Chapter 300: One Hundred Thousand Jin of Source
"Wanting to obtain the divine arts recorded in the Void Scripture? Don't even think about it!"
The few members of the Ji Family looked grim. This person was actually Ye Fan, who had swindled ten thousand jin of Source from them, and now he was even setting his sights on the Void Ancient Scripture.
"Why be so stingy? I also have ancient scriptures here. How about we sit down and discuss the Dao?" Ye Fan said with a smile.
"There are only a few ancient scriptures in the Eastern Wasteland, and my Ji Family possesses one exclusively. What scriptures do you have to discuss?" one of them said, trying to stall for time, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
"I have a volume of the Dao Scripture and a volume of the Western Emperor Scripture. Which one are you interested in?" Ye Fan knew their intentions but didn't mind, asking casually.
"What? You also have ancient scriptures? Not only the Dao Scripture, but also the Yao Chi's Western Emperor Scripture? How did you obtain them?"
The Ji Family members were astonished. They believed that under these circumstances, Ye Fan had no reason to lie. They were sealed here, and everything was under his control.
"So... discussing the Dao with me won't put you at a disadvantage. How about it?" Ye Fan's smile was thick with meaning.
"First, recite a passage of scripture for us to hear," the Ji Family members demanded.
"How can that be? How about we recite scripture simultaneously?" Ye Fan said in a tone of negotiation.
The tense atmosphere immediately eased. The Ji Family members relaxed, playing along with Ye Fan to buy time.
Ye Fan looked harmless, seriously discussing terms with them, but suddenly, a golden beam shot from between his brows, charging straight into one of their heads.
He wasn't aiming to kill, but to strike abruptly, using his divine sense to seize the scripture imprints from their minds.
Because he feared he wouldn't obtain them normally. Not long ago, on the Cloud Summit Mountain Range, he had tried to strip the sea of consciousness marks from a Ji Family disciple, but the result was that the other's divine sense suddenly shattered.
"Puff"
The head of that Ji Family disciple exploded instantly. Ye Fan's divine sense scrambled out in panic, retreating back into his own brow.
"Boom"
A destructive aura spread, terrifying psychic force surged out like a flood, sweeping toward Ye Fan. He let out a soft shout, and the Mother Qi of All Things descended, shielding him.
"Clang"
A thunderous sound rang out. An ancient, simple cauldron blocked the dreadful killing intent, dispersing the psychic force and making it vanish into the void.
This attempt failed again, the same result as last time. There was a mysterious seal in the other's sea of consciousness; any attempt to probe would trigger it.
"You..." The remaining four Ji Family members changed color drastically.
"It's come to this. There's nothing more to say. If you want to live, trade the Void Ancient Scripture for your lives. Otherwise, there's only one word—death." Ye Fan said solemnly. He didn't hold much hope; since his divine sense couldn't extract it, relying on them to speak up voluntarily was far too difficult.
"Attack!"
Two of the Ji Family members still had combat capability. They refused to wait for death. Each of them sacrificed seven or eight weapons, all shining like stars.
They were desperate, willing to damage their weapons to severely wound Ye Fan. Every weapon nearly ignited, dazzling and brilliant.
"Clang"
The cauldron forged from Mother Qi of All Things vibrated lightly. The weapons on the verge of shattering were all drawn inside. Blinding light emitted from within, energy surging violently.
All the weapons burned and shattered, but they couldn't harm Ye Fan at all. Eventually, the cauldron fell silent, leaving behind a pile of scrap metal.
Ye Fan moved like lightning, striking these two down to the ground, rendering them combat-ineffective.
"I won't say much. Whoever reveals the Innate Void Qi, I'll let go. Otherwise, you can only die."
At first, the four remained silent, all stubborn and unwilling to compromise. This made Ye Fan frown. Forcibly extracting would cause their sea of consciousness to shatter.
"I'm giving you a chance..."
In the end, Ye Fan restored their combat ability, sparring with each of the four individually, secretly using the Battle Saint Art to mimic the Innate Void Qi.
Eventually, he figured it out. This was a secret art that refined the primal one qi to merge with the void. He didn't know the operation method, but he understood the artistic conception.
When Ye Fan used the Battle Saint Art to drive this divine technique, Ji Yunteng, Ji Yunsheng, and the other two nearly popped their eyes out.
Ye Fan let out a soft shout, opening his mouth to spit out a divine radiance, sweeping in all directions like a tsunami, with immense power!
"You... how can you use this divine technique?!"
"Let's have a contest and see who is stronger."
Ye Fan used the Battle Saint Art to drive it, dueling with them. It wasn't the true Innate Void Qi, but its power was no less.
This was the Battle Character Art among the Nine Secrets, capable of evolving various offensive divine techniques, ever-changing—truly a supreme sacred art!
As time went on, Ye Fan became more proficient. Opening his mouth, he spat out a stream like an inverted heavenly river, unmatched in might. His essence, energy, and spirit far surpassed ordinary people; his primal one qi was like an ocean, making this divine technique perfect for him. Unlike these few, who would have their entire essence drained after spitting out a mouthful of Innate Void Qi, nearly collapsing.
"Ha!"
Ye Fan performed it again. Opening his mouth, he spat out a scroll painting, its surface shimmering with Dao patterns, like a heaven-sealing ancient scroll, directly sealing the four of them.
"How is this possible?!" Ji Yunteng and the others wore expressions of utter disbelief.
Ye Fan's application of the Innate Void Qi was far more terrifying than theirs, as if he had mastered it for years. This was incomprehensible to them.
"Thank you for granting me another offensive divine technique!" Ye Fan had been evolving it for a long time and finally stopped. This wasn't the Ji Family's divine technique; it was driven by the Battle Character Art among the Nine Secrets.
Half an hour later, Ye Fan returned to Fire Cloud City, spreading word everywhere that the Ji Family didn't keep their promises—if anyone claimed the bounty, they would face deadly disaster.
Then, he quickly vanished without a trace. The Ji Family scrambled frantically, finally calming the storm by claiming someone had used false information to swindle Source.
It must be said, an ancient aristocratic clan was a behemoth. Afterward, Fire Cloud City was "harmonious," with few believing Ye Fan's words.
Ye Fan already knew that with the Ji Family's influence, no storm was too big to settle. Everything he did was just to make them wary, making it easier for him to strike next time.
Half a month later, Ye Fan returned to Hao Province, coming to the Stone Stockade.
The Big Black Dog had finally recovered, having lost a lot of weight. Now, just seeing pink fruits made him twitch at the mouth.
"Black Emperor, you ate a divine fruit. What effect did it have? Did you gain any great benefit?" Ye Fan asked with a smile.
"Bring that up again, and I'll get angry!" The Big Black Dog's face darkened. He never suffered losses, but for the first time, a fruit had laid him flat. Just thinking about it made him want to foam at the mouth.
"There should be some effect. That fruit was clearly extraordinary," Ye Fan muttered, stroking his chin.
"There's no damn effect! It's made everything I eat taste like biting into a goldthread root—bitter as hell. I don't know when it'll fully fade." The Big Black Dog couldn't be more depressed. He had no one to blame but himself; his greed had led him to snatch and eat that fruit.
Tu Fei had lived up to expectations, gathering a total of twenty-five thousand jin of Source, all gleaming—high-quality pure Source.
"So much Source! I want half!" The greedy Big Black Dog pounced, trying to grab some again, but Ye Fan swept his sleeve, collecting it all.
"Woof!"
"Dead dog, don't grab!"
"I've helped you several times, but I always end up unlucky. You need to compensate me."
"Fine, no problem." Ye Fan agreed immediately. His main reason for returning was to get the Big Black Dog's help.
Afterward, Ye Fan found Tu Fei to discuss matters.
"What? Are you crazy? Reveal your trail and let someone claim the hundred thousand jin of Source?!" Tu Fei was shocked.
"Exactly. This is a rare opportunity. The feasibility is high," Ye Fan nodded.
Tu Fei shook his head. "You've already swindled ten thousand jin of Source. They'll be on guard. You can't keep cutting meat from a tiger."
"The last method won't work anymore. I hear informants now need to provide divine sense corroboration. So I'll show my true form, giving them a message so real it can't be more real."
"This is too dangerous." Tu Fei opposed.
"No matter. As long as it's well-executed, the success rate is high. Once I get the hundred thousand jin of Source, I can immediately enter the Dao Palace Fourth Heaven!"
"You're gambling with your life. If something goes wrong, it'll be too late to regret!" Tu Big Mouth strongly opposed.
"With Black Emperor here, I can turn danger into safety..."
"Woof!" The Big Black Dog looked displeased. "Kid, ever since I've been with you, I haven't gotten a single benefit—just bad luck. Don't count on me this time."
Ye Fan smiled. "Didn't you always want Source? This time, we're going for a hundred thousand jin. Think it over."
"A hundred thousand..." The Big Black Dog's drool was almost flowing. He wanted to refuse, but the temptation was too great.
"Damn it, I'm in! If I end up unlucky again, kid, get ready to be hunted!"
Ye Fan chuckled, then said to Tu Fei and the Big Black Dog, "Actually, if we plan well, there's no danger."
"Then explain in detail."
"First step: find a suitable person to 'discover' me at the right time and report to Yao Guang or the Ji Family to claim the hundred thousand bounty."
This was quite difficult. Since informants now needed divine sense corroboration, anyone problematic would show flaws. The suitable person had to be genuine, completely in the dark themselves.
Tu Fei thought for a moment. "Finding someone to betray you isn't a problem. The key is making them enter the situation naturally, without leaving traces of our setup."
Ye Fan continued, smiling. "Second: create a stir. After that person reports to the Holy Land, it's best to cause a big commotion, making all the cultivators in that area aware, so they follow as witnesses."
"In that case, if you're surrounded, wouldn't it be more dangerous?"
Ye Fan chuckled lightly. "Black Emperor is skilled in Dao patterns. Crossing the void is nothing to him. I just need to show my face, then instantly teleport thousands of miles away."
Tu Fei said, "Hearing you say that, the feasibility is high. It might really succeed."
"Black Emperor, can you guarantee absolute safety when crossing the void?" Ye Fan asked. This step was the most critical. If he couldn't escape, he would surely die.
"You're thinking too easily." Black Emperor mercilessly poured cold water. "As an ancient aristocratic clan, they definitely have secret treasures that can stabilize the void. You might not be able to escape."
"There are such artifacts?" Ye Fan was surprised.
"The Holy Lands have long histories. They would definitely refine such secret treasures." The Big Black Dog squinted, thinking. "But luckily, I'm not easy to deal with either. I have a way to solve it."
That very day, they set off from Hao Province, heading for the hundred thousand jin of Source.