"Blue Star has entered the End of Dharma. Even cultivators of this age with talent find it exceedingly difficult to open up their Sea of Bitterness, let alone continue cultivating afterward."
Inside a Courtyard House in Jingcheng, Yan Kuan entered his room after a friendly chat with his parents and spread out a notebook filled with his notes.
There were not many details in Shrouding the Heavens concerning the Ancestral Star. It merely mentioned that the Ancestral Star had fallen into the End of Dharma. Even when Emperor Ye of the Heavens, who was nearing Severing Dao and becoming a king, returned, he suffered tremendous suppression. Cultivating in the Mortal World was practically impossible.
Yan Kuan was an exception. The Flame Mantra: Foundation Forging Chapter he cultivated was a method meticulously deduced by a Grand Overlord of the Great Thousand World, someone at least comparable to a Great Emperor. It had been designed specifically for an End of Dharma environment like this.
However, after breaking through to the Dou Zhe realm and opening his Sea of Bitterness, if he wanted to cultivate faster, he would still be better off finding a superior cultivation environment.
"The hidden realms of the Ancestral Star are led by the Kunlun Ancestral Veins and Overseas Penglai. One can even cultivate to the Immortal Platform realm in those two places. Beyond that are holy lands such as the Western Spirit Mountain, the Changbai Mountain Dragon Vein, and Jerusalem. Then there are sects and hidden paradises like Dragon Tiger Mountain and Zao Pavilion Mountain."
Yan Kuan had recorded many locations in his notes. His fingertip helplessly slid over one landmark after another. "Unfortunately, most of the good places already belong to someone, and I can't beat them. The thresholds for Kunlun and Spirit Mountain are too high; ordinary people can neither find them nor enter.
Other than those places, I don't have many options. If I remember correctly, Mount Lu has a Violet Dragon Vein, the Snow Region has a nearly dried-up Dragon Vein, there are earth veins beneath Mount Tai, and Mount Ba Ling is where an Ancient Great Saint is buried. Those places seem worth checking out."
Yan Kuan's gaze first swept over the Dragon Vein in the Snow Region and the earth veins beneath Mount Tai. Both places held opportunities and were relatively safe.
However, the original work had not recorded the specific location of the Snow Region's Dragon Vein at all. Searching for it would be like looking for a needle in the ocean, a complete waste of time. As for the earth veins beneath Mount Tai, the Earth Essence Qi they leaked was barely enough for one person to set foot on the path of cultivation. They probably would not help him much.
His gaze lingered over the two landmarks, Mount Lu and Mount Ba Ling. He possessed the inheritance of the Eight Trigrams Sect and could be considered a cultivator himself. By following the traces left by his predecessors, he should be able to find some clues.
"Although Mount Lu's Violet Dragon Vein remains, it seems someone set up a Formation there, turning it into a place of extinction. Drawing in a little Dragon Qi for cultivation now and then is fine, but staying for too long will have an effect. It will dissolve one's Cultivation and weaken one's powers. That is why no ancient clans are stationed there."
Yan Kuan's eyes flickered as he pondered, Still, the depths of the Mount Lu Underground Palace contain Fire Essence, which would greatly benefit my cultivation. Once my Cultivation has reached a certain level, I can go in and hunt for treasures.
"Mount Ba Ling's earth veins interweave with countless Ancient Tombs. It is the burial site of the Ancient Great Saint Chisongzi. Since I can be considered half an archaeologist, I might as well go over and pay my respects."
After making his decision, Yan Kuan began making arrangements. He first needed to settle the matter of communicating with his parents, which was not difficult. Then came the preparations required for treasure hunting in Mount Ba Ling. That would take some time and effort.
Mount Ba Ling was located in Jiangling, Hubei. The mountain had been famous since ancient times, and its Ancient Tombs were densely packed, mostly Chu tombs, followed by Han tombs.
The terrain here was highly unusual. It consisted of eight mountain ridges that stretched and intertwined like a host of Dragons dancing through the land, like a thousand mounted riders charging forth. Majestic and imposing, it had been called Dragon Mountain in ancient times. Many royal tombs lay here, and it was said that one could attain corpse liberation and become an immortal in this place.
Mount Ba Ling was majestic and secluded, with waves of pine whispers and verdant mists drifting through its depths. Though it was not especially tall, Dragon Qi rose from it.
Viewed from the sky, one could see the sight of eight Dragons rising together, as though they were about to soar into the heavens. The ancients had chosen this place as a burial site for good reason.
Mount Ba Ling was not particularly famous within Hubei. It had not been developed into a scenic area, so there were naturally no direct roads leading to it. The villages and towns at its foot were still fairly underdeveloped at this time and had no special industries, so there were not many outsiders.
Early in the morning, a large truck left a hotel in Ba Ling Town and slowly made its way to the foot of Mount Ba Ling.
"Young master, we've arrived at Mount Ba Ling."
After the truck stopped, two sturdy middle-aged men in practical clothes climbed down from the driver's and passenger seats. They went to the rear of the truck and carefully helped down a boy around six years old. It was Yan Kuan, who had traveled a thousand miles from Jingcheng to Jiangling.
"Bring the equipment. I'll tell you how to go up the mountain."
Yan Kuan instructed the bodyguards he had hired. As soon as he gave the order, they moved quickly. Besides the two men in the cab, there were three more in the truck. Each carried a large pack, while the strongest one carried Yan Kuan on his back and walked at the front.
"Feng shui and earth veins have their own principles. Luckily, the inheritance I received from the Eight Trigrams Sect specializes in this area."
Resting against the bodyguard's back, Yan Kuan held the Trigram Treasure Box in his hands and carefully studied the terrain and feng shui. He was an outsider when it came to the study of earth veins and feng shui, but the Eight Trigrams Sect's inheritance contained considerable knowledge in that field. After studying it carefully, he had gained some understanding. Now was the time to put it into practice.
The inheritance of the Trigram Esoteric Sect had quite a long history. Its founder had been a qi cultivator who attained the Dao during the ancient pre-Qin era and had survived until the Song Dynasty before finally dying. The changes in heaven and earth during that era had already become extremely apparent. It could be considered the last lingering glow of the cultivation world's sunset.
Many cultivators with connections had already begun seeking a way out at that time. They either left the Ancestral Star or sealed themselves within spiritual lands. After that, cultivators had less and less contact with the Mortal World.
However, the Trigram Esoteric Sect's cultivation involved calculating the secrets of heaven, similar to the Divination Lineage of the Big Dipper. This type of cultivation required entering the world, so they could only struggle through the mundane world and pass down their inheritance generation after generation.
The mundane world eventually entered the End of Dharma, and the Trigram Esoteric Sect's inheritance ultimately faded away as well. Its final inheritor had been rather unlucky. By his generation, he could not even open up his Sea of Bitterness.
With no other choice, he could only venture deep into famous mountains and great rivers, seeking Dragons and robbing tombs in hopes of finding resources within earth veins and Ancient Tombs. Then, with one careless mistake, he died completely. His belongings were later brought out by modern colleagues and eventually ended up in Yan Kuan's hands.
Yan Kuan had spent quite some effort piecing together this chain of events. Thanks to a certain "special ability" he had recently acquired, this trump card, he was confident that he could accurately locate the Ancient Tomb.
"The terrain here has dispersed considerably. In the End of Dharma, even the earth veins have dried up quite a bit. If this were an age when cultivation flourished, I have no idea how much effort it would take to find this place."
Yan Kuan rested on the bodyguard's back, his eyes flickering with firelight. In his vision, traces of ancient times were slowly being retraced. This was the Heavenly Flames "special ability" he had obtained after refining the Empyrean Flame Seed and evolving the Burning Art.
There were many mystical flames in heaven and earth, each possessing unique abilities. Yan Kuan's Empyrean Flame Seed had gathered countless flames into one and possessed limitless potential. During the process of his transmigration and rebirth, this wondrous Fire Seed had undergone an unimaginable transformation.
The special ability Yan Kuan gained after refining the Empyrean Flame Seed was called "Samsara." It connected to Samsara, traced the Past, understood three lives, and comprehended creation. Its wondrous uses were endless.
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