# Chapter 191: Entering Purple Mountain
# Chapter 192: Divine King Jiang Taixu
The pitch-black ancient mine lay silent and desolate, not a single sound to be heard. Ye Fan stood for a long time, thinking of many things. In the end, he did not change his mind and still chose to continue forward.
He walked alone, neither fast nor slow, carefully observing everything around him. However, there were no more carvings on the rock walls; everything from before had come to an end.
After advancing more than thirty li, the ground suddenly became soft. When he stepped on it, his entire foot sank in, the soil a grayish-white color.
At first, Ye Fan did not pay it much attention. But after walking several hundred zhang, he felt an increasingly bone-piercing cold. The yin energy here was extremely heavy, like a north wind carrying snow against his body.
When he stepped on a hard object and heard a cracking sound, Ye Fan suddenly understood what kind of place he had arrived at.
The grayish-white substance on the ground was not ordinary soil, but bone ash. Within it were still incompletely decomposed dry bones. The yin energy was precisely what these bone ashes emitted.
He was a cultivator and not afraid, but he could not help but wonder how many human bones were needed to pile up such bone ash.
He quickly thought of that peerless divine source within this dragon vein—when it emerged, the bones were piled like mountains and blood flowed like rivers. Could it have been caused by that terrifying creature from over a hundred thousand years ago? Those source miners from ancient times had all rested here...
After walking a great distance, the grayish-white bone ash still had not reached its end. A thick layer was piled up within the ancient mine.
"Crack"
After continuing for several hundred meters, the bone ash finally disappeared, replaced by dry bones. Dense and numerous, they covered the ground everywhere, long since decayed. With a light step, they would turn to ash. Under the power of time, nothing could last forever.
At this point, the ancient mine was like an ice cellar. The chilling cold air scraped against one's skin like knives.
"No wonder the demon bats dwell here. Just as the ancient records say, they like to inhabit the edges of great calamity grounds."
Ye Fan was on high alert. He did not want to lose his life inexplicably in this ancient mine before even entering Purple Mountain.
"Woo..."
The yin wind howled, shadows flickering. Amidst the piles of dry bones, hazy ghostly figures appeared, very faint and indistinct.
"Are such things real?" Ye Fan was surprised.
He raised the stone knife in his hand and walked forward unwaveringly. This two-foot-long ancient blade seemed to truly possess the power to ward off evil, as those shadowy figures retreated one after another.
"Clank, clank"
From ahead, amidst the bone piles, came the sound of iron chains. Ye Fan's heart tightened. He sensed a chilling baleful aura.
He pressed against the mine wall, moving forward silently. All his aura was concealed by the stone garment, not a trace leaking out.
About a hundred zhang ahead, on the rock wall of the mine shaft, there was a pitch-black deep hole. The sound of chains shaking came from within.
That hole was very deep. The bone-piercing chill was startling. It turned into tangible substance overflowing, and when it touched the skin, it hurt like needles pricking.
Ye Fan quickly lowered the cover on his stone helmet, covering both his eyes and face.
From deep within the black hole came barely audible roars, accompanied by the sound of chains shaking, as if some malevolent creature was locked up.
He could clearly see many ghostly figures among the bone piles. With each roar, they shattered, turning into yin energy that was devoured into the black hole.
"What kind of thing is this?!" Ye Fan frowned. It was definitely not a benevolent creature, likely a super malevolent being.
After all, over a hundred thousand years ago, many source miners and cultivators had died here, blood flowing so much that shields could float. After so many years, even the birth of malevolent spirits would be normal.
"Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't block my way forward." He silently estimated that the malevolent creature would not rush out. He carefully detoured around it and continued deeper into the mine shaft.
"Perhaps this stone garment really has some strange effects. Yin and filthy things cannot touch it."
After advancing a long distance, the dry bones finally disappeared. The ancient mine was very dry, with nothing left.
Ye Fan estimated the distance—he had already penetrated about thirty-five li deep. He was probably not far from Purple Mountain.
After advancing another four or five li, light appeared ahead, flickering unsteadily, very soft.
This greatly surprised Ye Fan. Having just passed through the bone piles, he thought he had definitely entered a great calamity ground and would face increasing danger.
Yet, just a few li ahead, rich spiritual energy rushed toward him, giving a feeling of peace and harmony.
"Just after leaving the corpse pile, a pure land appears?"
From ahead came the cry of a celestial crane. This was not an illusion, because he could already see it clearly.
After advancing a few li, a bright world appeared before his eyes. The ancient mine was no longer dark. Soft light flowed, peaceful and holy.
"This is the aura of source!"
Although it was bright, he could not see very far. Mist flowed, blocking his vision.
Ye Fan was somewhat stunned. That mist was formed from source dissolving, filled with vigorous life essence.
"Source essence overflowing everywhere. There must be a large amount of source here..." Ye Fan searched but found nothing.
Source energy stirred, flowing with brilliant colors. A celestial crane spread its wings and flew past, as if it did not see him, soaring within the ancient mine.
"This is..." Ye Fan was quite astonished.
"Roar..." Then he saw an earth dragon—a lizard body with dragon scales—crawling past not far away. Its massive body looked very heavy.
Then a flock of fiery red birds flew by, flapping their wings, causing the air to surge violently.
"How can there be living creatures?"
He was wearing the stone garment, so these creatures did not sense his aura. He stood there dumbfounded.
According to Ye Fan's understanding, this was a dead and silent place where nothing should exist. Yet what he saw now was somewhat incomprehensible.
"Source energy... it's source energy taking form!" Ye Fan suddenly realized. "There cannot possibly be such creatures underground."
"There is divine source here!" He thought of the legends he had heard in the Stone Stockade. Some divine source, when it leaked out, would take form as various strange creatures, galloping and roaring around.
His heart immediately stirred with excitement. If he could find divine source, it would be an enormous gain! That was a treasure that even Holy Lands would fight over, not hesitating to tear each other apart.
Ye Fan held the stone knife before him, searching amidst the dense spiritual energy.
"Crack"
A bone cracking sound came from under his feet. He frowned. In such a peaceful place, there were actually many white bones.
"Oh, this is..." Ye Fan was greatly surprised. These bones could not have been left from over a hundred thousand years ago. They were all very hard, with luster flowing over them.
He crouched down in the mist, carefully observing. He saw more than a dozen skeletons in succession. Some bones were from several thousand years ago, while others seemed only a few hundred years old.
"It seems that over the years, people have occasionally wandered in here by mistake..." Ye Fan's heart tightened. All these people had died here. This peaceful place was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Cranes, earth dragons, flocks of fiery red birds, and other creatures were everywhere, circling and running.
Moreover, Ye Fan discovered many huge pits, all filled with fossilized bones—strange ancient creatures.
He felt this place was very strange. He slowly moved forward in the ancient mine. After advancing more than a li, he finally arrived at the place with the richest spiritual energy.
Additionally, he sensed a terrifying killing intent here, making his heart tremble.
Ahead were two bottomless large holes. One was filled with spiritual energy, with source essence continuously rolling up. The other was filled with baleful aura, more terrifying than the sharpest sword light, making one's heart tremble.
They were very close to each other. Around them, all was silent.
"Yin-Yang Eyes!"
Ye Fan was truly astonished. These two black holes closely resembled the yin-yang eyes in a Taiji diagram. If one drew a circle around them, this would be a natural Taiji diagram.
In fact, they were indeed operating in such a way. The hole that spewed source energy was surrounded by fossilized bones, dense with baleful aura. The hole that shot out baleful aura was surrounded by sparkling light, with source stones everywhere.
Embracing yin while holding yang, embracing yang while holding yin—this was completely a natural Taiji diagram, not man-made. It was the great power of nature.
"Containing the divine power of the Dao!"
Ye Fan's heart was shaken. No wonder the Source Heavenly Master of the Zhang family had repeatedly emphasized that this place's great momentum could not be moved, could not be touched. Seeing the small reveals the large, glimpsing a single pattern knows the whole, seeing ice on a single eave knows the winter's cold.
Before even entering Purple Mountain, he had encountered such terrain. One could imagine the terror of this place.
It was indeed a natural Taiji diagram. Source energy and baleful aura interwove and flowed, cutting off the path ahead.
Before this natural Taiji diagram, Ye Fan saw many dry bones. He had to crouch down and carefully observe. If that ancestor of the Zhang family had died here, there would be no need for him to continue forward.
There were more than twenty skeletons. Based on their bone quality, they had existed from several thousand to over ten thousand years. All had been pierced through by sword energy.
Ye Fan picked up a dry bone and threw it toward the natural Taiji diagram.
"Chi"
Source energy and baleful aura flowed, forming tens of thousands of sword beams. That dry bone instantly turned to ashes.
He circulated his divine power, trying to break through the surrounding mine walls to find another path. But the divine diagram seemed to have intelligence. Sword energy crisscrossed, directly slashing toward him.
The supreme power formed by nature made Ye Fan's heart cold. With such a divine diagram blocking the way, how could he pass? It was unstoppable.
Ye Fan carefully examined the ground. All these white bones should have belonged to powerful cultivators, but not one had been able to charge through. All had been pierced through and killed here.
One skeleton even had silver specks, its bone quality very special. It was clearly a top-tier figure, but still could not escape death.
Ye Fan searched carefully and found many broken weapons. Before a slender skeleton, he found a jade pendant engraved with the words "Jade Pool."
This stirred his heart. He searched carefully, but there were no other relics, and certainly not the Jade Pool heart technique he needed.
"How to get through?" Based on Ye Fan's understanding, that ancestor of the Zhang family from a thousand years ago was not particularly high in cultivation. He could not have advanced very far.
"If he could reach a certain place, I should be able to as well. Was he shattered here, or did he enter inside?"
Ye Fan paced outside the Taiji diagram. He summoned the Primordial Qi Cauldron, gritted his teeth, and prepared to test whether this cauldron could withstand such sword energy.
"Rumble"
Suddenly, he noticed an unusual phenomenon. Sometimes the Taiji diagram was completely covered in baleful aura, and other times completely covered in source energy.
It was not always yin-yang flowing. Occasionally, solitary yin or solitary yang would appear, becoming a single pole. Such sword energy was even more terrifying. The terrifying fluctuations made Ye Fan's heart chill.
But at this moment, he noticed something unusual. Whenever solitary yang appeared—when the divine source hole erupted alone—the stone garment and stone knife on his body would emit light.
"This..."
His heart stirred. This was the old skin of divine source. The two had a subtle relationship.
"Perhaps the peerless sword energy formed by divine source will not shatter the stone garment." With this thought, Ye Fan immediately acted.
When solitary yang formed, divine source took shape, becoming world-shaking sword energy. He extended the stone knife into it.
In an instant, he felt a tremendous impact, like a surging great river striking a raft. The stone knife was not shattered, but it almost flew out of his hand from the shock.
Ye Fan was dumbfounded. He repeatedly exclaimed, "The relationships between all things are too wonderful. Peerless divine source forms sword energy, smashing everything with irresistible force, unstoppable, but it is harmless to the stone skin that wraps it."
Except for the inheritance of the Source Heavenly Master lineage, cultivators could not possibly know such a restraining relationship. A natural divine diagram that left even top cultivators helpless could be broken in this way.
"So that means, a thousand years ago, that ancestor of the Zhang family really did go in..." Ye Fan truly hoped that the other party had not gone too far, so that he might find him.
Life was the most important thing. This was his bottom line. If there was real danger, he could only give up. He could gamble for opportunities, but not with his life.
Before the natural divine diagram, a thick layer of bone powder was piled up. Over the endless years, who knows how many cultivators had been shattered to pieces here.
As for the dozens of skeletons behind him, their preservation was enough to show their strength. They were definitely extraordinary powerhouses. The sword energy in the Taiji diagram had not even shattered them.
"I remember the bones in the Bronze Immortal Hall, many had jade-like luster. And here, there is also one..." Ye Fan looked back at that silver skeleton.
His heart could not calm down. That was definitely a peerless figure of the Eastern Wasteland, but they had died here in regret. This deeply shook him.
"Sometimes, having powerful strength alone is not enough. You also need the right method."
Ye Fan waited for half an hour. When solitary yang appeared again, he took off the stone garment and tested it once more, finally confirming that he could pass through.
"Beneath this place, there is peerless divine source. Unfortunately, it has formed a natural divine diagram. Even wanting to mine it is impossible."
Half an hour later, Ye Fan adjusted to his best state, preparing to cross the terrifying divine diagram.
"I wonder what kind of place lies behind this divine diagram. Should I have reached the underground of Purple Mountain?"
The moment solitary yang rose, he turned into a bolt of lightning and charged forward. Peerless sword energy blazed, shooting from the yang pole to the yin pole, covering the entire divine diagram. Tens of thousands of sword beams filled the air.
But when they encountered the stone garment, the sword energy turned into water ripples, unable to pierce through. The stone skin of the divine source indeed had spirituality, emitting a soft holy light, protecting Ye Fan as he crossed safely.
"Swish"
He passed through the water-ripple-like light curtain and arrived at the other side, crashing into a stone wall with a "bang."
The ancient mine had reached its end. Ahead, a purple stone wall blocked the way.
"Purple Mountain!"
Ye Fan knew he had finally arrived at the underground of Purple Mountain. After a brief inspection, he found nothing unusual. He directly summoned the Golden Book, split open the purple rock, and walked inside.
He was surprised to find that as he advanced, the passage he opened behind him quickly closed. Purple Mountain seemed to have life, with broken places rapidly restoring themselves.
Ye Fan felt something was wrong. He carved back the way he came and quickly rushed out again.
"It's not as bad as I imagined..."
In the end, Ye Fan left many divine sense imprints along the way as markers. He carved through Purple Mountain and continued forward.
"Boom"
With a final loud noise, a hazy scene appeared before him. Ahead, green jade formed the steps, white jade formed the doorway. A magnificent building complex appeared.
He had finally arrived at his destination, entering the interior of Purple Mountain.
Ye Fan did not act rashly. He stood there quietly sensing. Detecting no life fluctuations, he then stepped up the stairs.
This was a cave dwelling carved out within Purple Mountain. Stepping onto the green jade steps and entering the white jade moon gate, it was very quiet, as cold and clear as the Guanghan Palace.
"There are nine dragon veins, meaning there should be nine entrances leading into Purple Mountain."
"Additionally, there must be living ancient creatures inside. That divine source recorded in the carvings of the ancient mine should be here."
Ye Fan's heart pounded. That creature from over a hundred thousand years ago was too terrifying and powerful. Only a Great Emperor could suppress it.
This palace complex was empty, with nothing left. Everything was carved from ancient jade, leaving not a single word or phrase.
Ye Fan took out the Imperial Jade he had obtained and hung it on his body like a pendant. He thought it would not have any harmful effects.
The halls, pavilions, and towers were all carved from ancient jade. They could truly be called jade buildings. Ye Fan searched everywhere but found nothing unusual.
Finally, at the end of this building complex, he saw more than ten blood-red jade steps leading to a deep cave dwelling.
"This jade building complex is just a gateway. This is the passage leading deep into Purple Mountain..."
Ye Fan stepped forward. Not far in, he suddenly saw a line of characters on the purple stone wall.
"Divine King Jiang Taixu mistakenly entered the Demon Mountain, deciding to investigate thoroughly!"
Ye Fan was quite shocked. An Eastern Wasteland Divine King had actually come here and entered!
"He is surnamed Jiang, most likely from the ancient aristocratic Jiang family..."
These dozen or so characters were powerful in brushstroke, containing a Dao realm. One felt the aura of a deity flowing, as if a Divine King stood before one's eyes.
"This is likely a Greatly Accomplished Eastern Wasteland Divine King!" Ye Fan's heart trembled. He muttered to himself, "Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to forcefully break through the naturally formed divine diagram with absolute power."
Ye Fan touched these characters with his hand. He felt they were carvings left at least four thousand years ago.
He took a few steps forward and saw another line of characters, engraved with: "Li Mu, a wandering cultivator, exploring the Demon Mountain, left this."
Ye Fan was surprised. This stone carving should be even more ancient. Looking at the dim traces, it had existed for at least ten thousand years.
"This is definitely a powerful wandering cultivator!"
Five steps away, a line of delicate characters, like lotus flowers in water, fresh and refreshing, as if they had life.
"Holy Maiden of Yao Chi, Yang Yi, seeking **, left this before entering the Demon Mountain."
Ye Fan was very surprised. Even the Holy Maiden of Yao Chi had entered here.
"**... Wasn't the first ancestor of the Zhang family named **?" Ye Fan was speechless. That Source Heavenly Master was on good terms with Yao Chi, and the Holy Maiden was his confidante.
"Could it be that Holy Maiden of Yao Chi from ten thousand years ago?" Ye Fan sighed. That Holy Maiden had traversed the Northern Domain and eventually disappeared. He had not expected her to enter here.
"She had deep feelings for that Source Heavenly Master. What a pity..." Ye Fan did not know the fate of Divine King Jiang Taixu or the wandering cultivator Gu Tianshu, but this Holy Maiden definitely had not come out. Otherwise, she would not have disappeared. He said, "You erected a cenotaph for **, but who erected a tombstone for you?"
After advancing forty or fifty steps, Ye Fan saw more than thirty lines of carved characters. Some names were very ancient, having disappeared from the Eastern Wasteland for tens of thousands of years.
Among them, the most ancient line of characters even had a date engraved. Calculating carefully, it was over seventy thousand years old.
Finally, Ye Fan saw a line of characters that were not deeply carved, clearly lacking in power, unable to compare with the others.
"This kind of carving is not too old..." Ye Fan looked closely. It clearly read: "Zhang Jiye, descendant of Source Heavenly Master **, entered the Imperial Mountain, left this."
Only he called this mountain the Imperial Mountain. Everyone else called it the Demon Mountain.
"That's right, it's him!"
Ye Fan could confirm it was the ancestor of Fifth Master Zhang. This carving was about a thousand years old.
"His cultivation is indeed not deep. I hope he didn't go too far. Otherwise, I can only retreat."
Seeing that the characters left by these thirty-plus people all contained Dao resonance, Ye Fan knew that this place was more terrifying than he had imagined. He had a feeling that all these powerhouses had failed to come out alive, all perishing inside.
"Over these endless years, thirty-seven people have left carvings here..."
After careful comparison, Ye Fan believed that the one named Gu Tianshu from seventy thousand years ago was the strongest, followed by Divine King Jiang Taixu from four thousand years ago.
"Gu Tianshu's characters have survived for seventy thousand years, and there is still Dao resonance permeating. I don't know how terrifying he was. Even stronger than the Divine King."
However, he was not too shocked, because Old Madman was such a figure. He had personally killed a Greatly Accomplished Divine King. Peacock King had said so himself, so it should be true.
The third strongest was Holy Maiden of Yao Chi, Yang Yi. Her characters seemed to have life, like lotus flowers swaying.
The weakest was naturally Zhang Jiye. He was a source seeker. Everyone else had entered by strength, only he had entered by relying on the stone garment.
"Zhang Jiye, Brother Zhang, you must not have gone too far. Both of us entered by taking shortcuts. Let me find you quickly."
Ye Fan muttered to himself. Many powerhouses called this place the Demon Mountain, never to return. He did not think he could be stronger than them.
"The only thing that reassures me is that Brother Zhang's cultivation is really not that great. As long as I am stronger than him, that's enough."
The purple cave dwelling had complex terrain. It seemed like a natural stone cave, or perhaps an ancient mine left from mining source veins.
Inside Purple Mountain, hazy purple light flowed. It was not too dim, giving a hazy feeling.
Ye Fan walked unsteadily, passing several abandoned mines, moving forward. For some reason, he felt increasingly uneasy.
Deep within Purple Mountain, it was as if a terrifying demonic power was calling him, irresistible, making him unable to help walking in one direction.
"How can this be!" Ye Fan bit his lips to stay awake, while circulating the mysterious method recorded in the Dao Scripture.
"What is inside Purple Mountain?" At this moment, Ye Fan's Primordial Saint Body showed its extraordinary nature. The azure lotus within him swayed, its three leaves like three giving birth to all things, emitting mysterious light that enveloped Ye Fan.
At the same time, the stone garment also had a bit of light flowing, showing its spirituality. That demonic calling immediately weakened.
"It's over. That Brother Zhang from a thousand years ago was definitely called in. If I want to find the Source Heaven Scroll, it will be harder than reaching the heavens."
Ye Fan had a bad premonition. A strong sense of unease surged in his heart.
"Could that demonic power be emitted by a creature from before the ancient times?"
The purple cave dwelling had countless irregular karst caves. Ye Fan almost got lost. He gritted his teeth and continued forward for a distance.
He hoped that Zhang Jiye, with his low cultivation, had not gone far.
At this moment, the azure lotus in Ye Fan's Sea of Suffering, for some reason, automatically emerged, accompanying him. Hazy mist enveloped him.
"It seems I have entered a great calamity ground. My physique is stimulated, producing such a reaction."
Soon after, Ye Fan discovered seven white bones in succession, all sparkling with jade-like luster. They were clearly left by peerless powerhouses.
Without exception, their cause of death was the same. There were clear finger holes on their skulls, a single blow killing them, their divine sense shattered.
"This is..." Ye Fan turned and left.
Over the endless years, a total of thirty-seven people had entered one after another. Seven had died just reaching this point, and this was only the periphery. It was too dangerous.
He had come to gamble for opportunities, not to gamble with his life.
"Zhang Jiye had low cultivation. Why haven't I seen his bones? White bones with jade-like luster could not possibly be him."
Suddenly, that demonic calling force strengthened again. Ye Fan quickly ran back.
"No need to flee. You are temporarily safe..." An abrupt voice sounded in Ye Fan's ear, startling him.
"You... who is it?"
That voice came from another direction, not the demonic power deep within Purple Mountain. It was very weak, as if it might stop at any moment.
"Speak. Who are you?" Ye Fan pressed.
"Divine King... Jiang Taixu." The weak voice was barely audible, not coherent.
But these five words, heard in Ye Fan's ears, were as thunderous as heavenly thunder.
A Greatly Accomplished Divine King... He was still alive!