Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 624: Chapter 628 Soldier Secret

A divine moon hung high in the sky, bright and luminous, as moonlight cascaded down like water, enveloping this mountain land in a sheer veil, serene and hazy.

On the stone wall, there weren’t many weapon engravings, and the carvings were crude, but now they looked completely different. Moonlight fell upon it, and there was a sense of peace as the Soldier Seals glowed and flowed.

“It’s different now, turning decay into marvels…” Ye Fan exclaimed in astonishment, his eyes fixed intently.

The crude marks transformed into rich Dao rhythms; each trace seemed like a True Dragon, a Kunpeng, a qilin, or a Divine Phoenix, all ineffably profound.

As the moon reached its zenith, divine radiance poured down like water, and all the markings on the stone wall came to life, moving entirely unlike what had been seen before.

An ancient aura brushed against him. It was full of antiquity and majesty, belonging to the flickering Taoist markings, and a transcendental divine sound reached him.

Ye Fan’s heart trembled. He could hardly believe all this. Originally a set of crude weapon illustrations had now transformed completely, worlds apart.

He saw a large cauldron, a three-foot two-handle circular cauldron, representing the tangible traces of Dao. He saw a great bell, unique in heaven and earth, symbolizing time and eternity. He gazed upon an ancient pagoda, divided into nine layers, representing the boundless nine-layer heavens.

Other weapons like mirrors, furnaces, spears, swords, and staffs also appeared, each representing a mysterious Law, with their own diverse world evolutions, profound and complex.

Ye Fan was drawn in, unable to pull his mind away, completely immersed. It was as if he heard someone chanting scriptures, coming from the Outer Domain, penetrating straight to his Sea of Consciousness.

He opened up his soul, his divine sense peaceful, slowly comprehending and carefully observing, as though listening to the primordial great Dao, utterly enraptured, his eyes full of ancient weapons.

Yet, when he tried hard to grasp them, they felt elusive and distant, impossible to approach—seemingly close but as far away as the horizon.

Weapons like the cauldron, bell, pagoda, spear, and sword revolved. The wall engravings flickered. At this moment, they seemed to turn into a jade wall, gradually crystallizing as it absorbed and emitted moonlight.

Ye Fan, losing his ego and awareness of the outside world, stood motionless before the stone wall. In his brow chakra, a golden little lake blazed, from which a golden little man stepped out, hovering in front of his forehead.

The golden little man was identical to Ye Fan, staring at the stone carvings, his whole being shimmering with Dao Glyphs, exhibiting an indescribable divine rhythm.

At this moment, all the items—cauldron, bell, pagoda, furnace, mirror, spear, and sword—began to rotate, then actually deconstructed, combining into a single word————Soldier!

As this word appeared, the heavens and the Star Universe alike stirred. Ye Fan felt his eardrums BUZZ, as a grand heavenly sound descended from the Outer Domain, deafeningly resonant.

Words struck like knives, sentences like swords, slicing through the divine soul. Ordinary people simply couldn’t endure it; it could almost fracture one’s heart and split one’s Sea of Consciousness.

Ye Fan’s divine sense, the golden little man, having endured numerous heavenly tribulations and absorbed heavenly thunder, had long been tempered and thus withstood it.

Nonetheless, he still faced an impact, as if an eternal Immortal Soldier was pressing down on him, causing him intense shock, almost making him shout to the heavens.

“Soldier Secret!”

Ye Fan, enduring the agony of soldierly edges pressing upon him, feeling as if he were about to shatter, couldn’t help but exclaim. After endless calls, it had finally unveiled itself. He had searched all over the main peak, yet found it nowhere.

Ultimately, he unexpectedly encountered the Soldier Rune of the Nine Secrets on the stone wall of the back mountain. It was an indescribable joy; through hills and rivers where doubt of any path arose, he had finally found the true scripture.

The Soldier Secret was vastly different from the previous secrets. It was like a world-surprising Immortal Soldier, each word piercing to the heart, shaking a cultivator’s soul, and the scripture was very lengthy.

The main peak wasn’t particularly towering, only a few hundred meters taller than the other short mountains. On the back mountain, ancient trees swayed and moonlight flowed, creating an incredibly tranquil atmosphere. Occasional night bird chirps only added to the serenity.

Ye Fan’s ears rang with thunder. Each word seemed to crack open like a thunderclap. Yet, the outside world remained incredibly calm, with no one aware of this occurrence.

In front of his brow chakra, the golden little man sat cross-legged. Above his head hung a Bodhi seed, Dao Light falling from it, connecting both him and the word “Soldier.”

After an indeterminate amount of time, he gradually awakened from this wondrous realm. The Divine Moon shone softly, illuminating the back mountain, making it pure white, as if many divine feathers were scattered about.

“This is the Soldier Secret!”

The Sword Control Technique and Artifact Control Technique, compared to this, were mere small paths, not worth mentioning. This was the true Controlling Soldiers Sacred Technique, providing the highest interpretation of how to control Vessels.

Ye Fan’s heart was shaken. If this secret is mastered, an enemy with a King’s Divine Weapon, or even an Heirloom Holy Weapon, could have it seized!

With such an invincible weapon, wielding one could allow someone to roam the world, almost unmatched. Yet the Soldier Secret could contend with such power, allowing one to seize holy weapons with bare hands.

It could be imagined that if one’s cultivation base was strong enough, reaching a certain realm, even an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon could be captured! This was truly shocking and made one shiver.

This secret is terrifying! Even immortal Sacred Lands or eternal Divine Dynasties, owning the weapons of ancient Great Emperors, aren’t necessarily invincible in the world. Ye Fan marveled. If a Saint mastered the Soldier Secret, perhaps they could truly seize an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon!

Weapons, the greatest reliance of cultivators, could infinitely enhance combat power. Yet, with the emergence of the Soldier Secret, it spelled disaster for many, breaking the balance.

Ye Fan found it hard to stay calm. The Nine Secrets… each one is so heaven-defying. No wonder they incur heavenly envy, causing them to be split and their inheritance severed.

When this secret is accomplished, every grain of sand and stone in heaven and earth could become a weapon. Even the enemy’s weapons would serve oneself; it was ineffably marvelous.

Ye Fan found it hard to stay calm. The Soldier Secret was too terrifying; it must be grasped, for it would have endless wonderful uses in the future.

However, this secret was difficult to master, the conditions extremely strict. To control myriad weapons, one must first grasp a single weapon, forging their own Immortal Soldier; this was the foundation.

Ye Fan was quite surprised after comprehending it. The idea of sacrificing his sole Immortal Soldier resembled his previous belief of “One Weapon Breaks Ten Thousand Laws,” but it was far more profound and complex.

The sole Immortal Soldier is the foundation of the Soldier Secret. It is the only weapon for a cultivator to prove the Dao; it is the Weapon Ancestor!

Starting with forging one’s own weapon… Ye Fan was thrilled. With the Soldier Secret in hand, he could better refine his Dao-proving object—the Origin Qi Cauldron.

He had only pondered for a moment before he sensed how terrifying King’s Divine Weapons and Heirloom Holy Weapons were. They are living weapons, a continuation of the holder’s life, in a sense.

As for Extreme Dao Emperor Weapons, they defy the heavens and seize creation. Their mysteries are indescribable, incurring the jealousy of heaven, understandable only when one evolves to that step.

Ye Fan silently contemplated. The Soldier Secret is vast and profound, encompassing everything from forging a weapon, to nurturing it, to controlling it. It is detailed from the birth of a weapon to its use.

By refining my cauldron with the Soldier Rune, I can achieve perfection!

The back mountain was very quiet, with no one disturbing him. It was unclear how much time had passed when Ye Fan looked up; the bright moon had shifted, the stone wall was dim, and the Soldier Map had disappeared.

Ye Fan had spent a total of two years at the Qin Sect, and now he had finally obtained the Nine Secret Arts he sought. He had to thank Princess Moon Spirit for the opportunity; otherwise, who knew when he might have found them.

Ye Fan did not leave. He sensed that the Qin Sect held many secrets. Even the Green Emperor took action against them ten thousand years ago; what mysterious insights could they possess? The lineage of the Qin Sect’s Head Elder are indeed descendants of the Cai Clan. They possess the God Crossing Technique and the Soldier Secret. They are extremely powerful! What other inheritances do they have?!

It must be said, the main peak of the Qin Sect is a Pure Land. If you refrained from listening to the Dao of the Supreme Sect Leader and others, you wouldn’t have to worry about enlightenment, making it very suitable for cultivation.

Subsequently, Ye Fan practiced while observing. He found that Princess Moon Spirit would switch mountains every so often but always stayed near the main peak, never too far.

Not long after, he realized the sick elder was also wandering around, but not near the Qin Sect. Instead, he frequently ventured into the depths of the vast mountains, often appearing by various lakes.

Ye Fan was surprised to discover that the sick elder was searching for the Immortal Transformation Pool. Whenever he encountered an ancient stele with such carvings, he would jump into the lake and search for a while. In the Endless Mountain Range, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of steles for the Immortal Transformation Pool. Who knows which is real? They might all be false. What is he trying to do?

Throughout history, many powerhouses have sought it, yet none could ever confirm which was the true Immortal Lake, always returning in disappointment.

“Elder, what exactly are you looking for?” One day, Ye Fan couldn’t resist and asked the sick elder.

This elder was unfathomable; Ye Fan couldn’t gauge his depth. Previously, he had advised Ye Fan about the God Crossing Technique on the main peak, warning of possible calamities.

“I’m seeking Immortal Fate, though… it seems I am not destined to find it,” the sick elder sighed softly.

“The Immortal Transformation Pool… what kind of Immortal Fate does it hold?” Ye Fan was intrigued.

“Do you know why the Green Emperor was able to prove the Dao and become an emperor in the Post-Huanggu Era, shaking ancient history and becoming the first in ten thousand years?”

“Is it related to the Immortal Pool?”

“It was significantly related at first. He was born in the Immortal Transformation Pool and received great benefits.”

The sick elder was very mysterious, knowing many unknown secrets, and his revelations left people astounded.

“That was an Immortal Pool. Who knows what treasures were nurtured inside? The Green Emperor was a green lotus that, at birth, took root in the silt under the lake, planted on a piece of green copper.”

What?! Ye Fan was shocked, immediately thinking of the green copper piece within him.

It’s said that it was snatched by the Green Emperor from the Central States before his death, causing an enormous uproar, stirring chaos across the Five Great Domains.

“The Immortal Transformation Pool is a genuine Immortal Pool, containing endless Divine Materials since ancient times, with some Immortal Treasures immersed within.”

According to the sick elder, the green copper is an Immortal Treasure, albeit a fragment, capable of seizing creation from the heavens. Perhaps there are more pieces in the Immortal Pool.

“The Cai Clan had great fortune; someone once entered the Immortal Transformation Pool…” the sick elder mentioned.

Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat, thinking the mystery of the Green Emperor’s extermination of the Cai Clan was about to be uncovered. The mystery from thirty thousand years ago was about to be dispelled, and this Immortal Pool’s origins were terrifying.

The sick elder sighed gently and didn’t continue. Instead, he talked about other secrets, saying, “At the end of the immortal path, who is the peak? Upon seeing No Beginning Dao, it becomes void. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, a Great Emperor came to the Immortal Transformation Pool, seeking to refine an Emperor Bell from Immortal Treasures.”

“Was the material for the No Beginning Bell sourced from the Immortal Transformation Pool?” Ye Fan was astonished.

The sick elder nodded, saying, “It was an Immortal Treasure submerged in the Immortal Pool.”

Ye Fan was truly amazed. The hidden story behind the crafting of the No Beginning Bell and that the No Beginning Great Emperor had visited the Immortal Transformation Pool made it evident this ancient pool was extraordinary.

“Two thousand years ago, an Outer Domain visitor riding a Green Bull also entered the Immortal Transformation Pool. Soon after, a monk claiming to be Siddhartha Gautama also entered.”

“What?!” Ye Fan sprang to his feet.