Not long after safely arriving in Source City, Old Blade-Hilt vanished without a sound, and was not seen again.

Li De Sheng did not leave. The people from Yao Guang Holy Land went to great lengths to keep him, and Yao Pool’s women extended an invitation as well. The Yin Underworld Eyes were almost impossible to cultivate — they were an innate gift of extraordinary rarity, capable of perceiving what ordinary people could not. Every major power would seek to draw such a person in.

In the afternoon, Ye Fan rested for a while, then emerged from his room. Just as he did, Li De Sheng pushed open his own door as well — the two were sharing a quiet little courtyard.

Within the courtyard stood a cluster of ornamental rocks, over which spring water gurgled softly. Beside it grew a grape arbor, heavy with clusters of fruit like strings of purple agates, while green leaves cast dappled cool shade across the ground below.

Beneath the vine arbor were stone tables and chairs for resting in the shade. The fragrance of clear tea drifted lightly through the air. The two men sat under the canopy of grapevine and chatted idly.

“Daoren, your source arts are truly extraordinary — such abilities are breathtaking. You can venture through any perilous place in the world.” Li De Sheng’s eyes were full of longing.

“Come now. This time was sheer luck. Aside from a Great Emperor, anyone who stumbles into the Primordial Forbidden Zone is as good as dead.” Ye Fan spoke the truth. Had the fourth-generation Patriarch not carved a path of escape through the pine forest, had the Great Emperor Heng Yu not already broken through the Falling Sun Ridge — they would have died without question.

There were undoubtedly other cursed grounds he had never laid eyes on. If he were to venture in again and find himself in an unknown and unfamiliar region, the odds would be stacked heavily against him — to say nothing of the true ancient mine at its heart.

“How did you come to master your source arts, Daoren?” Li De Sheng asked, deeply envious.

“You’re interested as well?” The corner of Ye Fan’s mouth curved slightly upward.

Li De Sheng nodded. “I yearn for it enormously. Even learning a fragment would be worth anything to me.”

“Is that all? I’ll teach you a few moves someday.”

“You would truly teach me?”

“You have an extraordinary gift — the Yin Underworld Eyes are a rarity across the ages. Tracking down source veins and locking dragon meridians mostly takes place underground; someone with your unusual ability is exactly what I’d need.”

“Daoren, please take me as your disciple!” Li De Sheng grew slightly agitated.

“Taking disciples is out of the question. You and I shared trials together — teaching you a few techniques is no trouble at all. Which sect do you come from?” Ye Fan sipped his clear tea and asked.

Yin Underworld Eyes were naturally suited to this trade. When he went to track down source veins and lock dragon meridians in the future, having someone like this to assist him would surely make the work twice as effective with half the effort.

Li De Sheng wanted to learn source arts; Ye Fan wanted a capable free hand. The more they talked, the more they found common ground.

“Once matters here are concluded, I will come find you when I have the leisure.” In the end, Ye Fan rose with a smile.

Yao Pool’s people were recuperating here and had no plans to leave — they intended to return to the outskirts of the Primordial Forbidden Zone.

Ye Fan learned that Yao Pool had located an abandoned mine at the Primordial Zone’s edge, from which they had excavated some peculiar stone materials, and that the work was ongoing.

At dusk, Ye Fan met with the Yao Pool Saintess and gained a clearer picture of the situation.

“Saintess, why are you excavating this abandoned mine? What is special about those stone materials?”

“Daoren, skilled as you are in source arts, you must surely know the concept of source suppression.” The Yao Pool Saintess stood beside the ornamental rock cluster, bathed in the glow of the evening clouds — her entire figure suffused with a sacred radiance of golden red.

“Naturally I know of it. Are you trying to seal some source stones?” Ye Fan’s mind stirred.

Not all excavated stone materials were necessarily cut open. Some sects stored them away, yet over time, the stone skin could slowly detach once separated from the source vein.

At such times, most people would simply peel away the stone skin and extract the source within. However, in special circumstances, one might not want what lay inside the stone skin to be exposed to daylight, and would instead attempt to re-seal it. Naturally these were all extraordinary sources.

From past experience, the ancient stone skins of the Primordial Forbidden Zone were the preferred choice — the finest material available for re-sealing a source.

“What manner of source requires you to re-seal it? The source suppression technique is seldom used by most.” Ye Fan was puzzled.

If the stone skin was going to detach, one could simply extract the source directly — so why go to the trouble of re-sealing it?

“These are stone materials left by a predecessor. The matter is of great significance and cannot be cut open carelessly. This time we have broadly invited skilled source arts experts from across the world, hoping to find a solution — a reliable method of sealing.” The Yao Pool Saintess replied, wisps of mist drifting around her as she stood beside the ornamental rocks, like an orchid in a secluded valley.

“Is the source suppression technique ineffective?” Ye Fan asked, surprised.

The Yao Pool Saintess shook her head slightly, her voice as melodious as the sounds of nature. “Its effect is very poor — it can only buy a little time.”

“What manner of source is this that even source suppression cannot contain it? This is truly strange.” Suddenly, Ye Fan thought of the nine stone materials Yao Pool had exhibited — among them, one that, when carefully sensed, seemed to contain a sea of blood, while another held a power of demonic nature.

Ye Fan felt a chill run through him. These were but two pieces from that batch of stone materials, and were most likely among the most ordinary. If these were the peripheral ones, what would the core stones at the center be like?

He thought it over. That batch of stone materials likely had an extraordinarily remarkable background. Even traveling to Yao Pool Holy Land could not be considered truly safe.

“The abandoned mine of the Primordial Forbidden Zone holds the most ancient stone skins — they should be the first choice for sealing materials. How could they fail?” He looked toward the Yao Pool Saintess with confusion.

“Indeed they cannot seal it. We have excavated many peculiar stone materials from outside the Primordial Zone, and none of them can hold.” The Yao Pool Saintess shook her head.

“How can this be…” Ye Fan furrowed his brows. Stone materials of this kind were entirely beyond imagination.

“In years past, a predecessor left behind these stone materials and once said: if the day came when sealing was required, perhaps only six specific ancient stone materials from within the Primordial Zone would suffice. Yet to this day, we have only found two of them.”

“What?” Ye Fan was immediately shocked. His mind leapt to a possibility — the legendary Six Seals of the Immortal Prison. This was a supreme source art, requiring six varieties of divine source stone skin as material. Its sophistication bordered on Dao itself — capable not only of sealing a source, but of sealing mountains and earth, and even unrivaled masters.

The Source Heaven Book recorded the Six Seals of the Immortal Prison, though only in a scant few lines, extraordinarily abstruse and difficult to comprehend. The book’s annotations described it as a theorized source art, not necessarily achievable in practice.

“Saintess, may I ask — what is the origin of those stone materials?” Ye Fan asked, both shocked and confused.

“There is no harm in telling Daoren. Those stone materials were left behind by a source arts practitioner without peer.” The Yao Pool Saintess answered.

Ye Fan’s heart gave a sudden leap. He instantly thought of one person — Zhang Lin, the fifth-generation Source Heaven Master!

In years past, this Source Heaven Master had shared an extraordinary bond with Yao Pool. The saintess of that era had been his cherished confidante; he had been an honored guest of Yao Pool, and there were even legends calling him the Holy Land’s externally appointed protective Zhenren.

A Source Heaven Master represented the utmost heights of source arts. Stone materials left by such a figure were entirely beyond imagination.

“There are seven stone materials in total, three of which were left by that extraordinary individual…” The Yao Pool Saintess recounted it slowly.

As expected — left behind by Zhang Lin, the unparalleled figure of that generation. The nine peculiar stones Yao Pool had exhibited were merely fragments of stone skin that had detached from a single one of those stone materials.

Ye Fan furrowed his brows. The origins of the nine stone materials were far too significant — enough to make even him draw a sharp breath.

The stone material on display that day had weighed two thousand catties, and yet it was nothing but stone skin that had peeled away — it was not the main stone at all. How enormous must that primary stone be?

He said nothing, listening quietly. He would be entering Yao Pool before long — he needed to understand all of this clearly.

Zhang Lin was a figure of legend, who had traversed deep mountains and ancient lands and explored countless forbidden grounds beyond count.

He had spent his entire life in pursuit of sources, accumulating no small collection of stone materials. Among them, three he could not determine — even in his old age, he was unable to judge what lay within them, and so he left them unsealed, ultimately entrusting them to Yao Pool.

“But there are seven stone materials in total — what about the other four?” Ye Fan asked.

“The other four have mysterious origins. All were sought and obtained by successive generations of the Queen Mother. They are exceptionally unusual — older than the three by far — but sadly left no recorded history.”

Even Zhang Lin had marveled at all four of those stones, for their stone skins had once detached and been re-sealed using a method resembling the Six Seals of the Immortal Prison — yet definitively not the true technique.

“Beyond the Source Heaven lineage, was there another who understood the deepest level of source arts?” Ye Fan wondered inwardly, yet he could not let those words pass his lips.

“Master Zhang spent several months in careful study and could only sigh in admiration, saying that ten thousand methods converge to the same truth.” The Yao Pool Saintess said as much.

The four stone materials were ancient — excavated by people of antiquity tens of thousands of years ago, all sealed, and later obtained by the Queen Mother of Yao Pool. This was the conclusion reached by Zhang Family’s founding ancestor.

“Those stone materials are most likely all malevolent stones. Ancient materials sealed by a method like the Six Seals of the Immortal Prison must have an origin that would terrify anyone. I believe these seven stones together are the equivalent of one cursed ground. You actually dare to keep them within Yao Pool?”

“Those stone materials are indeed quite terrifying. Were it not for a pinnacle Dao weapon suppressing them, we would truly be unable to rest easy.” The Yao Pool Saintess replied.

“Why not find a way to cut them open? What use is there in keeping them?” Ye Fan was puzzled. With Yao Pool’s depth of foundation, breaking them open would surely be within their means.

“Because Yao Pool has yet to see the right person emerge. It is a matter of opportunity…” The Yao Pool Saintess did not continue.

Ye Fan understood. It was certainly because Zhang Lin had perceived something and left behind guidance. He was more curious than ever — he wanted to go and see for himself just what was so remarkable about those ancient stone materials.

“Find certain special bloodlines, pair them with powerful source arts — if the right person were to appear within Yao Pool, the stone materials could then be cut open.”

With his entry into Yao Pool approaching, Ye Fan’s awareness of these circumstances was of great help to him. At last, the Yao Pool Saintess departed without having raised the matter of phoenix blood scarlet gold.

The night was misty and soft. The courtyard was exceptionally quiet, tranquil and serene.

Lamps had long since been lit, and Source City blazed with light in all directions.

“Ahh—!” A scream rang out, jarring and sudden.

“Ahh—!” “Ahh—!” …

The screams came in quick succession, terrifyingly rapid — like a demonic blade cutting down one life after another with unimaginable speed.

“What is happening?” The courtyard immediately erupted into chaos.

It should be noted that people from both Yao Guang Holy Land and Yao Pool Holy Land were staying here. Who would dare kill here?

“This is terrible — an elder has been killed!”

A roar came from within Yao Guang Holy Land’s courtyard, with reprimands and shouts continuing without pause.

In barely a moment, over ten people had already died. The killing cries did not cease. Ye Fan was immediately alarmed — what was happening?

“Although nothing is coming toward Yao Pool, something is deeply wrong. Could this be about the phoenix blood scarlet gold?” Ye Fan’s heart sank.

He shot out of the courtyard like a ghost, slipping into the darkness.

In almost the same instant, he saw a towering silhouette with gray hair reaching the ground — it slipped without a sound into his own room.

“A creature from the Primordial Forbidden Zone? Surely not…”

“Ahh—!” Screams continued to ring out at intervals; Yao Pool’s disciples were also being attacked and cut down.