Chapter 964: Forbidden—Ancient Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountain

Old He emerged from seclusion, his face ruddy, his hair snowy white, and his spirit vigorous. His eyes were filled with astonishment as he stared at the ninety-nine dragon mountains, declaring their existence in the world.

Ye Fan's heart trembled. Were they truly about to find an Earth Immortal? Was this the place Red Pine Immortal had sought his entire life, holding the opportunity and great secret of achieving immortality?

Old He stated that although the ancient terrain had changed significantly compared to the present, it bore similarities to some current locations, allowing them to find clues in reality.

He had heard ancient secrets; the ninety-nine dragon mountains definitely existed and were not illusory. This map was not fake; it merely required careful comparison with real-world mountains and rivers.

"Look, doesn't one of them resemble the Yellow River? Its terrain is like a dragon, surging into the sea, winding and extending in nine bends, powerful and majestic."

Ye Fan and the Third Valley Master were both startled to hear this. How could ancient dragon mountains be linked to the Yellow River? That seemed a bit far-fetched.

Old He carved the ancient Yellow River path on the ground, which was vastly different from its current course, as it had changed direction countless times over thousands of years.

"Legend has it that in ancient times, there was no Yellow River path on the ground. A powerful being forcibly drew a great dragon vein from the earth, removing the dragon mountain and creating the ancient Yellow River channel, allowing the raging waters to flow eastward into the sea."

Ye Fan was stunned. The ancient Yellow River channel was created by someone, and a dragon vein that once stood there was extracted? This was truly astonishing.

He bent down and carefully compared the ancient Yellow River channel with the ninety-nine dragon veins. Indeed, one of them bore a striking resemblance. It was surprising, even absurd.

"This is just one dragon mountain," Ye Fan said, "The topographic map shows ninety-nine ancient dragon mountains winding and converging, vast and magnificent. There's still a long way to go."

Though Ye Fan said this, he remained somewhat skeptical in his heart. So many dragon mountains gathered together, all true great dragons—even the Big Dipper Starfield didn't have such a concentration!

Moreover, after his return, he had heard the Spirit Treasure Sect Master and the Third Valley Master say that in ancient times, the land was immeasurably vast, far larger than it is now. For some unknown reason, it had been shrinking.

If this were true, the dragon mountain associated with the ancient Yellow River channel alone would be hundreds of thousands of miles long. By their account, it could easily span tens of thousands of miles.

"Not only has the Earth changed, but the entire solar system has also shrunk; it wasn't like this in the past," Old He said.

Ye Fan pondered. Ninety-nine dragon mountains coexisting and intertwined seemed truly unrealistic. How astonishing would that be? Beyond anything else, such a terrain alone could give birth to incredible things.

Furthermore, it would undoubtedly be a supreme existence, unrivaled throughout history, even capable of challenging ancient great emperors, who would likely be defeated!

"That's it," he thought, "Could it be that precisely because these ninety-nine dragon mountains converged, defying the heavens, an Earth Immortal was born?"

Ye Fan was now only a step away from becoming a Source Heavenly Master. His strength and experience were unparalleled, with no one in the current era able to compare with him. Yet, the more he learned, the more shocked he became.

Old He insisted that the ancient Yellow River channel must be one of the dragon mountains because its shape was already very similar, matching one on the topographic map.

"This will be something to see," Ye Fan murmured to himself. "If the ninety-nine ancient dragon mountains truly exist, anything born from them would be believable."

They decided to set off immediately for the ancient Yellow River channel, traveling upstream from the lower reaches to search for old sites and locate the other ninety-eight true dragon mountains.

"Are you saying it's hidden within a vast ancient formation, not in the mortal world, but can still be found using present-day mountains and rivers?" Ye Fan asked.

Old He nodded, his expression very solemn. He had not left seclusion for decades, even centuries, dedicating himself solely to cultivation. Now, he had personally come to the bank of the ancient Yellow River channel.

They aimed to find unknown regions and discover the sealed ancient mountain ranges. They traveled along the way, visiting mountains and inquiring about rivers, uncovering many ancient relics and unearthing numerous broken steles from the Yellow River's silt, hoping for discoveries.

However, there were no significant discoveries. There was nothing along the banks of the Yellow River, and no sealed ancient dragon mountains could be found.

"Earth Deity, emerge!" Upon reaching an uninhabited area, near a section of the Yellow River where the water surged, Sun Wukong chanted a spell and conjured a small old man.

Ye Fan's eyes widened, completely dumbfounded by the surprise. He truly felt as if he had somehow arrived in the mythical era.

Old He explained that the ancient Yellow River channel was originally the site of an ancient dragon mountain, where an endless residual dragon aura lingered. Some cultivators and demons with sufficient spiritual power would naturally reside there.

The Earth Deity conjured by the Third Valley Master was actually just a pangolin that had gained a little spiritual cultivation and transformed into an Earth Deity to cultivate there.

The monkey interrogated him carefully. The Earth Deity, trembling like chaff, recounted everything in detail. He stated that his ancestors had lived there and had indeed heard of the ninety-nine dragon mountains, but he had never seen them himself.

Afterward, they continued upstream, passing through Ningxia and Gansu along the ancient Yellow River channel. Many areas had not seen the Yellow River's flow for thousands of years, as it had long since changed its course.

Along the way, they conjured mountain gods and earth deities several times in uninhabited areas, seeking the most magnificent ancient dragon mountains, but consistently without significant success.

Ye Fan couldn't help but shake his head. Such a terrain seemed truly impossible to exist; otherwise, it would be defying the heavens. He could barely imagine or foresee what it might give birth to.

However, just as he was wavering, Old He detected demonic traces. A certain section of the Yellow River coincided with the ancient channel, and he said there was a great demon inside, which might yield some discoveries.

The monkey entered the water but was beaten back out, radiating dense demonic energy. The Third Valley Master was almost severely disadvantaged.

Old He intervened. He was now a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Dragon Transformation, with profound cultivation. Among the sect masters of that time, he was second to none; as long as the reclusive grand cultivators didn't emerge, no one could contend with him.

"Boom!"

Waves surged to the sky as an ancient flood dragon leaped forth, its strength surprisingly on par with Old He's. It roared in anger, demanding why its water mansion had been disturbed and its cultivation interrupted.

This was an ancient Yellow River flood dragon, which had been cultivating for over seven hundred years. Its ancestors had lived there since ancient times, concealed within an underground water mansion to cultivate.

The Great Valley Master's explanation finally appeased the old flood dragon's anger, and the Yellow River's waves calmed. It invited them into its water mansion.

This was a water palace, devoid of extravagant decorations, simple and unadorned. Everything was made of stone to keep out the water, and it was built on a bed of silt.

Wisps of dragon energy gathered underground, which the flood dragon lineage used for cultivation. They rarely appeared in the world, not stirring up trouble as people often imagined demons would.

He invited the three to sit and recounted some ancient tales. Although he knew little, what he did know had been passed down from his ancestors. This finally led the three to a crucial clue.

The old flood dragon stated that long before ancient times, there was indeed a legend of ninety-nine dragon mountains. One of them, vast and boundless, had been intertwined and coiled with the ancient Yellow River channel right there, but was later moved by a peerless divine power.

The few listeners were dumbfounded. There really was such a legend! The old flood dragon confirmed that one still existed and even named it: the Taihang Mountain Range.

"Isn't this a bit outrageous?" Even the monkey was somewhat bewildered.

Hearing this, Old He showed a thoughtful expression, then spoke, saying that Taihang was indeed a dragon mountain. Under its exhalation of dragon energy, it had given birth to the ancient Six Dynasties capital in the north.

"I once heard that the Grand Dragon Vein in ancient times was tens of thousands of times larger than this. Can you imagine how long that dragon mountain was?" the monkey said.

"Even the ancient Yellow River channel was formed by the removal of a dragon mountain, so what's so surprising about the Taihang Mountain Range being moved?" Old He said calmly.

Ye Fan rubbed his chin. This was truly astonishing. If even the Taihang Dragon Vein was one of the ninety-nine ancient dragon mountains, how magnificent would the true scene of dragons soaring together be?!

The old flood dragon only knew about one of the ancient dragon mountains, not the others. According to it, this matter involved ancient forbidden secrets that should not be investigated further, or great disaster would ensue.

This was a bit of information passed down from its ancestors. Before they departed, it repeatedly warned the three to stop while they were ahead and by no means to investigate further, as even ancient sages dared not touch upon it, lest they incur calamity.

This was indeed a shocking and terrifying matter. What forbidden secrets did such an ancient mystery involve?

Was it what Red Pine Immortal had sought?

Ye Fan and his companions continued along the ancient channel, entering Sichuan from Gansu, and were about to enter Qinghai, reaching their destination: the source of the Yellow River.

However, while still in Sichuan, they uncovered another groundbreaking clue. Within the ancient Yellow River channel, they encountered an old turtle. Although its cultivation wasn't particularly formidable, having only recently entered the Dragon Transformation Realm, its lifespan was remarkably long—over nine hundred years.

Its racial advantage was evident.

After a conversation, they learned another astonishing fact from the old turtle: its clan also cultivated using the dragon energy of the ancient Yellow River channel and knew some ancient anecdotes.

This time, it involved the Qilian Mountain Range, which had been moved from this very spot—an ancient great dragon.

Ye Fan and his companions compared them carefully and fell silent. It truly resembled one of the ninety-nine ancient dragon mountains, which was somewhat frightening.

"In ancient times, the Qilian Mountain dragon vein was millions of miles long! This is truly shocking!"

The old turtle revealed a secret that deeply moved them: the ninety-nine dragon mountains had been a forbidden topic since ancient times. They could not be spoken of, discussed, or, even more so, investigated by anyone.

Ye Fan and his companions bade farewell to the old turtle and continued into Qinghai Province, finally arriving at the source of the Yellow River. Standing at the foot of a snowy mountain, they were lost in thought, having found no further discoveries.

"I feel as if we've accidentally touched upon something we shouldn't have investigated..." Old He muttered to himself.

Ye Fan had a premonition. It seemed they had indeed triggered a forbidden heavenly secret. If the Taihang and Qilian Mountain dragon veins were millions of miles long, then ninety-nine such dragon mountains intertwined and coiled together would truly be defying the heavens!

To say that an Earth Immortal was born there would be an understatement!

"Let's compare them carefully, take a close look." They merged the nine ancient jade pieces, then carved out all the famous dragon mountains in the world and compared them one by one. The more they looked, the more their hearts pounded.

"This is the Hengduan Mountain dragon vein."

"This is the Tianshan Mountain dragon vein."

A chill ran down their spines. The terrain of all famous dragon veins in the world could be found and individually matched within the ninety-nine ancient dragon mountains.

On the ancient jade pieces, the largest of the ninety-nine dragon mountains was located in the center, occupying nearly a quarter of the area, making it the most immense.

Ye Fan and his companions carefully compared it and found that a section of its extremity matched the current trend of the Kunlun Mountain Range, almost perfectly overlapping.

"A large part of Kunlun is hidden within ancient formations," Old He said. "Moreover, all the mountains and divine peaks that manifest in the world today have shrunk many times over."

The few were inexplicably shocked. What exactly happened in ancient times? The ninety-nine dragon mountains were originally conjoined, intertwining and coiling, forming a complex terrain. Who separated them?

What an immense feat!

It was a method that would shock past, present, and future—a heaven-defying technique.

The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became. It seemed as if the mountains and lands of the world had almost been deliberately arranged; the courses of the various dragon veins were not originally like this!

"This is too terrifying. It's a heaven-defying feat that shakes the past, present, and future. We've truly, accidentally, stumbled upon a forbidden secret..."