Chapter 335: The Stone Man Conceals a Rare Treasure

Chapter 335: The Stone Man Conceals a Rare Treasure

When Ye Fan spoke these words, the old men around him were very surprised, while those outside the stone garden were stunned at first, then burst into a clamor of noise.
"Betting? Are you betting that piece of white stone on the ground? Obviously, that's white flower stone, impossible to cut out Source from—even the lowest-level gambling stone cutters know that!"
"Young man, even if the Nine-Orifice Stone Man came up empty, don't let this setback crush you. There will be other opportunities."
"I think he's gone mad. To this point, he still wants to bet with others."
Outside the Heaven-ranked stone garden, discussions buzzed, especially from Wu Ziming and his group, who laughed loudly.
"What are you betting with? That white stone to cut out Divine Source? What a huge joke!"
"I think he can't take the blow and has gone crazy. I told you, he doesn't know his place."
"Now he's been knocked back to his true form, thinking he's a Source Art expert, pointing and commanding, only to fall hard from the clouds!"
"Overestimating himself, hahaha..."
...

Ye Fan's expression was calm. "Who will bet with me? I'll bet the Nine-Orifice Stone Man against you. If I lose, I'll willingly pay fifty thousand jin of Source."

At these words, there was first silence, then an uproar.
"This guy is crazy, truly clueless."
"Fifty thousand jin of Source? If you can produce it, I'll bet with you!" someone challenged, shouting loudly.
"Can't take the blow? Is he going to smash the pot because it's cracked?" someone mocked.
...

Inside the stone garden, Yao Yuekong stepped forward to advise, "Brother, there's no need for this. At worst, you start over. Such white stone can't possibly yield rare treasures."

Ye Fan shook his head, persisting. "It's fine. I just want to bet with them. Today, I even cut out a divine medicine. I feel heaven is on my side."

On the ground, the fist-sized stone was blindingly white, especially considering its astronomical price, which made people even more stunned and sighing.
"Cutting out a divine medicine is a tremendous stroke of luck—a rare treasure seldom seen in so many years. To think you can cut out such a divine object? What a joke!"
"Do you actually have Source or not? If you do, I'll bet with you!"

From outside the stone garden came various voices. No one believed that Source could be cut from white flower stone.

Li Heishui was anxious and transmitted secretly, "Are you really sure? This is white flower stone. Even a novice gambler knows it absolutely cannot produce Source."

"I have some confidence, at least," Ye Fan replied secretly.

"Really or not?" Li Heishui, seeing Ye Fan's calmness, was half-convinced.

"How could I possibly cheat myself?" Ye Fan thought to himself.

"You're too cunning! You're fishing!" Li Heishui relaxed, chuckling secretly. "Everyone says I have a black heart, but I think you're even blacker than me. You've clearly cut out something good, yet you stay so calm, not forgetting to trick these people. I think I should call you Ye Hei."

At this moment, the area inside and outside the stone garden was noisy. No one could stay calm. The old Daoist nun of the Dao Yi Holy Land had to step forward a few paces to prevent anyone from rushing in impulsively.

Ye Fan scanned everyone. "Every word I say is true. Look at this!" He swept his sleeve, and a large pile of Source appeared on the ground, shining with light and surging with spiritual energy.

Wu Ziming, Li Chongtian, and about a dozen others had lost a total of forty-two thousand jin of Source to him. The Great Xia Prince had also lost ten thousand jin. Together, it came to exactly over fifty thousand jin.

Outside the stone garden, everyone who saw so much Source felt dizzy. Most were young people who had never handled such amounts; all showed burning gazes.

"Is anyone willing to bet with me?" Ye Fan asked again.

This time, everyone was stunned. Fifty thousand jin of Source was truly too much; such scenes were rare on ordinary days.

Anyone who could produce that much Source was almost never one to act on impulse—mostly senior figures, using it to purchase rare treasures.

Even figures like Jiang Yifei and An Miaoyi were moved, showing some surprise.

Some people's mouths went dry, swallowing involuntarily, their eyes fixed on the fifty thousand jin of Source in the garden, unable to look away.

But such a large pile of Source was too much. No young person could produce it all at once. They all stared longingly.

Some senior figures could afford it, but they couldn't lower their faces. Especially inside the stone garden, the old men around Ye Fan were all from prominent backgrounds; many could bear fifty thousand jin of Source.

But they had just followed Ye Fan, seemingly selecting stones together, and now couldn't bring themselves to bet against him.

"How about this: I'll lower the standard. Bet with one square of Source as the unit. As long as you pool together enough, you can come in, and I'll take you on one by one."

Ten thousand jin of Source was three squares; fifty thousand jin was fifteen squares. Ye Fan divided the large pile into fifteen smaller piles, then looked at the crowd.

"Bet! Let's pool our Source and bet with him!"

Immediately, seven or eight people pooled ten thousand jin of Source, becoming the first batch of bettors and walking in.

Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian could hardly restrain themselves, eager to enter and bet immediately. This was a rare opportunity to avenge their earlier loss.

"These two country bumpkins are destined for big trouble. Unfortunately, we don't have any Source on us. What can we do?" Wu Ziming was unwilling.

"Isn't that Senior Li Yishui ahead? He's the Supreme Elder of the Illusory Destruction Sect. Li Chongtian, he's your great-great-uncle. Why don't you go borrow some Source?" someone suggested.

"That's right. I think Senior Li Yishui is quite dissatisfied with those two youths because of the divine medicine. Li Chongtian, go explain, and I think he'll lend it to us."

"Alright, I'll try."

Before long, Li Chongtian returned, having indeed borrowed ten thousand jin of Source.

Ye Fan remained expressionless, watching them calmly as they approached. He had been waiting for these people, knowing they would borrow Source from Li Yishui.

At this moment, Li Yishui revealed a deep, cold smile, looking meaningfully into the stone garden.

"Old thing, let's see if you can still smile later," Li Heishui muttered, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Is anyone else willing to bet?" Ye Fan looked around.

Many were tempted and wanted to join forces, but seeing Ye Fan and Li Heishui so calm, they grew suspicious and hesitated.

Especially inside the stone garden, these old men of great background also showed strange expressions, feeling that things might take a turn.

"Really no one else?" Ye Fan asked again.

At this moment, the White-Robed Little Nun was still crouched on the ground, holding her beautiful chin, her big eyes pure and innocent. She muttered discontentedly, "Hurry up and cut."

Ye Fan asked several times, but no one responded. By now, many were growing suspicious, and even Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian felt some unease.

Because Ye Fan was too composed and calm.

In the end, no one else entered. Only two groups wanted to bet with Ye Fan, totaling twenty thousand jin of Source.

"Hurry up!" the White-Robed Little Nun tilted her head, blinking her big eyes in urging, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Little sister, since you're so eager, how about I let you cut the stone?" Ye Fan smiled.

The White-Robed Little Nun wrinkled her nose, ignoring him, focusing intently on the stone.

The Great Xia Prince was thoroughly annoyed, wanting to slap Ye Fan. He frowned, took a few steps, and stood beside his sister.

"Hurry up and cut the stone!" Wu Ziming and the others urged.

"Alright, wait for a peerless rare treasure to appear," Ye Fan said with a serious expression, wielding a sharp silver knife over the fist-sized stone.

"Crack!"

As the sound of cutting stone rang out, the surrounding people instantly fell silent, as if returning to the beginning. No one spoke.

Stone powder fell in a shower. The silver knife moved quickly, and soon the fist-sized stone had shrunk by half. It was still white flower stone, with no unusual signs.

Although Wu Ziming and the others wanted to mock, they couldn't laugh. Under this solemn atmosphere, they even felt some tension.

Finally, the stone was smaller than a plum, and still no rare treasure had appeared. Many could no longer hold back and began to discuss.

Most people believed nothing could be cut out. It was already so small and still white flower stone. If it contained a divine object, the spiritual energy would have been sensed long ago.

Even Li Heishui couldn't stay calm. Everyone looked at Ye Fan, but he remained very composed, making precise cuts and quickly slicing the stone.

"Crack!"

When it was cut down to the size of a lychee, the stone's color finally changed, becoming dark red. Many exclaimed.

Ye Fan slowed down, carefully peeling off the stone skin. Everyone held their breath, not making a sound, quietly observing.

In the end, a dark red stone shaped like a heart was peeled out.

The old men present were all astonished, showing expressions of deep regret.

"What a pity! This Nine-Orifice Stone Man truly had a chance to transform. The heart had already formed. If it had another few million years, it might have developed intelligence and become a Sacred Spirit close to an Immortal!"

"What a shame! It shouldn't have been unearthed so early. Discovered by someone, everything is ruined."

All the old men shook their heads, feeling it was fate. Otherwise, in a few million years, this would have been an incredibly terrifying existence, capable of contending with the ancient Great Emperors.

"The Nine-Orifice Stone Man ends here. In the end, it couldn't gestate a rare treasure. What a pity for this stone fetus born of heaven and earth."

Hearing the old men reach this conclusion, Wu Ziming immediately laughed, mocking, "Source Art genius, present the Source."

Ye Fan ignored him, continuing to cut. Sure enough, when the dark red stone heart was split open, there was nothing inside.

"Hahaha..." Li Chongtian and the others laughed heartily, full of satisfaction and mockery.

Outside the stone garden, there was an uproar. Many regretted it deeply, wanting to beat themselves for missing such a great betting opportunity.

"Hehe..." Li Yishui, the Supreme Elder of the Illusory Destruction Sect, laughed coldly and meaningfully.

The Great Xia Prince and Yao Yuekong also shook their heads, feeling Ye Fan was too impulsive, essentially giving away Source for nothing.

"Young man, what can I say? You really shouldn't have done this. Nine out of ten gambles end in loss, especially with Source stones. They have a kind of demonic nature. If you don't cut them open, it's hard to predict the outcome."

Some old men around shook their heads, all feeling it wasn't worth it for Ye Fan.

Ye Fan remained very calm, saying nothing more.

But Li Heishui was sweating. Nothing had been cut out—a heavy blow.

Especially seeing Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian mocking, he was furious. Seeing others' expressions of sympathy or schadenfreude, he couldn't help but sigh.

"What, nothing to say now?!"

The two groups betting with Ye Fan were both smug at this moment. Someone spoke sarcastically.

"Source Art genius, go back and practice for a few more years. Priceless strange stones aren't for just anyone to cut!"

"Overestimating yourself, thinking you're the reincarnation of the Origin Heavenly Master. How ridiculous."

"Since you're not talking, we'll take the Source ourselves, haha..."

These people laughed heartily, especially Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian, who were even more unrestrained.

Around them, Yao Yuekong, the Great Xia Prince, and others remained silent. The group of old men also stopped speaking.

Outside the stone garden, it was boiling over. Most people blamed themselves and regretted it deeply.

"Wait!" At this moment, Ye Fan suddenly spoke calmly. "The Nine-Orifice Stone Man hasn't been fully cut yet. Why are you touching my Source?"

Hearing him speak, everyone was stunned. Even figures like Jiang Yifei and An Miaoyi showed surprise.

"Do you still have stone to cut?" Wu Ziming and the others looked at the ground, but none of them cared much.

The White-Robed Little Nun still held her chin, not getting up. Her voice was crisp and pleasant. "Hurry up and cut it. Let me see what's inside."

Ye Fan picked up a flat stone from the stone powder, half a palm in size and about an inch thick.

"Such a flat stone, and you still expect to cut out a rare treasure?"

"Truly unwilling to give up until you see the coffin. Still not resigned!"

"We'll wait for you to cut it and see what appears!"

The two groups betting with Ye Fan didn't believe anything would come out, smirking coldly.

"Can we still join now? Since you still have stone material, I want to bet with you too," someone outside the stone garden shouted.

"I want to join too!"

"Count me in!"

The Heaven-ranked stone garden immediately became noisy. Many people shouted loudly, wanting to join in. Tens of thousands of jin of Source was truly tempting.

"What do we do?" Li Heishui was anxious, transmitting secretly.

"Wait to collect the Source," Ye Fan replied.

"You... I understand now. You stirred things up twice, and the hesitant ones dare to come in now. You really should be called Ye Hei." Li Heishui suddenly realized.

This time, Ye Fan didn't agree as readily as before. He hesitated a bit. "Everyone, why must it be like this?"

"Not long ago, you yourself said you'd bet with everyone present. Why back out now?"

"Words spoken are like water spilled. We want to join too."

...

"That old bastard!" Li Heishui cursed under his breath. He noticed Li Yishui sending Source, lending it to Li Chongtian's group, who were stirring things up.

Ye Fan's lips curled into a cold smile. He transmitted, "I'm aiming to hook that big fish. That old man alone can produce tens of thousands of jin of Source, while dozens of others can't even scrape together ten thousand."

In the end, when Ye Fan agreed, several people rushed over quickly, stacking thirty thousand jin of Source on top of Wu Ziming's pile.

Others were unwilling. Another few dozen people pooled ten thousand jin of Source, but they were a step too late and returned dejectedly.

"Fifty thousand jin of Source against fifteen squares. Everyone, remember to accept the loss gracefully," Ye Fan said, growing even calmer.

"Who wins and who loses? I think you've got it backwards!" Wu Ziming sneered.

At this moment, Li Yishui's heart skipped a beat. He felt something was off, but unfortunately, the Source had already been sent in.

"Hurry up and cut the stone! We're waiting for you, Source Art genius, to give us fifty thousand jin of Source, hahaha..."

"What Source Art genius? Just a clueless brat!"

Ye Fan smiled, even more composed. He spoke to the old Daoist nun of the Dao Yi Holy Land. "Please, Senior, seal this space to prevent the rare treasure from escaping."

Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Many couldn't help but look toward the field, and even the number of speakers decreased.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" the old Daoist nun asked calmly.

"I am certain. A peerless rare treasure will appear!" Ye Fan was very definite.

At these words, everyone was stunned. Truly a twist and turn. Seeing his expression, many subconsciously believed him.

Of course, there were also many doubters, and some who sneered and mocked.

"Completely blinded by gambling, still not giving up. Let's see how he cleans up this mess!"

"If nothing comes out, I wonder where he'll put his face!"

"Lifting a rock to drop on his own foot. Let him make a fool of himself!"

...

Those who said these things were naturally the ones betting against him, especially them, all wearing cold smiles.

The old nun of the Dao Yi Holy Land didn't say much. She decisively acted, sealing this space. A transparent light curtain covered the area.

Throughout, the young Daoist girl of the Dao Yi Holy Land remained very calm, without ripples, quietly observing.

And if anyone was most curious, it was undoubtedly the White-Robed Little Nun. She was very dissatisfied with Ye Fan, wrinkling her delicate nose and urging him several times to cut the stone quickly.

"Little brother, are you sure you can cut out a rare treasure?" Yao Yuekong asked. The Great Xia Prince also looked over.

"I have some confidence," Ye Fan replied.

Hearing this, the old men around were undoubtedly the most surprised. The Nine-Orifice Stone Man was a special strange stone for them, having been watched for many years. If nothing came out, they would be very disappointed.

This time, Ye Fan showed an extremely solemn expression. This piece of stone was the forehead of the Nine-Orifice Stone Man, including the brow area.

Early on, when he cut off this part, he had already determined that there was something extraordinary inside. But he didn't cut it open immediately, instead peeling away other parts first.

Now, he had to act seriously. The silver knife slid down, and the stone skin was slowly peeled off. His movements were very slow, afraid of damaging something, extremely careful.

"Crack"

When Ye Fan made the final cut, the entire piece of stone cracked on its own. From the brow area, an object like a cocoon fell out, about an inch long and half an inch thick.

It was dark gold, shining brightly. It was a metal cocoon, unknown what it contained, giving a very special feeling.

"Something really came out!"

Everyone was greatly surprised. White flower stone containing a rare treasure exceeded everyone's imagination.

"This is what was gestated in the brow of the Nine-Orifice Stone Man. What is it?!" At this moment, the dark gold metal cocoon attracted everyone's gaze.

"Bang"

Suddenly, it trembled lightly, shaking on its own.

"What? It can move? Could it be some ancient creature?!"

Everyone's expression changed. There were many legends about ancient creatures. What could such a metal cocoon contain?

Ye Fan quickly stepped back, sensing danger.

At this moment, a shocking murderous aura spread out, shaking people's hearts, turning many faces pale instantly.

"What exactly is about to emerge?!" Many senior figures began to prepare.

This was the only reassuring thing—there were many senior experts present today.

"Crack!" The dark gold metal cocoon quickly cracked, and then a black sword light shot straight up, piercing even the old nun's seal.

The chilling killing intent made souls tremble; the piercing murderous aura shook people's hearts!

The cocoon completely shattered into powder, revealing a black small sword only an inch long.

It hummed and vibrated, erupting with sky-piercing murderous aura, a dark light shooting straight into the clouds.

"Heavens, the killing intent is too terrifying! It has definitely interwoven 'Dao' and 'Principle.' The Nine-Orifice Stone Man truly is a strange fetus nurtured by heaven and earth, containing such a divine sword!"

"If it hadn't been unearthed early and displayed here, the Nine-Orifice Stone Man would have become a Sacred Spirit in the future. This is the killing sword that heaven and earth gestated for it!"

Some old men exclaimed like this.

"Heavens, look quickly! What material is it? It seems to be—Dragon-Pattern Blackgold!"

"That's right, it is indeed the Great Emperor's exclusive sacred material—Dragon-Pattern Blackgold!"

This was even more shocking. Everyone was extremely excited.

The black small sword, less than an inch long, was covered with many natural dragon patterns, ancient and natural. But at this moment, its blade emitted a dark light that shot into the sky.

"It's the same material as the Extreme Sacred Weapon of Yaoguang Holy Land, the Dragon-Pattern Cauldron!"

"This is truly a peerless rare treasure! The Nine-Orifice Stone Man actually gestated such a thing. This was its future weapon."

"This Nine-Orifice Stone Man is extraordinary. If it hadn't been cut open, it would have been able to contend with the Great Emperors in the future!"

The Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Sword, though less than an inch long, a very small sacred object, if it hadn't been unearthed early and gestated together with the Nine-Orifice Stone Man, it would surely have become an Extreme Sacred Weapon in the future.

Everyone felt both regret and shock. The Nine-Orifice Stone Man was too extraordinary, born with a weapon, and such a sacred object as Dragon-Pattern Blackgold. If it could have emerged, its combat power would have shaken the world!

Everyone acted together to seal this small black sword.

"Hurry and seal it! Unearthed too early, the stone man has resentment. Hold on a moment, and this sword will return to a normal state."

A small sword gestated from the sacred object Dragon-Pattern Blackgold!

This result left those betting against Ye Fan dumbfounded. Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian's faces turned green directly. As for Li Yishui, the Supreme Elder of the Illusory Destruction Sect, he nearly spat blood.

This result was too unexpected!

Their hearts were bleeding. Tens of thousands of jin of Source, just swindled away like that.

At this moment, these people could hardly bear it.

"Damn it, this is too ruthless!"

"Tens of thousands of jin of Source! Those two brats are too black—black-faced and black-hearted!"

Those who participated in the betting were nearly collapsing, cursing continuously.

But no one paid attention to them now. Cutting out a Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Small Sword was absolutely a rare treasure, drawing everyone's attention.

Especially since it was gestated by the Nine-Orifice Stone Man, it was truly captivating!

White-Robed Jiang Yifei was the first to transmit to Ye Fan. Then the peerlessly beautiful An Miaoyi's eyes rippled with light. If the stone garden hadn't been sealed, she would have floated in.

At this moment, many people showed goodwill toward Ye Fan, wanting to purchase this sword, despite its small size.