# Chapter 969: The Reason for the Ancient Star's Exhaustion
From Rong Cheng Gong of Shu, to Rong Chengzi during the Western Zhou period, and then to Rong Chengshi, the tribal chieftain of high antiquity—through various ancient texts, the subtle clues gradually revealed his true identity: he was actually an immortal worshipped by the ancient people.
Ye Fan and the others circled the coffin, repeatedly observing the terrain, checking whether there were any array patterns or Dao marks, afraid of making any mistakes. This was an ancestor-level cultivator, one who inspired reverence.
The three of them found it difficult to calm their minds. The identity of the Yellow Mud Coffin's owner had been revealed, making them feel even more pressured. An Earth Immortal actually had such a great background.
The interior of the dragon's mouth was very dry. After the waterfall had ceased flowing, no traces of moisture remained. The cave walls were smooth, with no Dao patterns either. After careful confirmation, they prepared to open the coffin, lifting the lid made of yellow mud.
However, after retreating a sufficient distance, Ye Fan activated his Dao techniques, attempting to move the coffin lid from afar, only to find it completely useless—it didn't budge an inch.
Holding the Green Copper Block, Ye Fan stepped forward step by step. At this critical moment, the Green Cauldron fragment was the strongest protective charm; if anything unexpected happened, it could save his life.
"Boom!"
He lifted one corner of the Yellow Mud Coffin. Instantly, the entire dragon cave was flooded with brilliant light. Patterns appeared on all the walls, radiating an overwhelming might that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
In that instant, the entire Dragon Mountain was covered in immortal light, exuding an astonishing aura. Its entire body turned cyan, gleaming brightly, as if about to come to life.
Ye Fan quickly released his grip and retreated dozens of steps back. "Clang!" The Yellow Mud Coffin lid fell back into place, perfectly sealed. All the light converged inward and disappeared, returning to calm.
The Old Crane and the Third Valley Master trembled in fear, both collapsing to the ground. The immense pressure just now had made their hair stand on end, their minds trembling, unable to bear it.
"There was no killing intent, only a kind of momentum." After a long time, the three of them looked at each other like this.
If even a thread of killing intent had emerged when the coffin was opened, the two of them—the Great Valley Master and the other—would not have survived. This momentum was far beyond what they could withstand.
"In a daze, I saw dense oracle bone script covering the cave walls, as if recording a very important secret from high antiquity," said the Great Valley Master.
"Alright, let's try again." Ye Fan cautiously approached.
Although the coffin was made of yellow mud, it weighed more than ten thousand jun. If not for Ye Fan's innate divine strength as a Human Sacred Body, it would have been impossible to lift.
Even so, he struggled greatly. The moment he lifted a corner of the coffin lid, the brilliant light reappeared. The cave walls shone, immortal qi swirled, and colors of all kinds burst forth.
In the ancient cave, various patterns appeared—all ancient characters, obscure and difficult to understand, covering every corner, radiating boundless brilliance.
Ye Fan was drenched in sweat. A coffin lid made of yellow mud, yet so heavy. He painstakingly moved it aside and placed it on the ground.
Behind him, the Great Valley Master and the monkey trembled uncontrollably, sitting on the ground, unable to resist the urge to kowtow in worship. This was an instinct of the body.
The Earth Immortal's coffin lid was open!
Ye Fan looked inside and saw a mass of chaotic mist surging, indescribably mysterious, making one want to see what lay within.
But he dared not touch the chaos easily, for if it became violent and raging, it might destroy the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains, causing his soul to tremble.
"There is not a single trace of killing intent, only the momentum of the Earth Immortal." Ye Fan's body was extremely stiff. If not for holding the Green Copper Block, he might not have been able to stand safely.
"Thump!"
On the other side, the monkey could no longer control his body and touched his head to the ground. The Old Crane was the same, unable to control his physical form, trembling as he knelt down and kowtowed to the Yellow Mud Coffin.
This was the residual momentum of the immortal revered by the ancient people. Even though endless years had passed, once the coffin was opened, even a single wisp of its aura was unbearable for others.
"The cave wall... has writing... involving the mystery of the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains..." The Great Valley Master spoke with difficulty, enduring immense pressure, trembling as he spoke.
What was recorded on the cave wall was not the small Dragon Mountain group here, but the true ninety-nine ancient Dragon Mountains of high antiquity. Unexpectedly, the Earth Immortal Rong Chengshi had revealed the secret here.
"Millions of years ago..."
When Ye Fan saw these words, his entire body felt a chill. How long ago was that? Did humans exist on Earth at that time?
Suddenly, the Yellow Mud Coffin trembled. Chaos surged inside like an ocean about to rush out, startling him into quickly retreating, grabbing the Old Crane and the Third Valley Master to flee far away.
"Clang!"
It finally stabilized again. Inside the coffin was like a sea of chaos, unfathomably deep. The coffin walls were rough, the yellow mud flowing with strange colors, flickering with ancient symbols that slowly absorbed all the chaotic qi.
Ye Fan stood in the distance, quietly watching all of this. The two people beside him trembled in body and mind—not because their will was weak, but because the gap in strength was too great.
Finally, the chaos in the coffin disappeared, completely absorbed by the rough yellow mud coffin walls. Inside was empty.
"Empty? Where is the Earth Immortal's corpse?" the Old Crane exclaimed. They had come precisely for the Earth Immortal—how could there be no corpse?
There were also inscriptions inside the coffin, line by line, in the same handwriting as on the cave walls, clearly carved by the same person. Strange light flowed, very mysterious.
"The Earth Immortal dissolved into the Dao. Did nothing remain? No, that's not right. Where is the Immortal Tree? Why is there no trace of it either? It coexists with the ages and couldn't have dissolved," the Third Valley Master also showed doubt.
Ye Fan said, "Let's not worry about that for now. We came for the secrets of the Earth Immortal. The key things he wanted to leave behind are already here, written in this place. We need to read them carefully."
"The ninety-nine Dragon Mountains, nurturing the hope of becoming immortal..." They continuously pondered those ancient characters, all created by the ancient people, so archaic and obscure that they were difficult to understand.
Fortunately, they were all extraordinary individuals who had studied oracle bone script. With careful study, they could still grasp the general meaning. But just reading a portion left them stunned.
As far back as millions of years ago, the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains had already been used by someone. The time was terrifyingly ancient, yet who had done it remained unknown.
Looking further down, it became even more hair-raising. The ninety-nine Dragon Mountains did indeed nurture the hope of becoming immortal, but Rong Chengshi did not say what it was.
From the meaning, it should be understood that at their level of cultivation, everyone knew what it was—there was no need to say it explicitly. This was written for fellow practitioners, not for small cultivators like them.
"Using one life-bearing ancient star after another to nurture it, a great calamity..."
When they read this, they felt a chill seep from their spines into their bones. The origin of the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains was terrifyingly ancient, not beginning on Earth.
According to what was recorded, this was a shocking secret, so absurd that it was hard to believe.
The ninety-nine Dragon Mountains originated from an unknown star domain, having passed through an immeasurably long period of time, moving from one life-bearing ancient star to another.
Wherever they passed, heaven and earth dried up, spiritual qi withered, vegetation decayed, intelligent beings degenerated, and all things declined. In the most severe cases, they could cause an ancient star's vitality to disappear entirely.
Ye Fan and the others looked at each other. Present-day Earth seemed to be undergoing such a change—spiritual qi withering, the Dao distant and high, cultivation difficult, and earth veins drying up.
Was all of this caused by the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains!?
They held their breath and read carefully. This might involve the greatest secret of Earth throughout history, and they were fortunate enough to uncover it, touching upon this hidden truth.
The ninety-nine Dragon Mountains absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, devouring the spiritual beauty of life-bearing ancient stars. They had once descended on Yinghuo, and that was the most severe instance, nearly causing the entire ancient star to dry up.
In later ages, because of a great upheaval and excessively fierce battles, Yinghuo could no longer bear it and turned into a dead star.
For some unknown reason, the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains chose Earth as their final stop. The thing they had nurtured took shape and was taken away by someone.
The consequence was that in that unknown ancient period—perhaps the Primordial Era, perhaps even more ancient—many intelligent beings on Earth declined, and all those with cultivation left.
In the following long years, the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains reversely emitted essence qi. Moreover, Earth had not been completely drained, so instead it became rich in spiritual qi again, ushering in a peak period.
In some unknown era, the hope of becoming immortal—the thing nurtured by the Dragon Mountains—was damaged in another star domain. About two hundred thousand years ago, someone crossed the stars and placed it back in its birthplace.
When they read this, the several of them looked at each other. Was the current desiccation of Earth caused by it? Had another cycle begun?
They carefully read on.
This thing was already damaged. Placing it in its birthplace couldn't restore it immediately. After two hundred thousand years, it finally showed signs of recovery, and was also finally sensed by the strongest beings on Earth, who foresaw that something terrible was about to happen.
Someone took action, using great power to separate the ninety-nine Dragon Mountains, trying to stop the deterioration of heaven and earth. But it was already too late. Only by retrieving this thing could it be resolved.
However, the birthplace of this thing was too terrifying. The patterns interwoven there were extremely heaven-defying. In ancient times, some world-shaking figures from foreign ancient stars had entered and died in vain.
To enter its birthplace, one needed an ancient map. If one followed the marked path, there would be no danger, and one could easily retrieve this thing.
Moreover, this ancient map was lost on Earth. In ancient times, when a powerful divine dynasty from a foreign ancient star escorted this thing back for repair, it was accidentally lost here.
Unfortunately, this map was scattered in all directions. Moreover, because whoever possessed it could enter and obtain the hope of becoming immortal, people fought over it, and it could not be assembled.
The ancient people living on Earth realized this wouldn't do and quickly stopped the conflict. They selflessly took out their fragments of the map, preparing to assemble it.
But at this moment, an accident occurred. Powerful beings from other star domains arrived and began to contend for it.
Later, even ancient saints could only die in vain, unqualified to compete, avoiding it like snakes and scorpions. In ancient times, only a few Great Sages and one or two Quasi-Emperors on this ancient star had the ability to pursue it.
Rong Chengshi was one of them. He was a Quasi-Emperor. In that era, his strength was unparalleled, surpassing past and present, and he participated in this matter.
He was originally a chieftain of an ancient tribe, watching the world's seas turn to mulberry fields, pursuing this all the way to the Spring and Autumn period. With his heaven-penetrating, earth-transforming abilities, he only obtained two fragments of the map.
According to legend, there were originally nine fragments. One of them was unfortunately shattered into dust, extinguishing the last hope of the great power-holders. They began to leave Earth one after another.
"So this is the reason why there were no great power-holders after the Hundred Schools of Thought? That prosperous period was actually formed because of the opportunity to become immortal," Ye Fan murmured to himself.
They continued reading.
Rong Chengshi was a chieftain from the ancient tribal period. He watched the seas dry up, saw high mountains turn into plains, and passed through endless years. All his disciples died, leaving only himself.
At the same time, in this process, he had seen Shennong and observed the Yellow Emperor. He knew that with such people on this ancient star, he would surely be unable to attain the Dao. He had originally planned to leave as well, but he was somewhat unwilling, having obtained two fragments of the map.
In the end, he chose to enter the place that nurtured the hope of becoming immortal, risking his life for a final gamble.
However, the record ended here, with no continuation.
Even the Great Valley Master, a man of great composure, found it unbearable. He very much wanted to see the final result, but although the writing on the cave wall was dense, it truly stopped abruptly.
"There's more. It's all completely recorded, inside the Yellow Mud Coffin," Ye Fan said. The rough inner walls of the mud coffin were densely covered with writing, recording what happened next.
Protect our Dao bodies, beg not to be exposed below, calling for *** support. Calling for no pain. Waving hands while shedding tears ah ah ah.
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