Chapter 142: Secret Map

Under the blood-red setting sun, withered vines entwined a bluestone, forest birds returned to their nests, and fallen leaves drifted to the ground. A desolate silence permeated the air.

The old madman lay on the large bluestone, facing the sunset. His aged eyes held infinite attachment and a mournful expression, with two prominent lines of tears streaking down his old face.

This was once a world-shaking, peerless master, who had no equal in the Eastern Wasteland six thousand years ago. Yet, he was now curled up here, his emaciated body trembling, inspiring profound sympathy and pity.

"Senior..." Ye Fan approached, squatting before the large bluestone. He gazed at the old madman, feeling sympathy but uncertain how to help him.

The old madman looked up at Ye Fan for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the red sun about to dip below the horizon. Nothing else in the world seemed capable of capturing his attention; only that blood-red orb held his complete focus.

"That year, the sunset was like blood, and Tianxuan was stained with blood. That day, all things withered, and Tianxuan fell..." The old madman, despite his great age, wept incessantly, his ancient eyes appearing clouded with tears.

"Senior, what's past is past and cannot be undone. The dead are gone; perhaps it's time to let go," Ye Fan gently advised.

Suddenly, the sun completely disappeared, sinking below the mountain peak.

The moment the blood-red sun vanished, two dazzling beams of light suddenly shot from the old madman's eyes, piercing through the void. All traces of sadness vanished as he abruptly sat upright.

He was like a different person, akin to a peerless sword unsheathed, its sharpness fully revealed. A profound silence fell over the mountain ridge, and all birds and beasts trembled in fear.

Ye Fan felt immense pressure. Had his physical body not surpassed that of a spiritual treasure, his bones might have been broken and his muscles torn by now. The colossal pressure emanating from the old madman, who was so close, was unimaginable, as if he were a towering mountain.

"Their aura..." He gazed at Ye Fan, then gripped his arm, his eyes instantly growing profound.

Ye Fan shivered violently. This mad old man was too terrifying; the pressure was so immense he couldn't even twitch, far surpassing any cultivator he had ever encountered.

He immediately thought of the Ancient Forbidden Land, the Celestial Maiden Tianxuan, the endless white bones on the nine sacred mountains, and the desolate slaves. The "they" the old madman referred to most likely meant these.

Yet, more than a year had passed, and the aura on him should have been completely purged. The old madman's ability to still sense it sent shivers down his spine; such terrifying spiritual perception was truly horrifying.

The old madman waved his hand over Ye Fan, and instantly, the ethereal image of the Celestial Maiden Tianxuan materialized in mid-air. She was vibrant and lifelike, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, a graceful figure, and a jade-like demeanor—unparalleled in her breathtaking, almost perfect beauty.

Ye Fan was dumbfounded. What kind of divine ability was this? With a mere wave, he could conjure a living image—it was truly unprecedented and astonishing.

The old madman waved his hand again, and countless, densely packed white bones appeared on the mountain ridge. All the skeletons Ye Fan had seen on the nine sacred mountains that day were now visible.

Suddenly, the old madman clutched his head and let out a long, pained howl, like the mournful cry of a lone wolf.

"Hahahaha..." Finally, he threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

If one does not achieve immortality, one descends into madness!

He alternated between weeping and laughing, just as he had during their first encounter. His emotions were completely out of control, making him both pitiable and lamentable.

The Celestial Maiden Tianxuan, dignified and beautiful, surpassed all other beauties, making even the stars and moon pale in comparison as she stood suspended in the air.

The countless white bones exuded a chilling, eerie aura, as if they had truly manifested there, swirling around the old madman. The scene was incredibly bizarre and sent shivers down one's spine.

Standing nearby, Ye Fan mistakenly thought he had returned to the Ancient Forbidden Land, once again encountering the peerlessly elegant Celestial Maiden Tianxuan and those skeletal remains.

The old madman let out a low, muffled roar, then suddenly lifted his head, looking directly at the Celestial Maiden Tianxuan and the white bones. Two brilliant beams of light shot from his eyes, remarkably carving the character for "Dao" (道) into the sky.

Then, he stood tall, his head held high, and slowly yet powerfully moved his hands. All the figures were then imprinted in the void, forming a gigantic pattern.

Within the pattern, countless white bones formed a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. In the very center, the Celestial Maiden Tianxuan, dressed in snow-white robes with black hair like a waterfall, was depicted so vividly she seemed to possess a soul.

"This..." Ye Fan, standing behind him, was astonished. Using the void as a canvas to imprint spiritual essence—such a method was utterly unprecedented. To witness it firsthand was truly shocking.

As the old madman's hands moved, an aura of Dao circulated. With a resounding "clang," he carved the character for "Immortal" (仙) onto the pattern.

The character glowed brilliantly!

The "Immortal" character seemed to possess a strange, mystical power, causing all the figures within the pattern to dim. Eventually, it was as if only the "Immortal" character remained, surrounded by faint, indistinct shadows, with even the central figure of the Celestial Maiden Tianxuan becoming blurred.

The pattern emitted a hazy aura, and the "Immortal" character exuded endless Dao charm, surprisingly giving a sensation of the boundless Great Dao and the natural flow of all things.

The old madman extended a finger and pressed it against his own forehead.

The colossal pattern in the sky transformed into an imprint and surged into his head. His face then contorted through a range of emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Ye Fan's heart was filled with awe. What was the old madman doing?

*Clang!*

The imprint reappeared on the old madman's forehead. The figures within it grew progressively fainter, leaving only the brilliantly shining "Immortal" character.

"Is he severing the past, or deepening his memories?" Ye Fan wondered, secretly astonished. The old madman's methods were truly unfathomable.

Only after a long while did the old madman finally calm down.

*Clap!*

At that moment, he lightly slapped the large bluestone, and a hazy halo instantly flashed, revealing a mysterious pattern.

There was no doubt that he was lucid at this moment; he wasn't aimlessly striking the bluestone.

Ye Fan's heart jolted. He focused intently, his eyes gathering divine light. The hazy halo shimmered on the bluestone, displaying intricate patterns as obscure as arcane symbols.

It felt familiar, indeed very familiar. He had an extremely strong sense of déjà vu.

"Mysterious footwork!"

Ye Fan was greatly surprised. This pattern consisted of complex Dao inscriptions, incredibly profound and intricate. He had once committed the old madman's footwork to memory, but compared to these complete Dao patterns, what he knew was vastly inferior. This was the true mysterious footwork.

Ye Fan felt a mix of surprise and uncertainty. The old madman had taken one pattern from him and now returned another, as if wishing to balance their accounts.

At this critical moment, he couldn't afford to hesitate. He concentrated his entire mind, memorizing the mysterious etched pattern. The hazy halo surged into his eyes, transforming into the pattern and imprinting itself upon his heart.

This secret map was extraordinarily profound and complex. Ye Fan had barely begun to assimilate it when he immediately felt dizzy; his cultivation level was too low to fully comprehend the deepest Dao inscriptions.

"This footwork must be a supreme secret art!" he thought, secretly amazed.

Just then, the bluestone shattered, crumbling into dust, leaving nothing behind.

The old madman rose and walked deeper into the mountain range. Ye Fan, filled with surprise and uncertainty, followed behind. Although this old man was often deranged, he also had moments of lucidity, and there had to be a reason for him coming to Taixuan.

This was a desolate, wild mountain range, even more rugged than Zuofeng, but it wasn't the main peak, and there were no Taixuan sect members present.

After walking about ten *li*, the old madman suddenly stomped his foot. A hundred-meter-tall hill in front of them instantly split open, as if it had been cleaved vertically by a god wielding a mighty axe.

Behind him, Ye Fan was left wide-eyed with shock; the power of a single stomp was terrifying.

The hill split into two halves, resembling two wide-open doors, and the old madman walked directly inside.

Inside, it was hazy and misty, like a mystical realm. It was as if another world existed, resembling an independent space.

"Who dares to trespass on the vital grounds of my Taixuan Sect?!" shouts suddenly erupted.

Ye Fan stopped there, not daring to advance further. Several figures flew out from the hazy space, blocking the old madman's path.

Beams of dazzling light surged forward, rushing towards the old madman. Powerful iron seals, sky-covering nets, and various other potent spiritual treasures were clearly visible, all radiating terrifying fluctuations.

However, with a single sweep of the old madman's sleeve, all the treasures disintegrated into dust. There was no suspense; all the brilliant lights vanished, simply and casually. He exerted no effort at all, performing as if merely taking a leisurely stroll.

The seven or eight figures who had just emerged from the mist were all horrified at the sight. But before they could react, the old madman let out a soft cry, stunning them all unconscious and sending them falling to the ground.

These individuals were all white-haired, white-bearded elders, undoubtedly prominent figures of the Taixuan Sect, yet before the old madman, they were no different from ants.

Ye Fan's heart was filled with trepidation. If the old madman wished to kill, even a powerful entity like the Taixuan Sect would be transformed into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. In the entire Eastern Wasteland, probably no one could stop him.

The old madman strode forward, entering the mist ahead. Ye Fan was astonished, and seeing that the elders had all fainted, he had no qualms about rushing forward.

As the mist dispersed, a sky full of stars appeared, revealing that they had arrived in a valley.

Here, a massive altar stood, inscribed with numerous Dao patterns and ancient characters that marked various regions of the Eastern Wasteland.

A Domain Gate!

Ye Fan was startled; the words "Domain Gate" immediately came to mind. This had to be the Taixuan Sect's vital area—the Domain Gate!

"If enough Origin is supplied to activate the Dao patterns, one can traverse the void from here!" Ye Fan thought, and he strode forward. If he could cross from here to the other end of the Eastern Wasteland, a major wish of his would be fulfilled.

The regions occupied by the Taixuan Sect, the Ji Family, and the Yaoguang Holy Land were in the southern part of the Eastern Wasteland, while the Jade Lake Holy Land was at its northern tip. No one could precisely say how vast the distance between north and south truly was.

Over such distances, even cultivators capable of traversing on rainbows would require several years of arduous travel, which was a genuine headache. Without Domain Gates, the entire Eastern Wasteland would be practically disconnected, as the territory was simply too vast.

In this vast region, aside from the Ji Family and the Yaoguang Holy Land, the Taixuan Sect held the greatest power.

However, they were not a Holy Land after all. The Dao patterns they had inscribed could only reach as far as the central part of the Eastern Wasteland, not its northernmost tip.

After ascending the altar, the old madman did not utilize the existing Dao patterns. Instead, he began to rapidly engrave incredibly complex new patterns himself, causing the entire altar to creak and groan.

He merely intended to use the massive amount of "Origin" here; he could completely engrave the Dao patterns himself. It turned out the old madman had come to the Taixuan Sect specifically to traverse the void!

Where exactly was he going? Ye Fan was extremely surprised and eager to know the answer.

"I should leave the Taixuan Sect now, but should I cross the void with the old madman?"

Ye Fan felt a knot of anxiety in his heart. Such a peerless figure genuinely made him consider following. However, heaven knew where the old madman was headed. If he were to appear in a forbidden zone like the Ancient Forbidden Land or the Primordial Ore Mine, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The places frequented by such a living fossil could certainly not be judged by ordinary standards.