Chapter 952: Numinous Treasure Sacred Ground
No mountain is greater than this, no history is more ancient than this!
Such was Mount Tai. In ancient times, it was not as it is now, soaring tens of thousands of zhang high. To climb Mount Tai and feel the world grow small was no mere exaggeration.
The mountain's slopes were covered with cliffside inscriptions and stone tablets. This mountain itself was a history, the secrets and ancient tales it told forming a chronicle. Unfortunately, everything had changed.
Ye Fan listened intently, gaining much insight. In recent days, he had visited many archives and read numerous rare texts, hoping to understand the ancient past, but none had touched upon the cultivation world.
Now, hearing these young men speak, he nodded to himself. At the very least, he was about to step into another world, one beyond the mortal realm.
The so-called cultivator assembly seemed to be on a large scale. Judging by how seriously these few took it, they all wanted to make their mark, to stand out and gain entry into the secret grounds of the Supreme Purity and Numinous Treasure sects.
Ye Fan was amused. Although these men were disciples of the Daoist sect and fairly outstanding, they were still far from the core. The cultivation world had its own laws; hierarchy existed everywhere.
Whether it was the Supreme Purity Sect or the Numinous Treasure Sect, both had their secret grounds, forbidden to mortals and accessible only to core members. It went without saying that in this age of withered heaven and earth, those places must be blessed grotto-heavens, capable of accelerating cultivation.
All four had already opened their Seas of Suffering, their talents extraordinary. They were not far from the Life Spring realm, orthodox disciples of a great sect.
From their hushed discussions earlier, becoming recognized as core disciples was the key, bringing with it many benefits.
"Let's go. Traveling through famous mountains and great rivers can refine the mind, but we still need to cultivate." The group set off together, heading down Mount Tai.
"Fellow Daoists, please wait." Ye Fan caught up from behind, smiling as he greeted them, hoping to travel together.
The group was naturally surprised, all looking at him with confusion. Ye Fan introduced himself as a loose cultivator with limited family teachings, unfamiliar with the current cultivation world, and wished to travel with them to learn along the way.
Having a stranger join them naturally made them somewhat resistant and unwilling. Just then, another person came up the mountain, calling out apologies, saying family matters had delayed him.
The group was displeased. They were about to go into seclusion for cultivation and told the newcomer that Ye Fan was a loose cultivator like him, and he could show him around. With that, they hurried down the mountain.
Ye Fan rubbed his chin, not expecting to be so unwelcome. Those four clearly wanted nothing to do with him. But that was understandable—his origins were unclear, and they were focused on bitter cultivation, naturally unwilling to engage.
The latecomer was named Guo Zhen, a resident of Tai'an at the foot of Mount Tai. A true loose cultivator, he was quite enthusiastic and shared much common ground with Ye Fan.
Ye Fan found this man decent—genuine and simple, speaking his mind without pretense, possessing a natural Dao-nature. The two descended the mountain together, talking as they walked.
Guo Zhen said, "Brother Ye is also a loose cultivator? Then we truly share a fate. I stumbled onto this path by accident myself."
He had never joined any sect. It was just that his grandfather loved reading ancient books, which led him onto the path of cultivation. Back in the era of "smashing the Four Olds," all things supernatural and divine were to be overthrown. His grandfather, young at the time, had seen many ancient texts confiscated from various households, all gathered to be destroyed in one place. He secretly hid a few of the oldest ones.
"You walked this path just by reading those ancient texts?" Ye Fan asked with a smile. That was rather dramatic.
"I read them as strange tales and ghost stories. The principles they laid out seemed systematic, and after years of reading, they made some sense. Then, half-asleep one time, I truly saw the bitterness within my body..."
Guo Zhen's cultivation path had been remarkably uneventful. By chance, he had glimpsed the first secret realm of the human body. After countless attempts, he finally saw it again while fully awake, and only then was his conviction solidified.
His grandfather had nearly worn those books out over the years, achieving nothing. But Guo Zhen had accidentally gained insight and taken that small step forward.
As for his father, he was a typical intellectual. If he hadn't known those books were ancient texts, possibly rare editions of great value, he would probably have burned them long ago out of disapproval.
"Does your family know?" Ye Fan asked.
"How could I explain something like this?" Guo Zhen shook his head. He hadn't told his parents, but he had discussed it with his grandfather. The old man was thrilled and told him that when he achieved success, he must help him attain the Dao as well.
After careful observation, Ye Fan could see that Guo Zhen's personal aptitude was unquestionable. Otherwise, he could never have found the path to cultivation on his own in this age of Dharma decline. In the Big Dipper Star Domain, he would have become a sect master.
He had already opened his Wheel Sea, with wisps of Life Spring energy flowing out, threads of spiritual qi surging. He was on the verge of entering the Life Spring realm, a notch higher than the previous four.
When Ye Fan arrived at his residence, he immediately understood why he had achieved such success. In this age, anyone who could walk the path of cultivation had some kind of opportunity.
It was a very old villa, seemingly decades old, nearly due for demolition again. Located in the suburbs, adjacent to Mount Tai, the scenery was excellent.
Ye Fan understood Source Arts and could observe earth veins. He could clearly see that the old villa sat atop an earth vein, with terrestrial essence rising upward, Mount Tai's qi steaming forth. This was precisely what made Guo Zhen's cultivation possible.
He said his grandfather was a very interesting man who had dealt in antiques. In his day, he had amassed quite a collection, including a soapstone mountain—a western branch of the Wuyi Mountains, winding for over two hundred li, with ancient bamboo, green pines, winding peaks, and beautiful scenery.
Ye Fan was very interested in this place, because the Soapstone Mountain was also known as Ge Ridge, an important site of Daoism. The founder of the Numinous Treasure Sect was Ge Xuan, the grand-uncle of Ge Hong.
Ge Hong authored the "Baopuzi" (Master Who Embraces Simplicity) and was a leader of Daoism during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Brilliant and extraordinary, he had mentioned the Nine Secrets in his works, which Ye Fan had carefully researched after returning.
After his grand-uncle founded the Numinous Treasure Sect, Ge Hong expanded its influence, shaking the world. He left an indelible mark here. Although the Numinous Treasure Sect had since found other secret grounds and withdrawn from this place, traces likely remained.
The Soapstone Mountain was shrouded in rosy clouds and mist, like walking into a painting. With flowing springs, cascading waterfalls, green peaks, and beautiful scenery, its spiritual essence was inwardly restrained.
"The Numinous Treasure Sect hasn't completely abandoned this place. There are many Daoist temples on the mountain, mostly occupied by outer disciples," Guo Zhen explained. One of the four men he knew came from here.
"This place is not bad. It seems the historical records are correct—Ge Hong really did live here for a long time." Ye Fan nodded. Entering the Soapstone Mountain, he sensed a mysterious and profound aura, as if a great figure with heaven-reaching magical power had left Dao marks here.
"Gone! They've disappeared!" Guo Zhen was shocked, staring into the depths of the mountains with confusion and surprise.
"Interesting. In this age of withered heaven and earth, for this place to still have such a wonderful location is truly extraordinary." Ye Fan smiled, leading Guo Zhen forward. Soon, they arrived before a green mountain.
"There's no road ahead. What are you doing?" Guo Zhen was alarmed, because Ye Fan was pulling him up a green peak, about to step off a cliff.
"Don't be afraid," Ye Fan said. With a flash of light, they entered a strange environment. White clouds swirled around them. Several broken mountains stood side by side, vast in scope, with many Daoist temples upon them.
Ancient pines that had grown for who knows how many millennia, old vines covering the cliffs—it was as if they were cut off from the outside world. The spiritual qi here was much denser.
"The outer disciples of the Numinous Treasure Sect must cultivate here. Otherwise, how could they achieve such accomplishments?" Ye Fan said. Guo Zhen was filled with wonder.
"Who goes there?" An old Daoist appeared, questioning them.
"We are loose cultivators," Guo Zhen replied.
"Oh, it's you. How did you come here?" The four who had just entered hadn't even climbed the broken mountain yet. Seeing them, they were surprised and puzzled, with a hint of displeasure.
"This place isn't for just anyone. This is a small gathering, attended only by renowned elders and outstanding disciples. Those without a Dao lineage are not permitted entry," one of them said with a hint of mockery.
"Yes, this is the ancient grounds of the Numinous Treasure Sect. Idlers and riffraff are not allowed inside," another young man added.
The old Daoist also nodded, saying, "This is a sacred ground of our Numinous Treasure Sect, not open to the public. Except for invited fellow Daoists for exchange, only senior experts may come here. Ordinary people cannot enter."