Chapter 616: Qin Sect
The Qinling Mountains spanned no less than a million li, vast and boundless, yet they were merely a corner of the western part of the Central Province. This was a mysterious ancient land, difficult for outsiders to understand, filled with many legends. Since ancient times, it had produced many powerful individuals of extreme strength, yet they were little known to the world.
Some said that in ages past, an ancient sage was unmatched under heaven, traversing the five domains without finding a single opponent. Yet upon arriving in the Qinling Mountains, he was beaten to the ground by an old man herding sheep. Even in the recent ancient era, a similar event occurred twenty thousand years ago. Eight great powers came to the Qinling Mountains seeking ancient relics, only to be thrown into a lake by a fisherman.
This was an ancient land with its own unique traditions, mysterious to outsiders, shrouded in a layer of mist.
The Qinling Mountains stretched a million li, filled with mountain ranges, and beneath the ground lay countless ancient tombs. Some had once dug up the burial chambers of twelve ancient imperial lords within half a year. This region was extraordinary. After death, some imperial lords of ancient divine dynasties would always find ways to bury themselves deep within the Qinling earth, a fact that puzzled many.
Some said this was a land that led to immortality. Ancient legends told of people who had seen someone ascend to the heavens, surrounded by radiant clouds. Others claimed it was an incomprehensible place, with countless underground tombs where people cultivated, seeking to attain the Dao, unknown to the outside world.
Countless secrets surrounded the Qinling Mountains. Some even spread rumors that the dazzling Green Emperor, who had shaken both ancient and modern times, was born here before traveling far to the Eastern Wasteland. A local legend held that there was a Transformation Immortal Pool in the Qinling Mountains. Thirty thousand years ago, a green lotus gained spiritual wisdom, soon attained the Dao and took human form, and gradually grew to become the Green Emperor, whose body shook the ages.
"The Qinling Mountains are full of hidden experts and underground ancient tombs..." This was Ye Fan's conclusion after spending some time here, accompanied by a slight sigh.
Although he had seen Li Xiaoman, he could not go to recognize her. Instead, he stayed, walking through this ancient land, observing quietly, hoping to find traces of Hua Yunfei.
A declining minor sect occupied four low hills, with no more than twenty people in total—pitifully small. Li Xiaoman was a disciple on one of those hills. Ye Fan observed from a distance and found it strange. The cultivation levels of these people were uneven; the weakest were only at the Wheel Sea Secret Realm, while the strongest actually had the strength of the first level of the Immortal Platform.
"That's not right. Such a declining minor sect actually has a figure at the level of a Holy Land Supreme Elder..."
Moreover, he discovered that two or three disciples were extremely powerful, their cultivation reaching the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, no weaker than the young experts of the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion. This was truly bizarre.
These people were all concealing their cultivation. Ordinary people could never see through it. Only Ye Fan, who had cultivated the Source Heaven Divine Eye, could see through falsehoods, perceive the true nature, and know their cultivation levels.
"This is very unusual. There must be some reason behind it. I need to be careful." Ye Fan settled down permanently, seeking to understand everything in detail. He learned that this declining minor sect was called the Qin Sect, and this place was merely a branch, considered an outer sect.
"Such a small outer sect has a great expert at the first level of the Immortal Platform..." He found it unbelievable.
The Qin Sect was not large, with only a little over a hundred people in total. It had four branches—east, west, south, and north—which were the so-called outer sects. The main sect was located at the center of this mountainous region, only twenty or thirty li from the four branches, very close by.
Scattered throughout this area were some mountain villages, home to ordinary commoners who lived alongside the Qin Sect. Some mischievous children often ran up to the low hills to play, and no one stopped them.
It could be said that this declining minor sect of just over a hundred people really had no strict rules. It seemed very loose, not at all like a hidden secret sect.
"The Nine Secrets are in this small sect?"
The ruling lineage of the Qin Sect bore the surname Qin, which seemed far removed from the Cai Clan, with little apparent connection. The only thing that aroused suspicion was that this declining minor sect had a history stretching back several thousand years. Compared to the mortal world, countless dynasties had risen and fallen in that time.
The nearby mountain villages could not even say how far back the Qin Sect could be traced, because it was too ancient. It seemed to have existed since the time of their ancestors.
"Not the Cai surname, yet such a small sect has been passed down for so long..."
Ye Fan was very cautious. He had been observing these days. Apart from the southern branch where Li Xiaoman was, the eastern, western, and northern branches were similar. They all had experts at the first level of the Immortal Platform, and each had one or two disciples at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
This defied common sense. Even for a holy land, this would be considered extraordinary. "It seems that many people have come here, all for the Nine Secrets. These people are all hiding their identities, unwilling to reveal their true backgrounds."
This was Ye Fan's real feeling after spending a few days on the mountain. The scholar was an expert at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, and the sickly old man was a special cultivator who had cultivated only a single secret realm. This was the first time Ye Fan had seen such a thing, and it was hard to gauge his strength.
Ye Fan was astonished. The eastern branch of the small Qin Sect occupied only three low hills, with just over twenty people. Among these disciples, besides the scholar and the sickly old man, there were two other young cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
"If I told anyone, it would scare them to death. This hidden secret sect, with all its branches combined, has disciples whose quality almost rivals that of a holy land."
With only a little over a hundred people in total, achieving such a feat was like a fairy tale. No one would believe it if told.
"Most of these people are probably like me, having found clues to the Nine Secrets..."
After learning more, Ye Fan felt that this tiny patch of land was a hidden dragon and crouching tiger, containing the most outstanding heirs of certain supreme great sects, impossible to fathom.
"Boom!"
Not far away, dust and smoke rose into the sky, followed by the sounds of chickens squawking and dogs barking. A snot-nosed child ran out crying from beside the chicken coop.
"Senior Brother, save me..."
"What's wrong, Dog Boy?" Ye Fan asked with a smile.
"Little Stone and the others fell into an underground hole. There's a big vermilion coffin inside..." The four snot-nosed children were just as mischievous as before they came up the mountain. They had gone to steal eggs when the ground suddenly split open, and they fell into an underground hole.
Many people on the mountain were alarmed and rushed over. When they saw it, they were all shocked. An underground ancient tomb had been exposed to the sky.
Ye Fan had to marvel. The Qinling Mountains truly were full of ancient tombs. Even one appearing within the sect's gate was quite peculiar.
"Greetings, Uncle Master..." Before the dust and smoke had even cleared, a beautiful figure descended from the sky. Li Xiaoman had come to the eastern branch of the Qin Sect and was paying respects to the mountain master, who was at the first level of the Immortal Platform.