Chapter 574: Immortal Burial Map

Every time, I feel helpless. Qixi Festival is approaching; I wish all lovers find their true partners. I might as well treat Qixi as Singles' Day.

Yan Yunluan, after drawing down boundless heavenly tribulation, failed to break through. He was left half-crippled and severely injured, with no knowing how long it would take for him to recover. This outcome left everyone utterly astonished and speechless. The protagonist was nearly struck dead by the heavenly punishment he himself invoked, while his opponent walked away perfectly fine, brimming with vitality as if he had consumed dragon's blood. Yan Yunluan lay there, charred all over and powerlessly slumped, with electrical discharges crackling and bursting from his body intermittently. The other person, meanwhile, was perfectly composed, waving to the crowd. It was a scene that rendered everyone speechless; everything seemed to have been reversed. Many opened their mouths but ultimately said nothing, finding it simply too disheartening.

Ye Fan's first thought was to eliminate Yan Yunluan. However, he figured that others would already be suspicious. It would be inexplicable for the true protagonist to be half-dead while he himself was invigorated and full of energy, as if he had just eaten a ginseng fruit. The land was scarred and desolate, with broken mountains, vast rifts, and deep abysses everywhere. The lightning tribulation had devastated this barren range, transforming it into a wasteland.

Ultimately, Ye Fan extended his right hand, intending to sever Yan Yunluan's head. Although it was in plain sight, he had no fear; at worst, he could just leave and change his appearance again. A propitious cloud drifted over. A golden Daoist robe fluttered as an old man appeared, standing with his hands behind his back, as if about to ascend to immortality. He blocked Ye Fan's path.

“Stay your hand!” the old man spoke, saving Yan Yunluan. He had the white hair of an elder but the face of a youth, and his vibrant spirit clearly indicated a supreme level of cultivation. Ye Fan recognized him; he had seen him at the Peaches of Immortality feast. The old man had even invited him to join the Qishi Mansion, but Ye Fan had politely declined. With such a figure appearing now, Ye Fan naturally could not act, so he offered a respectful bow.

“I observe that you possess extraordinary bearing, young friend. Are you perhaps willing to join the Qishi Mansion?”

“Thank you, Senior. I appreciate your kind offer, but I am accustomed to a leisurely life, and I fear I would violate the Mansion's rules daily if I were to enter,” Ye Fan replied with a smile.

From a distance, everyone was astonished. Someone had actually refused an invitation from the Qishi Mansion; though politely, the effect was the same. “What is his background? Does he disdain even the Qishi Mansion? Has anyone ever refused before?” “Well, there is that prodigy from the Eastern Wasteland who has never come, and also politely declined.”

The news of Yan Yunluan's crushing defeat, nearly dying from his own lightning tribulation, caused a sensation within the Qishi Mansion. Those who had not come to watch the battle were all surprised and regretful. Right next to the Qishi Mansion, there was such a neighbor—a young lord whose reputation had spread into the ancient immortal mountain range, astounding young powerhouses from all five great domains.

At this time, a great upheaval occurred in the Immortal Mansion world. The Primeval Beast King commanded hundreds of thousands of strange beasts, which rampaged like a flood. Many who had held onto a shred of hope and not retreated were caught in a great catastrophe. In the preceding days, blood had stained the stone cliffs and caves, and numerous human cultivators had died tragic deaths, becoming food for the strange beasts. Casualties were severe. Conservatively, it was estimated that ninety percent of those who did not retreat were devoured by the strange beasts, leaving no trace, not even bone fragments. Hundreds of thousands of strange beasts, boundless and endless, moved like a dark cloud or a towering flood. Any powerful being had to retreat before them, leaving nothing behind in their wake. At this moment, no one dared to enter. Even peerless emperors could only wait, as the beastly turmoil threatened everyone.

Over the past few days, major powers held urgent consultations, agreeing that on the next entry into the Immortal Mansion world, no one should hunt the strange beasts or provoke them in any way. The Primeval Beast King's wrath this time, which led to the massacre of human cultivators, was primarily because many had captured strange beast cubs and taken their true blood for alchemy, committing a great taboo.

In recent days, many people, all disciples of the Qishi Mansion, appeared in Ye Fan's territory. They had come, drawn by his reputation, wanting to see for themselves who this young lord truly was. However, not a single person arrived on a spirit beast. Many had already heard that this person enjoyed eating spirit beasts, having even consumed Qi Huoshui's dragon horse.

Temporarily unable to enter the Immortal Mansion world, Ye Fan, restless and with nothing to do, wandered around. He unexpectedly discovered an immortal cliff in an adjacent territory, where many cultivators were active. Among them, many were disciples of the Qishi Mansion, exchanging goods and services with others, much like a market for cultivators. This immortal cliff was over a thousand zhang high and exceptionally steep. Mortals could not ascend it at all, and no grass grew there. The cliff face was vast, and only cultivators entered and exited. This place was extraordinary, having existed for an immense period. It was said that whenever the Qishi Mansion opened, this area would become a free exchange market, making it considerably ancient.

Ye Fan found it very novel and walked around. There were pavilions built of jade, displaying various divine weapons and sharp blades, as well as stalls set up directly on the ground, selling all sorts of spiritual medicines and ancient treasures. Eventually, Ye Fan stopped before a blind old man. On the ground was only a tattered straw mat, upon which lay a few dark, unremarkable stones.

“Dragon Might Stones, peerless rare treasures! Don't miss them if you pass by!” the old blind man peddled enthusiastically.

“How much per piece?” Ye Fan squatted down, observing closely, and weighed a few pebble-sized stones in his hand.

“One thousand jin of origin stone per piece, honest dealing, fair price,” the old blind man replied. He was dressed in rags, yet he quoted an exorbitant price.

“Could he be an eccentric master?” Ye Fan was filled with doubt. He activated his Origin Heaven Divine Eye to see through the stones, then eventually tossed them all to the ground, saying, “You just fished these out of the river, didn't you?”

“Uh, it's been four or five days,” the old blind man said without a hint of embarrassment. He lifted himself up, shuffled a couple of steps, and then mysteriously whispered, “Let me tell you, young brother, I really do have treasures here, but I wonder if you can afford them.”

Ye Fan's heart stirred. He noticed a stone the old trickster was sitting on, which was also dark and unremarkable, but it contained a few drops of dragon marrow. “I'll buy it!” He took out a piece of unusual origin stone, worth a thousand jin of pure origin stone. The old blind man sat down on the stone, saying, “Good. Just don't tell anyone else.” He then produced a map and handed it over.

Ye Fan was speechless. This old man was definitely doing it on purpose, revealing a treasure but selling something else entirely. Ye Fan had no need for some tattered map. “I wanted to buy that black stone under your butt.”

“Oh, that one? I just pulled it out of the river; it's quite comfortable to sit on. Not for sale.”

Ye Fan suppressed the urge to rob him and asked, “What kind of map are you selling?”

“Shh!” the old blind man whispered mysteriously. “If others hear about it, they'll fight over it until heads are broken. This is an Immortal Burial Map.” He unfolded a crinkled, tattered map and placed it on the straw mat. “See here? This is a treasure map from within the Immortal Mansion World, containing the secrets of an ancient Emperor's scripture.”

Ye Fan squatted before the mat and examined the map carefully for a few moments, growing somewhat surprised. Some of the places marked were ones he had visited, and the depiction was incredibly accurate.

“See this skull mark? You absolutely cannot go there, or you'll surely die. And over here, there's an immortal mark. Do you know what that is? It's the place where an ancient Great Emperor passed away, and there's an ancient scripture there,” the old blind man prattled on.

“Aren't you blind? How can you point things out?” Ye Fan rolled his eyes, thinking this old trickster was just spouting nonsense with his eyes wide open.

“I have cultivated the Heavenly Eye, so naturally, I can see,” the old man said calmly, without a trace of embarrassment.

Ye Fan stood up, not wanting to argue with him anymore. He was clearly an old swindler; how could Ye Fan fall for his tricks?

“I'm telling you, if you miss out on this, you'll regret it for a lifetime! This map contains the secrets of the Grand Emperor's Scripture, or perhaps the Scripture of No Beginning, or even the Indestructible Heavenly Art. Go on, take the map and find it yourself, then!”

“Don't be in such a hurry to leave, young man! How about this: you can go verify if what I'm saying is true or false, and then come back to buy the map,” the old trickster said, pointing to a spot on the tattered map. There was a mark there, though very faint. He continued, “Though this place can't be called an immortal land, a saint once passed away here, and it's very suitable for comprehending the Dao.”

Ye Fan was startled. That location was indeed where an ancient saint had transcended the Dao, and even the faint blue lake and the straight stone mountain were marked. He looked strangely at the old trickster. Was this fellow actually selling a real Immortal Burial Map? Setting aside other prominently marked places, just the inclusion of this Dao transcendence spot was quite unusual.

“How much for this map?”

“Ten thousand jin of pure origin stone.”

“You might as well just rob people!” Ye Fan really wanted to disregard the elderly and physically act against him.

“This is already a clearance sale price; otherwise, I planned to sell it for one hundred thousand jin of origin stone,” the old blind man said calmly and unhurriedly.

“One hundred jin of pure origin stone, I'll buy it,” Ye Fan said.

“How about this: you give me eight thousand jin of origin stone, and we'll call it even.”

“No more than that. This map is only worth two hundred jin of origin stone.”

“Young man, you should be generous. Seven thousand jin of origin stone is the lowest I can go.”

The two haggled endlessly. Finally, Ye Fan couldn't take it anymore. He threw down one thousand jin of origin stone, snatched the map, and left.

“I sold it cheaply to you this time! Come back often for more business!” the old blind man waved from behind.

“I'll just consider this being conned once,” Ye Fan thought as he walked away without looking back, finding an secluded spot to study the map carefully.

The Immortal Burial Ground, marked with an immortal ascending, was located deep within the desolate world. Its complex terrain suggested a place connected to the heavens. There were even faint inscriptions of names like Undying Heavenly Emperor, Southern Ridge Heavenly Emperor, Grand Emperor, and Wu Shi.

“This old trickster really dared to write this!” Ye Fan watched for a while, then put away the map, planning to examine it more closely when he entered the Immortal Mansion again.

Before long, he returned to a spot near the old blind man's stall, which made him grit his teeth. The old man was still muttering mysteriously, and it wasn't long before he stopped another person. At first, those people were impatient, but soon they were all haggling with him to buy maps. Ye Fan patiently counted. In just half an hour, the old man had already sold over a dozen Immortal Burial Maps. The cheapest sold for five hundred jin of origin stone, while the most expensive actually fetched someone ten thousand jin of origin stone.

“This old trickster, these maps are mass-produced to this extent!” Ye Fan completely realized. Underneath the straw mat was a thick stack, no less than a thousand maps. Each map was aged to look worn and tattered, appearing ancient, truly giving off a hint of an Immortal Burial Map. “This old trickster putting a few broken stones there is truly a case of selling dog meat under the guise of lamb! In such a short time, he's already made tens of thousands of jin of origin stone.”

When the old trickster had sold thirty maps, a sudden commotion broke out. People from the Great Xia Dynasty arrived, including a powerful cultivator. The old blind man quickly rolled up his tattered mat and fled, jumping straight off the immortal cliff and vanishing instantly.

“Where did he go? Who is he, to openly sell such secret maps?!” The Imperial Uncle of the Great Xia Dynasty was furious.

Ye Fan was startled, clutching the ancient map in his hand. This might actually be a real Immortal Burial Map, and that old trickster was indeed somewhat mysterious.

It was a blunder. I remembered updating, but then I received a call from the sub-moderator of the review section asking why there was no update. It turned out I had indeed uploaded the chapter but hadn't clicked 'publish'. Well, a few authors can vouch for me; I went to dinner with Skeleton Elf, Seventy-Two Changes, Tudou, Gaolou, and others. I was too rushed when I left, which led to this mix-up.