Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 538: Chapter 543: The Immortal Stone Curtain Falls

The Undying Emperor: a being both human and divine, incredibly ancient, the supreme god among the myriad races of the Ancient Times.

At this moment, everyone was shocked. This strange black stone was indeed terrifying in origin; it was very likely the sole divine bloodline left in the world. No wonder it can’t be sealed at all, and it exhibits all sorts of celestial phenomena. It’s about to emerge, flowing with Divine Blood!

More than a dozen primordial beings spoke one after another, and from them, the crowd gleaned some alarming information, causing everyone to turn pale. This egg was ancient beyond belief.

Before the Ancient Times, there were endless eons; the Undying Emperor’s bloodline had been sealed within the stone long before these beings fell asleep. At that time, they knew nothing. Today, as it was about to emerge, seeing this stone, they recalled everything from the past. A piece of rotten stone, lying in an obscure corner of Purple Mountain since before the Ancient Times, yet it possessed such an extraordinary origin that these primordial beings were astounded.

“No wonder the Undying Emperor’s very existence could not be confirmed; after all, the Ancient Times are incredibly distant!” a woman sealed within a Divine Source lamented.

They spoke a few words in the human tongue and a few in the primordial language. The human experts couldn’t hear clearly but understood the gist.

Purple Mountain, the place where the Beginning Great Emperor had passed away, was immensely important during the Ancient Times, a pilgrimage site named Ancient Emperor Mountain!

“The Undying Emperor very likely left an indelible mark within Purple Mountain…”

Indeed, the woman sealed in the Divine Source sighed, believing that the supreme being, who was both human and god, also passed away at Ancient Emperor Mountain!

The human experts were all astonished. The body of the Undying Emperor could be preserved for millions of years, never decaying, and could be refined into an Extreme Dao Holy Weapon.

“Hey, you…”

A female primordial being stared at the Black Emperor, who was hiding among the crowd. She gritted her teeth, her almond-shaped eyes wide, looking ready for a fight.

“Don’t stare at this emperor; I’m not that handsome!” The big black dog braced itself, let out a fierce HOWL, and bared its teeth, confronting her.

“Xi Luan…” an Ancient King within a large chunk of Divine Source spoke. Her voice, though a celestial sound, held supreme authority, causing the woman to stop immediately and say no more.

Many were baffled, not knowing how the Black Emperor had offended a primordial being. Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the Black Emperor but said nothing.

“You are… the Fighting Saint Ape!”

One of the primordial beings caught sight of the monkey standing in the distance. A startled expression appeared on his face, and he stumbled back several large steps.

“Is it truly… the Saint Emperor’s son!”

All the primordial beings were taken aback, some growing excited, unable to calm down.

“It’s the Fighting Saint Emperor’s young son! That’s right, it’s definitely him! He actually survived!”

They glanced at each other, hesitated slightly, then walked forward together. All of them bowed and said, “Greetings to the Saint Emperor’s son!”

Only the Ancient King remained in the distance; her status was high. Not to mention her cultivation base, merely in terms of bloodline, she was no weaker than the monkey.

The human powerhouses were surprised. The hierarchy within the primordial races was strict, yet they showed such respect to the monkey, which was unexpected by everyone.

First, the bloodline of the Undying Emperor, then meeting the son of the Fighting Saint Emperor—all these primordial beings were emotionally unsettled. Both were children of Ancient Emperors; logically, they should have equivalent status and could stand as equals, holding extremely high prestige among the primordial beings.

However, the Undying Emperor was a particularly supreme existence. In the hearts of the myriad races, his status surpassed even deities; his only bloodline might as well be considered a Divine Son.

The Ancient King left Jade Lake, taking away the strange black stone. The terrifying fluctuations vanished, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, yet their hearts were not calm.

“They took away a Divine Son; won’t they nurture an Ancient Emperor in the future?”

A being once deemed to surpass deities had indeed appeared in history, and now his only offspring was about to emerge! The mystery and terror of the egg were plain for all to see; it would surely birth a great powerhouse. The more those present thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

There were a total of seven strange black stones, all Stone Kings. Three had been sealed, the Ancient King had taken one away, and the monkey was daily feeding one with his vital blood essence at the Immortal Pool.

Now, only two remained, both equally mysterious, leaving many experts and cultivators helpless.

One of the Stone Kings had layers of patterns resembling greenish-brown feathers. People from the Source Technique ancient family collectively tried to open it but screamed miserably on the spot. A Source Technique Master died instantaneously, hit by a beam of Divine Light, killed on the spot.

“What is this?!”

Not just the many cultivators, even those skilled in Source Technique were shocked, failing to understand why this had happened.

The lineage of the Source King approached. They were led by an elder who was the current Source King, a true Source Earth Master. Following him were eight eccentrics—the very same eight madmen who had previously stirred up a storm in the divine city.

“This is the Flying Feather Strange Stone. It could be a divine treasure or a ghost cave; it’s hard to determine,” he expressed his judgment.

Ye Fan secretly nodded. The lineage of the Source King has never had a true Original Heavenly Master, yet it occasionally produces Source Earth Masters, whose Source Technique is truly peerless.

“You’re secretly nodding. Did you see something? Are you more insightful than the Source King?” someone from a Source Technique ancient family spoke, clearly resentful toward Ye Fan.

“I wouldn’t say insightful, but I know a few things. You aren’t thinking of betting against me again, are you?” Ye Fan chuckled.

Many present also laughed. The great stone-gambling battle in the divine city was well-known. Ye Fan, though initially inexperienced, had left several ancient families utterly humiliated. Now, bringing up old scores like this was truly like rubbing salt in their wounds, hitting them where it hurt most.

“You…” Among them, Nangong Qi, who had faced Ye Fan before, was the most resentful. He said, “You’re only at the Grandmaster Realm, similar to us. How dare you boast so brazenly?”

“Why don’t we have another bet?” Ye Fan asked with a playful smile.

The Source King, a seemingly honest and ordinary person, showed a flicker of interest in his eyes. “Young friend, did you see something?”

“These Flying Feather Strange Stones can’t be seen through. One can only judge by sensing some clues,” Ye Fan stated.

“If you haven’t seen through it, what do you have to brag about? Do you truly think you’re already a Heavenly Source Master?” someone from a Source Technique ancient family sneered.

Ye Fan turned to look and saw people from the Yin Yang Sect standing behind them. He naturally understood. With powerful support, their confidence had soared.

“What business is it of yours? I’m discussing things with Senior Source King. If you’re not convinced, come have a gamble. You can gift me a few million more kilos of Source,” Ye Fan said, not even deigning to look at him directly.

Many were speechless. He’s just like the Daoist Red Dragon and the others, they thought. If you don’t submit, he’ll fight!

“You…” Nangong Qi and the others were shocked and furious.

“If you have some confidence, why not gamble with him?” A Grand Elder from the Yin Yang Sect spoke, clearly supporting them in stirring up trouble.

“This old man has indeed seen some clues,” Ouyang Ye spoke up. He was infinitely close to the Source Earth Master realm; here, apart from the Source King, his Source Technique was supreme.

“Five million kilos of Pure Source!” Ye Fan’s voice was firm and resonant, startling many Heroic Lords who revealed surprised expressions.

Such a vast sum of Pure Source was an astronomical figure. How many people could produce it?

This time, the people from the Source Technique ancient families had all learned their lesson. Although they voiced provocations, no one actually took the bet.

Ye Fan felt quite helpless. Evidently, this bluff won’t work. I struck too hard during the stone-gambling in the divine city. Many were miserably trapped and won’t be deceived again.

“I’ll bet with you,” Ouyang Ye said again. He was almost a Source Earth Master and hadn’t clashed with Ye Fan before.

“What stakes are you offering?” Ye Fan asked.

“Two million kilos of Source. If I lose, I’ll give it all to you. If you lose, hand over the Heavenly Source Book,” Ouyang Ye said, his gaze sharp.

Ye Fan sneered coldly. “Is the Heavenly Source Book worth only two million kilos of Source?”

“Alright then, I won’t take the ancient scripture. If I win, I just want a look at it,” Ouyang Ye replied.

“Isn’t that still the same? For anything less than five million kilos of Source, don’t even think about it,” Ye Fan refused.

“Alright, five million kilos of Pure Source!” For the Heavenly Source Book, Ouyang Ye went all out, borrowing Source from several Source Technique ancient families.

“I only want Divine Sources. Otherwise, I can’t carry away a mountain,” Ye Fan added another harsh demand.

It took Ouyang Ye three days to gather a pile of Divine Sources. This attracted the close attention of Sect Leader-level figures from all sides. Five Divine Sources, each the size of a washbasin, made the Spiritual Qi in Jade Lake as vast as the sea.

“This is the Flying Feather Divine Treasure. It contains peerless wonders, likely comparable to the holy divine relics of a Great Emperor,” Ouyang Ye stated, making his assessment.

Ye Fan smiled. “Luckily, our judgments differ, or it would really be troublesome. I say it’s the Flying Feather Heavenly Coffin, entombing the remains of a great figure from the Ancient Times, possibly containing burial divine artifacts!”

After deliberation, Jade Lake decided to leverage the strengths of various experts and talents to cut open the remaining two Stone Kings and see what was inside. These weren’t the special Stone Kings that the Heavenly Source Master had instructed them to preserve under seal long-term, so it was permissible to cut them open and let their contents emerge.

“Then let’s see what’s inside!” The people from the Source Technique ancient families all sneered. They didn’t believe Ye Fan could be stronger than a Source Earth Master; it seemed implausible.

“The Heavenly Source Book is about to change hands!” Some were already eager.

This stone was too special. It was taken to a desolate area of Jade Lake to be cut open in the wilderness. Sect Hierarchs from all sides followed, wanting to witness the spectacle.

BOOM!

When an expert, from a great distance, sliced it open with a flying sword, a horrifying aura inundated the heavens and earth—an aura so yin, like blades, that it obliterated the void.

Everyone was appalled, thankful they were positioned sufficiently far away. What on earth was sealed in there? they wondered, shocked.

“Taiyin Holy Power!” someone’s complexion changed. This was a supreme Holy Power cultivated by an ancient lineage of the human race.

Overwhelming black fog swept the heavens and earth. It was unclear how much time passed before the extremely yin and gentle Taiyin Holy Power finally dissipated, leaving behind sparkling remnants.

“A peerless divine treasure!” people from the ancient families exclaimed.

The crowd dashed toward it and discovered that the sparkling things were actually fragments of bone, as white as jade, glowing brightly.

“These are a Saint’s Corpse Bones, shattered by someone!” the Jiang Family Sacred Lord cried out.

Not only ordinary people, but even these supreme Sect Hierarchs turned pale, witnessing with their own eyes the fragmented bones of a Saint. The bones were nearly pulverized; one could only imagine how severe his injuries had been. Next to them lay a broken Jade Stele inscribed with four ancient characters, but unfortunately, no one could decipher them.

“The Taiyin Scripture!” Eventually, someone discovered a thread of spiritual imprint and exclaimed in shock.

Everyone was taken aback. An ancient scripture had been revealed! Many were on the verge of instantly trying to seize it, but then they remembered they were in Jade Lake, with the Immortal Tear Tower presiding, so they restrained their impulses.

The faces of the people from the Source Technique ancient families turned ashen, unable to believe that a Source Earth Master’s judgment could be inferior to Ye Fan’s.

In truth, there was indeed a gap between Ye Fan and a Source Earth Master. Despite his understanding of many Source Heavenly Divine Techniques, they were ineffective on this stone. The reason he was so confident was because the monkey understood and, standing to one side, had told him this stone must be a tomb. In the Ancient Times, some great figures whose accomplishments rivaled creation would entomb themselves in stone using supreme mysterious arts before death, coexisting with heaven and earth, and such Flying Feather Strange Stones were often used for this.

“Is it truly the Taiyin Scripture?” Many voices trembled. If so, Jade Lake would possess two ancient scriptures.

The Queen Mother of the West of Jade Lake extended her divine scan into the Jade Stele, sighed, then withdrew it. “What a pity. The Taiyin Scripture has been destroyed.”

Many were skeptical and all probed with their divine scans, finding it just as the Queen Mother of the West had described: the Jade Stele contained only a few imprints; the rest had long been erased.

“It was the Taiyin Holy Power that overflowed from him in his dying moments that had erased everything,” many felt deep regret.

Upon returning to the Yaochi Celestial Palace, Ye Fan laughed heartily and unceremoniously took away the heap of Divine Sources, causing Ouyang Ye and the others to feel as if their hearts were bleeding.

“Haha, you all are truly generous, gifting me so many Divine Sources back and forth. I’m eternally grateful,” Ye Fan laughed mockingly.

“You…” The people from the Source Technique ancient families were憋屈的要死 (suffocating with frustration).

PFFT!

Nangong Qi directly spat blood from anger. Ouyang Ye’s face was also grim, but there was nothing he could do.

The final Stone King was also cut open. It unleashed a burst of bloody light that instantly slaughtered several experts, reducing them to pus and blood—a terrifying sight. At the crucial moment, the Immortal Tear Tower suppressed it with divine might, destroying the light and relieving the others of the calamity.

“What is that?”

Everyone was perplexed and gathered around to look.

Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat. Red hair… Among the broken stones, there were only some dreadful red hairs.

“The Stone King has manifested an inauspicious event!” the Source King spoke. He also knew of these things, showed a grave expression, and sighed, “I never thought the legend was true. If one becomes a Heavenly Source Master, they will certainly encounter inauspicious happenings in their later years. Even a strange black stone handled by them turns out like this!”

Ye Fan’s heart raced. He scrutinized it for a long time but gained little insight, remaining utterly clueless as to what it was.

“Within this stone, a powerful being was originally sealed in Divine Source. However, a mishap occurred, leaving only a frenzied mass of divine scan, which was then destroyed by a strand of divine might from the Immortal Tear Tower.”

This was the only conclusion Ye Fan and the Source King had arrived at after extensive discussion, their hearts heavy.

The Peach Blossom Festival at Jade Lake drew to a close. Heroic Lords from various factions departed one after another. Some cast a meaningful glance at Ye Fan as they departed, their intentions clear.

Soon, everyone had left, including Li Heishui and Jiang Huairen, who were preparing to head to the Central States, seeking opportunities to enter Qi Shi Academy. Before the Daoist Red Dragon, the Peacock King, and others departed, Ye Fan discreetly offered them a sacred fruit to extend their longevity. It was originally left as a mark of gratitude for the peerless Divine King. However, Divine King Jiang had since severed his ties with the mundane world and vanished, so the fruit had gone unused.

「A month later.」

The monkey also departed. He had provided ample King’s Blood and took with him a Divine Fruit from Jade Lake’s peach trees and a sacred fruit given by Ye Fan.

Outside Jade Lake, experts loitered, waiting for Ye Fan to emerge, but they squandered a month in vain. Ye Fan had remained in Jade Lake, showing no intention of leaving, as he planned to focus on closed-door cultivation.

During these days, he had been quite leisurely. He sometimes retreated to comprehend Supreme Ultimate Skills and other times wandered Jade Lake with those fairies in white.

Some of the Grand Elders of Jade Lake felt their eyelids twitching nervously. They developed a cautious stance toward Ye Fan, terrified of a repeat of the incident between the Heavenly Source Master and the sacred lady from ten thousand years ago. They couldn’t rightly expel Ye Fan, as they would need to ask for his help later to nurture some Stone Kings and allow them to mature. Helplessly, they began to urge the Yaochi Saintess and another female disciple to set out for the Central States and head to Qi Shi Academy.

「One day.」

Ye Fan was in a daze. A female disciple from Jade Lake brought him a Purple Sandalwood Box. When he opened it, an item inside instantly captivated his Heart Spirit.

A mobile phone!

He casually tapped it and opened a video. A familiar, beautiful face appeared, and a soft yet clear voice said, “Ye Fan, save me…”

On the monthly ticket charts, there’s a lot of explosive back-and-forth action! So, brothers and sisters, use your monthly tickets to push us up! Let’s stop this seesawing!

(To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.. More chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)