Chapter 352: Refining Divine Source, Breaking Through
Divine City stood towering and majestic, like the dwelling of deities. Legends claimed it had fallen from the Immortal Realm.
Ye Fan was about to embark on a long journey. Turning back to gaze at Divine City, he felt a sense of grandeur and vicissitude. Spanning a hundred li in circumference, vast and boundless, it had endured since the Primordial Era without decay.
"Take care!"
"Go back!"
Ye Fan bid farewell to Li Heishui and strode forward, gradually disappearing beyond the horizon.
Ahead, An Miaoyi was waiting for him. She wore a moon-white long dress, a jade belt cinching her slender waist, her figure tall and graceful, moving and enchanting.
Like a celestial flower, she stood gracefully, exuding fragrance. A gentle breeze stirred her long skirt and caused her black hair to dance, as if she might ride the wind and ascend.
The two set off together, leaving Divine City behind. Ancient trees and vines grew sparser as they prepared to depart this warm land.
The tinkling of spiritual springs grew faint, vegetation became increasingly scarce, cold air drifted in, and green plants gradually vanished.
"It's already the season of falling snow," An Miaoyi said softly.
Ahead lay a vast expanse of white, silver-adorned landscapes, mountains and rivers all blanketed in snow.
Divine City was a very special place. The region around it remained vibrant and lush year-round, with spring flowers blooming.
Only after leaving Divine City far behind did the true season reveal itself. Unnoticed, winter had arrived. Goose-feather snowflakes swirled, and the north wind howled.
The Northern Domain stretched endlessly, bitter and cold. The frigid wind moaned as it blew, lifting flurries of snow.
"Little Brother Gu Feng seems to hold a grudge against me, always on guard," An Miaoyi said. Her beauty needed no verification—her exquisite face bore not a single flaw.
"Fairy An overthink things. How could I hold a grudge against you? Your beauty outshines the Eastern Wasteland. I doubt anyone could resist your charm," Ye Fan said as he walked through the snow.
"Your words don't match your heart, Little Brother Gu. You're not being honest." An Miaoyi's skin was crystalline, whiter than snow, delicate as jade. Moving through the snow, she seemed like a goddess treading on ripples.
Ye Fan was indeed wary. For this flawless woman to leave Divine City at this particular moment seemed too coincidental.
"Where is Fairy An heading?"
"Not yet decided. If Little Brother Gu Feng doesn't mind, perhaps we could travel together for a while," An Miaoyi said, her eyes sparkling.
"Traveling with Fairy An is something I'd naturally welcome, but I have some personal matters to attend to this time."
This woman was beautiful, yes, but her motives were impure. Under normal circumstances, he might enjoy the sweetness. But now was not a time for romance. The Holy Lands and the Hundred Schools of Thought from the Central Province were about to attack Purple Mountain. He had no time to waste.
An Miaoyi chuckled, her face adorned with a captivating smile. "Very well. Once we leave this region, we'll each go our own way."
On the road, she subtly hinted at the ghost-faced bronze artifact from before, involving half an Extreme Dao Sacred Weapon. Undoubtedly, it was very tempting.
As dusk fell, Ye Fan stopped in the snow and abruptly turned around, but saw nothing.
Just now, he had clearly felt a sensation of being watched. His heart tightened. Could An Miaoyi have allied with some expert to attack him here?
"Fairy An also sensed it. Someone is following us."
Ye Fan said nothing more, quickening his pace. No footprints were left in the snow as he moved like a faint shadow.
The oasis surrounding Divine City was extremely vast, spanning tens of thousands of li in circumference, with many towns. That night, they stopped at a small city.
Wind and snow battered the window, making a pattering sound. Ye Fan had only been lying in bed for a short while when he sensed something unusual. He slipped the Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Holy Spirit Sword between his fingers.
A full hour passed before he felt a creature enter the room—extremely light, without a sound.
In an instant, his wariness dissipated. It was that little golden creature!
It crept in stealthily, successfully concealing all its aura. Even divine sense could barely detect it. If not for the close distance, Ye Fan might not have recognized it.
"This little thing not only has incredible speed but also such means of concealment," he thought in surprise.
At the same time, he found it amusing. This little fellow had quite the patience, waiting so long before entering the room.
He didn't need to guess why the golden creature had come. It was definitely still fixated on the Divine Source, chasing him all the way to steal it back.
Suddenly, it froze, its big eyes blinking suspiciously at Ye Fan on the bed, then turned and fled.
Ye Fan was surprised. This little thing was too alert. He moved quickly, reaching out to grab it.
"Swoosh"
Golden light flared as the little golden creature shot through the window.
"Where do you think you're going?" An Miaoyi chuckled, waiting outside. Her jade hand swept forward, forming a curtain of light that enveloped the area.
The little golden creature twisted its body at an unbelievable speed, turning into a golden thread that vanished into the night sky.
"Little darling, where are you?" The Great Xia Princess's voice called out in the cold wind.
Ye Fan shot into the sky and spotted the Great Xia Prince and Princess. They looked anxious. They had spent eight hundred thousand jin of Source to obtain the Divine Silkworm, and it had run away just a few days later.
"Brother Ye, did it come after you?" the Great Xia Prince asked. He had chased it all the way, suspecting the Divine Silkworm had come for Ye Fan.
"I did see it. It fled in that direction. An Miaoyi has gone after it." Ye Fan pointed the way.
"Right, that's its aura." The siblings hurried off.
Ye Fan rubbed his chin and smiled. This little thing was indeed interesting. Perhaps he could lure it back in the future.
He didn't linger. Taking this opportunity to shake off An Miaoyi, he vanished into the snowy night.
According to the people of Divine City, the Holy Lands would need at least another month to prepare before using their Extreme Weapons. It involved so-called foundations that couldn't be retrieved instantly.
Ye Fan knew time was limited. He wanted to seize the chance to break through his cultivation realm.
And so, he disappeared without a trace for a full twenty days. No one knew where he was—except for one little golden creature...
This was a vast, uninhabited region. Heavy snow fell, covering mountains and plains in white.
Far from any oasis, decades or even centuries might pass without anyone passing through. It was extremely desolate.
Yet for nearly twenty days, spiritual energy had been seeping from a range of ice-covered mountains. In recent days especially, divine radiance frequently shot into the sky.
This snowy mountain range was Ye Fan's secluded cultivation site. He had sealed himself inside the mountain's core, but even that couldn't stop the massive amounts of Source energy from gushing out.
Divine Source and variant Source stones were piled together. Though they didn't look like much, the essence they contained was so immense it couldn't be contained.
Ye Fan didn't know that outside the barriers he had set up, a little golden creature had been stomping and fuming for days, unable to break through.
Hundreds of large banners, personally refined by Black Emperor in the past, bore profound Dao patterns that the little golden creature couldn't breach.
In the final few days, Source energy surged from the mountain like smoke, almost liquefying.
The little golden creature finally calmed down and began to inhale greedily. The dense Source energy was more than enough for it to enjoy.
In seclusion, Ye Fan sensed that most of the Source energy was dissipating, but he couldn't stop it.
He realized that the vast amounts of Source weren't fully absorbed. Instead, they were used as a force to shatter certain shackles.
A huge pile of variant Source, worth a million jin of pure Source, was completely refined. Yet he still hadn't broken through to the fifth level of the Dao Palace.
Everything was as he had predicted. The amount needed exceeded the estimated million jin of pure Source.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he began to refine a head-sized piece of Divine Source. Instantly, divine radiance burst forth, illuminating the sky.
The power of Divine Source was unstoppable. It surged through his body, cleansing his flesh, making him glow like a deity.
Within the Dao Palace, the five divine organs resonated together. Heavenly Dao chants sounded—whether from the past self or the Dao self—reciting grand scriptures, stirring the life master, seeking eternity for the present self.
A small cauldron floated within the Dao Palace, rising and falling among the five divine organs. Since entering the Dao Palace secret realm, the Primordial Qi Cauldron had ascended from the Wheel Sea into the Dao Palace.
Outside, the little golden creature was thoroughly enjoying itself. Divine Source energy gushed out, completely engulfing it in resplendent light.
Massive amounts of Source energy washed over Ye Fan's body, but most couldn't be absorbed and rushed outward. It was an extremely wasteful extravagance.
The chanting within the Dao Palace echoed through the mountain range, puzzling the Divine Silkworm outside. Fortunately, no one passed by, or they would have been astonished.
The chanting continued for three more days. Endless Source energy flooded the peak, melting the snow, causing plants to sprout, and bringing life to the area.
This series of changes left the little golden creature gaping in shock. It worked even harder to absorb the Divine Source energy.
"Boom"
Suddenly, a violent tremor on the twenty-fourth day. Divine radiance shot into the sky, blasting the little golden creature away. It tumbled to the ground, covered in dust and dirt.
When the Divine Source essence dissipated, silence fell. A peaceful aura filled the area, as if a deity had descended upon the world.
Inside the mountain, Ye Fan opened his eyes. His flesh was crystalline, like an Immortal King. He slowly stood up. The moment he clenched his fist, he felt as if he could grasp the entire world in his palm!
This was an overwhelming confidence. He had broken through to the fifth level of the Dao Palace. Without the support of a Holy Land, relying entirely on himself, he had reached this point.
Ye Fan's mind and body were calm and peaceful. He didn't need to unleash his divine power. He knew exactly how strong he was at this moment.
At this moment, he possessed unparalleled confidence!
His physical body had finally gained a trace of the might that the Primordial Saint Body should have possessed—extremely formidable.
The moment Ye Fan emerged from seclusion, he smiled. He sensed the little golden creature outside, sulking.
"I never expected it to find its way here."
The little golden creature was incredibly alert. In an instant, it sensed something and turned into a golden light, fleeing without a trace.
"Faster than Golden Wing Little Peng King!"
Ye Fan didn't give chase. He rubbed his chin and smiled faintly. At this rate, the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty's expenditure of eight hundred thousand jin of Source might go to waste.
Standing on the peak, he took out a Dark Jade Platform, preparing to cross the void.
This was refined by Black Emperor, portable as long as Source was provided to travel a certain distance in a given direction.
And so, Ye Fan consumed a great deal of Source, using over a dozen Dark Jade Platforms, before finally arriving at the Jiang Family's territory.
"I wonder if I'll have a chance to see Little Tingting and Old Uncle Jiang."
The Jiang Family was about two hundred thousand li from Divine City. Relative to the boundless Northern Domain, it was a very short distance.
This region contained many nations. After inquiring, Ye Fan learned that the Jiang Family lived within a sacred pure land.