Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 287 - 288 Chapter 293 Stone Tools - Divine Treasures

288: Chapter 293 Stone Tools – Divine Treasures 288: Chapter 293 Stone Tools – Divine Treasures The nine secret arts of Li State originate from a very mysterious place.

Ye Fan carefully observed this Brocade and Silk.

According to what was recorded on it, it is very far away, already close to the Central Territory of the Eastern Wastelands.

Holy Cliff, an ancient name, is marked on this Brocade and Silk, and it is exactly where the nine secret arts are stored.

Ye Fan thought the name was a bit special and couldn’t help asking the Black Emperor, “Black Emperor, have you heard of Holy Cliff?” The Black Emperor’s heart jumped, and he said, “How do you know this name?” “I threw the Ancient Scroll to Daoist Duan De and kept this piece of Brocade and Silk.

It mentioned that the nine secret arts are hidden there.” Ye Fan did not hide the truth from the Black Emperor.

“This place is very unusual.

A Great Emperor once went there and, facing the Ancient Cliff, had a feeling and paid homage there,” the Black Emperor said.

“What kind of place is it exactly?” Ye Fan was even more amazed.

“There’s a rumor that a sacred body of Great Success fell there, and its blood stained the stone cliff red.

The Great Emperors of ancient times, all lonely and invincible, traveled to the Ancient Cliff and mostly thought that if that sacred body were still alive, it would be worth a shot,” the Black Emperor replied.

“To think there are such stories…” Ye Fan stroked his chin.

This is not an ordinary place.

Since the nine secret arts are hidden in that area, he has to take a trip there.

However, he did not want to leave just yet.

With the Brocade and Silk in hand, the nine secret arts were not going to run away.

He could follow the map later.

Now, what he needed most was to enhance his Realm, not to urgently search for mysterious arts.

These days, he traveled through dozens of cities, continuously buying stone materials, then going to deserted places to cut them open.

Together with what he already had, he had accumulated over ten thousand jin of Source.

At the moment, he could already break through to the Third Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace, but he was not satisfied and wanted to advance to the Fourth Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace.

However, it was too difficult; it required a hundred thousand jin of Source Formula.

This was a dizzying figure, and relying solely on gambling with stones was somewhat challenging.

Perhaps I should head to the sacred city…

Ye Fan murmured to himself.

More than half a month had passed, and the storm in Li State had not subsided.

On the contrary, it intensified.

On that day, another focal person—Daoist Duan De—was even more miserable compared to Ye Fan.

The shameless Daoist was indeed a character.

On that day, under such circumstances, he still found an opportunity and successfully escaped.

However, his life afterward was very difficult.

All the Sacred Lands simultaneously hunted him down, and Wu Dao of the thirteen bandits roared as he pursued him, while the demon clan clung to him relentlessly.

Daoist Duan De ran for half a month, almost vomiting blood, nearly skinned alive.

Finally, he couldn’t hold on and threw the Ancient Scroll.

Even this way, he still wasn’t in good shape.

Wu Dao of the thirteen bandits seemed to have locked onto him, chasing him tirelessly day and night.

Some people saw that after half a month, Daoist Duan De was much thinner, covered in bloodstains, yet surprisingly, he was still bouncing around energetically without showing signs of exhaustion.

“That fat fellow truly has a great life.

The Sacred Lands didn’t kill him, and even Wu Dao’s personal hand couldn’t catch up with him.” Ye Fan was at a loss for words.

According to the latest news, Daoist Duan De, being chased down by Wu Dao, had nowhere to hide and fled towards the direction of the Central States.

After the Ancient Scroll was thrown out by the shameless Daoist, the heirs of the Sacred Lands fought fiercely, shocking the elders.

Their Combat Power was extremely astounding.

“We need to go back to Stone Village and relocate the people.

I estimate that after some time, the struggle over the Ancient Scroll will have results, and the Sacred Lands will mostly sit down and talk.” That was not the nine secret arts, but a world-shocking map.

Once the Great Sects understood it, there would undoubtedly be a huge storm.

No single sect could swallow it alone, and that place could not be conquered by just one Sacred Land.

He didn’t want the people of Stone Village to be impacted, intending to settle them in advance, keeping them away from the Purple Mountain.

“If the Sacred Lands launch a large-scale attack on the Purple Mountain, other places will certainly be empty.

There may be a perfect opportunity by then, and I need Source!” Ye Fan was filled with yearning.

「Half a month later,」 Ye Fan and the Black Emperor returned to Stone Village.

It was much the same as before, with no significant changes.

This place was far from being rich and beautiful.

The village, surrounded by reddish-brown stones, was rather desolate, with little vegetation.

It was just a small oasis of a dozen or so miles.

However, the people here had a good spirit, living by mining Source, living carefree, and trading for necessities in faraway oases.

“Junior brother Ye has returned, and also that…

Black Emperor.” The people of Stone Village warmly greeted them, almost calling the Black Dog the wrong name.

When they learned they had to relocate, many elders were silent.

They had lived here for generations, and suddenly leaving was difficult for anyone to accept.

“We have to move; this place will no longer be peaceful in the future.

There will be a massive storm.” Ye Fan explained patiently.

Finally, he had no choice but to invite Fifth Grandpa Zhang over and briefly explain the situation regarding the Purple Mountain.

Upon hearing that the Sacred Lands were coming, Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s expression changed, and he sighed, “Our ancestors told us to guard here.

Must we now withdraw?” The Black Emperor poked its massive head over and said, “Leave.

Your lineage will have great fortune in the future.” Ye Fan had heard that the Zhang family’s ancestor, the Heavenly Source Master, once said to guard here respectfully in honor of the Purple Mountain, and there would be great fortune in the future.

For many, completely leaving this place was a melancholic process, and Ye Fan did not hurry to urge them since there was still ample time.

Even if the Ancient Scroll fell into the hands of the Sacred Lands, it would not yield any quick results.

There would be ongoing skirmishes that require continual compromise and redistribution of interests.

However, at this time, the Black Emperor made a discovery.

When it went to observe the Purple Mountain, it shockingly found a human figure; someone had already arrived!

“Are you sure?” Ye Fan was startled; this was too fast.

“That person is extremely terrifying.

I only saw a shadow, then it was gone in a flash,” the Black Emperor said in a deep voice.

The Black Emperor only barely saw it.

That person was wearing a Daoist robe and standing on the Purple Mountain Peak.

He vanished in an instant, giving it quite a scare.

“Dressed in a Daoist robe, could it be that damn fat guy?

But wasn’t he chased toward Central States?” Ye Fan was puzzled.

“It’s definitely not that fat guy.

He couldn’t be that fast.

I remember clearly everyone I’ve bitten, and this person is really terrifying.

In a blink of an eye, he vanished,” the Black Emperor replied.

Ye Fan thought it urgent to leave; this place wasn’t peaceful anymore.

This storm came faster than he had imagined.

“Urge them to quickly pack up.

I’ll go out for a bit.” He left the Stone Village to gather news in Pingyan City, and found that the Sacred Lands hadn’t taken action yet; the Ancient Scroll’s turmoil hadn’t subsided.

What’s happening?

The Sacred Lands haven’t come, yet someone arrived first.

It must be a top expert.

Ye Fan speculated in his heart that this person must have viewed the Ancient Scroll.

When Ye Fan returned, he encountered the Black Emperor dozens of miles away from the Stone Village, puzzled, “What are you doing here?” “An old bull-nosed Daoist came and entered the Stone Village.

I can’t see through him and fear he might be against me,” the Black Emperor said.

“So, you ran out?” Ye Fan was surprised and worried about the people in the Stone Village.

“Don’t worry.

With a cultivation base at such a Realm, he definitely wouldn’t make things difficult for mortals.

But I don’t know why he entered the Stone Village,” the Black Emperor comforted.

“The Daoist you mentioned, could it be the one seen at the Purple Mountain Peak?” “Most likely it’s that bull-nosed Daoist; otherwise, how could two top experts appear in the same area?” the Black Emperor pondered for a long time, then said, “Go and see what he’s doing?” Ye Fan thought for a moment, changed his appearance to look like Wang Shu, mimicking even his innate aura almost identically.

Now about to leave, Wang Shu wasn’t in the Stone Village; he was in Pingyan City procuring needed supplies.

Disguised as Wang Shu, he returned to the Stone Village, and upon arrival, saw a large group of people gathered, many discussing things.

“What’s happening?” Ye Fan asked.

“An old Daoist came, very strange.

He took a liking to Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s grinder and also the Grinding Disc from the uneducated youth’s home, intending to buy them,” someone replied.

“That old Daoist has a terrible vision.

Even I can tell that grinder and Grinding Disc definitely don’t have any Source, yet he wants to pay a high price for them.

I really don’t understand what he’s thinking,” another person commented.

Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurried forward.

In the crowd, an old Daoist wearing an ancient, worn Daoist robe stood, clothing appearing quite old and slightly faded from washing.

Such attire is different from today’s style…

Ye Fan felt a stirring in his heart; the Daoist robe’s design was very ancient.

His expression remained calm, but inwardly he was alarmed.

For a split second, his spiritual perception made him feel as if he was facing a slumbering Ancient Barbaric Dragon.

However, that flash of spiritual perception vanished quickly, and he soon lost the sensation, maintaining his composure with no sign of anything amiss.

This was a white-haired Daoist, looking about sixty or seventy years old, with bright spirits, intently examining the Stone Grinding Plate from the uneducated youth’s home.

“I’ll give you ten jin of Source; I want this Grinding Disc,” the old Daoist told the uneducated youth’s parents.

“Ten jin?!” Everyone around was taken aback.

Even Ye Fan was somewhat puzzled, as he too was carefully observing this Grinding Disc but hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

In the end, the old Daoist bought the Grinding Disc and began cutting it open right in front of everyone.

Stone chips flew as he meticulously cut, afraid of damaging some treasure, peeling it layer by layer, without any chopping or hacking.

Yet, the Grinding Disc ultimately became a pile of stone fragments, with nothing cut out.

The old Daoist frowned as he stood up, pointing at the stone grinder in front of Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s house, and said, “I will pay twenty jin of Source for this grinder.” “This…” The people in the Stone Village were extremely shocked.

“Fifth Grandpa, do these stone grinders and stone mills have any history?” Ye Fan asked Fifth Grandpa Zhang in a low voice.

“I haven’t heard of any history…” Fifth Grandpa Zhang frowned, thinking deeply for a long time, then said, “We’ve used them for generations, nothing special, and I can’t see any Source in them.” Suddenly, Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s expression changed, and he exchanged a look with Ye Fan.

They both thought of the same possibility: could these stone mills and grinders have been left behind by the ancestors on purpose?

It’s known that the Zhang family’s ancestors were not ordinary people; they were legendary figures of their time.

If they were left behind intentionally by the ancestors, they must be extraordinary, and with their vision, they couldn’t perceive any special characteristics.

“Are there many such Stone Tools in the village?” Ye Fan asked.

“Specifically…

we haven’t counted.” Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s fingers trembled slightly.

Could the items left for descendants by that legendary figure be the most ordinary stone blocks, stone mills, and stone grinders?

Ye Fan’s heart trembled at this thought.