The mountain interior was vast, bearing traces of ancient spatial arrays—this was a cave mansion opened up through great magical power. They walked around the shed serpent skin, heading deeper inward.
It had to be said, the ancestral heavenly serpent was truly terrifying. Such a body was far too shocking in scale—though it was merely a shed layer of skin, it still sent chills through anyone nearby.
Little Pine felt somewhat dizzy. It compared its own height to this ancient heavenly serpent, feeling utterly deflated, while at the same time timid and fearful, clutching tightly at Ye Fan’s clothing as they walked.
Ye Fan said nothing. This ancestral demonic god of the lineage truly lived up to its reputation—even its discarded remains still carried such an aura, meaning it must have once dominated an era, unrivaled under heaven.
Before long, they entered a great hall built from ice crystals that never melted, even after ten thousand years.
This cave mansion had been established in ancient antiquity. Within the ice crystals were countless divine pearls, illuminating this place with dazzling brilliance, powerful demonic energy flowing throughout.
“Brother Dao, your visit graces our humble abode.” Bo Yi invited them to be seated, having attendants serve tea, all in luminescent jade cups, shimmering and crystalline.
Ye Fan’s expression remained calm, his mind quietly pondering—did the mystery of the real and fake Pang Bo have any connection to the Sky Kirin clan?
“Brother Bo Yi, I wouldn’t visit your great hall without reason. I’ve come here with some questions I’d like to ask you,” he said, after careful consideration.
“Brother Ye, you’re being too polite. Whatever you’d like to ask, go ahead,” Bo Yi said heartily.
Ye Fan said, “The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin incident from years back shook the entire world. I wonder what you all discovered—what background did those who disappeared have? Could you tell me a bit about it?”
Bo Yi’s expression changed. The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin incident was of great significance—it had caused an enormous stir back then, later nearly turning Mount Tai into a battlefield, even drawing out great spiritual powers.
He thought for a moment, then said, “Back then, every sect took action, but none of us ever discovered any background on those people. Only one family was suspected of carrying ancient demonic god blood in their veins.”
“Oh, which family was that? Brother Bo Yi, could you elaborate in detail?” Ye Fan asked.
“That family’s surname was Pang, I believe—I don’t remember it too clearly. At the time, it was my Ninth Brother who was responsible for investigating these people,” Bo Yi said.
Seeing that Ye Fan was quite invested, he elaborated further, saying that among the ancient demonic god lineages, the Myriad Demon Valley had acted fastest back then. Someone may have infiltrated the Pang family, seeking something, though ultimately nothing came of it.
Ye Fan nodded. His divine sense was so powerful he could sense the other’s mental fluctuations, and detected no lies. Having learned this, he was ready to take his leave immediately.
“Eh, Brother Ye, you just arrived—how can you leave already? I still wanted to ask you some things,” Bo Yi urged him to stay.
Ye Fan thought about it and decided not to leave right away, wanting to learn more about the Myriad Demon Valley as well—being fellow demonic god clans, they should understand each other reasonably well.
“I still don’t know which ancient lineage Brother Ye’s transmission comes from—which orthodox tradition do you actually hail from? Could you tell me?” Bo Yi inquired.
“I am but a lone cultivator. I cultivated in a nameless mountain, obtaining some ancient methods from a stone wall. I don’t even know what lineage they belong to myself. I’ve only recently felt restless in my stillness and come out for a walk,” Ye Fan said.
“Brother Dao must have extraordinary fortune—could it perhaps be the orthodox lineage of an ancient sage emperor?” Bo Yi had attendants bring out fine delicacies and wine, hosting a banquet for them.
He said the Sky Kirin clan had always cultivated in seclusion, trying to endure through this Age of Declining Dharma, waiting for heaven and earth’s spiritual energy to become abundant again. They rarely involved themselves in outside affairs, especially in recent years, having sealed off the mountain entirely, with no one venturing out.
“I once heard that the Sky Kirin clan produced a heavenly demonic body, a naturally gifted prodigy—isn’t that person out and about?” Ye Fan smiled.
“That was several years back. Only now has anyone realized it was a heavenly demonic constitution. Actually, possessing such a physique in this Age of Declining Dharma is truly a tragedy.”
Bo Yi glanced several times at Little Pine, staring at the small bell around its neck, silver light flowing, brilliant and crystalline, containing a small stone Buddha within.
“I wonder what kind of magical implement this is—might I take a closer look?”
Little Pine had been peeling a pile of pine nuts, eating with great relish. Hearing this, it generously took off the bell and handed it over.
Bo Yi carefully took it in hand, examining it several times, and said, “What material is this, so remarkably heavy—Brother Dao, how did you come to obtain this implement?”
“I found it all in the nameless mountain. It looked exquisite and delicate, so I gave it to this little fellow,” Ye Fan said.
“It seems Brother Dao truly does have great fortune—I imagine you must have cultivated tremendous spiritual powers as well,” Bo Yi said.
“Hardly. I’ve been stuck at the Dragon Transformation secret realm for a hundred years now, not knowing when I’ll be able to reach the legendary Immortal Platform—longing for it but unable to attain it,” Ye Fan sighed.
Bo Yi was moved, saying, “With hope of entering the Immortal Platform, Brother Dao truly is no ordinary person. With your current cultivation, you could be called a great spiritual power. Could it be that you participated in the battle at Mount Tai back then as well?”
“No, I was still cultivating in the mountains at that time,” Ye Fan shook his head.
“Ah, even in some unknown mountain, there was someone like Brother Ye, a great spiritual power. It seems truly there are mountains beyond mountains, people beyond people,” Bo Yi sighed.
Ye Fan shook his head, saying, “I’m merely a lone cultivator at the Dragon Transformation realm—how could I dare call myself a great spiritual power?”
“Brother Dao has hope of entering the Immortal Platform—Dragon Transformation Perfection is already enough to be called a great spiritual power,” Bo Yi sighed at length, clearly full of longing.
He then brought up a matter, wanting to ask for Ye Fan’s help, saying that with such great spiritual power, he could surely be of great assistance, promising generous reward afterward.
“Oh, what matter is this?” Ye Fan asked.
Bo Yi said, “Brother Dao surely knows that since ancient times, there’s a treasure beyond the pass renowned throughout the Central Lands and beyond, capable of bringing the dead back to life and flesh onto bones, possessing the marvelous power of resurrection.”
“You mean ginseng?” Ye Fan asked, surprised.
“Indeed. But not an ordinary ginseng—one that has truly taken human form, having achieved sentience for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, nearly rivaling the legendary undying divine medicine.” Bo Yi said.
The Northeast has three treasures, the first being ginseng. Since ancient times, countless ginseng hunters have ventured beyond the pass, and it has always been the favorite tribute of emperors throughout history.
Nowadays, though many artificially cultivated ginseng plants exist, nearly as large as giant radishes, true wild ginseng of the finest quality remains extremely valuable, often priced at millions of yuan.
The ginseng Bo Yi spoke of was naturally no ordinary mortal ginseng—it was a true spiritual ginseng, one that could almost be called a semi-divine medicine, more precious than even an eighty-or-ninety-thousand-year-old King of Medicines.
It was said this ancient ginseng was the ancestral ginseng of Changbai Mountain, also the ancestral ginseng of this entire northeastern region. Although it couldn’t merge with the Dao like the undying divine medicine to fly through the heavens and traverse the earth, it could move by borrowing the earth’s energy, and no one had ever managed to dig it up since ancient times.
“My clan has always resided within the Primordial Dragon Cave of Changbai Mountain, understanding this region’s terrain beyond the pass better than anyone. Recently we’ve traced the movements of this ancestral ginseng, and perhaps we can capture this semi-divine medicine that has existed in the world since antiquity.”
He wanted to ask Ye Fan for help, claiming that with the aid of his great spiritual power, success would be guaranteed, and promised generous reward afterward—even if it meant giving him a small portion of the ginseng.
“Earth has already entered the Age of Declining Dharma—are there still such divine herbs?” Ye Fan asked with a smile.
Bo Yi nodded, saying they had long wanted to make their move, but without a spiritual power to assist them, they feared that a single failure would mean losing forever the chance to capture this semi-divine medicine.
Because such a sentient being was extremely alert and cautious—it had been two thousand years since their clan’s last failed attempt, and only now had they finally found another opportunity.
They entered the frozen, snow-covered wilderness, heading toward an uninhabited region—absolutely not a place ordinary mortals could enter.
“Look, this is a ginseng pit—it appeared here once before, and there’s still lingering fragrance,” Bo Yi pointed out.
In this vast, seemingly boundless old forest, they traveled several hundred li. Bo Yi successively uncovered several pits beneath the snow.
Ye Fan felt a jolt in his heart—this truly was the rare fragrance of an extraordinary divine herb, surpassing even the King of Medicines. Just this residual scent alone was intoxicating to the senses. Little Pine wrinkled its little purple-crystal nose, sniffing in a daze, savoring the scent, and finally tumbled with a plop right into the ginseng pit, utterly embarrassed.
“Brother Dao, shall we cooperate?” Bo Yi asked, requesting his help again.
“Alright,” Ye Fan nodded.
“We’ve set up some formations here, but this ancestral ginseng is so aligned with the earth’s veins that it moves as though through unguarded territory—difficult to pin down. This time, with a fellow Daoist here, things should go smoothly.” Bo Yi led Ye Fan and the others forward another five hundred li.
This left Guo Zhen astonished—the real Changbai Mountain was nowhere near this vast; this uninhabited region enclosed by ancient formations was truly boundless in scale.
However, as they continued walking, Bo Yi suddenly vanished into thin air. In the vast expanse of snow-covered ridges, only Ye Fan and his two companions remained.
Ye Fan called over Little Pine, who had been bouncing about on the ancient pines, thoroughly enjoying the snow, and had Guo Zhen walk close beside him, telling him not to separate.
Guo Zhen was uneasy, saying, “With the fragrance of the ancestral ginseng so intoxicating, we should be close to where it’s been active. I’ve heard the elders say that wherever such a sentient old ginseng roams is most dangerous—either something guards it, or it’s a deadly ground. Could we have unknowingly wandered into a forbidden zone?”
Ye Fan said, “It is a forbidden zone, but it has nothing to do with the ginseng. Bo Yi has finally lost his patience and made his move against us.”
“This… what should we do? Can it be broken?” Guo Zhen had been worried all along, fearing conflict with the demonic god lineage of the Primordial Dragon Cave, and now it seemed to be happening after all.
“This place holds an ancient formation of slaughter, capable of trapping even a Saint Lord with no trouble at all—even those who have cut through the Dao might, with the slightest carelessness, meet their end here,” Ye Fan said.
“What, that terrifying?” Guo Zhen’s spine turned cold.
“No matter.” Ye Fan told him to relax. At his level of cultivation, there was no need to bother arguing with cultivators of minor realms in conversation—but if someone truly provoked him, he would show no mercy either.
Dozens of li away, in a stretch of primeval mountain forest, a group of people gathered together, all clad in scale armor, gleaming with cold light, killing intent soaring to the heavens.
“Is this really worth it? That person’s cultivation is extremely powerful—if he breaks free, there’ll be serious trouble,” a middle-aged man with hair black as a waterfall said.
“Fourth Brother, rest assured, this is well worth it. Did you see it? That purple pine squirrel’s bell is forged from Great Luo Silver Essence, the same material as our ancestor’s weapon—rare to find anywhere in the world!” Bo Yi sneered coldly.
He claimed absolute certainty that he could kill Ye Fan—once that ancient slaughter formation was activated, even great spiritual powers of ancient times could be annihilated within it, let alone people of the current era.
“Are you certain he’s truly only at the Dragon Transformation secret realm, and not something far more terrifying?” Bo Yuan still harbored doubts.
Bo Yi nodded, saying, “I led him into the ice crystal palace precisely to test his cultivation level. That divine gate flashed with four colors—definitely the Dragon Transformation secret realm. The ancient slaughter formation can easily eliminate him.”
“This is still somewhat reckless. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be hard to predict,” another person said.
“Do you all know why I’m so determined to act ruthlessly against him? Because he’s the very person who vanished with the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin over twenty years ago, and has miraculously returned! It’s only been twenty-some years, and back then he was merely an ordinary mortal, yet now he’s reached the Dragon Transformation secret realm. If we search his soul and learn the truth, our clan is certain to reach the very pinnacle!” Bo Yi said coldly. “It’s just a shame for this small, insignificant mortal—to have gained such tremendous fortune, only for his return this time to serve as nothing but a stepping stone, fulfilling our destiny for us!”