After teaching the people of Shizhai the basic techniques of the Azure Cloud Sect, Li Qingshan no longer hesitated and set off for the Demon Mountain, which was regarded as a dead end by the people of the Northern Region.
He knew from the original text that Purple Mountain was mysterious and unpredictable, with a total of nine entrances.
There are nine underground dragon veins; entering any one of them could lead to utter destruction.
Based on Zhang Wu's account of his ancestors' experiences and his own observations of the mountains and rivers, he spent several days carefully examining the area and finally pinpointed the most powerful dragon vein in the due east direction.
The mountains are majestic, like a coiled dragon, with a powerful and imposing presence. The rocks on the mountains faintly glow with a purple halo similar to that of the central Purple Mountain, indicating that the earth's energy is at its most active.
The interior of this dragon vein has long been hollowed out, forming an ancient mine tunnel leading deep into Purple Mountain. It was also the path chosen by Zhang Jiye, a descendant of the Source Heavenly Master, a thousand years ago.
Li Qingshan dared not be careless in the slightest. This place was once the dojo of two Heavenly Emperor Great Emperor. Even if he was familiar with the plot, he could not be too careful.
He found a secluded spot and changed into the Divine Source Stone Skin he had obtained from the stone village:
The body is covered in rough yet spiritual Stone Garment, the head is covered with a stone helmet, the hand holds an ancient stone knife, and a seemingly inconspicuous stone pendant hangs on the chest.
This set of equipment may seem simple and crude, but it is the culmination of the wisdom of generations of Source Heavenly Master, specifically designed to deal with the many strange and deadly things originating from the Divine Source in Purple Mountain.
The moment you step into the Ancient Mine, a sense of silence and coldness that has spanned hundreds of thousands of years washes over you, and the air is filled with the scent of minerals mixed with dust from the ages.
The ground was covered in thick dust, soft and silent underfoot. The cave walls were covered with ancient carving marks, silently telling the story of the blood, tears and hardships of the people who once mined the source.
Li Qingshan fully activated the Sun True Scripture, and the powerful Qi and blood of the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm surged within his body, yet he held back his power. At the same time, he relied on his Innate Dao Embryo to have a natural affinity for and control over the Qi of heaven and earth.
He perfectly concealed his aura, his entire being blending into the darkness like a shadow, silently stealthily moving forward.
After traveling for about several dozen miles, they encountered some Demon Bat that inhabited this area. These creatures are fond of darkness and bloodthirsty, and often accompany extremely ominous places.
Li Qingshan did not use any great magical power; he simply used his skillful finger techniques or the slashing of his stone knife to silently resolve the situation, avoiding any unnecessary disturbance.
Enter the village quietly, without firing a shot. It would be bad if the Primordial King inside were alerted. Although there was the suppression of the Beginningless Bell, Li Qingshan still had to be careful.
As you go deeper, mottled stone carvings begin to appear on the cave walls, with a simple and ancient style, clearly indicating that they are extremely old.
These ancient patterns, broken and fragmented, record a thrilling past.
The first few images depict a massive Divine Source, beside which kneels a creature with a single horn between its brows, six arms beneath its shoulders, and wings covering its back, its expression devout.
The surrounding area was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with many human cultivators lying dead, their blood flowing like rivers, a scene resembling a hellish Hell.
This depicts the tragic scene caused by ancient cultivators disturbing the slumbering Primordial Beings of Purple Mountain. In that era, humans were practically no different from food for the Primordial Royal Clan.
The style of the stone carvings changed abruptly later.
Everything began to change when a powerful human descended from the sky, shrouded in an aura of glory.
His appearance could not be seen clearly, and he could not even tell whether he was a man or a woman. His whole body was surrounded by auspicious colors, and only the word "Emperor" was engraved on the top of his head.
Its imposing presence, conveyed through the stone carvings, exudes a sense of dominance that transcends time.
He summoned a giant bell as tall as heaven and earth, its waves vibrating as it pressed down upon the cracked Divine Source.
Within the Divine Source, a blurry figure seemed to extend a hand, as if to resist. However, the subsequent engravings were strangely interrupted and erased, as if they were forcibly wiped away by an unparalleled power, leaving only endless suspense and shock.
" The Great Emperor Wushi, the Undying Heavenly Empress," Li Qingshan realized in his heart that the stone carving confirmed that ancient secret that had been sealed away for thousands of years.
It was at Purple Mountain that the scene of the Great Emperor Wushi suppressing the Undying Heavenly Emperor's forces was depicted. However, the final image seems somewhat unrealistic. If the Great Emperor Wushi make a move, he would need the Beginningless Bell to intervene, which could easily destroy them with a flick of the wrist.
After pausing briefly to sense the faint imperial aura remaining in the stone carvings, Li Qingshan continued deeper into the area.
The road ahead suddenly changed; the ground beneath our feet turned an ominous grayish-white, soft in texture, and chillingly cold, as if capable of freezing our souls.
A series of mournful wails echoed directly in his mind's sea, where countless withered bones piled up, densely packed, extending into the depths of darkness.
These bones had long since decayed under the erosion of time, turning to dust at the slightest touch and merging into the ground.
Amidst the howling wind, illusory and distorted ghostly figures appeared and disappeared, all formed from the lingering resentment of the creatures who had perished here.
However, Li Qingshan possessed the Sun True Scripture, and his supreme yang blood and qi were the nemesis of all yin and evil. In addition, the Divine Source Stone Armor isolated his aura, so these ghostly figures could not even detect his presence.
He moved with composure, his eyes flashing like lightning. His crimson-gold blood flowed slightly within his body, dispelling the chilling aura that tried to invade, and he steadily traversed this terrifying land of corpses.
Just beyond this ominous area, the scenery changed dramatically.
The darkness in the mine ahead was dispelled by a soft halo of light, and an intense, pervasive spiritual energy wafted over, carrying a peaceful and invigorating atmosphere, as if one had instantly stepped from Hell into a fairyland.
There were phantom cranes calling out, Qilin- shaped energy surging, and fiery red flocks of birds swirling and playing with the light and shadow of other mysterious creatures, full of vitality.
Li Qingshan knew that this was not a real living being, but a strange phenomenon that naturally took shape from the leakage of the peerless Divine Source contained in this place.
Without lingering, he went straight to the first real danger of his journey.
In front of a naturally formed " Yin-Yang Eye ".
The scene before us is a marvel of creation, where primordial energy and malevolent energy intertwine and flow, naturally forming a giant Taiji Divine Diagram.
The two fish, representing Yin-Yang, embrace and block the way ahead, emanating a powerful and awe-inspiring aura.
Li Qingshan probed with a divine power, immediately triggering a counterattack from the Taiji Diagram. Thousands of destructive sword beams condensed from primordial energy and baleful energy erupted, enough to annihilate cultivators in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
What's frightening is that this Yin-Yang diagram is not constant; it can sometimes evolve into a state of pure "isolated Yin" or "isolated Yang".
Its killing power has increased exponentially.
Yin-Yang can generate each other, but they can also restrain each other. Isolated Yin or isolated Yang can be even more deadly.
It does indeed share similarities with the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram I've come to understand; perhaps I can draw upon this principle in the future to develop an ultimate art of killing.
Li Qingshan sensed something, but knew full well that this place was dangerous and not a place for quiet contemplation and enlightenment.
He patiently waited for the same opportunity as Ye Fan in the original story to succeed.
Until the power of "Lone Yang" reached its peak, the divine Source Stone armor around his body naturally emitted a soft holy light, and his whole body instantly transformed into a stream of light, resolutely rushing into the passage filled with supreme yang source energy.
As expected, the peerless sword energy, powerful enough to burn iron and shatter mountains, turned into a gentle wave as if it were refined steel after touching the holy light emanating from the Stone Garment.
Its power was greatly reduced, making it difficult to harm Li Qingshan, who was protected by the Stone Garment, in the slightest.
The characteristics of the Divine Source Stone Skin are on full display at this moment.
Having passed through the Yin-Yang Eye without incident, we were now faced with a mountain rock, harder than divine iron and gleaming with a faint purple light, signifying that we had truly reached the true body of Purple Mountain.
Li Qingshan pushed his palm forward, unleashing a surge of immense divine power that transformed into Yin-Yang and yang energies, silently eroding the stone wall before him.
They carved out a narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, in this seemingly indestructible Purple Mountain.
Purple Mountain seemed to possess some kind of strange life force; the faster it opened up, the faster the passage behind it would writhe and close rapidly, attempting to devour all intruders.
Li Qingshan dared not slack off and sped up. Finally, with a muffled roar, the resistance in front of him vanished, and he broke into a strange space.
The view suddenly opened up; it was no longer a pitch-black mine, but rather shrouded in a hazy glow.
A magnificent palace complex, with steps made of green jade and doors made of white jade, stands quietly in the shadows, exuding an ancient, solemn, and mysterious aura.
He successfully entered the interior of Purple Mountain.
As you venture deeper into the plaza in front of the palace, you'll find numerous inscriptions carved by predecessors with magical powers on the smooth, mirror-like rock walls on both sides. The handwriting varies, yet the Daoist charm remains, as if proclaiming their existence to those who come after. " God King Jiang Taixu mistakenly entered the Demon Mountain and decided to investigate!" The handwriting is sharp and contains an indomitable fighting spirit.
"Left by the rogue cultivator Li Mu during his exploration of Demon Mountain." The handwriting is steady and reveals a sense of vicissitude.
"The Holy Maiden Yang Yi of Jade Pool Holy Maiden is seeking Zhang Lin." The handwriting is elegant, yet carries a hint of deep sorrow.
" Source Heavenly Master Zhang Jiye, a descendant of the Celestial Master, before entering Emperor Mountain." The writing is weak and almost illegible, yet it carries a sense of awe towards the Great Emperor Wushi, referring to this place as " Emperor Mountain."
These inscriptions, like a condensed history of exploration, tell the stories of the footsteps and fates of outstanding figures throughout history in this place.