The three trembled upon hearing Ye Yun's words. Although their strength had recently improved, they could at best deal with two to three hundred demonic creatures, let alone the fact that the demons inside would only be stronger.
"Let's go, such cowards!" Ye Yun turned and led Black Ant directly into the demon cave.
The entrance was located beneath a small mountain, about three meters high and over two meters wide.
After Ye Yun and Black Ant had only entered the cave for about a meter, their vision suddenly went black. They found themselves in a vast grotto. The entire grotto was a thousand square meters, and a giant luminous pearl was embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the area as bright as day.
What was going on?
Ye Yun was greatly alarmed!
He noticed that the ground beneath his feet was shimmering with starlight, covered in dao patterns. It was clearly a formation!
Ten meters away from the formation, four meters above the ground, a floating black hole appeared! Dark energy swirled around the entrance, but it was contained by a layer of energy at the mouth of the black hole, preventing the dark energy from leaking into the grotto.
However! Ye Yun's eyes were fixed on the area directly below the black hole! A figure sat there, completely devoid of any life force, yet exuding a powerful and awe-inspiring aura.
"Master! Be careful!"
Black Ant's eyes were locked onto the figure, and a dangerous glint flashed in its eyes!
"It's fine, that person is probably dead already!" Ye Yun stepped out of the formation and walked towards the seated figure.
The person was bald, with nine scar marks on the crown of their head. They had a benevolent expression, wore a 108-bead rosary around their neck, and their eyes were slightly closed, as if they could awaken at any moment.
What Ye Yun found strange, however, was that despite being clearly a monk, this person was dressed in a blue daoist robe with a large Eight Trigram symbol emblazoned on the back.
Beside him, a chest was placed, in which three ancient books were faintly visible. A long flag was stuck into the side of the chest, bearing the inscription: "No need to seek the winter solstice, the yang will emerge on its own!"
"Master, even in death, this fellow has such an aura. His strength in life must have been immense!" Black Ant continued to stare at the corpse.
"General Ye!" At this moment, Zhang Junbao also appeared within the formation.
"What, you came alone?" Ye Yun's brows furrowed.
"No, for some reason, the other two couldn't get in." Zhang Junbao also saw the seated corpse, but he dared not approach without Ye Yun's permission.
"Couldn't get in?" Ye Yun was stunned. He looked at the formation beneath Zhang Junbao's feet and then at the seated corpse, and a guess began to form in his mind.
"Zhang Junbao, you've lived longer. Take a look, who is this corpse!"
"Yes, General." Zhang Junbao hurried over upon hearing Ye Yun's words. However, upon seeing the text on the flag and the face of the seated corpse, he was instantly shocked, falling to his knees, much to Ye Yun's bewilderment.
"The Three Pure Ones above, the Five Ancestors below! Disciple Zhang Junbao pays respects to the Third Ancestor, True Person Zixian!" Zhang Junbao prostrated himself before the seated corpse. His true essence surged, and the Eight Trigram pattern on his grey daoist robe emitted a faint glow.
True Person Zixian? Third Ancestor?
Ye Yun quickly pulled out his phone to ask Baidu.
He was shocked by what he found!
True Person Zixian, the Third of the Southern Five Ancestors! Originally named Xue Daoguang, he predated Zhang Junbao by two to three hundred years. He was once a eminent monk who later became a disciple of Shi Tai, the direct successor of Shi Tai, and the third-generation successor of the Southern School of Daoism! He authored "Song of the Elixir Core," "Chapter on Returning the Elixir to Its Mandate," and "Notes on the Chapter of Understanding Truths"!
Holy hell! A direct disciple of Shi Tai! And the "True Person Zixian" of Daoism!
This was entirely different from Zhang Junbao's string of titles like True Person and True Lord.
Zhang Junbao's titles were all bestowed by the imperial court for governance, as he had integrated aspects of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. As for his purported lineage, he claimed it himself. His so-called Tai Chi also borrowed from Xue Daoguang's – but it could achieve the spontaneous manifestation of black and white, when black and white are inherently one.
A genuine True Person!
Furthermore, a direct disciple of Shi Tai. Who was Shi Tai? A disciple of True Person Ziyang, a successor of the Golden Core path!
Upon reading this description, Ye Yun was astonished. He also looked up Zhang Junbao's encyclopedia entry. Although there was a lot of text, Ye Yun felt that it was all superficial.
Interestingly, Ye Yun also discovered that Zhang Junbao had once been a monk!
Before Ye Yun could continue his musings, the blue daoist robe of the corpse suddenly erupted with blinding light. A figure floated out from the corpse and sat cross-legged in the void, surrounded by countless golden, shimmering dao texts.
The moment the phantom emerged from the corpse, Black Ant immediately hid behind Ye Yun, its fear palpable.
"Disciple of Daoism, I pay my respects to you, senior!" Zhang Junbao knelt on the ground, performing a ritual that Ye Yun didn't understand. Simultaneously, the phantom in the air suddenly opened its eyes and began making hand seals.
"Ten thousand demons invaded our land of Hua Guo, and a thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye. From what sect do you hail, and which lineage do you belong to? Why do I sense the aura of Buddhism and Confucianism upon you?"
The phantom sat cross-legged, looking at Zhang Junbao with calm eyes.
"This..." Zhang Junbao was speechless! He knew that Daoism valued its lineage above all else. To put it plainly, he had only dabbled in Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, and had created his own unique path.
Therefore, although Zhang Junbao was referred to as a True Person or Immortal in later generations, he was essentially a martial artist, not a genuine immortal cultivator of the Daoist tradition!
"Descendant, Ye Yun, pays respects to the elder!" Ye Yun interjected at the opportune moment.
"Oh? Fellow Daoist, do you practice my alchemy and fire refining methods? And why do you associate with demonic beasts?" Xue Daoguang looked up at Ye Yun, then glanced at Black Ant behind him, and said calmly.
"True Person has sharp eyes. I cultivate the Red Emperor's method. As for this ant, it is my war pet." Ye Yun smiled faintly.
"The Red Emperor?! The Red Emperor, one of the Three Sovereigns?" Xue Daoguang's eyes widened in disbelief! Even Zhang Junbao, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled.
"Indeed!"
"I am not as great as you! I never imagined that such a descendant would remain from the mythical Great Desolation era! A pity, if only I had been born three thousand years earlier, it would have been the glorious era of Daoism's Three Thousand Lineages!" Xue Daoguang's face was filled with emotion, as if remembering something.
Three thousand years, wasn't that the Investiture of the Gods era? What secrets did that era hold?
Hearing Xue Daoguang's words, Ye Yun's heart skipped a beat. At that moment, many thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Very well. I sealed this deep part of Shennongjia myself. I never expected you to be able to enter. It is indeed fate. I have a few of my cultivation insights remaining in my chest. I shall gift them to you all."
Xue Daoguang looked at Black Ant without saying more, as immortal cultivators often had spirit pets. It wasn't just Daoism; even Buddhism had them.
"Then I thank you, True Person!" Cultivation experience ancient texts! Ye Yun was eager to understand their intricacies. After all, his strength had come from the 'Heavenly Dao', and only recently had he begun cultivating the 'Blazing Heaven Art', giving him a preliminary understanding of cultivation systems.
Shennongjia?
Ye Yun's heart trembled. The words "teleportation array" flashed in his mind!