Chapter 369: Penetrating Divine Eyes
Those who came and went from the Illusory Food Mansion and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion all had some background, and often even major figures appeared, such as eminent elders and supreme elders from various sects.
The dispute in the Purple Pavilion naturally attracted the attention of others. Not only did Yao Yuekong and An Miaoyi arrive, but some senior figures also took notice.
The Great Xia Prince approached, laughing heartily, "Little Brother Gu, it's been over a month since we last met. Every time I enter or leave the stone workshops, I find myself thinking how great it would be if you were here."
Ye Fan stood up with a smile, filled a cup of wine, and ignoring Li Yishui and the several Source Art Aristocratic Clan disciples beside him, personally offered it to Xia Yiming.
Li Heishui also stood up, instructing the Illusory Food Mansion staff to bring new wine and dishes, inviting Yao Yuekong and the others to sit down, treating the Source Art Aristocratic Clan members as if they were air.
"Hmph!" One of them let out a heavy cold snort, his expression instantly turning icy.
The Supreme Elder of the Illusory Extinction Palace, Li Yishui, stepped forward and said, "I do not wish to bully the young, but you two juniors have shown me no respect. Today, I will discipline you on behalf of your elders."
Beside him, several disciples of the Ancient Source Art Aristocratic Clan sneered coldly, ready to watch Ye Fan and Li Heishui suffer a harsh lesson.
"Old codger, who do you think you are? You think you can suppress whoever you want? Do you take yourself for a Saint Lord or the Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland?" Li Heishui remained fearless.
The disciple following Li Yishui scolded, "Courting death!"
Some words were unsuitable for Li Yishui to say, given his status as a Supreme Elder of a sect, but his disciple had no such reservations and shouted loudly.
Li Yishui's expression darkened. He approached coldly, staring at Ye Fan and the other, as if ready to strike like thunder at any moment.
The Great Xia Prince, dignified and imposing, stood up and said, "Senior, even if they were in the wrong, does it warrant such harsh measures?"
Yao Yuekong also set down his wine cup and rose, saying, "Elder, this is the Illusory Food Mansion. No one is allowed to fight here."
"They showed disrespect to Senior Li first. A lesson would be justified," a disciple of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan chimed in.
Ye Fan said nothing. He waved to the young woman waiting nearby and said, "Please escort these people out."
"You..."
The young men of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan and Li Yishui's faces changed repeatedly. Being thrown out was something they had never experienced before.
"Honored guests, please leave. The Illusory Food Mansion truly has such a rule—no disturbing other patrons," several beautiful young women stepped forward and explained cautiously.
"Hmph!"
Li Yishui flicked his sleeve, his face dark as he turned and left. Though he wished he could slap Ye Fan and the other to death, he had to restrain himself. The backers of the Illusory Food Mansion were formidable, and the Great Xia Royal Clan was one of them.
"Haha..." Li Heishui laughed heartily, utterly delighted.
The disciples of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan, their faces ashen, said nothing and turned to leave.
"If you want to duel me in Source Art, prepare a million jin of Source first. Otherwise, don't go around barking," Ye Fan transmitted behind them.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Several Source Art Aristocratic Clan disciples sneered, glanced back, and said no more, storming off in anger.
"Excellent, let's drink!" Li Heishui raised his cup, inviting everyone to drink together.
In the Purple Pavilion, those present were of extraordinary status and feared neither Li Yishui nor his group, so they drank without reservation.
"Little darling, don't be angry," the White-Robed Little Nun loli comforted the golden little spirit beside her, which was glaring at Ye Fan.
"Little one, are you still holding a grudge? It's just a piece of Divine Source," Ye Fan said with a smile, reaching out to grab it.
"Swoosh!"
The golden little spirit instantly dodged behind the White-Robed Little Nun, grabbing a strand of her hair and peeking at Ye Fan with big, dark eyes that looked a bit mischievous.
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight. An Miaoyi was especially envious, calling the little thing adorable and wanting to hold it.
"When I returned, I saw the Divine Silkworm outside the city. What's going on?" Ye Fan asked with a smile.
"Oh, it spends most of the day running around everywhere. I'm really worried someone might catch it," the little nun said, tapping the Divine Silkworm's forehead. "Little darling, you must behave and not be naughty."
As the banquet was about to end, someone from the Azure Palace brought shocking news: the Source Art duel with Ye Fan would proceed, with a bet of one million five hundred thousand jin of pure Source.
It had been raised by a full five hundred thousand jin!
A group of people emerged from the Azure Palace, glanced deeply in their direction, and then, accompanied by a crowd of young men, several old men turned and left.
Ye Fan frowned as he watched the backs of the old men. Their aged eyes seemed dim, but they contained divine radiance, and their fingers had turned completely pale gold.
"What do you think?" Li Heishui asked.
Ye Fan replied, "Big trouble. Those old men have exquisite Source Art. Their Source Heaven Precious Wheels must have reached perfection, and they may have even cultivated Spiritual Eyes."
"What do we do? Can you handle them?" Li Heishui frowned.
"I hope they haven't cultivated Heavenly Eyes," Ye Fan muttered to himself.
Ye Fan and the others also left the Illusory Food Mansion, bidding farewell to the Great Xia Prince, Yao Yuekong, and the rest. They encountered Li Yishui again, but he did not make a move.
"In this Divine City, crouching tigers and hidden dragons abound. Young people should keep a low profile, or one day, they might be crushed under a finger without knowing why."
With those words, he rode off on a cloud, sneering as he departed.
"That old codger is definitely not a good person. Not making a move now means he's definitely plotting something. He'll strike us when we least expect it."
"I'm more worried that the Holy Lands won't sit still. This time, I'm betting ten million jin of Source. That will definitely make people think of the Source Heavenly Master."
"Let's go back and think carefully. Plan our escape route. This time, it's bound to cause a world-shaking storm."
The senior figures of the Ancient Source Art Aristocratic Clan emerged from seclusion to duel the young Source Art prodigy Gu Feng, with a bet of one million five hundred thousand jin of Source, shaking the Divine City.
As soon as the news broke, the entire city was in an uproar. It was a world-shaking gamble, unprecedented in thousands of years. Just thinking about it made people gasp.
The news spread instantly, not limited to the Divine City. All the major sects of the Northern Domain were alarmed, and even the Holy Lands could not remain calm.
Without a doubt, this shocking Source Art duel would take place in the stone workshops of the various Holy Lands, which was terrible news for them.
To force Ye Fan out, the young men of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan had been boasting for a month, claiming they would trample the Source Art prodigy Gu Feng in Source Art.
Now that the Source Art duel was finally about to begin, everyone sensed it would shake the world.
News spread everywhere, and many people rushed to the Divine City to witness this shocking Source Art duel. Many had a feeling that something extraordinary would be cut out this time.
After all, last time, a Divine Silkworm—a heaven-defying creature—had been cut out. This time, with the personal presence of an old Source Art Grandmaster, it would surely be even more spectacular.
The people of the various stone workshops all had green faces. They knew that whoever was chosen would be unlucky, and they secretly cursed, hoping that both sides would meet with an accident and be driven out of the Divine City.
Otherwise, for them, it would be an absolute "disaster." In their eyes, Gu Feng and the Source Art Grandmaster were definitely "locusts," the most unwelcome people.
After returning to his residence, Ye Fan directly took out the purple stone gall. He had originally planned to use it later to cultivate his Heavenly Eyes, but now it seemed there was no time.
He could find another stone gall, but he absolutely could not lose this time!
If he did not elevate his Source Heaven Divine Sense to the next level, he would likely be outmatched by those old men, as he had only been practicing Source Art for a short time, while they had immersed themselves in it for most of their lives.
The stone gall was taken out, surrounded by purple light. The room was filled with radiance. Li Heishui stood guard beside him.
When the purple stone gall was cut open, the room was filled with fragrance, seeping into the bones. Even Li Heishui couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
Purple liquid overflowed like wisps of purple mist, fragrant and alluring. Ye Fan carefully squeezed it out, letting the crystalline drops flow into his eyes, bringing a cool sensation.
But the next moment, his experience changed drastically. He felt a burning pain, as if fire was blazing in his eyes. His eyes stung like needles, and tears streamed down.
"Little Leaf, are you alright?" Li Heishui asked nervously.
"It's fine. This is a necessary process!"
Enduring the pain, Ye Fan wiped away his tears, squeezed out all the liquid from the stone gall, and let it drip into his eyes. Then he closed his eyes, quietly circulating his Source Art, and began to refine his eyes.
At this moment, his eyelids turned purple, almost transparent, shimmering with a crystalline light, very peculiar.
"Chi!"
Suddenly, a sound of tearing air came. A golden thread shot into the room, incredibly fast, heading straight for Ye Fan.
Li Heishui roared, but he was a step too slow, unable to keep up with the golden thread's speed. He watched helplessly as it snatched the stone gall skin from Ye Fan's hand.
"It's the Divine Silkworm!"
Li Heishui was both shocked and angry. He reached out to grab it, but couldn't even catch its afterimage. It shot out with a "swoosh."
"Don't chase it. The stone gall skin is useless." Ye Fan shook his head, stopping him.
"This little thief is too fast." Li Heishui pushed open the door and saw that the golden little creature hadn't left.
It was completely golden, holding the stone gall skin as it stood on the courtyard wall, twisting and turning, making faces at him and Ye Fan. Occasionally, it would do a few somersaults and wiggle its little bottom at them.
Ye Fan squinted, seeing all this, and couldn't help but smile. "This little thing is quite interesting."
Li Heishui also laughed and cursed, "This little thief is deliberately provoking us."
The Divine Silkworm's big eyes were watery. Seeing that the two weren't angry and hadn't chased it out, it stopped its antics. It hugged the stone gall skin, took a deep sniff of its fragrant aroma, showed an intoxicated expression, and then took a happy bite.
But the very next moment, its joyful expression froze. With a "smack," it threw the stone gall skin to the ground. Its little face twisted in bitterness, completely changing color.
The golden little spirit kept spitting, hopping around on the courtyard wall. Its golden lips turned purple from the bitterness. Then it lay down, retching violently.
"Hahaha..."
"Even a bitter gall dares to eat? Don't you know that all galls are bitter?"
Ye Fan and Li Heishui roared with laughter.
The Divine Silkworm was furious. It stretched out a little claw, silently pointing at Ye Fan and Li Heishui, tears welling up in its big eyes. Then it staggered and collapsed on the wall, poisoned.
"Down you go! Let's see where you run now!" Li Heishui laughed and chased after it.
The Divine Silkworm was startled. It scrambled up, struggling to stay awake, and shot into the sky. Though it wobbled like a drunkard, its speed didn't slow, and it vanished in the blink of an eye.
An hour later, Ye Fan stopped circulating his Source Art and opened his eyes. Two purple rays flashed and vanished, his pupils deep as a starry sky.
"How is it? Did it work?" Li Heishui asked.
"Why are you so flashy, wearing flowery underwear?" Ye Fan laughed.
"Damn it, you've got X-ray eyes! Aren't you afraid of getting styes?" Li Heishui cursed, his old face slightly red as he half-turned away.
Ye Fan's mind was clear, his eyes bright. His Source Heaven Divine Sense had improved significantly. Though he hadn't cultivated Heavenly Eyes, his eyesight had reached an astonishing level, almost able to see through walls.
He pushed open the door and looked into the distant sky. He could even spot a mosquito far in the distance. It was a qualitative leap.
"I can see it now, Little Leaf. You're born to be a lecher! If you run into An Miaoyi, the Great Xia Princess, or the Holy Maidens of the Holy Lands again, how will they and others feel? Your sneaky eyes will definitely go straight!"
"Am I that impure?" Ye Fan smiled.
"You're as pure as a lecher!" Li Heishui said enviously, "I finally understand why the Source Heavenly Masters of old liked to haunt the Holy Land stone workshops. Gambling on stones was a pretext; they were definitely after the Holy Maidens. Your profession has a tradition!"
"Three days from now, the Source Art duel begins. Let's go check out the stone workshops now," Ye Fan said.
"Little Leaf, I despise you. You just cultivated your lecherous eyes, and you already want to see the Holy Maidens?" Li Heishui cursed, "Be careful—look too much, and you'll get styes."
"I'm just preparing for the stone gambling. I'm only looking around today, not making any moves."
"Tch! Don't be so sanctimonious. You definitely want to see the Holy Maidens." Li Heishui curled his lips.
...
Ye Fan and Li Heishui first headed toward the Ji Family stone workshop, wanting to see if they could find the mysterious Stone King.
On the way, they heard a lot of news about Purple Mountain. The various Holy Lands and the Hundred Schools of Thought of the Central Province were about to make their move, and a storm was brewing there.
Before they even reached the Ji Family stone workshop, they saw several familiar faces. The young men of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan had also arrived, including Wu Ziming, Li Chongtian, and Tuoba Chang.
Clearly, their purpose was the same as Ye Fan's—to choose a stone workshop and see where it would be best to make their move.
"These two bastards really are out to get us!" Li Heishui said loudly, staring at Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian without any pretense.
"You..." The two were furious.
"Isn't that right? You first brought in Tuoba Chang, and this time, through him, you brought in this bunch of monsters and freaks. Am I wrong?" Li Heishui sneered.
"I won't argue with you now. This time, I don't believe you can turn things around!" Li Chongtian said viciously.
"This time, I will personally witness you being trampled to death in Source Art by the seniors!" Wu Ziming gritted his teeth.
"Last time, you made threats, but in the end, you just gave us Source for free. This time, I look forward to your selfless contribution again." Li Heishui laughed heartily.
The young men of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan all sneered. One of them said, "This time, I'm afraid you'll lose your lives too."
"You want to use force and kill us?" Li Heishui was unafraid.
"Ignorant fool. Source Art duels can also involve life and death. Don't you even know that? You might drop dead during the stone selection!"
"Before, we said we'd trample you to death—that wasn't empty talk. Whether you survive or not depends on your skill. Don't come begging for mercy at our feet."
The Source Art Aristocratic Clan members sneered, finished their taunts, and strode forward.
"Can you really die during a stone gambling duel?" Li Heishui asked Ye Fan.
"Yes," Ye Fan nodded, a hint of seriousness appearing on his face.
At that moment, they arrived at the Ji Family stone workshop. Ye Fan saw two familiar figures—a young man and a young woman. The man was imposing, the woman beautiful.
The man was like a deity, his black hair like a waterfall, divine light surrounding him. He seemed like a born Divine King, looking down on the mundane world with an aura of supremacy. It was Ji Haoyue.
Beside him, a young woman in purple clothes stood gracefully. When she smiled, her intelligent big eyes curved into crescent moons, and cute dimples appeared on her face, her little tiger teeth sparkling. It was Ji Ziyue.