# Chapter 294: The Terrifying Old Daoist
Just what was the origin of this old Daoist? His worn-out Daoist robe was clearly not from the current era, looking extremely ancient.
"This stone mill has been passed down through generations in my family. I don't plan to sell it," Fifth Elder Zhang tactfully declined.
The old Daoist's skin was bronze-colored, his white hair draped over his shoulders, and his body was lean and dry, but his spirit was full of vitality. When he spoke, his voice was like a golden bell—resonant and forceful.
"I won't take advantage of you. I'll give you fifty jin of Source as a base payment, and if something is cut out from the millstone, I'll pay you whatever the market value is on top of that."
Fifth Elder Zhang was somewhat troubled. He could already tell that this old Daoist was no ordinary person. Refusing again might be inappropriate. He hesitated, "Well..."
"Dong!"
At that moment, a loud sound came from the horizon. Dust shot into the sky, accompanied by a very intense wave of energy.
Purple Mountain!
The source of the tremor was Purple Mountain, surrounded by nine dragon veins. Even from such a great distance, one could feel the layers of earth shaking there.
The old Daoist quickly turned around, gazing toward the horizon. His eyes were like two golden pearls, and his lean body emitted a terrifying aura that made people's hearts tremble.
At this moment, he didn't seem like a human, but rather like a colossal beast, like a primordial savage dragon that hadn't emerged for ten thousand years. The people around him nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Swish!"
The old Daoist instantly flew into the sky. His Daoist robe spread open, nearly lifting the entire stone stockade. Only when he pointed with his finger did the whole stockade stabilize.
Ye Fan's scalp went numb. This old Daoist's strength was too terrifying. The way he had just moved his sleeve was merely an unconscious action, yet it carried such immense power.
The old Daoist transformed into a gray mist, rushing swiftly toward Purple Mountain. The very sky trembled as he passed, like a true dragon soaring across the void.
"The Eastern Wasteland is truly vast. Experts emerge in every generation, not necessarily all from the Holy Lands. There are many extraordinary people roaming the great marshes and wild forests," Ye Fan muttered to himself.
The Eastern Wasteland was boundless and endless. Flying from one end to the other would take several years, and if an ordinary person traveled on foot, a hundred lifetimes wouldn't be enough to cover half the distance.
On this vast land, there were mysterious primeval wildernesses stretching millions of li; endless great lakes as vast as oceans; ancient halls floating eternally in the sky; and hundred-herb gardens left over from ancient times that could revive the dead...
Many Saint Lords would generally leave their Holy Lands in their later years, choosing to enter the great wilderness. Encountering unmatched experts or figures from ancient times was not at all surprising.
"What happened at Purple Mountain?" Many people in the stone stockade were extremely nervous.
"Hurry and pack your things. Be ready to evacuate this place at any moment," Ye Fan instructed. After a moment's hesitation, he soared into the air and also flew toward Purple Mountain.
Purple Mountain was extraordinary in appearance. It stood tall and majestic, like a purple sword piercing straight into the clouds. It bore many marks of blades and axes, covered with the imprints of time.
A massive black flood dragon, several hundred zhang long—whether this was its true form or it had deliberately extended its serpentine body—was utterly terrifying.
It coiled around the summit of Purple Mountain, its black body tightly constricted, like a steel Great Wall forged through countless temperings, wrapped around the mountain, unshakable.
The black dragon's body was covered in dense scales, each one over half a meter long, gleaming with dark light, full of immense power.
This colossal creature was trying to uproot the mountain, using brute force to snap it open and break into this place. The commotion earlier had been caused by it.
"This black flood dragon has read the ancient scrolls and found this place..." Ye Fan frowned. The Holy Lands hadn't arrived yet, but some formidable beings had already made their move.
"Duo!"
The old Daoist let out a soft shout. His voice was like a golden bell, causing the void to hum and tremble.
On Purple Mountain, the black flood dragon shook violently. Its massive body seemed to be struck several times by a heavy hammer, swaying repeatedly and causing the mountain peak to tremble.
Although the old Daoist was lean and dry, standing in the void, he exuded an oppressive pressure that made it hard to breathe, like a dormant, slumbering true dragon.
On the purple mountain peak, the massive black flood dragon let out a low moan. It trembled like a mouse seeing a cat, curling up into a ball. Without daring to make another sound, it fled from the back mountain.
At this moment, it didn't seem like a several-hundred-zhang-long black flood dragon at all, but rather like a loach, slinking away without a trace.
"All those hiding in the shadows, come out," the old Daoist said calmly, but with an authority that was impossible to resist.
Three old men appeared. Each one had surging blood energy, like great blazing furnaces, making people sense terrifying life force fluctuations.
Ye Fan was alarmed. Before the various Holy Lands had arrived, those who could have read the ancient scrolls were absolutely unmatched experts.
"May I ask who you are, Daoist friend?" one old man inquired. He had crane-white hair and a childlike complexion, exuding the aura of the Great Dao, giving an unfathomable impression.
"I've long forgotten my name. You should leave. This place is not something you can set your sights on," the old Daoist said plainly. He inspired awe without anger. Though he was a man of the cloth, he made people's hearts tremble.
"Aren't you being a bit too unreasonable? This place has no owner. On what grounds should we leave?" The old man who spoke was very aged, like an abyss of the Great Dao, impossible to fathom.
The old Daoist didn't say much more. He waved his sleeve, and a fierce wind arose. The three crane-haired old men were instantly swept away, disappearing into the distant sky in the blink of an eye.
"Could this be an old Saint Lord whose lifespan was exhausted, who entered the great wilderness and then emerged again?" Ye Fan was shocked, this thought arising in his mind.