Chapter 143: The Secret Diagram
Under the blood-red setting sun, withered vines coiled around green stones, forest birds returned to their nests, and a desolate stillness reigned. The Old Madman lay on a large green rock, facing the sunset, his aged eyes filled with infinite longing and a hint of sorrow. Two streams of tears traced starkly down his weathered face.
He was originally a world-shaking, unparalleled powerhouse, who six thousand years ago had already found no rival in the Eastern Wasteland. Yet now, he curled up here, his gaunt frame trembling slightly, evoking sympathy and pity. "Senior..." Ye Fan stepped forward, crouching before the large green rock, gazing at the Old Madman. His heart was filled with sympathy, but he didn't know how to help this old man.
The Old Madman looked up at him, then turned his gaze back to the red sun about to sink below the horizon. Everything in the world seemed unable to draw his attention, only that blood-red sun could captivate his entire mind.
"That year, the setting sun was like blood, and the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land was bathed in blood. That day, all things withered, and the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land fell..." The Old Madman, despite his great age, kept shedding tears, his old eyes growing turbid. "Senior, the past cannot be undone. The dead are gone. You should try to let it go," Ye Fan advised.
Suddenly, the sun completely disappeared, sinking behind the mountain peaks.
The moment the blood-red setting sun vanished, the Old Madman's eyes suddenly shot out two dazzling beams of light, piercing through the void. His sorrowful expression vanished entirely, and he sat up abruptly.
He seemed to have transformed into a different person, like a peerless divine sword being unsheathed, its sharpness fully exposed, plunging the mountain ridge into utter silence. All birds and beasts trembled in fear.
Ye Fan felt an immense pressure. If he hadn't possessed a physical body surpassing divine treasures, he would likely have been crushed, with bones broken and tendons snapped. So close, the Old Madman was like a mountain, radiating an unimaginable, massive pressure. "Their aura..." He stared at Ye Fan, then grabbed Ye Fan's arm, his eyes suddenly growing deep and profound.
Ye Fan shuddered violently. This mad old man was too terrifying. This pressure made it impossible for him to move even a little, far surpassing any cultivator he had ever encountered.
He immediately thought of the Ancient Forbidden Land, the Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden, the endless white bones on the Nine Sacred Mountains, and those Ancient Slaves. The "they" the Old Madman referred to most likely meant these.
But over a year had already passed. The aura on his body should have been completely cleansed. Yet the Old Madman could still sense it. Such terrifying spiritual perception was chilling.
The Old Madman brushed his hand over Ye Fan's body, and in an instant, the image of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden materialized, standing vividly in mid-air. Bright eyes, white teeth, a light and agile figure, jade-like grace, peerlessly beautiful, lifelike, nearly perfect.
Ye Fan was dumbfounded. What kind of divine ability was this? With a single brush, he could conjure a living image. It was truly unheard of and unseen.
The Old Madman brushed again. Endless white bones, densely packed, appeared on the mountain ridge—all the skeletons he had seen that day on the Nine Sacred Mountains. Suddenly, the Old Madman clutched his head and let out a painful, long howl, like a lone wolf's mournful cry. "Hahaha..." Finally, he threw his head back and laughed wildly, appearing insane. If you can't become an immortal, you become a mad demon!
He cried and laughed alternately, just like when they first met, his emotions out of control, pitiable and lamentable. The Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden stood gracefully in the air, dignified and beautiful, outshining the stars and moon.
The endless white bones, shrouded in a gloomy aura, seemed to have truly descended here, circling around the Old Madman. The scene was extremely eerie, sending chills down one's spine.
Beside him, Ye Fan felt as if he had returned to the Ancient Forbidden Land, encountering the peerlessly elegant Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden and those skeletons again.
The Old Madman let out a muffled, low roar, then suddenly raised his head, facing the Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden and the white bones. His eyes shot out two brilliant beams of light, carving the character "Dao" in the sky.
Then, he stood tall, his hands moving slowly and powerfully. All the figures were imprinted into the void, forming a massive image.
Inside, there were endless white bones, mountains of corpses, and seas of blood. At the very center, the Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden, in white robes as pure as snow, with hair as black as a waterfall, was lifelike, as if possessing a soul.
"This..." Behind him, Ye Fan was shocked. Using the void as a canvas to imprint spiritual essence—this was a method he had never heard of or seen before. Witnessing it today was truly awe-inspiring.
The Old Madman's hands moved, and the aura of Dao flowed. With a "clang," he carved the character "Immortal" onto the image. It shone brilliantly!
That "Immortal" character seemed to possess a strange, magical power, dimming all the figures within the image. In the end, it seemed only the "Immortal" remained, surrounded by some faint, shadowy outlines. Even the Heavenly Pivot Holy Maiden at the very center became blurred.
The image emanated a hazy aura. The "Immortal" character was filled with endless Dao resonance, giving a feeling of the boundless Dao and the naturalness of the Way. The Old Madman extended a finger and pointed it at his own forehead.
The massive image in the sky transformed into a brand, rushing into his head. His face displayed various expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Ye Fan's heart tightened. What was the Old Madman doing?
"Clang!"
The brand on the Old Madman's forehead emerged. The figures inside grew increasingly dim, leaving only the brilliantly shining "Immortal" character. "Is he severing the past, or engraving a deeper memory?" Ye Fan thought in surprise. The Old Madman's methods were unfathomable.
It was a long time before the Old Madman calmed down.
"Slap!"
At that moment, he lightly slapped the large green rock. A hazy halo of light appeared, revealing a mysterious image. Undoubtedly, he was lucid at this moment, not randomly striking the stone.
Ye Fan was startled. He focused his gaze, gathering divine light in his eyes. The hazy halo shimmered on the green stone, as obscure as ghostly scribbles. It looked familiar, very familiar. He had an extremely strong sense of recognition. "The mysterious footwork!"
Ye Fan was greatly surprised. This image was a complex array of Dao patterns, extremely profound and obscure. He had previously memorized the Old Madman's footwork, but compared to this complete Dao pattern, it was far too inferior. This was the true mysterious footwork.
Ye Fan's heart was filled with doubt and uncertainty. The Old Madman had taken one image from him and given him another in return, as if trying to settle the score.
At this moment, he couldn't afford to overthink. He concentrated all his spirit on memorizing this mysterious engraved image. The hazy light rushed into his eyes, transforming into patterns and etching itself into his heart.
This secret diagram was exceptionally profound and complex. Ye Fan had only tried to evolve it once when he immediately felt the world spin. His realm was too low; he simply couldn't comprehend the deepest Dao patterns. "This footwork must be a supreme secret technique!" He was secretly astonished.
Just then, the green stone shattered, turning into powder, leaving nothing behind.
The Old Madman stood up and walked deeper into the mountain range. Ye Fan, filled with doubt and uncertainty, followed behind. Though this old man was mad and delirious, he also had moments of clarity. His arrival at Grand Mystery must have a reason.
This was a stretch of desolate, wild mountains, even more so than Clumsy Peak, but it wasn't the main peak. No Grand Mystery disciples were here.
After advancing about a dozen miles, the Old Madman suddenly stomped his foot. A hundred-meter-tall hill in front split apart, as if cleaved by a heavenly god with a giant axe. Behind him, Ye Fan was dumbfounded. The power of a single stomp was terrifying.
The hill split into two halves, like two open doors. The Old Madman walked straight in. Inside was hazy and indistinct, like a mystical realm, a hidden world within, as if it were an independent space. "Who dares to trespass on Grand Mystery's sacred ground?" Shouts suddenly rang out.
Ye Fan stopped here, not daring to advance. Several figures flew out from the hazy space, blocking the Old Madman.
Brilliant beams of light shot towards the Old Madman. One could clearly see powerful iron seals, sky-covering nets... various powerful spiritual treasures, all radiating terrifying fluctuations.
But the Old Madman waved his large sleeve, and all the treasures turned to powder. There was no suspense. All the light collapsed and vanished. Simple and casual, he hadn't expended any effort, as if strolling through a garden.
The seven or eight figures that had just rushed out of the mist were all horrified. But before they could react, the Old Madman let out a soft shout, and they were all knocked unconscious, falling to the ground.
These people were all white-haired, white-bearded old men, definitely Grand Mystery's elders. But before the Old Madman, they were nothing more than ants.
Ye Fan's heart tightened. If the Old Madman wanted to kill, even a powerful sect like Grand Mystery would become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. No one in the Eastern Wasteland could probably stop him.
The Old Madman strode forward, entering the mist ahead. Ye Fan found it very strange. Seeing that all the old men were unconscious, he had no qualms and rushed forward.
The mist dissipated, and the stars of the sky appeared. They had arrived in a valley.
Here, there was a massive altar, engraved with many Dao patterns and many ancient characters, marking various regions of the Eastern Wasteland. Domain Gate!
Ye Fan was shocked. He immediately thought of the words "Domain Gate." This must be one of Grand Mystery's most important places—the Domain Gate!
"If enough Source can be provided to activate the Dao patterns, one can cross the void from here!" Thinking this, Ye Fan rushed forward. If he could cross from here to the other end of the Eastern Wasteland, it would fulfill one of his greatest wishes.
The region of Grand Mystery, the Ji Family, and the Yaoguang Holy Land was in the southern part of the Eastern Wasteland, while the Jade Pool Holy Land was at the northern end. No one could say exactly how far the north-south distance was.
With such a distance, even if a cultivator could fly on a mount, it would take several years of arduous effort. It was truly a headache. Without Domain Gates, the entire Eastern Wasteland couldn't be interconnected; the territory was simply too vast.
In this region, aside from the Ji Family and the Yaoguang Holy Land, Grand Mystery was the most powerful.
However, they were not a Holy Land after all. The Dao patterns they had engraved could at most reach the central part of the Eastern Wasteland, not the northernmost point.
After the Old Madman ascended the altar, he didn't use the Dao patterns on it. Instead, he personally began to quickly engrave an extremely complex array of patterns. The entire altar creaked and groaned.
He only wanted to use the massive amount of "Source" here. He could engrave the Dao patterns himself. The Old Madman had come to Grand Mystery to cross the void! Where exactly was he going? Ye Fan was very surprised and wanted to know the answer.
"I should leave Grand Mystery, but should I cross the void with the Old Madman?"
Ye Fan's heart was uneasy. Such a transcendent figure truly made him want to follow. But who knew where the Old Madman was going? If they ended up in a Forbidden Zone of Life like the Ancient Forbidden Land or the Primordial Ancient Mine, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Such a living fossil's haunts could never be judged by common sense!