Chapter 291: Red Dragon Old Taoist

Purple Mountain, vast and majestic, stood towering like an ancient pillar supporting the heavens on the boundless red wasteland, displaying its grandeur.

The old Daoist stood in the void, his back to Purple Mountain and facing the distant horizon. "Come out, all of you," he said. "Do I have to send you away one by one?"

His eyes were a pale gold, and his skin was like bronze—sturdy and powerful. His old Daoist robe fluttered, yet he lacked the ethereal grace of an immortal. Instead, he resembled an immortal, peerless demon king, a sight that made people tremble.

"Whoosh!" Two golden beams shot from his eyes, forcing five figures out of the distant sky. All of them looked disheveled and in a sorry state. Evidently, the old Daoist had no intention of harming them; otherwise, they would have been in grave danger.

Four of them were incredibly old men. Their teeth had almost all fallen out, and they were emaciated, practically skin and bones. Their heads were nearly bald, with only a few wisps of hair left.

Ye Fan's heart clenched. He recognized these old men; he had encountered them in the small world created by ancient sages. They were old subordinates of the Green Dragon King, whose lifespans were nearing their end. He had not expected them to be here.

There was also a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a tall and upright figure, sword-like eyebrows extending to his temples, sharp eyes, and a chiseled face, exuding a striking heroic spirit. It was Kong Teng, the Peacock King's eldest disciple.

"May I ask who you are, esteemed senior?" asked the old demons. Though their lives were nearing their end and their status and power were comparable to the grand elders of sacred lands, they became very flustered and uneasy upon seeing the old Daoist.

The old Daoist exuded immense pressure; he didn't seem like a person at all, but rather a fearsome, bottomless abyss. He spoke calmly, "Everything from yesteryear has long been forgotten."

"You all should leave now." The old Daoist said nothing more. With a wave of his large sleeve, gray mist descended from the sky, obscuring the firmament. With a thunderous roar, everyone was swept away, vanishing into the horizon.

Among all present, only Kong Teng was not swept away. Chaos light shimmered on his body as he rapidly surged towards the distance.

"Chaos god..." The old Daoist showed a hint of surprise, extending a large hand to grasp into the void.

"Buzz!" The sky trembled. Kong Teng, who had already surged into the distance, was suddenly restrained and pulled back. His expression instantly changed, and he shouted, "Old Daoist, what is the meaning of this?"

He had not only inherited the Peacock King's profound techniques but also shared some of his fierce pride. Showing no fear, he instead launched a counterattack.

"Boom!" Kong Teng flipped his hand, and a dark, massive seal appeared, emitting thousands of auspicious rays as it flew towards the old Daoist nearby.

"Chaos Stone!" Ye Fan's heart leaped. Wasn't this the black stone from the Great Emperor's sleeping quarters? He hadn't expected it to fall into the hands of the Peacock King and his disciple.

The moment this black, massive seal appeared, the pressure in the area surged, causing suffocation. It rapidly expanded, filling the sky, overwhelmingly dark and boundless. An incredible force field emerged, imprisoning the void.

"Boom!" Auspicious light streamed down, like the Milky Way pouring from the Nine Heavens, creating an incredibly heavy and suffocating pressure. Even powerful cultivators, if caught within it, would likely be crushed to dust.

Yet the old Daoist remained unaffected and utterly fearless. He murmured to himself, "This is a wisp of innate killing aura refined from the Chaos Stone."

"Ding!" He lightly tapped with his finger, and the black, massive seal instantly froze, rapidly shrinking. He grabbed it with his hand, and it appeared in his palm in an instant.

"Bang!" The black stone seal shattered, transforming into a swirling mass of chaotic energy around the old Daoist's palm and fingers.

Suddenly, a long cry rang out. A chilling killing intent emerged from the chaotic energy, and a five-colored peacock appeared, emitting a blazing light as it tried to shatter the hand.

"It's you, little brother!" The old Daoist's expression shifted in surprise. His palm and fingers shimmered with light, stabilizing the five-colored peacock.

"You are... Big Brother Scarlet Dragon," replied the five-colored peacock. It was a wisp of the Peacock King's divine consciousness that had entered the chaotic energy to assist his disciple when necessary.

From afar, Ye Fan's heart trembled. This old Daoist was the Peacock King's sworn elder brother—he certainly had a profound background.

"It is I," the old Daoist confirmed. "I've re-emerged, and I didn't expect to encounter you as soon as I arrived in the Northern Region." He nodded, loosening his grip, and released the chaotic energy and the five-colored peacock.

Beside them, Kong Teng stood in a daze. His master's elder brother—what kind of figure could that be?

"Big Brother Scarlet Dragon, where did you go?" the Peacock King asked. "Why did you suddenly vanish fifteen hundred years ago? I thought you had perished."

Ye Fan was startled. What kind of person was this? To have vanished for fifteen hundred years!

It was rumored that the Peacock King had cultivated for over two thousand years, so this old Daoist likely possessed nearly three thousand years of cultivation.

"It's a long story," the old Daoist sighed. "I was trapped at Sacred Cliff and nearly died there, confined for fifteen hundred years."

"Sacred Cliff," the five-colored peacock exclaimed with surprise, "the very cliff rumored to be stained black and red by the blood of a great accomplished Ancient Sacred Body?"

"I didn't find the blood of a great accomplished Ancient Sacred Body," he replied. "Instead, I accidentally stumbled into a formation pattern carved by a Great Emperor and was nearly refined to death."

"Hahaha," the black peacock laughed. "I see Big Brother Scarlet Dragon's cultivation has grown even deeper now. Escaping a great disaster surely brings future blessings."

"Fifteen hundred years of solitary meditation eventually brought some enlightenment," the old Daoist said, nodding with a smile. "I'm somewhat stronger than before."

"I was thinking," the Peacock King said with a long laugh, "that in this world, anyone who could silently slay us brothers hasn't even been born yet. How could Big Brother Scarlet Dragon possibly have fallen?"

"My virtuous younger brother has a great destiny," the old Daoist remarked. "Judging from the wisp of innate killing aura that was restrained, you have obtained a natural chaotic treasure seal. With it in your hand, the various holy lords will surely be worried."

"I only just acquired it," the Peacock King replied. "I was just thinking of slaying the Shaking Light Holy Lord. Big Brother, come with me at once; this time, I intend to annihilate him!"

Indeed, that pure stone had been acquired by the Peacock King. What had shattered just now was merely a wisp of chaotic essence, not the true body of the treasure seal.

"Do we need to leave immediately?" the old Daoist asked. He greatly wished to return to the Stone Village because the stone materials there had astonished him, potentially containing what he needed.

"Yes, we leave immediately," said the Peacock King's divine consciousness, which had transformed into a graceful sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth. "I had demon cultivators come here precisely to lure the Shaking Light Holy Lord, who is in this region, so we could ambush him midway. I assume he has already received the news. Now, it's best we depart quickly."

"Alright, I'll go with you," the Scarlet Dragon old Daoist said. He swept his gaze around, then lightly shook his sleeve, causing dozens of figures, including Ye Fan, to materialize.

Most were local low-level cultivators who had come to investigate after hearing the commotion. At this moment, they were all trembling with fear, for there were few in the world who dared to assassinate a Holy Lord.

"You all should leave as soon as possible. This is not something you can get involved in," the Scarlet Dragon old Daoist said, giving everyone a faint glance.

"Big Brother Scarlet Dragon, we haven't seen each other for fifteen hundred years! Let's have a good talk on the way!"

Light shimmered, and the Scarlet Dragon Daoist and the Peacock King vanished in an instant. Kong Teng also departed quickly.

"So, those capable of confronting Holy Lords are truly terrifying," Ye Fan muttered to himself. "It's both shocking and awe-inspiring..."

Every time he witnessed individuals of this caliber in action, he gained a new understanding. The more he learned, the more he realized how formidable the various Holy Lords truly were.

The big black dog appeared on the horizon, transforming into a streak of black light and dashing over. It cursed, "Hurry and leave! Such ruthless individuals make this emperor feel immense danger."

They quickly returned to the Stone Village. By then, Wang Shu and the others had also returned. As time was pressing and they needed to leave quickly, Ye Fan discussed with everyone and agreed to store them inside the Jade Pure Bottle.

Then, he summoned his cauldron, standing in the sky. He collected every stone into it with a rumbling sound, even pulling out the foundations.

The stone materials favored by the Scarlet Dragon Daoist were absolutely extraordinary. Had it not been for this old Daoist, they would not have known how many years it would take to uncover the secrets of these stone artifacts.

Including stone rollers, stone altars, and foundation stones, a large pile of stone materials all entered the cauldron, leaving the area noticeably barer.

Simultaneously, the Black Emperor had also carved the Dao patterns. They directly crossed the void, putting distance between themselves and the area for the time being.

Half a month later, Ye Fan appeared in Quzhou and found Tu Fei, asking him to help settle the people.

As soon as they met, Tu Fei excitedly rushed over, saying, "Where's that furnace? Take it out and let me see!"

Ever since he learned that the Golden-Winged Roc King, the Shaking Light Saint Son, and Yao Xi had been suppressed, he had been eager to find Ye Fan and see for himself.

Ye Fan, unable to resist Tu Fei's insistence, took out the fire furnace and let him examine it closely.

"Haha..." Tu Fei burst out laughing, holding the furnace and shaking it repeatedly. He then transmitted a message into it: "Shaking Light Saint Son, Yao Xi, how are you? I truly miss you two."

The Blazing Fire Divine Furnace vibrated violently, bulging in one spot and making Tu Fei's ears buzz.

"Can this broken furnace truly seal them?" He slapped it hard, shaking the people inside as well.

Ye Fan retrieved it, saying, "Suppressing them for half a year to a year is no problem. Now, quickly find me a place; I need to settle the people from Stone Village."

Ultimately, Tu Fei led him to a place called Haozhou. This oasis spanned several thousand *li*, a rather vast territory that was his grandfather's domain.

Settling dozens of households was no problem at all; they could simply find any scenic place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. The environment was much better than that of the original Stone Village.

"I say, you don't need to move stones when you relocate, do you?" Tu Fei asked, dumbfounded.

This was because a massive pile of stones, resembling small mountains, looked utterly ordinary, with nothing special about them.

The people from the Stone Village were very satisfied with this scenic location. As they had already procured ample supplies, they lacked nothing and only needed to construct their homes.

The villagers worked with great enthusiasm, eager to build their new homes.

Ye Fan immediately entered seclusion, as ten thousand *jin* of source stones were sufficient for him to reach the third heaven of the Dao character stage.

For an entire month, he remained immersed in an ethereal state, his physique undergoing wondrous transformations.

The Western Emperor Scripture was incredibly profound. Ye Fan silently cultivated it, experiencing various incredible phenomena. Over the past month, he heard the chanting of the "Past Self."

Inside his Dao Palace, it was as if Zen chants and ancient sacrificial sounds pierced through time and space, drifting in ethereally. Though born in the present age, there was a "self" living in the past. Some believed it was the "Past Self" chanting scriptures for the current life.

Of course, many did not endorse this view. Peak cultivators believed it was the "Dao Self," an aspect of one's Dao nature capturing traces of the Dao and stirring the Great Dao of the world.

Whether called the "Past Self" or the "Dao Self," for the past month, it had been stirring heaven and earth, nourishing the master, and making the "self" of this life immortal.

Throughout this month, within Ye Fan's Dao Palace, five qi, like dragons, coiled and danced. He listened to the profound sounds of the Great Dao, his body glowing and continuously transforming.

After the thirtieth day, the cultivation method recorded in the Western Emperor Scripture ceased its operation. The vital essence from the sky rushed in frantically, completely engulfing Ye Fan's secluded location.

This continued for three full days. With a tremendous "boom," stones were sent flying into the sky as Ye Fan rose, two dragon-shaped divine rays shooting from his eyes.

His black hair cascaded down as he stood tall. His body brimmed with immense power; he felt as though a single punch could slay a dragon. He possessed inexhaustible power within him!