Chapter 957: Ancestral Ginseng Calamity
The mountain belly was very large, bearing the Dao marks of an ancient spatial array formation. This was a cave dwelling opened up by great force. They moved forward along the shed snake skin, heading deeper.
One had to say, the Heavenly Snake Ancestor was extremely terrifying. Such a massive body was too astonishing. Although it was just a shed layer of skin, it still made one's hair stand on end.
Its entire body was a lustrous white. Each scale was several meters long, as if cast from pure divine gold, flickering with a cold metallic luster. A few strands of aura leaked out, seeming capable of collapsing heaven and earth.
Little Pine felt a bit dizzy. It compared its own height to this ancient Heavenly Snake, feeling utterly deflated. At the same time, it was timid and fearful, tightly clutching Ye Fan's clothes as it moved forward.
Ye Fan remained silent. The ancient Demon God Ancestor of this bloodline lived up to its reputation. Even after being sealed, the shed skin still possessed such aura. It must have had an invincible period in its time.
This path was not very long. Before long, they entered a hall built from ten-thousand-year-old unmelting ice crystals.
This cave dwelling was opened up in ancient times. Within the ice crystals were many divine pearls, illuminating the place brilliantly and clearly. A powerful demonic aura flowed.
"A Dao friend graces our humble abode, bringing radiance to our dwelling." Bo Yi invited them to sit and had tea served, all in luminous cups that shimmered with crystalline light.
Ye Fan's expression was calm, silently pondering in his heart. Was the mystery of the real and fake Pang Bo related to the Heavenly Qilin Clan?
"Brother Bo Yi, I wouldn't come to your temple without reason. I, Ye, am here to seek some guidance from you." He spoke after careful consideration.
"Brother Ye, you're too polite. Whatever you have to ask, feel free." Bo Yi said very cheerfully.
Ye Fan said, "Back then, the Nine Dragons Coffin incident shook the entire world. I wonder what you all uncovered. What background did those who disappeared have? Could you tell me a bit?"
Bo Yi's expression changed. The Nine Dragons Coffin was a matter of great importance, causing a huge uproar back then. Later, Mount Tai nearly became a battlefield, even drawing out great supernatural beings.
He thought for a moment and said, "Back then, all the sects mobilized, but they couldn't find any background for those people. Only one family was suspected of having the blood of an ancient Demon God flowing in their veins."
"Oh, which family? Brother Bo Yi, could you elaborate?" Ye Fan asked.
"That family seemed to be named Pang. I don't have a deep impression. My ninth brother was in charge of investigating these people back then." Bo Yi said.
Seeing that Ye Fan was very interested, he elaborated, saying that among the ancient Demon God lineages, the Ten Thousand Demon Valley had acted the fastest that year. Someone might have entered the Pang family to investigate something, but in the end, it came to nothing.
Ye Fan nodded. His divine sense was extremely powerful; he could perceive Bo Yi's spiritual fluctuations and that he wasn't lying. After learning this, he prepared to take his leave.
"Hey, Brother Ye, how can you leave just after arriving? I still wanted to seek your advice." Bo Yi tried to detain him.
Ye Fan thought it over and didn't leave immediately. He also wanted to learn more about the Ten Thousand Demon Valley. Since they were both of the Demon God race, they should be relatively familiar.
"I still don't know which ancient lineage Brother Ye inherited from, or where you originally came from. Could you tell me?" Bo Yi inquired.
"I am a wandering cultivator, cultivating on an unnamed mountain. I obtained some ancient methods from a stone wall. I don't even know which lineage they belong to. Lately, I've been feeling restless from stillness, so I came out for a walk." Ye Fan said.
"Brother Dao has great fortune. Could it be the lineage of an ancient Sacred Emperor?" Bo Yi ordered people to bring rare delicacies and fine wine to feast them.
He said that the Heavenly Qilin Clan had been cultivating hard without going out, trying to endure this age of Dharma decline and wait for heaven and earth's spiritual energy to become abundant again. They rarely participated in external affairs, especially in recent years, as they had been sealing their mountain, with no one going out.
"I once heard that a Heavenly Demon Body appeared in the Heavenly Qilin Clan, a heaven-defying genius. Isn't he active outside?" Ye Fan smiled.
"That was several years ago. It was only recently guessed that he was a Heavenly Demon Body. Actually, being born with this constitution in this age of Dharma decline is truly a tragedy."
Bo Yi looked at Little Pine several times, staring at the small bell around its neck. Silver light flowed, brilliant and crystalline, with a small stone Buddha inside.
"I wonder what kind of Dharma artifact this is. Could I borrow it for a look?"
Little Pine had shelled a pile of pine nuts and was eating them with relish. Upon hearing this, it generously took off the bell and handed it over.
Bo Yi carefully took it in his hands, examined it several times, and said, "What material is this? So heavy. Brother Dao, how did you obtain this Dharma artifact?"
"I found it all on that unnamed mountain. Seeing how exquisite and delicate it was, I gave it to this little one." Ye Fan said.
"It seems you truly have great fortune, Brother. You must have also cultivated great supernatural powers." Bo Yi said.
"Not at all. I've been stuck at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm for a hundred years. I don't know when I'll be able to ascend to the legendary Immortal Platform. I long for it but can't reach it." Ye Fan sighed.
Bo Yi was moved. "Having hope of entering the Immortal Platform, Brother Dao is truly extraordinary. With your current cultivation, you can be called a great supernatural being. Did you perhaps participate in the battle at Mount Tai back then?"
"No, I was still cultivating hard in the mountains at that time." Ye Fan shook his head.
"Alas, even an unnamed mountain has a great supernatural being like Brother Ye. There must be others. Truly, there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people." Bo Yi sighed.
Ye Fan shook his head. "I am merely a wandering cultivator at the Dragon Transformation realm. How dare I call myself a great supernatural being."
"Brother, you have hope of entering the Immortal Platform. Being at the Great Perfection of Dragon Transformation is enough to be called a great supernatural being." Bo Yi sighed longingly.
Then, he brought up a matter, wanting to ask for Ye Fan's help. He said that with such great supernatural powers, Ye Fan could definitely be of great assistance, and there would be a generous reward afterward.
"Oh, what is it about?" Ye Fan asked.
Bo Yi said, "Brother Dao must know that since ancient times, there has been a treasure beyond the pass that has moved the entire Central Land, both inside and out. It can bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones, with the miraculous effect of reviving the deceased."
"You mean ginseng?" Ye Fan was surprised.
"That's right. But not ordinary ginseng. It's a truly human-shaped ginseng, already spiritual for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, almost comparable to the legendary Divine Immortality Pills." Bo Yi said.
The Northeast had three treasures, the first being ginseng. Since ancient times, countless ginseng diggers had ventured beyond the pass, making it the most beloved tribute of successive emperors.
Nowadays, although there was much artificially cultivated ginseng, almost comparable to big radishes, truly top-grade wild ginseng was still very expensive, often starting at millions of yuan.
The ginseng Bo Yi spoke of was naturally not these ordinary ones. It was a true spiritual ginseng, even worthy of being called a half-divine medicine, more precious than a ten-thousand-year Medicine King.
It was said that this old ginseng was the ancestral ginseng of the Changbai Mountains, also the ancestral ginseng of the entire Northeast region. Although it couldn't harmonize with the Dao like a Divine Immortality Pill and fly through the heavens, it could move by borrowing earth energy. Since ancient times, no one had been able to dig it up.
"My clan has lived in the Primordial Dragon Cave of the Changbai Mountains for generations, understanding the terrain beyond the pass best. Recently, we've figured out the movements of that ancestral ginseng. Perhaps we can catch this half-divine medicine that has existed since ancient times."
He wanted to ask Ye Fan for help, relying on his great supernatural powers, claiming that if successful, he would give a generous reward afterward, even giving him half of it.
"Earth has already entered the age of Dharma decline. Are there still such divine herbs?" Ye Fan laughed.
Bo Yi nodded, saying they had long wanted to act but lacked a supernatural being to help, afraid that if they failed once, they would forever lose the chance to capture the half-divine medicine.
Because this kind of spiritual thing was most alert. Since their clan failed two thousand years ago, they had only now barely found another opportunity.
Ye Fan and the others entered a snowy, icy wilderness, heading toward an uninhabited area. It was definitely a place ordinary people couldn't enter, extremely primitive, filled with ancient trees thousands of years old.
"Look, this is a ginseng pit. It once appeared here. There's still lingering fragrance." Bo Yi pointed.
In this vast ancient forest of unknown expanse, they traveled several hundred li. Bo Yi successively found several pits under the snow.
Ye Fan's heart shook. This was indeed a spiritual medicine fragrance rarely seen in the world, surpassing a Medicine King. Just this lingering scent was refreshing. Little Pine wrinkled its small, purple-diamond-like nose, intoxicatedly sniffing and sniffing, until it finally plopped into a ginseng pit, immediately looking very embarrassed.
"Brother Dao, what do you think? Can we cooperate?" Bo Yi said, asking for his help again.
"Alright." Ye Fan nodded.
"We've set up some arrays here, but this ancestral ginseng merges with the earth veins, moving as if through an uninhabited land, hard to pin down. With you here, Brother Dao, it will be much easier." Bo Yi led Ye Fan and the others another five hundred li forward.
This made Guo Zhen click his tongue in amazement. The real Changbai Mountains weren't nearly this vast. This uninhabited area, surrounded by ancient arrays, was truly of unknown size.
However, as they walked, Bo Yi suddenly vanished into thin air. Amid the vast snowy ridges, only Ye Fan and the other two remained.
Ye Fan called over Little Pine, who had been hopping and jumping on ancient pine trees, playing happily in the snow, and then told Guo Zhen to stay close and not separate.
Guo Zhen was alarmed and uncertain. "There's the fragrance of ancestral ginseng, intoxicating. We should be close to where it appears. I've heard the old folks say that this kind of spiritual old ginseng's haunts are most dangerous. Either something guards it, or it's a death ground. Could we have unknowingly walked into a forbidden zone?"
Ye Fan said, "It is a forbidden zone, but it has nothing to do with the ancestral ginseng. Bo Yi ultimately couldn't hold back and made a move against us."
"This… what do we do? Can we break it?" Guo Zhen had been very worried, afraid of conflict with the Demon God lineage of the Primordial Dragon Cave. He hadn't wanted this to happen.
"This place has an ancient slaughter formation. Trapping a Saint Lord-rank figure would be no problem. Even a Dao Cutter might die with regret if careless." Ye Fan said.
"What? So terrifying." Guo Zhen's spine went cold.
"No matter." Ye Fan told him to relax. At his level of cultivation, he didn't need to bother with cultivators of lower realms in conversation, but if truly provoked, he would not show mercy.
Several dozen li away, in a stretch of primitive mountain forest, a group of people gathered together. All wore scale armor, cold light flickering, killing intent soaring to the heavens.
"Is this worth it? That person's cultivation is very strong. If he breaks out, there will be big trouble." A middle-aged man with black hair like a waterfall said.
"Fourth Brother, rest assured. This is very worthwhile. Did you see? That purple squirrel's bell is forged from Great Luo Silver Essence, the same material as the Ancestor's weapon, rare in the world!" Bo Yi sneered.
He claimed to have absolute certainty in killing Ye Fan. Once that slaughter formation was activated, it could even kill ancient great supernatural beings, let alone people of the present age.
"Are you sure he's really at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, and not a more terrifying figure?" Bo Yuan still had concerns.
Bo Yi nodded. "I led him into the Ice Crystal Palace to test his cultivation. That divine gate showed four colors flashing—definitely Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. The ancient slaughter formation can easily eliminate him."
"This is still a bit rash. If something goes wrong, the consequences are unpredictable." Another person said.
"Do you know why I insisted on making a ruthless move? Because he is one of those who left with the Nine Dragons Coffin over twenty years ago, and he miraculously returned. In just over twenty years, he was merely a tiny mortal back then, yet now he's reached the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. If we search his divine soul and learn the truth, my clan will surely reach the pinnacle!" Bo Yi said coldly. "Blame only him, a mere mortal, for having such great fortune. His return this time is only to fulfill his mission and perfect us, merely acting as a bride's dowry!"
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