Chapter 625: The Ancestors of the Cai Family

Chapter 629: The Cai Clan Ancestor

The news that an ancient elder from beyond this realm, riding a green ox, and Sakyamuni himself had once visited the Immortal Transformation Pond, greatly shook Ye Fan, prompting many thoughts. Hailing from beyond this realm, from the other end of the starry sky—this deeply affected him. Ye Fan had always yearned to return to Earth, to his homeland, and the ability of these two individuals to traverse the stars filled him with longing.

"Elder, you know so much. Could you elaborate?" He humbly asked, finding it hard to imagine how the ailing old man knew all this. Had he met those two individuals? Ye Fan couldn't help but scrutinize the old man, who had thinning hair and appeared to be in his fifties, looking frail and sickly. However, it was difficult to tell his true age or the period he belonged to.

"I saw it in an elder's handwritten notes; my knowledge is limited," the ailing old man replied. Nevertheless, he provided more details, giving Ye Fan a deeper understanding. Starting from the Azure Emperor and then moving to the Cai Clan, the story made it hard to remain calm, as it involved some ancient secrets.

The origin of the Immortal Transformation Pond was mysterious, inexplicable to anyone. What had transpired there from ancient times to the present was unknown. Precious immortal treasures had sunk into it, astonishing people, yet remaining unattainable. Before the Primordial Era, an unparalleled war might have occurred, possibly giving birth to deities, and even peerless imperial weapons were shattered, falling into the Immortal Transformation Pond. The Great Emperor Wushi found a Chaos Stone in the pond and refined the immortal essence within it, forging the Wushi Imperial Bell. When its chime resonated, it shook the ages, its power unmatched.

The Azure Emperor, originally a green lotus, was born here and rooted itself on a piece of green copper, from which it gained immense benefits. However, before it could fully transform, the green copper piece was lost and departed from it. The Demon Emperor, possessing astonishing talent, ultimately did not rely on external objects but achieved enlightenment and became an emperor in the Post-Desolate Era through his own efforts, becoming one of the most powerful beings of all time. The Cai Clan also had individuals of great fortune who entered the Immortal Transformation Pond. Thirty thousand years ago, someone used the "Soldier" secret art to extract a piece of green copper, gaining immense benefits due to their mastery of the "Soldier" secret art.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan's heart stirred. Could this be the fundamental reason why the Azure Emperor annihilated the Cai Clan? A historical mystery thus surfaced. However, the ailing old man shook his head and said, "Ancient Great Emperors possessed immense magnanimity; they would not destroy an entire clan for such a reason. There's another cause." Puzzled, Ye Fan asked, "What other reason could there be?"

"It all stems from the Cai Clan's ancestor..."

The Cai Clan wielded the "Soldier" secret art, the supreme esoteric technique of Taoism, originating from the Eastern Wasteland. In fact, investigations showed that their ancestors had crossed over from the Eastern Wasteland. "This family is inauspicious; every ten to twenty thousand years, strange occurrences plague them, harming the world. That's why the Azure Emperor intervened."

"The Cai Clan is inauspicious?" Hearing these words, Ye Fan grew even more astonished, sensing that many secrets must be hidden within.

"Seventy thousand years ago, in his later years, their ancestor journeyed from the Eastern Wasteland to Central Plains, heading straight for the Qinling Mountains, intending to bury himself in this unique place," the ailing old man slowly narrated. The Qinling Mountains, stretching a million li in every direction, were vast and boundless. Yet, compared to the immense Central Plains, they were merely a corner of its western territory. Since ancient times, countless legends have surrounded the Qinling Mountains. Many ancient tombs lay beneath, and old corpses were often seen crawling out of them at night, inhaling moonlight—this was the most widespread tale. In fact, it was true; from ancient times to the present, countless emperors, divine monks, and others had been buried there, and people had long grown accustomed to it. Legend had it that those buried here might, in the future, cultivate into "corpse-dissolving immortals." It was unknown which ancient text recorded this, but it was endorsed by some supreme figures, leading to subsequent actions.

The Cai Clan ancestor, in his later years, traveled directly from the Eastern Wasteland to the Qinling Mountains. Originally, there was nothing unusual about this, but when he located a dragon vein and prepared for his burial, he startled many people. During those days, the entire Qinling Mountains echoed day and night with the cries of immortals, and dragon aura ascended to the heavens, creating an astonishing spectacle. However, it did not last long before it vanished, returning to normal. People knew that the Cai Clan ancestor must have been an extraordinary individual, capable of locating dragon veins and determining immortal burial sites.

"This clan truly is inauspicious..." the ailing old man continued.

Not long after, the entire Cai Clan from the Eastern Wasteland relocated. Their ancestor was on his last breath but had not yet passed away, yet no one dared to approach him. Although he had clearly run out of life essence, he was difficult to kill. He frequently roamed the Qinling Mountains, returning in the middle of the night. During that period, the clan witnessed many strange phenomena. During that time, a grandmaster-level King from Central Plains visited, and something horrifying occurred: he was actually strangled to death by the Cai Clan ancestor. "A grandmaster-level King, nearly four thousand years old and invincible in the world, was strangled by someone whose life was withered, whose cultivation wasn't very strong, and who only knew how to locate dragon veins. This is simply outlandish, like a fairy tale," the ailing old man shook his head.

Ye Fan was also stunned, a chill running down his spine. He felt a sense of déjà vu; this sounded exactly like a certain legend, one that was greatly connected to him. "In his later years, during his final days, his dwelling place was perpetually dim and murky, with red whirlwinds sweeping through, strange and terrifying, accompanied by inexplicable roars." The Cai Clan ancestor had only one breath left, yet he persisted for more than half a year, during which various shocking anomalies occurred, scaring several clan disciples to death. Finally, no one dared approach his dwelling. He eventually vanished one night, leaving a letter with only a few sentences: if he could not achieve corpse-dissolving immortality, his descendants would face great calamity.

The Cai Clan members entered the Qinling Mountains and searched for decades but never found his burial site. They didn't know what had happened; they only knew that their ancestor's later years had been too bizarre.

"Eight thousand years later, on a stormy night filled with lightning and thunder, the Cai Clan ancestor returned..." the ailing old man said.

"What? How could he live that long?!" Ye Fan was astonished.

"He had already died. In the torrential black rain, people caught a fleeting glimpse of him; he looked exactly like the portrait in their home. The only difference was that he had red hair all over his body..."

Ye Fan's scalp tingled with a chill. He increasingly felt that this was connected to him; this was *that* legend. "He was no longer human. After a brief appearance, he vanished into the depths of the Qinling Mountains. Yet, half of the Cai Clan died overnight, and the survivors frequently experienced strange occurrences, often losing their sanity and bringing disaster to the Qinling area."

A further ten thousand years passed, and similar events recurred, but even more horrifying, as the Cai Clan had grown very powerful by then, and the calamities naturally escalated. After things settled, they invited extraordinary individuals from Central Plains, Western Desert, Southern Ridge, and Eastern Wasteland to come and uncover the truth. At that time, a Golden-bodied Arhat from the Western Desert personally came and declared that the Cai Clan ancestor had found the largest dragon lair in the Qinling Mountains, an immortal burial ground, and unless he achieved corpse-dissolving immortality, he would be impossible to eliminate. A Dragon-Seeking Celestial Charioteer from Central Plains was terrified at the time, stating that something inauspicious had befallen the Cai Clan ancestor in his later years, forcing him to act this way, intending to use the Qinling immortal burial ground to resist a certain entity.

"The inauspiciousness that plagued the Source Master in his later years was so terrifying that he couldn't escape it even after fleeing to Central Plains, and his descendants were also drawn into it!" A shiver ran down Ye Fan's spine. He had also studied the Source Heaven Book and had felt that strangeness before. Most likely, a similar day would come for him in the future, and he wondered how he would resolve it then.

"Exactly. The Cai Clan ancestor was the third generation Source Master of the Eastern Wasteland. After he departed, he buried the Source Heaven Book in the Eastern Wasteland. Twenty thousand years later, it was obtained by someone else, and the fourth generation Source Master personally came to Central Plains, sighing once in the Qinling Mountains before leaving."

Ye Fan's heart stirred. Was this a form of destiny? Why did Source Masters end up this way in their later years? What kind of entity came knocking, an entity from which even fleeing far to Central Plains offered no escape? In the Eastern Wasteland, there were a total of five Source Masters. Without exception, terrifying events befell all of them in their later years. The third generation Source Master, who fled to Central Plains, was the ancestor of the Cai Clan. The fourth generation Source Master expended great effort, calculating for decades, and fled into the Primordial Forbidden Zone, hiding in a place where extremes reverse. The terrain there was connected to a dragon, forming a "true dragon pulling coffin" burial site, but ultimately, he still couldn't escape disaster. The fifth Source Master, the progenitor of the Zhang family, vanished one night amidst the wails of ghosts and howls of deities in his later years, scaring a young child senseless. It was suspected that he had entered the burial place of the Great Emperor Wushi—Purple Mountain.

"Unless one becomes a corpse-dissolving immortal, it's difficult to be eradicated. Every ten to twenty thousand years, something inauspicious befalls the Cai Clan, and no matter where they flee, it's inescapable..."

The situation was complex. Ten thousand years ago, someone again saw a red-haired humanoid creature emerge from the Qinling Mountains. At that time, countless living beings across a million li of the Qinling Mountains died. "The Cai Clan ancestor, dead for sixty thousand years, his body still not destroyed, appeared again?!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise. "Yes, and late one night, he made a fleeting appearance within his own clan. This ancient aristocratic family was many times stronger than before, yet they still couldn't resist the inauspiciousness..."

"The Cai Clan's annihilation ten thousand years ago had complex reasons..."

The Azure Emperor had once entered the Qinling Mountains, searching for that red-haired humanoid creature, but failed to find any trace of it; otherwise, he would have eliminated it as well. "So, he's still in this world..." Ye Fan felt a chill. "As long as he doesn't achieve corpse-dissolving immortality, he won't be free. The Qinling Mountains have many ancient tombs; the words of the ancients are not without reason. This region is truly extraordinary."

Ye Fan was moved. Even after death, Source Masters found no peace. What kind of entity was this, that even a Great Emperor had to intervene to eliminate it? The ailing old man said, "There are no immortals in this world, and becoming a corpse-dissolving immortal is almost impossible. However, he might not be able to exist indefinitely; it's likely he was almost completely obliterated ten thousand years ago."

"What happened?"

Ten thousand years ago, before his death, the Azure Emperor accomplished many earth-shattering feats: he ventured deep into the Divine Ruins to seize the Desolate Pagoda and traveled afar to Central Plains in search of the green copper. Ultimately, before his peaceful demise, he annihilated the Cai Clan with a single finger. Furthermore, he unleashed a strike using the boundless divine abilities of the Demon Emperor, aiming it towards the Qinling Mountains. The Azure Emperor did not know the exact location of the red-haired humanoid creature; he merely sent forth a killing intent imbued with the Demon Emperor's power. Even after his passing, this intent would not dissipate unless it struck its target.

"Where did he unleash that killing intent?" Ye Fan asked in surprise.

"Seated in the Eastern Wasteland, a single thought moved the entire world!" the ailing old man replied.

"What?!" Ye Fan was stunned, his mind reeling. This was simply incredible; just how powerful was the Azure Emperor?! "The Azure Emperor is unfathomable. Being the only one to achieve enlightenment and become an emperor in the Post-Desolate Era, he naturally astonished the ages. His power is immeasurable," the ailing old man stated. Ancient Great Emperors were in harmony with the Dao, in sync with the world's pulse, making them incredibly powerful—beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Even after death, it took tens of thousands of years for their Dao to fully dissipate. At the same time, Ye Fan was greatly surprised by the ailing old man's origins, wondering why he knew so many secrets that even several great divine dynasties might not be privy to.

"That fat scoundrel, Duan De!" Suddenly, Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise as he spotted a familiar figure appearing in the mountains ahead.

"Soon, many more people will likely arrive. Both the Immortal Transformation Pond and the Qinling Dragon Lair hold unimaginable heavenly fortunes," the ailing old man said. Ye Fan hadn't realized that the red-haired humanoid creature in the dragon lair also held immense value, possibly containing an undying divine pill!

"People from the Qishi Mansion have also arrived..."

Soon after, some familiar figures came into view, including the Saint Son of Yaoguang, the Saintess of Jade Lake, and others. Having not seen them for over two years, these individuals had made significant progress. "Even Wang Teng is here!" His eyes flickered. A golden ancient war chariot, radiating light into the sky, carried Wang Teng standing atop it. He soared across like a Celestial Emperor, accompanied by the harmonious cries of dragons and phoenixes, a white tiger leaping through the heavens, and a profound tortoise expanding the seas—an exceptionally dazzling sight.

The ailing old man explained, "Not long ago, some people observed unusual movements among the old corpses in the Qinling Mountains, leading them to speculate that the entity in the dragon lair was about to appear. Whenever the dragon lair becomes active, the Immortal Transformation Pond is bound to manifest." This was a heavenly opportunity, stirring up events in Central Plains. It could be anticipated that various powerful individuals would soon appear in the Qinling Mountains.

"The Jiuli Divine Dynasty is the most prepared. Princess Yueling arrived over two years ago, and she isn't here just for the Nine Secrets."