Chapter 289: The Secret of the Ancient Scroll
In the Eastern Wasteland, nearly half of the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens from the various Holy Lands had arrived, likely representing the future batch of Saint Lords, embodying the future and hope.
If Ye Fan were to go on a mad rampage and kill everyone present, it would almost wipe out the younger generation of the Eastern Wasteland. This would inevitably lead to a withering of talents, severing an entire era—an incalculable, massive loss. The mere thought sent chills down one's spine.
"It's you..." Yao Xi said calmly, uttering only these two words.
"That's right, it's me." Ye Fan conjured a golden great hand, lifting her chin, his expression composed.
These words seemed ordinary, unnoticed by others, but in truth, the two were exchanging veiled barbs, likely understood only by the Holy Maiden of Yao Chi nearby.
Yao Xi recognized Ye Fan as that little Daoist from the Li Fire Divine Furnace, having entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone together and seen him produce this furnace. However, it was precisely this that revealed the calmness and dreadfulness of the Holy Son Yao Guang. He had remained unruffled, asking only, "Do we have a grudge?" before being thrown into the furnace by Ye Fan.
In fact, whether as the little Daoist or the real Ye Fan, there seemed to be no enmity with the Holy Son Yao Guang. Ye Fan merely speculated that the ancient creature was disguised as the Holy Son Yao Guang, but he couldn't be certain. Thus, he said nothing and directly tossed the Holy Son Yao Guang into the divine furnace.
Yao Xi gently struggled free, her beautiful eyes flickering, and said, "You're not thinking of throwing me into that furnace too, are you?"
"Unfortunately, there's no black flame left inside, or else I could send you both on your way together." Ye Fan shook his head.
"You..." At that moment, Yao Xi was startled, because Ye Fan's golden great hand suddenly sent her flying, crashing with a "bang" against the Chaos Stone.
"If you don't die, I'll return your undergarment someday." Ye Fan said with a calm smile, these words transmitted secretly, with only one purpose: to shut her up.
"Clang"
The lid of the Li Fire Divine Furnace was opened, and Ye Fan directly threw Yao Xi inside without a moment's hesitation, very decisive.
"Ah..."
Just then, the Golden Wing Little Peng King rushed out, his whole body blackened, nearly turned to charcoal. The Holy Son Yao Guang followed closely behind, also looking like he'd fallen into a coal mine.
"Bang"
Ye Fan showed no mercy, striking out with the Void Great Hand Seal, slamming it onto the Golden Wing Little Peng King's head, sending both of them back inside.
"Dang"
The five-colored furnace lid flew back, sealing the divine furnace once more. Inside, fierce flames blazed, turning the entire furnace red-hot. The Chaos Stone shot out streaks of auspicious light, providing it with divine power.
"You..." The people of Yao Guang changed expressions repeatedly.
"You've defiled the Holy Maiden and thrown her into the furnace—truly ruthless enough!" Many from the Yao Guang Holy Land trembled with anger.
"If someone wants you dead, would you enshrine them instead?" Ye Fan retorted.
"When has our Yao Guang ever troubled you? Do you know who they are?" Someone gritted their teeth.
"I don't need to explain anything to you. Enemies are meant to be killed. I don't care what their status is." Ye Fan replied flatly.
Many present were shocked. Even the dignified Holy Maiden of Yao Guang had been thrown in—a peerless beauty. The heirs of the Holy Lands were in grave danger. Clearly, Ye Fan had no qualms; when he struck, he showed no mercy.
"Such a waste, such a waste. The Holy Maiden of Yao Guang is about to turn to ashes. The world loses a city-toppling beauty..." Liu Kou transmitted, full of regret.
Wu Zhongtian secretly transmitted, rebuking, "This is how it should be. As long as they are great enemies, no matter who—even a true celestial descending to the mortal world—they must be refined. One must be iron-blooded and merciless."
Ye Fan didn't respond. Instead, he stepped forward, walking around the venue once, but didn't strike again.
"You should leave quickly," the Holy Maiden of Yao Chi transmitted with her divine sense. "Otherwise, you're truly in danger."
"Thank you for your kindness." Ye Fan smiled, then after a moment's thought, secretly transmitted, "In the future, I might go to Yao Chi with the Phoenix Blood Red Gold."
He scanned the heirs of Da Yan, Wan Chu, Dao Yi, Zi Mansion, and other Holy Lands, but didn't act, as he had no conflict with them. This made those below breathe a sigh of relief, fearing Ye Fan would throw everyone into the divine furnace without a word.
"Swish"
The next moment, Ye Fan appeared before Ji Haoyue. A golden great hand materialized, intending to throw him into the divine furnace as well, to be refined together. This made the Ji family members extremely tense.
However, Ye Fan ultimately stopped his hand. He thought of Ji Ziyue, recalling how she had set up a cenotaph for him.
"Forget it. I'll spare you, this Divine King Physique. I'll meet you again when I enter the Four Extremes Secret Realm."
Ye Fan returned to the Chaos Stone, sitting cross-legged on it. He struck the divine furnace with a flame-urging technique, channeling divine power, determined to refine the three great experts.
Here, the force field emitted by the Chaos Stone neutralized divine power, making it impossible to kill them with true battle techniques. Only this peculiar furnace could refine them.
The Chaos Stone shot out streaks of auspicious light, entering the furnace, growing hotter and hotter. The sun engraved on it disappeared, also entering the furnace.
This would be a long process. Ye Fan remained highly vigilant, ready at any moment to offer up the Dark Jade Platform and traverse the void.
He was racing against time, wanting to stay as long as possible to completely refine the three great experts. During this time, he took out the beast-hide ancient scroll, unfolding it and studying it seriously.
At that moment, he was startled, because inside the ancient scroll was a piece of silk brocade with some ancient characters and a topographic map.
Nine Secrets!
There really were Nine Secrets. He had thought this great tomb was mostly unrelated to that ancient aristocratic clan, but he had guessed wrong. This was the burial ground of that clan's distant ancestor.
The silk brocade didn't contain the Nine Secrets' mental techniques, but only recorded a map and some explanations.
The distant ancestor of this ancient aristocratic clan had seen far ahead, frankly stating that there were no immortal dynasties, let alone eternal aristocratic clans. In the long river of history, some Holy Lands and Primordial Aristocratic Clans would be annihilated, let alone ordinary clans.
He didn't want one of the Nine Secrets to be severed one day due to their family's decline, so he left this silk brocade.
Back then, he had obtained this secret technique from a mysterious place. The silk brocade marked the location, leaving it for fate to bring someone along the path he had once walked to seek it.
"He's an enlightened figure, with the same sentiment as Divine King Jiang Taixu..." Ye Fan remained expressionless, putting away the silk brocade. Others didn't know such a secret was hidden within the ancient scroll.
Only then did he formally examine the ancient scroll. It had many characters and a clear map.
Ye Fan glanced over it and immediately changed expression, because he saw a familiar topographic map—nine dragon veins guarding a mountain!
This was the topographic map of Purple Mountain, the demonic mountain where Emperor Wu Shi had slept. Such a map had actually been circulated.
"Black Emperor..." Ye Fan transmitted with his divine sense.
The big black dog was hiding inside the cauldron, using an immense amount of divine power to try to draw the Chaos Stone into the cauldron, but it was exhausting itself to the point of foaming at the mouth, unable to budge it.
"I've figured it out. When I'm with you, this Emperor always works for nothing and suffers bad luck!"
"Stop complaining. Look at this map quickly..." Ye Fan put the ancient scroll into the cauldron for it to observe.
"Damn it. Someone really got a shred of the Great Emperor's secrets and figured out the location of the Emperor's Mountain..."
Now, Ye Fan didn't need to guess further. This imperial palace, modified into the Bright Divine Hall, was undoubtedly the bedchamber of Emperor Wu Shi. This Chaos Stone was once the Great Emperor's bed.
After cursing, the big black dog suddenly fell silent, not speaking for a long time.
"Black Emperor, what's wrong? Did you get hit by a curse in the tomb?"
"Kid, do you want to harm someone?" Black Emperor suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?" Ye Fan asked.
"Whoever you dislike, give this map to them." Black Emperor replied calmly.
"What do you mean by that? If so, wouldn't the Purple Mountain guarded by nine dragons become known? It would no longer be peaceful and would be dug up!" Ye Fan knew that the big black dog must have a great connection to Purple Mountain.
"Counting the time, it's been over a hundred thousand years. Maybe Purple Mountain should surface." The big black dog said woodenly, somewhat dejected.
"What are you saying? Aren't you afraid the Holy Lands will destroy Purple Mountain?" Ye Fan asked.
"Unless there's a living Great Emperor in this world, no one can get anything from Purple Mountain." The big black dog replied with a very certain tone, as if coming back to life. "Give this map to whoever you dislike."
Ye Fan's heart tightened, and he immediately thought of many things. A massive storm was likely to erupt at Purple Mountain!
"Are you sure the Holy Lands can't obtain that Beginningless Scripture?" Ye Fan was most concerned about the stone scripture in Purple Mountain.
"Unless there's a living Great Emperor or a complete jade pendant is obtained, no one can open the ancient scripture." Black Emperor replied affirmatively.
This big black dog knew too much, but Ye Fan couldn't press it. He began to think seriously.
"Since these Holy Lands have nothing to do, I'll just divert their attention." He made up his mind, sneering. He wanted to send out the ancient scroll, but lacked a good excuse.
"Why isn't that unscrupulous Daoist showing up?" Ye Fan had been on guard against him, but now he really wished he would jump out, so he could hand him this hot potato.
"Boom"
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from the Bright Divine Hall. A wave of extreme imperial pressure swept through the venue, even causing the Chaos Stone to tremble.
The ancient pagoda in the hall shattered instantly. Yan Ruyu, peerlessly elegant, appeared in the hall. She used the extreme weapon to turn the pagoda into powder, her opponent reduced to ashes as she broke out of the pagoda.
At the same time, many disciples of the Holy Lands quickly retreated. The leaders were all at the fourth level of the Dao Palace Secret Realm. They had been guarding around the ancient pagoda, their intentions clear.
Not every Holy Land possessed an extreme weapon. There were only a few in the entire Eastern Wasteland. If Yan Ruyu had fallen here, it would have been a greater opportunity for some than any other fortune!
Unfortunately, many Holy Sons had been fixed in mid-air early on, something they hadn't anticipated.
"Daoist Duan, what do you mean?" Yan Ruyu stood gracefully in the center of the hall, staring at a nearby patch of void.
A chubby figure materialized. Duan De smiled sheepishly, saying, "I was afraid Princess Yan might have an accident, so I kept watch nearby."
This damn fatty! Ye Fan's heart tightened. This guy had clearly arrived long ago, hiding his true nature. His appetite was too big—he was even eyeing the extreme weapon.
Yan Ruyu's expression was calm, her flawless jade face showing no emotion. She said nothing more, but the light in her palm blazed brightly, the extreme imperial might growing even more terrifying.
Duan De quickly retreated, saying, "Princess Yan, please don't misunderstand. Do I have the guts to rob you? Peacock King, Azure Dragon King, and Old Roc King are all outside. Unless I'm tired of living."
These words made everyone change expression. Not only had Supreme Elders from the Holy Lands come, but the three great Demon Kings had also appeared simultaneously.
"Duan De... I tell you, my grandfather Wu Dao has also come!" Wu Zhongtian ground his teeth.
Hearing this, Duan De immediately shrank his neck. He had once robbed their ancestral tomb. If he were trapped here, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Black Emperor, hand it over!" Ye Fan secretly transmitted, pulling the ancient scroll from the cauldron and holding it in his hand.
At that moment, something shocking happened. Duan De, with a broken bowl on his head, moved like a ghost toward the Chaos Stone, the force field unable to stop him!
"Swish"
Duan De rushed through, his speed unbelievably fast, snatching the ancient scroll from Ye Fan's hand in one move, appearing and disappearing like a specter.
He laughed heartily, his mouth nearly splitting to his ears. But he wasn't satisfied. His fat hand reached for the cauldron on Ye Fan's head.
"Woof," "Woof," "Woof"...
Barking echoed through the hall.
"Ah," "Ah," "Ah"...
Duan De yelled, shaking his right arm repeatedly. In an instant, he was bitten seventeen or eighteen times, from his fingers all the way to his arm.
"Limitless... his mother's Heavenly Venerable! Whose dog is this..."