Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 429: Chapter 434: Harvesting All the Divine Fruits

The huge bronze coffin was filled with a mysterious aura, with various bronze carvings flickering, casting light that was not particularly brilliant, intermittently bright and dim.

The verdigris was thick, but it still could not hide the vague bronze carvings. There were ancient ancestors gazing at the starry sky and ancient deities bearing tear marks.

At this moment, they seemed to possess life, wanting to break through the verdigris, penetrate the thick rust, and burst forth, giving a remarkably vivid impression.

Ye Fan was deeply shocked. He released the small bronze coffin and carefully observed everything, wanting to comprehend the mysteries within.

More vague bronze carvings flickered: ferocious nine-headed Divine Birds spread their wings and flew high, cutting across Qingming; a heaven-defying creature, like the Fighting Saint Ape, stood at the cloud’s edge, its rod splitting the sky.

There were the ancient fierce beasts recorded in the “Classic of Mountain and Seas,” such as the Taotie, Qiongqi, and others, as well as many unknown creatures—vast in form, sinister in appearance, lifelike, and awe-inspiring.

Ye Fan was most interested in the Star Sky Map; it was so real and profound, unpredictable, making one feel the vastness and immensity, with an aura of coldness and darkness rushing towards him.

He wanted to capture that ancient path of the starry sky, but the thread extended too quickly. It flickered uncertainly, and he didn’t even know which starry region it crossed.

Because the starry regions were infinite and lacked reference coordinates, he couldn’t discern its path. Being in the starry sky here was completely different from looking up at a starry region from elsewhere; he didn’t know the perspective.

“Mt. Tai, Red Wanderer, Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land… next, does it point to the Ancient Land Star of Zixiao?” Ye Fan muttered, immensely astonished.

SWOOSH!

In a flash of light, the various carvings on the coffin wall lost their luster and rapidly dimmed. This all seemed related to the small bronze coffin; when it wasn’t touched, everything settled down.

The small bronze coffin within the great coffin was about four meters long and less than two meters wide. It was ancient and dim, engraved with Ancient Maps, covered in verdigris, and etched with the frost of ages.

CLANG!

Ye Fan exerted force, trying to open the coffin lid. His heart filled with endless questions: What kind of existence could be buried in the coffin pulled by nine dragons?

BUZZ!

Sure enough, as he moved the small bronze coffin again, the various carvings flickered once more, filled with an aura of mystery.

CLANG!

Ye Fan felt as if he was pulling a mountain; the bronze coffin was as heavy as a Great Mountain. He exerted all his strength. His entire body was like cast Gold, Golden Blood Qi boiling, the bones of his Immortal Holy Body creaking, about to snap.

BOOM!

Finally, he pried open the ancient coffin’s lid a crack. A very small gap appeared, from which a wisp of Chaos Qi seeped, blasting him away instantly.

Strong as his Golden Body Holy Body was, he was punched through with a transparent blood hole. If not for the gentle tremor of the green copper block in his Seas of Bitterness absorbing that wisp of ethereal Chaotic Qi Mechanism, he would have turned to dust.

Ye Fan was horrified. This is too terrifying! A wisp of Qi Mechanism revealing primal chaos! My minor sacred body is like paper, completely unable to resist! This result shook him to his core.

He hurriedly drank from the Divine Spring to heal his injured body. He did not want the cracks in his Dao to worsen and be annihilated by this ancient coffin so easily. His enormous Qi flowed quickly, like a tide.

Ye Fan was immensely shocked. What on earth is inside the small bronze coffin? It’s capable of reciting Dao Heavenly Sound—perhaps it’s an ancient scripture. It could also be a supreme treasure. If it’s a corpse, that would be even more terrifying!

It took a long time for Ye Fan’s injuries to finally heal. He dared not try to open the coffin lid again. It harbors peerless killing intent!

He paced within the huge bronze coffin, carefully observing each carving and pondering deeply. The more he thought, the more his heart was filled with shock, and countless astonishing thoughts arose in his mind.

The vast starry regions held too many secrets. The ancient path of the starry sky had no end, its destination unknown; perhaps this ancient and mysterious star field was just a segment of the journey.

The nine dragons pulling the coffin may have set sail in Ancient Times, but where were they heading? Perhaps… there is no beginning or end, no answer, and no known homecoming.

Ye Fan pondered for a long time, then holding the Qilin Divine Medicine Seed and the Seven-Colored Little Stone, he stepped out of the ancient coffin, setting his sights on the nine massive dragon corpses.

No matter if they were True Dragons or not, their forms were so similar that they were surely extraordinary. Even if they were Flood Dragons, they had likely evolved to an unfathomable Realm.

The fact that they could pull the bronze coffin through the boundless starry sky and still not decay spoke volumes; their bodies were full of treasures.

Despite his Dao Injury not healing completely, Ye Fan’s physical body had mostly recovered. His divine energy was unparalleled. He wanted to extract Dragon Blood, but after much effort, he couldn’t even pull out a single Dragon Scale.

DANG!

He strained to break off a Dragon Horn, his tiger’s mouth tearing, but he failed to pull it off. He grasped a Dragon Whisker, nearly severing his own hand, yet still couldn’t cut it.

“This is a peerless divine treasure, but I can’t extract the slightest bit while guarding them!”

Ye Fan was truly at his wits’ end. He tried moving a dragon onto his shoulders and found it was heavier than a mountain. Furthermore, it was linked to the bronze coffin with iron chains that were unbreakable and immovable.

In the days that followed, he both nursed his injuries and mused over the bronze coffin and the nine dragons. Alas, knowing they were treasures but being unable to do anything about it was futile.

Unable to sever, unable to move, he was guarding a treasure mountain in vain, yet couldn’t obtain a single copper coin. This was a very helpless situation.

「In the blink of an eye,」

Ye Fan had been in the Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land for over twenty days. In this Ancient realm, the scars of the Dao were indeed slowly healing.

Years ago, he had harvested two types of sacred fruit, and now he had harvested three more. Four types of Divine Roots remained across the nine sacred mountains, and he decided to take another risk.

This time he was very successful, harvesting the sixth type of sacred fruit. They resembled small suns; each was golden, naturally round, and the size of a baby’s fist.

This sixth Divine Root bore nine small trees, naturally producing nine fruits in total. As he held them in his palm, they reflected a radiant glow over his entire body.

Inside the bronze coffin, everything was splendid and overflowing with fragrance, shimmering brightly. Even the scent gave the illusion of being about to ascend with the clouds. His pores expanded, constantly being baptized by divine energy.

They truly felt like essences of suns, their medicinal power mysterious and potent, beautiful and sparkling, captivating to behold.

Ye Fan began his secluded cultivation again. By the sixth day, after refining two golden solar fruits, a series of incomplete natural images of the Dao swirled around him, branding his body and merging into the scars of the Dao.

It was clear to see: the wounds were slowly healing, and the injuries were progressing positively. Meanwhile, his physical body also began to change, as if his bones and muscles were regenerating.

Previously, when he entered the Sacred Lands, he was severely injured by the power of Desolation. Consuming seven sacred fruits had only restored him to a robust state. Now, having refined two more golden solar Divine Fruits, his internal organs vibrated, showing signs of transformation.

「Three days later,」

upon refining the third solar Divine Fruit, his bones snapped and crackled. His flesh cracked open, shedding an old skin, and a new body emerged.

His body grew exceptionally strong, shedding its aged state. He was once again filled with vitality and vigor; his physical shell was even stronger than before!

He sealed the remaining six golden fruits, as they contained the same Heaven and Earth Law Fragments and were no longer effective against his Dao scars.

CLANG!

Ye Fan exerted himself and managed to carry the small bronze coffin. This illustrated the unprecedented strength of his divine energy, surpassing his past capabilities.

Despite the struggle, he indeed moved it, as if bearing a mountain. His enormous Qi surged, sweat flowed continuously, and Golden Blood Qi circled his body like flames.

CLANG!

When he set down the small bronze coffin, a thunderous sound echoed. The coffin and the great coffin were drawn together, merging again.

“There are still three types of fruits! I must harvest them all to smooth out these Dao wounds!”

However, over the next few days, Ye Fan encountered Desolate Slaves several times. This rendered him unwilling to climb the mountains for fear that provocation would lead to peril. Thus, he waited for half a month, encountering them twice more during that period.

“It seems I can only carry the small bronze coffin up the mountain.”

Having made his decision, Ye Fan carried the coffin that day and ascended the mountain one step at a time. The weight caused his bones to crack with every step, and each footfall on the iron-hard sacred mountain formed large fissures.

Upon reaching the sacred mountain, he encountered the Desolate Slaves again: a white-haired man, the Celestial Jade sacred lady, and an elderly man with crane-like white hair and a youthful complexion.

Ye Fan advanced steadily. The three Desolate Slaves stared blankly at the bronze coffin without making any moves; in fact, they retreated as if unwilling to get too close.

SWISH!

Ultimately, they all leaped into the Abyss and vanished, seemingly terrified of the coffin.

Ye Fan carried the coffin while harvesting medicine—a first-time experience, yet paramount for survival. That day, he harvested three types of sacred fruits simultaneously. All were exceptional, including one resembling a small cauldron with flowing Dao resonance and a misty aura; there were six of these.

Another type resembled a flying bird, like a Vermilion Bird, crimson as blood, so vivid it seemed ready to spread its wings and soar. There were five of these.

The final type was also unique, resembling a small disc that flashed with blue light. It was adorned with eight pale gold scars that closely resembled the Eight Diagrams; there were five of these.

“This…”

Ye Fan marveled at these extraordinary sacred fruits. Each was unique, all mystical beyond compare, radiant, and shining brightly.

Successfully harvesting all the sacred fruits, Ye Fan struggled back. He practically tumbled down the mountain; the small bronze coffin was so heavy it nearly broke all his bones.

「For the next half month,」

the ancient bronze coffin was filled with a Dao aura, fragrant and rich, as various miraculous fruits radiated astounding brilliance.

While refining the Red Bird Fruit, Vermilion Birds seemed to dance around him and phoenixes chirped lightly. Incomplete natural images of the Dao flowed about, and every inch of his flesh trembled as his blood was continuously renewed and regenerated.

While refining the small cauldron Divine Fruit, his bones fractured piece by piece and then reassembled, constantly renewing. Fragmented natural images of the Dao initially surrounded his body and eventually merged into his Dao scars.

While refining the sacred fruit scarred with Eight Diagrams, eight Innate Patterns transformed into the Eight Diagrams, arranging themselves in eight directions to surround him. One after another, mysterious natural images of the Dao emerged, enveloping him.

「In these nearly twenty days,」

Ye Fan continuously regenerated flesh and bones, transforming thoroughly. Despite having engraved the nine ancient characters on his body, he still nearly shrank further.

The transformation bestowed extreme physical might; with a mere gesture, it seemed he could pierce the heavens and earth.