Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 283 - 284 Chapter 289 The Secret of the Ancient Scroll

284: Chapter 289: The Secret of the Ancient Scroll 284: Chapter 289: The Secret of the Ancient Scroll In the Eastern Wastelands, nearly half of the Sacred Lands’ Saint Heirs and sacred ladies were present, likely to become future Peacock Kings, representing the future and hope.

If Ye Fan were to strike recklessly and kill everyone present, it would be tantamount to wiping out the younger generation of the Eastern Wastelands.

This would inevitably lead to a dearth of talent, severing an entire era—an incalculable and enormous loss, chilling to the very bone merely to contemplate.

“It’s you…” Yao Xi said very calmly, speaking only these two words.

“Yes, it’s me,” Ye Fan replied, conjuring a golden hand to tilt her chin, his expression indifferent.

These words seemed ordinary, and bystanders would not have paid them much heed.

In truth, however, the two were engaged in a hidden battle of wits, one that perhaps only the Yaochi Saintess beside them could understand.

Yao Xi recognized Ye Fan as the young Daoist from the Fire God Furnace; they had entered the Taichu Forbidden Area together, and she had seen him produce this very furnace.

However, this only highlighted the Flickering Light Saint Heir’s composure and fearsome nature.

Earlier, he had been surprisingly calm, asking only one question before Ye Fan threw him into the furnace, “Are we enemies?” In truth, whether as the young Daoist or as the real Ye Fan, he seemed to bear no enmity towards the Flickering Light Saint Heir.

Ye Fan had merely speculated that the ancient creature might be the Flickering Light Saint Heir in disguise, but he could not be certain.

Therefore, he said nothing and directly tossed him into the Fire God Furnace.

Yao Xi struggled gently, her beautiful eyes flashing, and said, “You wouldn’t want to throw me into that furnace too, would you?” “A pity.

There are no black flames left inside; otherwise, I could have sent you all on your way together,” Ye Fan said, shaking his head.

“You…” At that moment, Yao Xi was startled.

The golden hand Ye Fan had conjured suddenly flicked her, sending her flying with a BANG against the Chaos Stone.

“If you survive, I’ll return your undergarment,” Ye Fan said with a placid smile.

These words were transmitted secretly, with the sole purpose of silencing her.

CLANG!

The lid of the Fire God Furnace was opened, and Ye Fan, without a moment’s hesitation, decisively threw Yao Xi inside.

“AH…” Just then, the Golden-Winged Little Peng King burst out, his entire body pitch black, almost charred.

The Flickering Light Saint Heir followed close behind, looking as though he too had fallen into a coal mine.

BANG!

Ye Fan showed no mercy, striking with the Great Void Handprint.

It smashed down upon the Golden-Winged Little Peng King’s head, knocking both of them back into the furnace.

DANG!

The five-colored furnace lid flew back, sealing the Fire God Furnace once more.

Roaring flames blazed within, burning its entire body red-hot, while the Chaos Stone emitted rays of auspicious light, channeling divine energy into it.

“You…” The expressions of the people from Flickering Light changed repeatedly.

“You desecrated the sacred lady and threw her into the furnace!

Truly ruthless!” Many from the Flickering Light Sacred Land trembled with anger.

“If someone wants to kill you, are you supposed to venerate them instead?” Ye Fan retorted.

“When did we of Flickering Light ever cause you trouble?

Do you even know who they are?” someone gritted out.

“I owe you no explanation.

Enemies are for killing, regardless of their identity,” Ye Fan responded flatly.

Many present were greatly shocked.

Even the renowned Flickering Light Sacred Lady, a peerless beauty, had been thrown in.

All the heirs of the Sacred Lands were in danger.

Clearly, Ye Fan had no scruples and showed no mercy when he acted.

“What a waste, what a waste!

The Flickering Light Sacred Lady is going to be reduced to ashes; the world will lose a breathtaking beauty…” Liu Kou transmitted, his voice filled with regret.

Wu Zhongtian secretly transmitted a rebuke, “That’s exactly how it should be!

As long as they are a formidable enemy, it doesn’t matter who they are.

Even if a true Heavenly Immortal descended to the mortal world, if they needed to be refined, they would be.

One must be ruthless and unfeeling.” Ye Fan did not respond.

Instead, he walked around the area, making a full circle without taking further action.

“You had better leave quickly,” the Yaochi Saintess transmitted via her divine scan.

“Otherwise, you truly will be in danger.” “Thank you for your kindness,” Ye Fan smiled.

He then thought for a moment and secretly transmitted, “In the future, I might bring Phoenix Blood Red Gold to Jade Lake.” He scanned the heirs from Dayan, Wanchu, Dao Yi, Purple Mansion, and other Sacred Lands but made no move, as he had no conflict with them.

This caused those below to heave a sigh of relief, fearing Ye Fan might, without a word, toss everyone into the Fire God Furnace.

SWISH!

In the next moment, Ye Fan stood before Ji Haoyue.

A golden hand materialized, seemingly intending to throw him into the Fire God Furnace as well.

This made the Ji Family extremely tense.

However, Ye Fan ultimately stayed his hand.

He thought of Ji Ziyue and the time she had erected a cenotaph for him.

“Forget it.

I’ll spare your divine body for now.

We’ll meet again when I enter the Four Extremes secret boundary.” Ye Fan returned to the Chaos Stone and sat cross-legged upon it.

He cast a fire-summoning incantation at the Fire God Furnace, channeling his divine energy, determined to refine the three powerful cultivators.

The force field emitted by the Chaos Stone here nullified divine energy.

There was no way to slay them with actual combat techniques; perhaps only this peculiar furnace could refine them.

The Chaos Stone shot out rays of auspicious light that entered the furnace, causing it to become even more scorching and intensely red.

The sun engraved on it vanished, also entering the furnace.

This was destined to be a lengthy process.

Ye Fan remained extremely vigilant, ready to activate the mysterious jade platform and traverse the void at any moment.

He was gambling on time, hoping to stay longer to thoroughly refine the three great experts.

During this process, he took out the ancient animal hide scroll and unfolded it, observing it carefully.

A moment later, he received a great shock.

Tucked within the Ancient Scroll was a piece of Brocade and Silk, bearing some ancient characters and a map.

Nine secret arts!

There truly were nine secret arts!

He had thought this grand tomb was likely unrelated to that ancient family, not expecting to be wrong—this was the ancestral tomb of that ancient family.

The Brocade and Silk contained no Nine Secrets Heart Method, only a map and some annotations.

The ancestor of this ancient family had possessed great foresight.

He had candidly stated that there are no immortal dynasties, nor eternal noble families.

In the long river of history, even some Sacred Lands and Ancient Nobilities would become extinct, let alone ordinary noble families.

He didn’t want one of the nine secret arts to be lost due to their family’s decline, so he left this piece of Brocade and Silk.

Back then, he had obtained this mysterious art from a secret location.

The Brocade and Silk noted the place, reserved for those fated to follow his path.

“He was an enlightened figure, possessing the same sentiments as Jiang Taixu, the Divine King…” Ye Fan thought, putting away the Brocade and Silk without a change in expression.

Others were unaware of the secret hidden within the Ancient Scroll.

Only then did he formally examine the Ancient Scroll.

It contained many words and a clear map.

Ye Fan glanced over it and his expression immediately changed.

He saw a familiar topographical map: nine dragon veins cradling a mountain!

This was the topographical map of Purple Mountain, the Demon Mountain suppressed by the No Beginning Great Emperor.

Such a map had actually circulated.

“Black Emperor…” Ye Fan transmitted with his divine scan.

The large black dog was hiding inside the cauldron.

It had perhaps expended a huge amount of divine energy trying to pull the Chaos Stone into the cauldron, but it was almost exhausted and could not budge it in the slightest.

“I’ve figured it out!

Being with you, this Sovereign always works for nothing and suffers terrible luck!” “Stop complaining and look at this map quickly…” Ye Fan sent the Ancient Scroll into the cauldron for the dog to inspect.

“Damn it!

Someone indeed got a glimpse of the Great Emperor’s legacy and even pinpointed the location of Emperor Mountain…” By now, Ye Fan no longer needed to guess.

This imperial palace, transformed into the Bright God Hall, was undoubtedly the former resting place of the No Beginning Great Emperor.

The Chaos Stone was his ancient bed.

After cursing, the large black dog suddenly fell silent and did not speak for a long time.

“What’s wrong, Black Emperor?

Don’t tell me you’ve been cursed by the tomb?” “Kid, do you want to harm someone?” the Black Emperor suddenly asked.

“What do you mean?” Ye Fan asked.

“If there’s someone you don’t like, just give them this map,” the Black Emperor calmly responded.

“What are you implying?

If you do that, Purple Mountain, embraced by the nine dragons, will be exposed.

It will no longer be peaceful; it will be excavated!” Ye Fan knew the Black Emperor must have a significant connection to Purple Mountain.

“Considering the time, more than a hundred thousand years have passed.

Perhaps it is time for Purple Mountain to surface,” the Black Emperor said woodenly, somewhat dispirited.

“What are you talking about?

Aren’t you afraid Purple Mountain will be destroyed by the major Sacred Lands?” Ye Fan asked.

“Unless there is a living Great Emperor in this world, no one can gain anything from Purple Mountain,” the Black Emperor replied with utter certainty, as if regaining its composure.

“If there’s someone you don’t like, just give them this map.” Ye Fan’s heart tightened; he immediately thought of many things.

A great storm was likely brewing over Purple Mountain!

“Are you sure the major Sacred Lands can’t obtain the No Beginning Scripture?” Ye Fan was most concerned about the Stone Scripture within Purple Mountain.

“Unless there is a living Great Emperor, or they obtain the complete jade pendant, no one can access the ancient scriptures,” the Black Emperor affirmed.

This large black dog knew far too much, but Ye Fan felt it wasn’t appropriate to press it further.

He began to ponder seriously.

“Anyway, these Sacred Lands have nothing to do.

I might as well divert their attention,” he decided, sneering.

He wanted to send the Ancient Scroll out but lacked a good pretext.

“Why hasn’t that unscrupulous Daoist appeared yet?” Ye Fan had been wary of him, but now he truly hoped the man would jump out so Ye Fan could hand him this hot potato.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a tremendous noise erupted from the Bright God Hall.

An Extreme Dao pressure swept through the area, causing even the Chaos Stone to tremble.

The ancient pagoda inside the hall instantly shattered.

Yan Ruyu, radiant and unparalleled, stood alone.

Using a peak weapon, she reduced the ancient pagoda to dust, and her opponent turned to ashes as she broke free.

At the same time, many disciples of the Sacred Lands swiftly retreated.

Their leaders were all Fourth Layer Heaven experts of the Dao Palace, and their purpose for being around the ancient pagoda was obvious.

Not every Sacred Land possessed peak weapons; the Eastern Wastelands had only a few in total.

If Yan Ruyu were to fall here, it would be more significant than any opportunity for some people.

Unfortunately, many Saint Heirs had already been frozen in mid-air, an outcome they had not anticipated.

“Daoist Duan, what do you mean?” Yan Ruyu asked, standing gracefully in the center of the area, staring at a point in the nearby void.

A portly figure materialized.

Daoist Duan De smiled sheepishly and said, “I was merely afraid Princess Yan might meet with some mishap, so I stayed nearby to guard.” This damned fatty!

Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

This fellow had indeed arrived long ago, deeply hidden and overly ambitious, even daring to scheme for the peak weapon!

Yan Ruyu’s expression remained placid; her flawless, jade-like countenance showed no emotion.

She said nothing more, but the light in her palm intensified, her Extreme Dao Immortal Power growing even more terrifying.

Daoist Duan De retreated quickly, saying, “Princess Yan, please don’t misunderstand!

How would I dare to rob you?

Peacock King, Green Flood Dragon King, and Old Roc King are all outside.

I wouldn’t unless I no longer wished to live.” As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s expression changed.

Not only had Grand Elders from the Sacred Lands arrived, but even the three major Demon Kings had appeared simultaneously.

“Daoist Duan De… I’m telling you, my grandfather Wu Dao has also come!” Wu Zhongtian gritted his teeth.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Duan De immediately flinched.

He had once robbed their ancestral tombs; if he were caught here, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Black Emperor, give it to me!” Ye Fan transmitted secretly, retrieving the Ancient Scroll from the cauldron and holding it in his hand.

At this moment, an astonishing event occurred that surprised everyone.

Daoist Duan De, with a broken bowl atop his head, charged at the Chaos Stone like a specter.

The force field couldn’t stop him!

SWISH!

Daoist Duan De shot past with unimaginable speed, snatching the Ancient Scroll from Ye Fan’s hand with ghostly deftness.

He laughed heartily, his mouth nearly splitting to his earlobes.

Yet, he wasn’t satisfied, as a plump hand reached for the cauldron above Ye Fan’s head.

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

The sound of barking echoed through the great hall.

AH!

AH!

AH!

Daoist Duan De screamed, shaking his right arm incessantly.

In that instant, he had been bitten seventeen or eighteen times, from his fingers all the way up his arm.

“Boundless… damn that Heavenly Venerate!

Whose dog is this?!”