This dried, withered body was indestructible and imperishable. Life essence flowed through it without any obstruction — suffused with a breath of the Great Dao.

Ye Fan sat still as a stone, his consciousness immersed within the golden body, motionless, capturing that rhythm of the Dao and grasping the route of its flow.

He felt this might be an immortal inheritance!

If he could obtain it, perhaps it would be of immense benefit to his cultivation — for after all, this was an ancient Sacred Physique, one of the same kind as himself.

Life essence moved like a dragon, coiling as it traveled — an abstruse and profound method. Its flow route was mysterious, like a dragon traversing a vast ocean, riding the winds and breaking through waves.

Ye Fan captured it carefully, memorizing its trajectory, gauging its power, comparing it against his own cultivation methods, corroborating each against the other.

“Something’s off…” After observing for a time, the route this Great Dao method used to circulate life essence struck him as rare and distinctive — quite unlike what he had encountered before.

“This is not an orthodox cultivation method…” He cross-referenced it against the Sea of Bitterness scroll of the Scripture of the Dao and found it did not resemble a cultivation method at all — it was more akin to a secret art.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred. His consciousness became perfectly still and clear as he carefully grasped and earnestly studied it, finding it ever more abstruse.

“This is a secret art for cultivating a single secret realm!” His heart shook. Comparing it against what he had heard in legends, he arrived at this conclusion.

Cultivators of ancient times — some of them only cultivated one secret realm, never stepping into any other throughout their entire lives.

According to legend, an ancient great being who cultivated only one secret realm would undergo nine deaths and nine rebirths of transformation. Ultimately, they would break free from their cocoon like a butterfly, achieving the great completion. Upon first emerging from seclusion, the ten directions would stir, and extraordinary phenomena would fill the sky.

Of course, this was the fruit of years upon years of effort — sometimes requiring an entire lifetime. It was not something achieved overnight.

Cultivating a single secret realm required not only a powerful cultivation method, but also certain ancient secret arts to complement it.

Ye Fan had always been curious about this path of cultivation — what it truly entailed. Today, quite by chance, he had glimpsed this ancient secret art.

Across the entire Eastern Desolation, there existed only a handful of ancient scriptures. He had obtained the Sea of Bitterness scroll of the Scripture of the Dao — the mightiest cultivation method for this secret realm, entirely sufficient to cultivate a single secret realm exclusively.

Yet he had always lacked complementary secret arts. Now, having glimpsed the profound mystery of the Great Dao, his heart stirred with excitement.

He could feel the energy of the Great Dao — enough to prove the profundity of this secret art, worthy of standing alongside the Scripture of the Dao and capable of pairing with it perfectly.

This ancient Sacred Physique had been dead for tens of thousands of years. Though indestructible, it was after all no longer a living body. Its strange revival in this moment had not brought its original cultivation method back into motion — rather, this secret art had moved with the flow of life essence. That alone said everything.

This was the most precious treasure of all — a supreme Great Dao secret art, worthy of being paired with the Scripture of the Dao.

Ye Fan cleared his mind, silently comprehending, carefully observing, imprinting the circulation route of this secret art into his sea of consciousness one detail at a time.

Being an ancient Sacred Physique, it was difficult for him to advance far in the current age. The Divine Palace secret realm had severed the path ahead — even sacred grounds could not bear the astronomical quantities of source required.

Even possessing the Source Heavenly Book, the task was extraordinarily arduous and nearly impossible to realize — for those astronomical figures were simply too immense. Now, having obtained this supreme Great Dao secret art, he had gained another option.

These Sacred Physique remains — the body indestructible, the dried flesh emanating a crystalline luminescence — greatly astonished the group standing not far away.

“Little Ye, are you certain everything is alright?” Tu Fei asked.

“I say, young one — are you staring into that corpse’s eyes?” the Great Black Dog asked suspiciously.

Though Ye Fan was at a critical moment — earnestly probing this Great Dao secret art — he still patiently responded, for he genuinely worried this group might take action.

After all, these Sacred Physique remains were far too astonishing. Under his control, they had stood upright, with a divine bell above the head and a jade-gold battle halberd in hand — appearing as though reborn.

“Nothing is wrong with me — you don’t need to worry. He and I share the same constitution; the resonance of kindred energies drew us together. Let me see if I can make any discoveries.”

He didn’t fully understand why the two of them were this way — claiming it was energetic resonance was somewhat of a stretch. Perhaps it could all be attributed to the mystery of the ancient Sacred Physique.

The present scene was indeed strange. A person dead for tens of thousands of years had revived — this couldn’t help but stir all manner of associations. The group remained wary, watching carefully.

Time passed, moment by moment. Ye Fan worked earnestly to capture and grasp it all until at last he imprinted the complete secret art into his mind.

He then reviewed it once more — confirming there were no gaps — before finally breathing a long sigh of relief. He had obtained this Great Dao secret art at last.

This was an inheritance left behind by an ancient Sacred Physique. Its value and significance were beyond measure — and for him, it was of utmost importance!

“What is the history behind this Sacred Physique, and how was it discovered?” Ye Fan asked. He wanted to understand the full story.

“It was the Azure Flood Dragon King who discovered it in this small world,” Qin Yao said.

When the Azure Flood Dragon King first entered this pocket realm, his greatest gain had been the Hall of Undying — capable of slowing the consumption of a cultivator’s lifespan. And this Sacred Physique had been found within it as well.

“According to the Azure Flood Dragon King’s inference, these remains are most likely those of the ancient sage who created this small world,” Yan Ruyu said.

This left Tu Fei utterly stunned, his expression one of sheer disbelief.

For these remains to have existed for tens of thousands of years, the person could not have predated the ancient era. And they had not cultivated to the great completion.

“After the ancient era, a Sacred Physique cannot cultivate — only up to the Divine Palace secret realm. Is there truly someone who managed to bring this constitution to such a level?” Tu Fei was baffled.

“These remains are comparable to an ancient sage — and he actually opened a small world?” the Great Black Dog was equally astonished.

A thought stirred in Ye Fan’s mind. He directed his consciousness within the remains, ascending from the Sea of Bitterness into the Divine Palace. He was stunned by what he found — this secret realm had been cultivated as well.

Of the five divine repositories within the Divine Palace, four had reached great completion. Only the Heart divine repository, though cultivated, was still far from completion.

“Four divine repositories at great completion — does this not mean he refined one million jin of source, only to be stopped at the last astronomical threshold?!” Ye Fan was quite shaken.

The great cultivators of ancient times, who devoted themselves entirely to a single secret realm, would spend virtually their whole lives on it — pouring all their energy into that one endeavor. Yet these remains had meticulously cultivated two secret realms nearly to completion.

“With this constitution, cultivating a single secret realm first, then entering another — no wonder he became an ancient sage.”

Ye Fan’s consciousness returned to the Sea of Bitterness, entering the jade lotus. With a single thought, the dried body blazed with crystalline light — the body as hard as meteoric iron, every inch of flesh filled with explosive power.

He held the jade-gold battle halberd and gave a gentle sweep. Beside him, a silver dragon-trimming scissors let out a crack and snapped in two — cut as easily as rotted wood, without the slightest effort.

Clang!

The divine bell above its head sounded with a distant, resonant tone. Before them, a purple-bronze gourd that had been slowly drifting up and down silently cracked apart — reduced to dust.

This body was extraordinarily powerful. Having only just been revived, it already displayed a breathtaking might that left everyone speechless.

Behind them, the group retreated, ready to act at any moment.

Ye Fan observed from within the Sea of Bitterness, conducting a careful search. Aside from his own jade lotus, he found nothing else within this body.

The vast golden sea lay silent — the waves had calmed, and within it there was nothing whatsoever: empty and hollow.

Whoosh!

In a flash of light, the divine bell suspended above the figure’s head sank back into the Sea of Bitterness. The jade-gold battle halberd flickered and vanished as well, returning within the body.

The figure sat back down in meditation, in the same posture as before — solemn and magnificent, sitting cross-legged among the many treasures.

The jade lotus swayed. Boundless divine power was drawn back. The golden sea gradually dimmed until it finally ran dry.

Green light flickered. The jade lotus burst free, returning to Ye Fan’s side. With a single thought, he withdrew completely back into his own body.

Ye Fan very much wanted to obtain this body — but it belonged to the Azure Flood Dragon King. With battle power comparable to the great sacred masters, the Dragon King was not someone he could challenge. He could only sigh inwardly. Taking any real action would reduce him to ash.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The white jade door — a full meter thick — swung shut. The group left the Nine-Layer Treasure Vault and stood atop a towering, cloud-piercing mountain peak. Several old demons not far away were planting and tending flowers, not sparing them a second glance.

“Let’s go — still thinking of going back in?” Tu Fei clapped Ye Fan on the shoulder.

“I wonder what I’d need to offer the Azure Flood Dragon King to part with this body,” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

“Forget it. These are the remains of a Sacred Physique — of an ancient sage who opened a small world. His bones could be refined into a peerless divine weapon. What could you possibly offer in exchange?” Tu Fei shook his head.

“If you bring the primordial root of the ten-thousand-things mother energy to trade, the entire vault is yours.” From behind them, one of the old demons narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“Let’s move!” The Great Black Dog raised its bald tail and was the first to bolt — this creature had sensed danger.

Ye Fan had no wish to entangle himself with these old demons. If they made their move, even Yan Ruyu would find the situation difficult. He offered a respectful bow, executed the old madman’s footwork, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

“We must leave here as quickly as possible.” This was his resolve. Every additional day spent here added another layer of danger.

“Your Highness the Princess — might you permit me to visit the Hall of Undying?” Along the way, Ye Fan addressed Yan Ruyu. The ancient sage had passed away there, and it was highly likely something had been left behind. Being of the same constitution, perhaps he would be able to make some discovery.

“That will most likely not be possible — you’d need to wait several months.” Yan Ruyu declined with tact.

“What exactly did you gain when you triggered those remains?” Qin Yao asked.

Yan Ruyu and Tu Fei also looked over — they had both been wanting to raise this question.

“What could there be to discover? He’s nothing but a set of bones. What can the dead leave behind once life is gone? Everything that happened was the jade lotus within me acting on its own.”

As he said this, a thought stirred in Ye Fan’s mind. “Though — I did discover that he had only cultivated the Sea of Bitterness secret realm. He never crossed the threshold of the Divine Palace.”

“An ancient sage who cultivated only a single secret realm?!” Tu Fei was astonished.

Qin Yao was somewhat surprised as well. “It seems that after the ancient era, no one has truly been able to break the curse — a Sacred Physique can only halt at the Divine Palace secret realm.”

At this point, the Great Black Dog suddenly leapt up, its copper-bell eyes staring hard at Ye Fan as it asked in amazement, “Did he truly cultivate a single secret realm to completion?!”

“Is there something so astonishing about that?” Ye Fan countered.

Yan Ruyu seemed lost in thought as she shook her head. “Since the ancient era, there has never been word of any Sacred Physique succeeding in cultivating a single secret realm.”

“To cultivate a single secret realm, beyond a powerful cultivation method, one also needs a supreme secret art to complement it,” the Great Black Dog said, filled with astonishment, muttering to itself: “But since the ancient era, it has been nearly impossible for a Sacred Physique to cultivate a single secret realm. What ancient secret art could this have been?!”

Ye Fan’s heart jumped. The secret art he had obtained seemed to be something extraordinary indeed.

“Comparable to an ancient sage — having opened a small world. What kind of secret art could this be…” Yan Ruyu also murmured to herself.

This was also the reason the Azure Flood Dragon King had not yet refined the remains into a weapon — he wanted to uncover the mystery.

Ye Fan’s heart was far from calm. He resolved that tonight, upon entering the Hall of Undying, he would rescue Pang Bo — and at the same time, explore that place thoroughly.

“The Black Emperor makes its move tonight — are you ready?”

“Let’s get moving already. Those old demons are dangerous. This Emperor has no desire to keep staying here.”

Returning to the palace among the pine grove, Ye Fan immediately shut the doors, retrieved his various materials, and had the Great Black Dog carve runic patterns in preparation for breaking through the Hall of Undying’s restrictive formations that night.

Night fell. Within this small world, there was no bright moon, no stars — only absolute darkness, so deep that one couldn’t see one’s own hand before one’s face.

Ye Fan and the Great Black Dog moved without a sound, ascending above the cloud layer to quietly survey the Hall of Undying.