“Boundless… what in the heavens’ name… whose dog is this…” Duan De grimaced in pain, yelping and shaking his arm repeatedly.
But he was completely unable to shake the Black Emperor loose. The great black dog opened its cavernous maw — capable of swallowing a great millstone whole — and bit down with every ounce of effort.
“Ahhh!” “Ahhh!” “Ahhh!”…
“Woof!” “Woof!” “Woof!”…
Duan De and the great black dog howled in chorus — one screaming from searing pain, the other biting with fierce focus. One desperate to break free, the other refusing to release its grip.
The Black Emperor’s true body was immense. The massive head that lunged out from the cauldron was raw and ferocious, gnawing at Duan De and nearly swallowing half his body in one go.
“Clang!”
The great black dog’s two enormous forepaws slammed down onto the battered bowl above Duan De’s head. Abruptly releasing the dishonest Daoist’s arm, it clamped its jaws shut around the bowl instead and began tugging with all its might to wrench it away.
It had never been the type to take a loss. Even though the beast-hide ancient scroll had been sent out intentionally, it still felt it couldn’t just let the other party benefit for nothing. Spotting the treasure, it grew covetous and decided it wanted to take Duan De’s divine object for itself.
“Boundless… Heavenly Venerable… this Daoist is positively furious!” Duan De had always been the one stealing other people’s treasures. Today he had not only been bitten by a dog — now the dog was trying to steal from him. His nose was practically bent sideways with indignation.
The battered bowl quivered faintly and instantly released a terrifying destructive force. The Black Emperor was greatly startled. From within its divine sense a golden bell materialized and began ringing with a clear, tinkling sound.
At the same moment, Ye Fan acted to assist, driving his cauldron to strike at the despicable Daoist.
But the battered bowl still inspired dread — harboring an unimaginable and fearsome might, even if it had not truly been unleashed.
The great black dog’s heart gave a jolt. A crack split open in its forehead, and a third eye opened vertically within it, shooting a beam of dark light straight through toward Duan De’s sea of consciousness.
Ye Fan also sensed the danger. Without another word, a golden sword barely an inch long shot out from the golden lake between his brows, cleaving at Duan De’s frontal bone.
Neither the great black dog’s golden bell nor Ye Fan’s cauldron had much effect against the battered bowl’s defenses. But the divine sense assault was too sudden — Duan De cried out and was struck, staggering backward.
“Woof!” “Woof!” “Woof!”…
The dog’s barking shook the hall. The great black dog suddenly lunged out of the cauldron, planted itself atop the bowl, and shielded itself with the golden bell. It clung to the battered bowl with iron-grip paws, refusing to let go, unleashing a flood of powerful divine sense in a surging assault.
“Pull back!” Ye Fan called out in a low voice. This bowl was no ordinary thing — it sent a horrifying chill down the spine. He was worried the Black Emperor might suffer.
Just before retreating, the Black Emperor bit down and tore away half of Duan De’s robe, then transformed into a streak of dark light and retreated back into Ye Fan’s cauldron.
The dishonest Daoist had been bitten badly — his robe reduced to tatters, looking like a beggar — dog teeth marks all over his body. He had never been in such a wretched state.
“Boundless Heavenly Venerable — damn it all, this Daoist has been bitten by a dog!”
“Boundless Wushi — damn it all, the Emperor bit a cow-nose Daoist!” The great black dog fired back without missing a beat.
“Where did this dog demon come from?” The dishonest Daoist wore a thoroughly unlucky expression, staring at the dog teeth marks all over him. He desperately wanted to eat black dog meat on the spot — this was the first time he had ever suffered such a loss.
“Who let a cow-nosed Daoist off the leash?” The great black dog was equally displeased, barking and howling.
The dishonest Daoist’s nose nearly went crooked with fury: “This Daoist ought to be the one asking — who let their dog off the leash?!”
“The Emperor isn’t done yet — who let their cow-nosed Daoist go running around?!” The great black dog bared its teeth in a snarl.
Everyone present was left staring with wide eyes and slack jaws. These two were truly something extraordinary — no one knew what to say.
Ye Fan felt like laughing out loud. This fat oaf had never come out on the losing end — he had stolen plenty from others, then been packed into the Demon Emperor’s yin tomb by the great sacred ground masters, only to come bouncing out none the worse for it. It was a rare treat to see him take a beating today.
“Forget it — the Emperor can’t be bothered to stoop to your level.” The great black dog, having gained every advantage there was to gain, finally adopted the air of someone too dignified to engage further.
The dishonest Daoist pointed at the Black Emperor with one finger, just opening his mouth to reply — but Ye Fan cut him off.
“Dao Master — what do you mean by this?” He deliberately put on a stern face, his expression displeased as he fixed his gaze on Duan De. “Even if we have some acquaintance, you would scheme against an old friend like this? Can you justify it?”
“Boundless Heavenly Venerable — this Daoist feared that little brother Ye Fan would be at a disadvantage, with so many people watching covetously. So I took it upon myself to safeguard the ancient scroll on your behalf. When the time comes, could I ever short you on your share of the benefits?”
“Fat man — that kind of greed will bring retribution upon you.” Ye Fan said nothing more. He wore a displeased expression on the surface, while inwardly he was roaring with laughter.
Duan De could freely enter and exit the force field formed by the Chaos Stone — it could not restrain him at all. That dark, unremarkable battered bowl emitted faint ripples that cancelled out the restraining force.
The Black Emperor transmitted to Ye Fan: “That battered bowl must contain something extraordinary. From the looks of it, it has been sealed. He has no wish to expose it — truly beyond imagining.”
Ye Fan nodded in agreement. He had no intention of truly crossing the line and starting a real fight with this fat wretch. The man’s hidden depths were unfathomable — who knew how many trump cards he held.
Everyone else was equally shocked, unable to guess what sort of rare treasure Duan De possessed — but it was certainly extraordinary.
“Flash!”
A burst of light, and Duan De retreated out of the force field formed by the Chaos Stone, descending to the ground, stowing the ancient scroll into his robe.
Everyone’s eyes were locked on him — especially the sacred sons and daughters frozen in mid-air. All of them were deeply unwilling, but it was not a matter of weak cultivation. They simply lacked the rare treasures to counter the restraints, and so they were bound in place with no recourse.
“Dao Master Duan — are you planning to leave?” Yan Ruyu moved with lotus-step grace, watching him with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Faced with the demonic clan princess holding a transcendent weapon, Duan De was as though facing a great enemy, his expression shifting through light and shadow.
“Boom!”
Atop the Chaos Stone, the Departure Fire Divine Furnace trembled. The three imprisoned within were not prepared to sit and await their fate — all three were doing everything in their power to force their way out. The Sacred Son of Yao Guang, the Golden-Winged Xiaopeng King, and Yao Xi — not one of them was an ordinary person.
Ye Fan transmitted a secret message: “Black Emperor — can you help me place a seal on this furnace? Even if we leave the Chaos Stone, can you ensure they cannot break out?”
“That’s difficult…” The Black Emperor frowned. “This furnace, though quite sturdy, is somewhat peculiar. I’m afraid it cannot have Dao-pattern formations carved into it.”
“Think carefully — see if there’s any way.” Ye Fan felt the urgency of time pressing down. There was probably not enough time left to fully refine these three.
“To carve Dao-patterns, one needs a large quantity of rare materials. In such a short time, where would we find them? There is simply no way.” The Black Emperor shook its head.
“Materials…” Suddenly, something stirred in Ye Fan’s heart. He thought of the secret method within the Dao Scripture — only a few sparse passages, with limited content. But he had studied it carefully, and he had once used that forbidden technique — suppressing himself within a vessel, to achieve a form of “eternity.”
“Nine mysterious ancient characters — no other rare materials required. Carve them onto the vessel, and suppression can be achieved!”
Ye Fan moved quickly. This time, of course, he was not suppressing himself — he intended to suppress the three great powerhouses within.
“Black Emperor — stand guard!” His expression was utterly grave. He could not refine the three great powerhouses here — he would have to seal them entirely instead.
“Rumble rumble!”
Suddenly, violent tremors came from outside the hall. Someone was forcibly pulling up the great banners Ye Fan had planted. One after another they were ripped free, and finally, with one last great crash, more than a dozen people strode in.
These dozen or so people appeared to be anywhere from their mid-thirties to mid-forties — though their true age, no one could know. Each moved with unhurried ease, their expressions calm and composed, every one of them exuding unmistakable distinction.
One of them wore a robe of five-colored feathers, with a naturally lordly bearing, utterly remarkable — blade-sharp brows sweeping into his temples. He swept the hall with a lordly gaze, and finally his eyes shot two penetrating beams of light, fixing on Ji Haoyue.
“Kong Teng — what do you intend?” someone nearby demanded.
Everyone in the hall was shaken. Who was Kong Teng? He was the most devoted disciple of the Peacock King, inheritor of the Peacock King’s supreme profound art — his strength unfathomably deep.
It was he who had once pursued and cornered Ji Haoyue in the Southern Region, leaving the man with nowhere to flee — with neither sky above nor earth below — and nearly killing him outside.
“Rest assured. I will not make a move here. After all, your numbers are greater — how many of my demonic clan have come?” Kong Teng replied coolly.
Everyone drew in a sharp breath. Not one of the dozen-odd middle-aged figures was a weakling. They were all extraordinary individuals from the great sacred grounds — a full half-generation to a full generation above those gathered here.
“Flash.” “Flash!”
Light flashed in rapid succession. Ye Fan at last burned the final two characters into the furnace lid, completely sealing the Departure Fire Divine Furnace. He let out a long breath of relief.
“Dao Master Duan…” Kong Teng swept his gaze over the Chaos Stone, then fixed his eyes on Duan De.
The dozen or so who had entered with him were each of formidable background, their status no less than his. Every one of them also fixed their eyes on Duan De.
“Everything can be discussed…” Duan De gave a hollow smile, and produced the ancient scroll from within his robe.
“Senior brother, please step forward and rescue the sacred son and sacred daughter!” A Yao Guang disciple came forward and bowed respectfully to a middle-aged man.
This was a man who appeared to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years of age — tall in stature, thick eyebrows and large eyes, powerfully handsome, commanding an instinctive awe. He carried himself like an immortal king. Many present changed expression instantly, recognizing him in an instant: this was Chu Lingkong of Yao Guang — who had once fallen just short of being selected as Sacred Son.
“Is that so — someone actually managed to capture both my Yao Guang’s sacred daughter and sacred son at once?” Chu Lingkong’s eyes were deep as the ocean. He gazed upward into the air.
Ye Fan sat cross-legged atop the Chaos Stone, expression entirely composed, continuing to launch the Fire-Catalyzing Art as before. He channeled divine power steadily, having resolved to refine the three great prodigies within the furnace, and spoke calmly: “I intend to suppress them for one year. When the period ends, they will be returned to their sacred grounds.”
Every face changed at once. A small cultivator of the Dao Palace Secret Realm daring to suppress heirs of the sacred grounds — once this spread, it would shake all under heaven.
He had the audacity to say such a thing. Not one person from any of the great sacred grounds was not astonished.
What a monstrous prodigy. Previously, they had each heard his name to a greater or lesser degree, but none of the outstanding young disciples of the sacred grounds had paid it much attention. Today, this was a name they were destined to remember forever.