a pivotal, foundational place in the history of Daoism โ one of immense influence.
However, at that very moment, Ye Fan’s phone rang, interrupting his planned journey and compelling him to return to City B.
Xu Qiong came to him with an anxious expression, asking for his help โ Yang Xiao was preparing to travel south again, to re-enter Baling Mountain and investigate the Warring States era great tomb once more.
“Can’t you simply tell him not to go?”
“I’ve already said so, but this bookworm is normally slow and dull, and once he makes up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back. He says he doesn’t need to go underground โ he’ll only wait outside to verify the artifacts.”
Ye Fan nodded upon hearing this, telling her not to worry โ he would travel south together with the archaeological team and make the journey to Jiangling County.
Word had it that in recent times, the ancient tomb had given rise to a great many strange and uncanny events, stirring up considerable panic among the local populace. Orders had come down from above: this investigation was to be thorough and complete. They were not to spare even the military in assisting with the excavation, and manpower would be more than sufficient.
Baling Mountain was formed by eight mountain ridges, resembling a cluster of dragons soaring upward in flight. Known in ancient times as Dragon Mountain, it was the burial ground of many royal tombs โ legend held that this place could grant one the celestial transcendence of a corpse-liberation immortal.
The moment Ye Fan arrived, he sensed something extraordinary. Eight dragons standing side by side, as though poised to leap into the sky and draw the tombs up into the nine heavens โ the ancients who chose this as a burial site had clearly done so with great deliberation.
Baling Mountain was majestic and deeply secluded, filled with the roar of wind through pine trees and cloaked in mist and verdant haze. Though not tall, the mountain carried the surging, rising aura of soaring dragons.
Ye Fan observed closely and discovered that this great tomb was strangely unusual. The terrain resembled a Daoist figure deep in slumber, on the verge of transforming and ascending to immortality โ with the eight dragons as guides, drawing them upward into the ranks of the immortals.
The great tomb had already been opened. Enormous quantities of earth and stone had been excavated, piling up in the distance like a small mountain. The surrounding area was lush and verdant, covered in towering ancient trees.
Just as Yang Xiao had said, manpower was more than adequate, and all the tools were modern. Truck after truck carried away the soil. This ancient tomb had already stirred up deeply adverse reactions among the local populace โ it had to be resolved as quickly as possible.
Beyond the excavators and archaeological experts, a military unit had indeed arrived as well, armed and on full alert, standing ready and waiting for the tomb to be fully opened.
“This is bad โ just like last time. Someone died for no apparent reason.” Cries of fear broke out.
The entrance to the burial chamber gaped black and deep, leading straight underground like a fathomless abyss. Stretchers were sent down, and before long, several charred, blackened corpses were brought back up.
Ye Fan sighed at the sight of it. He had arrived one step too late, unable to prevent the deaths or save them.
Below ground, the workers had discovered a pair of massive stone doors โ but no matter what they tried, the doors would not open. Several more men died. In the end, the military went down.
“Boom!”
A thunderous sound rang out. The stone doors underground were blasted open with explosives. Instantly, an intensely cold and sinister aura surged upward, causing everyone present to involuntarily step back.
Ye Fan moved in secret, using his power to block that surge of energy. Strange, indecipherable sounds rose from below, and all the archaeological personnel withdrew, overcome by a creeping sense of dread.
Shortly after, ethereal music began to ring out โ as though drifting up from the underworld โ leaving everyone baffled and bewildered. Seizing the moment of confusion, an old Daoist and several others slipped down into the underground tomb.
“A Warring States great tomb โ connected to cultivators of the ancient era…” Ye Fan flashed inside in an instant. He saw the blasted-open stone doors โ upon which were carved four large characters, written in the ancient seal script that predated the Qin dynasty: Immortal Residence of Eternal Life.