Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 574: 578 Chapter Immortal Burial Map

Yan Yunluan triggered an endless Heavenly Tribulation but failed to break through, leaving himself half-crippled. His Yuan Qi was severely depleted, and it was unknown how long his recuperation would take.

This outcome left everyone dumbfounded and speechless. The person responsible was nearly killed by his own Heavenly Punishment, while his opponent walked out energetically, full of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, as if he had drunk Dragon Blood.

Yan Yunluan was charred all over, weakly collapsed there, with occasional electric sparks crackling as they shot out from within him. The other person, however, seemed relaxed, even waving his hand at the crowd.

It was a speechless scene; everything seemed reversed. Many opened their mouths but ultimately said nothing, as it was too discouraging.

The first thing I should do is finish off Yan Yunluan, Ye Fan thought. But even if I did, others would already have suspicions. The ‘main character’ of this tribulation is half-dead, while I’m invigorated as if I’ve eaten a Ginsengfruit, every pore in my body relaxed and full of energy. It would be too hard to explain.

The ground was ravaged, with broken mountains, Great Rift Valleys, and Abysses everywhere. The Heavenly Tribulation had destroyed this Desolate Vein, turning it into a barren land.

Ultimately, I should still cut off Yan Yunluan’s head, Ye Fan decided, reaching out his right hand. Even with everyone watching, I have nothing to fear. Worst case, I’ll just dust myself off and leave, then change my appearance again.

An auspicious cloud floated over, a golden Daoist robe fluttering in the wind. An old man appeared, standing with his hands behind his back as if ready to ascend and become an immortal, blocking Ye Fan.

“Spare him!” the old man spoke, saving Yan Yunluan. He had white hair but a youthful complexion and was full of energy; it was clear at a glance that his cultivation base was supreme.

Ye Fan recognized him. He had seen him at the Peach Blossom Festival, where the old man had once invited him to enter the Qi Shi Mansion, an offer he had politely declined. Now, with such a figure appearing, he couldn’t act recklessly, so he offered a salute.

“I observe that young friend is an extraordinary talent. Would you be willing to join the Qi Shi Mansion?”

“Thank you for your kind offer, Senior,” Ye Fan smiled. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m used to being lazy. I fear I’d breach the mansion’s rules every day if I joined.”

In the distance, everyone was amazed. Someone had actually declined an invitation from the Qi Shi Mansion! Although it was done politely, the result was the same.

“What’s his background? Does he disdain even entering the Qi Shi Mansion? Has anyone ever refused before?”

“Actually, yes. That monstrous talent from the Eastern Wastelands hasn’t come either, has he? He also politely refused.”

The news of Yan Yunluan’s utter defeat, nearly being killed by his own Heavenly Tribulation, sent shockwaves through the Qi Shi Mansion. Those who hadn’t come to watch the battle were both astonished and regretful.

To think that the Qi Shi Mansion had such a neighbor! The little Lord’s fame spread to the Ancient Immortal Mountain Range, surprising all the young powerhouses of the Five Great Domains.

Meanwhile, great chaos erupted within the Immortal Mansion World. The Barbaric Ancient Beast King drove hundreds of thousands of strange and powerful beasts to rampage like a flood. Many people, harboring illusions of safety, had not retreated and thus met with great calamity.

Over these past few days, blood had stained the stone cliffs and cave dwellings. Numerous Human Race Cultivators perished tragically, becoming food for the strange and powerful beasts, resulting in heavy casualties.

Conservative estimates suggested that nine out of ten who hadn’t retreated were devoured by the strange and powerful beasts, with not even bone fragments left behind.

Hundreds of thousands of strange and powerful beasts, boundless like a dark cloud or a raging flood, swept through. Any expert in their path was forced to retreat, and nothing was left in their wake.

At this moment, no one dared to enter. Even a peerless Emperor could only wait, as the upheaval caused by the strange and powerful beasts could endanger everyone.

During these days, the various major powers held urgent negotiations. They decided that the next time they entered the Immortal Mansion World, no one was to hunt the strange and powerful beasts or provoke them in any way.

This time, the Barbaric Ancient Beast King was furious and had carried out a bloody retribution against Human Race Cultivators. This was mainly because many people had captured the young of strange and powerful beasts and extracted the True Blood of ferocious beasts for refining medicine, thereby committing a great taboo.

In recent days, many people had appeared in Ye Fan’s territory. They were all disciples of the Qi Shi Mansion, drawn by his reputation, eager to see what kind of extraordinary person this little Lord truly was.

However, not a single one of them rode a spiritual beast. Many had long heard that this person had a taste for spiritual beasts and had even devoured Qi Huoshui’s Dragon Horse.

Temporarily unable to enter the Immortal Mansion World, Ye Fan wandered around out of boredom. In an adjacent territory, he discovered an Immortal Cliff bustling with many cultivators.

Many of them were disciples of the Qi Shi Mansion, gathered here to exchange for needed items, much like a marketplace for cultivators.

This Immortal Cliff was thousands of *zhang* high and exceptionally steep; ordinary people could not climb it. It was barren, with no grass growing on its vast cliff faces, accessible only to cultivators.

This place was quite remarkable, having existed for countless eons. It was said that every time the Qi Shi Mansion opened its gates, this area would become a free exchange ground, a tradition that was ancient indeed.

Ye Fan found it intriguing and wandered around. There were pavilions made of jade, displaying various sacred weapons, and also people with stalls laid out on the ground, selling various spiritual medicines and ancient treasures.

Eventually, Ye Fan stopped before an old blind man. On the ground before him lay only a tattered straw mat, upon which a few dull, dark stones were placed.

“Dragon Marrow Stone! A peerless treasure! Don’t miss it, step right up!” the old blind man vigorously hawked his wares to the passersby.

“How much Source for one piece?” Ye Fan squatted down, observing them carefully and weighing the few egg-sized stones in his hand.

“One thousand jin of Source per piece! Fair price for young and old, no deception!” the old blind man replied. He was dressed in rags, yet he asked for a sky-high price.

Could he be an extraordinary individual? Ye Fan was suspicious. He activated the Source Heaven Divine Eye to see through the stones, then tossed them all back to the ground. “Did you just pick these up from the river not long ago?” he asked.

“Er, about four or five days ago,” the old blind man said without the slightest embarrassment. He shifted his bottom, leaned forward a couple of steps, and said mysteriously, “Little brother, let me tell you, I truly have a treasure here. I just don’t know if you can afford it.”

Ye Fan’s interest was suddenly piqued. He had spotted a stone the old conman was sitting on. It was also dull and dark, but inside, it contained a few drops of Dragon Marrow.

“I’ll buy it!” He took out an Exotic Source, worth a thousand jin of Pure Source.

The old blind man plopped down firmly on the stone. “Good, but don’t tell anyone else,” he said, handing over a map.

Ye Fan was speechless. This old guy is definitely doing this on purpose! He shows off a treasure but then tries to sell something else entirely—some useless map I absolutely don’t need!

“I want to buy that black stone you’re sitting on.”

“Oh, this thing? Just fished it out of the river not long ago. It’s quite comfortable to sit on. Not for sale.”

Ye Fan resisted the urge to rob him and asked, “What kind of map are you selling?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!” the old blind man whispered mysteriously. “If people find out about this, heads will be broken fighting over it. This is an Immortal Burial Map!”

He unfurled a wrinkled, tattered map and laid it on the straw mat. “See this? This is a Treasure Map of a location within the Immortal Mansion World. It contains the mysteries of an Ancient Emperor Scripture!”

Ye Fan squatted before the straw mat. After studying it for a few moments, he was somewhat surprised. Some of these places… I’ve been to them before. They’re marked with perfect accuracy!

“See this?” the old blind man rambled on. “There’s a skull mark here. Absolutely do not go there, or you’ll definitely die. And here, there’s a Daoist saint mark. Do you know what this is? It’s where an ancient Great Emperor underwent their transformation! There’s an ancient scripture there!”

“Aren’t you blind? How can you point things out?” Ye Fan rolled his eyes; this old cheat was blatantly lying.

“I’ve cultivated the Heavenly Eye. Naturally, I can see,” the old fellow said nonchalantly, without a hint of a blush.

Ye Fan stood up, not wanting to argue with him anymore. This is clearly an old cheat; how could I fall for his tricks?

“I’m telling you, if you miss this chance, you’ll regret it for a lifetime! This map contains the secrets of the Grand Emperor Scripture. It might also be the No Beginning Scripture, or even the Immortal Heavenly Technique!”

“Then you take the map and find it yourself.”

“Young man, don’t be in such a hurry to leave! How about this: you can go verify it first. See if what I’m saying is true or false, then come back and buy the map.” The old fraud pointed to a location on the ragged map. It also had a mark, but it was very blurry. “Though that place isn’t exactly an immortal land, a Saint underwent their Transformation there; it’s very suitable for Enlightenment.”

Ye Fan was stunned. That location was indeed the Transformation Land of an ancient Saint; even the small, deep-blue lake and the sheer stone mountain were marked on the map.

He stared oddly at this old fraud. Could this guy actually be selling a real Immortal Burial Map? Never mind the other key marked areas; this Transformation Land alone is quite ordinary.

“How much is this map?”

“Ten thousand jin of Pure Source.”

“Why don’t you just go rob someone!” Ye Fan really wanted to perform an act of disrespect towards his elder.

“This is already a discounted price for a quick sale! Otherwise, I intended to sell it for a hundred thousand jin of Source.” The old blind man remained calm and unhurried.

“One hundred jin of Pure Source, and I’ll buy it,” Ye Fan said.

“Alright, how about you give me eight thousand jin of Source.”

“I don’t have that much. This map is worth two hundred jin of Source at most.”

“Young man, one should be fair in dealings. Seven thousand jin of Source, and not a bit less!”

…

The two bickered endlessly. Ultimately, Ye Fan couldn’t stand it anymore, threw down a thousand jin of Source, snatched the map, and left.

“I’m selling it to you cheap this time! Come back often!” the old blind man waved from behind.

I’ll just consider myself conned this once, Ye Fan thought, leaving without a backward glance. He found a secluded spot and began to study the map carefully.

The Immortal Burial Land was marked with a Daoist saint’s ascension. It was located deep within the Barbaric World, the Earth Formation complex. At a glance, it was clearly a Heaven-Reaching Land. There were even blurry words like “Undying Emperor,” “Southern Mountains Heavenly Emperor,” “Grand Emperor,” and “No Beginning.”

This old cheat! He actually dares to write these names! Ye Fan exclaimed internally. He examined the map for a while longer, then put it away, planning to study it carefully the next time he entered the Immortal Mansion.

Soon after, he wandered back to the vicinity of the old blind man’s stall, gritting his teeth. The old guy was still muttering mysteriously, quickly pulling one person after another aside. Initially, those people were impatient, but soon they were all haggling with him to buy a map.

Ye Fan counted patiently. Within a single hour, the old man had already sold over a dozen Immortal Burial Maps. The cheapest went for five hundred jin of Source, and one person actually paid ten thousand jin of Source.

This old cheat! He’s mass-producing these maps to such an extent! Ye Fan thought. He then discovered a thick stack of maps beneath the straw mat—no fewer than a thousand of them.

Each map was artificially aged, looking battered and ancient, truly possessing a faint aura of an Immortal Burial Map.

This old cheat just puts out a few worthless stones as a front! It’s a classic case of ‘hanging a sheep’s head to sell dog meat.’ He’s already earned tens of thousands of jin of Source in such a short time!

Just as the old fraud sold his thirtieth map, chaos suddenly erupted. People from the Great Xia Dynasty had arrived, and among them was even a sovereign!

The old blind man rolled up his ragged mat and fled, directly leaping off the Immortal Cliff and vanishing in an instant.

“Where is he? Where did he go? To think he’d dare to sell such Secret Maps publicly! Who exactly is he!?” The Imperial Uncle of the Great Xia Dynasty was furious.

Ye Fan was shocked, clutching the Ancient Map tightly. Could this actually be a real Immortal Burial Map after all? That old fraud is indeed somewhat mysterious.

What a blunder. I remembered updating, but then I received a call from the deputy moderator of the book review section asking why there was no update. It turned out I had indeed uploaded the chapter, but I forgot to click “publish.” Anyway, several authors can vouch for me; I went out to eat with Skull Elf, 72 Transformations, Tudou, and Gao Lou. I was in too much of a hurry when I left and ended up making this mistake. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log on to www.. There are more chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)