Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 302 - 303 Chapter 308 Pre-Qin Qi Refiner

303: Chapter 308 Pre-Qin Qi Refiner 303: Chapter 308 Pre-Qin Qi Refiner Pre-Qin refers to the historical era of ancient palace before the Qin Dynasty, starting from the period when early humans emerged to the time when Qin Shihuang conquered the Six Kingdoms in 221 BC.

Dao Glyphs, also known as Bronze Script, are inscriptions carved on bronze relics of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

These inscriptions were used from the early Shang Dynasty until the Qin conquest of the Six Kingdoms, with their use flourishing most during the Zhou Dynasty.

Inside the Daoist Temple, the mottled ancient walls were engraved with lines of Dao Glyphs—strong and beautiful, with well-arranged strokes and a solemn aura.

Ye Fan was intently focused, carefully distinguishing the characters.

There were a total of two hundred and fifteen ancient characters, penned with strength, slender and vital, as if alive.

He recognized a total of sixty-nine characters.

The remaining one hundred and forty-six were unfamiliar to him, and despite deep contemplation, he couldn’t decipher their meaning.

Among the sixty-nine he identified, nine were merely guessed based on context, as this ancient script was incredibly dated.

Even true old scholars cannot entirely recognize Dao Glyphs.

On the other side of the Starry Sky, later generations can only identify a portion.

Pre-Qin Qi Refiner…

Ye Fan was shaken; this indeed was an inscription left by ancient people from the other side of the Starry Sky.

He carefully examined these records.

Although he couldn’t recognize most of the characters, he preliminarily understood that this person undoubtedly belonged to the Pre-Qin era of ancient palace.

Yet, he couldn’t deduce who this was or if they held any prominence in ancient history, given that nearly one hundred and fifty characters were completely undecipherable.

Qi Refiner…

This was the first time he had heard such a term.

These three words sparked endless imagination in Ye Fan, making him envision a mysterious epoch with unknown secrets from Ancient Times beyond the known.

The sixty-nine identifiable characters were not continuous, and the preceding and succeeding characters were difficult to connect.

After observing for a long time, he only vaguely understood some parts.

This Pre-Qin Qi Refiner didn’t traverse the void on his own to come to this side of the Starry Sky.

There was a reason recorded in the Dao Glyphs, but he couldn’t decipher it.

“Is this some kind of secret art?” the Black Emperor impatiently asked from the side.

“No!” “Kid, you’re keeping secrets!

We discovered this together, so hurry and decode it,” the Black Emperor urged.

Ye Fan ignored it, turning to Tu Fei.

“Outside this world, are there other worlds?

Have you ever heard of them?” Tu Fei looked doubtful and shook his head.

“I’ve never heard of any.” “Do you know something…?” Nearby, the Black Emperor seemed taken aback.

“Are these bird scripts related to that?” This large dog is quite mysterious, Ye Fan suddenly thought.

Perhaps it knows many unknown secrets.

He asked, “Have you heard something?” “I…

I’ve heard a little,” the Black Emperor replied, then eagerly and impatiently asked back, “What do these strange characters on the wall record?” Tu Fei also looked over, equally curious about the origin of this Daoist Temple.

“The things recorded on it are incredible.

It says that at Paramita, on the other side of the Starry Sky, there is another world…” “What?!” Tu Fei exclaimed.

“Could there really be Daoist Saints?” The Black Emperor’s eyes were also flashing.

He urged, “Be more detailed.

Translate all the characters on there so we can understand clearly.” “The people from that place call themselves Qi Refiners.

This was a Pre-Qin Qi Refiner who traversed the endless Starry Sky and, after arriving here, left these stone carvings.” “This…

how is this possible?

Is it true?” Tu Fei was filled with shock, somewhat dumbfounded.

“Are Pre-Qin Qi Refiners that powerful?

Could they rival a Great Emperor?” Ye Fan said, “He didn’t come here by himself.

He inexplicably came to this world along a path left by ancient people.” Ancient people…

What kind of people were they?

Traveling among various starry skies?

Tu Fei was stirred, countless possibilities flashing through his mind.

The Black Emperor’s eyes, however, shot out two sharp beams of light.

“Where did this fellow go?

If we could capture him, we’d obtain a priceless treasure.” Someone came to this world, and no one noticed?

Ye Fan was disappointed, having originally hoped to glean some clues from them.

“Since he wasn’t from this world, he must have been careful to hide himself.

So many years have passed; if he were still alive, he’d long be comparable to the various great Peacock Kings,” Tu Fei speculated.

This Daoist Temple had to be at least two thousand years old.

Ye Fan nodded.

People from the Pre-Qin period were from at least two thousand years ago.

If this person were still alive, he might have even become a Supreme Sect Hierarch of some Great Sect.

“Kid, how do you recognize these bird scripts?” The Black Emperor’s eyes gleamed, staring at Ye Fan with profound meaning.

Tu Fei, who had also been suspicious for a while, looked over, filled with incomprehension.

“I once read an Ancient Book that contained some of these characters with rough annotations.

I recognize some of them,” Ye Fan answered calmly.

“Teach me!

This script is profound, I want to learn it,” said the Black Emperor.

Ye Fan replied without hesitation, “Sure, no problem.

I’ll teach you one character for every Dao Glyph you teach me.” The Black Emperor immediately rolled its eyes, looking disgruntled.

Dao Glyphs were its specialty, a hidden skill it possessed, and Ye Fan had been eyeing them for a while without success.

“Black Emperor, you still haven’t said anything about the world on the other side of the Starry Sky.

Have you heard anything at all?” Ye Fan pressed.

“I know very little.

Back then, a Great Emperor mentioned it briefly, but I don’t know anything specific.” “Can’t you be more specific?” Ye Fan wanted to hit it.

“How can I be specific?

All I know is that the Great Emperor often gazed at the Starry Sky late at night.

I know nothing else,” the Black Emperor shook its head.

“Dead dog, are you intentionally hiding something?” Ye Fan pressed.

WOOF!

The Black Emperor bared its fangs, pretending to lunge and bite.

“You really don’t know?” Ye Fan was skeptical.

“If This Emperor knew, would I need to ask you?

I only know that this is a secret of the Great Emperor, completely unknown to outsiders,” the Black Emperor answered irritably.

Night fell, and the scorching desert grew increasingly cold.

By midnight, it was bone-chillingly frigid; an ordinary person would surely freeze stiff.

Ye Fan gazed up at the Starry Sky, searching for a way back.

The ancients could traverse the void, so I can too.

I will definitely be able to go back someday…

He felt that his homeland must hold many secrets from Ancient Times.

“Kid, do you really think of yourself as a Great Emperor?” The Black Emperor, who had been napping beside the Daoist Temple, woke up and said mockingly.

“Did the Great Emperors of old gaze at the Starry Sky every night?” Ye Fan asked calmly.

“Not every night.

Occasionally, they would become lost in thought and sit there for an entire night,” the Black Emperor replied with a yawn.

“How do you know all this so clearly?” Ye Fan suddenly pressed.

Tu Fei had also woken up.

Leaning against the wall of the Daoist Temple, he opened his eyes and said, “This dead dog has many secrets but refuses to share them.

All he knows is how to greedily snatch other people’s things; he never shares anything with anyone.” WOOF!

A bark cut through the night sky.

“Alright, stop your亂biting.” (Assuming “乱咬” means “random biting” or “biting wildly”, the original English “stop biting” is fine as a command.) “Alright, stop your biting.” “All of this is hearsay I’ve picked up.

The secrets of a Great Emperor aren’t easily known.

Even if others begged me, I wouldn’t tell them.” “Which starry skies did this Great Emperor like to observe?” Ye Fan asked.

“Many.

Ziwei, Taiwei…” the Black Emperor nonchalantly listed several names.

Ye Fan returned to the Daoist Temple and once again examined the rows of Dao Glyphs.

He traced them with his hand, pondering them carefully.

Eventually, he managed to guess two more characters—Ziwei!

The Pre-Qin Qi Refiner had mentioned these two words in the Dao Glyphs, which stirred Ye Fan’s interest.

He then began to trace them on the wall.

RUSTLE, RUSTLE…

Suddenly, the stone wall seemed to crumble into dust, falling away.

All the inscriptions vanished as a large section of the mottled ancient wall peeled off.

Was it due to its great age, or some other reason?

Ye Fan’s heart stirred.

He lightly traced his finger across the surface, and stone debris flew off.

This section of stone carving completely disappeared, a thick layer of dust falling to the ground.

DING!

A faint sound emerged from the decaying wall, revealing a dull metal box.

It was lusterless, old, and ordinary.

“We’ve dug up a treasure!” the Black Emperor shouted, lunging forward, baring its teeth, ready to fight Ye Fan for it.

Tu Fei, from behind, grabbed its bald tail, preventing it from advancing.

WOOF!

Just as a tiger’s backside is not to be touched, the Black Emperor’s bald tail was definitely also a Forbidden Area.

It spun around and began to bite furiously.

Ye Fan cut through the wall and retrieved the metal box.

It was rectangular, cast from bronze, over three feet long and a palm’s width wide.

It was tightly sealed and very sturdy.

The bronze metal box felt heavy, and a faint coolness emanated from it, along with a weak trace of divine energy.

Ye Fan instantly understood.

The wall had originally been a seal, but due to the passage of time, divine energy had leaked out, causing a considerable amount of stone debris to fall off.

WOOF!

The Black Emperor bit Tu Fei a few times before finally stopping.

It quickly moved closer to observe the long, rectangular bronze box.

“You just stay put and don’t try to snatch it!” Ye Fan warned it.

“Relax, This Emperor just wants to take a look.

How could I snatch something from my own people?” the Black Emperor replied, its bald tail held high.

“Damn it, you dead dog!” Tu Fei cursed, a row of teeth marks visible on his calf as he limped over.

The two men and one dog were all filled with anticipation.

After all, this was something left behind by a Qi Refiner from the other side of the Starry Sky.

Ye Fan, in particular, felt somewhat nervous.

He took out his cauldron and suspended it above his head.

Strands of primal chaos flowed down, protecting his body.

Then, he slowly opened the long metal box.

The bronze lid was lifted.

No treasure light burst forth, nor was there any auspicious radiance.

There wasn’t even a ripple of divine energy.

Inside the metal box lay a Wooden Whip.

It looked very ancient and was inscribed with many Dao Glyphs that were exceedingly profound.

The more one looked at it, the more it captivated one’s Heart Spirit.

It was over three feet long and had more than twenty segments.

Each segment bore several complex patterns, clearly imprinted, appearing both natural and enigmatic.

A Wooden Whip, from the other side of the Starry Sky.

What kind of treasure is this?

Ye Fan wondered.

Which known Pre-Qin figure wielded a Wooden Whip?

He thought carefully.

The Black Emperor was an expert.

Upon seeing this Wooden Whip, which was comparable to an Iron Sword, it almost drooled, because every segment bore profound Dao Glyphs.

“Could this be a Supreme Treasure?

But why can’t I feel any divine energy fluctuations?” Tu Fei asked.

BUZZ.

The Wooden Whip vibrated lightly and unexpectedly floated out of the metal box, flying towards the Black Emperor.

“Dead dog, you’re really snatching it?!” Ye Fan exclaimed angrily.

“As soon as I saw this treasure, I knew it was destined for me!

I don’t want the Source we snatched from those bull-nosed Daoists anymore.

It’s all yours!

I just want this Wooden Whip!” The Black Emperor hugged the Wooden Whip tightly with its large paws.

“This greedy dog really does snatch any treasure it sees!” Tu Fei gritted his teeth.

“OW…” Suddenly, the Black Emperor yowled miserably and threw the Wooden Whip to the ground.

It stumbled on its hind legs, hopping about chaotically, its front paws clutching its head, its mouth wide open in a pained howl.

“Dead dog, what’s wrong with you?” Ye Fan asked.

“Damn it, my divine sense was attacked!” the Black Emperor cried out in pain.

“Serves you right for being so greedy!” Ye Fan felt no sympathy for it.

Last time, it had convulsed on the ground for snatching the fruit cut from the Stone Grinding Plate, and today it had made the same mistake.

“What kind of treasure could this be?” Tu Fei wondered aloud, not daring to touch the Wooden Whip.

He circled it, observing, but found nothing unusual.

“AH…” Suddenly, he too cried out, clutching his forehead.

“Brother Tu, are you alright?” Ye Fan asked in surprise.

“Do not probe it with divine scan; this Wooden Whip attacks one’s divine sense!” Tu Fei said.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred.

He picked up the Wooden Whip and held it in his hand, murmuring to himself, Could this be a whip that specifically attacks divine sense?

A Divine Whip left by a Pre-Qin Qi Refiner, from the other side of the Starry Sky—such a treasure was likely left by some rather famous Qi Refiner.

(To be continued.

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