Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 290 - Old Daoist Red Dragon

The Purple Mountain was vast and majestic, towering like a pillar propping up the heavens. It rose out of the endless crimson earth, displaying its grand presence.

The Old Daoist stood in the void, his back to the Purple Mountain, facing the distance. He said, “You may as well come out. Do I really need to send each of you away one by one?”

His eyes glowed faintly gold. His skin gleamed like bronze, tough and powerful. His ancient Daoist robe fluttered around him. He bore none of the air of an immortal sage, instead, he seemed like some undying, peerless demon king, enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

Chii!

Two golden beams shot from his eyes. Far away in the sky, five figures were forced out of hiding. They were all disheveled, clearly spared only because the Old Daoist had no intent to harm them; otherwise, their lives would have been forfeit.

Four of them were old men. Their ages were staggering, their teeth had nearly all fallen out, and they were as gaunt as skeletons. Their scalps were bald, with only a few wisps of hair remaining.

Ye Fan’s heart tightened. He recognized these elders, he had seen them in one of the Patricle Worlds opened by the sages of antiquity. They were old subordinates of the Azure Flood Dragon Monarch, with lives nearly exhausted. He hadn’t expected them to appear here.

The fifth was a man in his thirties. Tall and upright, with sword-like brows and razor-sharp eyes, his face was cut like stone, exuding heroic spirit. It was none other than Kong Teng, the foremost disciple of the Peacock Monarch.

“May I ask who you are, senior?”

These old monsters, though their strength and status rivaled the Supreme Elders of the great sects, were visibly uneasy and nervous in front of this Old Daoist. The pressure he radiated was suffocating. He didn’t feel like a man at all, but rather a bottomless abyss that devoured all light.

The Old Daoist spoke calmly. “Everything of those years has long been forgotten. You should all leave.” He said no more, only waved his sleeve. Mist surged forth like a gray tide, blanketing the heavens. With a thunderous boom, all of them were swept away, hurled into the distance.

Of them all, only Kong Teng remained untouched. His body shone with chaotic brilliance as he attempted to escape on his own.

“Chaos God-Light…” The Old Daoist seemed surprised. He reached out with one vast hand, grasping at the void.

Buzz!

The heavens trembled. Kong Teng, who had already fled far into the distance, was instantly pulled back, his expression changing as he shouted, “Old Daoist, what is the meaning of this?!”

Not only had he inherited the Peacock Monarch’s arcane methods, but also a portion of his unyielding pride. Rather than quailing in fear, he lashed out.

Boom!

Kong Teng flipped his palm, summoning a dark, ominous seal. It emitted boundless auspicious radiance, which he hurled straight at the Old Daoist.

“The Chaos Stone!”

Ye Fan’s heart skipped. Wasn’t that the black stone from the Emperor’s burial chamber? To think it had ended up in the hands of the Peacock Monarch’s disciples!

The black seal expanded as it appeared, instantly filling the sky. The oppressive weight suffused the heavens, threatening to crush everything. It bound the very void, turning the air suffocating.

Rumble!

The auspicious brilliance cascaded downward like a celestial galaxy, pressing down with unbearable might. Even the strongest cultivators caught in its field would surely be crushed to pieces.

But the Old Daoist remained unmoved, utterly fearless. He murmured to himself, “This is but a wisp of innate killing aura refined from the Chaos Stone.”

Clang!

He extended a finger and tapped lightly. At once, the black seal froze in place and shrank rapidly. With a simple grasp, he caught it in his palm.

Crash!

The black stone seal shattered, dissolving into a swirl of chaotic energy that coiled about his fingers.

Suddenly, a piercing cry rang out. From within that mist of chaos surged a razor-edged killing intent. A five-colored peacock manifested, blazing with dazzling radiance as it sought to shatter the Old Daoist’s hand.

“Junior Brother, it’s you!” The Old Daoist’s expression flickered with recognition. His glowing fingers froze the five-colored peacock in place.

“You are… Elder Brother Red Dragon.” The peacock was none other than a wisp of the Peacock Monarch’s divine will, hidden within the chaotic energy to aid his disciple if necessary.

In the distance, Ye Fan’s heart jolted. So this Old Daoist was none other than the sworn brother of the Peacock Monarch! No wonder his origins were extraordinary.

“It is I. I’ve returned to the world, and to think the very first thing I encounter in the Northern Region is you.” The Old Daoist nodded and released both the chaotic qi and the five-colored peacock.

Nearby, Kong Teng was stunned. His master’s elder brother, what kind of figure was that supposed to be?

“Elder Brother Red Dragon, where have you been? Fifteen hundred years ago, you suddenly vanished. I thought you had fallen.” The Peacock Monarch’s divine sense asked.

Ye Fan was shaken. What manner of figure was this? To disappear for fifteen hundred years!

It was said the Peacock Monarch had cultivated for over two millennia. This Old Daoist must have nearly three thousand years of Dao cultivation!

“It’s a long story. I was trapped at the Sacred Cliff, nearly perishing there. I was confined for fifteen hundred years.” The Old Daoist sighed.

“The Sacred Cliff? That place said to have been stained black and red with the blood of a Grand Completion Sacred Physique?” The Peacock Monarch’s projection looked astonished.

“I did not find the blood of a perfected Sacred Physique. Instead, I blundered into a formation left by an Emperor. I nearly got refined alive.”

“Hahaha… But I see your power has deepened even further. Surviving calamity has indeed brought blessing.” The black peacock laughed.

“A thousand five hundred years of immovable stillness has led me to some realizations. I am somewhat stronger than before.” The Old Daoist smiled and nodded.

“I always believed this world had yet to birth anyone who could silently slaughter our brotherhood. There was no way Elder Brother Red Dragon had fallen.” The Peacock Monarch laughed heartily.

“You, my younger brother, have also gained great fortunes. From that strand of innate killing aura I just saw, you’ve obtained a natural primordial treasure seal. In your hands, even the various sacred lords will worry.”

“I only just acquired it. In fact, I was preparing to attack the Radiant Light Sacred Lord. Elder Brother, come with me. This time, I intend to destroy him!”

So it was, the Peacock Monarch had taken the Chaos Stone. What had shattered earlier was only a strand of primal-chaos essence, not the true seal.

“Do you mean to set out immediately?” The Old Daoist longed to return to the Stone Village, for the stone there unsettled him greatly, it might contain what he sought.

“Yes, right away.” The Peacock Monarch’s divine sense turned into the form of a youth of sixteen or seventeen. “I lured various demon cultivators here precisely to draw the Radiant Light Sacred Lord’s attention. Now he should already be on his way. We must move quickly to strike him en route.”

“Very well, I will go with you.” The Red Dragon Daoist swept his gaze around. With a shake of his sleeve, dozens of hidden figures appeared, including Ye Fan.

Most were local cultivators who had come to investigate the disturbance. Now they trembled with fear. To kill a Sacred Lord, there were hardly any in the world bold enough to even think such a thing.

“You should all leave. This is not a matter for you to meddle in.” The Old Daoist glanced over them coldly.

“Elder Brother Red Dragon, it’s been fifteen hundred years, we have much to talk about on the road!”

In a flash of light, the Red Dragon, the Peacock Monarch’s projection, and Kong Teng vanished.

“So this is what it’s like to contend with a Sacred Lord… terrifying beyond belief.” Ye Fan muttered.

Every time he witnessed figures of that level in action, his understanding grew deeper. The more he learned, the more dreadful the Sacred Lords seemed.

On the horizon, the big black dog appeared, streaking forward as a shadow of darkness. It cursed, “Hurry, let’s go. These ruthless fogeys make even this Emperor feel tremendous danger.”

They quickly returned to the Stone Village. By then, Wang Shu and the others had also come back. Time was tight. To leave quickly, Ye Fan and the others agreed to let him collect them into the Jade Purity Vase.

Afterward, he summoned his cauldron, rising into the sky. He gathered every piece of stone into it, rumbling as even the very foundation stones were torn up.

If the Red Dragon had set his sights on these stones, they were certainly extraordinary. Without him, it might have taken countless years before their secrets were discovered.

The grinding stone, the pounding blocks, the foundation stones, all were swallowed into the cauldron. In an instant, the village was stripped bare.

At the same time, the black hound carved his Dao Runes. Together, they crossed the void, fleeing far away.

Half a month later, Ye Fan appeared in Cloud Marsh Prefecture, where he found Tu Fei and asked him to arrange shelter for the villagers.

The moment they met, Tu Fei rushed over excitedly. “Where’s the furnace? Take it out and let me see it!”

Ever since he learned that the Leviathan Prince, the Radiant Light Saint, and Yao Xi were sealed, he had been burning with curiosity.

Unable to refuse, Ye Fan produced the Fire Furnace for him to inspect.

“Hahaha…” Tu Fei roared with laughter, lifting it in his hands, shaking it vigorously, speaking into it, “Radiant Light Saint, Yao Xi, how are you? I’ve missed you dearly.”

Bang!

The Departing Fire God Furnace shook violently, bulging outward as a muffled shockwave nearly deafened Tu Fei.

“Does this broken furnace really hold them?” He slapped it hard, shaking those inside once more.

Ye Fan put it away. “It can seal them for a year or so, no problem. Now hurry and find me a place. I need to settle the villagers.”

At last, Tu Fei led him to a place called Luminous Prefecture. This oasis stretched thousands of miles, spacious and fertile. It belonged to his grandfather.

Housing a few dozen families was no problem at all. Any scenic spot with mountains and rivers would suffice, and this was much better than their old Stone Village.

“You actually moved the stones too?” Tu Fei gaped.

Before him, a mountain-like pile of stones stood, seemingly ordinary and without special qualities.

The villagers were content with their new home in this lush land. With supplies already prepared, they lacked nothing. They simply needed to build new houses.

Full of energy, they threw themselves into the task, raising a new village.

Ye Fan immediately entered closed cultivation. With ten thousand catties of source, he had enough to break through to the Third Stage of the Dao Palace realm.

For a full month, he was immersed in an ethereal state as his body underwent wondrous transformations.

The Western Emperor Scripture was incomparably profound. As Ye Fan cultivated silently, he sensed incredible mysteries. Throughout the month, he kept hearing the chanting of the “Departed Me.”

Within his Dao Palace, it was as though ancient chants and primordial sacrificial hymns pierced the void, drifting through time. Though alive in the present, there was also an “I” that lived in the past. Some believed this was the “Departed Me,” reciting scriptures for this life.

Others disagreed. The supreme figures believed it was the “Dao Me”, the aspect of oneself attuned to the Dao, capturing traces of the Great Way and resonating with it.

Whether “Departed Me” or “Dao Me,” throughout this month it drew upon heaven and earth, nourishing the main self and rendering the present “I” undying.

In this time, within Ye Fan’s Dao Palace, five god-spirits coiled like dragons, circling and soaring. He listened to the rhythm of the Dao, his body shining as it continued to transform.

On the thirtieth day, the mental method recorded in the Western Emperor Scripture ceased its cycle. The heavenly essence poured down wildly, drowning his place of seclusion.

For three whole days it lasted. Then, with a thunderous boom, the rocks shattered as Ye Fan rose to his feet. Dragon-shaped beams shot from his eyes.

His black hair streamed loose as he stood tall, brimming with boundless power. He felt as though a single punch could slay a dragon. His body overflowed with near-infinite strength!