Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 112: Mysterious Realm

There were several items within the cave dwelling that flashed, the bronze eight trigrams mirror was indeed an artifact forged by a cultivator past the Other Shore realm, Ye Fan had left it in the private room for a year and divine lights now swirled around it, purple qi was in the air and it was shining with brilliance. As for the pure jade bottle, spotlessly white and pristine, covered in Dao markings, it had regained its mystical properties but it was unknown whether it could hold an entire mountain. At this moment, the divine tree branches which were soaking within the divine spring were still filled with energy and had not withered. As for the parasol, although it had been pierced by the sacred woman of the celestial rotating jade, the damage was not serious and a light was shrouding it, clearly extraordinary.

“Cultivators who are above the Other Shore realm, the weapons of these people are really terrifying.” Ye Fan smelted repeatedly as he removed any markings on the weapons, for fear that someone would be able to detect them. Thereafter, he placed all the weapons into his sea of bitterness but something shocking occurred, regardless of whether it was the copper eight trigrams mirror, the pristine pure jade bottle or the parasol, they were unable to enter the sea of bitterness but rather could only float above the sea of bitterness, below the spiritual bridge.

“Aurichalcite, you are taking up the best location yet not allowing me to use you, forcing the other weapons far away.” Ye Fan was speechless, he had immediately understood what was happening.

The aurichalcite was steeped within the eye of the spring at the bottom of the sea of bitterness, it had taken the best location and even the golden book had been pushed to the side. As for the copper eight trigrams mirror, pure jade bottle and parasol, they were forced out of the sea of bitterness and could not even be by the side.

“The golden page which records the Dao Scripture is actually stronger than the three weapons, I’m not really sure if it’s exceptional or the three weapons that are too useless.”

The artifacts which were forged by cultivators who were past the Other Shore realm, they were clearly remarkable and this indicated that the golden book was special.

This area was roughly four hundred miles from the Forbidden Ancient Desolate Land, large mountains surrounded the area and birds and beasts occasionally appeared, it was a primitive area.

Ye Fan did not fly, walking towards the outskirts of the mountainous region as he practiced the crazed old man’s movements, the divine ability to move long distances as though it were merely an inch made him envious, it was even faster than flying. It was a pity that his cultivation was simply insufficient and had no way to comprehend the Dao Inscriptions which were carved within his mind, unable to utilise such mystical arts.

Two days later, Ye Fan came to a small town, finally arriving at an area that was populated with humans.

“A year has already passed, the Jiang Family, Ji Family and Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground should have already retreated.” He really wished to find somebody to get more information.

In this year, Ye Fan’s biggest gain was not cultivating to the Spiritual Bridge realm but rather his divine sense which had improved to a frightening level, extremely condensed, the golden lake in the centre of his eyebrows could shoot divine lights which could be as sharp as heavenly swords or as gentle as a passing breeze, immediately understanding everything that was occurring in the surrounding area.

“There are cultivators within that restaurant.” Having arrived within the small town for a period of time, Ye Fan’s divine sense had already noticed the aura of the cultivators.

It was a pity that within that restaurant, he did not hear any news regarding the Jiang Family, Ji Family or Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground but was still able to listen to a piece of important information.

“The burial mound of the demonic emperor finally sunk, the aggrieved were plentiful, corpses piled like mountains and blood flowed like rivers, even so they were unsuccessful. The most precious treasure of our Eastern Badlands, the Desolate Pagoda! It seems it will be lost forever.”

“It’s impossible for it to disappear forever, the Desolate Pagoda existed together with the world, it will resurface sooner or later.”

“What you said is true, it can even seal immortals within, it certainly won’t disappear in this manner. Who knows, after several thousand or even tens of thousands of years, it will reappear within the world and choose a person who is fated.”

“I don’t think it’ll require that long a period of time, the Desolate Pagoda has already been gone for ten thousand years, I feel that it should reappear soon. Who knows, it may re-emerge and shock the entire Eastern Badlands in the near future.”

Ye Fan felt shocked, the ruckus at the burial mound of the demonic emperor actually lasted for three years before finally calming down, the various sects from the Eastern Badlands had acted and even several profound experts from the Central Province had moved but failed to seal it, in the most crucial period, it had re-entered the volcano like a dragon returning to the sea, forever disappearing from the surface of the Eastern Badlands.

In the half a month that followed, Ye Fan explored the city and appeared in areas where it was densely populated, he kept especially low-key and finally gained information regarding many things.

A year ago, the people of the Jiang Family, Ji Family and Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground had entered the Forbidden Ancient Desolate Land with everyone being exterminated, this had caused a huge clamour, shocking every sect, resulting in no one daring to barge into the forbidden area.

“Liu Yi Yi, Zhang Zi Jun, Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Li Xiao Man and the others have actually disappeared.” This was a piece of bad news as Ye Fan frowned.

“If I were them, I would certainly not return to my previous sect, otherwise, I would be interrogated by the various ancient aristocratic families and sacred grounds. If there was even a single loophole in their words, they would all be killed. The Eastern Badlands was simply enormous and a country the size of the Yan State was abundant, escaping from this area was a clear choice.”

Ye Fan surmised that the six people had not died, they should have analysed the situation and realised that staying was a bad idea, thus fleeing to other countries.

“It’s likely that we will meet again some time in the future.”

Ye Fan did not feel a need to continue staying within the Yan State, there were no longer any strong sects or ancient aristocratic families, only the six immortal sanctuaries which were weak in comparison to the big sects. This area lacked opportunities and he needed to understand the realms past the Wheel and Sea, only by leaving this area would he have a chance to gain that knowledge.

“I should join a Sacred Ground or ancient aristocratic family, learning the cultivation methods for other mystic realms. The cultivation method recorded within the golden book is only sufficient for the realms within the Wheel and Sea, it will eventually be insufficient.

Ye Fan did not believe that he could gather the full compilation of the Dao Scripture, that was simply too unrealistic, it had been separated tens of thousands of years ago and it was difficult to clearly identify where each page of the golden book had fallen.The Sacred Grounds and ancient aristocratic families would have profound ancient scriptures that were not inferior to the Dao Scripture, he wanted to use the ancient scriptures to cultivate the other mystic realms past the Wheel and Sea realm, the precursor was that he had to first finish cultivating the Wheel and Sea volume recorded within the Dao Scripture.

“I’ve still got some time, there’s no need to worry about not having a technique to continue cultivating yet.”

Ye Fan had reached the Spiritual Bridge realm, there was still the Other Shore realm and he was unsure when he would actually attain it. In order to investigate the other mystic realms, he needed to first reach the Other Shore realm. The end of the Wheel and Sea volume was the Other Shore but it was the start of the other mystic realms.

“The Eastern Badlands is vast and endless with countless countries, it’s rumoured that there are seven large forbidden areas and I’ve only seen the Forbidden Ancient Desolate Land, I wonder what places the other forbidden areas area……”

Ye Fan felt that he would not enter the Forbidden Ancient Desolate Land within the near future, it was simply too dangerous and with his current strength, there was simply no way to pick the third type of divine medicine, it would be difficult to have the serendipity to succeed. He could guess that the other forbidden areas likely had mystical areas which would also provide miracles or great opportunities.

“The profound ancient scriptures within the Sacred Grounds and ancient aristocratic families, the seven great forbidden areas, the vast Eastern Badlands…… it is worthwhile for me to investigate all this.”

Before leaving, he felt that it was necessary to visit the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary one more time, retrieving the artifact he had left behind. Back then, his strength was insufficient and could only flee. He had now reached the Spiritual Bridge realm and his foundation was sufficient.

In these three years, there was not a single peaceful moment for the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary. The burial mound of the demonic emperor attracted countless sects within the Eastern Badlands, dyeing the soil red with blood as corpses piled high like mountains, grievances filled the air.

When everything finally ended, some peerless experts made use of profound and mystical divine arts to cleanse the ruins, otherwise, Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary would actually have to move away.

Coming before the gate of the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary, Ye Fan felt retrospective, he was viewed as a wastrel and no one wanted to accept him. Being able to come here was purely because of Pang Bo.

“Pang Bo, once I’ve gained enough strength, I’ll definitely be back to save you!”

Ling Xu Immortal sanctuary, misty clouds floating about, immortal mountains that were faintly discernible. There were ancient trees and unusual rocks that were strong and upright at the entrance of the mountain. A powerful waterfall scattering about droplets and a flowing river, all these resulted in a paradise-like feel.

“Who are you? Why have you come to the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary?” The disciple guarding the gate questioned.

“This senior brother, I’m here to pay a visit to elder Wu Qing Feng.” Ye Fan’s current looks were not older than fourteen, together with his vibrant smile, it was easy to make one feel amiable with him.

The disciple who was guarding the gate did not make things difficult for him: “Follow me in.”

Walking into the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary, Ye Fan was shocked upon seeing the limestone steps as he questioned: “Why have these limestone steps shattered? It wasn’t like this in the past.”

Back in the day, the first time they entered the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary was also via these limestone steps, the ancient scriptures within his mind had resounded naturally, leaving a deep impression in him. He was sure that there was an exceptional artifact beneath them.

“How did you know it wasn’t like this in the past?” The disciple was puzzled as he questioned.

“I’ve lived here before, senior brother please enlighten me about what happened, why have these limestone steps all shattered?” Ye Fan really wanted to know, the ancient scriptures within his mind no longer resounded and the artifact beneath had clearly disappeared.

The disciple looked left and right, noticing that no one was around, he whispered in a low voice: “This may be shocking to know but there was actually a Yin vein beneath the ground that was connected to the Yin tomb of the demonic emperor, it had finally escaped from this area and delved into the depths of the Eastern Badlands.”

Ye Fan was shocked, he had never imagined such a causality and instantly thought of the Desolate Pagoda which was known as a peerless existence.

“Back then, when we first came to this area, the ancient scripture resounded naturally, was it related to the Desolate Pagoda?” Ye Fan was befuddled, the ancient scripture came from the other side of the stars and was obtained from within the ancient bronze coffin, he could not understand why an artifact of this world would affect it.

Within the Ling Xu Immortal Sanctuary contained azure mountains and green valleys, simply breathtaking. The palace halls were interspersed with balconies as decorations. Mist bubbled forth, letting one experience an emptiness within this area.

Seeing elder Wu Qing Feng again, Ye Fan felt a sense of closeness, he gave a big bow to pay his respects, this old man had watched over him and was an elder who deserved respect.

“Child, it’s actually you.” Elder Wu Qing Feng was extremely agitated, he had not changed much, his hair was white, figure was slender and carried an otherworldly air about him.

Looking at Ye Fan, he naturally thought of Pang Bo and could not help but sigh. Pang Bo had already been accepted as his disciple but was abducted by the demonic race and had disappeared within the primitive ruins.

This was a peaceful valley with a pristine lake not far away, it’s colour was of sapphire as it sparkled under the light. Just ahead was a thatched cottage with four to five rows of bamboo forest in a large expanse, giving one a secluded and peaceful feel.

Seated on a stone chair within the bamboo forest, Ye Fan picked up a tea cup as he gently sipped while talking to the elder.

Hearing that Ye Fan wanted to understand the other mystical realms, elder Wu Qing Feng looked at him with a puzzled expression: “Child, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Have you forgotten what I’ve said to you? If a person is able to cultivate to the end of a single mystical realm he can be considered exceptional, cultivating the Wheel of Life and Sea of Bitterness to the extreme, one can also be considered a peerless expert.”

“Why would those ancient aristocratic families and Sacred Grounds cultivate the other mystical realms as well?”

“We can’t compare ourselves to them, they have ancient scriptures which can be considered celestial compendiums, this is an absolute advantage.” Elder Wu Qing Feng sighed as he shook his head: “Actually, cultivating a single mystical realm would be sufficient, it’s rumoured that in ancient times, many people only cultivated a single mystical realm.”

Ye Fan had a contemplative expression as he looked down, after a while, he finally lifted his head as he came to a decision, he would not merely cultivate a single mystical realm, since there were other mystical realms, there was certainly a reason to go on cultivating them.

Elder Wu Qing Feng was also confused, he felt that although Ye Fan could barely cultivate with his Primordial Ancient Divine Body, his progress would not be too fantastic, however, the elder was kind and patiently answered many of his queries.

Ye Fan finally obtained the name of the next mystical realm: Dao Temple. After the Wheel and Sea mystical realm, one needed to overcome the Sea of Bitterness, reaching the Other Shore before slowly feeling for it.

It was rumoured that the Dao Temple had five Divine Aspects, when cultivating this mystical realm one would experience various profound and mystical events.

Ye Fan currently had the cultivation method for the Wheel and Sea, the golden book was only a single page within the Dao Scripture and did not contain the technique for cultivating the mystical realm of the Dao Temple.

“If I wanted to obtain the most profound techniques, I would have to go to a Sacred Ground or an ancient aristocratic family to attain the mystical ancient scriptures that they had.” Ye Fan muttered in his heart.

“Elder, of the Sacred Grounds and ancient aristocratic families, which family has the most profound ancient scripture?” Ye Fan questioned.

Elder Wu Qing Feng shook his head: “The ancient aristocratic families and Sacred Grounds are too profound and powerful, they are not something that we can understand. Which ancient scripture each of them has is difficult to determine.”

Ye Fan really wanted to know which ancient scripture was the strongest and muttered to himself: “They may each have their strengths.”

“That’s right, that is indeed the case.” Elder Wu Qing Feng seemed to recall something as he continued: “It’s rumoured that for the Wheel and Sea mystical realm, the Dao Scripture is the best cultivation method. As for the Dao Temple mystical realm, the ancient scripture of the Jade Lake Sacred Ground should be the strongest. Each ancient scripture has a portion which has the most optimal cultivation method.”

Ye Fan immediately made a decision to go to the Jade Lake Sacred Ground, learning the cultivation method for the Dao Temple realm.

“Does the Jade Lake Sacred Ground accept male disciples?”

“They have never done so.” Elder Wu Qing Feng looked at him with confusion: “You can’t possibly be……”

“Do the female disciples of the Jade Lake Sacred Ground marry?” Ye Fan asked indifferently.

”

Elder Wu Qing Feng laughed: “They can marry but the conditions are extremely stringent, I’m afraid you won’t have the fortune to do so.”

Ye Fan did not feel embarrassed as he laughed and continued to question, although elder Wu Qing Feng had some qualms, he did not voice them but rather patiently explained.

The Jade Lake Sacred Ground was extremely distant from the Yan State, they were the most low-key and mysterious of all the Sacred Grounds and ancient aristocratic families.

At the same time, Ye Fan inadvertently found out that one of the seven great forbidden areas “Genesis Ancient Mine” was located within the area where the Jade Lake Sacred Ground was situated.

This definition of the same region was due to the vastness of the Eastern Badlands, in actuality, the two were separated by ten thousand miles.

The Jiang Family was also located in that region and was roughly thirty thousand miles from that forbidden area. The Eastern Badlands was simply too vast and places that were in the same area could be separated by tens of thousands of miles.

“Genesis Ancient Mine……”

This was the first time that Ye Fan had heard of this forbidden area, as one of the seven great forbidden areas, it would definitely have an exceptional background.

“The region has plentiful amounts of ‘source’, this is the inextricable reason why the Jiang Family and the Jade lake Sacred Ground chose that region to develop in.”

Ye Fan felt that this was an even greater reason to head there, the ‘source’ was an extremely important item for him, if he was unable to obtain divine medicine, looking for ‘source’ was also a good solution.

“Genesis Ancient Mine is……” He was puzzled as he asked.

“With genesis in it’s name, it shows that it is extremely old and it is impossible to estimate how long it has existed.” Elder Wu Qing Feng sipped his tea before continuing: “It’s rumoured that endless years ago, the Genesis Ancient Mine was the most famous ‘source’ mine within the Eastern Badlands, a ominous object was then dug out causing it to become one of the seven great forbidden areas.”

Ye Fan was extremely puzzled and curious as he asked: “Exactly what was dug out?”

“They actually dug out a peerless divine source, it’s rumoured that an exceptionally strong creature was sealed within and when it was finally revived, it actually killed everyone.”

“What?!” Ye Fan felt stunned.

“It’s rumoured that there are actually people sealed within some divine sources.”

Hearing these words, Ye Fan felt extremely shocked, he felt that the region he was planning to go to was simply too mysterious, the Jade Lake Sacred Ground, Jiang Family and Genesis Ancient Mine held exceptional meaning for him.