Chapter 955: End of Dharma Transmission

**Chapter 955: Dharma Transmission in the Age of Dharma Decline**

The secret ground of the Lingbao School is nestled in Gezao Mountain. In ancient times, it served as a secluded retreat for retired sect leaders, grand protectors, and other high-ranking figures. Ordinary disciples were strictly forbidden from entering.

However, the world is vastly different today. The Earth offers almost no suitable conditions for cultivation, with only such secret grounds still exuding vital energy. To ensure the continuity of their lineage, all core members are now permitted to enter.

The Lingbao secret ground spans only a few miles, its perimeter sealed off from the outside world by mysterious array patterns. Everything within retains an ancient and primal essence. The spiritual mountains are low, springs gurgle, ancient trees are gnarled and strong, and wisps of auspicious energy coil around.

Over the past decades, even centuries, Ye Fan was the only non-Lingbao School member to set foot here. He received immense courtesy, with the sect leader personally greeting him and all elders respectfully awaiting his arrival. There weren't many people present because the spiritual energy was limited and couldn't sustain too many practitioners simultaneously; only important figures resided there.

They were very respectful and courteous, inviting Ye Fan to lecture on scriptures and restore the lost texts of the Lingbao School. They also arranged for the Dao platform to be brought into this secret ground. Ye Fan was surprised. How could the once-mighty Lingbao School, which produced a peerless expert like Ge Hong, have fallen into such decline? He sensed no immortal scriptures or traces of the Nine Secrets here.

Full of questions, he couldn't help but voice them directly. The Lingbao sect leader sighed softly, recounting everything he knew. After the Earth's vital energy dwindled and it became unsuitable for cultivation, powerful figures from various schools chose to travel far away, their destinations unknown. Back then, almost all the great cultivators had departed. Their departure led to the near-disappearance of many lineages. Today's sects no longer possess complete ancient scriptures; what remains was compiled by the few who chose not to leave, a stark contrast to their former glory.

Ye Fan was startled, finally understanding why the Lingbao lineage, which had produced Ge Hong and was supposedly connected to the Celestial Venerable Lingbao of the Daoist Three Pure Ones, had declined so much. Their true heritage was almost lost.

"Is it the same for other sects?" Ye Fan asked.

"More or less," the Lingbao sect leader sighed. "When the great cultivators left, their orthodox traditions were lost, and the Earth's spiritual sites were abandoned." A group of great cultivators vanished, and the Age of Dharma Decline immediately followed. It became difficult to produce powerful practitioners, leading to a shortage of talent and the subsequent decline of all sects.

"The Lingbao School was severely affected. Almost none of our scriptures are complete," the Lingbao sect leader sighed deeply. "It was impossible for the few young disciples back then to compile all the texts." Today, they can no longer be considered a leading supreme great sect. They have lost too much, and it's simply irrecoverable. However, sects that had elderly predecessors who loved their homeland and chose not to leave managed to preserve their scriptures relatively intact. These old masters made immense contributions to the continuation of their traditions.

"Are there still such people today?" Ye Fan asked.

"Perhaps no more than a few," he replied. "More than twenty years ago, when the Nine Dragons Pulled Coffin descended on Mount Tai, it shocked the cultivation world. The last elder ancestor of Longhu Mountain was invited out to protect the ancient altar. He passed away not long after returning, supposedly the very last of the old masters."

"So it was the old Daoist from Longhu Mountain," Ye Fan mused. He had heard Yang Xiao mention him before. Medical research institutions had tried desperately to save his life but failed, though they unexpectedly discovered he might have lived for one or two thousand years.

Upon reaching the Lingbao secret ground, Ye Fan naturally inquired about the Nine Secrets. He constantly wished to gather them all, as these profound techniques would be essential for protecting his cultivation path, having chosen the road to Dao and immortality. The Lingbao sect leader gave a wry smile. Not to mention in modern times, even back then, it was top-secret. Immortal Master Ge Hong had acquired it by chance and only passed it on to a few disciples. Ye Fan was profoundly disappointed. In the Age of Dharma Decline, not only had the Earth's vital energy dwindled, but even cultivation methods had declined, making ancient profound techniques unobtainable.

The Lingbao sect leader was already halfway into the Dragon Transformation Realm, considered a top master in this era. His cultivation relied entirely on the spiritual eye within the pure land, where auspicious energy surged. Little Pine, curious, ran over to peek and almost fell in.

"I wouldn't call myself a peerless master yet," he said. "Some sects possess ancient spiritual roots, and the vital energy in their secret grounds far surpasses ours. Several of their sect leaders have reached the Dragon Transformation Realm." In this Age of Dharma Decline, reaching the Dragon Transformation Realm meant becoming a peerless master. Anyone who achieved it was unstoppable, few could contend with them, and they were revered by all.

"Of course, that's not absolute. Didn't an old Daoist emerge from Longhu Mountain more than twenty years ago? It's said he was from the Qin and Han dynasties, and his cultivation was unfathomable."

The Lingbao sect leader discussed many issues Ye Fan was concerned about. He mentioned that the person with gray wings from back then came from the West, and even the old Daoist from Longhu Mountain, on the verge of passing, couldn't subdue him. Moreover, several other great cultivators had intervened, seizing some precious altar cornerstones inscribed with ancient heavenly texts.

Ye Fan said, "Tell me about the Western orthodox traditions. Those things are of great use to me. It's not good that the altar and heavenly texts left by our ancestors on Mount Tai ended up abroad."

The Lingbao sect leader was startled. What was this living ancestor-level being planning? Did he intend to single-handedly go to the West and wreak havoc?

Soon after, everyone in the pure land bowed, respectfully and sincerely asking Ye Fan to lecture on the scriptures and restore their lost techniques. Ye Fan, naturally, didn't act pompously and didn't accept their grand salute. Instead, he sat on the Dao platform, extracting traces of the Dao one by one, to help them restore their ancient texts. He sat for half a month, reciting various scriptures. Each traditional Chinese character, as if cast in metal, imprinted itself in the void, radiating brilliance and emitting resonant clanging sounds.

This was a reproduction of a lineage. Ye Fan helped them recreate many techniques, though it was, of course, difficult to fully restore everything, as the Dao platform used by successive sect leaders for their lectures could not have imprinted all the techniques.

"Accumulating Yang forms the spirit; within the spirit, there is form. Form arises from the sun; the sun arises from the moon. Accumulating Yin forms the body; within the body, there is spirit..."

Only one scripture, the "Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing" (Lingbao Supreme Scripture of Immeasurable Salvation), or simply "Duren Jing," was fully restored by Ye Fan, and he gained much from it himself. Back on the Big Dipper, he had obtained a partial copy from the old blind man. He never expected to find a complete version here. A study of Daoist history would confirm that the Duren Jing indeed originated from the Lingbao lineage. Of course, this scripture differed from the version circulated among mortals. it possessed genuine salvific power, embodying the laws of heaven and earth, profound and intricate, with infinite wondrous applications. In the Immortal Mansion World of Central Province back then, even the divine thoughts of the Undying Heavenly Sovereign feared the salvation power of this scripture and dared not harm those chanting it.

"It's a pity that the main chapter of the 'Lingbao Scripture' cannot be reproduced; what remains are only incomplete techniques," the sect elders lamented, full of regret, yet still immensely grateful to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan spent half a month helping them restore many scriptures. Before leaving, he inquired about the demon race, directly explaining the situation concerning Pang Bo's family.

"You are... you actually returned!" The Lingbao sect leader was greatly shocked. He had always found Ye Fan familiar and now finally recognized him, understanding the reason for his visit. Ye Fan's gaze instantly sharpened, exuding a chilling aura that sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the secret ground, making their faces blanch.

"Don't misunderstand!"

The Lingbao sect leader already knew that this great cultivator before him was much younger, having cultivated for at most a little over twenty years, which was truly astonishing. He quickly explained that those carried away by the Nine Dragons Pulled Coffin back then were monitored by various sects. Afterward, every individual, including their families, was thoroughly investigated. On the very day the Nine Dragons Pulled Coffin incident occurred, even Western powerhouses rushed there, not to mention cultivators from the Central Plains. All sects reacted swiftly. Almost immediately, on that same day, various factions dispatched powerful individuals to investigate their backgrounds. Pang Bo's family must have been targeted by a certain lineage of ancient demon gods on that day.

Ye Fan nodded, asking him to elaborate on the major demon god clans existing in the world today.

"The main lineage of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, the Heavenly Python Clan, the Vermillion Phoenix Orthodoxy, and the Myriad Demon Valley. Ostensibly, these are the four major ancient demon god clans. Whether there are others living in seclusion is unknown." The Lingbao sect leader thought about it and concluded that only a powerful demon god clan could have reacted so swiftly and entered Pang Bo's home on that very day.

"Oh, right, you must be careful!" The Lingbao sect leader seemed to recall something and asked for a wooden box. When opened, it contained a very old black and white photograph. During World War II, a demon god emerged, appearing on various battlefields to cultivate amidst the immense bloodshed, shocking the cultivation world. This black and white photograph was taken by a mortal at the time, later acquired by cultivators, and circulated among the major sects, causing horror among those who saw it. In the faded photograph, the surging bloody aura, though blurry, was still astounding and sent shivers down one's spine, as if a wave of gore was about to burst forth from the paper.

Ye Fan stared at the photograph for a long time, then nodded silently. This was likely an ancient great demon, extremely terrifying. The deaths of so many heroic spirits back then must have elevated its cultivation to another level. He thought for a moment, then told the Lingbao sect leader to instruct his people not to reveal anything about him, especially his cultivation level. Afterward, he inquired about the locations of the four major ancient demon god clans.

"Please rest assured, I have already given instructions, and even guests not from our sect have been informed. Nothing will be leaked." The Lingbao sect leader only knew their general regions, not the true secret grounds of the four demon god clans, as these were taboo, and approaching too closely could lead to disaster.

Although he didn't obtain the Nine Secrets during this visit to Gezao Mountain, Ye Fan gained a wealth of knowledge about the current cultivation world on Earth.

Before he had even left Gezao Mountain, Ye Fan stopped. In the distance, a person with gray wings descended, bringing forth wafts of black mist. Behind him, the Lingbao sect leader's expression suddenly changed. This was a powerful figure from the Four Extremities Realm, with gray hair and gray eyes, like someone from hell. The newcomer directly stated his purpose, bringing up the past incident of the Nine Dragons Pulled Coffin. He claimed that the Lingbao School must have also retrieved something important and wished to see it today.

"Why do I feel he resembles the Primordial Fallen Feather Clan?" Ye Fan remarked.

"They are from a Western orthodox tradition," the Lingbao sect leader replied.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" The person with gray wings, whose pupils were dull and lifeless like dead ash, swept a merciless gaze toward them.

"Who I am isn't important, nor is it necessary to tell you," Ye Fan said, walking a circle around him. "I don't have time right now, but I will visit Jerusalem in the future."

"You wish to visit our ancient holy city? It's been a long time since a cultivator has called..." The gray-haired eccentric suddenly extended a large hand, grabbing for Ye Fan's skull with lightning speed.

"Poof!"

Ye Fan simply made a gesture with a finger from a distance, and both arms of the eccentric snapped off, sending gray blood splattering.

"You... who are you?" The gray-winged person was shocked. He hadn't expected to encounter such a formidable opponent, clearly a great cultivator! With a wave of his hand, Ye Fan instantly restrained him, fear etched across the man's face as he struggled fruitlessly to break free. Beside them, everyone shuddered. This was a powerful expert of the Four Extremities Realm, equivalent to a typical sect leader of this era, yet Ye Fan lifted him as easily as a dead duck.

Ye Fan drew out a beam of light from the man's glabella—his sea of consciousness—and read his memories. A cold sneer appeared on his lips: "I actually thought a fallen angel had arrived. So this is what Western orthodoxy amounts to, the result of their cultivation."

"You... who are you? My Lord will manifest among mortals; release me!" The gray-haired man was filled with shock and terror.

"Poof!"

Ye Fan simply pointed a finger, and the man dissipated like a snowflake, his entire body—flesh, bones, and sea of consciousness—melting away completely, leaving no trace. The surrounding crowd dared not breathe, secretly relieved that they had not offended this deity, had not fought him, and had even received his guidance.

"I'll have to make a trip to the West someday. I wonder who I'll encounter then," Ye Fan murmured to himself. He then vanished with Guo Zhen and Little Pine.

A few days later, he arrived at Changbai Mountain, entering this pristine land to search for an ancient demon god clan.