The Undying Celestial Emperor — an existence that was both human and divine, impossibly ancient, the supreme deity among the ten thousand races of the ancient era.
At this moment, everyone present felt a chill. The strange stone’s origins were truly terrifying — it was very possible that what lay within was the sole surviving bloodline of a god.
No wonder it could not be sealed, and had produced all manner of miraculous visions of immortals soaring from stone. He was about to emerge into the world — flowing with divine blood!
More than a dozen ancient beings kept speaking, and though the people felt their hearts shudder, they gathered some information: the age of this egg was ancient beyond reckoning.
Before the primordial era, there had been endless ages past — the bloodline of the Undying Celestial Emperor had been sealed within the stone long before these beings had even entered their slumber.
At that time, they had no idea. Only now, as the egg neared emergence and they beheld the stone, did they recall all that had once been.
A broken stone that had lain forgotten in some corner of the Purple Mountain long before the ancient era — to think it carried such astounding origins. These ancient beings were dumbfounded.
“No wonder it could not even be confirmed whether the Undying Celestial Emperor had ever existed — he must have lived so long before the ancient era that the ages stretched beyond imagination!” The woman sealed in the divine source sighed.
They spoke a few words in the human tongue, then a few more in the ancient tongue. The human powerhouses could not follow everything clearly, but grasped the general outline.
The Purple Mountain — where the Infinite Beginning Great Emperor had passed away in sitting meditation — had been an incomparably important place during the ancient era: a site of pilgrimage, known as the Ancient Emperor Mountain!
“The Undying Celestial Emperor… very likely left an inextinguishable trace within the Purple Mountain…”
The woman sealed in the divine source even let out a long sigh, believing that this supreme existence who was both human and divine had also passed away in sitting meditation within the Ancient Emperor Mountain!
The human powerhouses were all shocked. The Undying Celestial Emperor’s corpse, after millions of years, could perhaps still endure, never decaying — fit to be refined into a supreme holy weapon of the Extreme Path.
“Oh? You…”
A female ancient being fixed her gaze on the Black Emperor, who was lurking behind the crowd. Her teeth immediately clenched, her almond-shaped eyes went wide, and she took on the posture of someone ready to fight to the death.
“Stop staring at this Emperor — I’m not that handsome!” The Great Black Dog held its ground, yowled loudly, bared its teeth, and faced her down.
“Xi Luan…” From within the great block of divine source, the ancient king’s voice rang out — celestial music in tone, yet bearing supreme authority. The female being stopped at once and said no more.
Many people were baffled, not understanding what the Great Black Dog had done to provoke an ancient being — only Ye Fan’s heart gave a little jump. He glanced at the Black Emperor but said nothing.
“You are… the Battle Sage Ape!”
One of the ancient beings caught sight of the Monkey standing in the distance, and shock spread across its face. It stumbled back several large steps.
“It truly is… the Sage Emperor’s Son!”
All of the more than ten ancient beings were greatly startled, all of them agitated and unable to calm down.
“It is the young brother of the Battle Sage Emperor — without a doubt. And he has survived as well!”
They looked at one another, hesitated briefly, then stepped forward together and bowed as one: “We pay our respects to the Sage Emperor’s Son!”
Only the ancient king remained at a distance. Regardless of cultivation, by bloodline alone she was no weaker than the Monkey.
The powerful members of the human race were all astonished. The hierarchy among the ancient races was strict, and yet they showed such reverence toward the Monkey — it caught everyone entirely off guard.
First, the bloodline of the Undying Celestial Emperor; and now, the son of the Battle Sage Emperor. These ancient beings were all deeply stirred.
Both were sons of ancient emperors — by rights, their standing was equal, and they could meet as peers. Among the ancient beings, both held positions of the highest esteem.
However, the Undying Celestial Emperor was a uniquely supreme existence. In the hearts of the ten thousand races, he was worshipped above even the gods — transcending the very category of ancient emperors. His sole bloodline could virtually be called a child of a god.
The ancient king departed Yaochi, taking the strange stone with her. As the terrifying pulse faded away, the people breathed long sighs of relief — yet their hearts were far from peaceful.
“They have taken away a divine child. Could this eventually bring forth an ancient emperor?”
An existence deemed to surpass even the gods had been proven today to have truly appeared in history. His sole descendant was about to enter the world!
The egg’s mystery and fearfulness had been plain for all to see. It would without doubt give birth to a great and powerful being. The more the assembled figures thought about it, the more unsettled they became.
Of the seven strange stones — all Stone Kings — three had been sealed, the ancient king had taken one away, and the Monkey was feeding one daily with drops of precious blood beside the immortal pond.
That left two more, both equally mysterious and baffling, stumping every unusual figure who had attempted them.
One of the Stone Kings was layered with interlocking patterns, resembling dense greenish-brown feathers. The combined efforts of the ancient source-arts families to work on it ended with them crying out in pain on the spot.
A source-arts grandmaster died right there — struck by a beam of divine light that shot out, killed instantly.
“What is this?!”
Not only the cultivators, even those who understood source arts were stunned, with no idea why this had happened.
The people of the Source King lineage came forward. Their leader was an elder, the current-generation Source King — a true Source Earth Master. Behind him were eight strange individuals: the very same eight eccentric figures who had once stirred up great waves in the divine city.
“This is a Flying Feather Strange Stone. It may be a divine storehouse — or it may be a ghost’s lair. It is impossible to determine which.” He offered these words.
Ye Fan quietly nodded. The Source King lineage had never produced a Source Celestial Master, but from time to time a Source Earth Master appeared — their mastery of source arts truly lived up to their name.
“You nod to yourself — does that mean you see something? More brilliant than the Source King?” A man from one of the ancient source-arts families spoke up; they deeply resented Ye Fan.
“Brilliant is not the word, but I do know something. Don’t tell me you want to make a bet with me again?” Ye Fan smiled.
Many in the crowd also smiled. The stone-betting battle in the divine city was known to everyone. Ye Fan, a newcomer, had left several ancient families with dust on their faces.
Bringing up old matters now was truly hitting people where it hurt — far too unkind.
“You…” Among them, Nangong Qi had faced off against Ye Fan before and was the most resentful. “You are only at the grandmaster level — the same as us. On what basis do you speak so boldly?”
“Shall we make another bet?” Ye Fan asked with a smile.
The Source King was a straightforward, plain-looking man who showed a curious expression at this moment. “What does the young friend see?”
“This kind of Flying Feather Strange Stone cannot be seen through — I can only sense a hint of clues by intuition.” Ye Fan said.
“You haven’t seen through it, yet you boast like this. Do you really think you’ve already become a Source Celestial Master?” A man from the ancient source-arts families sneered coldly.
Ye Fan turned around and saw members of the Yin-Yang Sect standing behind them. He naturally understood — with powerful backing, their confidence had returned.
“What does it have to do with you? I am discussing this with Senior Source King. If you can’t stand it, come make a bet with me — and send me a few more million jin of source.” Ye Fan didn’t spare them a proper glance.
Many people were speechless, feeling he and Crimson Dragon Daoren were cut from the same cloth: if you disagreed, you fought.
“You…” Nangong Qi and the others were furious.
“If you have some degree of confidence, why not make a bet with him?” One of the Yin-Yang Sect’s Grand Elders spoke — clearly egging them on.
“This old one has also perceived some clues.” Ouyang Ye spoke. Being nearly at the Source Earth Master level, his source arts were second only to the Source King’s among those present.
“Five hundred thousand jin of pure source!” Ye Fan’s voice rang out clear and forceful, startling many of the great leaders into exchanging looks.
A sum of source that enormous was an astronomical figure. How many people could actually produce it?
This time, the people of the ancient source-arts families had learned their lesson. Their mouths still made provocative sounds, but not one of them made a bet.
Ye Fan was deeply resigned. It seemed this swindle wouldn’t work. He had struck too hard in the divine city — too many people had been badly burned, and none of them would fall for it again.
“This old one will make a bet with you.” Ouyang Ye spoke again. He was nearly a Source Earth Master and had never crossed hands with Ye Fan.
“What stake do you have in mind?” Ye Fan asked.
“Two hundred thousand jin of source — if I lose, I’ll give it all to you. If you lose, you’ll hand over the Source Celestial Book.” Ouyang Ye’s eyes were sharp as blades.
Ye Fan laughed coldly. “Two hundred thousand jin of source is all the Source Celestial Book is worth?”
“Very well, I won’t ask for the ancient book. If I win, I only need to view it once.” Ouyang Ye said.
“Isn’t that the same thing? Forget anything short of five hundred thousand jin of source.” Ye Fan refused.
“Fine then — five hundred thousand jin of pure source!” For the sake of the Source Celestial Book, Ouyang Ye threw caution to the wind entirely, borrowing source from several ancient source-arts families.
“I want only divine source — I can’t carry an entire mountain.” Ye Fan raised this exacting demand once more.
It took three days. Ouyang Ye assembled a pile of divine source that drew the close attention of sect leaders from all directions: five face-sized blocks of divine source, making the spiritual energy of Yaochi feel as vast as an ocean.
“This is a Flying Feather Divine Storehouse. Within it lies a peerless rare treasure — most likely comparable to an artifact left by the ancient Great Emperors.” Ouyang Ye spoke, rendering his judgment.
Ye Fan smiled. “Fortunate that our judgments differ — otherwise this would have been a problem. I say it is a Flying Feather Celestial Coffin, with the remains of an ancient great figure interred within — and perhaps with funerary divine objects!”
Yaochi, after deliberation, wished to use the power of the various unusual figures to cut the remaining two Stone Kings open — to see what was truly inside once and for all.
These were not the special Stone Kings the Source Celestial Master had instructed them to preserve and nourish long-term; these could be opened and allowed to emerge.
“Then let’s find out the truth!” The people of the ancient source-arts families all laughed coldly. They could not believe a Source Earth Master’s judgment would fall short of Ye Fan’s — there was no reason for that.
“The time has come for the Source Celestial Book to change hands!” Some people were already champing at the bit.
This particular stone was too unusual — it was carried to a desolate region of Yaochi, to be cut open in the wilderness. Sect leaders from all directions followed along, wishing to see the outcome for themselves.
“Boom!”
When a powerful master, from a great distance, slashed it open with a flying sword, a terrifying aura drowned out heaven and earth. The absolute Yin energy was like a blade, shattering even the void.
Everyone was greatly alarmed. Fortunately, they had all stood far enough back. Their hearts were shaken — what on earth was sealed within?
“Supreme Yin Sacred Power!” Someone’s expression changed. This was an ancient legacy of the human race — a supreme sacred power of a singular school of cultivation.
A vast black fog swept across heaven and earth. No one knew how long it lasted, until at last the absolute Yin, absolute yielding Sacred Power of the Supreme Yin dissipated, and the spot glittered with crystal light.
“A supreme divine storehouse!” The ancient families cried out.
People rushed forward and found that the glittering things were fragments of bone — snow white as jade, shining with radiance.
“These are the bones of a sage — and they have been shattered!” The sacred master of the Jiang Family cried out.
Not only ordinary people — even these supreme sect leaders changed color at the sight. They were witnessing with their own eyes the shattered bones of a sage.
The bones were nearly pulverized. One could only imagine how grievous the injuries had been. Beside them lay a shattered jade stele, upon which four ancient characters had been carved — but not one person could recognize them.
“The Supreme Yin True Scripture!” In the end, someone discovered a thread of a spiritual imprint and cried out in alarm.
Everyone was stunned. An ancient scripture had emerged into the world. Many people nearly threw themselves into a scramble to seize it — but remembering they were within Yaochi, with the Immortal Tear Tower suppressing everything, they all suppressed the impulse.
The people of the ancient source-arts families looked ashen, utterly refusing to believe a Source Earth Master’s judgment could fall short of Ye Fan’s. There was no logic to it.
In truth, compared to a Source Earth Master, Ye Fan did have shortcomings. Despite his knowledge of many celestial source arts, they had been ineffective on this particular stone.
The reason he had been so confident was that the Monkey knew — and had told him while standing at his side that this stone must be a grave.
In the ancient era, some figures of world-shaking accomplishment would, just before death, bury themselves within stone through supreme secret methods, to endure with heaven and earth forever — and these were precisely the Flying Feather Strange Stones.
“Is it truly the Supreme Yin True Scripture?” The voices of many people trembled. If so, Yaochi would come to hold two ancient scriptures.
The Queen Mother of the West extended her divine sense into the jade stele, then sighed and withdrew it. “What a pity — the Supreme Yin True Scripture has been destroyed.”
Many people refused to believe it and extended their own divine senses, finding it just as the Queen Mother of the West had described: within the jade stele there remained only a few imprints — all else had long since faded away.
“It was the Supreme Yin Sacred Power he released in his dying moments that erased everything.” Many felt profound regret.
When they returned to the Heavenly Vault of Yaochi, Ye Fan laughed heartily and collected the pile of divine source without ceremony, making Ouyang Ye and the others feel their hearts bleed.
“Ha! You truly are generous — sending me so much divine source time and again. My sincere gratitude!” Ye Fan laughed and mocked them.
“You…” The people of the ancient source-arts families were ready to burst with frustration.
“Pfft!”
Nangong Qi vomited blood outright from sheer fury. Ouyang Ye’s face had gone dark as still water, but he was powerless.
The last Stone King was also cut open. A streak of blood light was released from within and, right there on the spot, swept away several powerful individuals — reducing them to pools of pus and blood in an instant, a sight that made one’s hair stand on end.
At the critical moment, the Immortal Tear Tower pressed down with a divine might, destroying it — only then was the calamity averted for the others.
“What was that?”
No one could understand. They crowded around to look.
“Red fur…” Ye Fan’s heart gave a start. Among the shattered stone fragments, there was only a mass of terrifying red fur.
“An ill omen has befallen this Stone King.” The Source King spoke. He too knew something of this, and his expression grew grave. He sighed: “To think the legend is true. If one becomes a Source Celestial Master, an ill omen will certainly visit in one’s twilight years — and even a single stone handled by such a master ends up like this!”
Ye Fan’s heart pounded. He observed it carefully for a long while, yet gained little insight — he had no idea what that had been.
“Within this stone, a powerful being had originally been sealed in divine source. Something went wrong, and only a maddened divine consciousness remained — which was then destroyed by a thread of the Immortal Tear Tower’s divine might.”
This was the only conclusion Ye Fan and the Source King arrived at after a long discussion. Both felt a chill in their hearts.
The Peach Banquet of Yaochi came to a close. The great leaders of all factions departed one after another. One of them swept a glance toward Ye Fan as he left — the meaning unmistakable.
Before long, everyone had gone — including Li Heishui, Jiang Huairen, and the rest, who set off toward the Central State to seek the opportunity to enter the Academy of Oddities.
Before Crimson Dragon Daoren and the Peacock King departed, Ye Fan quietly sent each a sacred fruit, to extend their lifespans.
These fruits had originally been left as gratitude for the Peerless Divine King — but since Divine King Jiang had severed his ties with the world and disappeared into the unknown, there was no longer any use for them.
A month later, the Monkey also departed. Having provided a sufficient supply of royal blood, he took one of Yaochi’s Peach of the Gods fruits and also the sacred fruit Ye Fan gave him.
Outside Yaochi, powerful figures lurked, waiting for Ye Fan to come out — but they wasted a full month in vain.
Ye Fan had no intention of leaving. He remained in Yaochi, entering closed seclusion.
In these days, he was quite at ease. Sometimes he would enter seclusion to comprehend supreme profound arts; other times he would stroll through Yaochi with the white-robed immortal maidens.
Several of Yaochi’s Grand Elders began to feel uneasy, growing wary of Ye Fan and fearing the events involving the Source Celestial Master and a sacred woman ten thousand years prior would repeat themselves.
They had no good grounds to drive Ye Fan away — they still needed to call on him in the future to nourish several Stone Kings and help them grow. In their helplessness, they began urging the Yaochi Sacred Woman and another female disciple to set off for the Central State and head to the Academy of Oddities.
On this day, Ye Fan sat lost in a daze, when a female disciple of Yaochi delivered a rosewood box to him. When he opened it, one object within immediately seized hold of his entire attention.
A cell phone!
He tapped it open and played a video. A familiar, beautiful face appeared, and a soft yet clear voice came through: “Ye Fan, save me…”