Chapter 7: Five-Colored Altar

Chapter Seven: The Five-Colored Altar

Events unfolded with such abruptness; everything before their eyes defied imagination!

“This…” No one could believe it.

But the nine dragon corpses and the bronze coffin lay before them, a stark, undeniable reality!

This entire scene defied all reason, shattering their perceptions and profoundly impacting everyone's minds.

When the chaos erupted earlier, Ye Fan and his companions did not panic and flee. They stayed together until Jade Emperor Peak settled down. Although they all fell to the ground, there were no serious casualties; only a few people sustained minor arm injuries.

At this moment, their faces were filled with shock. The incredible scene before them would be unforgettable for the rest of their lives!

The nine massive dragon corpses lay silently before them, and the huge bronze coffin was truly a shocking sight. All of it was too stunning and mysterious.

Everyone was speechless. Their hearts surged with emotion, and their faces were etched with expressions of surprise, panic, fear, and dread. They found it hard to calm down.

It was a long time before Lin Jia whispered, “We should hurry down the mountain.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling they should leave immediately. No one wanted to stay for even another moment. The atmosphere on Jade Emperor Peak sent shivers down their spines. Why would nine dragon corpses pull a giant bronze coffin here? Why did it land on Mount Tai? Even with the facts before them, it was hard to accept, and they felt extremely uneasy.

Under the bloody sunset, Jade Emperor Peak was scarred and devastated. The area around the ancient bronze coffin was the worst affected, with a massive crater smashed into the ground. Large fissures, one or two meters wide, burst open around it, spreading like a spiderweb in all directions.

One of these fissures, like a winding centipede, stretched all the way to Ye Fan and his companions' feet. Fortunately, at its end, the fissure was less than a palm's width, preventing a ground collapse or a large pit.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, Li Xiaoman pointed ahead and asked, “What’s that?”

Half a jade tablet was revealed beneath the cracked ground, reflecting a faint glimmer in the sunset.

Although there was some fear in their hearts, they still took a few steps forward. Beneath the one-meter-wide fissure, a corner of a circular altar was exposed, with the broken half of the jade tablet lying on top, resembling a jade book.

“How could this be? Is something buried beneath?”

The circular altar was not large, but ancient and simple. It was constructed from five types of unusually colored earth, permeated with the aura of ages. No one knew how many years it had existed.

“Look, there’s more ahead!” Wang Ziwen, who was standing at the front, exclaimed in surprise, pointing to an even wider fissure ahead.

Beneath that nearly two-meter-wide fissure, there was also a five-colored earthen altar. The circular altar had been cracked by the impact, revealing a jade tablet sealed inside. It was inscribed with many complex characters and symbols, which no one could recognize.

At this moment, everyone showed expressions of shock, and instantly thought of the words “Feng Shan” (imperial sacrifices). This was very likely an ancient altar for worshipping heaven!

The five-colored circular altars contained sealed jade tablets. This was similar to descriptions found in *Baihu Tongyi* by Ban Gu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which recorded: “Some say the sealed objects were wrapped with golden mud and silver ropes, or stone mud and golden ropes, sealed with an imperial seal.”

Furthermore, Sima Qian’s *Records of the Grand Historian: Treatise on Feng Shan* from the Western Han Dynasty also mentions “flying flowers and rising substance, gold mud and stone records.”

In just a few moments, everyone was astonished to discover that under the numerous large fissures all around, there were such five-colored altars. They were not few in number, but actually amounted to dozens.

Each five-colored earthen altar was very ancient, etched with the marks of time. One could tell at a glance that they had existed for countless years. The five-colored earthen altars either contained sealed jade tablets or stone slabs, all inscribed with ancient, indecipherable symbols and characters.

Everyone felt deeply astonished, vaguely sensing a connection to the dragon corpses and the bronze coffin.

Ye Fan enjoyed reading ancient books about unusual phenomena, and he knew far more about the various aspects of Feng Shan than others. His heart was truly shaken beyond measure. Could it be that in ancient times, the Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, and Seventy-Two Kings truly performed Feng Shan ceremonies here?

Perhaps the legends were true, otherwise, how could there be so many five-colored circular altars? From the inscriptions on them, most were oracle bone script, seemingly confirming this conjecture.

They should have retreated immediately, but they were unconsciously drawn in. They had already walked more than halfway around the bronze coffin, terrified by the nine massive dragon corpses, awe-struck by the twenty-meter-long ancient bronze coffin, and amazed by the numerous five-colored altars beneath the ground.

“There doesn’t seem to be any danger, but these dragon corpses…”

After walking more than halfway around, their inner fear gradually lessened. However, they still felt a sense of unease, and decided to descend the mountain as quickly as possible.

“Look, there’s a giant altar in the central crater!”

The ancient bronze coffin had smashed a huge, deep crater into the ground. Everyone had now moved to the other side of the giant bronze coffin, and looking down, they were once again filled with astonishment.

At the bottom of the deep pit was a super-sized altar. It was not made of earth, but entirely constructed from five colors of massive stones, steadily supporting the twenty-meter-long ancient bronze coffin without a single crack.

This super-large five-colored stone altar was distinctly different from the other earthen altars. Located in the central position of Jade Emperor Peak, it was grand and majestic, far larger than the other earthen altars.

The bronze coffin that descended from the sky had an immense impact force. Yet, astonishingly, it did not crack the altar in the slightest, nor cause any damage. It was hard to imagine what kind of miraculous stones it was built from.

On this large five-colored divine altar, besides the ancient bronze coffin, there were also many jade blocks and stone slabs piled up, all emanating an ancient aura.

Both the jade blocks and stone slabs were inscribed with exceptionally mysterious ancient characters. These were even more primitive than the oracle bone script seen on the five-colored earthen altars, resembling enigmatic symbols from a celestial book or divine drawings.

On that super-large five-colored stone altar, a long row of these jade blocks and stone slabs were neatly arranged. They had not been destroyed by the bronze coffin's impact, which filled them with doubt and wonder.

“We should leave here quickly,” Ye Fan and Zhou Yi spoke simultaneously, urging everyone.

Everyone nodded in agreement. This place was truly not suitable for prolonged stay. Even if it held endless secrets, it was not something they could explore now. The nine massive dragon corpses nearby made them uneasy, and the giant bronze coffin filled their hearts with dread.

Just as everyone was about to turn and leave, a female student let out a scream. A large stone under her foot rolled into the huge pit, and she lost her balance, falling downwards.

“Watch out!” A male student, quick of hand and eye, grabbed her. Several other students nearby also quickly lent a hand, helping to pull her up.

The large stone that had been dislodged rolled with a rumbling sound into the large pit, then struck the five-colored altar with a loud thud.

Immediately, the super-large stone altar emitted a hazy, five-colored glow. Everyone felt a tremendous force envelop their bodies, making their legs feel as if bound by lead weights, unable to move a single step.

Thud!

The five-colored stone altar continued to vibrate, causing Jade Emperor Peak itself to tremble. Those standing at the edge of the huge pit suddenly felt the world spin around them, but they could not move a single step, and were all shaken, tumbling into the great pit.

The group fell onto the five-colored stone altar. Everyone was filled with dread!