A full half month passed, and Divine King Jiang gave not a single sound — as though he had passed into nirvana within the rock wall.

Ye Fan had already fully comprehended the opening stance, finding it increasingly wondrous and abstruse. The offensive power it contained was enough to make even him repeatedly shudder in awe.

He had a vague sense that the complete secret technique, once fully mastered, would surpass even the Void Great Hand Seal in power. This was a supreme technique of offensive combat — a Warring Saint’s method.

On the seventeenth day, Divine King Jiang Taixu awakened and transmitted a feeble voice: “You… have you comprehended it…”

“Senior, you have finally awoken.” Ye Fan let out a long breath. The other party’s condition was dire — he could cease to exist at any moment. He continued: “I have made initial progress.”

“Show me…” Jiang Taixu wished to see the result.

Ye Fan held nothing back. His body moved in accordance with the wondrous technique, executing the opening stance. In that moment, a powerful battle intent arose within him involuntarily — a desire to punch through the very vault of heaven.

All of it was the work of this supreme arcane art. It transformed one’s very bearing, like a war god possessing one’s body. A tremendous wave of combat power surged forth explosively.

“Very… good…” Seeing that Ye Fan could contain and restrain this terrifying offensive arcane art — neither revealing nor releasing it — Jiang Taixu expressed his satisfaction in those two words.

“Senior, what can I do to help you?” He had a feeling the other party had taught him the technique with some purpose in mind.

Jiang Taixu seemed to carry some lingering regret: “You… are too weak…”

Ye Fan said nothing more and waited quietly for the other party to speak.

Swoosh!

On the rough rock wall, the withered figure appeared once more — ribs visible, legs thin as kindling, gaunt beyond measure. That shadow had not a trace of flesh on it.

The shadow struck various postures in rapid succession, while a formula simultaneously transmitted itself into Ye Fan’s heart. The postures shifted so quickly that the eye could barely follow them.

Though there was no divine power fluctuating within the movements, Ye Fan felt a terrifying pressure. Jiang Taixu was truly like a god — even as merely a shadow moving on the stone wall, countless rings of radiance materialized on the rock surface and enveloped him.

In this moment, everything else was forgotten. Even the demonic calling from the depths of the Purple Mountain seemed to wither to nothing.

The shadow of Jiang Taixu reflected on the stone wall carried a bearing of supreme dominion — I alone stand above all, in heaven and on earth none surpass me. That battle intent made one’s very soul tremble. It was truly the embodiment of a Warring Saint.

It was the first time Ye Fan had ever been so thoroughly awestruck. He was completely overwhelmed by this arcane art. Had his divine sense not been sufficiently powerful, had he not been gripping the Bodhi Seed, he could never have received and absorbed it all.

This supreme arcane art was extraordinarily complex. The offensive transformations were inexhaustible — every inch of flesh and blood throughout the entire body was the most powerful of weapons.

Finally, Jiang Taixu’s movements grew ever slower, the complex transformations abruptly simplified — ten thousand changes returned to one, the great Dao reduced to simplicity. All offense was gathered into a single technique!

The body like dry firewood, simplifying the complex, the entire person was as though the Dao had begotten one — unchanging from the primordial age, crystallized in that single form.

“All transformations are but techniques — returning to one at the last is the original source!” Watching that stilled silhouette, Ye Fan felt his physical body on the verge of shattering and his soul on the verge of dissolution.

“This is terrifyingly powerful — no divine power released, only its form revealed, and already it is unbearable. Truly it is a Warring Saint’s method. It would be very difficult to find another such offensive art anywhere in heaven or on earth!”

“This supreme arcane art — in truth, it contains but a single technique. The unity of the original source can give rise to ten thousand methods…” Ye Fan’s heart held this understanding as he gripped his Bodhi Seed.

Boom!

The other party seemed to have heard Ye Fan’s inner voice. The rough stone wall shuddered, and the shadow fixed upon it suddenly fell.

Ye Fan silently recited the formula of this arcane art within his heart — it was not particularly long in total, yet exceedingly abstruse. Before his eyes, image after image arose, with every movement of Jiang Taixu replaying in his heart.

“A supreme arcane art of offensive combat…” Ye Fan formed seals with his entire body, transforming through a thousand variations. At first he imitated Jiang Taixu, but gradually he grasped the root — arriving only at that unified, original-source state of wondrous stillness.

Grasp the essence in spirit and the form will appear naturally, capable of transformation into a thousand and ten thousand variations. Grasp the root, and all other postures can be manifested.

Ye Fan existed in a wondrous state. A full ten days passed. He remained immersed within it the entire time, his body moving in fluid motion — dreamlike, as though in a trance.

He formed seals with his entire body — not merely hand seals, but every inch of flesh and blood as part of the Dao seal. His whole person was like the Tai Void itself, like the very nature of the Dao — seeking to express the formless great Dao in a form that could be seen and touched.

Finally, a thunderous reverberation struck within his heart. A timeless and unchanging silhouette appeared: ten thousand changes returned to one, crystallized into the singular body posture!

One single posture encapsulated the entirety of this arcane art. This was the Warring Saint’s method!

Only at that moment did Ye Fan fully awaken. He understood at once: this arcane art was devoted solely to killing and offense, with nothing else — possessing an incomparable power of attack.

This was not to say he had completely mastered the arcane art — rather, he understood its essence, knew how to cultivate it and how to advance in it.

To have a generation’s Divine King personally demonstrate its transformations for him was of immeasurable benefit — it had allowed him to see the original source of the arcane art, grasp its fundamental nature, and firmly imprint the unified posture within himself.

One day, he could fully master it and give rise to his own offensive techniques.

The Nine Secrets — mysterious and powerful. Each of the nine arcane arts was enough to shake heaven and move the spirits.

The arcane art he had obtained at Taixuan Zhuo Peak could multiply combat strength anywhere from several times to tenfold — truly a world-shaking wonder. If unleashed, any opponent would be left trembling.

The arcane art transmitted by Divine King Jiang had an offensively terrifying power that was extremely difficult to surpass. Ye Fan believed that even the Void Great Hand Seal could not compare.

“Then it stands to reason that the nine arcane arts encompassed by the Nine Secrets are very likely an ultimate combination. If one were to master all nine… just how powerful would that be?”

Ye Fan had spent many days cultivating within the ancient mine, yet saw no sign of Divine King Jiang Taixu awakening. His heart sank — he sensed that the other party had likely truly burned out the last of his oil.

To endure for four thousand years in such a state — what did that even mean? In the starry sky beyond, two thousand years would reach back to the age of Qin and Han dynasties.

Four thousand years was easy to say. Think carefully upon it, and it was an ocean turning to mulberry fields — years flowing on without end, with who knew how many dynasties upon the earth rising to power and then declining into ruin.

Ye Fan had been on guard against the other party the entire time — after all, since arriving in this world, he had experienced far too many dangers. Now that Divine King Jiang was silent and still, Ye Fan could only heave a sigh, turn to face the rock wall, and silently bow in respectful farewell.

He had no time to waste. The Purple Mountain was filled with unknowns — a place of extreme malevolence. One ought not linger.

Ye Fan withdrew from the ancient mine and came to a vast open cave dwelling. He hesitated. Should he leave just like this? He felt quite unwilling — the Ore Heaven Book he most needed had not been obtained.

From deep within the Purple Mountain, the power of the calling was strengthening, filling him with an intense and powerful sense of unease.

“Why did the Great Emperor from tens of thousands of years ago not slay them outright? What exactly was he trying to do? Zhang Jiye called this place the Emperor Mountain, while all others called it the Demon Mountain — could there be another explanation entirely?”

After a moment of deliberation, Ye Fan did not immediately withdraw. According to what Jiang Taixu had said, the true danger had not yet fully descended. Perhaps he could press forward a while longer. He decided to make one final attempt.

He advanced several hundred zhang deeper into the Purple Mountain. The stone garment on his body began to emit faint threads of radiant light, and his heart stirred immediately — could there be divine ore nearby?

The rock cave ran deep, opening into a vast ancient mine. Upon reaching this place, his stone garment blazed with continuous radiance. The stone knife and the star-disc too shimmered with extraordinary light.

“This is… what concentrated ore energy!” Ye Fan’s heart leaped in astonishment. There must be a large quantity of ore deep within this ancient mine.

The demonic calling was coming from a different direction — not from this ancient mine. He proceeded with confidence and without fear.

This time he advanced a full two or three li before reaching the depths of the mine shaft. Faint points of light appeared ahead, and a sacred presence washed over him.

Ye Fan stared wide-eyed and speechless — he had actually seen an exquisitely beautiful young woman, pure and flawless as a lotus rising from the water, ethereal and otherworldly.

Ahead of him, a massive chunk of ore stood nearly two meters tall, sealing her within its heart and radiating a brilliant radiance.

The young woman’s beautiful eyes were tightly shut, motionless — like a sleeping beauty, utterly serene.

Ye Fan’s scalp tingled. He had actually encountered a living being sealed within ore like this — it filled him with intense unease!

His first instinct was to retreat immediately. While the other party had not yet awakened, he should get out of here at once.

Yet why had he sensed no dangerous fluctuations? The terrifying demonic power emanated from deep within the Purple Mountain — it was not coming from here.

Ye Fan adjusted his physical body to its peak state. The Myriad Source Cauldron was prepared for deployment at any moment. Two of the Nine Secrets were already running.

He fixed his gaze on the jade-like form within the massive chunk of ore. The very first thing he examined were the slender and graceful jade hands — he had not forgotten the stone engravings he had seen in the mine passage.

Tens of thousands of years ago, when that Great Emperor suppressed the primordial creature, a pair of slender and graceful jade hands had reached out from the divine ore — extraordinarily beautiful.

“They look so alike — these jade fingers, each crystalline and translucent, like green onion shoots…” Ye Fan felt a throbbing at his temple.

“Am I truly this unlucky, to have encountered her immediately…” Ye Fan slowly backed away. To claim he was not nervous would have been impossible.

After all, even that Great Emperor had needed to deploy an extreme Dao weapon to suppress the divine ore. One could well imagine how terrifying the creature contained within must be.

Ye Fan retreated over a dozen steps, yet the massive chunk of ore remained completely still, without any reaction at all. The young woman did not move.

“Something is wrong. As powerful as she is, how could there be no fluctuation whatsoever emanating from her?”

In the ancient mine, ore energy surged in abundance, utterly harmonious, with not a trace of murderous energy — not even a hint of killing intent.

“This does not resemble a creature of the primordial age. How is she completely indistinguishable from a human?” Ye Fan was inwardly astonished. The young woman within the ore had no monstrous characteristics whatsoever — she was a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

“Could it be that she was sealed to death by the Great Emperor from tens of thousands of years ago?” By now, Ye Fan had long since lost any fear. He was so close to this massive chunk of ore — if the other party had any awareness, there was no escaping regardless.

If the other party had no awareness or consciousness, then it was very likely that his great fortune had arrived. A chunk of ore this large was absolutely priceless in value and extraordinarily rare in the world.

Ye Fan ceased retreating. Instead, he moved forward, approaching for a close examination.

Multicolored mist swirled, ore energy overflowed on all sides, and the surroundings of the massive ore chunk were suffused in haze. He murmured to himself: “This doesn’t look like the legendary divine ore…”

Crack!

He stepped on a bone knife beneath his feet. Ye Fan was not startled by that — what truly changed his expression was what he saw beside the massive chunk of ore: a humanoid creature lay prostrate there.

“Son of a—! I’ve hit the ‘grand jackpot’!”

Ye Fan’s heart pounded furiously. This was absolutely a creature of the primordial age — its entire body covered in silver scales, wings on its back, a horn at the center of its brow, and six arms. It lay there utterly motionless.