Chapter 75: A Body Like a Bottomless Pit
After dinner, Ye Fan continued to comprehend the Dao Scripture. Throughout the entire night, he was immersed in a mysterious and profound state. Above the golden Sea of Suffering, breath transformed and diffused, emerging from nothingness. Stars shimmered, chaos was hazy, and transformations were endless.
It was not until the next day that he awakened from this state, without a trace of fatigue. Life essence overflowed from his Sea of Suffering, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated.
"Big Brother, breakfast is ready..." Little Tingting came bouncing over to call him to eat, her small face brimming with a happy smile. Although her clothes were ill-fitting, tattered, and covered in patches, they could not conceal the unique radiance of her bright, youthful face.
Ye Fan sighed inwardly. Children were children. After experiencing such a tragic event yesterday, suffering so much grievance and crying so bitterly, a single night's sleep had washed away her sorrow, and she had quickly forgotten all the unpleasantness.
"Is Tingting very happy?" Ye Fan asked with a smile.
"Mm!" Tingting nodded seriously. "Now that we have food, Grandpa doesn't have to skip meals to save some for me. Of course Tingting is happy."
Ye Fan was taken aback. So some people's happiness was this simple. Being able to eat their fill was enough to satisfy little Tingting. Compared to those who racked their brains, striving for fame and fortune, this standard was far too low. Perhaps it was precisely this kind of simple happiness that gave rise to such pure truth, goodness, and beauty.
Looking at her rosy little face, full of smiles, so radiant, Ye Fan was deeply moved. He affectionately patted her head, then took her hand and walked outside.
Around noon, the sallow-faced middle-aged man from the Li family came again. Seeing that the small restaurant was closed, he kicked the door a few times and cursed, "Open up! Your master is here to eat..."
Inside the small shop, Tingting was very nervous, her big eyes filled with fear. She clung tightly to her grandfather's arms, afraid those people would break in. Old Man Jiang gently patted her back, whispering words of comfort.
Ye Fan stood in the room, listening to the harsh insults. His brow gradually furrowed, and his gaze grew colder.
"Fine, Old Man Jiang, if you won't do business, just starve to death. You're already in your seventies or eighties. Let's see what else you can do!"
The people outside cursed for a while, then smashed the two pots of flowers outside the door heavily to the ground. After using a dagger to scratch and carve the door until it was a mess, they finally swaggered away.
"Grandpa..." Only after a long time did little Tingting speak timidly. "Will those bad people come again tomorrow?"
"It's alright, Tingting, don't be afraid. Grandpa won't let them hurt you." The old man kept comforting her.
Tingting whispered, "Those bad people do evil every day. Why doesn't a good person come to punish them?"
Ye Fan felt that in this world, a child's words were indeed the truest. There were many injustices, but not all of them could be dealt with.
"Tingting, don't worry. They definitely won't come tomorrow." Ye Fan crouched down and said with a smile, "Come on, let's go eat. I'll make you a special dish for lunch."
"Big Brother, can you cook?" Little Tingting's eyes were full of disbelief.
"Underestimating me, huh? Today I'll show you something. I guarantee you've never had it before."
The little girl blinked her big eyes, not believing him at all. "I don't believe you. Grandpa can cook anything. Back when we still had the restaurant, Grandpa made me delicious food every day."
"Sweet and sour spare ribs. Have you ever had that?" Although it was a very common dish from his homeland, Ye Fan believed it probably hadn't appeared here yet.
Sure enough, little Tingting looked confused. "How can sugar be put together with spare ribs?" Even the old man beside her looked equally puzzled.
In the end, Ye Fan could only talk about it theoretically. His culinary skills were truly terrible. It was like daring to disturb the Grand Duke of Tai Sui's rest—a huge loss that enraged the Li family.
It wasn't until late at night that the small town calmed down. The Li family felt that the locals wouldn't dare to do such a thing, lacking the skill and courage. They suspected it was an enemy from afar. The entire Li family immediately became tense, sending people to deliver a message to the Misty Grotto-Heaven overnight.
That night, Ye Fan quietly left the small restaurant and went deep into the mountains. He had to improve his strength as quickly as possible. He didn't know how many miles he had traveled into the forest when he finally found a stone cave. Ye Fan sealed himself inside with a large boulder, then took out all the spiritual medicines.
The Jade Snake Orchid was as lustrous and soft as mutton-fat jade, emitting a refreshing fragrance that seeped into the heart. The golden tuber left by the Ancient Tree Essence shone brilliantly, its luster flowing.
Ye Fan held the Bodhi Seed in his hand, calming his mind and concentrating on comprehending the Dao Scripture. Only when he felt his Sea of Suffering tremble and sensed that he could break through did he consume the Jade Snake Orchid.
Half an hour later, although the cave entrance was blocked by the boulder, waves-like sounds still emanated from within. Beams of golden light burst forth, like a continuous tsunami, the sound of waves unceasing, rumbling loudly.
It wasn't until the latter part of the night that everything calmed down. Ye Fan looked inward and found that his golden Sea of Suffering had expanded by more than double. He moved the boulder aside and rushed out of the cave. His body felt light and agile, his strength and speed having increased considerably. He moved through the forest like a wisp of smoke.
Eventually, he returned to the cave, resealed the entrance with the boulder, and without hesitation consumed the golden tuber left by the Ancient Tree Essence. Then, holding the Bodhi Seed, he continued to comprehend the Dao Scripture.
In the latter half of the night, a deafening sound erupted from the cave. The boulder blocking the entrance shattered instantly, sending fragments flying in all directions.
It was like a volcanic eruption, or like the Milky Way pouring down from the Ninth Heaven. The cave was filled with blinding light. The tsunami shook the heavens, and thunderclaps were continuous. Ye Fan's Sea of Suffering had transformed into a golden ocean, constantly surging toward the high heavens.
This situation lasted for a full hour before the terrifying sounds gradually subsided. The divine light slowly receded, and Ye Fan quickly rushed out. The cave behind him rumbled and quickly collapsed. It hadn't collapsed earlier only because the golden light had been supporting it.
By now, it was nearly dawn. The forest was no longer particularly dark. Ye Fan felt his body brimming with vitality, a vigorous essence flowing within him.
In a single night, his golden Sea of Suffering had expanded from the size of a soybean to that of a pigeon egg, several times larger. He was very surprised. This was all due to the golden tuber left by the Ancient Tree Essence, which contained ten times more life essence than the Jade Snake Orchid. It was truly a rare treasure.
Ye Fan's mind couldn't calm down. He discovered that his physique was like a bottomless pit. There was no need to worry about the medicinal force being too intense. As long as enough life essence was provided, he could continuously expand his Sea of Suffering.
"Could it be that the curse of the Primordial Saint Body hasn't manifested in me? Or is this the curse itself—that every step forward requires a sea of life essence? In that case, the path becomes narrower the further one goes, making it difficult to expand the Sea of Suffering in the later stages..."
If an ordinary person had absorbed this much life essence, they would have likely pierced through their Sea of Suffering long ago, and their physique would have already burst apart. "If an ordinary person absorbed all this life essence over a long period, the Sea of Suffering they opened up should be larger than mine..." Ye Fan pondered. This kind of cultivation was a luxurious waste. He muttered to himself, "Was it wasted? I don't think so."
Because at this moment, he discovered that his Sea of Suffering was exceptionally condensed. Although it was only the size of a pigeon egg, it contained a full nineteen "Divine Patterns," brimming with extremely vigorous vitality.
"When an ordinary person's Sea of Suffering is the size of a pigeon egg, they probably still find it difficult to condense 'Divine Patterns.' But my golden Sea of Suffering has achieved this early on." Ye Fan didn't feel it was wasteful. Instead, he felt a sense of accomplishment. His golden Sea of Suffering was unique.
"Sss sss sss"
Ye Fan lightly flicked his ten fingers, and more than a dozen "Divine Patterns" shot out, like brilliant sword beams, piercing through all the rocks ahead.
"To open up a Sea of Suffering of the same size, the divine power I possess will be many times stronger than others." This set Ye Fan's thoughts racing.
"However, for my physique to achieve success in cultivation, it requires a sea of life essence as a foundation." Thinking about this problem, he couldn't help but frown.
"But it's not limited to spiritual medicines. If I can find the 'Source' that Elder Wu Qingfeng mentioned, and cultivate in a treasure land with extremely dense spiritual energy, I should be able to break through."
According to ancient records, during the era when heaven and earth combined their qi to give birth to all things, chaos was hazy, and spiritual energy was dense and abundant. Many spiritual beings could absorb the primordial essence of heaven and earth, forming amber-like crystals that sealed vast amounts of life essence.
Those preserved to the present day are called "Source." They are extremely precious to cultivators. Some top-grade "Source" can be said to be priceless.
From the era of the birth of all things to the ancient, desolate ages, the primordial essence of heaven and earth gradually thinned, making it difficult for spiritual beings to form "Source."
However, during the final glorious period, all things flourished, living beings were powerful, and spiritual medicines were abundant, resulting in the formation of many rare "Divine Source." Later generations once discovered amber-like crystalline stones that sealed living creatures. When such "Divine Source" was mined, it could provide endless life essence.
"That truly was an era to yearn for..."
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