Chapter 311: Dao Four Transformation Divine Source
This golden great desert shattered like glass, the sandy sea directly ahead vanished, and faint mountain shadows appeared on the distant horizon.
"This is…" They were all astonished.
The big black dog said, "I understand now. It's the Dao patterns on fragments of broken weapons affecting the desert. Once we collected them, this corner returned to a clear and bright world. I suspect the entire desert is like this."
This was an unexpected joy. While Black Emperor and Tu Fei harvested rare materials, they also broke through the predicament and walked out of the desert.
After traveling more than ten li, they completely left the vast desert and arrived at the edge of an oasis.
It was now late autumn. Most trees had already shed their leaves, with only a few species like green pines and verdant maples still lush.
"What a big fat dog! We're in for a treat. Let's stew some black dog meat tonight!"
Up ahead, several figures stood beneath a bare mountain at the edge of the oasis, laughing in a sinister tone. They wore iron armor that gleamed with light.
"You two little brats, leave all your Source behind and scram!"
The big black dog nearly jumped up on the spot, but it didn't lose its temper immediately, grinding its teeth silently instead.
"Who are you people?" Tu Fei's face darkened. As a descendant of a Great Bandit, being robbed was a first for him.
"You came to the wrong place. Leave your Source and get lost. You have no right to ask questions here!"
These people were extremely arrogant, not taking the two humans and one dog seriously at all.
"Of course, this dog has to stay. We'll have a good meal today." The group laughed without restraint.
"Woof!"
The big black dog could no longer hold back. It pounced, opening its bloody maw to bite.
"This black dog is quite fierce, but that makes it tastier to eat. They say fierce dogs have tender meat." One of them, wearing silver iron armor, stepped forward and raised his hand to slap the big black dog's head.
"Clang!"
The slap landed solidly, because the big black dog didn't even dodge. Its body was like bronze tendons and iron bones, no worse than Ye Fan's physique. It swung its large claw, and with a "puff," it flipped the man over, leaving a terrifying bloody gash on his body.
"This dog…"
The others behind all changed color. This big dog was clearly far more formidable than an ordinary spirit dog. One claw strike sent a Dao Palace First Heaven cultivator spitting blood.
The big black dog was furious. It turned into a streak of black light, darting back and forth at the foot of the bare mountain.
Its large claws swung, and the iron armor tore like paper, unable to withstand them. With a series of cracks, it pinned all of them to the ground.
"Dare to eat this Emperor… there's no such person in this world!" The big black dog's nostrils shot out two streams of white air, the manifestation of its rage.
The men on the ground had been arrogant at first, but now they were completely subdued, knowing they had kicked an iron plate. Under the big black dog's sharp teeth, they screamed one after another.
"Who are you, daring to disrespect this Emperor?" Without Ye Fan or Tu Fei needing to ask, the big black dog was already roaring. It needed to vent its anger.
It stepped on them, and every time its large claws pressed down, the men howled.
Under the big black dog's roar, they confessed everything. They were bandits from this area, and their force was not small.
Ye Fan immediately smiled and said to Tu Fei, "These are your colleagues, huh?"
"Don't compare me to these lowlifes. Real Great Bandits only plunder Holy Lands, not bully the weak." Tu Fei stepped forward and gave them a thorough kicking.
To be fair, these men were not weak. They were all at Dao Palace First Heaven, definitely a formidable group of outlaws.
"Are you the only ones?" Tu Fei pressed.
"We have a stronghold, about several dozen people, on the mountain ahead." Under the big black dog's claws, they confessed everything. They had come to the back mountain to bury Source and happened to run into Tu Fei and the others.
Ye Fan smiled. Tu Fei had helped him borrow twenty-five thousand jin of Source, and then they had plundered fifty-seven thousand jin from Duan De, totaling over eighty thousand jin. They were still short by more than ten thousand jin to reach three hundred thousand.
Although he had one grain of Divine Source, it was hard to estimate how much ordinary pure Source it equaled.
"Dig up all your Source!"
"You…" The few bandits were furious inside but dared not disobey. At the edge of the desert, they dug out more than a dozen chests of Source.
Opening these wooden chests, a riot of colors gleamed, crystal clear, totaling over a thousand jin.
"You're quite impressive, comparable to a small sect. How many people have you plundered?" Ye Fan sneered, showing no mercy as he swept away the thousand-plus jin of Source with his sleeve.
"Leave half for us, or we'll be punished." The men looked crestfallen, filled with regret.
"You have to hand it over?" Ye Fan was surprised.
This time, he personally interrogated them, using his powerful divine sense to pressure them, and learned everything he wanted to know.
This province was called An Province, but it was anything but peaceful. It was vast, spanning over eight thousand li in circumference, with many bandits. Among them, five groups were relatively famous.
The men before him were attached to one of these groups and had to hand over a certain amount of Source periodically.
After Ye Fan examined their memories with his divine sense, he tapped them with a few fingers, ending their lives.
"These people deserve death. Their hands are stained with blood. They're complete scum, even robbing and killing mortals!"
For the bandits of An Province, this late autumn was a bit cold. Across eight thousand li, many outlaws were counter-plundered, and several chieftains were killed.
In this season when the last yellow leaves fell, the bandits of An Province underwent a great purge. Even three of the five most famous groups were wiped out.
For a full half month, Ye Fan carried the God-Slaying Whip on his back, sweeping through An Province, plundering all the bandits. To avoid exposure, Black Emperor did not show himself, and Tu Fei occasionally helped.
Late at night, a fire flickered. The mountain range was filled with the smell of blood. This stronghold was large, the fourth of the five major bandit groups in An Province.
In the main stronghold, six Dao Palace Fourth Heaven cultivators sat in command, the toughest bandit group. Ye Fan fought a great battle and finally killed them all.
The yellow leaves on the ground rustled as the autumn wind stirred them. The unattended fire crackled. Bodies lay scattered everywhere, blood soaking the earth.
Ye Fan hadn't expected such a huge harvest. After cleansing the large and small bandits across eight thousand li, he had seized over twenty thousand jin of Source.
Late at night, the campfire danced. A yellow sheep leg on a wooden rack was roasted golden and oily. Beside it, several jars of aged wine gave off an enticing aroma.
After finishing off the last bandit group, Ye Fan and Tu Fei sat on the mountain, drinking under the moon. Black Emperor wolfed down food beside them, devouring three and a half of the four yellow sheep.
"This time, I've killed off your colleagues," Ye Fan said with a smile.
"Don't lump me in with them. I've never plundered mortals or done evil deeds," Tu Fei retorted.
These vicious bandits had plundered far and wide, reaching several oases, and their accumulated wealth was beyond Ye Fan's expectations. Now, one hundred thousand jin of Source was fully gathered, enough even without counting the grain of Divine Source.
Even Tu Fei was surprised at how much Source they had obtained after cleansing the bandits of this oasis.
Ye Fan took a bite of the golden, tender yellow sheep leg, drank some wine, and said, "If this keeps up, I could gather a million jin of Source by plundering the bandits of each oasis one by one."
Tu Fei shook his head. "You're too optimistic. This oasis is special. I've sensed that someone is backing it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many bandits and so much Source."
"There's still one last bandit group, but I don't plan to deal with them now. I need to go into seclusion first. With one hundred thousand jin of Source gathered, I can't delay any longer."
Ye Fan drank the last of his wine and threw the cup into the campfire. "I'll disappear for over half a month."
Tu Fei nodded. "Go into seclusion. I'll cover for you, but we need to leave this place and find another spot. These bandits definitely have backers, so we don't want any surprises."
"Kid, part of that one hundred thousand jin of Source is mine!" The big black dog lifted its massive head.
"You greedy dog. When you grabbed the God-Slaying Whip, you already gave up your claim. Since you want it, there's one last famous bandit group in this province. Wait until I come out of seclusion, and I'll take you to get the Source."
That day, Ye Fan began his seclusion!
He chose a spot deep in a mountain range, placing all one hundred thousand-plus jin of Source into the cauldron, then stepped inside himself.
He felt that the Sacred Body needed a massive surge of essence energy to break through in one go. If it were too scattered, success might not come, so he gathered it all in one cauldron.
Additionally, Black Emperor specially carved a set of Dao patterns for him. Surrounding jade stones shimmered, altering the heavens and earth, gathering the spiritual energy of the ten directions.
Deep in the mountains, withered leaves lay everywhere. The autumn wind was like a blade, snapping a hundred plants, cutting away their lushness, withering their vitality.
For a full half month, mysterious Dao sounds echoed through the mountain range, as if someone was chanting supreme Dao scriptures.
Essence energy from all directions converged like water, making the spiritual energy here as dense as liquid. Many withered flowers and plants broke through the soil again, revealing endless vitality.
It was a wondrous sight. The spiritual energy was so rich that it made plants feel like spring, sprouting new branches and buds, blooming with flowers.
The ancient, massive cauldron was hazy and indistinct, with endless Source energy flowing and overflowing.
What did it mean to refine one hundred thousand jin of Source at once? One could clearly see inside the cauldron: a riot of colors, splendid auspicious clouds. Ye Fan was completely submerged.
The Western Emperor Scripture was truly a supreme scripture. It effectively guided this dense Source energy, like rainbows and tides, all pouring into his body.
Inside the Dao Palace, the five Divine Treasuries vibrated in unison. The "Past Self" and "Dao Self" seemed to truly exist, connecting with heaven and earth, comprehending the Dao and nature.
Chanting scriptures for the present self, coexisting with heaven and earth; making vows for the present self, piercing through the master of fate, achieving immortality in the present age.
Whether it was the past self or the self that coexists with the Dao, at this moment, both were connecting with the Dao world, allowing the self to transform.
The sound of the great Dao echoed through the mountains, like someone chanting supreme scriptures, elucidating the profound principles of the Dao.
However, it was hard to truly distinguish the sound or grasp its meaning. It was like an ancient Great Emperor chanting, or like ancient ancestors worshipping a supreme sage king.
Around the great cauldron, withered trees sprouted, old vines turned green, tender grass broke through the soil, revealing vibrant life.
The scent of earth mixed with the fragrance of flowers and grass. Plants welcomed spring, growing again in the bleak autumn, and a hundred flowers regained their colors.
This was a newborn world. Life was just beginning, tender green tinged with yellow, flowers swaying. Everything was full of hope.
In the distance, Tu Fei was astonished. "The Dao Palace chanting scriptures, like the supreme Dao, can actually be transmitted outward, merging with spiritual energy, giving new life even to flowers and grass. Truly shocking!"
The big black dog was also watching. "Even in ancient times, there weren't many who could do this at this level. The Primordial Saint Body is indeed extraordinary."
On the eighteenth day, Ye Fan took out the grain of Divine Source. Because the one hundred thousand jin of Source was nearly refined, yet he still hadn't advanced to Dao Palace Fourth Heaven. He didn't want any accidents to ruin everything.
Divine Source, the essence of primordial energy from the beginning of heaven and earth, the most fundamental essence!
Although it was just a single grain, very small in quantity, the moment it was refined, a soaring divine radiance shot out, golden and blinding, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
"Swish"
In the next instant, the golden divine radiance flashed and vanished, returning to the cauldron.
The most fundamental essence of heaven and earth rushed into the Dao Palace, making Ye Fan's entire body suddenly shine with crystalline brilliance. He was like an eternal deity.
Inside the Dao Palace, the sound of the great Dao became even more grand, covering the entire mountain range. Countless plants welcomed spring, revealing endless vitality!
It was as if real ancient Great Emperors were discussing the Dao, chanting ancient supreme scriptures, or like a sage king descending upon the world, with countless ancient ancestors praying, full of reverence.