There was a set of remains from an Archaic Sacred Physique within this small world. Ye Fan was deeply shaken — immediately his mind leapt to many implications. “Take me to see it.”

“Please — it’s the dead of night. What’s there to go see a corpse for? If you don’t find it strange, I find it inauspicious.” Qin Yao swayed her round, slender waist, moving with a graceful and willowy sway like a beautiful serpent, heading toward the door — sensuous and captivating.

“When can you take me to see it?” Ye Fan gradually calmed down.

“Those remains aren’t something you can just go see whenever you want. Unless Princess Yan accompanies you, you won’t be able to see them.” Qin Yao stopped.

“Why?” Ye Fan asked.

Qin Yao’s beautiful hair hung loose, her skin delicate and rosy, her manner languid and unhurried. She cast him a glance and said: “The remains of an Archaic Sacred Physique — setting aside everything else, in terms of sheer durability alone, they are among the rarest things in the world. They can be refined into great weapons and are enormously precious. They’re stored in the treasury now, and an ordinary person naturally cannot see them — all the more so since an Archaic Sacred Physique holds many secrets.”

“This… refining an Archaic Sacred Physique into a weapon?!” Ye Fan rubbed his chin. He felt somewhat uncomfortable.

“Scared now? You’d better be careful. You may only be at the Dao Palace Secret Realm, but based on your performance today, your body is already solid enough — sturdier than any divine blade. You’re an excellent material for weapon refinement.”

“Damn it!” Ye Fan couldn’t help but curse. He thought of the problems he might face in the future — even his own body might become something others coveted.

Qin Yao teased: “So you see — you’re quite valuable right now. If things really get desperate, you could even sell yourself. Someone would certainly be willing to pay a high price.”

“Sell myself for what? If you want, I’ll take a loss and offer myself to you.” Ye Fan bantered.

“Can I refine you into a weapon?” Qin Yao shot back without missing a beat.

“You really are ruthless.”

“What else would I do with you?”

Ye Fan put on a serious expression and asked: “Where were these remains found?”

“Right here in this small world. When you have time, the Princess can take you to see them.” Qin Yao stifled a little yawn, covering her mouth with her jade hand. “No more talking — I’m going to sleep.”

“There’s room here, and the bed is big enough.” Ye Fan folded his arms and smiled.

“Drop dead, you little rascal!” Qin Yao gave him a magnificent roll of her eyes, then swayed her graceful figure and left with a willowy, undulating gait.

With the first light of dawn, a great fire orb rose slowly from the east, scattering rays of light like morning glow.

Ye Fan could not find Qin Yao, so he called Tu Fei up and prepared to have him accompany him to the demon city.

“I say, Little Ye — what are you running all over the place for? Right now you’re a juicy piece of meat. Aren’t you afraid some old demon will set their sights on you?”

“I want to go collect some weapon-forging materials to craft a weapon of my own.” Ye Fan answered.

Tu Fei rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have the cauldron? What do you need to forge a weapon for?”

“Many eyes are already red with envy over it — do you think I can just casually take it out and use it?”

“Can’t it wait a bit?” Tu Fei was somewhat suspicious.

“Just take me there quickly — I also want to see what the demon city is like.” Ye Fan summoned the great black dog as well. His real purpose in going was to collect materials to break the prohibitions on the Hall of Agelessness.

The demon city was not very large, but it was quite prosperous. By the time the sun had risen high, Ye Fan and the others had entered the city.

Along both sides of the street were many shops, most of them selling spirit medicines and weapons, surrounded by many demon clan cultivators.

Within the city, one could see many peculiar individuals — some with horns growing from their heads, others with wings sprouting from their sides, still others with tails trailing behind them.

Many demon cultivators retained some of their racial characteristics to varying degrees and had not fully taken on human form.

“A three-legged golden toad!” The great black dog fixed its gaze on a demon cultivator not far away and muttered: “Its blood is excellent material for medicine refinement.”

“Damn it, don’t let your mind wander — this is the demon city. Saying things like that will cause a public outrage.” Tu Fei scolded.

“Who does this Emperor think I am — as if I’d bother looking at it. I was just saying it off the top of my head. Speaking of medicine refinement, the effect of Heavenly Peng blood would actually be superior.”

“Stop showing off — behave yourself.” Ye Fan warned.

“What materials do you need?” Tu Fei asked.

“Stellar Stone, Mysterious Ice Jade, Divine Blood Soil…” Ye Fan recited a long list of names — all provided by the great black dog.

“I say, Little Ye — what are all these materials? They’re all strange and unusual things. These will not be easy to find.” Tu Fei shook his head.

“They’re not exactly the finest grade of materials — they should be findable in the demon city.” Ye Fan said.

They went from shop to shop along the street asking, and in the end only found a little over ten kinds of materials. Yet the great black dog had listed a full thirty-six kinds — they were far from having enough.

“This is the Azure Flood Dragon King’s hidden dwelling — and even the demon city here doesn’t have these kinds of materials…” Ye Fan was puzzled.

“The key is that the materials you listed are too obscure and niche. There’s normally no use for them, so naturally they’re very hard to collect.” Saying this, Tu Fei seemed to remember something. “Oh, that’s right — there’s still one place in the city we haven’t visited. It’s a free exchange area, and it has a lot of strange and unusual things.”

“Good — let’s go there!”

This free area was in the northern quarter of the demon city. It wasn’t short of visitors — much like a human marketplace, many had come with treasure-hunting in mind.

The area had many stalls, each offering strange and unusual materials.

“This is such daylight robbery — they dare to sell an old tree root and call it Blood Dragon Wood.” Ye Fan clicked his tongue.

At a stall up ahead, an old tree root sat displayed on a purple sandalwood table. The stall owner was boasting shamelessly, claiming it was a root of the rare Blood Dragon Wood.

“Buyer beware — that’s the rule here. But sometimes there really are good things that turn up, so quite a few people come treasure hunting.” Tu Fei explained.

They moved to another stall. On the ground was a ragged cloth, on top of which were three fist-sized stones — blood-red in color, polished to a crystalline gleam with excellent presentation.

“Aren’t those just red pebbles picked up by a riverside? He actually dares to sell them as jade essence…” Ye Fan stared wide-eyed.

“No — buy them!” The great black dog transmitted urgently.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred. He asked the seller: “How much for these three stones?”

“Ten catties of elemental source per stone.” The demon cultivator first looked them over — their clothing and appearance — before quoting the price. He was clearly sizing up the customer before naming his figure.

“Why don’t you just rob people outright — these three worthless stones are obviously there to con someone.” Tu Fei blocked Ye Fan, saying: “These are riverbed stones. Don’t buy them.”

The great black dog panicked. It chomped down with one bite on his calf, nearly sending Tu Fei stumbling forward.

“Damn it, you wretched dog — you bit me again.” Tu Fei was furious. A man-versus-dog battle was on the verge of breaking out, and Ye Fan hastily tried to calm them both.

“I’ll take these three stones!” At that very moment, a fragrant breeze wafted past. Qin Yao appeared, crouching down and picking up one of the blood-red stones in one hand.

The great black dog released Tu Fei and pounced over in an instant.

Qin Yao startled and flew back quickly. The great black dog pinned the remaining blood-red stone under its paw.

“That one caught this Emperor’s eye!” The great black dog bared its teeth at Qin Yao.

“You may have caught its eye, but you didn’t buy it.” Qin Yao smiled lightly. She tossed two units of elemental source to the stall owner. “I’ll buy it.”

Ye Fan knew this stone must certainly not be an ordinary object. He also tossed ten catties of elemental source to the stall owner.

“Aren’t these just riverbed pebbles?” Tu Fei was puzzled.

“What do you know — these are Demon Blood Stones!” The great black dog was sulking. It opened its mouth and shot out a beam of energy, drawing the red stone inside.

“What?! Demon Blood Stones — I’m not selling anymore!” The stall owner wanted to take it back, but both Qin Yao and the great black dog had already swiftly secured theirs.

Demon Blood Stones were said to have formed from the crystallized blood essence of a great ancient demon beast after its death.

They weren’t exactly a peerless rarity — after so many years, most of the blood essence had dissipated. But they still had certain special and unusual effects: they could be used to refine one’s own demon blood and temper one’s demon bones, among other things.

The great black dog’s eyes flickered with ferocious light. It was very disgruntled — but there was nothing it could do. It was in the demon clan’s territory and knew its limits. It did not lay a dark mouth on Qin Yao.

“Little girl, your cultivation level isn’t high enough yet for blood renewal and rebirth — you’re still far from it. Why not exchange with me?” The great black dog said.

Qin Yao let out a laugh like silver bells. “Something like this — when you can find it, you find it. I may not need it now, but I can save it for the future.”

The great black dog became even more disgruntled, and the stall owner was consumed with regret beside them.

“How did you come to be here?” Ye Fan asked.

“I come here treasure hunting often. The better question is — why are you wandering all around?” Qin Yao asked in return.

“I want to purchase some weapon-forging materials.”

“I’ve already consulted the Princess — she says she can take you to see the remains of the Archaic Sacred Physique.” Qin Yao said with a smile.

“What?! Is it a fully-developed Archaic Sacred Physique?” The great black dog’s eyes blazed with light. “If it is, it could definitely be refined into a peerless weapon.”

Ye Fan wanted to pummel it.

“You little one, don’t glare at me — someone at your level, a Dao Palace Secret Realm physique, this Emperor has no interest in. I won’t come after you.” The great black dog muttered quietly.

“In a moment I’ll go pay my respects to Princess Yan together with you.” Ye Fan expressed his gratitude to Qin Yao.

They wandered this free market for more than half an hour, and Ye Fan collected over a dozen more kinds of materials — only eight kinds remained that he had not found.

“Come back in a few days — maybe we’ll find more.” Tu Fei said.

Ye Fan nodded. He was already very satisfied — having located twenty-eight kinds of materials in the demon city in such a short time exceeded his expectations by far.

If the remaining ones truly couldn’t be gathered, he could also make up the difference with elemental source — even if it meant spending extravagantly, he would rescue Pang Bo no matter what this time.

“We move tonight. Let’s go see the Archaic Sacred Physique remains now!” Ye Fan transmitted to the great black dog, telling it to carefully think through how to inscribe Dao patterns on these materials.

“Leave it to me — it’ll be done in half an hour!”

Hearing the great black dog’s answer, Ye Fan felt a weight lift from his chest. He then went to pay his visit to Yan Ruyu in a relaxed frame of mind.

Yan Ruyu’s residence was filled with spiritual energy like a flowing dragon, wreathed in auspicious radiance. She was flawlessly perfect — the most exquisite masterpiece heaven had ever created — beautiful to the point of taking one’s breath away.

“The Archaic Sacred Physique’s remains are in the Azure Flood Dragon King’s treasury. Though I can take you inside to look, you cannot stay too long.”

“My deepest gratitude!” Ye Fan expressed his thanks.

From this, it was clear that Yan Ruyu held a position of great importance here — even the Azure Flood Dragon King’s treasury was accessible to her.

Ancient sages had opened up this small world and left behind certain ruins. The Azure Flood Dragon King’s cave dwelling had been built within these ruins.

It was a great mountain, soaring into the clouds. On its summit stood jade towers and magnificent halls, as though one had arrived at the celestial court itself.

Apart from Yan Ruyu and Ye Fan, Qin Yao, Tu Fei, and the great black dog had also come along.

Before a great palace gate, Yan Ruyu stopped. This was a restricted zone — trespassers were to be killed without mercy. Several old demons personally stood guard. Even Yan Ruyu was quite respectful toward them.

Several of these old demons were clearly approaching the end of their life span — ancient and decrepit beyond recognition, wrinkles heaped upon wrinkles that had nearly sealed their eyes shut. Their eyebrows were snow-white and half a foot long; as for their heads, they were completely bald without a single strand of hair.

Some swept the courtyard, some tended the flowers, and others played chess — moving through the courtyard like ordinary people in their twilight years, laboring slowly and unhurriedly.

Yet no one dared to look down on them. These old demons were all the Azure Flood Dragon King’s long-time subordinates. Though their life spans were nearly exhausted, their strength was awe-inspiring — if they were to lose their tempers, they could sweep through and flatten a vast region.

Several of the old demons fixed a long, deep gaze upon Ye Fan — then said nothing at all, and opened the heavy white jade doors.

In an instant, spiritual energy rushed out like a tide, and brilliant light blazed within — so dazzling that one could barely keep one’s eyes open.

When they stepped inside, the white jade doors — more than a meter thick — rumbled shut behind them. Yet the interior of the treasury was not dark at all: it was as bright as full daylight.

“Damn it — it’s all treasure!” The great black dog wanted to hurl itself into the pile of treasures, but managed to restrain the impulse.

The treasury was vast in area, divided into nine great halls. Brilliant light blazed everywhere. Precious treasures filled every corner — it felt like a dream.

A golden sacred sword, radiating tens of thousands of streams of sword energy — golden and resplendent, suspended in the air by itself, its killing intent limitless and dazzling to behold.

A crimson blood demon spear, its blood-light like a curtain — glamorous and razor-sharp, fixed in midair as divine power flowed along it, too intense to look at directly.

A purple bronze divine bell, emitting sacred crimson splendor with purple energy curling around it, hanging in place and swaying gently on its own — its bell tones rising and falling in undulations, like the primordial sounds of the vast ancient wilderness crossing through space and time from the distant past.

A coiling dragon precious cauldron — ancient and majestic, suppressing the void, true dragons coiling across its surface with mysterious and profound patterns full of enigmatic power.

One supreme treasure after another, one weapon after the next — all were rare and extraordinary works that left people dazzled and deeply shaken.

“These are all supreme weapons. The Azure Flood Dragon King is truly wealthy — he truly should be robbed…” the great black dog murmured quietly, speaking its heart’s desire.

Ye Fan shot it a fierce glare. This wretched dog was too greedy — wherever it went, it wanted to snatch treasures.

Tu Fei was also slack-jawed. “So many treasures filling nine great halls to the brim — how many square units of elemental source must all of this be worth?!”

In addition to the weapons, there were also many precious materials — shimmering and radiant, brilliantly dazzling.

“Isn’t that Blood Dragon Wood? That’s absolutely genuine — not like the tree root at the street stall.” The great black dog licked its lips.

Up ahead, crimson light blazed. A piece of wood shaped like a true dragon — blood-red throughout, crystalline and gleaming — possessed a dragon form.

“That jade disk has a stalk of Divine Phoenix Grass sealed within it — worth a fortune!” Tu Fei marveled as well.

Within the white jade disk, the Divine Phoenix Grass was magnificently radiant, its light and glow shooting outward, faintly forming the shape of a phoenix.

“What are those spheres?”

Ye Fan noticed a large precious orb — as big as a human head — with ten thousand streams of auspicious radiance coiling around it, floating in the air and rising and falling gently.

“That’s a Flood Dragon Pearl — a peerless rarity!” The great black dog was so eager its heart itched — it very much wanted to leap up and swallow it whole in one gulp.

Crimson Smelted Copper Essence, Five-Colored Ancient Vine, Stellar Fallen Iron — various materials blazed with ten thousand rays of light. The treasury had everything one could wish for, leaving people dazzled and overwhelmed, their hearts deeply shaken.

Truly countless rare and precious things — a treasury in every sense of the word. The collection of a demon clan great power was truly enough to make one’s eyes blur and one’s heart tremble.

Very soon, Ye Fan was drawn by a mysterious energy aura, and involuntarily began to walk — toward the deepest part of the treasury.

The surrounding treasures abruptly dimmed, and only that aura tugged deeply at his soul.

He stepped into the ninth great treasury hall. His pupils suddenly contracted sharply — he had seen the remains of the Archaic Sacred Physique.

Here, there were even more treasures, heaped into small mountains, dazzling and resplendent.

At the very center sat a withered and cold corpse — perfectly still, cross-legged in meditation. Though the flesh and blood had dried up, it had not rotted away and crumbled — it clung tightly to the bones.

“The physical body is actually imperishable…”

Both the great black dog and Tu Fei were deeply astonished.

But Ye Fan stood like a figure carved from clay or wood — motionless, frozen in place.