Chapter 359: The Great Demon Pang Bo
The sky was overcast, with snow and wind howling.
The firewood in the fireplace crackled, flames dancing, and the room was warm. Several people stood guard over eight stone artifacts, preparing to cut them open.
"Step back a bit."
Ye Fan signaled for the others to retreat. Although over ten thousand years had passed, these stones still contained some eerie power.
"Crack."
The first stone artifact was cut open. From the stone core, some gray powder flowed out, like sand, spilling all over the ground.
"What is this?"
The group gathered closer, exchanging puzzled glances, unable to identify it.
"This must have been something good, but its essence was drained away, leaving only powder. Otherwise, it would likely have been a divine substance capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh."
Even Ye Fan couldn't determine what it was, but there was no need to dwell on it, as it had lost all value.
They cut open four stone artifacts in succession. The cores were either hollow or petrified, with all traces of rare treasures gone.
When the fifth stone artifact was sliced open with a gap, a chilling, sinister aura surged out, colder and more bone-piercing than the snowy world outside, sending shivers through everyone.
"We've found something good. Finally, it's not empty," Tu Fei exclaimed in surprise.
The big black dog's eyes gleamed, its body slightly crouched, clearly ready to pounce and snatch it.
Ye Fan shot it a sidelong glance and said, "Behave yourself. Don't try to grab everything."
"Relax, this emperor never does anything dishonorable," the big black dog replied with an innocent look.
"Crack!"
With the second cut, the gap widened. The icy chill grew more biting, and faint rays of sacred light began to shine out.
"There really is something good!" Tu Fei shouted.
Zhang Wu Ye, Wang Shu, and Er Leng Zi were also astonished, their eyes wide as they stared at the stone artifact in Ye Fan's hand.
The big black dog was practically drooling. It crouched lower and crept forward a few steps, its large paws nearly reaching out.
Tu Fei said angrily, "I can tell you're up to no good. Are you really planning to snatch it?"
The big black dog put on a disdainful look and said, "Do I look like that kind of person? I never do such things. I always win people over with virtue."
"You... win people over with virtue?!" Ye Fan couldn't be bothered to mock it further.
"Don't worry, this emperor isn't that kind of person. I don't do those things," the big black dog said with a look of honest loyalty.
Ye Fan said no more. With the third cut, sacred light flowed out, spilling from the stone artifact and tinging it with a faint golden glow. The room became bitterly cold, and everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Something's wrong. There's something strange. Don't move!" the big black dog suddenly said.
The others in the room were startled by its words. Tu Fei and the rest stepped back.
"What did you find?" Zhang Wu Ye asked.
The big black dog didn't answer. Its square head and large ears wore a grave expression, its bell-like eyes wide as it leaned forward and shuffled its feet.
"Damn it, this dead dog is too unscrupulous. It really is trying to steal the treasure!" Tu Fei shouted from the side.
The big black dog was utterly shameless. It deliberately made alarming claims, then lunged forward without warning, grabbed the stone artifact in its mouth, and bolted out with lightning speed.
Tu Fei was furious. Zhang Wu Ye, Wang Shu, and Er Leng Zi were also dumbfounded, all wanting to punch it, but the big black dog was too slippery. It shot out like a wisp of smoke, and no one could stop it.
"Chase it! That unscrupulous dog even robs its own people!" Tu Fei yelled.
"Don't bother chasing. There's nothing good inside," Ye Fan said with a smile.
"Owwwooo..."
Almost at the same time, Black Emperor let out a miserable howl, as if someone had stepped on its bald tail. It was so piercing that it scared away all the wolves for dozens of miles.
The group stepped outside and saw the big black dog foaming at the mouth, its fur standing on end, bristling like a hedgehog. It was clearly terrified.
"Kid, did you see this coming?!" the big black dog barked in exasperation.
"What did I see?" Ye Fan asked with a grin.
"You set me up!" The big black dog's face turned green as it kept retching.
The group approached. Er Leng Zi nudged the shattered stone artifact aside, and with a clatter, a head rolled out.
Everyone stepped back, except for Black Emperor, who was dry-heaving on the snow, nearly vomiting its gall. It had bitten through the stone artifact and almost swallowed the head.
"Heavens, how could something like this be in a stone artifact?!" Wang Shu screamed.
Zhang Wu Ye and Er Leng Zi stumbled back, nearly falling to the ground.
"Is this an ancient creature?" Tu Fei asked, uncertain.
It was a shriveled head, with only a layer of withered skin clinging to the bone. On top were a few sparse, straw-like, yellowed strands of hair. The bone-chilling cold was emanating from it.
Among the shattered stone fragments were some bits of divine source, glittering on the snow, making the head look even more grotesque.
"Kid, did you do that on purpose?" The big black dog glared at Ye Fan with murderous intent.
"I hadn't even cut it open yet. You snatched it yourself," Ye Fan said.
"Serves you right. Who told you to be so greedy? Grabbing at treasures without thinking—you brought this on yourself," Tu Fei taunted.
"Woof," "Woof," "Woof"...
The big black dog, furious, let out a series of barks, causing chaos in the stone stockade, with chickens and dogs running wild.
"Enough, stop barking. You're going to attract the she-wolves."
"Serves you right. That's what you get for being greedy!"
No one sympathized with it. Everyone laughed, and even Zhang Wu Ye shook his head.
The big black dog was utterly dejected, knowing it was in the wrong. It slunk away, chewing snow to rinse its mouth, muttering, "Damn it, this emperor is so brilliant and mighty, why am I always so unlucky?!"
"This sly old dog is truly a piece of work. There's nothing left to say," the group said, shaking their heads and holding back their laughter.
Upon closer inspection, they found that the head had likely been sealed in a piece of divine source, but the source had been consumed by some terrifying entity, leaving only the shriveled head. It had no value, and Er Leng Zi eventually buried it somewhere.
Ye Fan and the others returned to the house.
The big black dog, looking gloomy, dawdled in with its head hanging low.
Seeing it like this, everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?!" The big black dog rolled its eyes, its bald tail held high. Then it crouched on the ground, staring with its bell-like eyes at the sixth stone artifact.
"Crack."
Ye Fan cut open the sixth stone artifact. A faint fragrance wafted out, and a few drops of liquid seeped out.
"This time, it should be something good, right?" The big black dog's eyes widened again, but this time it didn't dare to snatch recklessly.
"Bring me a jade vessel!" Ye Fan said.
Tu Fei handed him a white jade bottle, crystal clear and refined, perfect for preserving rare treasures.
Ye Fan carefully opened the stone artifact. Inside the core was only a pool of liquid, emitting a faint fragrance. He couldn't tell what it was.
"Could this be some divine fruit that melted?" Tu Fei speculated.
Ye Fan collected the liquid into the jade bottle. After examining it closely, he still couldn't identify it. "Looking at the shape of the hollow in the stone core, it does resemble a fruit. Now it's turned into liquid. I wonder how much medicinal potency remains."
"It might be some kind of divine liquid!" The big black dog's eyes sparkled, clearly up to no good.
"Don't get any bad ideas. Want me to give you a taste?" Ye Fan said with a smile.
The big black dog was tempted, but remembering the time it snatched the Human Origin Fruit and was poisoned half to death, it firmly refused to eat anything unknown. It shook its head decisively. "No need for a taste. Just let me help you store it."
"Don't even think about it!" Ye Fan didn't give it a chance to snatch. With a flash of light, he directly stored it inside his body.
He didn't know what the liquid was yet, but he could take it to the Divine City to ask. Some of the old fossils there might recognize it. It could even be a world-shaking treasure.
There were only two stone artifacts left. Ye Fan tapped one lightly and cut it open.
"There's something!"
"What is this? It looks like a gall bladder?!"
"Could it be an organ from an ancient creature?"
Everyone in the room was surprised. In the stone core was a purple gall the size of a walnut. It wasn't sealed in divine source, but it was brimming with life force.
"An organ from an ancient creature, not sealed in source, should have rotted away," Tu Fei said, puzzled.
"This is a stone gall, grown from within the stone," Ye Fan said, very excited.
"What does it do? Why not let this greedy dead dog taste it? It's hard to poison anyway," Tu Fei suggested.
"Damn it, why don't you taste it?!" The big black dog bared its teeth, its mouth twitching at the memory of its last experience.
"This stone gall is very useful to me. It can help me cultivate the Source Heaven Divine Sense to perfection," Ye Fan said, carefully taking the purple stone gall into his hand, his heart racing.
The Source Heaven Scripture clearly recorded that when a divine stone forms a gall, it can brighten the eyes, perfect the divine sense, and naturally give birth to a heavenly eye.
The Immortal Spirit Eye, the Netherworld Eye, and others were types of heavenly eyes, born innately. Unless one's cultivation reached profound levels, it was difficult to develop a heavenly eye later.
The Source Heaven Divine Sense, when perfected, could form a heavenly eye. Every generation of Source Heaven Masters had developed the strongest heavenly eyes, capable of seeing through illusions and directly perceiving the essence.
"Unfortunately, it's purple, not a golden stone gall. It hasn't matured yet. It's worth as much as a Human Origin Fruit, but not as much as an ancient divine medicine," Ye Fan said with some regret.
He thought for a moment and said, "Luckily, it's undamaged. I can seal it for now and later provide it with essence from divine source to help it mature."
For a Source Heaven Master, a stone gall was priceless—nothing could be traded for it. It could help perfect the Source Heaven Divine Sense.
A true Source Heaven Master, even without using source arts, could see through the earth and ancient mines with a single glance, traversing the world and discerning all secrets within the source.
There was one last stone artifact. Ye Fan swung his blade, but nothing came out. The inside was hollow, and the rare treasure was long gone.
Although they had expected it, everyone still felt a bit disappointed. The divine treasury left by the Source Heaven Master was supposed to be world-shaking, containing heaven-defying divine objects.
Unfortunately, a terrifying existence had visited first, leaving almost nothing behind.
Thinking it over, whether it was the Human Origin Fruit from last time or the purple stone gall this time, neither had fully matured. Ten thousand years ago, they must have been even less developed, which was why they had been preserved.
"What a pity! Such a treasure trove, destroyed!" Tu Fei lamented.
This time, aside from the stone gall, they had only the bottle of unknown liquid. Its value couldn't be assessed yet, but Ye Fan was hopeful. It might be a world-shaking treasure.
In the evening, when the snow and wind stopped, a towering figure appeared in the stone stockade. Pang Bo had arrived.
He lived up to his name, exuding a majestic presence. With thick eyebrows, large eyes, a broad frame, and a powerful build, his arms were as thick as other people's legs.
Now, having cultivated the Demon Emperor's Ancient Scripture, he had gained a unique aura—strong and sharp, with piercing eyes, like a god of the demon clan descending to the mortal world.
His black hair hung loose, his posture heroic, his gaze fierce. He radiated an immense, powerful aura.
Ye Fan's spiritual perception was incredibly sharp, and they knew each other intimately. He sensed Pang Bo's presence instantly. With a few steps, he crossed several hundred zhang and met him at the entrance of the stone stockade.
"Pang Bo!"
"Ye Zi!"
Meeting again, both burst into laughter. In this world, having a close friend from their homeland was perhaps the greatest gift from heaven.
There was no need for formalities. They greeted each other with a few punches. Ye Fan asked, "How did you find this place?"
"A couple of days ago, while I was chasing the alternate holy son of Yaoguang, I ran into that dog you keep. It told me the location," Pang Bo said with a smile.
Despite his godlike demon aura, he was still the same Pang Bo at heart, unchanged in nature, though he had become incredibly imposing, his bronze skin shimmering with a precious glow.
"Woof, who's kept by him?!" The big black dog was furious, running out of the house with its bald tail held high.
Ye Fan said, "This dead dog only told me it saw you, not that you were coming. It's definitely after the Demon Emperor's Ancient Scripture."
"Brother, you're too fierce! Chasing down holy sons of the holy lands all by yourself—you're a role model for our generation! I admire you!" Tu Fei laughed, walking out of the house to greet him. "It's rare to meet someone like you. Today, we'll drink to our hearts' content."
Although Ye Fan and Pang Bo hadn't seen each other in a long time, there was no awkwardness between them. In this world, they were the closest of kin.
"Haha..." Pang Bo laughed too, seeing that Tu Fei had a close relationship with Ye Fan. He naturally showed respect. "Tonight, we drink until we drop!"
"Excellent! I'll have someone prepare some black dog meat!" Tu Fei laughed, feeling that Pang Bo was a kindred spirit.
"Woof!"
"Damn it, dead dog, don't bite me! I'll get some donkey meat and lamb instead, okay?!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Soon, steaming hot food and wine were brought out: golden roasted lamb legs, crispy chicken wings. The group drank from large bowls and ate big chunks of meat, the atmosphere lively.
"Brother Pang, you went after Yaoguang's alternate holy son. Did you kill him?" Tu Fei asked.
"I wounded him badly. He'll be lucky to survive, but he got away. His escape skills are impressive," Pang Bo said regretfully.
Tu Fei was amazed. This guy was incredibly fierce—chasing down a holy son was something ordinary people wouldn't dare to do.
"He fled into the Ice and Snow Palace and refused to come out, taking shelter with that sect. Otherwise, he'd be dead for sure," Pang Bo explained.
"Brother Pang, since you dare to chase holy sons, why don't we team up for something big? Let's kill a few holy sons and capture some holy maidens," Tu Fei suggested.
"Good idea. Let's get some revenge for Ye Zi," Pang Bo said, setting down his wine bowl. "I've learned the whereabouts of one holy son and two holy maidens. We can go hunt them down."
"Haha... Excellent!" Tu Fei, always eager for chaos, said, "Kill the holy sons, hunt the holy maidens!"
The big black dog, drunk and bleary-eyed, shouted, "Collect human pets!"