Ch. 208 - Meeting Again

Beneath Sunset Clouds’s main peak, green waters wound through vibrant scenery, where maple orchid trees swayed, adorned with pure white blossoms, their fragrance wafting through the air. A gentle breeze stirred the trees, sending petals fluttering like snowflakes, intensifying the scent.

A babbling stream flowed through the maple orchid grove, carrying fragrant petals into the distance. Amid birdsong and floral beauty, the landscape was serene and picturesque. Yet, the three elders and twenty-three disciples within the grove wore expressions of unrelenting worry.

Ye Fan stood quietly among the maple orchids, petals swirling around him, their fragrance clearing his mind. He felt closer to an ethereal state of enlightenment. After a long pause, he turned and said, “If what you say is true, there’s indeed some trouble.”

Profound Moon Grotto-Heaven, like Sunset Clouds, covertly supported bandits, though more discreetly. Its scale and strength were comparable to Sunset Clouds’s, but what concerned Ye Fan was their Grand Patriarch, still alive. Ten years ago, when Profound Moon’s old Sect Master retired, he had cultivated three god-spirits in his Dao Palace, a notable figure in the region, intimidating for a sect of Sunset Clouds’s size.

Ye Fan’s unique physique and astonishing combat power made him peerless among his peers, but facing such an old monster, he was still outmatched. The gap between realms was vast, like climbing a heavenly ladder, ascending meant divinity, descending meant mortality, with higher realms absolutely dominating lower ones.

Ye Fan’s talent allowed him to face a dozen peers, a remarkable feat. Reaching the level of sacred ground heirs, he could challenge multiple Saints. Such news would shake the region. He could even contend with “immortals” above his realm, his terrifying attack power giving him a chance against those with two god-spirits in the Dao Palace.

But the Grand Patriarch, with three god-spirits ten years ago, was two realms above, a chasm nearly impossible to bridge, even for a prodigy. No amount of talent could enable “slaying immortals” across such a gap. Worse, a decade later, the old Patriarch likely hadn’t stagnated. Against such a veteran, retreat was the wisest choice; killing him was too daunting.

Sunset Clouds’s people were anxious. If Profound Moon Grotto-Heaven resolved to destroy them, even this youthful demon king might not hold them off. Departing Fire Sect, Falling Glow Sect, Profound Moon Grotto-Heaven, and Seven Star Pavilion all eyed Sunset Clouds hungrily, leaving it in a precarious state.

“No matter,” Ye Fan said. “Don’t worry. I’ll visit Profound Moon to assess the situation and decide after.” He aimed to gauge their strength, hoping to use a special technique to assassinate the old Patriarch if feasible.

Profound Moon Grotto-Heaven, nine hundred miles from Sunset Clouds, lay in another oasis. Unlike Sunset Clouds’s elegance, it was filled with ancient caves and shadowy ravines, exuding a mysterious aura. Ye Fan landed dozens of miles away, his body crackling as he transformed. Using the Celestial Source Tome’s Heaven-Swapping Earth-Changing technique, he became stout and unrecognizable, donning a Daoist robe, his face glowing red.

“Boundless Heavenly Lord, I am Priest Duan De,” Ye Fan declared, testing his guise, feeling it convincing.

Meanwhile, far away in an unknown ruin, the unscrupulous priest Duan De sneezed, muttering, “Which bastard’s cursing me?”

Ye Fan strolled to Profound Moon Grotto-Heaven, where ravines crisscrossed, streams flowed, ancient trees blocked the sun, and immortal vines formed bridges between cliffs. “Stop, fat priest! Who are you, and why are you here?” a young disciple at the gate demanded.

“Boundless Heavenly Lord, I’ve long heard of Profound Moon Grotto-Heaven’s fame. I’m here to discuss the Dao with your Sect Master,” Ye Fan said, whisking his duster, exuding a sage-like air.

The gatekeepers, awed, dared not offend someone bold enough to seek their leader. They rushed to report. Ye Fan had mastered the Heaven-Swapping technique to a degree, but he worried his aura and charm weren’t perfect, which was why he hadn’t approached Jade Pool yet.

Soon, an elder greeted him. “Which fellow Daoist visits Profound Moon?”

“I’m Duan De, title Boundless, a wandering cultivator, a rootless drifter.”

“Boundless? Quite a bold title!” the elder thought, privately musing, “Sounds more like Shameless.”

“What brings you here?” the elder asked.

“I’ve heard Profound Moon’s secret arts are profound and wish to discuss them with your masters,” Ye Fan said, reciting his title.

“Please, come in,” the elder said, impressed, ushering him inside courteously. “The Sect Master is occupied, but I’ll host you well.”

The elder led Ye Fan deep into Profound Moon, past vine-covered cliffs and numerous caves, evoking a sense of another world. Ye Fan sensed something extraordinary, though he couldn’t pinpoint it, this wasn’t an ordinary place.

In a stone mountain by a clear spring, ancient trees towered. Seated in a pavilion, sipping tea served by a page, Ye Fan chatted briefly and realized he wouldn’t see the Sect Master, let alone the Grand Patriarch, dashing hopes of a surprise attack.

“With a sincere heart for the Dao, I sensed this place’s uniqueness and came to see. Is your Sect Master truly unavailable?” Ye Fan pressed.

“What did you notice?” the elder asked, smiling.

“I sense dragon energy faintly coiling, ancient caves humming, as if a sage once resided here,” Ye Fan bluffed.

The elder stood abruptly. “You… truly remarkable, Priest.”

Ye Fan smirked inwardly, thinking he was just flattering them, but focusing his divine sense, he was stunned. His words were true! His divine sense swept caves, cliffs, vines, and trees, detecting something extraordinary, faint dragon-shaped mist, invisible to most, only perceptible to those with keen senses.

“Did a sage live here?” Ye Fan asked, shocked.

“Nameless, only an ancient cave with sparse inscriptions, but no Grand Dao left behind,” the elder replied.

Ye Fan fell silent, his divine sense probing. The place grew more extraordinary the deeper he looked. Led to a barren area of stone cliffs, devoid of vegetation, it exuded an endless, timeless aura.

The elder felt nothing, but Ye Fan caught a trace of profound charm, beginningless, endless. “In ancient times, great sect figures passed through, sensing a sage’s presence but found nothing. It’s not a secret place. What do you see?” the elder explained.

“Profound Moon founded its sect here and found nothing special?” Ye Fan asked, convinced this place was significant.

“Nothing. Even Jade Pool’s Grand Elder lingered here for years and found no Dao,” the elder said.

Ye Fan’s heart sank. If a sacred land found nothing, there likely was no Grand Dao. Ahead, a broken stone mountain housed an ancient cave, time and space seeming to flow from it.

“Dao is boundless, unknowable; the heart is free, unrestrained; all things cycle, unending.”

Three faint lines were carved on the cliff, nearly eroded by time. Ye Fan’s heart shook, he knew this was sacred ground, vital to him! Not for secret arts or Dao, but for the inscriptions.

He could never forget those words. They were the handwriting of Grand Emperor Beginningless! He’d seen them in Purple Mountain, on a ten-meter stone book inscribed with the Beginningless Scripture, identical to these.

No wonder this place felt extraordinary, with mystical energies An emperor had resided here. Over a hundred thousand years, his traces endured, faint immortal mist coiling, evoking his supreme majesty.

This place must be taken, Ye Fan resolved. Like Sunset Clouds, Profound Moon supported bandits, plundering the region. Seizing it would be justice, not guilt.

“I come with another purpose, sent by my master to discuss with your Sect Master,” Ye Fan said, returning to the pavilion.

“Your master is…” the elder asked, surprised.

“My master resides temporarily at Sunset Clouds, hoping for harmony with Profound Moon,” Ye Fan said, focusing his energy to carve “Harmony” on the stone table. Then, like a falling leaf, he drifted away, vanishing beyond the gate.

Unable to meet the Sect Master or assassinate the Grand Patriarch, he opted to stall, deterring action. He planned to retreat, refine the source, and reach the second stage of the Dao Palace realm for buffer time.

Moments later, Profound Moon’s Sect Master visited the pavilion, frowning at the “Harmony” inscription. “This priest is no ordinary man. I may not be his match. He has a master… only our Grand Patriarch can handle this.”

Ye Fan’s visit to Profound Moon yielded great insight, Grand Emperor Beginningless’ traces were invaluable.

“At the end of the immortal path, who stands supreme? One glimpse of Beginningless, and the Dao becomes void…” The thought stirred his heart.

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