Shrouded Sky

Chapter 186 - Nine Dragons Guarding A Pearl

“Your heart is set on entering Purple Mountain?” Old Man Zhang Wu had long understood Ye Fan’s intentions and knew he couldn’t stop him. With a sigh, he said, “Wait a moment.”

He turned and entered the stone house. Moments later, he struggled to drag out a large, weathered wooden chest, its color faded with age, clearly an ancient relic. “What’s this?” Ye Fan asked, puzzled.

“A thousand years ago, our ancestor who entered Purple Mountain prepared meticulously. These are the items he left behind,” Zhang Wu explained.

He opened the iron lock on the chest, releasing a musty smell of decayed wood. The interior was partially rotted from the passage of time. Ye Fan’s eyes immediately fell on a set of stone clothing, yes, a garment made of stone pieces strung together, plain but neatly folded.

“What’s this for?” Ye Fan asked. The stone armor was finely crafted, clearly made with great care.

Zhang Wu carefully lifted the stone clothing, running his hand over it. “This was made by our ancestor a thousand years ago. He wore one set and left this one behind.”

Ye Fan held the stone clothing, feeling nothing special about it. The stone was the kind commonly found encasing source material, capable of blocking a cultivator’s divine sense, making it impossible to discern what lay within a source stone without cutting it open. This was why stone gambling thrived.

Ye Fan was confident he could easily crush such stone skin, rendering the armor useless to him. “Don’t underestimate this stone clothing,” Zhang Wu said, as if reading his thoughts. “It’s no ordinary object, it possesses powerful spirituality.”

“Spirituality?” Ye Fan examined it closely but sensed nothing remarkable.

“This isn’t ordinary stone skin,” Zhang Wu said, caressing it fondly. “This is the skin peeled from Godsources, a material valued by those who practice the Celestial Source Art.”

“This is the skin of Godsources?” Ye Fan brought the clothing closer, inspecting it, but still saw nothing extraordinary.

“Different trades, different worlds. You’re a cultivator, but you don’t understand how precious this stone clothing is,” Zhang Wu said, spreading it out. “Every source detector dreams of owning such a garment. Digging underground for sources, you often encounter dangerous things. This Godsource clothing can ward off evil and protect against unclean entities.”

Ye Fan nodded, recalling his time in the source area of the Radiant Light Sacred Ground, where strange events occurred frequently. He understood the dangers well. “The stone skin of Godsources has unique spirituality, capable of warding off unclean things…”

According to Zhang Wu, this stone skin, coexisting with Godsources, had absorbed their spirituality, gaining a divine quality that could bring good fortune and avert disaster. Inside the chest was also a stone helmet that could cover the face entirely.

“You must wear this stone clothing and the helmet to seal all your aura. It may not be sturdy, but it can isolate you from the outside world, possibly shielding you from the ominous creatures in Purple Mountain,” Zhang Wu instructed solemnly.

Ye Fan’s heart wavered. “Aren’t the powerful creatures from before the Desolate Era sealed in Godsources?”

“No one can say for certain what’s in Purple Mountain. It’s best to be prepared,” Zhang Wu replied. “Honestly, I still don’t want you to take this risk.”

Ye Fan felt uneasy. “I don’t plan to venture deep into Purple Mountain. I’ll retrieve the Celestial Source Tome and leave immediately. I don’t want to disturb any living creatures.”

“Take this stone pendant as well,” Zhang Wu said, pulling a stone pendant from the chest. “This was crafted by our ancestor. If you’re targeted by something demonic, it might have a miraculous effect.”

Clang.

Zhang Wu then drew a stone knife from the chest. Its wooden sheath had long rotted, crumbling as he unsheathed it. The knife, about two feet long, was etched with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, and strange markings.

“Underground, you might encounter strange things, bizarre and unpredictable. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid direct confrontation,” Zhang Wu said gravely. “Whether it’s a ghost or something else, if it doesn’t attack you, treat it as an illusion and use this knife to clear your path.”

Ye Fan felt a chill. Earlier, Zhang Wu’s warnings hadn’t fazed him, but now he was uncertain.

Finally, Zhang Wu took out a star disk. “This disk has been passed down to my generation, imbued with immense stellar power. Keep it with you, it will be useful. If you fall into a ghost mine, it can guide you out.”

Ye Fan was speechless, tempted to back out. “Old man, are you supporting me or scaring me? The more you talk, the creepier this gets.”

The stone clothing, pendant, knife, and star disk were all carved from Godsource skin, unremarkable in appearance but imbued with spirituality.

“Old man, what happened to your Clan’s founding ancestor? Did he retire peacefully in this village?” Ye Fan asked.

The Zhang Clan’s founding ancestor was a Celestial Source Master, a rare and extraordinary figure. In the entire history of the Northern Domain, only a handful had ever existed. Ye Fan had previously asked Zhang Wu about the ancestor’s fate, but the old man’s answers were vague, only mentioning that a Celestial Source Master, knowing too much about the secrets of sources, would face ominous events in their later years.

“His fate is a mystery,” Zhang Wu said, shaking his head.

“What happened?” Ye Fan pressed.

“Long ago, the Northern Region produced five Celestial Source Masters, all of whom encountered bizarre events in their later years. Our ancestor was no exception.”

“What kind of bizarre events?” Ye Fan asked.

“In his later years, he saw many unclean things that others couldn’t see. He said it was the inevitable fate of a Celestial Source Master.”

“Unclean things?” Ye Fan was shocked.

“Yes. In the end, he vanished without a trace,” Zhang Wu said. “On the night he disappeared, a red-furred whirlwind raged outside, and an unknown terrifying creature howled all night long.”

“Old man, I’m not easily scared. If you want to dissuade me, just say it. No need for this,” Ye Fan said.

“I’m not trying to scare you. Everything I’ve said is true. Our ancestor truly disappeared like that. When the Saintess of Jade Pool learned of it, she searched the Northern Region for him but found nothing. In the end, she personally built a monument in his memory,” Zhang Wu sighed.

Such an extraordinary figure, who made the sacred grounds wary, had died so mysteriously. Ye Fan’s emotions were complex. “Was there no clue at all?”

“That night, a four-year-old child from our clan was with him and was frightened into a stupor,” Zhang Wu said, shaking his head. “It took over half a year to heal him. According to him…”

“What did the child say?” Ye Fan asked, noticing Zhang Wu’s pause.

“He said that night, he saw our ancestor’s hand covered in red fur and a humanoid creature moving outside the window. When he looked back, our ancestor was gone forever.”

“Oh come on old man, you can’t scare me like this when you know I’m going to Purple Mountain!” Ye Fan exclaimed.

“These stories have been passed down by our ancestors. I’ve never told anyone else,” Zhang Wu said.

Ye Fan felt a chill, realizing the blood-red land was filled with mysteries beyond imagination. “What was the strength of a Celestial Source Master?”

“You mean combat strength?” Zhang Wu asked.

“Yes,” Ye Fan nodded.

“In his youth, my ancestor fought the Saintess of Jade Pool to a draw,” Zhang Wu said calmly.

Ye Fan gasped. Such a figure was truly extraordinary, not only a Celestial Source Master but also so powerful. No wonder the Saintess of Jade Pool became his confidante.

“After becoming a Celestial Source Master, one can locate dragon veins and lock Godsources. It’s impossible not to be powerful,” Zhang Wu added.

In the end, Ye Fan set off. “Little Brother Ye, when will you be back?” Wang Shu called out, unaware of Ye Fan’s destination to Purple Mountain. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few days. Then I’ll take you stone gambling and make those sacred grounds green with envy.”

“The wind howls, the yellow river runs cold; the hero departs, never to return…” Er Lengzi waved earnestly.

“I… out of everything I taught you, why did you only remember that line?” Ye Fan said, exasperated.

“Uhh... I’m afraid you won’t come back…” Er Lengzi scratched his head.

Ye Fan couldn’t stay mad at him. With a smile, he waved back and vanished in the blink of an eye.

According to Zhang Wu, to enter Purple Mountain, one must go through one of the nine dragon veins, traveling underground and cutting into the mountain’s base. Attempting to break in directly from the outside would trap oneself in a deadly situation.

Ye Fan chose the easternmost dragon vein, the same path taken by the Zhang Clan’s ancestor a thousand years ago. In his mind, he recited the ancient scripture recorded in the bronze coffin, occasionally carving a few characters inside the cauldron forged from the Motherly Energy of All Things. For the past two months, he had been doing this. Though the characters wouldn’t stay long and soon faded, he persisted.

The cauldron, forged from the Motherly Energy of All Things, was his greatest reliance. Even if the void shattered, he could survive inside it. The towering stone peak loomed grandly, like a coiling dragon, bare and reddish-brown with hints of purple, resembling Purple Mountain. According to Zhang Wu, this dragon vein had long been hollowed out underground.

Ye Fan didn’t immediately break through the earth to enter, wary of causing unintended consequences. After patient searching, he found the ancient mine used by the Zhang Clan’s ancestor a thousand years ago.

Wearing the stone clothing, Ye Fan felt completely sealed, his aura locked within, unable to leak out. With the star disk on his back, the stone knife in hand, and the stone pendant hanging from him, he silently descended into the ancient mine.

Measuring the depth, Ye Fan was astonished, it was a full three thousand meters before he reached the bottom. The pitch-black mine, dug over a hundred thousand years ago, carried the weight of ages, silent to an extreme degree.

Ye Fan moved lightly, not using divine power, stepping forward carefully, sensing his surroundings. Everything here was tied to an ancient Grand Emperor, filling him with an unprecedented sense of caution.

After walking several miles, the mine grew even darker. Suddenly, Ye Fan’s heart jolted. He heard the sound of flapping wings, and in the dimness, he glimpsed a humanoid creature rushing toward him.

“I’ve just entered, and I’m already encountering a race from before the Desolate Era?!” Ye Fan cried out, sensing trouble.