Chapter 611: Eighteen Pictures

Desolate ruins lay before him, not a blade of grass growing. A massive, pitch-black abyss stretched over a hundred miles, its bottom out of sight. It was actually the result of a single finger-mark.

Ye Fan stared blankly. Had the accounts in that unofficial history come true? Someone stood ten thousand miles away, pointed a finger, and annihilated an ancient family comparable to a divine dynasty.

The Azure Emperor!

The only one who attained Dao after the Primordial Era, his origin mysterious and his cultivation immeasurable, he was an enigmatic Great Emperor whose might shook the past and present.

Ye Fan truly understood the terrifying power of the Demon Emperor. Standing ten thousand miles away, he merely flicked a finger and caused an immortal lineage to vanish into thin air. What immense divine might was this?

"I imagine if he wished, creating a finger-mark ten thousand miles long would be no problem..."

The hundred-mile-long canyon was remarkably precise; it perfectly destroyed the Cai clan's sacred land without spreading further. The control was incredibly accurate, achieving perfection down to the finest detail.

"Ancient Great Emperors are truly formidable," he thought. "Erasing a divine dynasty with a mere raise of a hand would pose no difficulty for them!"

The Azure Emperor, what kind of figure was he? The only Great Emperor after the Post-Primordial Era, he must have been one of the most astonishing figures of all time. Would he really annihilate an ancient aristocratic family just for the Nine Secrets?

The Nine Secrets, the highest divine arts of Taoism, certainly stirred people's hearts, but surely not enough to make a Great Emperor commit such an act of annihilation? Ye Fan pondered, but found it difficult to grasp the reason.

"Could there be some unknown secret, or perhaps it involved the secret of immortals..." Ye Fan thought long and hard, concluding that the reasons compelling a Great Emperor to act were simply too few.

He felt that the Cai clan must have held many secrets, secrets so significant that even the Azure Emperor took action. If he could find descendants of the clan, perhaps a veil of historical mystery would be lifted.

In the present world, apart from the family itself, probably no one knew the full cause and effect of those events.

Ye Fan walked through these ruins, finding nothing. He imagined that countless people must have come to pay their respects here over the past ten thousand years, so any clues would surely have been long gone.

He descended into the bottomless abyss, feeling the power of that single finger-mark. It was ten thousand zhang deep, and the ground below was hard and dry; both rock and soil layers had been smoothed out.

Ye Fan left the place with a hint of melancholy and awe. A glorious family, with a long and ancient lineage, ultimately unable to withstand a single finger-mark from the Azure Emperor – it was truly a lamentable fate.

According to the information Pang Bo gave him, the Cai clan was not completely annihilated. Some members were away at the time and must have escaped the calamity.

Over the past ten thousand years, several emerging sects were suspected of being Cai clan survivors, believed to have changed their identities and continued the family's legacy.

Ye Fan also believed that the clan had not been completely wiped out; otherwise, how could there have been an old Saint who, before his death, gazed westward and integrated his Dao with the natural world?

In the following days, he began his long journey of search.

The Vermilion Bird Sect, a major sect that emerged eight thousand years ago, covered a vast area, nestled in beautiful mountains in the western part of Central Province.

Ye Fan traversed the void to get there this time, as the distance was too vast. He sighed helplessly, having visited many places in the past two months but finding nothing.

This mountainous region was predominantly red earth; if not for the vegetation covering it, it would look like a burning inferno. The Vermilion Bird Sect had been very prosperous for the past few millennia, with experts as numerous as clouds.

This was almost Ye Fan's last target. If he still couldn't find any descendants of the Cai clan, he would truly be at his wit's end.

A few days later, Ye Fan disguised himself as a geomancer and wandered around the area. He learned many details: the sect had seventy-two spiritual peaks and over ten thousand disciples.

However, to his disappointment, he did not hear of any special divine arts within the sect. He wondered if they were well-hidden or if he had simply come to the wrong place again.

A few more days passed, and Ye Fan learned that this was where a phoenix had fallen, its blood dyeing the mountains and rivers red, which was why the soil and rocks here were red. The sect's most powerful unique skill was called the Minor Sun Sutra.

"It's a scripture evolved from a remnant of the Sun Sutra!" he exclaimed in surprise. No wonder the sect was flourishing day by day; a remnant scripture they possessed had a very significant origin.

Just one-fifth of the Sun Sutra allowed a major sect to establish itself in a region, which was enough to demonstrate the profound depth and vastness of the two supreme human scriptures from the ancient past, the Lunar and Sun Sutras.

Half a month later, Ye Fan spent a piece of divine source and learned a secret from a disciple known as "Mr. Know-It-All" within the sect: the founding patriarch was indeed surnamed Cai, but he did not stay long. He left five hundred years after founding the sect, entrusting everything to his disciples.

"Brother, you're here looking for the Nine Secrets, aren't you?" Mr. Know-It-All said meaningfully, patting Ye Fan's shoulder. "Over the past eight thousand years, countless people have come here. Don't waste your time; they're simply not here."

Ye Fan smiled as well. It seemed this method definitely wouldn't work; many people had already tried it.

"Let me tell you this: our patriarch really might be a survivor of the Cai clan," Mr. Know-It-All continued, "but he didn't pass down any Nine Secrets, only a remnant scripture."

"Mr. Know-It-All" revealed much, explaining that over the past eight thousand years, many astonishing figures had come in search, but all of them eventually left in helplessness, having gained nothing at all.

The Nine Secrets, the nine strongest divine arts of Taoism, contained too many secrets. Envied by heaven, they could not be combined into one and were now scattered in all directions, with several of them completely lost.

Searching like this was like looking for a needle in a haystack; it was simply impossible to find any clues.

"You spent a piece of divine source to buy information, which seems quite generous," Mr. Know-It-All said. "So I'll give you a free tip: our patriarch went south all the way. I heard he went to an ancient land called Hanchuan."

Ye Fan gave a bitter smile. Eight thousand years had already passed, and finding a person's trace was too difficult. He even suspected that the sect's patriarch was the old Saint who had integrated his Dao.

However, to obtain the Nine Secrets, he could only continue searching. Although he knew many people had traveled this path, he still hoped to discover valuable clues.

He had come all the way from the west, and now he had to go to the southern part of Central Province. The journey was extremely long, so he still had to traverse space.

Fortunately, the so-called south was the region bordering the west, not the southernmost tip; otherwise, he would truly be at a loss.

He had enough Profound Jade Platforms on him. By now, he could even carve them himself, though these were the simplest ones, only capable of traversing tens of thousands of miles at a time.

Along the way, Ye Fan traversed the void, abandoning an uncountable number of Profound Jade Platforms, until he finally arrived at Hanchuan in the southern part of Central Province.

This region covered an area of a million square miles, but in the vast southern part of Central Province, it was merely a small corner.

Hanchuan was a plain, home to eleven famous giant cities that gathered the dragon qi between heaven and earth. Each city was extremely ancient and enjoyed thriving fortunes.

Each ancient city represented a major power, giving Ye Fan a throbbing headache. After half a month of discreet inquiries, he only found a few clues: people from the Cai clan had indeed been here, but later disappeared without a trace.

Finally, he exhausted all his methods and learned that the Cai clan had originally intended to be reborn from the ashes here and rebuild their glory, but they ultimately left, for unknown reasons.

The next stop was far in the eastern part of Central Province, already close to the Eastern Wasteland. From south to east, it spanned more than half of Central Province, an even greater distance.

If Ye Fan wanted to continue, ordinary Profound Jade Platforms would certainly not suffice, unless he could carry an entire mountain's worth to squander. Now, a super-large divine formation was needed, as the distance was simply too vast.

"Are the people of the Cai clan intentionally messing with people?" he wondered. "First they went to the west, then the south, then the east, and next time will they go to the north?"

Ye Fan felt that searching like this definitely wouldn't work. Over the past ten thousand years, countless people had been searching for the Cai clan's Nine Secrets. Since they had not spread throughout the world, it proved that most of these people had failed.

Therefore, if he continued along this path, he was also destined to fail.

"I can't think the same way as my predecessors," he mused. "I need to consider it from a different angle."

After that, he began to spend the divine source in his hand, buying information from the three ancient great sects of Central Province to deduce the whereabouts of the Nine Secrets.

The Hundred Knowledge Sect, the Celestial Secret Pavilion, and the Red Dust Pavilion – these three ancient sects were among the Hundred Schools of Central Province. Their origins were ancient, traceable to before the Primordial Era. They were the most well-informed, selling information at a high price—a thousand gold for a single word—and their intelligence was very accurate.

"I can only hope Hua Yunfei has found some clues..."

Ye Fan really didn't want this person to obtain the Nine Secrets, but now he could only start with him. Hua Yunfei had gone to that small Taoist temple before him, so he had probably obtained more clues than Ye Fan. It was even possible the old Saint had left something behind.

He stopped searching for the Cai clan. Instead, he began to spend a large amount of source, using these three ancient sects to track Hua Yunfei.

First, Ye Fan issued a commissioned task: to compile a list of regions where the most Saint-level figures in the world had perished.

He knew well that Hua Yunfei cultivated the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art, and to devour extraordinary origins, Saint-level figures were definitely his preferred targets.

Soon, a secret letter arrived from the Hundred Knowledge Sect, providing relevant information. Upon reading it, he was immediately left between laughter and tears.

It was very simply written: "The areas frequented by the Sacred Body Ye Fan are the regions where the most Saint-level figures have perished," listing places like Fire Demon Ridge, Prodigy Mansion, and Immortal Mansion World.

"How did the search lead back to myself..." he muttered.

Fortunately, the Hundred Knowledge Sect sent another, more detailed, piece of information: some outstanding disciples of major sects in western Central Province had died in the last two years, several prominent figures had disappeared in southern Central Province, and some exceptionally talented young powerhouses in eastern Central Province had mysteriously vanished.

Ye Fan's heart stirred. In the past two years, some astonishing figures in Central Province had mysteriously disappeared, leaving many unsolved cases. But because the region was too vast, no one had really noticed anything amiss.

"Did Hua Yunfei do this?" he wondered. "But it's too scattered, impossible to deduce his location..." He drew several circles on the map, dividing it into more than a dozen regions, all of which could be Hua Yunfei's lurking places.

He spent a lot of time connecting the times and locations of these deaths, organizing them into a trajectory map.

"Using this to infer Hua Yunfei's movements is still unreliable," he mused, "there are too many variables."

After that, Ye Fan spent a large amount of source, commissioning the three ancient sects to investigate a crucial element: collecting information on places where heavenly tribulations had occurred over the past two years.

This was very difficult, as people undergoing tribulation usually find an uninhabited area to avoid detection.

However, the three ancient sects were extraordinary; they actually sent some very valuable information, marking several regions with concrete evidence that someone had undergone tribulation there.

Ye Fan used this to draw another map, but it still couldn't be relied upon. He pondered over it carefully for a long time.

This was far from enough. The world was too vast, and even with all this information combined, it wasn't enough to pinpoint Hua Yunfei's whereabouts.

When Ye Fan was with the Black Emperor, he had gained a detailed understanding of the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art's various characteristics, knowing the problems and difficulties that would occur during its cultivation.

This technique went against heavenly harmony; it was a demonic path with a nine-deaths-one-life survival rate. When devouring others' origins, it was prone to heavenly condemnation and required harmonization with several ancient medicinal formulas.

Apart from the Black Emperor, even those from the divine dynasties might not know these medicinal formulas, and few in the current era understood their effects.

Ye Fan listed several very rare spirit medicines, the main ingredients of the ancient formulas and difficult to find in the world. If they were ever sold, there would surely be traces to follow.

This information was of great importance. Soon after, Ye Fan received a document from the Red Dust Pavilion. Based on the times and locations where the spirit medicines were sold, he drew another map.

"Once the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art reaches minor completion," he recalled, "during the tempering process, it can devour mountains and rivers, and a black hole will crush everything."

Based on everything the Black Emperor had said, he issued another task: to investigate unusual movements in mountains and rivers across various regions, such as whether some areas had lost mountain ranges or similar features.

In this way, based on various details, Ye Fan issued a total of eighteen tasks, each costing a large amount of source, and drew eighteen maps based on the eighteen sets of information.

After that, he summarized and synthesized, combining the eighteen maps into a final trajectory map representing Hua Yunfei's movements.

"Five of these regions are the most suspicious!"

Late at night, Ye Fan bent over the map, carefully pondering, and identified five regions.

"Hua Yunfei, I'm coming for you!"

The next day, Ye Fan set off, beginning his search. He needed to visit the five regions on the map one by one.

This was a tedious process. He spent a month eliminating four of the regions and finally arrived in western Central Province again, though it wasn't the Vermilion Bird Sect, but a place called the Qinling Mountains.

This time, Ye Fan spent even more time. After more than a month, he did discover some clues, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact final location.

The Qinling Mountains were a mysterious place, home to many ancient sects, all extremely powerful. But they had no connection to the Cai clan, most having existed for tens of thousands of years.

However, Ye Fan found traces of Hua Yunfei in this region, which matched perfectly with the eighteen maps he had drawn.

"I believe you are in this region," he thought, "but the Qinling Mountains are too vast; I can only advance slowly, but I will definitely find you."

Half a month later, Ye Fan passed by a declining small sect. There were no ancient cities here that gathered ancestral dragon qi, only a few low hills devoid of spiritual beauty or scenic charm.

Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure on one of the low hills, walking with a few disciples from this declining small sect.

"Li Xiaoman..."

It was indeed an old acquaintance from the other side of the starry sky. He hadn't seen her in nearly three years, yet her pure beauty remained undiminished, just as before, her white clothes fluttering, carrying a hint of otherworldly aura.

In that instant, Ye Fan realized Hua Yunfei must be here without a doubt; he had found the right place.

"Presumably the Nine Secrets are here too," he thought. "This is not simple; Hua Yunfei found the Nine Secrets that others had desperately searched for eight thousand years, in just over two years."

A declining small sect, with only a few dozen disciples—could the Nine Secrets really be here? Ye Fan stood in the distant sky, watching Li Xiaoman, and pondered quietly for a moment.

"She has become a disciple of this sect," he mused. "Perhaps this declining small sect is not as insignificant as it seems..."