# Chapter 967: Zhen Yuanzi
The three soared into the air and arrived at the great crevice in the rock wall of the Dragon Mountain. Thousands of hanging coffins were suspended there, all ancient artifacts, having existed for at least a thousand years.
They attempted to open some of them. Inside were bone implements, jade implements, and wooden implements, but not a single metal artifact—without exception.
"As recorded, Earth Immortals avoid metal. If metal is stored in the coffin, one cannot undergo corpse dissolution to become an immortal."
They carefully examined them. These should be his disciples and followers, buried here alongside him. The three did not dare approach the jade coffin immediately, after all, this was the burial ground of a legendary Earth Immortal, and they feared there might be world-slaying killing mechanisms.
That faint, refreshing fragrance wove through the air in strands, penetrating to the marrow of one's bones, never ceasing, making one feel as if floating toward immortality. They forcibly restrained themselves and did not draw it in.
The Old Crane and the Third Valley Master carefully inspected many of the coffins, while Ye Fan used Source Arts to examine the terrain. To avoid any accidents, they were extremely cautious and exceptionally careful.
"This should all belong to one lineage. Look at the arrangement of these coffins—very orderly, all revering the ancient jade coffin at the deepest part of the Dragon Mountain's mouth."
The crevice in the Dragon Mountain's cliff wall was very large, with densely packed hanging coffins numbering over two thousand. Each was meticulously arranged, and all buried here were cultivators.
Every coffin was hollowed out from giant logs, mostly boat-shaped, which also matched the records—crossing the Sea of Suffering of the mortal world to achieve liberation and become immortals.
"There are Dao-Severing Kings here!" The Old Crane was terrified.
The remains inside some ancient coffins were not decayed; the corpse shells were powerful, undecayed after death, lifelike, maintaining their living state. All were Dao-Severing cultivators.
"Regardless of other matters, this sect must have been extremely powerful back then. Even in ancient times when primal energy was abundant, having some Dao-Severing Kings as disciples was quite extraordinary."
Finally, they reached the depths of the stone crevice, arriving at the throat of the Dragon Mountain. Observing from close range, the ancient jade coffin was covered in dust, dim and lusterless, yet it appeared all the more mysterious.
A crystalline branch, fresh green as if about to drip, as thick as a child's arm and over a meter long, carved like green agate, translucent and radiant.
It lay horizontally atop the ancient jade coffin, emitting an irresistible refreshing fragrance. At the broken end, white liquid dew could be seen, appearing extremely mysterious.
An Immortal Divine Tree!
At such close distance, Ye Fan could now completely confirm—this was definitely an Immortal Tree, possessing the divine effect of bringing the dead back to life, something rarely found in the world.
An Earth Immortal! Was it truly an Earth Immortal? Even possessing such a thing, buried here as a funerary object—this was extraordinary.
Throughout history, Immortal Divine Medicines were rarely found by mortals; at the very least, they were held in the hands of Saints, and every ancient Great Emperor possessed one.
Each Immortal Medicine was unique. From ancient times to the present, there were only a few in total, countable on one's fingers. According to what Ye Fan knew, it was already good if a living ancient star had one.
The reason the Big Dipper Star Domain had several was because ancient Great Emperors had brought them there. Since the Primeval Era, ancient Emperors, Human Emperors, and others had continuously traveled there.
It was precisely because of this that other ancient stars had successively lost their Immortal Divine Medicines. Yet here, an Immortal Tree existed, fully demonstrating the status of the Earth Immortal—absolutely extraordinary.
None of the three dared to act rashly. They circled around the ancient coffin. If the legendary Earth Immortal was here, what changes might occur if they opened it?
"I once heard that even after death, the corpses of ancient Sages are difficult to approach. The aura they emit can shake great supernatural power users to death." The Old Crane frowned, his heart filled with worry.
Ye Fan nodded. Back then, when they discovered the coffin of the Immortal Emperor, it was earth-shattering. On the ten-thousand-zhang jade platform, chaos surged violently. Even with just a piece of human skin, they needed forbidden artifacts and Extreme Dao weapons for protection.
"This Earth Immortal's coffin appears very calm, without any pressure. I wonder what will happen after opening it?"
In this place, even the Source Heaven Eye found it difficult to see through. The ancient coffin was mysterious and unfathomable, carved by ancient great supernatural power users. Ants and insects could not approach, and deities could not disturb.
"Both of you, stand by my side." Ye Fan spoke, preparing to act.
He used the Primordial Qi Cauldron to protect his body, directly tossing the inquisitive Little Pine inside the cauldron, while also grasping in his hand an old copper piece he had painstakingly retrieved from the Sea of Suffering a few days ago.
"Bang"
The moment Ye Fan moved the coffin, a streak of red light slashed out from the depths of the cliff crevice. Its cold light illuminated the nine heavens, too dazzling and brilliant!
"Swoosh"
Ye Fan collected the two into the cauldron, stepping on the Stride Art to retreat at extreme speed, but still could not avoid it. The cauldron above his head rang with a loud "clang," and he was instantly sent flying horizontally.
He shot out over eighty zhang from the Dragon Mountain's mouth. The golden blood within his body boiled like thunder, taking a long time to calm down before he released the two.
"What was that? It didn't seem like an attack from within the coffin." The Old Crane had caught a brief glimpse and seen that dazzling light.
"This dragon cluster has been nurtured. The ancient jade coffin is placed at the throat deep within the dragon's mouth—that's where the dragon grows its reverse scales. It's a self-formed killing divine light of the mountain terrain." Ye Fan said.
The Earth Immortal's methods were indeed extraordinary. The mountain terrain he arranged shook heaven and earth, weeping ghosts and gods. Was he truly trying to imitate the essence of the ancient ninety-nine Dragon Mountains?
"There's no way to approach the coffin..." the Third Valley Master said. Having come this far, it would be truly regrettable if they couldn't gain anything.
"The tomb owner has no killing intent and hasn't laid down malicious measures. We should be able to approach and take a look, as long as we avoid the Dragon Mountain's reverse scale killing light." Ye Fan said.
He carefully observed for a while, then entered the stone crevice again and made his move. Using Source Arts to guide the dragon qi, he temporarily diverted it from the reverse scales, then approached the jade coffin once more.
He first grasped the Immortal Tree branch, holding it in his hand. But in that instant, his entire body turned ice-cold, almost frozen solid—it was too bitterly cold.
This treasure tree, appearing fresh and green as if about to drip, like a vivid green jade core, was bone-chillingly cold. Ordinary people simply could not withstand it. Ye Fan quickly activated the Supreme Yin Sacred Force, melting and dissolving its cold qi, then set it aside, revealing an expression of disbelief.
"What's wrong?" the Old Crane asked.
"Did the Earth Immortal liberate himself, or did an outsider come to assist him, leaving behind the Immortal Tree trunk?" Ye Fan muttered to himself.
At this moment, he finally understood why a section of Immortal Divine Tree branch had been left. It was to liberate the death qi of these corpses, absorbing it all cleanly, helping them become Ghost Immortals.
The death qi of the thousands of hanging coffins had been completely absorbed by the divine tree branch, including the mysterious corpse within the jade coffin, which was its main absorption target.
"Can the divine tree branch no longer be used as medicine?" the Third Valley Master asked, filled with regret.
"It's like the Netherworld Grass—it has longevity effects, but also rotten medicinal properties, containing too much corpse qi." Ye Fan said.
They finally understood why the people of the Daoist ancestral court hadn't taken this section of divine tree branch. Ordinary people simply couldn't handle it and dared not refine it into medicine.
Ye Fan moved again, using Source Arts to sever the dragon qi, slowly shifting the jade coffin open. Holding the green copper in his hand, his heart somewhat tense, he looked inside.
Completely empty!
What was going on? There was nothing at all. This left the three dumbfounded, greatly puzzled. Had the contents of the coffin been taken by the Daoists of Dragon Tiger Mountain?
Looking more carefully, their expressions stiffened. There were traces of Dao Dissolution, and very thorough ones at that. Nothing remained at all, only a faint human-shaped impression left at the bottom of the coffin.
An Earth Immortal undergoing Dao Dissolution!?
Although they had long known that so-called Earth Immortals were mostly deified and not actually immortals, the three still couldn't help feeling disappointed. Not a single trace remained.
"How can this be?" The Third Valley Master was greatly disappointed, muttering to himself, unable to accept this fact.
Ye Fan said nothing, silently sealing the coffin lid, placing the Immortal Divine Tree branch back on top, restoring everything to its original state.
"There are ninety-nine Dragon Mountains. This is only the first one. Isn't it a bit strange? Did the Earth Immortal directly bury his tomb in the first Dragon Mountain?" the Old Crane raised a question.
"Let's go take a look."
Ye Fan also had his suspicions early on. He strode forward, and when they entered the depths of the second intertwined Dragon Mountain, their expressions instantly froze.
They saw another large crevice, with dozens of ancient hanging coffins. Though far fewer than the first location, it was still astonishing. Most importantly, there was a commonality—deep within the dragon cave, there was also a jade coffin.
"Another jade coffin, also covered in dust, dim and lusterless. This... how many Earth Immortals are there?"
Moreover, on the ancient jade coffin lay a crystalline, dripping section of Immortal Tree branch, resting across the coffin lid, flowing with refreshing fragrance that carried over from a great distance.
Ye Fan and the others were startled and uncertain. Cautiously entering the dragon's mouth, avoiding the dragon's reverse scale killing light, they carefully opened the ancient jade coffin. The result was the same—the person inside had long undergone Dao Dissolution.
It was difficult to fathom what this person's cultivation level was in life. They only knew it must have been extremely terrifying. The Dao marks were exceptionally astonishing, unfathomably deep.
And this Immortal Divine Tree branch had also absorbed a large amount of death qi. No one dared to use it for medicine. Everything was similar to the first jade coffin.
Ye Fan and the others looked at each other without speaking, then walked deeper into the dragon cluster, entering the third Dragon Mountain. As expected, they saw the third mysterious ancient jade coffin, also accompanied by an Immortal Tree branch as a funerary object.
Subsequently, they passed through five mountains in succession, all the same. The powerful tomb masters had all undergone Dao Dissolution, leaving nothing behind except a section of Immortal Tree branch.
"How strange. How many Earth Immortals are there exactly?" Even the Old Crane was uncertain.
They soared into the air, arriving among the clouds, gazing at the majestic Dragon Mountains stretching before them. Their expressions instantly froze.
The first nine Dragon Mountains were magnificent and awe-inspiring. The ninth mountain was clearly a full head taller than the others, with auspicious qi surging forth. On the mountain body were carved the two characters "Earth Immortal."
Starting from the tenth Dragon Mountain, all the mountain ranges were broken and incomplete. This scene was baffling—ninety Dragon Mountains had collapsed.
"What is this?"
"I understand." Ye Fan nodded, softly muttering to himself. Ninety-nine Dragon Mountains represented an extreme. No one in the world could enjoy such a blessing; no one could be buried in such a place. Even imitating the ninety-nine dragon veins was impossible, after all, this place had laid out the grand momentum of dragons!
Even an Earth Immortal could only bear the might of nine ancient Dragon Mountains. He himself had deeply realized this, thus burying himself in the ninth, the highest Dragon Mountain.
Heaven and Earth did not permit it. Ninety Dragon Mountains had collapsed on their own, leaving only nine for the Earth Immortal. He could only bear this much blessing.
This was truly chilling, making one feel it was inconceivable. Was this the power of the heavens manifesting to destroy the ninety Dragon Mountains, or was it simply a terrain pattern that could not long exist in the world!?
After descending to the ground, Ye Fan and the others did not rush forward. They carefully and meticulously observed each Dragon Mountain and jade coffin, finally arriving at the eighth Dragon Mountain. Only then did they gain a rough understanding.
At the eighth Dragon Mountain, besides seeing the jade coffin and the divine tree branch, there was also a white jade stele with some characters carved on it. The general meaning was that disciples were buried here to accompany him.
"Truly worthy of an Earth Immortal! All his disciples had died, yet he still lived. And among those eight jade coffins, several were definitely Saint-level figures." The Third Valley Master exclaimed in amazement.
Ye Fan and the others were shaken. All his Saint disciples had died, yet this person still lived. He had moved their coffins to accompany him. Just how long had he lived!?
Finally, they arrived before the last undamaged Dragon Mountain. Purple qi rose in billowing clouds, almost flooding the mountain body. In front of the mountain stood an ancient stele with carved characters.
The three carefully examined it, deciphering the general meaning. This person had once entered Shu and was revered as the foremost among immortals. Such a great background—no wonder Red Pine Master had pursued him into Shu.
"Could it be the legendary ancient immortal?" Ye Fan vaguely guessed a person, but when he saw the last sentence on the ancient stele, he instantly turned to stone.
"Buried here together with the Ginseng Fruit Immortal Divine Tree!"
"This... how is it possible? Could there truly be an Earth Immortal named Zhen Yuanzi? Impossible!" Ye Fan was shaken, filled with incomprehension.