The Path to Another World

Seeing Tian Jun chatting so enthusiastically with the old man, it seemed they had a very good relationship. Curious, someone pulled Tian Jun aside and asked, "Hey, Junzi, I never knew you were so popular! From ninety-nine-year-olds to toddlers, how come you get along with everyone?"

"That's right, there's no way around it, I'm incredibly charming. I can seduce everyone, young and old, regardless of gender. You don't have the natural talent to learn that," Tian Junfeng said with a sassy flick of his hair.

"Get lost. You wouldn't knock out rats and cockroaches, would you? You didn't just bury them in money, did you?" Ye Fan ignored Tian Jun's insults and said disdainfully.

“You’re wrong about that, Xiao Fan. Although we accepted Xiao Jun’s money, if it weren’t for Xiao Jun’s money, my grandson would probably be dead because we had no money, Da Shan’s wife wouldn’t have had such a smooth childbirth, and the villagers probably wouldn’t have running water right now. So, Xiao Jun is a great benefactor to our village.” The sharp-eared Grandpa Li heard Ye Fan and Tian Jun’s conversation and quickly spoke up to clarify things for Tian Jun.

"Hehe, grandpa, your ears are really sharp. He and I were just joking." Ye Fan, a little embarrassed by what he heard, changed the subject and asked, "Since the transportation in the village is so inconvenient, why don't you move out? Or build a road?"

"We've lived there for generations. Although we haven't become rich or powerful, our village has remained untouched by natural disasters, whether during ancient wars or modern periods of warlord chaos. It can be considered a blessed place. Everyone in the village belongs to the same clan, and according to the ancestral teachings, we cannot leave this village until the right time is right," Li replied honestly.

"Ancestral precepts? After all these years, do you still believe them?" Ye Fan began to take a liking to it. In such a remote village, there would be a group of people following ancestral precepts, seemingly guarding something. Could it really be an ancient tomb?

“At first, we didn’t believe it either, but then one prophecy after another from our ancestors came true, leaving us no choice but to believe. So we’re still here obediently waiting for the prophecy to come true. I feel that day is not far off,” Old Li explained.

"Oh, may I ask what the content of this prophecy is? I'm really interested. Your ancestor must have been an extraordinary deity." This made the two even more interested. To be able to predict events thousands of years in the future, and for those predictions to come true, was an incredible ability.

Old Li nodded and smiled, "You're not outsiders, and besides, this isn't an important secret. Even a three-year-old in the village knows the contents of the prophecy: twelve characters, 'Seven Stars in Harmony, Jade Returns, Ancient Tomb Opens, the Way Can Be Proclaimed.' They don't even know what it means."

"Seven stars in alignment, jade returns, ancient tomb opens, the Dao can be proclaimed. This is rather strange. Is there anything else that can reveal the content of the prophecy?" The two pondered for a long time but still had no clue, and asked persistently.

"There's only a jade pendant with a picture in the ancestral hall, said to be the picture of the jade in the prophecy. Perhaps the return of the jade is also part of the prophecy." Old Li provided another clue. After all, an ancestral precept has kept hundreds of people isolated in a village within a radius of tens of kilometers. Looking at the bustling city outside, with its bright lights and vibrant nightlife, some young people have long lost their sense of protection and yearn for the city. Especially in the last two years, many young people have been clamoring to go out. If it weren't for the suppression from their parents, some of them would probably have already broken the ancestral precept.

"Really? That's great! We brothers are both experts in jade, and now we finally have a clue! Perhaps this time we can really help you figure out the true meaning of the ancestral precepts." Tian Jun said happily. He also felt that this prophecy was likely closely related to the ancient tomb he was going to rob, and now they finally had a clue about the only thing that could be figured out—the jade.

"If that's the case, that would be wonderful. We've been trapped here for thousands of years because of our ancestral teachings, and dozens of generations have passed. Perhaps it's time to end this disguised prisoner's life." Hearing that there was hope of breaking the prophecy, Old Li was even happier than the other two, because he was also a victim. He had once been fascinated by the bright lights of the city and longed for city life. He didn't want his descendants to continue to guard a vague ancestral teaching, thus wasting their youth and their entire lives.

The three of them made their way to the village at a leisurely pace in the oxcart. Before they knew it, night had fallen. The road was strewn with thorns, and as they went further, the forest grew increasingly dense, until finally only a single oxcart could pass through – no wonder cars couldn't get through. The jagged rocks and withered branches of old trees shimmered in the darkness, resembling menacing demons and monsters. The hoarse cawing of owls and crows added to the eerie atmosphere of the night. Fortunately, Ye Fan and Tian Jun were no ordinary people; they had experienced even more terrifying scenes. Old Li, on the other hand, was clearly used to it all. Therefore, the three of them weren't particularly alarmed. If an ordinary person had been here, they probably would have been terrified.

Ye Fan observed the path ahead. The forest grew increasingly dense, almost forming a wall of trees. The moon gradually rose, and the howling of wolves echoed through the woods. A light mist began to rise from the mountains at night. The mountain road wound its way through eighteen bends. Suddenly, Ye Fan sensed a shift in his spiritual energy, his expression changing drastically. He transformed his spiritual energy into spider silk, spreading it outwards. He was astonished to find that the spiritual imprints he had left behind along the way had vanished. Moreover, the wisps of mist were rising from deep within the ground, from what appeared to be array patterns and trenches. Could there actually be a long-lost array here? Ye Fan was filled with curiosity. Although arrays had existed in China since ancient times, their power was greatest in the hands of immortals and Taoists—capable of overturning rivers and seas, splitting heaven and earth, and doing everything imaginable. However, they were gradually lost, with only ordinary arrays circulating among the common people. He hadn't expected to find an array containing spiritual energy here. It seemed this village was truly more complex than it appeared. Ye Fan, having some knowledge of formations, was quite curious about this one. He wanted to know what it used as its base, and how it could maintain its operation for thousands of years—no one in modern times possessed such cultivation. Thinking this, he focused his spiritual energy into a thread and tried to drill towards the base. However, as soon as he reached the base's range, he was repelled by a powerful backlash of spiritual energy. Due to the backlash, he groaned softly, his face turning pale. It seemed the person who set up the formation hadn't intended to kill him; otherwise, the outcome wouldn't have been so optimistic. Tian Jun, who had been observing Ye Fan, suddenly heard him groan and quickly asked, "What's wrong, Fanzi?"

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