Chapter 220: True Dragon Pulling the Coffin
That Great Xia Imperial Lord was not the only powerful figure who died here; there were also four Saint Lords and an Eastern Wasteland Divine King, all of whom met their end in this pine forest.
This was the handwritten record of an Origin Heavenly Master, clearly documented. He identified their identities from the belongings left behind and carved these words.
The ancient pavilion was about four meters high, the ground covered with fallen pine needles, the trees casting shadows. Moonlight spilled down, making it appear quiet and elegant. The four stone pillars were densely covered with many ancient characters.
The Imperial Lord, the Saint Lords, and the Eastern Wasteland Divine King had all entered this secret land in their later years when their lifespans were nearly exhausted. Their cultivation was earth-shattering, yet they still died in this forest.
Ye Fan stared at the first stone pillar for a long time, only able to sigh. No matter how peerless a talent you were, you could not withstand the passage of time. These people had all come here in their old age to extend their lives, but ultimately failed.
He walked to the other side, arriving before the second stone pillar, and read it carefully. It contained some background on this Origin Heavenly Master, recording some deeds from his life.
Ye Fan quickly skimmed through it, stunned. This was actually the Fourth Generation Origin Heavenly Master, in a sense, his master’s master!
The second stone pillar recorded some history of the inheritance of Source Art. Since ancient times, only five Origin Heavenly Masters had appeared in the Northern Domain, and they were all from a single lineage.
It mentioned the name “Yuan,” which was the ancestor of Fifth Master Zhang. He was a disciple taken in by the Fourth Generation Origin Heavenly Master at the age of two hundred. At that time, the master already knew his “later years” had come and began preparing for his final affairs.
“Meeting the ancestral master…”
On the third stone pillar were recorded the matters Ye Fan cared about most. The “Extreme Reversal” terrain was nearly unsolvable, but the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master’s Source Art skill was profound, allowing him to carve out a path of survival and avoid being trapped here.
Moreover, it clearly stated that the surface had been sealed by him and was no longer a dangerous situation, but the “force” underground was extremely difficult to dissolve and could not be touched.
The ancient carved text solemnly warned later generations that even if one’s cultivation was earth-shattering and Source Art rivaled that of a Heavenly Master, one must not act rashly, or death would surely follow.
Ye Fan sucked in a breath of cold air. The surface part of the Immortal Forest had already been deciphered by the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master, yet it was still this dangerous, nearly taking his life. This showed how perilous this place was.
Some terrains could not be resolved by human power. Some mountains and rivers hid great secrets of heaven, and one must never touch them. This was the stern warning of the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master.
The third stone pillar had vague wording. Ye Fan carefully pondered it and finally gained something. Besides the warning, it vaguely hinted at the secrets of this place.
“Mountains and rivers bury ancient sages…”
Besides the Extreme Reversal terrain, the Immortal Forest nurtured Divine Source and was also a great burial tomb.
Ye Fan silently pondered, standing for a long time. The underground was indeed terrifying. Even the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master could not solve it, so he could not touch it.
After thinking for a while, he came before the fourth stone pillar and was immediately moved. This pillar was invaluable to him.
The characters on this pillar were very small, extremely dense, and carved deeply, three inches into the pillar, as if fearing they would be worn away. This was actually a Source Art text!
In over two hundred years of life, the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master had faced life and death, seen many perilous lands, some of which exceeded the scope of the Source Heaven Scroll. Even that extraordinary book could not solve them.
With the Source Art he had learned, he could not decipher them at all. He relied entirely on his own creations and flashes of inspiration to break through those deadly lands and live to old age. The text on this pillar was his enlightenment before death, a supplement to the Source Heaven Scroll, essentially a continuation of that extraordinary book.
For a “Grave Digger,” this was a supreme secret manual comparable to the Beginningless Scripture, an immortal book that even Divine Source could not buy.
From ancient times to the present, only five Origin Heavenly Masters had appeared. This was the distillation of an ancestral master’s lifelong efforts, and its value was immeasurable.
Ye Fan read it word by word, silently memorizing it, afraid of missing a single symbol.
This text was extremely profound, difficult to understand. Various Source Arts were unheard of, nearly approaching the Dao. Ye Fan could not understand them, only memorize them.
After committing it to memory, he flicked his sleeve, and stone chips flew. This Source Art text disappeared from then on. He estimated that if these Source methods were recorded in the Source Heaven Scroll, they would fill nine more pages.
“The Fourth Generation Ancestral Master was indeed a genius of heaven, continuing the text with nine pages…” Ye Fan sighed.
After examining the four stone pillars, he had doubts. Why did the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master come here, and where did he ultimately go?
Inside the pavilion was a stone table and four stone stools. Time was like a knife, carving traces named “Passing” onto them, simple and unadorned yet bearing the accumulation of years.
However, they had no dust. Though old, they were still relatively clean. Ye Fan stepped forward and was surprised to find that the stone table also had writing, but it was very light and faint, barely visible.
He sat on a stone stool and carefully examined it, his heart pounding. This mentioned the later years of an Origin Heavenly Master!
The Fourth Generation Ancestral Master had not come because his lifespan was nearly exhausted, but because he sensed that his “later years” were approaching and that something ominous would happen. He did not want to experience the changes of his predecessors and wanted to decipher them, so he came to the Primordial Forbidden Zone.
“No way…” Ye Fan was puzzled. He believed that the terrible “later years” of an Origin Heavenly Master were definitely related to his lifelong search for Source. Coming to the Primordial Forbidden Zone was like digging his own grave.
This place was almost the end of all Source in the world. How could one come here to avoid disaster?
He read on seriously and slowly understood the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master’s predicament. No matter how vast the world was, there was no place for him to stay. After much thought, he entered this place. Extreme Reversal, this terrain was rare since ancient times. He wanted to use this “Extreme” and “Reversal” to change his fate.
“Did this ancestral master rest here?” Ye Fan looked around.
The pine forest was peaceful, the moonlight gentle, the stream quiet. Where was there any grave?
Not wanting to experience the changes of his predecessors and resolve the calamity of his later years, the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master’s tone was resolute. At the end of the stone table, an arrow pointed toward the depths of the dense forest.
This pine forest stretched endlessly. Under the night moon, it stood tall and beautiful, flowing with a silver mist.
Ye Fan stood in the pavilion for a while, then stepped forward. After leaving the pavilion, the Heaven Book in his hand rustled again, emitting auspicious light.
In the Immortal Forest, the Source Heaven patterns flickered, guiding the way ahead.
Ye Fan understood in his heart. Both the ancient pavilion and this path were left for the next holder of the Heaven Book. Otherwise, they could not have discovered the runes buried underground.
What exactly were the later years of an Origin Heavenly Master like? What changes would occur? Had the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master avoided them? Perhaps the answer lay ahead.
“As an Origin Heavenly Master, one spends a lifetime determining Dragon Veins and extracting precious Source, mostly roaming in deep mountains and wilds, digging up many things that should not see the light of day. Perhaps that is why heaven is jealous.” Ye Fan muttered to himself.
He might also become an Origin Heavenly Master in the future. He did not know if he would face the same calamity in his later years. He still could not truly understand what kind of upheaval it was.
Walking through the forest, Ye Fan encountered no danger. The Source Heaven patterns on the ground rose like dragons and snakes, like dark turtles pulling carts, drawing in the power of the stars, with clear radiance scattering.
“The Fourth Generation Ancestral Master was indeed profound. This was his method of sealing the surface. After over ten thousand years, it has not weakened.”
Ye Fan deeply admired him. This ancestral master was incredibly skilled. Even Saint Lords and Imperial Lords in their later years had fallen here, yet he had carved out a path of survival.
In terms of combat power, an Origin Heavenly Master could not compare to the various Saint Lords, but entering such a deadly land, he could be called a peerless master, surpassing even the Imperial Lords of the Central Province.
“The ancestral master has deciphered the surface danger, but why am I still trapped here? How can I escape? Why did he not leave behind any relevant information? Is it ahead?”
Ye Fan wanted to see the final fate of the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master, but he wanted to leave this place even more. The Immortal Forest, which even an Origin Heavenly Master could not decipher, had an underground peril beyond imagination.
He feared that a long night would bring many troubles, and if he disturbed something, it would be disastrous.
After advancing several li, Ye Fan discovered three more dilapidated buildings. They were not large, similar in scale to the first temple he had seen, all very old and nearly collapsed.
After so many years, their survival was a miracle. Ye Fan believed that Dao patterns must be carved inside; otherwise, any building would have turned to dust and could not exist.
These were true ancient relics, and being in the Primordial Forbidden Zone, if he could find any artifacts, their origins would be terrifyingly significant.
However, Ye Fan only looked and did not approach. He now only followed the path guided by the Source Heaven patterns, not daring to take risks.
The Source Heaven patterns corresponded to the stars in the sky, with strands of silver light entering the forest like flickering candle flames.
After advancing another four li, a magnificent building stood in the forest, blocking the way. The Source Heaven patterns pointed to this place.
The ancient temple was large, like a mountain blocking the way ahead. Even the towering ancient pines could not fully obscure it.
However, the silver moonlight falling on it did not make it bright and holy, but rather gloomy and eerie.
It was built with black giant stones that could absorb light, like a haunted castle sealed for many years, silent without a sound.
The door was wide open, pitch black inside, with no scenery visible, as if connected to an abyss.
“The Fourth Generation Ancestral Master hid here in his later years. I wonder if he changed his fate…” Ye Fan felt that this magnificent temple was somewhat dark and gloomy. It was too dark. Even with his eyesight, he could not see the scenery inside.
“The later years of an Origin Heavenly Master… No matter what, I should enter and learn what happened.”
He stepped forward.
The pine needles were several feet thick, burying most of the stone steps. They were soft underfoot. After advancing over ten meters, the stone steps rose, leading to the ancient building.
“There are words…”
In front of the wide-open stone door was an open space, with some runes carved on the stone slabs.
Ye Fan was shocked. He saw the Fire Dragon Grave, saw the Dragon Blood Spill, saw this pine forest, all carved in detail on the stone slabs.
Additionally, there were some annotations by the Fourth Generation Ancestral Master, and many symbols he could not understand.
Ye Fan was very shocked. The carved map on the ground connected the Fire Dragon Grave with this place.
The Fire Dragon Grave wound, corpses lying on the ground. The Dragon Blood Spill was also carved in a shocking manner. Most peculiarly, the carved pine forest on the ground contained an ancient coffin.
A low mountain range connected the Fire Dragon Grave and this pine forest, like an iron chain. This was a True Dragon Pulling the Coffin!
Ye Fan’s face changed color immediately. The carving on the ground shocked him greatly. The lines of that ancient coffin were very delicate, even the patterns were there. He felt a sense of familiarity.
Yes, there was indeed a familiarity. It was similar to the giant bronze coffin pulled by the nine dragon corpses that had brought him to this world!
Not exactly the same, but very similar! “This is…”
His scalp went numb. The Fire Dragon Grave and the Dragon Blood Spill formed a dragon, connected to the ancient coffin in the pine forest. Wasn’t this a True Dragon Pulling the Coffin? It was very similar to the nine dragon corpses pulling the coffin!
“What is going on?!”
Ye Fan was stunned. This was a real terrain map. Between the Fire Dragon Grave and the pine forest was a low mountain range, like a true iron chain connecting the two.
This was the terrain of a hundred li area, miniaturized on the stone slab, revealing such a mystery!