Fifth Master Zhang and Jiang Yun were now deeply intertwined, so naturally he did not want anything to happen to Jiang Yun and wished to dissuade him.
The First Ancestor was the last Source Heavenly Master, Ancestor Zhang Lin. Transformed into red fur, he should still be within Purple Mountain, guarding the Yaochi Holy Maiden.
"Fifth Master, my mind is made up. I have already found a way into Purple Mountain, and I hope you can provide me with some help." Jiang Yun's expression was resolute.
"Then come with me. Our ancestors left behind a set of things." Fifth Master Zhang sighed helplessly.
By now, Fifth Master Zhang understood that he could not stop Jiang Yun, so he could only give him another layer of protection.
Many items had been placed in the newly built courtyard. The people of Stone Stronghold had only just moved in and had not yet sorted everything out.
Fifth Master Zhang found a large wooden chest in good condition among them. It was an ancient relic from a distant age, filled with the aura of time.
He opened it. Inside was a well-preserved set of source-seeking artifacts: a Stone Garment, a Stone Helm, a Stone Pendant, a Stone Blade, and a Star Compass.
"I thought there would never come a day in my life when I would open it. I never expected it would still prove useful."
Fifth Master Zhang took out the stone artifacts one by one. His clouded eyes rested on them as he explained their uses to Jiang Yun.
The Stone Garment was a source-seeking outfit fashioned from old hide once used to wrap Divine Source. It possessed a spirituality that ordinary cultivators would struggle to detect.
Wearing the Stone Garment and Stone Helm could conceal every trace of one's aura. It might not be sturdy enough, but it could isolate a cultivator from the outside world.
All source seekers dreamed of possessing such a Stone Garment. Digging for Source underground every day, they would inevitably encounter unpleasant things. Such a Divine Source garment could ward off evil and evade certain unclean entities.
The Stone Pendant, Stone Blade, and Star Compass had all been refined by a Source Heavenly Master and possessed some wondrous effects as well.
Jiang Yun thought that the Unethical Daoist might also need a set of equipment like this.
He listened very carefully. In matters like this, he would never be arrogant.
After asking Fifth Master Zhang which direction his ancestor from a thousand years ago had entered Purple Mountain from, he finally left with those items.
He sought out the two youths, Wang Shu and Lei Bo, alone and handed them the stone artifacts cut from Stone Stronghold earlier, telling them to place them in their rooms.
The stone material containing the aura of Primordial Beginning could stimulate the bloodline of the Silver-Blood Royal Clan.
Another ten days passed. Jiang Yun had now been in the Northern Region for a month.
He had used up four drops of Divine Liquid Essence and exchanged two Divine Source Beans for some spirit herbs in several nearby oasis cities. Together with the Lingbao and spiritual materials obtained from wiping out four sects—
he had finally refined a batch of Four-Revolution Golden Cores. Refining Five-Turn Golden Cores required a Little Medicine King as an auxiliary ingredient. He had underestimated the value of a Medicine King; they were difficult to buy on the market.
Four-Revolution Golden Cores corresponded to the realm of a Dao-Slaying King and could extend one's lifespan by five hundred years, ten times more effective than a Human Origin Fruit.
And that was merely a secondary effect. Their greatest use was aiding cultivation and helping one comprehend Dao arts and divine abilities.
The God King had been trapped in Purple Mountain for four thousand years. His cultivation should already have reached the peak of the Saint realm. Although fully refining this Golden Core would not be enough to let him advance further, it would be more than sufficient to replenish his losses and prolong his life.
With all preparations complete, Jiang Yun told Xia Weier that he was going into secluded cultivation for a while, then quietly slipped away.
Xia Weier did not suspect much. Secluded cultivation was commonplace for cultivators. Those like him, who did bad things without sleeping or resting, were truly rare.
Jiang Yun returned to Purple Mountain.
Purple Mountain had nine entrances. Jiang Yun carefully inspected all nine ancient mine tunnels before confirming that Zhang Jiye had entered from that direction a thousand years ago.
He truly feared entering through the wrong place. Failing to find anyone after getting inside would be far too embarrassing.
A Dragon Vein lay to the due east. Fused with the power of the earth, the mountain range was lofty and majestic, like an Azure Dragon lying coiled before him, stretching across the land and emanating an imposing aura.
It also carried faint traces of purple, similar in color to Purple Mountain at its center.
Jiang Yun had discovered this ancient mine tunnel before. The ancestor from a thousand years ago had entered from here.
The interior of the Dragon Vein had already been hollowed out. Following the Dragon Vein would allow one to enter Purple Mountain underground.
As for digging directly into Purple Mountain from outside, he did not dare attempt it.
Jiang Yun wore the Divine Source Stone Garment and Stone Helm, held the Stone Blade in his hand, hung the Stone Pendant from his chest, and carried the Star Compass on his back.
He proceeded through the pitch-black ancient mine tunnel. In this mine tunnel excavated over a hundred thousand years ago, dust lay thick upon the ground, while traces of blades and axes occasionally remained visible on the walls.
They silently told of the ravages of time. This place was exceedingly still, with scarcely the faintest sound.
With a thought, Jiang Yun concealed all his aura. Like a ghost, he advanced silently through the ancient mine tunnel.
This was a wondrous ability the Source Pearl had gained after evolving. He used part of Source Space to envelop his body, covering every inch of skin.
It fused perfectly with Jiang Yun's body. If someone probed Jiang Yun with divine sense, they would only sink into emptiness, preventing others from spying on his secrets.
Otherwise, his physique advanced every so often. If anyone discovered that, it would be far too shocking.
In this manner, he traveled dozens of miles, killing every demonic bat he encountered along the way.
As he slowly moved onward, stone carvings began appearing on the tunnel walls, recounting an event that had occurred more than a hundred thousand years ago. No one knew who had left them behind.
In the first few carvings, a piece of Divine Source stood upright. A creature with a single horn growing from its brow, six arms beneath its shoulders, and wings covering its back knelt devoutly beside the Divine Source from beginning to end.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood were piled around it, many of them cultivators. Their blood gathered into rivers that wound into the distance, resembling a hellish realm.
Ancient cultivators had disturbed the Primordial Creatures sleeping within Purple Mountain. In the Primordial era, they regarded the Human Race as food and slaves.
But the era of the Primordial Race had changed.
In the mural, a powerful Human Race cultivator shrouded in halos descended from the sky, changing everything.
The Human Race expert in the carving was surrounded by auspicious radiance, and only the character "Emperor" was engraved above his head.
The majesty of an ancient Great Emperor had been captured by the one who left the carving through simple marks, carving out a trace of its soul and displaying that Great Emperor's supreme might.
Jiang Yun believed this Great Emperor was likely the Great Emperor Wushi. He had discovered Purple Mountain's extraordinary nature.
The Great Emperor brought forth his weapon, a Great Bell as tall as heaven and earth. It descended and covered the Divine Source.
The Divine Source cracked, and the creature within finally emerged, though the carving depicted only her slender, delicate hand extending outward.
The woman within the Divine Source was very likely the Undying Heavenly Empress. Yet the Undying Heavenly Empress alone was not worthy of making the Great Emperor Wushi bring forth the Wushi Bell.
The carvings afterward had vanished, concealing the person who had truly fought the Great Emperor Wushi.
Jiang Yun guessed that, in the beginning, the Great Emperor Wushi and the Undying Heavenly Emperor had little to do with each other.
But when the Primordial Creatures of Purple Mountain emerged and brought calamity upon the world, the Great Emperor Wushi blasted them apart.
It was during that journey into Purple Mountain that Wushi discovered the secret that the Undying Heavenly Emperor might still exist in this world. The two ultimately confronted each other for hundreds of thousands of years, until Ye Fan became an immortal amid the mortal world and entered the Strange World, finally killing him completely.
After studying the carvings and taking in the Great Emperor's bearing, Jiang Yun continued onward.
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