At Fallen Rosy Cloud Mountain, Yi Qingwu’s fair hand struck out, and a crimson peak was sheared flat. Mountain wind howled, tangling through vines and branches, wilting the hundred grasses, yellowing the fallen leaves — a scene of autumn’s desolate withering.
Her bearing was that of jade bones and an immortal frame — waist slender as a beauty serpent’s form, figure tall and graceful, raven hair lustrous enough to serve as a mirror. At this moment, a flush of rosy color touched her cheeks, eyes like gentle water, every grace and charm in full bloom, captivating all who beheld her. A single frown, a single smile — enough to make every beauty in the world fade into obscurity.
“Hmph!”
Clad in white surpassing snow, she gently shook out a smooth sleeve and smoothed the wrinkles from her snowy robe. Her hair flew about her — and those eyes, like black gemstones set in her luminous, melon-seed face, brimming with spiritual energy and carrying a trace of vexed anger. Like a fairy of the rippling waves, she flew away.
Ye Fan was unhurried, stepping across the tangled vines, treading over the withered and fallen leaves — one step at a time, he ascended the cracked peak toward the sky, a faint smile at the corners of his mouth as he flew toward the distance.
The Primordial Ruins — a most extraordinary place, perpetually suffused with a haze of mist-like spiritual energy, not especially dense, but very pure, well-suited to the cultivation of various medicinal herbs.
Some said that in the ancient era, a medicinal garden had existed here, growing all manner of ancient king-grade herbs that breathed in auspicious qi, gathering all the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.
Others said this was a medicinal field pulled out from the legendary Penglai Immortal Island in the Eastern Sea by some divine being using tremendous magical power — and so a trace of immortal qi still seeped from it.
Still others said this had originally been the dwelling place of a divine spirit, capable of gathering the primordial qi of heaven and earth. But in the ancient era, it had been struck down and reduced to ruins — a field of desolation.
It was located in the central part of Shenzhou. Cultivators passing through often stopped to make exchanges; over time, as more and more came, it grew into a place of some renown. By now, ancient herbs, rare materials, scriptures, and all manner of cultivation-related items were traded here, drawing people from other great continents as well.
Ye Fan descended. He had arranged to meet Yan Yixi and Li Tian here to capture Yin Tiande’s attendant boy.
Word had spread through the Primordial Ruins that a precious ancient king-grade herb was to be displayed and auctioned — the highest bidder to take it — and this had drawn the attention of many cultivators in recent days.
The master of the Eight Sceneries Palace, Yin Tiande, had inherited everything of the Supreme Clarity Holy Land and had been conducting alchemy frequently in recent years. It was said that every time he opened the furnace, auspicious qi shot to the heavens, and the elixirs he produced were of a rarity that could bring the dead back to life.
The precious elixirs he refined were enormously beneficial to cultivation. When Lu Ya and the Three-Lacking Daoist had encountered bottlenecks, it was his wondrous pills that had helped them break through their tribulations.
Hence his demand for all manner of medicinal plants was very great. In order to refine the legendary Nine-Revolution Divine Elixir, he had specifically dispatched an attendant boy to travel the land year-round in search of materials.
Green bamboo, gleaming with vibrant color, grew without pattern or order. Mist seeped out thread by thread, wisp by wisp from within the Primordial Ruins — and there was indeed a pure, refined spiritual energy about the place.
Three low hills, without any particular grandeur, yet carrying a flavor of returning to simplicity. Ancient vines, little bridges, green bamboo, clear springs — everything harmonious and at peace.
Yet once one truly drew near, that serenity gave way, for the people here were real — everywhere one looked, there were cultivators. Every corner and nook, every bridge and poolside, had someone setting up a stall: flying swords, spirit talismans, elixirs, Daoist texts — all at prices that were anything but modest.
Ye Fan was astonished. This place was indeed remarkable. On one small grass mat he spotted a weapon — a damaged king-grade divine weapon — being sold by a very plain, unassuming little old man.
And on another stall, from within a battered purple conch, a sea-god pearl’s radiance was concealed. Those who didn’t understand would never notice it.
Nearby, on a strip of coarse cloth, lay a bundle of bamboo strips. The opening passage, left exposed, contained a passage of text that expounded a wondrous principle — deeply profound.
Ye Fan was immediately rooted to the spot. This place was truly extraordinary — some very powerful reclusive masters were here, unassuming in appearance, yet the things they were selling were highly uncommon.
However, these rare objects were not easy to trade for. Upon stepping forward to inquire about prices, he learned that only specific items could be used in exchange — nothing else would do. The several sellers each wanted only particular things.
“Unassuming on the surface — prepared only for those who truly know what they’re looking at. This is the personality of a true master — and a wariness of being disturbed.” Ye Fan nodded in understanding.
Of course, not everything here could be like that. He could see these few people’s exceptional quality only because his own cultivation was powerful enough; stalls were everywhere, and there was no small amount of inferior goods — a complete mixture of genuine and fake.
Ye Fan walked with hands clasped behind his back, crossing stone arch bridges, ascending the low hills, wandering through bamboo groves — he had gone over most of it, and was genuinely impressed. There were indeed quite a few rare and precious items.
There was even someone exchanging an intact king-grade divine weapon, drawing a crowd of experts that had packed the area so densely not a drop of water could pass through.
What struck him with even deeper astonishment, however, was the news of a treasure soon to be auctioned: someone had excavated a slab of Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold from beneath an ancient mountain vein in Shenzhou — thumb-length in height, two fingers wide.
Wave after wave of phoenix cries rang out as an ancient living fossil channeled his entire body’s Dao power — and that single finger-length slab of divine gold instantly flew forth in a blaze of scarlet light, phoenixes soaring and fenghuang dancing, flooding the entire Primordial Ruins with radiance, shaking everyone present.
“This is absolutely Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold — without a doubt! No one even knows how many years it has been since anything like this was last seen. Though it is small, it could still forge a supreme sacred weapon. Worth hundreds of millions in gold and impossible to buy — I wonder who will be fortunate enough to claim it.”
Everyone was stunned. Merely seeing this one object had made the trip worthwhile — it had truly broadened the horizons of all present, for this was the sort of thing that appeared only in legend.
“To think someone is willing to sell even something like this…” Many people clicked their tongues and sighed in admiring disbelief.
Before long, Ye Fan found Yan Yixi and Li Tian, but both reported they had not yet spotted Yin Tiande’s attendant boy.
“That fellow is a snake spirit. Though he appears harmless — seemingly no older than his early teens — he has actually been cultivating for one thousand eight hundred years. If only we had a demon-revealing mirror, we could probably find him quickly.” Li Tian said.
“Lecher Uncle, please let me out — my Master is already here.” From within a magical treasure, Tong Tong cried with her mouth wide open.
“You insufferable little thing — first recite the complete tenets of the Path of Human Desire for me. In eighteen years you’ll thank me.” Li Tian found it deeply entertaining to coerce this small child — who cried and screamed about not wanting to be a lecher — into studying such texts, and genuinely felt the urge to take on a disciple.
Ye Fan turned a blind eye and deaf ear, feeling that a few unusual experiences in early childhood would serve the child well in later development — provided the fundamentals held, which he felt were still perfectly under control.
“There — he’s over there.” Yan Yixi spoke, his gaze directed forward as he watched a youth with red lips and white teeth.
The boy was not tall — no older-looking than fourteen or fifteen — dressed in a white python robe, wearing serpent-ascending boots, his jet-black hair tied up in a purple-gold coronet. He walked with hands clasped behind his back — a youth with a certain arrogance and self-assurance about him.
“Not unworthy of coming from the Eight Sceneries Palace. And yet he’s merely a junior attendant boy, and he already has the strength of a sect master.”
On reflection, it made sense. He was in truth a demon who had cultivated for many long years — his Dao cultivation would naturally be extreme. He had been subdued by Yin Tiande before being made to serve as an attendant.
“Wait — don’t make a move yet. This snake demon attendant boy is filthy rich — he controls the financial authority of the Eight Sceneries Palace. And by the look of him, could he possibly be here to bid on that Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold on Yin Tiande’s behalf? Now there’s a fat lamb ripe for the slaughter — we’ll gut him after this!” Li Tian said.
The Primordial Ruins — white mist drifting in wisps. Most cultivators here had simply set up ground stalls, with no great palaces or halls present — it was much like an open market — yet it brimmed with countless treasures.
The one distinctive feature was a tall platform constructed of white jade stone at the center of the Primordial Ruins, reserved only for the display of extraordinarily rare items and priceless divine objects up for auction.
The snake demon attendant boy stepped forward — hands behind his back, head held high, the purple-gold coronet gleaming — his manner very eager and with the air of someone absolutely set on winning.
Ye Fan and the others stepped forward as well. Upon the white jade platform, someone was presiding over the auction. It didn’t take long before a sky-high price was reached, and someone produced four or five fist-sized divine source stones, spending gold like dirt.
“Those are important figures from the Hall of the Human King — how enormously generous. And that’s just the opening bid — heaven knows how high the price will be driven by the time a deal is struck.”
“Has the exchange between the Hall of the Human King and the Ancient Longevity Monastery for the divine immortal scripture succeeded yet? It’s been the source of endless rumors these past several years.”
Ye Fan’s heart stirred. He too felt profound longing for that single page of the divine immortal scripture, and wished to know exactly what was going on — yet years had passed with no result. All one could say was that both sides were being far too cautious, each too afraid of being deceived by the other.
“The people of Sea-God Island are here! Look — what have they brought out? Heavens — dust-repelling pearls, fire-repelling pearls, water-repelling pearls… a whole pile of sea-god pearls!”
The crowd erupted in amazement. That entire heap of pearls was so brilliantly dazzling it could nearly rival the Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold — illuminating the heavens and the earth in breathtaking radiance.
“Damn it, these are all immensely wealthy patrons. Strip a single one of them and you’d never want for anything again.” Li Tian cursed under his breath, then fixed his eyes on the Emperor’s sacred object. “A slab of Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold is just enough to forge a bracelet. If given as a gift, there’s not a single woman in the world who wouldn’t be moved — even ancient-era women would go weak in the knees.”
“Lecher Uncle, I look down on you. Let me out.” Tong Tong cried out with her mouth wide open.
“Crybaby — go recite your books.” Li Tian tucked away the jade-pendant shaped magical treasure, giving the child no further opportunity to speak.
Just at this moment, great powers such as the Ziwei Divine Dynasty and the Guanghan Palace also had people step forward and begin bidding, and the auction grew increasingly fierce.
“Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold — impossible to see even a single speck across hundreds of centuries. To encounter a whole slab like this today is something that absolutely must be secured and offered to the clan king. With his creation-level divine power, he will surely be able to forge it into something supreme.”
Just then, several tall silhouettes approached — each with golden hair hanging to their shoulders, eyes shooting electric sparks, powerfully imposing: these were experts of the Golden Crow Clan.
Every one of them radiated boundless authority. As they strode forward in great steps, those who were not participating in the bidding immediately stepped aside, unwilling to provoke them — for the Golden Crow Clan was too powerful, and few dared antagonize them.
Ye Fan did not move aside. Standing there, he was somewhat conspicuous — enough to make all the Golden Crow Clan members furrow their brows. One stepped forward. “Are you here to bid on the divine object?”
“No.” Ye Fan replied.
“Then step aside — we wish to bid here.” The Golden Crow’s Tenth Prince spoke with domineering arrogance. Having walked proudly through the world for so many years, pampered by everyone because he was the youngest, he had always been this way — more imperious than any of his older brothers.
“You wish to bid — you may certainly do so. There is plenty of room here. Is there truly not enough space for me to stand?” Ye Fan replied.
“Now that one person surnamed Ye has appeared, does all under heaven think the Golden Crow Clan is easy to bully?” The Tenth Prince’s expression turned cold. He thrust one hand forward, channeling tremendous force — enough to crush a person to a pulp of flesh.
“This land has no master — anyone may stand here. And yet you say my standing here counts as bullying the Golden Crow Clan? One can only imagine how arrogant and overbearing you must have been in the past.” As Ye Fan spoke, he raised one hand to deflect the blow.
“Tenth Brother, fall back!” A Golden Crow Clan elder bellowed. He had opened his Heavenly Eye — and the moment he perceived Ye Fan’s true face, he was overwhelmed with shock.
Boom!
The Tenth Prince’s outstretched arm twisted out of shape at once, then went limp as a noodle. He was hurled backward as though he had run headlong into a mountain.
“You… who are you?”
“He is Ye Fan!” The other Golden Crow Clan members cried out, as the First Prince, the Second Prince, and one elder all stepped forward together.
The Primordial Ruins trembled at once — everyone turned to look. Ye Fan’s fame was simply too vast, and today he had finally formally shown his face on the mainland.
“Are you certain Lu Ya will appear — that you intend to deal with him here today?” Li Tian transmitted through a secret voice.
“Indeed. The intelligence I received should not be wrong. With these few people appearing here now, all the better — if trouble arises, Lu Ya, who is not far away, will surely rush over. At that point, with two sacred weapons brought out together, he will have no wings with which to flee, and we can seize the Crow-Wing Gilt Trident!” Ye Fan replied.
“That must be intelligence from Yi Qingwu. You two — and you still claim there’s nothing between you — one sending people, the other sending sacred weapons…” Li Tian muttered in exasperation.