Chapter 329: Human Origin Fruit
At this moment, Ye Fan had also completely peeled the pink fruit, unbroken, its fragrance intoxicating, making Li Heishui swallow his saliva.
"An absolute rare divine medicine. If you want it, Daoist, bring out three hundred thousand jin of Source!" Li Heishui opened his mouth like a lion, unaware of Red Dragon Daoist's identity and utterly unrestrained.
As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle, poured out the pills inside, and stored the pink fruit away, clean and decisive.
"This was the stone I selected..." Red Dragon Daoist said expressionlessly.
"But I did sell it to them," the old gatekeeper of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land said weakly, leaning on his cane.
"Right, Daoist, you wouldn't forcibly take it, would you? That would disgrace your status as a senior expert," Li Heishui said.
Ye Fan quickly stopped him, afraid he might go too far and invite disaster. This old Daoist, like Peacock King, disregarded worldly laws and acted as he pleased, nearly killing the Saint Lord of Yaoguang.
"Daoist, if you truly need it, I can give it to you," Ye Fan said, ready to sell him a great favor.
"How can you just give it away for free? This is worth over a hundred thousand jin of Source!" Li Heishui shouted.
Ye Fan dared not use divine telepathy at such close range, fearing Red Dragon Daoist might hear. He simply tugged at Li Heishui's sleeve, signaling him not to overdo it.
Li Heishui, a man full of cunning schemes, immediately changed his tune. "Such precious Source, and you really want to give it to this Daoist? Isn't that too generous?"
Red Dragon Daoist directly took the jade bottle, sealed the fruit, and only then spoke expressionlessly, "I won't take advantage of you."
"Daoist, you misunderstand. That's not what we meant. We saw you hadn't returned for so long, so we bought it and cut it open. Now that you're back, no matter how precious this fruit is, we won't keep it. It was the stone you selected, so we're returning it to you."
Ye Fan didn't want to provoke Red Dragon Daoist; otherwise, the other party could crush them with any excuse. So he generously offered it, appearing to seek nothing in return.
Sure enough, Red Dragon Daoist's expression softened. "Since you bought it first, I won't let you suffer a loss. Source is useless to me; only this fruit has meaning."
Red Dragon Daoist shook his sleeve, and with a clattering sound, a pile of Source appeared on the ground, multicolored and radiant, with spiritual energy like thick, unbreakable clouds of smoke.
Fully thirty thousand jin of Source, casually thrown out as if discarding ordinary stones.
"I only have this much. I'll find a way to give you the rest later."
"Daoist, please don't do this. It makes me uneasy. Accepting this Source feels undeserved; I dare not take it," Ye Fan repeatedly declined.
Red Dragon Daoist held the jade bottle, continuously sniffing it. Obtaining this fruit put him in a good mood, and his expression softened. "Take it when I tell you to. These things are like worldly copper coins to me, long useless."
"Since that's the case, I'll accept it. But truly, it's impolite to decline, yet undeserved to accept." Ye Fan no longer refused.
Then, showing confusion, he asked seriously, "Senior, may I ask what this fruit is actually used for?"
Red Dragon Daoist glanced at him. "This fruit is called the Human Origin Fruit. It has many wonders. In the hands of a master alchemist, it can refine divine pills. In my hands, it can extend my lifespan by at least fifty to a hundred years."
Refining divine pills, extending lifespan—this was an absolute rare treasure!
Ordinary spiritual medicines were useless to figures like him; only legendary divine objects could help experts of this level.
This pink fruit could extend Red Dragon Daoist's life by fifty years. For an ordinary person, how many years would it add?
Truly a priceless treasure!
Red Dragon Daoist had been trapped by the Great Emperor's array patterns on Sacred Cliff for fifteen hundred years, now around three thousand years old. His lifespan might be nearing its end, making this item the most precious thing to him.
"Can such a fruit increase cultivation?" This was what Ye Fan most wanted to know.
"The Human Origin Fruit is more precious than Divine Source, but it can't be eaten recklessly, as it's also highly toxic. It must be dissolved, and only its fragrance has divine effects. It should be able to increase cultivation, but no one would waste it that way."
Red Dragon Daoist made it clear: those seeking such rare fruits were ancient relics, not looking to boost cultivation.
"Its value varies in different hands. To me, it's worth over a hundred thousand jin of Source, but to an old Saint Lord with only a few years left, it's far more precious."
Red Dragon Daoist drifted away. Li Heishui secretly transmitted, "Over a hundred thousand jin of Source, and you just gave it to him?"
"Do you know who he is? Red Dragon Daoist, the one who nearly killed the Saint Lord of Yaoguang last time. He's a super terrifying existence!"
"What? Him!" Li Heishui was stunned. He had guessed the old Daoist was extraordinary, but not this terrifying—a giant who could dominate the Eastern Wasteland.
Ye Fan transmitted, "Didn't he say he'll be in the Divine City recently? If something comes up, we can find him at the Holy Land's stone gambling house. He's a great asset. I might directly enter a Holy Land's Heaven-ranked stone garden. If I cause too big a stir, I'll need him to suppress it."
Li Heishui nodded. "I'm a bit worried too, afraid you'll gamble too fiercely and cause big trouble. Meeting Red Dragon Daoist today is an unexpected surprise!"
"Old sir, please take some Source," Ye Fan said to the last gatekeeper of the Heavenly Pivot Holy Land.
"This isn't my Source; I can't take it. You already paid plenty when buying the stones." The old man, bent and frail, shook his head with his cane.
Ye Fan swept his sleeve, collecting the pile of Source, but left a small portion as he and Li Heishui walked out.
"Today's harvest is huge—thirty thousand jin of Source! At this rate, you'll gather what you need in a month."
On the way, Ye Fan asked Li Heishui which auction house in the Divine City had the best reputation.
"The Divine City has seven major auction houses. I think the Heavenly Demon Palace's Treasure Tower is good." Li Heishui pointed to the sky. "See, right there in the sky above this area."
It was a magnificent celestial tower, grand and towering—the Heavenly Demon Palace's Treasure Tower.
"What do you want to auction?" Li Heishui couldn't help asking.
"I want to auction half a fruit, but it must be anonymous, with no one knowing it's me."
"What fruit? Don't tell me it's like that pink one just now." Li Heishui was curious.
Ye Fan took out a jade box and opened it to reveal half a rotten fruit, with a faint fragrance and clear teeth marks visible.
"I feel like it really is the same as that fruit just now?!" Li Heishui was shocked, showing confusion. "Why does it look like there are canine teeth marks?"
"It is that fruit, bitten by a dog!" This was the pink fruit bitten by Black Emperor, which Ye Fan had kept afterward, not discarding it because he thought it might be useful.
After learning the details, Li Heishui nearly spat blood. "This damn dog! One bite cost us two hundred thousand jin of Source! It should be skinned and eaten!"
Ye Fan was also frustrated. Having a greedy big dog bite off so much Source in one go left anyone speechless. With the medicinal power lost, it could now fetch at most twenty to thirty thousand jin of Source.
He thought for a moment. "Now isn't the right time to auction it. Wait until the Holy Lands suffer heavy losses attacking Purple Mountain, then sell it. No, wait until some Saint Lord is about to die before auctioning it."
"Damn, aren't you being too ruthless?! Selling a dog-bitten fruit for a Saint Lord to eat..." Li Heishui was dumbfounded.
"What's wrong with that? I'm saving their lives. They'll not only give me Source but also thank me." Ye Fan squinted and smiled.
"Little Leaf, you've got a future!" Li Heishui patted his shoulder and laughed. "I can't wait for that moment. Just imagining it is satisfying."
On the ancient streets of the Divine City, pedestrians came and went, with celestial palaces lining both sides. At this moment, the two weren't heading to the Holy Land's stone gambling houses, where fortunes were staked in a single throw.
It wasn't that having little Source barred entry, but Ye Fan aimed high. He wanted to gamble on "rare treasures" and "extraordinary Source" at the Holy Lands, not wanting to leave a big name too early during the initial accumulation.
In the following days, Ye Fan frequented smaller stone gambling houses for what he called "primitive accumulation."
Yet even these so-called small gambling houses were sprawling palace complexes, many times larger than the biggest stone houses in other oases.
For eight consecutive days, Ye Fan left early and returned late, practically living in the many small stone houses in the southeast corner of the Divine City.
In those eight days, he kept buying Source stones and cutting them himself, harvesting over ten thousand jin of Source.
Li Heishui's jaw nearly dropped. To him, it was astonishing, making him drool with envy.
For other cultivators, this was a vast fortune, enough to squander freely, more than they'd use in a lifetime.
But for Ye Fan, it was just a fraction, far from enough. The road ahead was long and arduous. He frowned. Even at this astonishing speed, gathering the required Source would take over two years.
Moreover, during that time, he could do nothing else but devote all his energy to stone gambling.
"It seems I really need to go to the Holy Lands' Heaven-ranked stone gardens to gamble on 'rare treasures' and 'extraordinary Source.'"
The Holy Lands' Heaven-ranked stone gardens were special. You couldn't buy the stones and cut them elsewhere; you had to cut them there, because the Holy Land personnel wanted to observe and learn.
This was a strict rule, its origin unknown. Some guessed it started when the Origin Heavenly Masters made the Holy Lands suffer so much, losing their shirts, that they began studying Source arts to counter it.
In fact, over the years, the Holy Lands' Source arts had greatly improved, surpassing most profound Source art practitioners.
For months, Ye Fan had practically imprinted the Source Heaven Scroll into every inch of his flesh. Even while in the Divine City, busy with stone gambling, he pondered it constantly.
His Source arts had reached an astonishing level, able to discern even stones containing Divine Source.
"Starting today, I'll sweep through all the Holy Lands!"
"You're finally going?"
"Yes, I can't wait any longer!" Ye Fan made his decision.
On the ninth day, Ye Fan and Li Heishui arrived at the Dao One Holy Land. They'd heard about eight madmen there, causing a stir by vowing to win the Holy Maiden of Dao One. The two wanted to fish in troubled waters.
The young Daoist nuns of Dao One Holy Land had left a deep impression on Ye Fan, with their heavenly voices chanting "Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable" to purify thousands of yin soldiers and horses.
He wanted to see who dared be so reckless, unafraid of the Holy Land. If he could ally with these eight to stir up trouble at other Holy Lands, it would be a great idea.
Dao One Holy Land was surrounded by ancient trees casting large patches of shade. The Daoist temple was serene, with a rustic charm amid the luxurious Divine City.
Amid the mundane world, it felt like a pure land, with groves of ancient trees and the temple shimmering with pale golden light under the sun, appearing sacred.
The temple grounds were vast, nestled among the vegetation. As they approached, Ye Fan spotted two acquaintances: the Great Xia Prince and the White-Robed Little Nun.
Beside them were several followers, all seemingly of high status, not ordinary youths.
"Is the Prince here to gamble on stones with Golden Chi Xiao of the Golden Clan, or with the Heavenly Demon Palace's Young Lord Yao Yuekong?" someone asked.
"Let's not rush. First, let's see who these eight eccentric talents are. I've heard of them but never met them," the Great Xia Prince replied. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his eyes blazing like torches, his stride like a dragon's, majestic and imposing.
"Oh, this little country bumpkin is here. Is he going to stare at a watermelon stone again?" one person laughed upon seeing Ye Fan approach.
"Brother Wu, do you know this youth?" someone asked.
"I saw him at a small stone gambling house. He foolishly bought a pile of watermelon stones and ran off happily," Wu Ziming mocked.
The others burst into laughter, including the Great Xia Prince and the little nun, who couldn't help but smile.
"He's the chief disciple of the Five Elements Palace, named Wu Ziming," Li Heishui transmitted to Ye Fan.
From his introduction, Ye Fan learned that this group were children of major sects, inferior to the Great Xia Prince but still of high status.
Wu Ziming, with a mocking smile, waved at Ye Fan and teased, "Here to buy watermelon stones at Dao One Holy Land today?"
"What's wrong with watermelon stones?" Li Heishui retorted.
Everyone burst into laughter. Wu Ziming shook his head and sneered, "Even if you cut Source from a watermelon stone, it's just a few seeds, pitifully small. Do you even understand Source stones? Coming here insults Dao One Holy Land."
"Young man, turn back now. This isn't a place for you," someone shook their head and mocked.
"Don't leave! Come in with me. I'll leave all the watermelon stones for you to pick up behind me," Wu Ziming laughed heartily.
Many couldn't help laughing, and the Great Xia Prince shook his head with a smile.
"What's wrong with watermelon stones? Want me to bet against all of you with watermelon stones?" Li Heishui, confident in Ye Fan's Source arts, challenged them.
"Haha... did you hear that? Someone wants to bet against us with watermelon stones!"
"Two country bumpkins, we're speechless..."
Wu Ziming finished laughing and taunted, "Come on, pick up watermelons behind me today."
Even the Great Xia Prince couldn't help but smile. "Ziming, you're bullying them too much."
Wu Ziming sneered, "We're not bullying them; they're begging to be mocked. If we don't bully them, they won't have it any other way."
Ye Fan transmitted to Li Heishui, "These bastards. Get ready to collect some Source!"