Chapter 134: Secret Techniques Revealed

Zhufeng Peak, everything was so ordinary, with nothing extraordinary about it. Even the ancient bow in Ye Fan's hand appeared simple and unadorned. It was dark, as if scorched by fire, and even had several wormholes, making it seem rotten and ready to fall apart at any moment.

Yet, it was this very dilapidated bow whose emitted fluctuations distorted the sky, as if an invisible force field was spreading in all directions. The many disciples of Xingfeng Peak trembled with fear, their faces as white as paper.

Several elders from Xingfeng Peak descended and bowed to Li Ruoyu, who was in the dilapidated hall. One of them said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother. The Zhufeng lineage is about to shine brightly."

Li Ruoyu emerged, returned their greetings, and asked, "What makes you say that?"

"The Crude Bow has appeared, suggesting the inheritance is about to open. Once the Nine Secrets emerge, all other main peaks will pale in comparison. Zhufeng Peak will illuminate Taixuan, and its brilliance will soar to the heavens."

Li Ruoyu shook his head and said, "I found the Crude Bow by chance; it doesn't indicate that the inheritance is about to open."

"Where did you find the Crude Bow, Senior Brother Li?" All the elders from Xingfeng Peak showed surprised expressions.

"In a badger hole halfway up the mountain. A badger family had used it as kindling for their nest."

Hearing this, everyone was dumbfounded. Zhufeng Peak was indeed peculiar; for a dignified mountain-guarding treasure to be used as kindling by wild badgers for their nest was truly astonishing.

"With the ancient bow now revealed, Zhufeng Peak's rise is imminent; it will soar to prominence," an elder from Xingfeng Peak stated.

"Zhufeng Peak's rise is easier said than done," Li Ruoyu sighed. "Its inheritance has been severed for five hundred years, there are no disciples, and the mountain is desolate. To re-establish its legacy is extremely difficult."

An elder from Xingfeng Peak subtly glanced at Ye Fan and remarked, "This one seems to be a promising talent."

Ye Fan felt apprehensive. These elders were not simple individuals, and he feared revealing any flaws. He wondered what they thought about him using the Crude Bow to suppress dozens of Xingfeng disciples earlier. If they were displeased, it would be troublesome.

By then, he had put away the ancient bow, and its terrifying pressure had dissipated. Several old crows cawed loudly, taking flight from beside him and soaring to a withered tree not far away.

Afterward, the elders from Xingfeng Peak bid farewell and prepared to leave. Li Ruoyu called out to them from behind, saying, "Zhufeng Peak is about to reorganize its gate. Please inform the Lord of Xingfeng Peak to restrain his disciples a little. Zhufeng is, after all, a main peak, so please do not trespass again."

Hearing this, the elders from Xingfeng Peak immediately paused. One of them said, "We will convey the message."

It wasn't until they were far from Zhufeng Peak that the Xingfeng elders spoke in hushed tones. One of them frowned and asked, "Why did the Crude Bow appear like this?"

"It seems our Senior Brother Li is not simple. In the past, we underestimated him, thinking he had low aptitude and wouldn't achieve much. We didn't expect that after guarding Zhufeng Peak alone for so many years, his true depth has become unfathomable."

"Zhufeng Peak is a strange place; many things there defy common sense. Could Li Ruoyu be on his way to becoming the second great power of Zhufeng Peak?"

They recalled Zhufeng Peak's past: there was once a predecessor whose aptitude was not exceptional, yet he acquired cultivation methods even before Zhufeng's inheritance reappeared. Ultimately, his achievements rivaled those of ancient great powers, and his magic was unparalleled.

"Zhufeng Peak is 'excellent but appears crude,' with inner brilliance. Its re-emergence is not far off; I have a feeling," a very elderly elder from Xingfeng Peak stated.

"Even if Zhufeng Peak rises again to extreme prosperity, what of it? Xingfeng Peak is the very foundation of the Taixuan Sect, one of its strongest inheritances. Historically, half of the sect masters have come from our lineage."

At that moment, Ye Fan felt fortunate that he had only roasted one wild rabbit and hadn't shot down the nine old crows. He wondered what might have happened if he had.

The dark ancient bow, with its prominent wormholes, struck Ye Fan as peculiar no matter how he looked at it. If it was a treasure, how could it have been eaten through by worms?

Li Ruoyu stood before the nine-step heavenly ladder, took the Crude Bow from Ye Fan's hand, stroked it gently, and finally placed the ancient bow on the ancient jade steps.

The nine-colored jade steps flowed with water-like patterns, submerging the Crude Bow. Then, flames unexpectedly flickered, and the dark ancient bow began to burn.

"Senior, what are you doing?!" Ye Fan exclaimed in shock.

"Legend says, 'the mountain is the scripture, the bow is the root.' This bow is a key to Zhufeng Peak; perhaps it can bring the inheritance to light again."

Seeing the ancient bow burning, Ye Fan exclaimed, "This is a great treasure! Won't it be destroyed?"

"It won't be destroyed. It will only merge into Zhufeng Peak, making its power even greater. When mountain and bow become one, it can split the sky," Li Ruoyu lamented. "The inheritance truly shouldn't reappear, yet I don't know if this method will activate it."

Flames flickered as the Crude Bow integrated into the nine-step heavenly ladder, completely disappearing. Eventually, everything settled, and Ye Fan sensed a subtle change.

The peak itself became more subdued and unremarkable, seemingly hundreds of meters lower, now less than 2,600 meters high. Many surrounding "minor peaks" now stood taller than it.

"If I pass away here, you should leave," Li Ruoyu said, then sat cross-legged before the nine-step heavenly ladder, motionless like a withered tree.

"Senior Li..." Ye Fan's heart jolted. He wanted to persuade him but found no words.

Eventually, he moved aside and leafed through the yellowish booklet the elder had given him. It contained some cultivation methods, but mostly insights and experiences.

Ye Fan was quickly engrossed. He didn't lack cultivation techniques; the "Dao Scripture" was an ancient text of the Eastern Wasteland, the strongest mental cultivation method for the Sea of Wheels secret realm. However, he had always been exploring on his own, lacking experience and guidance. This yellowish ancient booklet was undoubtedly a timely gift for him.

He was completely absorbed in it throughout the night, reading with fascination. Some doubts in his mind were thoroughly resolved.

Within Ye Fan's body, a divine meridian extended, resembling a bridge reaching forward, spanning across the golden sea of suffering, surrounded by misty fog.

The Divine Bridge had extended a segment overnight, a direct result of resolving his mental confusion. If he could span the sea of suffering and reach the other side, he would have entered the Reaching Shore realm.

"Caw, caw, caw."

In the following days, Ye Fan felt quite speechless, as if covered by an inauspicious dark light. Several crows continuously circled above his head.

It was said that these were spirits nurtured by the ancient bow; if fired, they could pierce clouds, split the sky, and be invincible.

Ye Fan speculated that the so-called spirits were "deities" nurtured by the "artifact." He didn't know what grade such a weapon would be, but he imagined it must be terrifying.

As for the nine arrow feathers, they were merely carriers and not particularly special. The key lay in the ancient bow and the nine spirits; combined, they were extremely formidable.

In these past few days, Xingfeng Peak's disciples had not trespassed on Zhufeng Peak, but many were resentful and frequently lingered around.

Ye Fan ignored them. In these days, he continued to explore, thinking that such a major power, even if not as great as the Ji Family or Yaoguang Holy Land, could probably traverse half of the Eastern Wasteland once its domain gates were opened.

Half a month later, Li Ruoyu awoke, murmuring to himself, "Great perfection seems flawed, great fullness seems empty, great skill seems clumsy..."

Ye Fan quickly stepped forward, bowed to the elder, and asked, "Senior, have you gained anything?"

"Zhufeng Peak should naturally be this way; it doesn't need to be enveloped in immortal mist or shimmering auspicious light. I think I've discovered some reasons," Li Ruoyu said, seemingly enlightened. "The mountain is like a scripture, embodying inherited secret arts. It requires a corresponding state of mind to harmonize with it and imprint immortal techniques."

The elder's life was not in danger, and he had not passed away, which relieved Ye Fan. He then began to pay attention to matters concerning the sect's gate. Over the past half month, disciples from Xingfeng Peak had often been spotted, seemingly waiting for him to descend the mountain.

"Aren't you tired of this? Circling Zhufeng Peak all day, trying to steal something?"

Below Zhufeng Peak, a Xingfeng disciple sneered, "The grand competition between the main peaks is about to begin. There are still over two months left. I hope you don't get cold feet then."

"What does that have to do with me? I never said I'd participate. You all can fight, and I'll go cheer you on," Ye Fan replied with a smile from Zhufeng Peak.

"Since you've joined Zhufeng Peak and become its only disciple, you can't choose not to participate, even if you want to. We hope you'll still be able to smile then."

The disciples of Xingfeng Peak had suffered greatly at Ye Fan's hands and held considerable animosity towards him. It was clear that once the competition began, they would surely target Ye Fan.

"There's such a rule? I forfeit!" Ye Fan said without a trace of embarrassment.

"Where did this guy come from? How can he be so thick-skinned as to say something like that?" The group at the foot of the mountain was dumbfounded.

"Too bad, you have to fight at least ten matches to forfeit..." Someone shook their head, revealing a schadenfreude expression, and added, "When the time comes, many people will take good care of you. Enjoy it slowly."

"Is it a fight among those of the same cultivation level, or across realms?" Ye Fan asked.

"Do you think you're a divine body? Still dreaming of cross-realm battles..." Below, all the Xingfeng disciples showed expressions of disdain.

"So, it's a duel between cultivators of the same level? How about we spar a few rounds right now?" Ye Fan chuckled. "Cultivators of the Sea of Suffering realm are welcome to Zhufeng Peak for exchange."

At the foot of the mountain, most of these Xingfeng disciples were in the Life Spring realm. They had come to find an opportunity to deal with Ye Fan, and hearing his words, they exchanged bewildered glances.

Several cultivators from the Life Spring realm, wearing friendly smiles, walked forward and said, "We are all cultivators of the Sea of Suffering realm. In that case, let's spar a few rounds."

Half an hour later, news reached Xingfeng Peak: over a dozen disciples had been beaten black and blue and detained on Zhufeng Peak, where they were now repairing the mountain path.

Many Xingfeng disciples were in an uproar. Immediately, some flew towards Zhufeng Peak, and a few wanted to force their way in, but were stopped by those beside them. All of them landed before the mountain gate.

"You gamble and you lose. I didn't force any of this..." Ye Fan stood on the mountain, shouting down, "Are you all here to help build Zhufeng Peak too?"

"Where did this kid come from? How can he be so peculiar as to even dare to detain our Xingfeng disciples?"

"Don't you know? Half a month ago, he severely injured several of our Xingfeng members. Later, he even used a demonic bow to confront dozens of our Xingfeng disciples, alarming the elders."

"Before the grand competition, Zhufeng Peak will host a minor sparring event. Cultivators of the Sea of Suffering realm are welcome to come and spar," Ye Fan shouted from above, his expression seemingly harmless. "However, you must come up one by one."

On Zhufeng Peak, the dozen or so detained Xingfeng disciples cursed Ye Fan inwardly, calling him shameless. That scoundrel was "fishing" again.

However, this time, no one rushed forward. Having learned from past mistakes, these people naturally understood there was something unusual going on and believed Ye Fan must possess an ancient treasure similar to the Crude Bow.

Xingfeng disciples flew in one after another, wanting to see who dared to detain their fellow disciples. Among the crowd, a woman in white paused, feeling a sense of disbelief. It was Li Xiaoman.

At this moment, Ye Fan didn't notice her. He quickly rushed up the mountain, having sensed a subtle anomaly.

The Bodhi seed in his possession vibrated slightly, growing warm, and a strange sensation welled up in his heart.

"Could that secret art be about to appear?!" Ye Fan's speed reached its peak as he rapidly ascended to the mountain's summit.

At the summit of Zhufeng Peak, a highly serene void appeared. Within it, vegetation flourished and withered in cycles: one moment, leaves were vibrantly green; the next, they were shriveled and desolate.

The nine-step heavenly ladder, blurry and indistinct, continuously expanded. Surprisingly, magnificent jade palaces and towers appeared upon it, suspended in the void.

Li Ruoyu sat cross-legged like a fossil, facing the nine-step heavenly ladder.