Shrouded Sky

Chapter 226 - Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin

"Mountains and rivers bury ancient saints…" Ye Fan murmured to himself. According to the revelation on the ancient stone pillar, this was indeed the case.

Before this, he hadn’t seen the ancient coffin in the pine forest, but he firmly believed it existed. The fourth-generation patriarch wouldn’t have carved such markings without reason.

Based on his deductions, deep within the immortal forest, this should be the grand burial tomb vaguely mentioned by the stone pillar.

Ye Fan was utterly shocked. What kind of existence was this? With such terrain and landscape, the person buried here must be extraordinary.

The Flame Dragon Grave connected to the pine forest, pulling a coffin as if flying, bore an uncanny resemblance to the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin. Could there be some mysterious connection? Otherwise, why would even the coffin’s markings be so similar?

The difference was that the nine dragon corpses were real, whereas this place was merely a terrain feature, with only one Flame Dragon Grave.

Ye Fan believed there must be some intersection of heritage or civilization between the two. Otherwise, the coffins couldn’t be so alike. He just didn’t know who inherited from whom.

Lost in endless thoughts, it took Ye Fan a long while to come back to reality. For now, such musings were useless. Escaping the Primordial Mine was the priority.

Regarding the Flame Dragon Grave, the Dragonblood Spill, and this pine forest, the stone tablet was inscribed with numerous runes, marked with the Runes of the Celestial Source Tome. Ye Fan felt dizzy trying to decipher them.

Without fully comprehending the Celestial Source Tome, he couldn’t understand the fourth-generation patriarch’s annotations or their meaning.

What shocked him most was that large sections of the stone tablet’s inscriptions had been erased. The carvings should have depicted a much larger area, encompassing a broader terrain, but they had been destroyed.

Ye Fan inwardly lamented. Those smoothed-over carvings likely mapped out the various terrains of this region, essentially a map of the outer perimeter of the Primordial Mine.

He was certain there were other deadly places like the Dragonblood Spill, and not just a few. If the carvings had been intact, he could have avoided those dangerous areas.

The Primordial Mine was simply too vast. Even the fourth-generation patriarch had only recorded a portion of it, and that portion had been destroyed. Ye Fan felt regret but was helpless. The carvings were gone, leaving only stone dust.

Such an extreme terrain, where opposites reverse, suggested something unimaginable was buried beneath, sparking Ye Fan’s imagination. He couldn’t help but want to dig three hundred meters down to unearth it.

He shook his head. Even the Celestial Source Master had no solution for this place. Even the old Eastern Wilderness God-King had perished here. He had no hope at all.

"The Primordial Mine…" Ye Fan sighed. This wasn’t just a single secret place but a continuous cluster of them.

The innermost ancient mine… one didn’t even need to think about it. Even someone as powerful as the Old Madman would likely enter and never return.

As for the outer regions of the Primordial Mine, they were equally perilous, fraught with great danger and malevolence. No matter how many came, all would perish.

Ye Fan stood up and peered into the temple. The scenery was blurry.

This temple was far grander than the others he’d seen along the way, clearly a significant place with special status in ancient times. But time had eroded everything, leaving only ruin and desolation.

Holding the Celestial Source Tome, Ye Fan walked in, carefully observing. His powerful divine sense took form, scanning every inch of the space. If any artifacts were found here, they would surely be extraordinary.

Unfortunately, the interior was empty, with nothing left.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of stone dust, and the central platform was the same, nothing but dust remained.

"It’s all gone, lost to the ages. Nothing remains." Ye Fan understood. The reason this ancient temple hadn’t collapsed was because it was inscribed with astonishing Dao runes. As for the divine statues and other items, they had naturally decayed.

Tracing back to the ancient era, ten thousand years was merely a unit of time, far from its full length. Over such an immense span, even magical treasures would have decayed.

Unless it was a Paragon Artifact forged by a Grand Emperor, immortal and eternal, nothing could endure.

Ye Fan searched the vast hall and found a rusted piece of iron in a pile of ash.

"Even divine iron has corroded…"

The iron was snow-white, covered with cracks and rust, having long lost its spirituality and value.

He had seen this kind of divine iron before, in the eighth layer of the Flame Domain, where the Dark Crow used it as material to forge weapons, resembling white jade.

It was said to be extremely rare, even added to the weapon of the Radiant Light Sacred Lord. Only superpowers could obtain it; ordinary people had no chance.

"This must have been a large piece, but time has corroded it to just this small fragment…"

Ye Fan believed this grand ancient temple must have been a significant place in the past. The divine iron alone suggested it once housed many precious items, all now ruined by time.

As expected, in the ashes, he found fragments of decayed copper and iron, Violet God-Copper, Grand Dao Silver Essence, and Evertear Green-Gold.

Ye Fan felt deep regret. These were all supreme divine materials, the top choices for forging Paragon Artifacts, but their essence had drained, rendering them nearly useless.

Especially the piece of immortal tear green gold, still the size of a fist, with tear-like marks on its surface, said to be the tears of an immortal. But it no longer shone like jade, now dull and lifeless.

"What a pity. Were such materials common in the ancient era? Nowadays, even scouring the Eastern Wilderness wouldn’t yield much."

To let them rot in the dust was an extravagant waste. Ye Fan found dozens of pieces, none usable.

"What a shame. Even the sacred lords would feel heartache seeing this…"

Ye Fan scoured the entire hall but found nothing useful. The divine materials were there, but all had decayed.

Finally, beneath the central divine platform, he sensed an object. Brushing away thick layers of ash and unveiling the dust of history, he brought it to light.

Ye Fan was initially excited, but upon seeing the object, his mouth twitched.

He had thought it might feature unheard-of and unseen Dao runes.

This object had no such Runes. It was a jade piece for amusement, green and about the size of a walnut, a green jade turtle.

It was exquisitely crafted, almost lifelike, with a warm and smooth texture, made from fine jade.

"No, something’s wrong. If even Grand Doa Silver Essence and Evertear Green-Gold decayed, how could this jade turtle survive?"

Ye Fan sensed something unusual. He examined it closely, flipping it over. It was a mysterious turtle, with a neck like a snake or dragon and a shell resembling the Eight Trigrams.

The jade was dull, its essence drained, no longer spirited despite its green hue.

This was definitely not a Paragon Artifact, far from it. He couldn’t even sense any Dao runes. Ye Fan couldn’t understand why it had survived.

His fingers turned golden as he squeezed the jade, but it didn’t break. This shocked him. The green jade turtle was extraordinary, its hardness beyond imagination. He took it seriously, probing it with his powerful divine sense.

"What’s going on? There seems to be something inside…" Ye Fan was astonished to faintly sense an object sealed within the jade.

Amidst a floor of decayed divine materials, had he stumbled upon a treasure?

He studied it closely but couldn’t figure it out. The green jade turtle wasn’t a weapon, yet it had survived the ages.

"Buried beneath the dust of the central divine platform in the ancient temple, could it have some origin?" Ye Fan toyed with it, unable to decipher its secrets.

He walked through the grand temple to the back, where the pine forest was silent. The ground was inscribed with hundreds of Source Heaven Runes, all shimmering in resonance with the strange book in his hand.

"This is…"

Ye Fan’s head spun as he faintly discerned a clue. This was an intricate and profound Source Heaven Diagram, capable of fixing dragon veins, locking godsource, and altering the terrain’s momentum.

"Is the fourth-generation patriarch insane?"

Ye Fan was stunned. This was a supreme Source Heaven Diagram, meant to span dozens of miles, yet it was condensed within a hundred-meter radius. Such density could cause catastrophic collapse if mishandled.

Such a terrifying Source Heaven Diagram, even for a Celestial Source Master, could only be set up a few times in a lifetime.

"What was he doing?" Ye Fan studied it and exclaimed, "Borrowing momentum!"

No doubt, he was leveraging the extreme terrain’s reversal of opposites!

A flash of insight struck him. The stone carvings in front of the temple marked an ancient coffin in the pine forest, likely right here.

"It’s gone. It must be buried beneath this forest!"

Ye Fan shuddered. The fourth-generation patriarch had left stern warnings in his carvings, forbidding descendants from disturbing the underground momentum of the pine forest, or they’d face deadly consequences.

Yet he himself had borrowed this underground momentum, a risky move. One misstep could shatter him to pieces. This perilous place, burying ancient saints, was unpredictable.

Ye Fan felt his heart race. This was the true center of the pine forest, with something immensely dangerous buried below.

Within this hundred-meter radius, there were 365 Source Heaven Runes. True dragons soared, vermilion birds danced, mysterious turtles stood like mountains… These weren’t simple runes but complete Diagrams, forming an immortal-like painting or celestial phenomenon.

"The patriarch went all out, using this to protect himself and change his fate in his later years."

Ye Fan dared not step inside. Going deeper, he might never leave in this lifetime. This hundred-meter area could trigger cosmic killing intent, harnessing the terrain’s momentum.

Standing outside the Source Heaven Diagram, within a hundred meters, everything was clearly visible.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a broken stone ruler and fragments of stone clothing on the ground.

Ye Fan’s heart sank. The ruler was made of godsource-flesh, called the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, a precious tool for exploring godsource mines.

As for the broken stone clothing, he was familiar with it, having worn it when exploring Purple Mountain. It, too, was made of godsource-flesh, capable of blocking all auras.

"Red fur…" In the broken stone clothing, he saw several strands. The Source Heaven Diagram had sealed this place, preserving everything without dissipation.

Ye Fan’s heart chilled. The fourth-generation patriarch had met with misfortune, unable to change his fate after all.

"Was the red fur something he grew, or…" He thought of the Zhang Clan’s ancestor.

Regardless, something had found this place, leading to disaster.

What could it be? Couldn’t even this extreme terrain, burying ancient saints, stop it?

"If there are no bones, there must be calamity, meaning failure." These were the words left by the fourth-generation patriarch. Ye Fan found a fallen stone in the pine forest, inscribed with many characters.

He sighed heavily. The later years of a Celestial Source Master were terrifying. The fourth-generation patriarch had exhausted his efforts, hiding in the Primordial Mine, yet couldn’t escape his fate.

Even leveraging this terrain’s momentum couldn’t change anything. The worst was the psychological torment, likely a hellish ordeal.

Reading the fallen stone’s inscriptions carefully, Ye Fan found a way to escape. To his surprise, the pine forest’s surface was indeed sealed by the fourth-generation patriarch.

However, holding the Celestial Source Tome would trap one inside. This was due to the Source Heaven Runes set by the patriarch, meant to draw descendants in to receive his legacy and carry his life’s work forward.

Ye Fan silently bowed toward the depths of the pine forest. A remarkable man with earth-shaking talent, yet he couldn’t change his own fate.

"I don’t want to endure such torment in my later years…"

Half an hour later, following the patriarch’s stone carvings, Ye Fan safely exited the pine forest without incident.

Looking back, the moonlight was like water, the pine forest picturesque and serene.

Ye Fan sighed lightly. A grand fourth-generation patriarch, and not even his bones remained. What had happened?

He flew off, becoming a wisp of smoke on the blood-red ground, leaving this deadly place behind.

Dozens of miles were nothing to him, soon left in the distance.

Ahead, several figures stood under the moonlight, glowing faintly. Not one was missing, six in total.

Ye Fan had narrowly escaped danger, yet these six were unscathed, waiting here with ease. Truly two different fates. But he had no complaints, having gained the Source Technique legacy.

"Brother, you’re bold as hell. You told us to run, then rushed into the pine forest like you had a death wish," Li Desheng said.

"Yeah, Daoist, we thought you sacrificed yourself for us," Chen Huaiyuan added, both shocked to see him alive.

Ye Fan’s mouth twitched. How could he explain? The patriarch’s summons, could he not go?

"Daoist, do you have something ominous on you?" The Jade Pool Saintess asked in alarm. Her figure was shrouded in mist, her face unseen, but her seriousness was palpable.

"Nothing," Ye Fan replied, puzzled, looking at her.

"No, there’s definitely something ominous. My secret treasure sensed it, extremely dangerous," the Jade Pool Saintess said solemnly, her voice like celestial music. "Did you take something from the Primordial Mine?"

Ye Fan’s heart tightened. He immediately thought of the green jade turtle. He hadn’t taken anything else.

With a flash of light, he took out the turtle, holding it in his palm. Under the moonlight, it gleamed faintly.

The Jade Pool Saintess stepped back quickly, her eyes glowing with alarm. "What a terrifying aura. This is a very dangerous object."

The Radiant Light Saint and Yao Xi also retreated, trusting her judgment.

"I’ve heard of such things…" Old Blade said gravely.

"This is a godsource," the Jade Pool Saintess declared.

"What, this is a godsource?!" Ye Fan was shocked, then shook his head. Having studied the Celestial Source Tome for a while, he knew the characteristics of godsources and could tell this wasn’t one.

"This is a dried-up godsource, its essence drained, just an empty shell," the Jade Pool Saintess explained. "It was refined with supreme power into an empty vessel, sealing something terrifying inside…"

"Exactly. I’ve heard such things," Old Blade nodded. "A godsource shell is the best material for sealing peerless ominous beings."

"You mean this turtle in my hand seals something extremely terrifying?" Ye Fan stared in disbelief, feeling like he was holding a hot potato.

"Where did you get it?" Old Blade asked, stepping back warily.

Ye Fan’s heart couldn’t calm. This turtle, the size of a baby’s fist, sealed something unimaginable. It was beyond his expectations.

He didn’t reveal its origin. If he said it was found in the ashes beneath the divine platform of a grand ancient temple, they’d be even more shocked.

"I picked it up in the pine forest. How many years do you think it’s been? Could the thing inside have already turned to ash?"

At that moment, Li Desheng cried out, blood seeping from his left eye. Trembling, he pointed at the turtle. "There’s a baleful power inside!"

His left eye was a natural Lunar Sight, occasionally able to pierce the netherworld and see special things. His words made everyone tense.

Ye Fan nearly threw it away. It was too unbelievable. After so many years, what could still be alive? It felt unreal.

"What did you see?" they asked Li Desheng.

"It’s blurry, too hazy, but terrifying. My Lunar Sight is injured…" Li Desheng shook his head.

"Is this realistic?" Ye Fan shook his head. "A godsource shell found in the Primordial Mine, even if left by the human race, must be thousands of years old. What could survive sealed for so long? Do you think it’s the Eastern Wilderness God-King, immortal for four thousand years?"

"Don’t worry, we’ll check carefully," the Radiant Light Saint said, his body glowing with bright light. A beam of holy light shot into Li Desheng’s left eye.

In an instant, his Lunar Sight recovered, no longer bleeding. Everyone was awed by the power of his invulnerable holy light.

Ye Fan wanted clarity. He didn’t want to carry an ominous object that could harm him.

Li Desheng’s Lunar Sight glowed darkly, shooting a faint light as he looked at the green turtle again.

At the same time, the Radiant Light Saint enveloped him in holy light to prevent further injury.

Li Desheng’s eye flashed, the light fading. Even with the Holy Son’s help, he shed over a dozen drops of blood in moments.

"What did you see?" Ye Fan pressed.

"I saw a blurry corpse, decayed, shrouded in black mist, with demonic forces stirring!" Li Desheng’s face was pale, as if terrified.

Ye Fan felt cursed. After all his effort to find something in the ancient temple, it contained a corpse. His mouth twitched.

The Jade Pool Saintess, Yao Xi, the Radiant Light Saint, and Old Blade all changed color, shocked.

"This seal must not be opened, or the demonic aura could wipe out an entire city."

"Is it that terrifying?" Ye Fan asked.

"Absolutely! A being sealed in a godsource shell must be a peerless powerhouse. Even dead, its demonic aura remains. If released, it would be catastrophic."

"I suggest you throw it away, Daoist, or if it breaks, you’ll be the first to suffer."

"Indeed," Ye Fan said, rubbing his chin, pondering. Throwing it away was out of the question. This was almost a deterrent artifact, worth keeping!

If he was chased in the future, whether by the Radiant Light Sacred Ground’s elders or the Ji Clan’s elders, he could toss it out. If it could take half their lives, it’d be worth it.

Moreover, since godsource shells typically sealed peerless figures, they might carry great treasures.

The seven continued their journey, carefully avoiding the pine forest, heading out of the blood-red plain, feeling they were finally leaving the Primordial Mine.

Suddenly, light footsteps echoed. Everyone turned around.

Under the moonlight, a child with flowing hair hopped toward them, about four or five years old, chubby and adorable, with a beautiful face.

This couldn’t be a human child. It had a pair of white wings on its back and double pupils in its eyes.

"A living being!" Old Blade’s expression changed. The Jade Pool Saintess, Radiant Light Saint, and Yao Xi were also shocked, unable to stay calm.

Since ancient times, few had seen living beings in the Primordial Mine. Those who did, died.