Chapter 349: The Little Spirit in the Divine Source
"Could it really be a dragon?"
"True dragons are like immortals, never descending to the mortal world—how could such a thing exist?!"
The scene erupted, with many people exclaiming in shock. A living creature sealed within divine source was truly astonishing.
A stone ball the size of half a human head, its thin layer of stone skin peeled away, hung in midair like a golden sun, its light dazzling.
Those with weak cultivation had no choice but to close their eyes, barely able to look directly at it. The divine radiance hurt the eyes, shooting out like golden needles.
Those with profound cultivation pressed forward, many gaping in astonishment, all wanting to see what kind of creature was born within.
Ye Fan's heart could not calm down. Cutting out divine source containing a living creature exceeded his expectations.
The divine source pulsed, like a frightened child trying to escape, but it was suppressed by a light barrier from the senior figures and could only stay in place.
Everyone completely surrounded it, and even Ye Fan couldn't get close. The emergence of something more precious than source itself was too sensational.
No one present could remain calm. They were all excited beyond measure, a cacophony of noise filling the air.
"Brother Gu Feng, you must sell this rare treasure to us!"
"Little Brother Gu, can we discuss this? Our Yin Yang Sect intends to purchase this piece of divine source and the creature within."
"First come, first served! I spoke first, old man Wang, go to the back!"
"Highest bidder wins! I, this old man, will spare no expense!"
...
Before they even confirmed what was inside the divine source, a group of old men were already arguing, faces red and necks thick with contention.
They were all elders of various major sects, each with terrifyingly impressive backgrounds.
"Arguing is useless. Let Brother Gu Feng decide—whoever he says gets it, gets it."
"Little Brother Gu Feng..."
"Eh, where is Brother Gu Feng?"
Only then did the group of old men realize that the main party wasn't in front of them, having been squeezed somewhere else.
"Seniors, I'm outside and can't get in. Could you make room so I can see what I've cut out myself?"
Ye Fan really couldn't squeeze in. These old men were all like they'd been injected with chicken blood, full of vitality and spirit.
Though they were old arms and legs, they were tougher than iron bars, squeezing out almost all the younger generation, many of whom were grimacing in pain.
Only the Great Xia Prince, Yao Yuekong, Jin Chixiao, and a few others could still stay inside, but even they were disheveled. Just standing there was an achievement. The White-Robed Little Nun wrinkled her nose, hiding behind her brother.
"Hurry, make way for Brother Gu to come in!"
"Old man, move aside! Don't block the main party!"
The crowd stopped pushing, and Ye Fan finally walked in, reaching the center of the scene. Without a doubt, he became the focus of attention.
"What about me!"
Li Heishui's shoes had been kicked off by the group of old men, his clothes in disarray, but he finally managed to follow in.
He couldn't help complaining, "I say, seniors, don't get so excited like you've seen a peerless beauty, alright? My clothes are almost torn off."
Ye Fan finally reached the inside. The divine source was dazzling, and the old men had argued for a long time without figuring out what was inside.
"Seniors, let's not argue first. What do you think it is?"
Ye Fan was also observing, but the divine radiance was too intense. He could only see a rough outline, unable to examine it in detail.
The main reason was that the creature within the divine source was also very special, wrapping itself in a hazy glow.
Vaguely, he could see a golden figure, like a golden snake or a small golden dragon, completely motionless.
"There can't be a true dragon in this world. It should be a flood dragon or a sacred snake with horns."
"Most likely a golden snake or a flood dragon species."
"Who says there can't be a true dragon? Maybe it's an ancient dragon cub sealed in divine source."
...
The opinions of the senior figures were quite inconsistent, with different viewpoints.
The divine source was blinding, illuminating the entire island, turning the surrounding lake water crystalline and golden.
As for the ancient trees on the island, they were all dyed with golden light, even the petals becoming sacred, flowing with color and sparkling.
Ye Fan remained silent, activating his Source Heaven Divine Sense to observe carefully. Two purple beams shot from his eyes, penetrating into the divine source.
"It is..."
This was a miraculous technique from the Source Heaven Scroll, capable of breaking through illusions and seeing the true essence. Ye Fan clearly saw the creature inside, and he was very surprised.
A small thing couldn't move at all, sealed inside, but it was definitely still alive. Its bodily functions were slowly reviving, and a heartbeat gradually emerged.
"It really looks like a dragon!"
Ye Fan's heart raced, unable to suppress his excitement. This little creature was about half a foot long, curled up inside, with a golden dragon body and a pair of dragon horns on its head.
"No, it doesn't have dragon scales."
Ye Fan observed closely and found its body was very smooth. Its golden surface was as crystalline as jade, without a single dragon scale.
Soon he calmed down again, pondering seriously. Then he noticed another anomaly—the so-called golden dragon horns were actually fleshy, shining brightly.
"A strange little dragon, little flood dragon, little golden snake?" He was puzzled, unable to determine what it was.
What surprised him most was that this little creature's eyes were very large, and they were actually open, looking innocent, staring back at him.
"Much bigger than a dragon's eyes, too watery." Ye Fan was speechless. This little creature seemed very human-like.
"Bang"
At that moment, the divine source pulsed again, constantly trying to escape, as if frightened by the group of old men.
Clearly, it wasn't very powerful, unable to break free or flee.
"So cute." The White-Robed Little Nun, a loli with clear big eyes, stared at the divine source. She wasn't burned by the divine radiance and seemed able to see everything inside.
"Little Brother Gu Feng, Miaoyi truly hopes you can sell this source to me." An Miaoyi also approached, speaking softly, her body fragrance like orchid and musk.
"Brother Gu Feng, using your source art to observe, can you tell what it is?" an old man asked.
Ye Fan shook his head. For now, he could only confirm that this little creature wasn't a malevolent entity, seemingly harmless.
He extended his right hand, holding the divine source in his palm. At that moment, all his pores opened, and the most primordial essence of heaven and earth entered his body, making him feel comfortable throughout.
This was divine source, and even without refining it, one could already feel its uniqueness.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, the divine source split open. The golden little creature struggled to break free, trying to rush out.
"Quick, set up restrictions and seal this place tightly!"
"Block it! Don't let it escape!"
...
Everyone was startled. A group of old men acted quickly, layering one light barrier after another, sealing it with countless layers.
In the distance, other cultivators were in an uproar. Some pushed forward recklessly, a clamor of voices wanting to see clearly.
Others retreated as if avoiding snakes and scorpions, afraid of getting involved.
"Rookies, what are you foolishly charging for? None of the ancient creatures are kind. If one really emerges, rivers of blood will flow."
"Don't you know? In the past, the ancient creatures cut out were all extremely fierce, claiming many lives."
Such remarks immediately caused panic. Those charging forward were dumbfounded and quickly retreated.
In the Ji family's important grounds, flying was not allowed, but at this moment, people didn't care. Many soared into the air, keeping far away.
Of course, a large number stayed, not leaving but instead moving closer, because they saw the senior figures hadn't retreated.
"Crack"
The divine source split open. A golden light flashed, and the little creature rushed out. Everyone was tense, because ancient creatures had a fearsome reputation, leaving behind too many legends.
Only Ye Fan remained relatively calm, because he sensed through his Source Heaven Divine Sense that this little creature had no killing intent.
"Swoosh"
A golden shadow flashed. No one could stop it. Even Ye Fan used the sealing heaven and earth technique from his source art, but couldn't trap it. It was incredibly fast.
Fortunately, the area was sealed, so it couldn't escape. It hovered in midair, emitting a hazy golden glow.
"Heavens, is it really a dragon?!"
At this moment, everyone saw clearly. It was very similar to a true dragon, except it had no scales, its body like gold and jade, sparkling.
Of course, there were differences. Its eyes were too big, extremely watery, enough to make many women jealous.
Now, its expression was very human-like, seeming a bit scared, confused, and also somewhat innocent.
"Swoosh"
With a flash of golden light, it returned to Ye Fan's palm. Many exclaimed—it was too fast, and some senior figures didn't even have time to react.
"Crack"
This little creature was very small, only half a foot long, but it bit off a fist-sized chunk of divine source in one go.
"I..." Ye Fan's face changed color. He wanted to snatch it back, but the little thing swallowed it in one gulp, too fast to stop.
Its tiny body didn't expand, showing no change, still so delicate, glowing with hazy gold.
"I'm crying! It just ate fifty thousand catties of source in one bite!" Li Heishui screamed with his mouth wide open.
Ye Fan quickly shook his hand, trying to fling the little thing away, but it reacted very fast. Another bite, "crack," and another fist-sized piece of divine source was gone.
"A hundred thousand catties of source gone!"
Ye Fan's mouth twitched. This time, he finally shook off the little creature, turning his hand to put away the divine source.
"No justice! It ate a hundred thousand catties of source in the blink of an eye!" Li Heishui's heart was bleeding, feeling intense pain, and he howled.
In the distance, others were also dumbfounded. This little thing was too extravagant. As soon as it came out, two bites and it had eaten a hundred thousand catties of source.
Two-fifths of this divine source had been eaten by it. One could say it was as extravagant as could be.
Ye Fan turned his hand, reaching for the little creature, trying to immobilize it and grab it.
However, this little thing was too fast. With a flash of golden light, it was suddenly in midair.
"You spendthrift! This is divine source! How can you do this?!" Li Heishui shouted at the sky.
In the distance, a cacophony of noise arose. Everyone was shocked, all discussing.
Ye Fan also had black lines on his forehead. It was too wasteful. The little creature had swallowed so much divine source, causing him intense pain.
But at this moment, the little thing in midair showed an extremely human-like expression. It looked very wronged, its big eyes tearful, pitifully staring at Ye Fan's hand, as if searching for that piece of divine source.
It was almost as if it was saying, "That divine source is mine."
Its current appearance made it impossible to feel any killing intent, only pity and sympathy. Especially those big eyes, which had a devastating effect on women.
"You ate a hundred thousand catties of my source. Don't look at me like that, alright?" Ye Fan said, picking out a bean-sized piece of divine source, beckoning to it, trying to lure it down to catch it.
But instead, the little creature puffed up angrily, its watery big eyes wide open, one small paw clenched into a fist, waving it downward forcefully.
Everyone was dumbfounded. This little creature was very human-like, able to understand human speech.
Ye Fan quickly reached out, grabbing toward the sky, trying to catch it.
"Swoosh"
With a flash of golden light, it began to flee, flying to a distance.
At the same time, other senior figures also acted, preparing to capture it alive.
What was this? Everyone wanted to know, to understand. Only by catching it could they find out.
With so many people acting, even if this little creature was extremely fast, it couldn't avoid them all. It seemed very panicked, its big eyes full of fear. To dodge, it fled recklessly, swooping down with a whoosh.
"Aiya..."
The White-Robed Little Nun screamed, because in its panic, the little creature bumped into her shoulder.
It was a very special scene. The golden little creature landed on the White-Robed Little Nun's shoulder, one small paw clutching a lock of her hair, looking timid.
And the White-Robed Little Nun was also frightened, looking scared.
Two pairs of big eyes, almost identical—one sparkling and timid, the other blinking and fearful—both looking pitiful.
"Quick, catch it!"
"Don't let it escape!"
"Little sister, hurry up and act!"
Many people nearby shouted like this.
But the White-Robed Little Nun stared at the little thing on her shoulder, her big eyes blinking. Gradually, she stopped being afraid and didn't act.
This little creature seemed to sense there was no danger, daring to move a bit, looking at the surrounding people with a wronged expression.
"Stop acting. This little thing isn't dangerous, no killing intent, different from ordinary ancient creatures," Ye Fan said.
Though he said this, the golden little creature didn't appreciate it. When it looked at Ye Fan, it puffed up angrily, extending a small paw to point at him, silently accusing, its big eyes tearful.
It looked as if Ye Fan had committed some heinous crime, making it feel extremely wronged.
Ye Fan was speechless. After looking at it for a while, he said, "Don't stare at me like that. I was the one who freed you from the stone."
"Brother Ye, this little creature has a connection with my little sister. You must sell it to us," the Great Xia Prince spoke, his tone earnest.
Ye Fan didn't say anything. He couldn't respond now, because at this moment, countless divine thoughts were transmitting to him, all claiming they wanted to buy this golden little creature.
"Hurry and check the surrounding stones. See which one has anomalies," Ye Fan transmitted to Li Heishui.
"What are you going to do?" Li Heishui didn't understand.
"I suspect the true stone king hasn't been found," Ye Fan replied.
At this moment, everyone was pressing forward, wanting to get a close look at this little thing, all eager to know what it was.
"What kind of creature is this?" many questioned.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like a true dragon or a flood dragon. Even its horns are fleshy, and those big eyes are too watery."
The guardian of the Ji family's stone garden, the old man with skin like white jade, walked forward, his face showing a grave expression. "Could this be..."