Chapter 368: Shocking Bet
It had been over a month since he left the Divine City. Returning now, Ye Fan felt a sense of familiarity—this was a city brimming with passion and excitement.
He had returned quietly, thinking no one would notice, but no sooner had he entered the city than many people greeted him with burning gazes and warm enthusiasm.
"Brother Gu Feng, you're finally back! We've been waiting for you like we wait for the stars and moon, hoping to see your Source Art again."
"There's nothing more to say, Brother Gu, come to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion—I'm treating you, and we won't leave until we're drunk!"
"Without Little Brother Gu around, the Divine City has been so lonely. Many of us have been hoping you'd show up soon, hahaha..."
...
Many people were eager to win Ye Fan over. In the Northern Domain, where Source was abundant, a Source Art Master held an extremely high status and could become a guest of honor for the great sects.
Ye Fan smiled. Although he didn't recognize the vast majority of these people, he responded to each one in turn.
He wondered what expressions they would wear when the identity of the Primordial Saint Body was eventually exposed.
Perhaps some would fight tooth and nail over sacred artifacts, others might lend him a hand to escape, and still others might try to kill him and take his head to the Holy Lands as a trophy.
"Little Brother Gu, you're finally back. You don't know this, but some people have been issuing challenges for a Source Art duel. While you were gone for so long, they said you chickened out and ran."
"They've said a lot of nasty things. I think they're trying to provoke you into showing up. Now that Brother Gu is back, you should crush them in Source Art and shut them up."
"Yeah, some people are really arrogant, boasting they'd trample Brother Gu in Source Art. You need to teach them a lesson—we can't stand it anymore..."
...
Ye Fan smiled and thanked them for their concern. It took him a while to push through the crowd and leave. Before long, he arrived at Li Heishui's residence.
Li Heishui laughed heartily, his dark face full of delight. "Little Leaf, you guys really pulled it off—capturing a Holy Maiden alive. That nearly made my jaw drop."
"Has Red Dragon Daoist left the Divine City?" Ye Fan asked this question because he needed a powerful backup, sensing that this time might stir up some trouble.
Li Heishui chuckled. "All the old immortals in the Divine City wish he would leave. With him here, many people feel uncomfortable. But he has no intention of leaving at all."
"Excellent!" Ye Fan was overjoyed. If anything went wrong, he could ask Red Dragon Daoist to apply some pressure. He believed the man wouldn't stand idly by.
"You're finally back. Today calls for a celebration. Shall we go to the Temple of Subtle Desires, the Water Moon Pavilion, or the Guanghan Tower?" Li Heishui grinned slyly, listing the three great romantic venues of the Divine City.
"Let's skip those places. We should keep a low profile." Ye Fan shook his head with a smile.
"You've already got two Holy Maidens in tow, so naturally you're not interested in these three sacred grounds. But don't underestimate them—for example, An Miaoyi is no less impressive than a Holy Maiden."
"You rascal, you never take anything seriously!" Ye Fan punched him.
"Little Leaf, who's the one not taking things seriously? You're the one carrying two Holy Maidens around, and you have the nerve to say that to me?"
"Those two Holy Maidens are nothing but flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection on water. If word got out, it would be a disaster."
Li Heishui laughed. "Then let's go to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion or the Illusory Food Mansion."
Ye Fan nodded. "We've already been to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, so let's celebrate at the Illusory Food Mansion. Today, I'll go all out and treat you to an Immortal Banquet."
"Even Saint Lord-rank figures almost never order an Immortal Banquet. It costs tens of thousands of catties of Source. Let's forget it."
"It's fine. Let's go see what it's like."
The two soared into the sky, rising high into the heavens as they flew toward the Illusory Food Mansion. It was a multicolored expanse of jade pavilions, each celestial tower a different color—built from green jade, purple jade, white jade, and more.
From a distance, it looked like it was perched among the clouds, sparkling and crystalline, as if they had arrived in the Immortal Realm. In front of each palace, immortal herbs and divine flowers were planted, with spirit birds dancing in the air.
"Little Brother Gu Feng, you're back!" As soon as they arrived, an acquaintance spotted them. From a distant white jade palace, Yao Yuekong walked out, laughing heartily. "I have guests here. Once I'm done, I'll come find you. Save me a seat."
"Alright, see you later. Today, we'll drink to our hearts' content!" the two replied with smiles.
The Illusory Food Mansion was naturally backed by a major power, one of which was the Great Xia Imperial Clan from the Central Province. They had people stationed in the Divine City year-round and had ultimately helped establish this complex of palaces.
Eighteen young women, all of considerable cultivation, wore five-colored feathered robes and sweet smiles as they guided the two into a purple jade celestial palace.
"What a small world. I think I saw a bunch of bastards in a nearby palace," Li Heishui muttered.
"What's going on?" Ye Fan asked.
"They're all here for you. Last time, you cut out a fragment of a Primordial Divine Medicine, the Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Holy Spirit Sword, and a Divine Silkworm, shaking the Divine City and spreading word throughout the Source Art aristocratic clans."
Last time, Ye Fan's shocking gamble had defeated Tuoba Chang. This time, not only had experts from the Tuoba family arrived, but other ancient Source Art aristocratic clans had also sent extraordinary figures to the Divine City.
Ye Fan wasn't concerned. This time, he was destined to stir up an even bigger storm. To obtain ten million catties of Source, he couldn't afford to keep a low profile even if he wanted to!
"Quite a few Source Art experts have come to the Divine City. They're just a part of it, but they've really gone too far. During the time you were gone, they kept saying they'd trample you in Source Art to force you out."
"I look forward to them trying to trample me. But without a million catties of Source, I won't accept a challenge. If they want to come knocking, they'd better think twice first."
Ye Fan and Li Heishui entered the purple palace but didn't order the Immortal Banquet. That would have been too ostentatious and would likely provoke resentment from many big shots.
Outside the palace, mist swirled over a lotus pond. Several women danced with graceful figures, as if they were in the Jade Pool. The wine alone was intoxicating.
The two downed cup after cup of wine. Before long, a young maiden approached and said, "Honored guests, the Great Xia Prince has learned of your presence here and will come shortly. He hopes you can wait a while longer."
"Don't worry, we won't be leaving anytime soon," Ye Fan nodded.
The Great Xia Imperial Clan was one of the backers of the Illusory Food Mansion. It wasn't surprising that the Great Xia Prince knew they were here.
Not long after, another maiden came forward and bowed gracefully. "Honored guests, the guests in the Azure Palace across the way request your presence."
"The people in the Azure Palace?" Li Heishui sneered. Those were exactly the Source Art aristocratic clan members he had mentioned earlier.
"They said they 'request' our presence? Or did they 'demand' it?" Ye Fan asked the maiden with a smile, noticing her clever choice of words.
The other party had certainly said something disrespectful. The maiden, in delivering the message, deliberately avoided using the word "invite" and instead used "request," subtly hinting at the situation.
"Yes," the maiden nodded.
Working here, she often saw important figures and was accustomed to such scenes. Though not very old, she was quite worldly.
"Who do they think they are, ordering us around like that? Tell them we're busy!" Li Heishui said.
"This..." The maiden hesitated but obediently withdrew.
Although the people in the Azure Palace received a softened version of the report, some were still indignant. The fact that the two hadn't come over was answer enough.
"How arrogant! With Source Art predecessors here, they have the nerve to refuse to come and offer a toast. Do they think they're Source Heaven Masters?"
"They don't show the slightest respect for these seniors. They're utterly conceited and have no manners!"
Several young men sneered, all standing up and glaring toward the purple palace.
Through the lotus immortal pond, Ye Fan and Li Heishui saw people staring at them from across the way but paid no attention, continuing to clink glasses and enjoy the graceful dance of the maidens.
"They're coming over," Ye Fan noticed several young men walking toward them, about to enter the purple palace.
"You two have quite the nerve! Renowned Source Art elders are here, and you won't even come to offer them a toast!" the leader sneered as he stepped inside.
Ye Fan looked up at them. "What do you mean by 'offer a toast'? You come swaggering in here, ordering us around—where's the 'offering' in that? Why should we toast you?"
Li Heishui set down his chopsticks and glanced at them. "Who are you? Do we even know you? What gives you the right to order us to come and toast you?"
"You know perfectly well who we are. We've been waiting in the Divine City for over a month to challenge Gu Feng in Source Art," another sneered.
"Oh, it's you." Li Heishui gave them a dismissive look, downed another cup of wine, and then said, "I've been hearing for days that you've been boasting about trampling Gu Feng in Source Art. After all that tough talk, you still have the nerve to swagger over here and demand we toast you?!"
"We did say some things, but only to get you to come out instead of hiding like turtles," the young men said quite disrespectfully.
"What flies are these, buzzing around and ruining the mood? If you don't leave, I'll call the Illusory Food Mansion staff to kick you out," Li Heishui said, waving his hand as if shooing flies.
"Fine, fine, fine. You're arrogant. We'll see you at the Holy Land Stone Gambling Pavilion!" They considered making a move, but thinking about where they were, they abandoned the idea.
"Who are you? Do I know you? Just any stray cat or dog jumping out and I'm supposed to accept?" Ye Fan picked up some food, put it in his mouth, and sneered. "If you want to duel me in Source Art, fine. Prepare some Divine Source worth at least a million catties of pure Source. Otherwise, don't bother betting with me!"
The group was stunned. A million catties of Source—this was a shocking gamble! There had almost never been such a huge wager.
"You're all so full of pride, ordering us around, but you can't even come up with the Source? If that's the case, stop talking big and acting arrogant. Go back where you came from!" Ye Fan said coldly.
"Do you even have a million catties of Source yourself?!"
"Do you really know anything about us? Go ask about Gu Feng's record. Your Source Art aristocratic clans alone have already given us a fist-sized piece of Divine Source," Li Heishui laughed loudly.
The group fell silent, not knowing what to say. There was no way they could come up with a million catties of Source.
"You're from different Source Art aristocratic clans, right? Since your elders are here, go back and tell them: if they want to gamble big with me, bring a million catties of Source. Otherwise, don't provoke me!" Ye Fan issued his own ultimatum.
Beside them, the maidens were stunned. A million catties of Source—such an astronomical figure was truly shocking.
Many distinguished guests in the surrounding palaces were also alarmed. A shocking bet of a million catties of Source—such a declaration was enough to shake everyone.
Not far away, several people happened to pass by and saw Ye Fan and the others. One sneered, "And who do we have here? A couple of clueless juniors, as arrogant as can be!"
Ye Fan glanced over and saw that it was Li Yishui, the Supreme Elder of the Illusion-Destroying Palace—a true nemesis.
"We're talking about a Source Art duel and the wager. What business is it of yours?" Li Heishui was completely unafraid, already thinking about throwing that black iron token in his face.
"Ignorant juniors, are you speaking to me?" Li Yishui's face darkened.
"Who do you think you are?!" Ye Fan and Li Heishui spoke at the same time. This stone gambling was bound to cause a huge uproar anyway, so they might as well intimidate the first to step forward.
"You two juniors have no idea how to live!"
"Old man, stop acting like you're so important!" Neither of them backed down.
Just then, the Great Xia Prince and the White-Robed Little Nun arrived. Xia Yiming laughed from a distance, "Brother Gu Feng, you're finally back!"
Ye Fan was surprised to see that little golden sprite had also appeared, clinging to the White-Robed Little Nun's shoulder, angrily waving its little claws at him.
"Is there really going to be a shocking bet? A million catties of Source—that's enough to shake the entire Northern Domain!" Yao Yuekong laughed as he walked in.
"What a bold move!" From other palaces, some senior figures who had heard the commotion all exclaimed in amazement.
"Is Little Brother Gu Feng about to make another earth-shattering move?" A light laugh came through, and the breathtakingly beautiful An Miaoyi appeared. She was also at the Illusory Food Mansion.