Chapter 187: The Terrifying Later Years of Master Yuan

"Are you really going into Purple Mountain?" Old Man Zhang had long understood Ye Fan's intentions, knowing that nothing could stop him. He sighed and said, "Wait a moment."

He turned and walked into the stone house. After a short while, he laboriously carried out a large wooden box. It was yellowed with age, clearly an ancient artifact. "What is this?" Ye Fan asked, a puzzled expression on his face. "The ancestor from a thousand years ago also prepared meticulously before entering Purple Mountain. These are some of the things he left behind."

Old Man Zhang unfastened the iron lock and opened the large wooden box. Immediately, a smell of decaying wood wafted out. It was unclear how many years had passed, but the inside of the wooden box was somewhat decayed. "This is..." Ye Fan first noticed a set of stone clothing. Indeed, it was stone clothing made of strung-together stone pieces, simple yet neatly folded. "What is this for?" This stone armor was exquisitely crafted, showing considerable effort.

Old Man Zhang held out the stone clothing, caressing it with his hand. "This was personally made by the ancestor from a thousand years ago. He wore one, and left this one behind."

Ye Fan held the stone clothing in his hands but felt nothing special about it. This type of stone was common everywhere; it was precisely the special stone skin from Bao Jingyuan.

This type of stone skin could block a cultivator's spiritual sense, making it impenetrable. Therefore, it was difficult to tell if a source stone contained treasure without actually cutting it open, which is why "stone gambling" originated.

Ye Fan believed he could easily crush this stone skin if he wished; such armor would be useless to him. "Don't underestimate this stone clothing; it's not an ordinary item. It possesses powerful spiritual energy," Old Man Zhang said, as if reading his mind. "It has spiritual energy?" Ye Fan carefully sensed it but found nothing special. "This is no ordinary stone skin," Old Man Zhang said, caressing it with fondness. "This is stone skin peeled from a Divine Source, a material that can pass the scrutiny of an Origin Heaven Master." "This is the old skin that wrapped the Divine Source?" Ye Fan held the stone clothing closer, examining it carefully, but still saw nothing remarkable.

"Just as professions differ, so does understanding. You are a cultivator, but you cannot comprehend how precious this stone clothing is." Old Man Zhang unfolded the clothing and said, "Every source seeker hopes to possess such a piece of stone clothing. You see, when digging for sources underground all day, one always encounters unpleasant things. But this Divine Source clothing can ward off evil and avoid malevolent entities."

Ye Fan nodded, suddenly thinking of many things. He had spent some time in the source area of the Shaking Light Holy Land, where strange incidents had continuously occurred, so he naturally knew the dangers involved. "The stone skin of a Divine Source has peculiar spiritual energy that can ward off malevolent entities..."

According to Old Man Zhang, such stone skin coexists with the Divine Source, having absorbed its spiritual energy. It is already imbued with divinity, capable of inviting good fortune and averting disaster.

"You must wear this stone clothing and also take the stone helmet. It will conceal all your aura. Though it may not be strong enough for defense, it can isolate you from the outside world, perhaps allowing you to avoid the ominous creatures within Purple Mountain," Old Man Zhang gravely instructed.

Ye Fan's heart pounded. "Aren't the powerful ancient creatures sealed within Divine Sources?" "It's hard for anyone to say what truly lies within Purple Mountain. It's better to be overprepared. Honestly, I still say, I truly don't want you to take this risk."

Ye Fan indeed felt some apprehension. "I don't intend to go deep into Purple Mountain. I'll retreat immediately once I find the 'Origin Heaven Book.' I don't want to disturb any living creatures."

"And take this stone pendant with you too," Old Man Zhang said, pulling out a stone pendant from the large wooden box. "This was refined by my Zhang family's ancestor. If you're truly targeted by evil entities, it might play a wondrous role." *Clang.* Old Man Zhang pulled out a stone knife. Its wooden scabbard was long decayed and crumbled the moment the knife was drawn. The knife was short, engraved with suns, moons, and stars, along with some strange patterns.

"Underground, you might see some strange and bizarre things. Unless absolutely necessary, do not confront them directly," Old Man Zhang said with a solemn expression. "Whether it's a ghost or something else, if it doesn't actively attack you, treat it as an illusion. You can use this knife to clear your path."

Ye Fan felt a chill run down his spine from what he heard. Earlier, when Old Man Zhang tried to dissuade him, he hadn't taken it seriously, but now he felt a bit uncertain.

Finally, Old Man Zhang took out a star compass and said, "This star compass has been passed down to my generation, imbued with a vast amount of astral divine power. Keep it safe; it will be useful in critical moments. If you fall into a 'ghost mine,' it will help you find your way out."

Ye Fan was truly speechless. He felt like backing out and muttered, "Old man, are you supporting me or trying to scare me? The more you talk, the more my hair stands on end."

The stone clothing, pendant, knife, and star compass were all carved from the ancient skin of a Divine Source. Though nothing special was visible, they all possessed spiritual energy. "Old man, where did your family's first ancestor ultimately go? Did he live out his golden years in this village?"

The Zhang family's first ancestor was an Origin Heaven Master, a figure so remarkable that only a handful had appeared in the Northern Region throughout history.

Ye Fan had previously asked Old Man Zhang about the whereabouts of that Origin Heaven Master. The old man had been vague, only saying that Origin Heaven Masters knew too much about the secrets of origin, and ominous things would inevitably happen in their later years. "His fate is a mystery," the old man shook his head. "What exactly happened?" "Innumerable years ago, five Origin Heaven Masters appeared consecutively in the Northern Region. In their later years, they all encountered extremely bizarre incidents, and our Zhang family's first ancestor was no exception." "What strange incidents?" Ye Fan asked. "In his later years, he saw many malevolent entities that others couldn't perceive. He said that was the ultimate fate of an Origin Heaven Master." "Malevolent entities?!" Ye Fan was startled.

"Yes, eventually he vanished, and no one knows where he went. On the night he left, a red-haired whirlwind raged outside, and unknown terrifying creatures howled incessantly, screaming through the entire night." "Old man, I wasn't raised on scary stories," Ye Fan said, "If you want to dissuade me, just say so directly. Why all this—"

"I'm not trying to scare you; everything I'm saying is true. The Zhang family's first ancestor truly vanished just like that. The Saintess of Yaochi, upon learning of this, searched throughout the Northern Region for him, but to no avail. Eventually, she personally erected a cenotaph for him," Old Man Zhang sighed.

That was a remarkable figure who made the various Holy Lands turn green with envy, yet he died inexplicably in his later years, unsettling Ye Fan's mind. "Was there truly no clue at all?"

"On that night, a four-year-old child from my Zhang family was with the first ancestor and was so frightened he became mentally incapacitated." Old Man Zhang shook his head. "It took more than half a year for him to recover, and according to him..." "What did the child say?" Seeing the old man stop speaking, Ye Fan pressed him. "He said that night, he saw Grandfather's hand covered in red fur, and he also saw humanoid creatures walking outside the window. He just turned his head for a moment, and the first ancestor was gone forever." "Old man, you can't scare people like this," Ye Fan said, "You clearly know I'm going into Purple Mountain..." "These are all stories passed down orally through generations in my family for a thousand years," Old Man Zhang replied. "I've never told anyone else."

Ye Fan's heart tightened. He felt this blood-colored land was filled with too many mysteries, and many things likely surpassed imagination. "What exactly was an Origin Heaven Master's strength?" "Are you asking about combat prowess?" "Yes," Ye Fan nodded. "My first ancestor fought the Saintess of Yaochi to a draw when he was young," Old Man Zhang calmly said.

Ye Fan gasped. Such a figure truly was extraordinary; possessing such power as an Origin Heaven Master, it was no wonder the Saintess of Yaochi eventually became his confidante. "After becoming an Origin Heaven Master, one can stabilize dragon veins and lock down Divine Sources. It's impossible not to be powerful." Finally, Ye Fan set off.

"When will you be back, Little Brother Ye?" Wang Shu saw him off, unaware he was going to Purple Mountain. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days. Then I'll take you to gamble on stones and clean out those Holy Lands."

"The wind sighs, the Yi River is cold; a brave man departs, never to return..." Er Lengzi waved his hand innocently.

"Of all the things I taught you, why did you only remember that one line?" Ye Fan was speechless.

"I'm afraid you won't come back..." Er Lengzi scratched his head.

Ye Fan felt he couldn't get angry with him. He smiled, waved goodbye, and quickly departed, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

According to Old Man Zhang, to enter Purple Mountain, one could only delve deep through one of the nine dragon veins, proceed underground, then cut through the mountain from beneath to enter its interior. Otherwise, acting directly from outside Purple Mountain would lead to a dead end.

Ye Fan chose the easternmost dragon vein, intending to enter from there, as it was the path taken by the Zhang family's ancestor a thousand years ago.

He constantly recited the ancient scripture recorded in the bronze ancient coffin, and from time to time, he would engrave a few words inside the cauldron forged from the Mother Qi of All Things. He had been doing this for the past two months. Even though the characters wouldn't remain long and would soon disappear, he continued to engrave them tirelessly.

This was the essence of the Mother Qi of All Things, his greatest reliance now. Even if the void shattered, he could survive by sheltering within the cauldron. The mountain range was majestic and imposing, like a coiled dragon stretching across the path ahead.

The tall, rocky ridge was bare, reddish-brown, devoid of vegetation, and tinged with hints of purple, resembling the great Purple Mountain itself. According to Old Man Zhang, this dragon vein had long been hollowed out, with an underground "dragon path" leading directly to Purple Mountain.

Ye Fan did not immediately begin digging through the earth to enter. He didn't want to cause such destruction, lest it lead to undesirable consequences.

He patiently searched and finally discovered an ancient mine. A thousand years ago, the Zhang family's ancestor had entered through this very spot.

Ye Fan put on the stone clothing, immediately feeling it was airtight. His entire aura was sealed, preventing even a drop from leaking out. He carried the star compass on his back, held the stone knife, and wore the earth-stone pendant, silently drifting down into the ancient mine. Ye Fan secretly measured the depth and was incredibly surprised; he had fallen a full three thousand meters before reaching the bottom.

The pitch-black ancient mine, carved out over a hundred thousand years ago, was filled with the aura of ages and was utterly silent.

Ye Fan moved his steps lightly, not using divine power, but advancing step by step, carefully sensing everything around him.

Everything here was related to ancient Great Emperors, exerting immense pressure on him. He had never been so cautious before. Thus, Ye Fan silently walked for several miles, and the ancient mine grew increasingly dark. "What is that?!" Suddenly, his heart jumped. He heard the sound of flapping wings ahead and vaguely saw a humanoid creature flapping its wings and charging towards him. "I just entered, and I've already encountered an ancient race?!" Ye Fan cried out, realizing the situation was dire.