Chapter 189: Entering Zishan God King Jiang Taixu

Chapter 191: Entering Purple MountainChapter 192: Divine King Jiang Taixu

The ancient, dark mine was utterly desolate, without a sound. Ye Fan stood for a long time, contemplating many things. In the end, he did not change his mind and chose to continue forward.

He walked alone, unhurriedly, carefully observing everything around him. However, there were no more carvings on the rock walls; everything from before had ended.

After traveling more than thirty li, the ground suddenly became soft. His feet sank completely into it, and it was an ash-white color.

Initially, Ye Fan paid it no mind, but after walking several hundred zhang, he felt an increasingly piercing cold. The *yin* energy here was extremely heavy, like a north wind carrying snow blowing over him.

When he stepped on something hard, producing a cracking sound, Ye Fan immediately understood what kind of place he had arrived at.

The ash-white substance on the ground was not ordinary soil. It was bone ash, containing withered bones that had not fully decomposed. The chilling energy emanated precisely from this bone ash.

As a cultivator, he was not afraid. However, he couldn't help but wonder how many human bones it would take to accumulate such a vast amount of ash.

He quickly thought of the peerless Divine Source within this dragon vein. When it emerged, skeletons were like mountains and blood flowed like rivers. Could this have been caused by that terrifying creature from over a hundred thousand years ago? Had those Source harvesters of old all found their resting place here?

He walked a long way, but the ash-white bone ash still seemed endless. It lay in a thick layer throughout the ancient mine.

"Crack."

After walking several hundred more meters, the bone ash finally disappeared, replaced by countless withered bones, strewn everywhere. They were long since decayed, crumbling to dust with a mere step. Under the power of time, nothing lasts forever.

Upon reaching this point, the ancient mine was like an ice cellar. The biting cold air scraped against one's skin like knives.

"No wonder the Demonic Bats dwell here. Just as ancient texts describe, they prefer to inhabit the fringes of dangerous lands."

Ye Fan became highly vigilant. He certainly didn't want to inexplicably lose his life in the ancient mine before even entering Purple Mountain.

"Woo…woo…"

A chilling wind howled, and indistinct shadows flickered. Amidst the piles of withered bones, faint, ethereal ghost figures appeared.

"Are there really such things?" Ye Fan was surprised.

He raised the stone blade in his hand and walked forward resolutely. This two-foot-long ancient blade seemed to genuinely possess the power to ward off evil, as the shadowy figures retreated one after another.

"Clink, clank."

From the piles of withered bones ahead, the sound of chains could be heard. Ye Fan's heart tightened. He sensed a cold, sinister aura.

He hugged the mine wall, moving forward silently. His aura was completely concealed by his stone garments, not a trace escaping.

About a hundred zhang ahead, there was a dark, deep hole in the mine shaft wall. The sound of rattling chains emanated from within it.

The hole was extremely deep. A bone-chilling coldness that startled the heart materialized and overflowed, pricking the skin like needles.

Ye Fan quickly lowered the visor of his stone helmet, covering his eyes and face.

From the depths of the black hole, faint, almost inaudible roars emerged, accompanied by the rattling of chains, as if a ferocious creature was chained within.

It was clearly visible that many ghost figures among the withered bones were shattered by the roars, transforming into *yin* energy that was then sucked into the black hole.

"What is that thing?!" Ye Fan frowned. It was definitely not benevolent; it was likely a super-fierce beast.

One had to remember that hundreds of thousands of years ago, many Source harvesters and cultivators had died here. Blood flowed like rivers, and corpses drifted like reeds. After so many years, it was normal for malevolent spirits to be born.

"Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't block my path." He secretly assessed the situation, believing the creature wouldn't break out. He cautiously detoured around it and continued deeper into the mine shaft.

"Perhaps this stone garment truly has some peculiar effect; vile and impure things cannot cling to it."

After traveling a long distance, the withered bones finally disappeared. The ancient mine was very dry, and there was nothing else.

Ye Fan estimated the distance. He had already gone about thirty-five li deep. He guessed he wasn't far from Purple Mountain.

After another four or five li, a gentle, wavering light appeared ahead.

This greatly surprised Ye Fan. Having just passed the bone piles, he had assumed he was entering an even more perilous, inauspicious land.

However, just a few li away, a rich spiritual aura wafted towards him, filling him with a sense of peace.

"Having just left the piles of corpses, a pure land actually appeared?"

The cry of a crane came from ahead. This was not an illusion, as he had truly seen it.

After walking several li, a world of light appeared before him. The ancient mine was no longer dark; soft light flowed, creating an atmosphere of peace and sanctity.

"This is the aura of Source!"

Although it was bright, he couldn't see very far. Mist flowed, obstructing his view.

Ye Fan was somewhat dazed. The mist was formed from dissolved Source, a vibrant essence of life.

"Spiritual Source essence overflows; there must be a huge amount of Source here…" Ye Fan searched, but found nothing.

Source energy stirred, shimmering with colorful light. A celestial crane spread its wings and flew past, seemingly not noticing him, soaring through the ancient mine.

"This is…" Ye Fan was considerably surprised.

"Roar…" He then saw a ground dragon, with a lizard's body and dragon scales, crawling past not far away; its massive body looked incredibly heavy.

Next, a flock of fiery red birds flew by, flapping their wings vigorously, causing the air to surge violently.

"How can there be living creatures?"

Dressed in his stone garments, these creatures didn't sense his aura. He stood in the midst of it all, somewhat dumbfounded.

According to Ye Fan's understanding, this was a land of death and stillness, where nothing should exist. But what he saw now left him somewhat bewildered.

"Source energy… they are formed from Source energy!" Ye Fan was suddenly startled, saying, "It's impossible for such creatures to exist underground."

"There's a Divine Source here!" He recalled the legends he had heard in Stone Village. Some Divine Sources, after leaking, would transform into various inexplicable creatures that roamed and roared nearby.

His heart immediately stirred with excitement. If he found a Divine Source, it would be an incredible gain! It was a treasure that even Sacred Lands fought over, willing to break ties for it.

Ye Fan held the stone blade before him, searching amidst the misty spiritual energy.

"Crack."

The sound of bones cracking came from underfoot. He frowned. In such a peaceful place, there were surprisingly many white bones.

"Huh, what is this…" Ye Fan was greatly surprised. These bones couldn't be from hundreds of thousands of years ago. They were all very hard and shimmered with a luster.

He squatted down in the mist, observing carefully. He gradually saw over a dozen skeletons. Some bones were thousands of years old, while others appeared to be only a few hundred years old.

"It seems that over the years, people have occasionally stumbled in here…" Ye Fan felt a chill in his heart. All these people had died here; this peaceful place was not as simple as it appeared.

Celestial cranes, ground dragons, fiery red bird flocks, and other creatures hovered and ran everywhere.

In addition, Ye Fan found many huge, deep pits. They were filled with fossilized skeletons, all belonging to strange ancient creatures.

He felt this place was very strange. He slowly moved forward in the ancient mine. After traveling more than a li, he finally reached the place with the richest spiritual energy.

Moreover, he sensed a terrifying killing intent here. His mind and spirit trembled.

Just ahead, there were two bottomless holes. One was filled with soaring spiritual energy, from which Source energy continuously surged upwards. The other was filled with soaring sinister energy, more terrifying than the sharpest sword light, causing one's mind to tremble.

The two were very close to each other, and around them, there was profound silence.

"Yin-Yang Eyes!"

Ye Fan was truly astonished. These two black holes bore a striking resemblance to the Yin-Yang eyes in a Taiji diagram. If one were to draw a circle around them, it would be a perfect natural Taiji diagram.

In fact, they did function in this manner. The hole that spouted Source energy was surrounded by fossilized bones and permeated with a chilling sinister aura. Whereas the hole that emitted sinister energy was surrounded by glittering light and countless Source stones.

Bearing Yin while embracing Yang, bearing Yang while embracing Yin. This was completely a natural Taiji diagram, not carved by human hands. It was the mighty power of nature.

"It contains the divine power of the Great Dao!"

Ye Fan's heart trembled. No wonder the Source Heaven Master of the Zhang family had repeatedly stressed that the grand arrangement of this place could not and should not be disturbed. This allowed for inferring the profound from the subtle, understanding the whole from a single detail.

He hadn't even entered Purple Mountain yet, but he had already witnessed such a landscape. One could imagine the terror of this place.

It was indeed a natural Taiji diagram. Source energy and sinister energy flowed in conjunction, blocking the path ahead.

Before this natural Taiji diagram, Ye Fan saw many withered bones. He had to squat down and observe carefully. If the ancestor of the Zhang family had died here, there would be no need for him to continue.

There were over twenty withered skeletons in total. Judging by their bone quality, they had existed for anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands of years. All had been pierced by sword qi.

Ye Fan picked up a withered bone and threw it towards the natural Taiji diagram.

"Swish."

Source energy and sinister energy flowed, forming thousands of sword lights. The withered bone instantly disintegrated into ashes.

He circulated his divine power, trying to break through the surrounding mine walls to find another way out. But the divine diagram seemed sentient; sword qi crisscrossed, striking directly at him.

The supreme power formed by nature sent a chill down Ye Fan's spine. With such a divine diagram blocking the way, how could one pass? It was simply indestructible.

Ye Fan carefully examined them. All these white bones on the ground must have belonged to powerful individuals, but not a single one had managed to pass through; all had been pierced and killed here.

One skeleton even glowed faintly with silver. Its bone quality was extremely unusual, indicating it belonged to a supreme figure. Yet, it still couldn't escape the fate of death.

Ye Fan searched carefully. He found many shattered weapons, and in front of a slender skeleton, he discovered a jade pendant engraved with the words "Jade Lake."

This stirred something in his heart. He searched meticulously, but unfortunately, there were no other relics, and certainly no Jade Lake cultivation method, which he needed.

"How to get past?" According to Ye Fan's understanding, the Zhang family ancestor from a thousand years ago didn't have a very high cultivation, and wouldn't have been able to travel very far.

"If he could reach this place, I should be able to as well. Was he shattered here, or did he manage to enter?"

Ye Fan lingered outside the Taiji diagram. He summoned his Cauldron of All Being Mother Qi. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to test if the cauldron could withstand such sword qi.

"Boom."

Suddenly, he noticed an unusual phenomenon. The Taiji diagram was sometimes entirely enveloped in sinister energy, and at other times completely covered in Source energy.

It didn't always circulate Yin and Yang. Occasionally, it would manifest as isolated Yin or isolated Yang, becoming monopolar. Such sword qi was even more terrifying; the horrifying fluctuations sent shivers down Ye Fan's spine.

However, at this moment, he noticed something unusual. Whenever it was isolated Yang, meaning the Divine Source eye was erupting alone, the stone garment and stone blade on his person would glow.

"This…"

His heart immediately stirred. This was the old skin of the Divine Source; there was a subtle connection between them.

"Perhaps the peerless sword qi formed by the Divine Source won't shatter the stone garment." With this thought, Ye Fan immediately took action.

When the isolated Yang formed, the Divine Source transformed, becoming world-shaking sword qi. He extended his stone blade.

In an instant, he felt a tremendous impact force, like a raging river crashing against a raft. The stone blade was not shattered, but it nearly flew out of his hand, carried away by the force.

Ye Fan was dumbfounded, repeatedly sighing. "The relationship between all things is truly wondrous. The peerless Divine Source forms sword qi that is devastating and indestructible, yet it is harmless to the stone skin that encased it."

Aside from the lineage of Source Heaven Masters, cultivators would simply be unable to know such a restraining relationship. The natural divine diagram, which left even peak cultivators helpless, could be deciphered in this manner.

"In that case, the Zhang family ancestor from a thousand years ago really did enter…" Ye Fan truly hoped that the ancestor hadn't gone too far, so he might still be able to find what he sought.

His life was the most important; that was his bottom line. If there was true danger, he would have to give up. He could seize opportunities, but he couldn't gamble his life.

In front of the natural divine diagram, a thick layer of bone dust had accumulated. Over these endless years, countless cultivators must have been pulverized here.

As for the dozens of skeletons behind him, their preservation alone was enough to show their strength. They were certainly peerless powerhouses; even the sword qi within the Taiji diagram hadn't been able to shatter them.

"I remember many of the bones in the Bronze Immortal Palace had a jade-like luster, and there's one here too…" Ye Fan looked back at the silver skeleton.

His heart was restless. That must have been a supreme figure of the Eastern Wasteland, but to have met their end here, it deeply shook him.

"Sometimes, raw power alone isn't enough; the right methods are even more crucial."

Ye Fan waited for half a *ke* (quarter hour). Until the isolated Yang reappeared, he took off his stone garment and tested it again, finally confirming that he could pass through.

"Below this place, there's a peerless Divine Source. Unfortunately, it formed a natural divine diagram, making it impossible to excavate."

Half an hour later, Ye Fan adjusted himself to his optimal state, preparing to cross the terrifying divine diagram.

"I wonder what kind of place lies behind this divine diagram. It should have reached the underground of Purple Mountain by now, right?"

The moment the isolated Yang arose, he transformed into a streak of lightning, rushing forward. Peerless sword qi shimmered brilliantly, shooting from the Yang pole to the Yin pole, enveloping the entire divine diagram with thousands upon thousands of sword lights.

However, upon encountering the stone garment, the sword qi transformed into ripples, failing to pierce it. The stone skin of the Divine Source indeed possessed sentience, emitting a gentle sacred light, protecting Ye Fan as he safely passed through.

"Whoosh."

He passed through the shimmering light curtain, which felt like water, and arrived at the other end. He crashed against a stone wall with a "bang."

The ancient mine had reached its end. A purple stone wall blocked the path ahead.

"Purple Mountain!"

Ye Fan knew he had finally reached the underground of Purple Mountain. After a quick scan, he found nothing unusual. He immediately summoned the Golden Book, splitting open the purple rock, and walked inside.

He was surprised to find that as he advanced, the passage he had opened behind him rapidly closed. Purple Mountain seemed alive, with broken areas quickly restoring themselves.

Ye Fan felt a sense of unease. He started digging back and quickly burst out again.

"It's not as bad as I imagined…"

Finally, along the way, Ye Fan left many divine sense imprints as markers. He continued to carve through Purple Mountain, moving forward.

"Boom!"

With one last mighty sound, his vision blurred. Ahead, a magnificent structure appeared, with jadeite steps and a white jade entrance.

He had finally reached his destination, entering the interior of Purple Mountain.

Ye Fan did not act rashly. He quietly sensed the area, detecting no life fluctuations. Only then did he ascend the steps.

This was a grotto-heaven carved out of Purple Mountain. Stepping onto the jadeite steps and passing through the white jade moon-gate, it was incredibly tranquil and as serenely cold as the Guanghan Palace (Lunar Palace).

"There are a total of nine dragon veins, meaning there should be nine entrances leading into Purple Mountain."

"Furthermore, there must be living ancient creatures inside. The Divine Source mentioned in the ancient mine carvings should be here."

Ye Fan's heart pounded. The creature from over a hundred thousand years ago was too terrifying and powerful; only a Great Emperor could suppress it.

This palace, empty of inhabitants, contained nothing. It was entirely carved from ancient jade, without a single word or inscription left behind.

Ye Fan took out the Emperor Jade he had obtained and hung it on himself as a pendant, figuring it wouldn't have any negative effect.

The halls and pavilions were all carved from ancient jade, truly a magnificent jade palace. Ye Fan explored every corner, but found nothing unusual.

Finally, at the end of this complex of buildings, he saw over a dozen blood-jade steps leading to a deep grotto.

"This magnificent jade palace is just a gateway. This is the true passage into the depths of Purple Mountain…"

Ye Fan stepped forward. Not far ahead, he suddenly saw a line of characters on the purple stone wall.

"Divine King Jiang Taixu mistakenly entered Demonic Mountain and decided to investigate further!"

Ye Fan was extremely shocked. A Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland had actually been here and entered!

"His surname is Jiang; he's most likely from the desolate ancient Jiang family…"

These dozen or so characters possessed vigorous brushstrokes and contained a profound Dao realm. They made one feel the circulation of divine aura, as if a Divine King stood before them.

"This must be a Great Accomplished Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland!" Ye Fan's heart trembled as he muttered, "Otherwise, it would be impossible to force one's way through the naturally formed divine diagram with absolute power."

Ye Fan ran his hand over the characters, feeling that they were engraved at least four thousand years ago.

He walked a few more steps forward and saw another line of characters: "Rogue Cultivator Li Mu left this after exploring Demonic Mountain."

Ye Fan was surprised. This stone carving should be even older. Judging by the faded marks, it had existed for at least ten thousand years.

"This was definitely a powerful rogue cultivator!"

Five steps away, a line of delicate characters, like lotus flowers in water, exuded a fresh aura, as if alive:

"Holy Maiden Yang Yi of Jade Lake left this before entering Demonic Mountain, in search of Zhang Lin."

Ye Fan was very surprised. Even a Holy Maiden of Jade Lake had entered here.

"Zhang Lin… wasn't the founding ancestor of the Zhang family named Zhang Lin?" Ye Fan was dumbfounded. That Source Heaven Master was on good terms with Jade Lake, and the Holy Maiden was his confidante.

"Could it be the Jade Lake Holy Maiden from ten thousand years ago?" Ye Fan sighed inwardly. That Holy Maiden had traveled throughout the Northern Region and eventually disappeared; he didn't expect she had entered this place.

"She was devoted and righteous to that Source Heaven Master, what a pity…" Ye Fan didn't know the fates of Divine King Jiang Taixu and the rogue cultivator Gu Tianshu. But this Holy Maiden certainly hadn't emerged, otherwise she wouldn't have gone missing. He murmured, "You established a cenotaph for Zhang Lin; who will erect a tombstone for you?"

Walking forty or fifty steps forward, Ye Fan successively saw over thirty lines of carvings. Some names were extremely ancient, having disappeared from the Eastern Wasteland for tens of thousands of years.

Among them, the oldest line of carving even had a date. Calculating carefully, it was more than seventy thousand years old.

Finally, Ye Fan saw a line of characters with shallow engravings, clearly indicating insufficient cultivation compared to the others.

"These engravings couldn't be too old…" Ye Fan quickly glanced at them. Clearly written on it: "Zhang Jiye, descendant of Source Heaven Master Zhang Lin, left this before entering Emperor Mountain."

Only he referred to this mountain as Emperor Mountain; everyone else called it Demonic Mountain.

"That's right, it's him!"

Ye Fan was certain it was the ancestor of Old Man Zhang. These marks were about a thousand years old.

"His cultivation truly isn't profound. I hope he didn't go too far, otherwise, I'll have to retreat."

Seeing that the inscriptions left by these thirty-odd people all contained Dao rhythm, Ye Fan knew that this place was even more terrifying than he had imagined. He had a strong intuition that none of these powerful individuals had emerged alive; they had all perished within.

"Over these endless years, a total of thirty-seven people have left inscriptions here…"

After careful comparison, Ye Fan concluded that the person named Gu Tianshu, from seventy thousand years ago, was the most powerful, followed by Divine King Jiang Taixu from four thousand years ago.

"The inscriptions left by Gu Tianshu are seventy thousand years old, yet still imbued with Dao rhythm. It's hard to imagine how terrifyingly powerful he was, even stronger than a Divine King."

However, he wasn't overly shocked, because the Old Madman was such a figure, who had personally slain a Great Accomplished Divine King. As King Peacock had said himself, it should be true.

The third most powerful among them was Holy Maiden Yang Yi of Jade Lake. Her characters seemed alive, swaying like lotus petals.

The weakest, naturally, was Zhang Jiye. He was a Source Seeker; others entered based on their strength, while he relied solely on his stone garments.

"Zhang Jiye, Old Brother Zhang, please don't go too far. Both of us sneaked in, so let me find you quickly."

Ye Fan muttered to himself. Many powerful figures called this place Demonic Mountain, never returning. He didn't believe he was stronger than them.

"The only thing that reassures me is that Old Brother Zhang's cultivation wasn't very impressive. As long as I'm stronger than him, it should be fine."

The purple grotto-heaven had complex terrain. It seemed like a natural cave, yet also resembled an ancient mine left behind from excavating a Source vein.

Inside Purple Mountain, a hazy purple radiance flowed. It wasn't very dim, giving a hazy sensation.

Ye Fan walked unsteadily, passing several abandoned mines, and continued forward. For some reason, he felt an increasing sense of dread.

Deep within Purple Mountain, a terrifying demonic force seemed to be calling to him, making him unable to resist, compelling him to walk in one direction.

"How can this be!" Ye Fan bit his lips to clear his mind, while simultaneously circulating the profound methods recorded in the Dao Scripture.

"What exactly is inside this Purple Mountain?" At this moment, Ye Fan's Desolate Ancient Sacred Body displayed its extraordinary nature. The green lotus within him swayed, its three leaves resembling the creation of all things, emanating mysterious light that enveloped Ye Fan.

At the same time, the stone garment also shimmered with flowing light, showing its sentience. The demonic summons immediately weakened.

"It's over; Old Brother Zhang from a thousand years ago must have been summoned inside. If I want to find the *Source Heaven Book*, it will be harder than ascending to heaven."

Ye Fan felt a bad premonition. A strong sense of unease surged within him.

"Could that demonic power be emanating from a creature from the Primordial Era?"

The purple grotto-heaven had countless irregular caves. Ye Fan nearly got lost. He gritted his teeth and continued for a certain distance.

He hoped that due to Zhang Jiye's low strength, he wouldn't have gone very far.

At this moment, the green lotus in Ye Fan's Sea of Suffering, for some unknown reason, automatically appeared, accompanying him, and a hazy mist enveloped him.

"It seems I've entered an extremely dangerous and malevolent place. My physique was stimulated, resulting in this reaction."

Not long after, Ye Fan successively discovered seven skeletons. All shimmering with a jade-like luster, clearly left by supreme powerhouses.

Without exception, their causes of death were identical: clear finger holes in their skulls indicated a single fatal blow that shattered their divine senses.

"This is…" Ye Fan turned and left immediately.

Over endless ages, a total of thirty-seven people had entered. Seven of them had died upon reaching this point, and this was only the periphery; it was truly too dangerous.

He was here to seek opportunity, not to gamble his life.

"Zhang Jiye's cultivation was low, so why haven't I seen his bones? The jade-like bones certainly couldn't be his."

Suddenly, the demonic summoning power grew stronger. Ye Fan quickly ran back.

"No need to flee, you are temporarily safe…" A sudden voice sounded in Ye Fan's ear, shocking him.

"You… who are you?"

The voice came from another direction, not from the demonic power deep within Purple Mountain. It was extremely weak, as if it could expire at any moment.

"Speak, who are you?" Ye Fan pressed.

"Divine King… Jiang Taixu." The weak voice was barely audible and utterly incoherent.

However, these five words struck Ye Fan's ears like a clap of thunder.

A Great Accomplished Divine King… he was still alive!