Chapter 223: An Miaoyi
By the vast lake, lush trees grew thickly, strange rocks were scattered about, and the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments drifted melodiously. People came and went without end, many stopping to linger as they passed.
Suddenly, a jade boat cut across the sky, arriving above the great lake. Clouds and mists swirled, fog hung hazy, and faint, colorful clouds shimmered, ethereal and holy.
Wondrous music rose in waves, soft and lingering, drifting down, intoxicating all who heard it. It was like the celestial music of the Nine Heavens, stirring the spirit and cleansing the soul.
"The successor of the Wonderful Desire Nunnery has arrived!"
"An Miaoyi, it must be her. I've long heard that the female disciples of the Wonderful Desire Nunnery would emerge into the world. Some disciples from the Primordial Aristocratic Clans have already come to the Holy City for her."
"She is the future master of the Wonderful Desire Nunnery. Has she truly come? If so, the disciples of the Holy Lands and the Primordial Aristocratic Clans will likely be locked in open and secret struggles again."
...
The jade boat shimmered with five colors and ten hues. Upon it stood a young woman, clad in pure white robes that fluttered gently, outlining her perfect figure in a breathtaking manner.
By the lakeshore, the vast majority of people were cultivators, their eyesight naturally excellent, allowing them to clearly see the young woman's features.
She was like a bright pearl emitting rosy clouds, transcendent and graceful, incomparably beautiful. Her divine radiance was concealed within, her jade bones were born of nature, and her face was nearly perfect, with no flaw to be found.
Ye Fan's heart stirred as well. This woman named An Miaoyi was truly stunningly beautiful, comparable to Yan Ruyu, with no discernible shortcomings.
She appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, her figure slender and lithe, as if meticulously carved from immortal jade. Her temperament was cold and alluring, her snow-like skin seeming to carry a touch of frost.
"This must be An Miaoyi. I've heard of her long ago—her beauty is unmatched, hard to find in the Eastern Wasteland. She is a peerless beauty. What a pity she was born into this sect, destined to have her pearl sullied by dust."
Someone shook their head and sighed, as if deeply regretful.
The Wonderful Desire Nunnery had a truly terrible reputation; otherwise, it wouldn't have established a place of romance and pleasure in the Holy City, as their cultivation was tied to such matters.
However, the extraordinarily graceful An Miaoyi showed no trace of a worldly, dusty aura. She was bright and beautiful yet cold and fierce, like a body of ice and jade, appearing transcendent and holy.
This was a very strong contrast. Many speculated that she was a peerless enchantress, meant to be as soft as spring water, yet the reality was that she possessed an icy, jade-like form.
With specks of colorful light, An Miaoyi stood gracefully on the jade boat, her black hair flying, her white robes fluttering, as if she didn't eat the food of mortals, like a fairy maiden from the moon palace, even more holy than the Holy Maidens of the Holy Lands.
Ye Fan's expression was very calm. He didn't quite believe that this woman was born with such an icy, pure temperament.
He felt that the Wonderful Desire Nunnery had a firm grasp on human nature. It was a vast power with a poor reputation, yet it had crafted such a divine maiden, a holy maiden, completely exploiting people's psychology.
Because, in the end, their cultivation meant the jade lotus would be stained with dust. They couldn't remain pure and transcendent forever; they would eventually fall into the realm of romance and pleasure.
This was nothing more than a way to attract more attention, to stir more desire—shaping a woman aloof and elegant, not of the mortal world, solely to entice people further.
"You're smiling quite wickedly. What bad idea are you cooking up?" The man beside him, who had previously informed Ye Fan of some news, asked.
Ye Fan smiled and said, "Nothing. I just think the Wonderful Desire Nunnery is quite extraordinary, wrapping their gift so gorgeously to fish for all the immortals here."
"What are you talking about?"
Ye Fan smiled faintly and said, "What you can't have is always the best. They shape a celestial maiden of the highest order, then satisfy some people, giving them the chance to knock her down into the mortal world. As you said, the disciples of the Holy Lands and Primordial Aristocratic Clans will likely be hooked as well."
This man retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? When An Miaoyi was born, she was accompanied by immortal light. She is naturally beautiful, holy, and transcendent—not at all embellished."
"So, I'm wrong?" Ye Fan wouldn't believe such rumors no matter what.
"Although the Wonderful Desire Nunnery has a bad reputation, An Miaoyi truly emerges from the mud unstained." This man was very defensive.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Ye Fan's mouth. "You've only just seen her, and you're already like this. Truly, the masters like the Wonderful Desire Nunnery understand that romance lies in the human heart, not the physical body."
"Swish"
With a flash of light, the five-colored jade boat in the sky vanished into the heavens above the depths of the great lake. There, jade towers and jeweled pavilions stood, shrouded in clouds and mist, a scene of ethereal mystery.
"Your servant, An Miaoyi, will play the zither under the night moon..." A heavenly voice came from the palace within the mist, clear and elegant.
Yet, upon careful reflection, it seemed to intoxicate one to the very bones—lofty, pure, and exquisite, stirring the heart.
The news that An Miaoyi had arrived in the Holy City spread quickly. When the bright moon rose, she would play the zither by the lake, sparking boundless discussion.
Without a doubt, the shores of Wonderful Desire Lake would be packed with people tonight.
An Miaoyi's emergence had long been rumored. She was one of the most beautiful women in the Eastern Wasteland, her fame spreading across the land.
Now, with the jade lotus yet unsullied, the disciples of the Holy Lands and Primordial Aristocratic Clans would all be drawn here.
Ye Fan left Wonderful Desire Lake and continued walking. After more than an hour, he had only explored a corner of the Holy City.
Skirting the blue lake, he entered an ancient alley. Countless years must have passed, as the stones paving the ground had been worn smooth by footsteps.
Having seen only grand palaces and continuous halls and pavilions, Ye Fan wanted to enter these ancient alleys to see what he might encounter in these out-of-the-way corners.
He twisted and turned, emerging from the ancient alley into a bustling market area, arriving at a lively place.
Ye Fan was very surprised. Although these were just street stalls, looking shabby compared to the palaces, they displayed quite a few good items.
Green Copper Gold Essence, Red Jade Marrow, Divine Blood Earth, Star Stone... all kinds of precious materials were available.
Many of these were treasures that Big Black Dog wanted to gather for carving dao patterns, things hard to find in the outside world, yet they could be found in a corner of the Holy City.
He couldn't help but sigh that the Holy City truly deserved to be the center of the Northern Domain, a place where the world's events converged.
These things could only be displayed on street stalls. There were countless such corners, and similar markets were surely numerous.
It could be inferred that even more precious items would be found in those magnificent towers and palaces.
After walking halfway around, Ye Fan saw many rare medicinal herbs: Jade Snake Orchid, Nine-Leaf Phoenix Grass, Red Moon Fruit, Black Jade Divine Lotus... Their fragrance was rich, definitely top-grade goods.
"As long as you have Source, you can really buy anything," he sighed. Source wasn't everything, but without Source, you could do nothing.
Ye Fan walked through half the market and arrived at a place selling stone materials. Each stall only displayed a few stones, looking very ordinary with nothing unusual.
But Ye Fan was somewhat alarmed. These stone materials were not simple; they carried a faint trace of the Primordial aura. Upon asking, the prices were absurdly high.
"Young man, buy a piece of stone. Guaranteed quality—it's seed material from the old Primordial pit. Sometimes you can cut out earth-shattering treasures," an old man squatting on the ground tried to sell Ye Fan a few strange stones from his stall.
The market had a large flow of people, coming and going, with people stopping from time to time.
Ye Fan looked up and was startled. Above the market, there was a suspended, magnificent heavenly palace, towering and extraordinary.
"What place is that? Another place of romance and pleasure?"
"What are you thinking, young man? That's the Treasure Pavilion of the Heavenly Demon Palace, one of the seven major auction houses in the Holy City. Peerless treasures are often auctioned there for sky-high prices," the old man beside him said.
"A suspended auction house... such extravagance..." Ye Fan was speechless for a long time before asking, "Do they have Divine Source?"
"Yes, they do. It has indeed been auctioned before," the old man nodded seriously.
"Hiss!" Ye Fan sucked in a cold breath. He felt that coming to the Holy City was truly the right choice.
The old man said, "What's so special about that? The Heavenly Demon Palace's Treasure Pavilion, as one of the seven major auction houses in the Holy City, has auctioned everything. Half a year ago, they exhibited a scroll of an ancient scripture."
"What?!" Ye Fan was truly shocked. Peerless secret scriptures were the exclusive property of Holy Lands.
"It wasn't complete. It was said to be only a fragment of a scripture, covering only one secret realm."
Even so, Ye Fan was deeply astonished. The Holy City was indeed extraordinary, even auctioning divine items like Divine Source and ancient scriptures.
The old man laughed, "Young man, this must be your first time in the Holy City. Heh, just a few days ago, the Heavenly Demon Palace's Treasure Pavilion even auctioned Dragon-Pattern Black Gold."
"No way? Even that kind of thing is auctioned? That's a sacred object exclusive to Great Emperors, rarely seen in a thousand generations!" Ye Fan's heart raced. Yao Guang's Extreme Dao Sacred Weapon was forged from Dragon-Pattern Black Gold.
"It was only a fingernail-sized piece, far too little. Even if an ancient Great Emperor were reborn, it wouldn't be enough to forge an Extreme Dao weapon."
Ye Fan felt slightly relieved and nodded. He thought of his own fist-sized Phoenix Blood Red Gold, which would certainly be enough to forge a Vajra Ring.
Perhaps, as a last resort, he could auction it off in exchange for Divine Source.
But unless he was at his wit's end, Ye Fan would never take it out for auction. Phoenix Blood Red Gold was something rarely found in a thousand generations. He planned to keep it for forging his own Sacred Weapon.
In the end, he left this market.
The Holy City was the epitome of luxury, with everything imaginable. Not only were there places like the Demon King Pavilion and the Saint Lord Pavilion to inspire progress, but also stone gambling houses, places of romance, and drunken retreats. It was a demonic city that could drive one forward or waste away time in decadence.
After wandering for most of the day, Ye Fan had only covered a small area, not even a corner of the Holy City. The city was simply too vast, said to be nearly a hundred li from one end to the other.
"No, I need to find Li Heishui and have him introduce me to this city," Ye Fan thought. He felt that his understanding was too superficial; he needed a familiar guide.
Before coming, Tu Fei had told him how to find Li Heishui.
Before sunset, Ye Fan arrived at an ancient alley, entered a small Source Stone Studio, and finally found Li Heishui.
Li Heishui had a dark face, was strong and powerful, and looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was the grandson of Li Heng, the Eighth Great Bandit.
Before coming, Tu Fei had told Ye Fan that Li Heishui had both cunning and means, living up to his name—very dark-hearted.
Tu the Big Mouth joked that he himself only talked, but Li Heishui not only talked but would definitely act.
"Little Leaf, you're quite the celebrity now. Everyone in the Northern Domain knows you. Don't worry, coming to the Holy City and finding me is the right move." Li Heishui finished reading Tu Fei's letter and patted his chest. "Let me take you to relax first."
"You're the local. I'll follow your lead," Ye Fan said with a smile.
"The Holy City has ten great places of romance. The Wonderful Desire Nunnery, the Water Moon Pavilion, and the Guanghan Tower are the three best choices. You decide," Li Heishui said. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a dark face, looking very honest, but one must not be fooled by his appearance.
Ye Fan was first stunned, then found it both funny and frustrating. "Let's just find a place to have a couple of drinks. I mainly want to learn about the Holy City from you. Give me a proper introduction."
Li Heishui waved his hand, very domineering. "Tonight, we only talk about romance, nothing else. We'll handle those matters tomorrow. Now that you're here, how could I not entertain you properly?!"
At night, the Holy City was a blaze of splendor. Starlight cascaded down like thin smoke, falling upon the city. Moonlight flowed like water, pouring down.
"The Holy City can automatically absorb the star power of the heavens," Li Heishui explained.
"This city is truly extraordinary!" Ye Fan could only sigh like this.
"Tonight, we're going to Wonderful Desire Lake. I didn't expect An Miaoyi to emerge. This most beautiful woman in the Eastern Wasteland has come to the Holy City. For the younger generation, this is definitely a big event. The disciples of the Holy Lands and Primordial Aristocratic Clans will surely go. It's going to be very lively tonight." Li Heishui grinned slyly.