Ch. 142 - Secret

Beneath a blood-red sunset, withered vines clung to ancient stones, and birds returned to their nests, creating a desolate, quiet scene. The old madman lay on a great boulder, facing the fading sun. His aged eyes held boundless nostalgia, tinged with sorrow, as two streaks of tears stood out vividly on his weathered face.

This was once a world-shaking, unparalleled powerhouse who, six thousand years ago, had no rival in the Eastern Wilderness. Yet now, he lay curled up, his frail, trembling body evoking pity and sympathy. “Senior…” Ye Fan approached, crouching before the boulder, gazing at the old madman with compassion, unsure how to aid him.

The old madman glanced at him briefly before turning back to the sinking red sun, as if nothing in the world could hold his attention except that blood-colored orb.

“That year, the sunset was like blood, and Heavenly Jade bled. That day, all things withered, and Heavenly Jade fell…” Despite his vast age, the old madman wept incessantly, his cloudy eyes dimming. “Senior, the past cannot be undone, and the dead are gone. Try to let go,” Ye Fan urged gently.

Suddenly, the sun vanished completely, dipping below the mountain.

As the blood-red sunset faded, the old madman’s eyes blazed with two piercing beams, shattering the void. His sorrow vanished, and he sat upright abruptly.

He transformed, like an unsheathed divine sword, radiating sharp intensity. The ridge fell silent, all birds and beasts trembling in fear.

Ye Fan felt immense pressure. Without his exceptional physique, he might have collapsed, bones shattered. So close, the old madman loomed like a mountain, his overwhelming aura unimaginable. “Their presence…” He stared at Ye Fan, then seized his arm, his eyes deepening.

Ye Fan shivered. This mad elder was terrifying, his pressure immobilizing. Far surpassing any cultivator Ye Fan had encountered, he recalled the Forbidden Ancient Realm, the Heavenly Jade Saintess, the endless bones on the nine holy mountains, and the desolate slaves. The “they” the old madman mentioned likely referred to them.

But over a year had passed, any trace of their aura on Ye Fan should have dissipated. That the old madman could still sense it was chillingly uncanny.

With a sweep of his hand, the old madman conjured the Heavenly Jade Saintess’s image, vivid and lifelike in midair. Her bright eyes, graceful form, and jade-like beauty were flawless, almost real.

Ye Fan was stunned. What kind of divine power was this? A mere gesture summoned a living likeness, unheard of and unseen.

Another sweep, and countless bones materialized across the ridge, replicating the skeletal remains from the nine holy mountains. Suddenly, the old madman clutched his head, letting out a pained howl like a lone wolf’s cry. “Hahaha…” Then, he laughed maniacally, spiraling into madness. Without immortality, only madness remained!

He wept and laughed, as uncontrollable as their first meeting, pitiable yet lamentable. The Heavenly Jade Saintess stood radiant, outshining stars and moon, poised in the air.

The endless bones, exuding a chilling aura, seemed almost real, circling the old madman in a haunting, eerie scene.

Ye Fan felt as if he’d returned to the Forbidden Ancient Realm, facing the peerless Heavenly Jade Saintess and those bones again.

The old madman let out a low growl, then looked up, staring at the Saintess and bones. His eyes shot forth dazzling beams, carving the word “Dao” into the sky.

Standing tall, he moved his hands slowly but powerfully, etching all figures into the void, forming a vast pattern.

Within it, endless bones and seas of blood surrounded the Heavenly Jade Saintess, clad in white, her black hair cascading, vivid as if imbued with a soul.

“This…” Ye Fan, watching from behind, was shocked. Using the void as a canvas to imprint spiritual essence was unprecedented, a staggering sight.

As the old madman’s hands moved, a trace of the Dao’s aura flowed. With a sharp “clang,” he carved the word “Immortal” onto the pattern. Radiant light burst forth!

The word “Immortal” held strange magic, dimming all figures in the pattern until only faint silhouettes remained, even the central Heavenly Jade Saintess blurring.

The pattern emitted a misty aura, the word “Immortal” exuding boundless Dao charm, evoking a sense of infinite paths and natural laws. The old madman pointed at his forehead.

The sky’s vast pattern turned into an imprint, surging into his skull. His face flickered with joy, anger, sorrow, and myriad emotions. Ye Fan’s heart raced, what was the old madman doing?

Clang!

The imprint on his forehead emerged, its inner traces fading, leaving only the radiant word “Immortal.”

“Is he severing his past or engraving deeper memories?” Ye Fan wondered, awed by the unfathomable technique. It was long before the old madman calmed.

Crack!

He lightly slapped the boulder, and a hazy glow appeared, revealing a mysterious pattern. Clearly awake, this was no random act.

Ye Fan’s heart jolted. Focusing, his eyes gleamed, deciphering the intricate, cryptic pattern on the stone. It felt familiar. “The mysterious footwork!”

He gasped. The pattern was a complex array of Dao runes, far deeper than the footwork he’d learned from the old madman. This was the true, complete technique.

Ye Fan was puzzled. The old madman had taken one pattern from him and now returned another, as if balancing a debt.

No time to ponder, he focused entirely, absorbing the pattern. The hazy glow flooded his eyes, etching into his mind.

The secret diagram was profoundly complex. Attempting to process it once, Ye Fan felt dizzy, his cultivation was too low to grasp such intricate Dao runes. “This footwork must be a supreme forbidden art!” he marveled.

Then, the boulder crumbled to dust, leaving nothing.

The old madman rose, striding into the ridge’s depths. Ye Fan followed, uncertain. Though mad, the elder had lucid moments, and his presence at Supreme Mystery must have purpose.

This was a barren wilderness, wilder than Dull Peak but not a main peak, with no Supreme Mystery disciples around.

After about ten miles, the old madman stomped. A hundred-meter hill split open, as if cleaved by a divine axe. Ye Fan gaped, such power was terrifying. The hill parted like gates, and the old madman entered. Inside, a misty realm unfolded, a separate space.

“Who dares intrude into Supreme Mystery’s holy ground?” a shout rang out.

Ye Fan halted, wary. Several figures flew from the mist, blocking the old madman.

Blazing lights surged, powerful iron seals, sky-covering nets, and various spiritual treasures, all radiating fearsome energy.

But with a wave of his sleeve, the old madman reduced all treasures to dust, effortless and casual, as if strolling leisurely.

The seven or eight white-haired elders who emerged were horrified but had no chance to react. With a soft shout, the old madman knocked them unconscious, and they fell.

These were surely Supreme Mystery elders, yet before the old madman, they were like ants.

Ye Fan’s heart chilled. If the old madman wished to kill, even a sect like Supreme Mystery would become a blood-soaked graveyard. No one in the Eastern Wilderness could stop him.

The old madman strode into the mist. Ye Fan, intrigued and seeing the elders unconscious, followed boldly. The mist cleared, revealing a valley under a starry sky.

There stood a massive altar, etched with Dao runes and ancient characters marking regions of the Eastern Wilderness.

A Domain Gate!

Ye Fan’s heart raced. This was Supreme Mystery’s Domain Gate!

“With enough source energy to activate the runes, one could cross the void from here!” Ye Fan thought, rushing forward. Crossing to the other end of the Eastern Wilderness would fulfill a major goal.

Supreme Mystery, the Ji Clan, and the Radiant Light Sacred Ground lay in the southern Eastern Wilderness, while the Jade Pool Sacred Ground Land was in the far north, the distance immeasurable.

Even cultivators flying would need years to cross. Without Domain Gates, the vast Eastern Wilderness would be impassable.

Besides the Ji Clan and Radiant Light, Supreme Mystery was the region’s strongest sect.

But as a non-holy land, their runes could only reach the central Eastern Wilderness, not the far north.

The old madman ascended the altar but ignored its runes, instead carving his own intricate patterns, causing the altar to crackle.

He sought only the altar’s vast source energy, etching his own runes. The old madman had come to Supreme Mystery to cross the void! Where was he going? Ye Fan was astonished, eager to know. “Should I leave Supreme Mystery, perhaps crossing the void with him?”

Ye Fan wavered. Following such a legendary figure was tempting. But who knew where the old madman was headed? If it was a forbidden zone like the Forbidden Ancient Realm or the Primordial Mine, the consequences would be dire.

A living fossil like him didn’t operate by normal logic.

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