Chapter 612: Qin Gate

The Qinling Mountains, spanning over a million li, are vast and boundless, yet they are merely a corner of the western Central Plains.

This is a mysterious ancient land, little understood by outsiders. Many legends speak of powerful individuals, extremely strong yet largely unknown, who have resided here since ancient times. It is said that in ancient times, an invincible sage, who had traversed the five great domains without finding an equal, was defeated and brought to his knees by an old shepherd upon reaching the Qinling Mountains. Even in more recent ancient times, twenty thousand years ago, similar incidents took place. Eight powerful cultivators who came to the Qinling Mountains searching for ancient secrets were all thrown into a lake by a fisherman.

This ancient land possesses its own unique heritage, making it mysterious and shrouded in mist for outsiders. Throughout the million li of the Qinling Mountains, mountain ranges abound, and countless ancient tombs lie beneath the ground. It is said that someone once unearthed the mausoleums of twelve ancient emperors within a mere six months. This region is extraordinary; it is puzzling that some emperors of ancient divine dynasties consistently sought to be buried deep within the Qinling Mountains after their deaths.

Some claim it is a land where one can reach immortals, with old legends telling of individuals ascending to the heavens. Others describe it as an incomprehensible place, with numerous underground cemeteries where cultivators pursue enlightenment, hidden from the outside world. Too many secrets surround the Qinling Mountains. Some even claim that the Azure Emperor, whose brilliance transcended eras, was born here before journeying to the Eastern Barren Lands. A local legend speaks of a Pond of Immortal Transformation in the Qinling Mountains, where thirty thousand years ago, a green lotus gained sentience. It soon achieved enlightenment and transformed, gradually growing into the Azure Emperor, a figure whose accomplishments echoed through history.

"The Qinling Mountains are home to many reclusive masters and ancient underground tombs..." This was Ye Fan's conclusion after spending some time there, which he remarked with a slight sigh. Although he had seen Li Xiaoman, he could not acknowledge her. Instead, he remained, traversing this ancient land, quietly observing and searching for traces of Hua Yunfei.

The declining minor sect occupied four small mountains and consisted of no more than twenty people in total, a truly minuscule number. Li Xiaoman was a disciple residing on one of these mountains. Observing from a distance, Ye Fan found it peculiar. Their cultivation levels were vastly uneven; the weakest were only in the Wheel of the Sea realm, while the strongest possessed the power of the first layer of the Immortal Terrace. "This isn't right," he thought, "How can such a declining minor sect have individuals with the power of a Sacred Land Grand Elder...?" Furthermore, he noticed two or three disciples were exceptionally powerful, having reached the Dragon Transformation realm, no weaker than the young experts from the Qi Scholars' Manor. This was truly odd. These individuals were all concealing their cultivation, which ordinary people could never penetrate. Only Ye Fan, with his Heaven-Origin Divine Eye, could see through their illusions, perceive their true essence, and ascertain their power levels.

"This is far from simple; there must be a reason for it. I need to be careful." Ye Fan decided to stay, thoroughly investigating everything. He learned that this seemingly declining minor sect was called the Qin Sect, and this location was merely an outer branch. "It's incredible," he thought, "that such a small outer branch possesses a master at the first layer of the Immortal Terrace." The Qin Sect was not large, comprising just over a hundred people in total, distributed across four branches—East, West, South, and North—which served as its outer gates. The main sect was situated at the center of the mountainous region, merely twenty to thirty li from its East, West, South, and North branches, making them quite close. Scattered throughout this region were mountain villages, home to ordinary people who lived adjacent to the Qin Sect. Some mischievous children often ran up the small mountains to play, unsupervised. It could be said that this declining minor sect, with just over a hundred members, truly lacked strict rules. It appeared very lax, utterly unlike a reclusive secret sect.

"Are the Nine Secrets within this small sect?" The Qin Sect's leadership bore the surname Qin, appearing to be vastly different from the Cai clan, with no obvious connection. The only suspicious detail was that this declining minor sect possessed a history spanning several millennia, a period during which countless dynasties would have risen and fallen in the mortal world. The nearby mountain villages had no knowledge of how far back the Qin Sect's origins stretched; it was simply too ancient, seemingly having existed since the time of their ancestors. "They aren't of the Cai surname, yet such a small sect has such an ancient heritage..."

Ye Fan remained cautious, observing for several days. Aside from the South branch where Li Xiaoman resided, the East, West, and North branches were similar, each having a master at the first layer of the Immortal Terrace and one or two disciples in the Dragon Transformation realm. This defied all logic. Even a top-tier great sect would barely possess such strength. How could a sect with so few members have so many powerful young disciples? Finally, he stealthily approached the central main peak, intent on assessing the main sect's strength. Though called the main peak, it was only a little over a thousand meters high, merely two or three hundred meters taller than the surrounding small mountains. It lacked a majestic presence or ethereal splendor, appearing quite ordinary and unremarkable. It bore a striking resemblance to the small Daoist temple where the old sage resided, appearing common and ordinary yet exuding a sense of returning to natural simplicity.

Soon after, Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat as he discovered a powerful figure meditating motionlessly before the mountain gate. "Is this truly a small sect? I've only just reached the mountain gate and already encountered a powerful figure!" Startled, he wondered if there might be even more formidable individuals, or even several powerful figures, within the cluster of buildings on this small mountain. Ye Fan did not approach closer. Such individuals possessed extraordinary spiritual perception, and a single misstep would lead to detection. Had it not been for the golden lake in his brow, tempered by lightning tribulation, granting him incredibly strong divine sense, and his mastery of the Heaven-Origin Divine Art, he would have been discovered much earlier.

"This is a reclusive secret sect!" He could now confirm that this seemingly declining minor sect was indeed extraordinary, harboring unknown secrets. Though not of the Cai surname, it was very likely worth investigating further.

Over the next few days, Ye Fan meticulously reviewed the local county and provincial gazetteers, discovering that a prominent surname in this area long ago was Cai. Unfortunately, at some unknown point in history, the entire Cai clan relocated, their destination lost to time. "The former land of the Cai clan..." Soon after, Ye Fan unexpectedly found an ancient text in the library of a local prominent family, which revealed further information. In extremely ancient times, the Cai clan was the sole prominent surname in this area. For unknown reasons, they all migrated thirty thousand years ago, disappearing entirely. "Thirty thousand years ago," he mused, "wasn't that precisely the era when the legendary Azure Emperor achieved enlightenment and transformed?" The Cai clan once lived in the Qinling Mountains, and a rumor suggested that the Azure Emperor also originated from this region, specifically from the Pond of Immortal Transformation.

"Nine times out of ten, the Qin Sect members are from the Cai clan. They've returned to their homeland but have changed their identities. However, the Azure Emperor passed away ten thousand years ago, so what could they still be afraid of?" Ye Fan had not yet found any trace of Hua Yunfei, but he believed he must be nearby, perhaps even within the Qin Sect itself. "He most likely possesses a secret treasure that obscures his aura, preventing my Heaven-Origin Divine Eye from seeing through it. This is quite troublesome." After careful consideration, Ye Fan decided his only option was to first join the Qin Sect and slowly search for the Nine Secrets, as he would otherwise have no way to approach openly. He should definitely avoid the Southern branch where Li Xiaoman was, as the consequences would be dire if she discovered any clues. Although the various branches were only tens of li apart, encounters were inevitable. However, as long as he refrained from revealing any past habits, and relied on the Heaven-Changing Earth-Shifting Great Art he had learned from the Heaven-Origin Scroll, there should be no issues.

The Qin Sect's East branch comprised three small mountains, with four individuals holding the rank of elder or higher, fifteen disciples, and several hundred chickens, ducks, and geese. Ye Fan found himself between laughter and tears; despite having a grand master of the first Immortal Terrace layer overseeing it, they kept hundreds of poultry, just like a mundane household. He chose this location because the East branch was about to begin accepting new disciples. He had stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to slip in unnoticed.

"Dog-wa," a hunter instructed his child, "once you're on the mountain, you must cultivate diligently and stop stealing goose eggs. This is your sect now." Ye Fan was somewhat speechless. Four snot-nosed children, who were accustomed to running up the mountain from the villages below to play, were now about to become disciples alongside him. The Qin Sect's criteria for accepting disciples were incredibly lax; he was at a loss for words. They simply recruited locally, taking children from nearby villages without any mention of innate talent. "Reclusive secret sects cannot be judged by conventional standards," he could only murmur to himself. The snot-nosed children, appearing no older than six or seven, stared at him with curiosity. Ye Fan felt somewhat awkward, about to become fellow disciples with a group of young children. Fortunately, two more individuals soon ascended the mountain, also seeking to join the sect. One was eighteen or nineteen, refined and elegant, with a scholarly appearance and an air of erudition. The other was over fifty, with thinning hair, emaciated and sickly, his beard completely white, yet he too had come to cultivate.

The Qin Sect's East branch accepted all who arrived. The four snot-nosed children, along with Ye Fan and the two newcomers, a total of seven disciples, formally joined the sect. Ye Fan vaguely sensed that the scholar and the sickly old man were not ordinary, but it was inappropriate to casually use his Heaven-Origin Divine Eye to investigate in front of others. "This reclusive secret sect clearly has no fear," he thought. "The fact that they dare to accept anyone who comes demonstrates their immense confidence." After several days on the mountain, this was his true observation: the scholar was a powerful cultivator in the Dragon Transformation realm, and the sickly old man was a unique cultivator who specialized in a single secret realm, a type Ye Fan had never encountered, making his strength difficult to ascertain.

Ye Fan was astonished. The small East branch of the Qin Sect, with only three small mountains and just over twenty members in total, boasted not only the scholar and the sickly old man among its disciples but also two other young cultivators in the Dragon Transformation realm. "It would shock people to hear this," he thought. "This reclusive secret sect, with all its branches combined, has a caliber of disciples almost comparable to a Sacred Land." With just over a hundred members in total, to achieve such a level of strength was like a fantasy; no one would believe it. "Most of these individuals are likely like me," he deduced, "having found traces of the Nine Secrets through some clue..." After a thorough investigation, Ye Fan felt that this small region was a hidden den of powerful individuals, harboring the most outstanding successors of certain supreme great sects, whose true capabilities were unfathomable.

"Boom!" Not far away, smoke and dust billowed skyward, followed by the commotion of scattering chickens and dogs. A snot-nosed child came running out from beside the chicken coop, wailing. "Senior brother, help me..." "What's wrong, Dog-wa?" Ye Fan asked with a smile. "Little Shi-tou and the others fell into a hole! There's a large vermilion coffin inside..." The four snot-nosed children, as mischievous as ever, had run off to steal eggs when the ground inexplicably cracked open, causing them to fall into a pit.

Many people on the mountain were alarmed and hurried to the spot. Upon seeing it, they were all astonished to find an ancient underground tomb now exposed to the open air. Ye Fan couldn't help but marvel. The Qinling Mountains truly harbored many ancient tombs; it was certainly peculiar that one had appeared right within the sect's own mountain gate. "Greetings, Martial Uncle..." Before the smoke and dust had fully dispersed, a beautiful figure descended from the sky. Li Xiaoman had arrived at the Qin Sect's East branch and bowed to the mountain master, who was a cultivator of the first Immortal Terrace layer.