Chapter 36: The Primordial Saint Body
More than a dozen people walked into the great hall, the rainbow light on their bodies fading away. These individuals, both men and women, were all over forty years old. Some were as still as an orchid, others as sharp as a sword's edge, and some as steady as a boulder, each possessing a unique temperament.
One middle-aged man, whose aura was heavy and condensed, spoke with a resounding voice, laughing heartily, "Although the Yan region boasts six 'Cave Heavens,' your 'Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven' is somewhat unworthy of the name. Calling it a 'Blessed Land' would be more appropriate."
"Liu Wanshan, what do you mean by that?" Several elders from Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven showed displeasure on their faces. They all stepped forward, shielding Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others behind them, while especially protecting Ye Fan and Pang Bo.
The middle-aged man called Liu Wanshan lived up to his name, standing there like a mountain, exuding a sense of pressure. He spoke very directly, laughing, "Since there are a dozen or so good seedlings for cultivation here, we naturally want to take a few away and guide them onto the path of cultivation."
Beside him, an old woman with graying hair nodded as well, saying, "That's right. The six Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands in the Yan region have always been connected. Since we've suddenly found so many talented seedlings, we naturally need to take a few."
An elder from Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven frowned, "Senior Sister Li Ying, you can't say that. Three years ago, your 'Golden Cloud Cave Heaven' found several disciples with exceptional bone structures, and you didn't send a single one to our Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven."
"Those people had mediocre talent; they could hardly be considered immortal seedlings. Naturally, there was no need to trouble you," the gray-haired old woman replied with a smile.
At that moment, an old man with flowing white hair stepped forward, looking quite the part of an immortal being with his ethereal demeanor. He spoke unhurriedly, "I think these dozen or so people can't even be called immortal seedlings. How about this: we from the various Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands will only pick a few, leaving more for your 'Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven.'"
The elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven immediately grew restless, seemingly somewhat wary of this old man who looked like an immortal with his celestial bearing. "Senior Brother Ma Yun, does your 'Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven' really lack disciples with potential? I've heard you've discovered two true immortal seedlings."
The old man called Ma Yun smiled without speaking, continuously sizing up Ye Fan and Pang Bo, nodding from time to time. This immediately made the elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven nervous. They could give away others, but these two were ones they absolutely had to keep.
"How about this: on behalf of Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, I'll only choose one person," said Ma Yun, with his white hair and beard, pointing at Ye Fan and Pang Bo. "I won't be excessive. Just give me either one of these two."
"No!" The elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven refused almost simultaneously.
At the same time, the people from the other Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands also began selecting candidates, refusing to yield to each other, and immediately started arguing on the spot. Ye Fan listened carefully, gleaning much information: "Cave Heavens" were superior to "Blessed Lands," more suitable for cultivation, and if one had a Cave Heaven, it might even naturally give rise to a Blessed Land.
At this moment, Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven simply couldn't keep everyone. With the people from the other five Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands all present, they could only reluctantly give up a portion. But how to choose was a dilemma. In the end, the atmosphere became tense, with swords drawn and bows bent, as the six factions refused to back down.
The middle-aged man Liu Wanshan, with his heavy aura like a mountain, stepped forward a few paces and said, "It seems we'll have to settle this with a contest."
"That's only proper," agreed the old woman Li Ying from Golden Cloud Cave Heaven.
"To avoid harming our goodwill, let's stop at the touch of a point," the white-haired old man Ma Yun from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven also expressed his agreement.
The faces of the elders from Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven were very grim. Ye Fan and the others were people they had found, yet the other Cave Heavens wanted to get involved too. In the end, it was hard to say how many they could keep.
More than a dozen rainbows shot into the sky, exceptionally bright in the night sky, as the contest between the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands began. Ye Fan and the others all came outside the hall, looking up at the sky, but unfortunately, those people flew out of the town, fighting farther and farther away, making it impossible to see clearly.
All they could see was light soaring in the distant sky, divine rainbows crisscrossing, occasionally erupting with thunderous roars, accompanied by fierce winds, flying sand, and shifting stones.
Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others were dazzled and entranced. Those elders had seemed so peaceful just moments ago, but now they were flying through the sky and diving into the earth, creating such a powerful display that it filled them with longing.
Before long, the divine rainbows in the distant sky all disappeared, and they didn't know where the fierce battle had gone.
It wasn't until half an hour later that divine rainbows appeared on the horizon, streaking across the sky and arriving in an instant.
The first to land was the young girl named Weiwei. She was pure and ethereal, with curved brows, eyes like water, moist red lips, and teeth like jade. Under the watery moonlight, she was hazy and graceful, like a fairy from the Guanghan Palace descending to the mortal world, beautiful to the extreme.
Next came the other elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven. Although they looked disheveled and even had traces of blood on them, they all wore victorious smiles.
The people behind them also bore more or less injuries, but in comparison, their expressions were not so pleasant. The imposing middle-aged man Liu Wanshan had unhealed blood on his shoulders; the immortal-like old man Ma Yun had his flowing white beard cut off; and the gray-haired old woman Li Ying's walking stick had been broken in two.
"Unexpected. At her age, Weiwei has already surpassed us. Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven has produced an extraordinary genius!" Ma Yun sighed in admiration.
Ye Fan and the others were all astonished. This young girl Weiwei, who walked with delicate steps, graceful and curvaceous, appearing soft and serene, was actually so powerful that she had defeated these elders. It was truly surprising.
"Since we lost, there's nothing to say. Your Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven can choose two people first," Liu Wanshan said, his expression not very pleasant. It wasn't just the shame of losing to a junior, but also the loss of priority in selecting candidates.
The elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven didn't hesitate at all and directly chose Ye Fan and Pang Bo, their faces practically blooming with smiles. Next came the old man Ma Yun from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, who chose Liu Yiyi, followed by the old woman Li Ying from Golden Cloud Cave Heaven, who stepped forward and chose Zhang Ziling.
But at that moment, on the side of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven, after carefully examining Ye Fan's body, the elders' expressions changed, and the smiles vanished from their faces.
"How can this be?!"
The others quickly noticed the situation and immediately looked over. Seeing the displeased expressions on the elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven, they didn't know what had happened.
"What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with getting to choose two people first?"
"It's not that. Come and see." The elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven looked at Ye Fan with regretful expressions.
The others immediately understood—there must be something wrong with Ye Fan's body. In an instant, they all gathered around.
The old man Ma Yun from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was the first to step forward, saying, "Just by looking, I can sense that this young man's blood and qi are exceptionally vigorous, comparable to a flood dragon or elephant. He should be a rare immortal seedling. Is there a problem?"
At this point, the others also came closer and began to examine Ye Fan. Being touched and prodded made Ye Fan feel quite uncomfortable, but he couldn't very well stop them under these circumstances.
The old woman Li Ying from Golden Cloud Cave Heaven was astonished and uncertain, "How could such a physique exist?!"
After probing for a long time, Liu Wanshan revealed an expression of disbelief, saying, "The Wheel of Life is silent, the Sea of Suffering is as hard as divine iron, as stable as a boulder, unshakable and impossible to open..."
"What's going on?!" Everyone showed expressions of confusion. This physique was too strange, completely defying common sense.
At that moment, the old man Ma Yun from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven seemed to suddenly remember something, muttering to himself, "Could it be... that legendary physique?" He began to re-examine Ye Fan's body. His fingers were as crystalline as jade, with specks of divine radiance falling from them as he continuously pressed and probed, earnestly "measuring the bones" and "assessing the spirit."
It was only after a long time that Ma Yun stopped, staring blankly, "This world actually has that legendary physique..."
"What physique?" Everyone present showed curious expressions.
"The—unparalleled—through—the—ages, the—world—dominating—sacred—body!" Ma Yun almost spoke word by word, spitting out these eight heavy-as-mountains characters.
"What?!" Everyone present was shocked, almost unable to believe their ears.
The elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven reacted quickly, directly pulling Ye Fan behind them, surrounding him in the center, and protecting him tightly, fearing that others might try to snatch him away or assassinate him.
Liu Wanshan found it hard to believe, saying, "The Yan region, stretching two thousand li from north to south and three thousand li from east to west, is nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to the boundless Eastern Wasteland. In this land, perhaps even over a thousand years, it would be difficult for a person with a world-dominating sacred body to appear. After all, since ancient times, the vast Eastern Wasteland has not produced many such figures."
The old woman Li Ying from Golden Cloud Cave Heaven shook her head, however, saying, "It's not impossible. I've heard that such a figure may have already appeared in the Eastern Wasteland today. And there are rumors that it's not just one person, but since they are still growing, they haven't yet appeared before the world. I think they must be hidden within some Holy Land or concealed in an ancient aristocratic clan passed down from the Primordial Era."
At this moment, the elders' gazes toward Ye Fan had all changed. They were burning with intensity, wishing they could grab him and take him as their disciple. Even Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others beside him looked at Ye Fan with strange expressions.
But just then, the old man Ma Yun from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven coughed and said, "I think... you've misunderstood. Perhaps I didn't explain clearly."
"Hmm?"
"What's going on?"
Everyone looked at him in surprise and uncertainty.
"He does indeed possess a world-dominating sacred body, no mistake, but it needs a time limit attached—it belongs to the era before the Primordial Era."
"What do you mean?"
Ma Yun explained, "Everyone should have heard some legends about the Primordial Era, right? At that time, there was a world-dominating physique, unparalleled through the ages. In that period, nine generations of such individuals appeared in succession, each one invincible under heaven and earth, shaking the past and astonishing the present. If that physique walked the path of cultivation, its ultimate achievement was unfathomable, and it was hailed as the number one sacred body through the ages."
"Yes, of course we've heard. You don't mean..." At this point, everyone looked at Ye Fan, but their gazes no longer held admiration or fervor—only disappointment.
"Yes, he has that physique. Unfortunately, since the Primordial Era, through endless ages, although this physique occasionally appears in the world, it no longer possesses its former power and cannot dominate the heavens as it did before the Primordial Era."
In fact, no one knew why, but in the post-Primordial Era, this physique had gradually faded into obscurity among the masses, becoming completely unsuitable for cultivation. Not a single person with it had ever achieved success in cultivation.
"Now, many immortal sects are spreading rumors that a world-dominating divine body seedling has appeared in the Eastern Wasteland. Just now, I thought our Yan region was about to produce a world-shaking figure too, but it turns out to be like this..."
"The world-dominating sacred body of the pre-Primordial Era, compared to the invincible divine body of today... Alas!" The elders of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven all sighed, utterly disappointed, and no longer paid attention to Ye Fan.
The people from the other Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands also had complex expressions, unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.
At this moment, no one looked at Ye Fan anymore. The shift from the earlier fervor to the current coldness was stark and obvious.
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