Divine Tree Branch

"We go this way."

Yan Kuan held the complete Jade Scroll Map, leading the two valley lords of Ten Thousand Demons Valley into the Inner Mountain. Turning left and right, they nearly triggered the forbidden formations several times, but ultimately reached the Daoist Sacred Land safely and laid eyes on Dragon Tiger True Mountain.

The First Valley Lord stood at a distance, sighing in awe: "This place has more of a dragon shape than the ninety-nine peaks outside. This location is extraordinary!"

Dragon Tiger True Mountain's terrain was majestic, as if about to leap and soar into the clouds. Dragons and tigers coiled and intertwined, and in this End of Dharma era, faint wisps of Purple Qi steamed upward—a rare sight in the world.

In ancient times, this place was undoubtedly a first-rate sacred ground, no wonder it became the origin soil of Daoism—grand yet elegant.

The mountain possessed the momentum of dragons and tigers pouncing and leaping, as if to charge into the heavens. But they did not see the Ninety-Nine Ancient Dragon Mountain Range recorded on the Jade Scroll Map, which made Old Crane and Monkey anxious.

"We go this way."

Yan Kuan continued leading, avoiding clusters of Daoist temples and Purple Qi peaks, walking deep into the forest without approaching the Zhengyi Sect's core grounds.

"Nothing. How can there be nothing?"

In the uninhabited mountain forest, Monkey's golden eyes flickered, yet he found no trace of their target. Auspicious light gathered on a few ancient Daoist temples on Dragon Tiger Mountain, purple mist swirling upward, stirring the heart. But aside from that, the vast uninhabited region showed nothing unusual.

Old Crane and Monkey grew anxious. They could not stay long here; they knew well the terror and power of the Zhengyi Sect. If a hidden Great Divine Power Expert discovered them, they would surely be in deep trouble.

"Beyond the mountain lies another mountain, beyond the heavens another heaven. This is where the Earth Immortal's bones are buried."

Yan Kuan accurately located a landmark using the Jade Scroll Map, then led them onward. The path was difficult—not because of killing formations, but because of traps cleverly laid using the mountain's natural terrain, making it impossible to approach.

Once they truly entered the secret land, the three immediately sensed a vast and desolate aura, as if a host of dragons were rising. At the horizon's end, great mountains stretched, lush and green, dragon qi swirling. Numerous dragon mountains danced as if about to break through the sky.

Monkey said excitedly, "We found it. This is the place where the Earth Immortal is buried. Honored as an Earth Immortal, he must have possessed heaven-defying methods. This man obtained the secret of the Ninety-Nine Ancient Dragon Mountains, touched the forbidden domain, and must have left behind earth-shattering secrets."

Old Crane worried, "The Orthodox Unity Dao people must have come here. I wonder if anything remains."

His words made sense. The Orthodox Unity Dao's ancient sages chose Dragon Tiger Mountain as their site, surely seeing something. They regarded this land of dragon and tiger as their ancestral court, guarding it for so many years. To say they hadn't taken the Earth Immortal's hidden treasures—no one would believe that.

Ahead, the terrain was spectacular. Many small dragon mountains rose majestically. Suddenly, the three advancing figures stopped.

They saw a corpse, clad in a Daoist robe, sitting in meditation for several hundred years, its form undecayed. It sat cross-legged on a rock, as if guarding the mountain gate leading to the dragon mountain range.

"This is a protector of the Zhengyi Sect."

Old Crane spotted an Ascending Immortal Diagram on its robe at a glance—unique to protectors. Every protector was an extremely powerful expert, sometimes surpassing sect leaders, a high cultivator guarding the lineage.

"There are words here."

Monkey pointed to a spot on the ground, where several lines of Pre-Qin Bird Script were left by the old Daoist. The gist was: guarding the forbidden land for two thousand years, with no successor. Heaven and earth had dried up, and Dragon Tiger Mountain had no one who could sever the Dao and enter this place—truly lamentable.

"This is a king who severed the Dao, sitting in meditation for centuries, guarding the path. It's astonishing."

"That means the Earth Immortal's secret is still here, or at least the hidden treasures haven't been fully taken. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent someone to guard."

After their exchange, Monkey and Old Crane seemed to realize something. They unconsciously turned to Yan Kuan, their eyes full of inquiry. The words on the ground clearly stated that only a king who had severed the Dao could enter. Did that mean...?

"What are you thinking? The Dragon Tiger Mountain Daoists had no token or map, so they had to force their way through with strength. We have a complete token and map."

Yan Kuan raised the terrain map formed from nine jade scrolls. Old Crane and Monkey's doubts eased, and they looked away. Yan Kuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

He had actually deceived them. Gathering the nine jade scrolls did help in entering this place, but ordinary people didn't have his methods.

The real reason Yan Kuan could lead them into Dragon Tiger True Mountain and this secret land was that he had used the Empyrean Flame to refine the nine jade scrolls, tracing back the history of the map's creation. From that, he learned many ancient secrets, allowing him to reach this place so smoothly.

They continued forward. Before the first dragon mountain, they saw a Bone Stele, white as jade, as tall as a man. After so many years, it remained undamaged, inscribed with Oracle Bone Script.

"Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains."

The stele bore only these few words, but a vast Daoist aura pressed down from all directions. Yan Kuan quickly raised the jade scroll to shield himself. Old Crane and Monkey, slower to react, only glanced from afar and immediately coughed up blood, unable to look directly.

"An Earth Immortal. As expected of an Earth Immortal. Even ordinary words carry such power."

"Fortunately, the carver had no killing intent. It was just normal writing, leaving behind a trace of the Dao."

Old Crane and Monkey wiped blood from their mouths, secretly alarmed. They glanced at Yan Kuan, who showed no change, and found him even more unfathomable.

They moved on. As soon as they entered the mountain, Monkey's eyes flashed with golden light, and joy spread across his face. He shouted, "I found it! I didn't expect it to be this smooth."

He pointed to a spot beneath a cliff ahead. There, a great crack opened wide, with at least several thousand Hanging Coffins densely arranged. Dragon qi swirled among them, making it look like a true dragon's mouth gaping open, holding the ancient coffins.

Deep within the dragon's mouth, a Jade Coffin flickered faintly, its dusty light flowing, undecayed since ancient times.

"The Earth Immortal's Dwelling, half a cliff with thousands of hanging coffins."

"It is said to be the burial of immortals."

Old Crane recited an ancient record from the Taiping Yulan, matching the scene before them exactly. A faint fragrance drifted from afar, light yet making the body feel light, as if about to rise in ascension.

"This scent... could it be the legendary Immortal Medicine?"

The fragrance came from the great opening beneath the stone cliff, deep in the dragon's mouth. Monkey was far more sensitive to such things than the other two. His golden eyes blazed as he peered into the distance. The dusty Jade Coffin, its Dao marks undamaged, held a branch within, glowing green, fresh and tender, its fragrance overwhelming.

Yan Kuan himself channeled divine power into his eyes. His Fiery Golden Eyes flickered with golden-red flames, and from afar, he saw that half-glimmer of emerald—a branch of the legendary Ginseng Fruit Tree.