Chapter 126: Seeing Through Tens of Thousands of Mountains and Rivers

This must have been a figure of unparalleled genius, tragically buried here, unknown to anyone, and dying in confusion. One could imagine that many cultivators throughout history felt a similar sadness. With no hope of becoming an immortal, many powerful figures spent their later years consumed by doubt and confusion, eventually dying in despair.

Unable to find a way out, Ye Fan chose a direction and walked forward. Soon after, he discovered another set of white bones, lying face-up on the ground with its jaw slightly agape, seemingly filled with despair in its final moments. There were also blood-red characters here. Ye Fan crouched down and carefully deciphered them. "Becoming an immortal... Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!" These five words conveyed the immense bitterness of the person, who seemed utterly desperate before death. "There are more words!" the purple-clad girl exclaimed, her large eyes scanning beneath the snow-white arm.

Ye Fan gently pushed aside the bone arm, and it immediately crumbled into white dust. Beneath it were several words: "Yang Yizhen of Tianxuan."

"Heavens!" the purple-clad girl exclaimed, her rosy lips parted wide in shock as she said, "Yang Yizhen of the Tianxuan Holy Land! He was a peerless figure recorded in the ancient history of the Eastern Wasteland, dominating the region 105,000 years ago with few rivals. He actually perished here..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan was also greatly surprised. The Tianxuan Holy Land had long ceased to exist, with only the Old Madman remaining.

This enormous bronze hall was indeed the burial ground of peerless experts. In ancient times, many powerful figures had flocked here like moths to a flame, seeking the hope of becoming immortal, but ultimately died here in despair.

The third set of white bones caused the purple-clad girl to shriek, greatly agitated. Although the dark red bloodstains were blurry, the writing was still discernible, identifying the deceased as a renowned figure from the Ji family. "It's an ancestor of my Ji family from nine thousand years ago! His name is recorded not only in my family's annals but also in the ancient history of the Eastern Wasteland. To think that he would perish here..."

Ye Fan continued forward, encountering over thirty corpses one after another. A few of them had left names, and astonishingly, all were peerless experts recorded in ancient history.

The vast bronze hall was an empty void with no end, and no exit could be found. The lake water hadn't flowed in; this place was its own distinct realm. "Becoming an immortal is truly this difficult..." Ye Fan felt a profound sense of realization. From ancient times to the present, it seemed no one at the pinnacle of the Eastern Wasteland had managed to cross that threshold. "How did these people die? If we die here, will even our bones not remain?" The purple-clad girl was dejected; she had never imagined such a day would come. "We can't be trapped here..." Ye Fan pondered silently, but he had no solutions. So many heroes had perished here; how could he escape?

Suddenly, the bronze hall began to tremble. An immense power descended, like a falling galaxy or a dying starfield. The colossal pressure made them feel as if they were suffocating.

The bronze hall became hazy, and a surging chaos emerged. It resembled a dim, indistinct mist, overwhelming them, tearing through everything with irresistible force.

This was a primordial power, like the universe at its inception, or when heaven and earth first took shape. Stars glittered, chaos raged violently, utterly unstoppable. If the two of them were engulfed, they would surely die. "I don't want to die..." the purple-clad girl cried out, continuously chanting the names of ancient figures rumored to have become immortals.

Ye Fan's heart turned completely cold; he truly had no means to resist. It was impossible to stop the power of chaos. In that instant, many figures flashed through his mind; in that brief moment, it felt as if he had lived an entire lifetime.

Suddenly, Ye Fan's Sea of Wheels stirred lightly. The green bronze block, as silent as a millstone, actually trembled, and the encroaching chaos immediately paused.

Then, he felt an emptiness in his Sea of Wheels' spring. The ancient bronze block actually detached from his Sea of Wheels and floated before his eyes, devoid of luster or energy fluctuations, utterly unadorned. "What is that?" The purple-clad girl's eyes widened, her eyelashes trembling, revealing a look of pure astonishment.

A monstrous wave of shock surged in Ye Fan's heart; the green bronze block had actually emerged, something that had never happened before. It vibrated gently before him, and then the surrounding area became calm.

The green bronze block flashed and vanished, sinking back into the spring of Ye Fan's Sea of Wheels. This left his heart restless. The purple-clad girl was greatly surprised and kept asking questions, but he did not answer.

The bronze hall was empty and dim. Ye Fan and the purple-clad girl were surprised to find they were no longer in their original spot; two doorways had appeared ahead.

Here, there were over a dozen sets of white bones, their skeletons possessing a crystalline luster and not having turned to dust. This was enough to indicate their extraordinary nature.

Ye Fan stepped forward and gently tapped them. The bones actually emitted clanging sounds, like metal and stone, clearly not ordinary bones; even the passage of time had failed to completely erode them. Several bones had blood-red characters inscribed before them. The final words of one of them made Ye Fan pause in slight daze: "I possess an immortal heart, long sealed by worldly dust. When will the dust clear and light emerge, illuminating a myriad of mountains and rivers?"

This conveyed immense ambition, but also helplessness, and even despair. To reach such a realm of power was certainly unprecedented and world-shaking, yet still, there was no hope of becoming immortal. These few lines expressed profound regret and desolation. "This person..." The purple-clad girl was momentarily stunned. She murmured, "It is rumored that this person achieved immortality, yet he died here."

A figure believed to have achieved immortality had actually perished here, making them doubt even more whether "immortals" truly existed.

Ye Fan looked at the dozen-plus sets of white bones, filled with endless emotion. He now also harbored doubts: had there truly ever been "immortals" born on the land of the Eastern Wasteland?

Passing the dozen-plus skeletons, they arrived before two doorways, and Ye Fan's heart trembled. The two doorways resembled the yin and yang fish of a Taiji symbol: the left doorway was a black yin fish, and the right was a white yang fish, both shaped like irregular crescent moons. "These... combined, they form Taiji!" Ye Fan couldn't help but be astonished.

Daoism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, traditional culture – from the pillars of the Dacheng Hall in the Confucius Temple to Louguan Platform and Sanmao Palace... The Taiji diagram was known as ancient China's foremost diagram, as mysterious as a tripod cauldron.

On the black yin fish doorway, a powerful ancient character was carved, its imposing aura so strong it seemed to push one away. It was the character for "Demise!" This character could be said to be extremely ominous, like a curse, imprinted there with a blood-soaked feel.

On the white yang fish doorway, with strokes like iron hooks and silver lines, only one character was carved: "Life!" Its brushwork was bold and powerful, its spirit naturally formed, exuding an aura of peace, utterly opposite to the yin fish doorway.

At this moment, behind them was nothing, just a hazy, dimly lit void. Ahead, lay a choice between life and death. Both Ye Fan and the purple-clad girl found it hard to remain calm; only two paths lay before them.

"There's nothing to hesitate about. Naturally, we choose the Life Gate. Who would choose death?" Ji Ziyue wrinkled her delicate nose, her large eyes narrowing into crescent moons as she said, "You absolutely must not overthink this and choose the Death Gate. I still want to become an immortal..."

Ye Fan ignored her, silently pondering. Finally, he spoke, "Taiji generates the two polarities; yin and yang arise together. Yang is life, and yin is death."

However, he did not make that choice, as it did not align with the Dao and Taiji. He gazed at the two yin and yang doorways and said, "Extreme yang produces yin, and extreme yin produces yang. Yin and yang reverse each other; life and death can swap places."

He had read many ancient texts, which spoke of the interplay of truth and illusion, and the mutual generation of yin and yang, with many similar theories. Finally, he pointed to the Death Gate and said, "This is the true path to life!" Ji Ziyue's small mouth gaped into an "O" shape, and she exclaimed, "What nonsense are you talking about?" "The Life Gate, though it seems peaceful, will never lead anywhere. The Death Gate, however, will surely lead to a breakthrough, bringing life from desperation."

"Are you sure?" Ji Ziyue blinked her large eyes and glared at him. "Don't get any wild ideas, or you'll cause the death of the future immortal, Ji Ziyue. If that happens, you'll incur immense karma."

Ye Fan also felt some hesitation. His decision was based entirely on seeing the divided Taiji, but this was the other side of the starry sky, not ancient China, so his logic might not necessarily apply. Ji Ziyue wrinkled her delicate nose and asked, "Little brother, are you really sure?" "Dong!" Ye Fan flicked her jade-like forehead and said, "Call me 'Brother,' don't be so impudent." Ji Ziyue's eyes welled up with tears, and she ground her bright little canine teeth together, angrily saying, "If you dare hit me again, don't blame me for being impolite in the future! I am a future immortal, after all!" Ultimately, Ye Fan chose the Death Gate and strode forward. "Boom!"

Suddenly, a sound like a tsunami echoed. From the yin fish doorway, black light surged like a tide, rushing directly toward them, while from the yang fish doorway, shimmering white light pierced through.

The opposition of black and white, the radiance of life and death, interwove. The two energies of yin and yang circulated, overwhelming everything, emitting a rumbling sound like a raging ocean or thunder echoing across the nine heavens and ten earths.

Taiji had just formed, life and death stood in opposition, and the two energies of yin and yang were hazy. This collision was incredibly terrifying; it could give birth to all things, or it could cause heaven and earth to wither away.

Suddenly, the green bronze block trembled, shot out again, and settled before the yin and yang gates. Though unadorned, it stood as majestic as a colossal mountain, instantly making the two energies of yin and yang vanish. "What in the world is this treasure?" Ji Ziyue's mouth was wide open in astonishment, her vibrant eyes shimmering with a strange light. Ye Fan did not respond. Once the chaos subsided, the green bronze block returned to his body, and he continued to stride forward.

The yin fish doorway presented a bloody scene, like a hammer of the underworld, surging toward them. At that moment, he and the purple-clad girl simultaneously saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood, endless skeletons numbering in the millions. They were like a small boat in a great storm, liable to capsize at any moment. Ye Fan remained resolute and forcefully pushed open the Death Gate, represented by the black yin fish.

Behind them, there was no grim killing intent, no bloody storm; only an empty, silent path stretching to an unknown destination. "Tap," "tap," "tap" — hollow footsteps echoed, like an ancient path untouched for tens of thousands of years, utterly silent. "Where does this ancient path lead? Is there a secret to becoming an immortal at its end?" Ji Ziyue's large eyes curved into crescent moons.

A full half hour passed before Ye Fan finally reached the end. Right ahead, amidst hazy chaos and circulating yin and yang energies, was a vast, empty hall, still forged from bronze. On its floor lay several dazzling white bones.

A massive character for "Immortal" was carved on the bronze wall ahead, possessing an indescribable aura. Astonishingly, it was written in fresh blood, imprinted into the bronze. The bloodstains were as new, completely unfaded, and brilliant blood-red light radiated outwards. It was incredibly sinister! "Immortals" should be supremely sacred; how could they be defiled with blood?

Moreover, this "blood" was clearly extraordinary. It was unknown how many tens of thousands of years had passed, and the flesh and blood of all other powerful figures had long since turned to dust, with only a few peerless experts leaving behind bones. Yet the blood on the "Immortal" character here was still vibrant red, glowing brilliantly, as if still flowing, which was truly unimaginable. "Could it be an immortal's blood?!"