Ch. 355 - Ancient Sect, Great Dragon Vein

The Ice Snow Palace was a great sect of the Northern Region, with a lineage stretching back over ten thousand years, its strength second only to the Holy Lands. Legend said its founding patriarch was not human, but a snow ape that had cultivated to a level rivaling the Holy Lands themselves in that distant age.

No matter how glorious a heritage, decay comes to all things. No matter how powerful a being, death is inevitable. Nothing lasts forever.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and Tu Fei, together with a large black dog, stepped onto a vast glacier, beginning their plan to slay a Saint and hunt a Saintess.

The Radiant Light Sacred Ground’s Saint Candidate had entered the Ice Snow Palace and had not emerged since. The group came to this frozen region precisely for him.

This land was at an altitude exceeding eight thousand meters. Even in summer it remained a world of ice and snow, winds howling across eternity. Long ago, during the darkest age of chaos, a world-shaking battle had erupted here. What was once a Sacred Ground had been utterly destroyed.

A peerless cultivator had shattered the heavens and leveled endless mountain ranges, turning the land into this vast ice plain. The Ice Snow Palace later rose upon these ruins, but in even earlier times, this land had held a more ancient and glorious heritage.

“Who could have annihilated a Sacred Ground?” Ye Fan asked, surprised by Tu Fei’s tale.

“It’s unclear. That was seventy to eighty thousand years ago, the darkest age since the Desolate Era. A terrifying war engulfed the world, and many Sacred Grounds and Desolate Clans took part,” Tu Fei replied.

“To destroy an entire Sacred Ground... the power required must be unimaginable,” Pang Bo said, stunned.

“I suspect it was a turmoil from one of the Forbidden Burial Grounds,” the black dog muttered uncertainly.

“You know something about that?” Ye Fan’s mind sharpened. The black dog was ancient, and the older the event, the clearer its understanding.

“In the Eastern Wilderness there are seven great Forbidden Burial Grounds, each unimaginably terrifying. Even a Grand Emperor couldn’t flatten them. Nineteen thousand years ago came the Primordial Darkness Upheaval, the earth ran red with blood. Fifteen thousand years ago came the Undying Mountain Upheaval, and countless beings perished.”

Everyone was shocked. The Primordial Mine and Undying Mountain were among the most dreadful Forbidden Grounds in the Northern and Central Eastern Regions. None of them had heard that these zones had ever erupted into such world-ending turmoil.

“Seventy to eighty thousand years ago was called the darkest age after the Desolate Era,” Tu Fei continued, staring out at the endless ice fields. “Rumor has it that a God-King of the Jiang Clan wielded a Paragon Artifact and swept this land flat.”

They all inhaled sharply. The power of a Paragon Artifact was beyond comprehension, legends said that with sufficient Dao energy, it could rival the rebirth of an Emperor.

“So it’s true… even holy lands have ranks among themselves,” Ye Fan sighed.

The black dog nodded solemnly. “Naturally. A Holy Land that has produced a Grand Emperor and holds a Paragon Artifact fears no one.”

Indeed, tracing history back tens of thousands of years, there had once been far more Holy Lands than today. At least half had vanished into the dust of history. Those destroyed lacked the foundation, no Grand Emperor, no Paragon Artifact.

Pang Bo said, “Then the Holy Lands that survive must be even stronger than people think, they probably have more than a single scripture.”

Everyone nodded. The deeper they learned, the more they realized how unfathomable and terrifying the Holy Lands truly were.

Half an hour later, they reached the heart of the ice fields and saw towering snow mountains stretching into the heavens, blinding white as far as the eye could see.

Tu Fei explained, “Seventy or eighty thousand years ago, there were no glaciers here, only endless snowy mountains. The rumor says the Jiang Clan’s God-King leveled them with a Paragon Artifact, leaving only this stretch. The surviving range, just a hundred miles across, became the ruins we see now.”

The peaks pierced the clouds, and atop them stood the Ice Snow Palace. Every mountain bore a magnificent crystal palace of ice.

Ye Fan said, “The old ape who founded this sect had good vision. This range feels anything but ordinary.”

Tu Fei nodded. “Of course. That old ape’s cultivation rivaled the Holy Lands, and it left behind endless legends. Some say it was born here, and that its techniques came from the destroyed Holy Land of seventy or eighty thousand years ago, as if that sect was reborn through it.”

“I can sense it. The Radiant Light Saint Candidate is on that mountain ahead,” Pang Bo said.

He had practiced the Demon Emperor Scripture and had remarkable means. When he last fought the Saint Candidate, he marked him with a Demon Emperor God-Seal that allowed him to sense his presence within a certain range. If the man hadn’t fled into the Ice Snow Palace, Pang Bo would’ve slain him.

Ye Fan said, “Then we’ll wait outside and let him come to us. The Ice Snow Palace is too powerful to provoke directly.”

The mountains within a hundred miles belonged entirely to the sect. Through the snow, they could faintly see the gleaming palaces dotting the peaks.

“I estimate he’ll need at least seven days to recover,” Pang Bo said. “After being hit by my Demon Emperor’s Ninth Slash, the ‘Extinguishing Form’ strike, surviving at all was sheer luck.”

Ye Fan knew well how terrifying that technique was. He had witnessed its might when battling the old Azure Lotus Demon in the Ageless Chamber, even he and the black dog together had nearly fallen then.

At the mention of the Demon Emperor’s Nine Slashes, the black dog’s eyes gleamed with greed. It looked ready to pounce on Pang Bo and demand the scripture.

“We won’t be wasting time while we wait,” Pang Bo added. “I’ve received word that the Purple Mansion Saintess Sacred Ground will be visiting the Ice Snow Palace before heading to the Celestial City. We might be able to intercept her.”

Given Pang Bo’s status among the demon clans, he couldn’t command their armies, but obtaining intelligence was easy enough.

“That’s great news,” Tu Fei said, instantly energized.

The black dog growled, “That woman again! Last time she almost caught me. If I hadn’t escaped through the void, I’d be dead.”

“Haha, I can’t wait to hunt a Saintess,” Tu Fei laughed.

Ye Fan circled the range, rubbing his chin. “The more I look, the more I’m sure, there’s a dragon vein beneath these mountains, maybe even a piece of Supreme Godsource.”

He needed tens of millions of catties of pure source to break through the Dao Palace realm and enter the Four Pillars realm, an astronomical sum.

“A massive Godsource vein? Can we dig it out?” Pang Bo and Tu Fei asked, knowing Ye Fan’s mastery of source arts.

Ye Fan shook his head. “Unlikely. Even if I pinpoint the vein, disturbing it would cause a huge commotion, it would only benefit the Ice Snow Palace.”

“Let’s at least take a look,” Tu Fei said. “If this really was a Holy Land seventy or eighty thousand years ago, there may be other treasures buried here.”

They trekked deeper through the snow mountains, the cold biting to the bone. Using his geomantic arts, Ye Fan confirmed his suspicion, the land contained a mighty dragon vein and immense Godsource.

“It seems to lie in the rear mountains. Let’s go.”

Snow whirled like feathers, nearly blinding them. Pang Bo, using the Demon Emperor Sight, said, “No one from the Ice Snow Palace is in the back mountains.”

“I see,” Tu Fei grinned. “The rumors are true, since their founder was a snow ape, this sect favors those creatures. They’ve likely left the rear mountains to them.”

A hundred miles of mountains gave the sect plenty of space. It was said the back range was home to a tribe of snow apes, not human disciples.

Hearing this, the group rejoiced and decided to explore deeper. If they could find and mine a Supreme Godsource, it would be a miraculous fortune.

“There’s definitely a dragon vein here,” Ye Fan said, awed.

They ventured into the range, walking among the towering peaks. Using source vision, Ye Fan saw the faint traces of dragon might. “Beneath the ground lies an immense dragon vein, a supreme one!”

The snow peaks connected like a dragon’s spine, majestic and boundless.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s dig it out!” the black dog said eagerly, eyes shining green.

“I fear this vein may be unusual,” Ye Fan said thoughtfully. “It might be sealing an ancient royal of the Primordial Era. This was once a Holy Land’s domain, there must be more to it.”

“Then we’ll study it first,” Tu Fei said.

They pressed on, observing carefully, until Ye Fan’s expression suddenly changed. “This terrain… it’s the True Dragon Nirvana Formation!”

The Celestial Source Tome had described such a rune, it involved yin and yang, life and death, extremely profound.

“What does that mean?” Pang Bo asked.

“It’s mysterious. If no creature dwells here, we might uncover a heavenly treasure. But if a primordial being sleeps below…”

“Then?” Tu Fei asked.

“Then this is a death trap, the nest of a Primordial King. We’d stand no chance,” Ye Fan said gravely.

“What’s that smell? So fragrant,” the black dog suddenly said, raising its head in surprise.

“I don’t smell anything,” Pang Bo said, puzzled.

“Don’t compare yourself to it,” Tu Fei said. “A dog’s nose is sharper, especially this damned one.”

“Woof!” The black dog bared its teeth but didn’t bite. It sniffed deeply. “Something precious is ripening!”

It charged ahead through the snow, and the others followed close behind. After ten miles, they too caught the faint fragrance.

“That mutt’s nose is unbelievable, it smelled it from that far,” the three men muttered in awe.

The alluring scent led them to a snow valley, and there they froze. The valley teemed with humanoid creatures, their bodies covered in white fur.

“Snow apes,” Tu Fei whispered. “Born with immense strength, they can tear tigers apart as infants. Every one of them is a beast, and some may have cultivated to frightening levels!”

Even more astonishing, dragon power coiled through the valley. In its center grew several green plants, each glowing faintly and bearing a golden fruit.

“Dragon-shaped fruit? What kind of miracle herb is this?” The black dog stared, confused.

Six plants, each a little over a foot tall, bore a single half-foot-long golden fruit shaped like a tiny dragon, brilliant and translucent.

“They’re Source Dragon Fruits!” Ye Fan said, shocked, his belief in the hidden dragon vein now confirmed.

“What are those?”

“They’re divine herbs nourished by dragon power. The fruit may not equal a Primordial Godly Medicine, but it’s among the highest of celestial treasures.”

They quickly realized the difficulty, too many snow apes guarded the valley. Any disturbance might alert the Ice Snow Palace.

“There’s a cave up ahead with dragon power leaking out,” Pang Bo said, his sharp eyes noticing it.

Not far away, halfway up the mountain, a large dark cave gaped in the snow, exhaling faint wisps of dragon energy.

“Let’s check it out.”

Ye Fan flew forward first, Pang Bo and Tu Fei following, the black dog reluctantly glancing back at the Source Dragon Fruits before leaving.

They descended into the cave. Inside, it was spacious and dry, with stone bowls, basins, and even a bed carved of rock. The dwelling stretched deep into the mountain, clean and scentless.

“This must be one of the snow apes’ lairs, we should look quickly and get out,” Ye Fan said.

Tu Fei added, “Search anyway. These apes might be descendants of the old ape who founded the Ice Snow Palace. Maybe it left something behind.”

Pang Bo shook his head. “I don’t sense any powerful beings here, doubt there’s treasure.”

“The dragon power leaking out must connect to the underground vein,” Ye Fan said, his voice low. “Today must be a special day, normally, this energy wouldn’t surface.”

The black dog’s greed flared again. “Maybe this is a path underground! We might dig straight to the Godsource!”

They were all tempted. Following the flow of dragon power, they went deeper into the mountain’s core.

“What’s that?”

At the mountain’s heart was a vast pit like a demonic well, descending into unknown depths, sealed by a block of transparent black ice.

“The dragon power’s coming from that well!”

“Look, something’s inside the ice!”

They stared, startled. Within the ice sat an enormous old ape, cross-legged, eyes closed, lifelike as if still alive.

It was massive, covered in white fur, face calm and peaceful, as though meditating.

The longer they looked, the more shocked they became. The ape’s body emitted the faint aura of the Great Dao itself, harmonizing with heaven and earth, explaining why they hadn’t sensed it before.

“Could this be the old ape that founded the Ice Snow Palace ten thousand years ago?”

“Did it sit here and seal itself in death?”

They were stunned. The old ape had sealed the well with its own body, whatever lay beneath must be extraordinary.

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