# Chapter 788: The Archaeologist
A cold wind swept across the land, howling mournfully through the high mountains and deep valleys, making everything feel even more desolate and lonely.
The Northern Domain was vast and boundless, with barrenness and monotony as its eternal themes. It was rare to see lush blossoms in full bloom, seldom to hear the songs of birds or the fragrance of flowers. Oases were scattered like sesame seeds, dotting the landscape here and there, amounting to nothing significant.
Ye Fan traversed one stretch of crimson earth after another, finally locating his destination by memory. A purple mountain stood horizontally before him, like an angry sword piercing the heavens.
On the horizon, nine mountain ridges lay sprawled out like nine true dragons reclining, exuding an ancient vicissitude and solitude that spanned ten thousand ages.
Without a doubt, he had arrived at Purple Mountain, the place the ancient tribes called Ancient Emperor Mountain, where Emperor Wu Shi had achieved nirvana.
Throughout the ages, who could match the dominance of Emperor Wu Shi? He could intimidate the nine heavens and ten lands, forcing even the many Forbidden Zones of Life to behave themselves and stay in line.
In truth, the Ruthless Great Emperor was also a good choice—absolutely ruthless and powerful enough. If she were to revive, even the ancient ancestral kings would tremble in fear. However, the Ruthless One had lived for three or four lifetimes, and no one knew which incarnation to seek.
"Purple Mountain... I've come again." Ye Fan sighed with emotion. Several times he had tried to enter but failed, and now, forced to this point, he had no choice but to risk death.
In years past, the various Holy Lands had attacked Purple Mountain many times, hoping to obtain Emperor Wu Shi's inheritance. But once the bell waves sounded, even those wielding multiple Extreme Imperial Weapons could only retreat.
That last time, the Holy Lands joined forces with the Central Province Imperial Dynasty and finally broke through. Some even claimed to have seen Emperor Wu Shi sitting cross-legged on a Dao platform.
"So many years have passed. Why does the Wu Shi Bell ring on its own without anyone striking it? What power controls it, suppressing other imperial weapons so they cannot resist?"
"Did Emperor Wu Shi truly die? An existence so dominant might have left behind some contingency plan, perhaps."
"Stepping back, if Emperor Wu Shi did die, his physical body must be imperishable. He was a congenital Saint Body Dao Fetus. I am a Sacred Body. I might be able to resonate with him. If I could take over his body..."
Ye Fan muttered to himself. He was determined to enter Purple Mountain. Whether Emperor Wu Shi was alive or dead, he had to see the man or the corpse—there had to be a result.
He landed on the ground and walked step by step to the front. This majestic purple mountain inspired deep awe.
Too many secrets lay here. The god in the hearts of the ten thousand ancient tribes—Immortal Emperor—had also been buried here. Originally, it was called Ancient Emperor Mountain.
Even the Celestial Prince had come from here, taken away ten thousand years ago by the Origin Heavenly Master as a shocking world stone, and later cut out by Ye Fan at the Jade Pool as a divine egg.
"Ancient Emperor Mountain—the place where the ten thousand ancient tribes made pilgrimages. Immortal Emperor was buried here, and in the end, Emperor Wu Shi also chose this place." Ye Fan muttered to himself.
The Origin Heavenly Master had once said that this place exhausted the ultimate mysteries of heaven and earth's transformations, and that future generations should revere this mountain, as it would bring good karma.
Returning again, Ye Fan naturally would not forget to use his Source Art to investigate thoroughly, hoping to unravel the mystery today—what exactly was so unique about this place?
"What kind of foundation could make both the god of the ten thousand ancient tribes and a human Great Emperor choose this place?"
Ye Fan circled Purple Mountain, measuring every inch of land, gazing into the distance at the nine dragon veins, trying to glimpse the secrets of heaven.
Suddenly, as he rounded to the other side, he came face to face with someone. Both parties stared at each other with wide eyes.
"Damn it, Duan De!"
"Birdman Sacred Body, why aren't you dead yet!"
The two spoke almost simultaneously, cursing each other, both looking extremely displeased.
Ahead, a fat man who looked anything but good-hearted wore a Daoist robe and a purple-gold crown. His clothes were all treasures—this was the unscrupulous Taoist.
"Dead fatty, how many more immoral deeds have you done? How many graves have you dug? That crown on your head and that heavenly silkworm Daoist robe of yours—they definitely haven't been unearthed long." Ye Fan said contemptuously.
"Not bad, your eyesight has improved. By the way, damn it, when are you going to return those weapons of mine? You think you can just wash me out and pretend nothing happened?" Duan De was very unhappy.
"Dead fatty, what are you doing here?" Ye Fan looked surprised. "Don't tell me you've set your sights on Emperor Wu Shi too, wanting to dig up his grave?"
"Don't say that. Whether Emperor Wu Shi is dead or not is still up for debate." Duan De looked guilty. "I came to pay my respects to the ruins."
"You have the nerve to say that? A guy who spends all day digging up other people's ancestral graves comes to pay respects to a great tomb—what do you mean by that?" Ye Fan curled his lips.
"Hey, don't talk nonsense here, okay?!" Duan De got anxious.
"You're scared too? You also believe Emperor Wu Shi isn't dead?" Ye Fan found it strange.
"Even if Wu Shi is dead, he's not someone others can desecrate. Speaking recklessly will bring great disaster." Fatty Duan grew even more uneasy.
"You, who spends all day stealing from graves and digging up tombs, actually have moments of fear?" Ye Fan found it amusing.
"Damn it, don't lump me together with those petty thieves. I am a researcher with noble ideals. Everything I do is just to restore historical truth." Duan De brazenly declared.
Ye Fan looked at him with utter contempt. "A grave robber, pretending to be an archaeologist—I blush for you. Restoring historical truth? Why don't you say you're researching the history of human evolution and cultivation?"
"I've noticed that you, this not-so-welcome brat, sometimes use words quite accurately. That's right, from now on I'm an archaeologist. Don't call me a grave robber. Anyone who brings that up again, I'll fight them. I am a great archaeologist with a noble ideal—to straighten out the course of human history, to reproduce true history through underground mausoleums." Duan De spoke with righteous indignation.
"I've never seen anyone so shameless..." Ye Fan really couldn't stand him.
"So, I came here to do archaeology, to witness the miracles of the ancient Great Emperors, to spur on future generations. This has milestone-level historical significance."
"Just keep showing off." Ye Fan was almost speechless with him.
"By the way, kid, how are you still alive? You offended the Divine Spirit Valley, cursed the ancient royal clans, and now you're bouncing around in the Northern Domain again. Have you eaten too much or are you tired of living?" Duan De looked astonished.
"Can't you say something nice? What if I want to do archaeology too?" Ye Fan glanced sideways at him.
"I knew it—we are both great witnesses to history. Your Source Art and my feng shui knowledge combined would be invincible under heaven." Duan De was good at rambling, then suddenly asked, "Did you really leave this world for twelve years? Where did you go? What did you see? Are there many graves over there?"
"Go cool off somewhere!" Ye Fan chose to ignore him and continued measuring Purple Mountain, wanting to understand it thoroughly, clearly.
The more he looked, the more eerie it seemed. The more he pondered, the more shocked he became. What mystery lay here? It actually involved life and death!
For an ancient Great Emperor to choose this place—that spoke volumes. They understood yin and yang, they penetrated life and death. This was somewhat terrifying. Could Wu Shi really still be alive?
"So you've noticed something unusual too. For me, the most authoritative figure in the archaeological world, this place is really damn creepy."
"What have you noticed?" Ye Fan asked him.
"This is a great tomb, super huge, pulled by nine dragon veins, as if about to break through the heavens and fly away." Duan De said.
"What?!" Hearing this, Ye Fan shuddered. Listening to this guy, it really was like the Nine Dragons Coffin.
"As an authoritative figure in archaeology, I can say with certainty that this great tomb was not built for the dead. It was prepared for the living." Duan De spoke such a sentence.
The two had similar views. After discussing seriously, they reached a startling conclusion: the grand momentum of heaven and earth here could connect yin and yang, reverse life and death—it was a place of creation and immortality.
"Impossible. The ancient Great Emperors should all be dead. If Wu Shi were still alive, the Green Emperor could never have appeared in the world!"
"Last time when we attacked this mountain, someone said they really saw Emperor Wu Shi sitting cross-legged on the Dao platform, lifelike, as if alive."
...
The more they discussed, the more eerie it became. This place made their hair stand on end.
Then, they thought of Immortal Emperor—an ancient existence, the only god in the hearts of the ten thousand ancient tribes. Purple Mountain was originally his burial ground. Strictly speaking, Emperor Wu Shi had taken over the nest, moving in later.
Then, they suddenly thought of the Immortal Mansion World in Central Province. There was a coffin made from the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree, containing a piece of Immortal Emperor's skin.
"Did Immortal Emperor run out alive on his own, or was he thrown out by Emperor Wu Shi?"
The more they pondered, the more wrong it felt. This place was more complicated and terrifying than they had imagined.
"Kid, do you still want to go in?" Duan De asked him sideways.
"I have to go in. To intimidate the ten thousand ancient tribes, I have no other choice. Otherwise, the Divine Spirit Valley will start a massacre!" Ye Fan sighed, then asked if he wanted to go in too.
"I am a man of great integrity. To restore historical truth, to solve the mystery of the Wu Shi Bell's self-ringing, I have decided to go deep inside." Duan De spoke with righteous words. In the end, he still wanted to dig the tomb, having set his sights on the Wu Shi Bell.
Ye Fan was happy to have him follow. This guy carried half an imperial weapon and understood feng shui burial techniques—he would be a great help.
"We can't just go in like this. Back then, several Holy Lands and immortal imperial dynasties holding multiple Extreme Imperial Weapons were all blasted out. Who knows how many old antiques died. I only have half an imperial weapon—I'll be blown to pieces if I go in." Duan De muttered. He decided to find the Old Blind Man and borrow the other half of the Devouring Demon Jar.
"Can you find him?" Ye Fan doubted. In recent years, the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Domain had died or disappeared, suffering heavy losses.
"Back then, he held half an imperial weapon and went out to save those little bandits, but was almost killed by a clone of an ancient ancestral king. I arrived in time, merged the Devouring Demon Jar, and shattered that ancestral king's clone."
Ye Fan was surprised. He didn't know such a thing had happened. It seemed the Thirteen Great Bandits had really had a hard time these years. No wonder Old Immortal had gone to break through—was he about to attain sainthood?
"Perhaps, in this era, only the merged Devouring Demon Jar can protect us. It's different from other imperial weapons." Duan De said.
When the Devouring Demon Jar was separated, its power was not apparent, even hard to activate. But once merged, it became eerily powerful. Occasionally, one could hear sighs, as if the ancient Heavenly Emperor was about to revive.
It was the Ruthless One's weapon, forged from her own body, completely different from other imperial weapons.
Duan De left to find the Old Blind Man. Ye Fan also left Purple Mountain and began to prepare.
In an unknown mountain range, Ye Fan went deep underground for a thousand li, burying his true body. His primordial spirit flew out and entered the sacred shell.
"That damn Duan De is in this area. That bastard better not steal my true body." Ye Fan muttered, not knowing how many Source Heaven divine patterns he had inscribed.
He tried every means, spending several days, to extract the two pieces of green copper and place them inside the saint's body shell.
Then, Ye Fan brought several imperial jades and various other needed items and returned to Purple Mountain.
"Damn, a saint!" Duan De had already returned first. His eyes went straight, and he immediately sacrificed the Devouring Demon Jar.