Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 305 - 306 Chapter 311 The Four Transformations of the Divine Sources

306: Chapter 311: The Four Transformations of the Divine Sources 306: Chapter 311: The Four Transformations of the Divine Sources This vast golden desert shattered like glass.

The sand sea in front of them vanished, and faint mountain silhouettes appeared on the distant horizon.

“What is this…” they were all shocked.

The Black Emperor said, “I understand.

Indeed, the Dao Glyphs on the broken weapon fragments are affecting the desert.

Once we collect them, this corner of the world regains its clear sky and vibrant earth.

Presumably, it’s the same for the entire desert.” This was an unexpected joy.

As the Black Emperor and Tu Fei collected precious materials, they also broke the impasse and walked out of the desert.

After traveling for more than ten li, they completely left the vast desert, arriving at the edge of an oasis.

It was now deep autumn, and most trees had lost their leaves; only a few species like green pines and maples were still lush.

“Such a fat dog, what a treat!

We’ll stew black dog meat tonight!” Ahead, a few figures stood under a barren mountain at the edge of the oasis, laughing with a strange Yin Yang tone, wearing Iron Armor that sparkled with light.

“You two brats, leave all your Source and scram!” The Black Emperor almost jumped up at that moment, but it held back, grinding its teeth in secret.

“Who are you people?” Tu Fei’s face darkened as well.

As a descendant of great bandits, being robbed was a first for him.

“You’re in the wrong place!

Leave your Source and scram!

You have no right to ask questions here!” These people were very arrogant, not taking the two men and a dog seriously at all.

“And of course, the dog stays.

We’ll have a good feast today,” they laughed brazenly.

“WOOF!” The Black Emperor could no longer hold back and lunged forward, opening its gaping maw to bite.

“This black dog is quite fierce, but that’s what makes it delicious.

They say the meat of a fierce dog is tender and tasty.” One of the men, dressed in silver Iron Armor, stepped forward and raised a hand to strike the Black Emperor on the head.

“CLANG!” The slap landed solidly, for the Black Emperor didn’t dodge at all.

With Copper Tendons and Iron Bones, it was no weaker than Ye Fan’s physique.

It swung its big paw with a SWISH, swatting the man over and leaving a terrifying bloody mark on his body.

“This dog…” The others all changed expressions.

This big dog was clearly more formidable than a typical elite dog; it had beaten a cultivator of the First Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace realm until he spat blood with just one swipe.

The Black Emperor was furious.

Transforming into a jet-black blur, it darted around the base of the barren mountain.

With its pair of massive paws waving, those Iron Armors were like paper.

They couldn’t withstand it at all.

With a CRUNCH, all of them were pinned to the ground by it.

“Dare to eat this Emperor…

There is no such person in this world!” The Black Emperor snorted two streams of white air from its nostrils, materialized from its rage.

The few men, initially arrogant, now all behaved.

Realizing they’d provoked someone they couldn’t handle, they screamed in agony under the Black Emperor’s sharp teeth.

“Who are you people, daring to disrespect this Emperor?” Without waiting for Ye Fan and Tu Fei to ask, the Black Emperor was already roaring, needing to vent its anger.

Standing on them, each time it pressed down with its big paws, the men would howl.

Under the Black Emperor’s roaring, they confessed everything.

They were bandits in this area, and their power was not small.

Ye Fan immediately smiled and said to Tu Fei, “These are your colleagues, aren’t they?” “Don’t compare these worthless fellows with me.

True great bandits only rob Sacred Lands and won’t bully the weak.” Tu Fei stepped forward and unleashed a barrage of kicks.

Admittedly, these people weren’t weak, all at the First Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace realm.

They were indeed a formidable group of bandits.

“Is it just you lot?” Tu Fei interrogated.

“We have a stockade, with dozens of people, on the mountain ahead.” Under the Black Emperor’s big paws, they confessed everything.

They had come to the back mountain to bury Source and happened to encounter Tu Fei and the others.

Ye Fan immediately smiled.

Tu Fei had helped him borrow twenty-five thousand jin of Source, and later, they had seized fifty-seven thousand jin from Daoist Duan De, totaling over eighty thousand jin.

He was still more than ten thousand jin short of three full units.

Although he had a Divine Source, it was hard to estimate how much ordinary Pure Source it equaled.

“Dig out all your Source!” “You…” The not-so-weak bandits felt indignant, but they dared not disobey.

At the desert’s edge, they dug out more than a dozen boxes of Source.

Opening these wooden boxes revealed a myriad of colors, all crystalline, totaling over a thousand jin.

“You truly are formidable, comparable to an average small sect.

How many people have you plundered exactly?” Ye Fan sneered.

Without politeness, he took the thousand-plus jin of Source with a sweep of his large sleeve.

“Leave half for us; otherwise, we’ll be punished,” they wailed, deeply regretting their actions.

“You still have to hand it over?” Ye Fan was surprised.

This time, he personally interrogated them, using his powerful divine sense to extract all the information he wanted.

This state was called Anzhou, but it was far from peaceful.

It was vast, with an area of over eight thousand li in diameter.

There were many bandits, among whom five groups were quite famous.

The few before them were affiliated with one such group and had to hand over a certain amount of Source regularly.

After viewing their memories with his divine sense, Ye Fan pointed his fingers a few times, ending their lives.

“These people deserved death.

Their hands were all stained with blood; they were utter scum, even robbing and killing commoners!” For Anzhou’s bandits, this deep autumn was a bit cold.

Across the eight-thousand-li radius, many bandits were counter-raided, and several bandit leaders were killed.

In this season when the last yellow leaves fell, Anzhou’s bandits underwent a major purge.

Even three of the five most infamous groups were wiped out.

For a full half month, Ye Fan carried the God-beating Whip, sweeping through Anzhou and plundering all the bandits.

To avoid exposure, the Black Emperor did not show itself, while Tu Fei occasionally assisted.

Deep in the night, the fire flickered.

The mountains were filled with a bloody scent.

This stronghold was vast, ranking as the fourth largest of Anzhou’s five major bandit groups.

Within the main stockade, no fewer than six Fourth Layer Heaven Dao Palace experts were stationed, forming the most formidable bandit force.

Ye Fan experienced a fierce battle and ultimately slew them all.

The yellow leaves on the ground were swept up by the autumn wind, making a rustling sound.

Unattended campfires crackled, and bodies lay scattered, blood staining the earth red.

Ye Fan had not anticipated such a significant harvest this time.

After purging all the large and small bandits within an eight-thousand-li radius, he had accumulated over twenty thousand jin of Source.

As the night deepened and the bonfire flickered, the wild sheep leg on the wooden rack was roasted to a golden, oily sheen.

Several jars of aged wine nearby emitted an enticing aroma.

After dealing with the last bandit group, Ye Fan and Tu Fei sat atop a mountain, drinking under the moon.

The Black Emperor was beside them, devouring greedily; three and a half of the four wild sheep had entered its stomach.

“This time, I effectively defeated your colleagues,” Ye Fan joked.

“Don’t compare them to me.

I never plunder mortals, nor have I ever committed evil deeds,” Tu Fei retorted.

These vicious bandits plundered far and wide, across several oases, amassing great wealth, much to Ye Fan’s surprise.

Now, one hundred thousand jin of Source was thoroughly gathered; it was enough, even excluding the Divine Source.

After cleansing this oasis of bandits, even Tu Fei was astonished at obtaining so much Source.

Ye Fan took a bite of the golden, tender wild sheep leg and a sip of wine, saying, “If I continue to wipe out the bandits of each oasis one by one like this, I could gather a million jin of Source.” Tu Fei shook his head.

“You’re too optimistic.

This oasis is very special.

I sensed that someone is supporting them; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many bandits and so much Source.” “There’s still one bandit group left, but I don’t plan to move against them now.

I need to enter seclusion first.

The hundred thousand jin of Source is ready, and I can’t delay any longer.” Ye Fan drank the last sip of wine, tossing his cup into the bonfire.

“I’ll be disappearing for more than half a month.” Tu Fei nodded.

“Go into seclusion then; I’ll be your protector.

But we must leave this place and find another.

These bandits definitely have backers; we can’t afford any accidents.” “Kid, part of that hundred thousand jin of Source is mine!” the Black Emperor retorted, raising its massive head.

“You greedy dog!

When you snatched the God-beating Whip, you automatically forfeited your share.

Since you insist, there’s one last notorious bandit group in this province.

When I emerge from seclusion, I’ll take you to get some Source.” 「On that day, Ye Fan began his seclusion!」 He chose the depths of a mountain range, placing over one hundred thousand jin of Source into the cauldron, and then entered it himself.

He felt the sacred body of the Ancient Desolation required a massive burst of enormous Qi to break through in one attempt.

If it was too scattered, success wasn’t assured, so he gathered it all into one cauldron.

Moreover, the Black Emperor specially carved a set of Dao Glyphs for him.

Jade stones glowed around them, altering the surrounding environment and amassing Spiritual Qi from all directions.

In the heart of the mountain range, dead leaves were everywhere.

The autumn wind was like a knife, breaking the grasses, severing the lush greenery, and sapping life.

For a full half month, mysterious Dao sounds echoed in the mountains, as if someone was reciting Supreme Dao Scripture.

Enormous Qi from all directions gathered like water, making the Spiritual Qi here as abundant as water.

This caused many withered flowers and grass to break through the earth, reemerging with boundless life.

This was a wondrous scene: Spiritual Qi was so dense that the flora experienced spring again, sprouting branches and buds, and blooming flowers.

The ancient Great Cauldron was hazy and indistinct, swirling with endless Source Qi that poured forth.

Refining one hundred thousand jin of Source at once—what did that represent?

One could clearly see the cauldron filled with multicolored lights and brilliant auspicious rays, engulfing Ye Fan completely.

The West Emperor Scripture truly deserved to be called a Supreme Scripture.

It effectively guided this dense Source Qi, which, like a rainbow or a tide, flooded into his body.

In the Dao Palace, the Five Great Divine Treasures trembled in unison.

“Past Me” and “Dao Me” seemed to truly exist, stirring heaven and earth and allowing him to comprehend the Dao naturally.

Chanting scriptures for his present self, coexisting with heaven and earth; making vows for his contemporary self, penetrating the Lord of Fate, ensuring immortality in this era.

Whether it was the Past Me or the Dao Me coexisting with the Dao, at this moment, both were stirring the Dao world, transforming his self.

The resonance of the Great Dao echoed through the mountains, as if someone was reciting Supreme Ancient Scripture, explaining the profound mysteries of the Dao.

However, it was difficult to truly discern the sound and understand its meaning.

It was like an ancient Great Emperor in Zen Chanting, or ancient forebears worshipping the Supreme Saint King.

Around the Great Cauldron, dead trees sprouted, old vines turned green, and tender grass broke through the earth as vibrant life reappeared.

The scent of earth mixed with the fragrance of flowers and plants.

The vegetation embraced spring, growing again in the desolate autumn, and the flowers were once again colored.

This was a world of rebirth: life just beginning, tender green tinged with yellow, flower buds swaying, all filled with hope.

In the distance, Tu Fei was amazed.

“The Dao Palace is chanting Scripture, resembling the Supreme Dao!

It can actually spread and merge with Spiritual Qi, granting flowers and grass rebirth.

Truly astonishing!” The Black Emperor watched too.

“Even in Ancient Times, there weren’t many cultivators capable of this at this Realm.

The sacred body of the Ancient Desolation is indeed extraordinary.” 「On the eighteenth day, Ye Fan extracted the Divine Source.」 The one hundred thousand jin of Source was nearly refined, but he still hadn’t advanced to the Fourth Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace.

He didn’t want any accidents to cause him to fail at the final hurdle.

Divine Source—transformed from the primordial enormous Qi of the world, the most original essence!

Though it was just one grain, a small quantity, when it was refined, a towering Divine Radiance shot out, golden and dazzling, blinding anyone who looked directly.

“SHUA!” Immediately afterward, the golden Divine Radiance flashed and vanished, returning to the Great Cauldron.

The most original essence of heaven and earth surged into the Dao Palace.

It made Ye Fan’s entire body instantly become crystal clear and resplendent, as if he were an eternally existing deity.

Inside the Dao Palace, the sounds of the Great Dao became even grander, encompassing the entire mountain range.

Numerous plants experienced spring, and infinite vitality appeared!

It was as if a true ancient Great Emperor was discussing the Dao, reciting Supreme Ancient Scripture, or a Saint King had descended upon the world, with countless ancient forebears praying with utmost devotion.