Chapter 274: Clues About the Ruthless Person
This charming-looking young girl in a golden feathered robe was very arrogant and looked down on Ye Fan with great contempt.
This left Ye Fan speechless. It was a completely unwarranted disaster—he hadn't provoked her at all. Simply because he was walking with Qin Yao, he was met with such hostility.
"A waste of a physique like you is completely unworthy of Sister Qin Yao. You'd better leave as soon as possible and stop indulging in unrealistic fantasies."
This young girl was named Jin Yan. Her golden feathered robe shimmered brightly, outlining her delicate and alluring figure in graceful curves. She looked quite charming, but her words were merciless.
Ye Fan shook his head indifferently. "Little girl, I can't be bothered to argue with you."
"You can't compare to geniuses like Brother Jin Yu, Brother Ku Zhu, or Brother Bai Feng in any way. Don't make a fool of yourself here." The golden-robed girl said coldly.
"Little girl, you're being unreasonable and jumping to conclusions. I have nothing more to say to you." Ye Fan began to ignore her.
The group walked along the streets of the Demon City, stopping frequently at many old shops that sold precious materials.
The golden-robed girl, Jin Yan, occasionally sent secret transmissions to taunt Ye Fan. "If you truly care about Sister Qin Yao, then disappear immediately and never come back. You'll never understand the world of geniuses. You and I are from two different worlds."
Being treated with such hostility and constantly mocked, Ye Fan couldn't help but feel a bit irritated. He couldn't resist saying, "Little girl, what did you eat today? A dragon or ten elephants? Are you so full that you have nothing better to do?"
"You..." The demon clan girl Jin Yan shot him a fierce glare but finally quieted down, though her hostility grew even stronger.
"This old shop has a grand and ancient atmosphere. It feels like it has quite a history," Tu Fei remarked.
By the roadside stood an ancient shop called Phoenix Soaring Studio. It was quite large and imposing, with many people coming and going.
The female demon walking with Tu Fei smiled and said, "This is Phoenix Soaring Studio, built eight hundred years ago by Patriarch Phoenix Soaring. It's very famous in the Demon City."
The demon clan girl Jin Yan nodded, lifting her chin proudly. "Patriarch Phoenix Soaring was an old subordinate of the Azure Flood Dragon King and one of the first seniors to enter this small world. They built the Demon City."
Tu Fei was astonished. "If someone from eight hundred years ago is still alive today, their strength must be terrifying, right?"
The female demon beside him nodded. "Of course. Though they can't compare to a Great Power, they are still unfathomably deep."
Qin Yao nodded. "Of the seniors who followed the Azure Flood Dragon King, only a few remain. Their lives are nearing their end, and their remaining years are few."
Ye Fan immediately thought of the old demons he had seen outside the Azure Flood Dragon King's treasure vault. They were all withered and spent, their life flames on the verge of extinguishing. Patriarch Phoenix Soaring was likely one of them.
"Let's go inside and take a look. Maybe Brother Bai Feng is in there," the golden-robed girl said with a smile, pulling Qin Yao's hand as she walked ahead.
Phoenix Soaring Studio was filled with ancient charm. Various spiritual medicines were sealed in semi-transparent jade boxes, with faint medicinal fragrances wafting out. Several demon clan cultivators gathered nearby.
The demon clan placed great emphasis on physical cultivation, so many of the spiritual medicines were related to bone forging and marrow cleansing. They were all rare heavenly treasures refined into pills, and their prices were exorbitant.
On the other side were various weapons, all demon clan treasures with unique characteristics, such as demon fans refined from the feathers of great demons and precious robes made from scales shed by renowned elders during their transformations.
In Phoenix Soaring Studio stood a white-robed man with an ethereal and otherworldly aura. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and his eyes were clear and bright. He seemed to be the owner of the studio.
The golden-robed demon girl Jin Yan called out sweetly, "Brother Bai Feng, you really are here!"
The white-robed man immediately stood up to greet them. "I just returned from the outside world today and came to the Demon City to have a look."
"Sister Qin Yao came to see you," Jin Yan said, pulling Qin Yao's arm as she walked over.
Qin Yao's figure was graceful, like a willow swaying in the wind. Her long dress trailed on the ground, her curves rising and falling. Her eyes shimmered with light as she tapped Jin Yan's forehead with her jade hand. "Little girl, don't talk nonsense."
Jin Yan smiled sweetly and said no more, but secretly transmitted a message to Ye Fan. "See that? That's Brother Bai Feng. He's a genius at the fifth level of the Dao Palace, ready to enter the Four Extremes Secret Realm at any time. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Ye Fan was speechless. This girl named Jin Yan was really fixated on him. Even ignoring her didn't work.
Ye Fan paid her no mind and turned to ask the big black dog, "Black Emperor, see if there's any good materials to collect."
He and the Black Emperor walked to one side and began browsing. After all, it was an eight-hundred-year-old shop, and it did have many precious materials.
Wandering around, Ye Fan came to a place where strange stones were displayed. Phoenix Soaring Studio also sold source stones, similar to a gambling stone shop.
On an old rosewood shelf, stones of various sizes were arranged, only about thirty pieces in total, ranging from the size of a walnut to a washbasin. There were no overly heavy stones.
Ye Fan's heart stirred. He felt that these stones were not ordinary—they carried the aura of the Primordial Forbidden Zone.
At that moment, Tu Fei, Qin Yao, and the others were examining a five-colored feathered fan. Its colors were extremely vibrant, with five-colored divine radiance flowing.
"This precious fan was made from the molted feathers of Patriarch Phoenix Soaring, which he personally refined into a Phoenix Feather Fan. It is an extremely valuable weapon," Bai Feng introduced.
"I've heard of this treasure before. They say it can reduce even a great mountain to ashes," Jin Yan exclaimed in surprise.
"I've also heard of the Phoenix Feather Fan. It's a rare and invaluable treasure, one of the weapons used by Patriarch Phoenix Soaring in the past," said the female demon beside Tu Fei, unable to put it down. "How much source is this fan worth?"
Bai Feng smiled and shook his head. "It's not for sale. It's kept as a centerpiece for the shop."
"This is a gift Brother Bai Feng wants to give to Sister Qin Yao. Don't get your hopes up," Jin Yan teased.
"I see..." The female demon looked regretful.
"Little girl, do you want a spanking? Why are you always talking nonsense?" Qin Yao glared at her.
"Brother Bai Feng, you'd better hurry up and give it. There's a toad from the Southern Domain who's been eyeing Sister Qin Yao," Jin Yan said, glancing at Ye Fan in the distance.
"Stop your nonsense!" Qin Yao shot her a look.
"He is..." Bai Feng frowned.
"His name is Ye Fan. He's been quite famous lately," Jin Yan said.
Ye Fan possessed the Primordial Mother Qi Root, and many in the demon clan within this small world already knew about it. Upon hearing this, Bai Feng's eyes flashed with cold light, but then he walked forward with a smile.
"Brother Ye, are you interested in these stones?" Bai Feng asked as he approached.
"I do want to pick a few," Ye Fan nodded.
"These stones are all treasures, obtained by Patriarch Phoenix Soaring in the past. After so many years, not many are left," Bai Feng said with a smile.
Ye Fan understood that Patriarch Phoenix Soaring was a subordinate of the Azure Flood Dragon King and must have plundered the mining areas of the Holy Lands. These stones were likely from such sources. He selected a few but didn't plan to cut them open here.
"It seems Brother Ye has quite some expertise in this. The source stones you've chosen should yield source," Bai Feng nodded.
Suddenly, the big black dog became very excited and transmitted to Ye Fan, "That broken pot over there is strange. Ask him where he got it."
Ye Fan turned to look. There were some damaged weapons, among which was a copper pot missing its spout, dull and lusterless.
He walked over, picked it up, and examined it carefully. The copper pot was heavy but had no special features, except for a mark carved on the lid. The shape was somewhat unusual, like a ghost face.
"This copper pot is damaged but hasn't been discarded. Does it have some background?" Ye Fan asked.
"Brother Ye, have you noticed something?" Bai Feng asked.
"I'm just asking casually. Does it really have a background?"
Bai Feng took it in hand. "I brought this back with some friends from outside. If I'm not mistaken, it should be an artifact from before the Ancient Desolate Era."
"What? That's impossible, right?!" Tu Fei, Qin Yao, and the others were all shocked.
Bai Feng shook his head. "It's not a heavy treasure. The only valuable thing about it is the mysterious Dao patterns inscribed inside, which have kept it from decaying."
"Did you guys discover a great treasure trove?" Jin Yan's eyes lit up.
"It was just a small ruin, but we did find some special things."
The Black Emperor couldn't sit still. It seemed extremely agitated, anxiously transmitting to Ye Fan, "Quickly pump him for information! You must find out exactly where it was discovered!"
"Does this broken pot have some origin?" Ye Fan asked in surprise, secretly transmitting to the big black dog.
"This broken pot isn't that precious, but the place where it was buried is of great importance!" The big black dog was so excited it was almost trembling.
"Be more specific so I can make better judgments and extract more information from him," Ye Fan transmitted.
"Do you remember the Cloud Severing Mountain Range? I once told you that was the Dao field of a ruthless person." The big black dog gritted its teeth. "Now it seems that might not be the only Dao field. There's an even more important place. The true sacred object might be buried elsewhere."
"What kind of ruthless person is this? Is their background significant?" Ye Fan pressed on.
"Of course. If this gets out, the entire Northern Domain will go crazy." The big black dog said gravely, "You must find out exactly where they got that broken pot."
Ye Fan held the broken pot in his hand and thought for a moment. "That ghost face mark looks familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't remember where."
"Oh, really?" Bai Feng was startled.
The demon girl Jin Yan sneered, "Putting on airs. How long have you been in the Northern Domain? What could you possibly know about historical events?!"
Ye Fan was indeed bluffing, all to gather more information.
"Don't be rude!" Bai Feng scolded, then turned to Ye Fan with a smile. "Tonight, the outstanding talents of our demon clan will have a gathering. Brother Ye, would you like to join us for a few drinks?"
"Isn't that inappropriate? I don't know any of them," Ye Fan said tactfully.
"What's the problem? You and Brother Tu Fei can come together. You are both honored guests," Bai Feng said with a smile.
"Brother Bai Feng, why are you inviting him?" The demon girl Jin Yan was quite displeased.
Qin Yao glared at her, then gave Ye Fan a charming smile. "You can go take a look. In the future, these people might be the ones controlling the demon clan of the Northern Domain."
"In that case, I'll thank you in advance. I'll definitely come to bother you then," Ye Fan said with a nod and a smile.
That evening, in a resplendent palace, many young demon clan experts gathered. Even Yan Ruyu and Qing Yi had arrived.
A group of beautiful demon maidens danced gracefully in the hall. Their translucent gauze robes revealed alluring figures as they moved with elegant steps.
Many jade tables were set up in the palace for the distinguished young demon clan experts to enjoy fine food and wine. The fragrance of wine filled the air, and melodious music played.
A multitude of young talents gathered together, creating a lively atmosphere as they toasted and chatted.