Chapter 795: Half-Demon Half-Human Talks About Master Source Tian Shi Back Then

Chapter 797: The Half-Demon, Half-Human Source Heavenly Master of Yore

The bell of Purple Mountain chimed, its sound echoing through eternity, piercing the divine void, shaking ancient and modern times, and reverberating throughout heaven and earth. As soon as the bell's sound emerged, the world was awed into submission!

Countless people were petrified, and innumerable powerful cultivators trembled. The entire Northern Region fell silent for a moment, with only the bell's reverberation booming. It was like a ray of primordial divine light, tearing through the vast land, causing all beings to tremble in awe and exerting its might over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

After many years of silence, the Bell of Without Beginning rang out again, seemingly intent on collapsing all heavens throughout eternity. Every cultivator trembled to their very core.

At this moment, countless people knelt down, prostrating themselves towards Purple Mountain, showing heartfelt reverence. Many human cultivators had tears in their eyes, kowtowing devoutly as if worshipping a deity, their bodies trembling.

"The dark turmoil has arrived, and the Bell of Without Beginning will stabilize the universe!" Many murmured almost superstitiously, continuously bowing towards Purple Mountain, all kneeling on the ground, unwilling to rise.

The most glorious period for humanity was the era when the Great Emperor Without Beginning, the last human emperor of the Desolate Ancient Era, was born. He suppressed all directions, swept across foreign lands, and awed the starry heavens for eternity, reaching the pinnacle of prosperity.

Any forbidden zone turmoil, any supreme being, any immortal creature that dared to appear was suppressed and killed with absolute force, without any suspense. His emergence pushed the glory of humanity to its extreme, with all Nine Heavens and Ten Lands awed into submission.

However, it also seemed as if humanity's luck was exhausted as a result. Since the passing of Emperor Without Beginning, humanity declined; Great Emperors rarely appeared, the world's spiritual energy drastically changed, and the laws of the Great Dao were re-enacted. For the past hundreds of thousands of years, the human race had steadily declined. In the current era, even Saints were almost never seen, and it could no longer be compared to that glorious period.

"Dong..."

The lingering bell sound continued, reverberating throughout heaven and earth. Hearing the bell's waves again, all human cultivators were excited.

"Is the Great Emperor Without Beginning still alive?" This was the first thought for many human cultivators, their blood surging. The reappearance of the Great Emperor Without Beginning, suppressing the Myriad Races of the Primordial Era – just thinking about it filled people with excitement, making them want to let out a long howl.

Humanity was in a frenzy, but the Myriad Races of the Primordial Era were silent, all struck with terror on this day. Many sleeping Ancestral Kings were awakened, remaining quiet. Human Great Emperors, like the Ancient Sovereigns, were invincible throughout heaven and earth. When the Bell of Without Beginning rang, no one failed to feel dread; all were filled with inner trepidation.

Ancient Sovereign Mountain was a sacred land in the hearts of the Primordial Myriad Races, a place of pilgrimage, because their revered god, the Undying Heavenly Sovereign, had resided there. However, in later ages, it was occupied by the Great Emperor Without Beginning, filling every ancient creature with anger and fear. How much courage did it take to do such a thing?

"It's been hundreds of thousands of years, is he still alive?" an Ancient Ancestral King murmured to himself. The ceaseless ringing of the bell made their expressions change repeatedly; this was a very bad omen. Had the Ancient Great Emperor not died?

The most distressed were the Divine Spirit Valley. This was like a heavy blow, or a solid slap, directly across their faces. Not long ago, they were arrogant, looking down on the world, claiming that unless an Ancient Great Emperor revived, they would flatten the Southern Ridge barbarians and exterminate the Ye clan. Yet, right after they said this, the Bell of Without Beginning rang.

Was this a coincidence or a warning? Everyone in the Divine Spirit Valley froze; the bell ringing at this critical juncture made them feel utterly terrified. How could they even launch an expedition now? All ascended warships landed immediately; a few waves of the bell had stopped their campaign.

The Divine Spirit Valley was disgraced. This grand mobilization had a spectacular start but a dismal end. They felt humiliated, yet they dared not act rashly. Everything had to wait. If a human Great Emperor truly revived within Ancient Sovereign Mountain, not only them, but even a coalition of major races would be useless!

Unparalleled deterrent power! This was the Great Emperor Without Beginning. Even after countless years had passed since his disappearance, his bell's chime instantly silenced heaven and earth, bringing everyone to quiet. No one dared to resist! All the Primordial Races, poised to emerge, became docile, lurking in their Northern Region lairs, daring no further action. Everyone waited, anticipating a definitive outcome.

Inside Ancient Sovereign Mountain, Ye Fan confronted the terrifying creature covered in red fur for a day and a night, finally striking the Bell of Without Beginning. The bell waves were ceaseless. In the outer regions, vast areas of withered corpses turned to dust, scattering like ashes, not at all magnificent, but extremely terrifying.

What kind of beings were these? They were the followers of the Undying Heavenly Sovereign! Each could contend with a Saint's body, yet before the Bell of Without Beginning, they were nothing. Their disintegration was silent and without a trace. The bell's waves swept through the entire mountain interior, not sparing any corner, boundless in their terror. If news of this spread outside, it would surely shock even Ancestral Kings. This scene was truly terrifying, showcasing the immeasurable divine might of a Great Emperor.

However, the creature covered in red fur retreated immediately, leading the most powerful group of mummified corpses deep into Purple Mountain, gathering before a crystal coffin. Then, eighty-one black banners rose, flapping in the wind, surrounding the area and protecting them.

These were the most powerful ancient treasures of a group of fierce ghosts, personally refined by the Undying Heavenly Sovereign back then. When all eighty-one banners combined, they possessed supreme Ancient Sovereign might. Although time was merciless and they were exceedingly ancient, and the banners were incomplete, they were, after all, refined by an Ancient Sovereign. They still possessed immortal divinity, with dark light swirling around them, blocking the sound waves.

"Crack!"

The eighty-one banners made a cracking sound, with fine cracks appearing on them. If this continued for long, they would surely collapse. While they indeed bore ancient sovereign patterns, they were not forged from immortal materials like Phoenix Blood Red Gold or Myriad Manifestation Mother Qi, thus unable to withstand the Emperor's might unleashed by the Bell of Without Beginning. Wave after wave of bell sounds, intricate patterns emerged, spreading like ripples in all directions, destroying all in their path.

"Ah..." A mournful cry, filled with immense pain, came from within the banners, stating: "I am Zhang Lin!"

With a final boom, the bell waves vanished, and Purple Mountain gradually returned to tranquility, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Along a secluded path, a tapping sound could be heard as a solitary, crestfallen figure approached, arriving at the most open area within Purple Mountain. At this moment, Ye Fan's face was pale. It took a long time after the bell waves ceased for him to calm down. He gazed at the approaching figure and uttered two words: "Grandmaster."

Every inch of Zhang Lin's body was covered in thick red fur, more than half a foot long, making him look ferocious and terrifying, like a demon. However, at this moment, his eyes had become serene, devoid of any eerie or malevolent aura, holding only endless sorrow.

"My time is limited. The Bell of Without Beginning's resonant waves are deafening, yet they can only grant me half a moment of temporary clarity," came a desolate voice, carrying a helpless and forlorn sentiment.

The Fifth Generation Heavenly Master of Source had been missing for over ten thousand years, having transformed into an unknown red-furred monster. Today, he had regained consciousness. Ye Fan's emotions were complex. Meeting the grandmaster of the Source Heavenly Master lineage in such a state, half-demon and half-human, completely devoid of his former unparalleled demeanor, was overwhelming.

Back in Stone Village, Old Man Zhang had once recounted everything about their ancestors: that Source Heavenly Masters would encounter various ominous events in their later years, which were extremely terrifying. Finally, on the night he left, a red-furred whirlwind swept outside, and inexplicably terrifying creatures howled ceaselessly, roaring throughout the night.

"What exactly happened?" Ye Fan asked. With little time, he wanted to clearly understand the ominous events of the Source Heavenly Master's later years.

"That night, I saw the previous generations of Source Heavenly Masters," Zhang Lin said calmly, sitting on a large rock outside the plaza, seemingly lost in distant memories.

"The previous Source Heavenly Masters, they were people from tens of thousands of years ago, how could they still exist in the world?" Ye Fan had endless questions in his heart. He clearly remembered that the Fourth Generation Source Heavenly Master had exhausted his mental energy, calculated for many years to hide in the Primordial Forbidden Zone, in a place where extremes reversed, but ultimately failed to escape misfortune in his later years.

"That night, the terrifying red-furred whirlwind was immense, wailing like ghosts. Outside the window, several creatures covered in horrifying fur walked about, letting out desolate roars. Though I had never seen them before, I knew they were some of the previous grandmasters."

Ye Fan felt a chill run through him. What kind of power allowed people from tens of thousands of years ago to persist until now, transforming into such monsters?

"My later years were connected to the underworld; I witnessed all sorts of bizarre events, such as spirit soldiers borrowing pathways." Thousands of spirit soldiers and horses emerged from underground, using human paths to march towards an unknown front. Ancient Saints made way for them, quietly waiting for them to pass. Zhang Lin had witnessed many terrifying and incredibly strange things. In his later years, his mind and body were beyond his control. He had visited the Divine Ruins and the Immortal Mausoleum, and the more such places he saw, the more terrifying his experiences became.

"In a haze, for ten thousand years, I haven't known what I've done..." Finally, Zhang Lin sighed deeply. The fate of a Source Heavenly Master was unchangeable: half-demon, half-human, unaware of the past. That night, as he listened to the roars outside the window, red fur first grew on his arm, then rapidly covered his entire body, and he subsequently lost consciousness.

"What about the other grandmasters?" Ye Fan asked.

"After that night, I never saw them again," Zhang Lin replied.

Ye Fan felt a sense of dismay. The ominous events in the Source Heavenly Master's later years—to be called away by ancestors from tens of thousands of years ago—how was this not like a ghostly summons, where an old person's soul is taken away?

"Why does such a thing happen to us?" Ye Fan asked.

"Heaven and earth converge, giving birth to source essences. Our lineage has cut open too many exotic stones, stolen too many heavenly secrets, and unearthed too many mysteries. It was predestined in the dark," Zhang Lin, covered in terrifying red fur, sighed and said, "Let me ask you: Have you ever cut out an unformed Holy Spirit? Have you ever unearthed sealed prehistoric truths? Have you ever seen exotic stones that you dared not cut? Have you ever dug up the Netherworld or Underworld... Every generation of Source Heavenly Masters has had such experiences many times. Ominous events in their later years were long ago destined."

Ye Fan was stunned, then said, "I just want to know what that truly is?"

"It's indescribable, inexplicable. I only hope you don't experience such later years; some pains are unbearable," the Fifth Generation Grandmaster of Source Heavenly Masters said earnestly.

"It's too late. I've already cut out a nine-apertured stone man, and now I'm not too far from the Source Heavenly Master realm. I want to visit the Divine Ruins, the Immortal Mausoleum, and the Primordial Ancient Mine. It's unavoidable."

"I hope you never meet the previous generations of Source Heavenly Masters," Zhang Lin could only sigh.

Both fell silent. Finally, Zhang Lin broke the quiet, saying, "Why did you come to Purple Mountain?"

"The Primordial Myriad Races have emerged, and the dark turmoil is about to descend. I want to postpone this day and let the Bell of Without Beginning's waves awe the world," Ye Fan honestly explained.

"The dark turmoil has come again?" the Fifth Generation Heavenly Master of Source murmured to himself, then looked up, his red fur trembling, cold light gleaming in his eyes. "Then let me exert my last bit of strength. As part of the Source Heavenly Master lineage, I will suppress the Northern Region with you."

"Just the two of us...?" Ye Fan asked in surprise.

Zhang Lin calmly spoke, saying, "And a group of reapers. Although they will only live for one night after leaving Purple Mountain, scattering with the wind and becoming dust of history at the break of dawn, it will still be enough."