The Ji Family’s stone workshop occupied a vast expanse of land, worthy of being called a city within a city. Ancient trees soared to the heavens, enormous vines coiled and wound around them, and source stones piled up everywhere like small mountains.

Ye Fan passed through more than a dozen courtyards, took a brief look around, then walked straight into the Heaven-grade Sacred Garden, making his way to the very heart of the premises.

This place was filled with wondrous trees; blossoms crystalline and luminous hung from every branch. When a gentle breeze passed through, fallen petals drifted in colorful profusion, and a fresh fragrance drifted to greet the nose.

At this very moment, a rain of flower petals swirled and danced, every petal translucent and pure, carrying a kind of transcendent beauty. Over a hundred and some decades had passed, and the stone workshop’s guardians from those early days had long since been replaced by a new generation — none of whom recognized him.

“The Source Master has arrived — everyone make way! Let the Grandmaster offer his guidance and bestow his blessings!” someone called out.

The Sacred Garden deep within was usually a place of quiet calm; even when visitors came, they would choose their stones in peaceful silence. But today it was a sea of people — more than half the city had caught wind of the news and come rushing over.

Outside, it was already packed beyond capacity. The main gates of the Ji Family’s stone workshop were nearly crushed by the surge of people; even with dedicated guards stationed there, it was still difficult to hold back the flood-like tide of visitors.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, you are here to…?” An elder of the Ji Family asked with a look of puzzlement.

By now, Ye Fan and the Ji Family had a deep connection — he had no reason to come and stir up trouble for them. Yet why had he come here, and judging by his manner, it truly seemed he intended to cut stones?

This was no longer the same era as before. Even divine source had little practical use for Ye Fan now, unless it was divine source liquid. So what had brought him here today?

Ordinary people could not understand it, and cultivators were equally bewildered. Ye Fan’s name now shook the heavens — unless a legendary immortal source had manifested in the mortal world, what could a stone workshop possibly have that was worthy of his attention?

“I’m just passing through for a look, and cutting a stone or two while I’m at it,” Ye Fan replied.

Those words immediately set off a wave of uproar. Given who Ye Fan was now, anything that caught his eye would be no ordinary thing.

“Could this place have produced an Immortality Elixir?” Many people’s hearts lurched, and then their blood began to boil with excitement.

A few cultivators, fancying themselves clever, grabbed up several stones that seemed extraordinary — on the off chance they might guess right. They were convinced that wherever Ye Fan appeared, something good was bound to be found.

That day, business at the Ji Family’s stone workshop was booming. Once someone led the way, others naturally followed, snatching up stone materials in a frenzy, and even competing in heated bidding for entire piles of stone.

Ye Fan shook his head with an exasperated laugh, unable to believe he had such an effect on people. Not that he was in the least bit worried the Stone King would be snatched away by someone else first.

The Ji Family’s stone workshop erupted into clamor as people scrambled to pick out stones. In just a short time, the volume of transactions was nearly equal to an entire year’s worth of business from the old days.

What a pity — all those who harbored such hopes ended up drawing water with a bamboo basket, coming away with nothing. Nearly everyone who cut open their stones gritted their teeth in disappointment, feeling thoroughly cheated.

Ye Fan made a full circuit of the Heaven-grade stone workshop, his brow slightly furrowed. He had sensed nothing at all; there was not a single remarkable stone here, and the Stone King was not among them.

He turned and walked out, making his way from one garden to the next, each slightly less prestigious than the one before. He circled through nearly half the stone workshop, and still nothing had triggered a particular sensation.

“In recent years, have there been any strange occurrences in the Divine City? Has anyone ever cut out something particularly unusual?” Ye Fan asked the Ji Family members.

“No,” the elder shook his head.

“Only about a hundred years ago, someone cut out several dozen pairs of sacred insects, said to be usable as medicine catalysts — a single pair could extend a person’s life by a year or two. That incident caused quite a sensation at the time,” another elder added.

That certainly was not the Stone King — it did not count for much. Ye Fan rubbed his chin, opened his Heavenly Eye, and swept his gaze across the surroundings, observing carefully.

Seeing his manner, the crowd’s murmuring grew even louder. They were certain something extraordinary was hidden in the Ji Family’s stone workshop — Ye Fan’s behavior was proof enough of that.

More and more people began making purchases wherever Ye Fan looked; they bought stones from whichever area drew his attention — until their purses were empty and they still came away empty-handed.

“Is this some kind of act they’re putting on together, deliberately tricking us?” someone grumbled, though they then dismissed the idea. Given who Ye Fan was now, how could he possibly stoop to something like that?

The Ji Family members all knew: the Sacred Physique and the precious pearl of their house shared an extraordinarily close bond with Ye Fan. He would never harm them, and if he needed something, they were expected to offer every assistance. Thus they held nothing back, staying by his side to accompany him, answering every question he asked.

“Over these years, has there been any large-scale use of stone materials from this place?” Ye Fan asked.

“Yes — a garden was built in the back section, and some of the waste stone was transported there to serve as foundation stones,” one Elder replied.

“Take me to see it,” Ye Fan said.

This was a newly constructed garden — though “newly” was relative, as it was already over a decade old compared to the older sections. Quite a few stones were scattered loosely here.

The crowd once again could not restrain themselves. Though they feared offending Ye Fan and dared not act too brazenly now that they were inside, they still quietly purchased a few stones.

“Some of the discarded waste stones were used as the foundation and built into the ground below,” one of the Elders said.

Ye Fan was briefly speechless. If the Stone King had truly been buried as a foundation stone, things were about to get very interesting indeed. He circled around the grand structure, the beams of light from his Heavenly Eye blazing brilliantly.

“I’ve actually sensed something!” Ye Fan murmured to himself, greatly startled in his heart. He activated his source arts and probed outward — detecting a strange and indeterminate surge of energy, only for it to instantly retreat.

Ye Fan had a feeling: this was very likely the Stone King. Things were going far more smoothly than he had anticipated. After so many years, the Stone King was still here — that was welcome news indeed.

Many people stared wide-eyed at that section of buildings. If they had great power, they would certainly raid the place, for a divine object might very well lie beneath that ground. But facing the current Saint Physique of the Human Race, they would not dare even if they had a dozen times the courage.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Ye Fan stood silently at this spot for a very long time without walking toward those buildings. Wave upon wave of ripples spread out beneath his feet, flowing and expanding in all directions.

It could be clearly seen that many veining patterns appeared on the ground, like lightning bolts, dazzling and brilliant, weaving together into a great expanse — yet harming no one.

This was the extension of Ye Fan’s divine perception, reaching into every corner, tracking down the Stone King’s trail, intent on drawing it out.

“Look — those stones are all glowing! Heavens, treasures!”

The crowd cried out in shock. In an instant, everything descended into chaos. Within that stone garden, hundreds upon hundreds of stone materials began to glow, and then went flying upward into the sky — they were trying to flee!

Powerful experts immediately moved to intercept, scrambling to seize these stones, bidding for them at any price, throwing the entire area into utter disorder and clamor that shook the heavens.

It was a wondrous spectacle — glowing stones of all kinds swirling through the air. Many people were driven to a state of uncontrollable excitement; this seemed to be a trove of spiritually awakened treasures, stirred up by Ye Fan’s presence.

“It’s not just one divine material — it’s a whole pile of them!” Every pair of eyes in the crowd turned green with greed.

What a disappointment — when people eagerly cut open and broke open the stones, they found them completely hollow, nothing inside whatsoever.

All of it was an illusion. Every one of those swirling, glowing stones, once captured and brought down, turned out to be ordinary rock, with nothing remarkable about them whatsoever.

Ye Fan stamped his foot. Source markings filled the void, and every flash of light on each stone extinguished at once — the stones rustling down and falling to the ground.

He was deeply astonished in his heart. This Stone King was something extraordinary — it had to be a living being. How else could it command such techniques? And it seemed to be extraordinarily powerful, making him feel he had to tread carefully.

The crowd stood there in a daze, having rejoiced for nothing. By now, everyone wore helpless smiles on their faces. Trying to play clever tricks in front of the Source Master had truly been a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on their own feet.

Ye Fan observed silently for a moment, locked onto its position, and walked forward, arriving directly at a lake within the courtyard.

The grass and trees here were fresh and fragrant, the lake water crystalline and clear — like a gem set into this place. Ye Fan raised his hand and reached toward the lake, his golden palm and fingers blotting out the sky, covering the entire surface of the lake.

Boom!

The waves surged skyward. No one had expected that the originally tranquil little lake would, at this very moment, begin to churn and boil. Numerous waste stones flew up and slammed violently into one another — and there was an aura of a Saint pressing outward!

“Heavens — what is that thing? Could there actually be a Saint hidden here?”

“Could it be an ancient tribe that has yet to emerge into the world? So the Sacred Physique came for this — and here I truly thought there would be an Immortality Elixir.”

The people were filled with dread. No one had expected that hidden within the stone workshop was a mysterious existence that had been lying dormant all this time. What on earth could it be?

Splash!

The sound of surging water rang out. A massive stone emerged from the surface, and Ye Fan set it down on the ground. He could not help but let out a soft sigh — if this had been the old days, he truly would have had no way to deal with the Stone King, for it was comparable to a full Saint.

These stones blazed with auspicious radiance and divine brilliance in ten thousand rays, all of them trembling, straining to shoot into the sky.

Ye Fan gave a light smile. “After all this time you’re still using illusions. Against me, they’re completely useless.”

He activated a Shifting Divine Art, moving all the other stones aside. Only one remained — a battered stone roughly a meter tall, and he fixed his attention on this target.

The stone was a dull earth-grey color, completely unremarkable. It was covered in numerous cracks, looking as though it were on the verge of falling to pieces, with gaps and holes that went clear through from one side to the other. Anyone would have dismissed this as waste stone, utterly incapable of harboring any immortal treasure.

Otherwise, the Ji Family would not have placed it in the lake to serve as a river stone.

“All of you, step back,” Ye Fan said.

At his words, everyone retreated. This Stone King was surely no simple matter — difficult to deal with. One had to remember that back in the day, when the Holy Prince had been cut out, his strength had only been at the level of a great cultivator. As for the Heavenly Prince, he had only been an egg, carried away by an ancient tribe. What stood before them now was at the very least a Saint.

Chaotic mist swirled and hung heavy. The stones stilled, but a primal energy began to seep out — wisps of chaos drifting and spreading, making this place look profoundly mysterious and unfathomable.

The crowd was utterly stunned. From ancient times to now, no one had ever heard of someone cutting a stone and encountering primordial chaos energy. Could this be something from before the heavens and earth were first split open?

Everyone showed expressions of astonishment. This grey stone, roughly a meter on each side, had in an instant become something extraordinary, making one feel as though they had arrived at the moment when the ten thousand things first came into being.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred as well. A nameless sensation reached him, making him feel that something extraordinary was at hand. His Heavenly Eye had long since been wide open — yet it could not see through.

This had never happened before. He was the Source Master; by now his Heavenly Eye was fully matured, and by every measure of source arts, he was the absolute authority. Those Heavenly Eyes should have been able to see through any stone.

And yet, at this moment, it defied all reason. Within the stone, something like a mass of immortal energy seemed to wrap around and envelop something — no matter how brilliant his gaze, it simply could not penetrate inside, could not see clearly what lay within.

“There’s no other way. I’ll have to use the blade — cut it open and see what’s inside,” Ye Fan stepped forward, preparing to begin cutting the stone.