Chapter 373: A Person Within the Stone
The moment Ye Fan stood up, he saw a expanse of snow-white crystalline skin. Several holy maidens were right before him, and he couldn't avoid them even if he wanted to.
Li Heishui was almost envious. He tugged at Ye Fan and muttered a curse under his breath: "Be careful you don't get your beast blood boiling!"
Ye Fan finished chanting a Daoist title in his mind, then a Buddhist one, repeatedly calling himself sinful. The holy maidens of the Wanchu Holy Land and Dayan Holy Land stood too close; he had no way to evade them.
"Why is Little Brother Gu Feng blushing while selecting stones?" An Miaoyi chuckled lightly.
She was known as one of the most beautiful women, and some even called her the foremost beauty of the Eastern Wasteland. Every smile and frown was incomparably moving, her charm peerless.
She appeared ethereal and untouchable, but for Ye Fan, it was a different scene altogether. He found it extremely hard to bear.
An Miaoyi had a devilish figure, her body alluring—rounded, slender, full... crystalline as jade, seductive and heart-stirring.
Ye Fan coughed dryly and said, "Selecting stones consumes a lot of mental energy."
"Are you alright, brother?" Yao Yuekong asked with concern.
Li Heishui sneered from the side, "Don't worry. Not only will he be fine, he'll be brimming with energy. His blood has definitely surged up, full of power."
An Miaoyi smiled sweetly, "Little Brother Gu Feng is really interesting. I don't think you're a shy person, so why are you so restrained now?"
Li Heishui chuckled darkly, "Honorable Fairy Miaoyi, it's truly your boundless charm, your fragrant bones and sweet body, your stunning beauty that overwhelms the world. Gu Feng simply can't handle it."
The holy maidens present were puzzled, even a bit bewildered. They found his words strange, as if they carried some hidden meaning.
Ye Fan covered up, saying, "I'm fine. I just expended some mental energy. I'll be fine after a rest."
The holy maidens all smiled lightly, each exuding a thousand charms. Even the people nearby felt dazzled and dazed, let alone Ye Fan with his penetrating vision (toushi yan). He truly experienced what it meant to be a thousand charms and a hundred seductions, with alluring bones and soft bodies. But this was no enjoyment—it was torture.
He quickly turned to face the "Immortal Tomb" and re-examined it. Otherwise, he feared he might grow styes in his eyes and be struck by heavenly lightning.
After all, those were holy maidens, heirs of the immortal inheritances (buxiu chuancheng) of the Eastern Wasteland, future mistresses of this vast and boundless land. Today, he had spied on "heavenly secrets."
If the "heavenly secrets" were ever leaked in the future and someone learned he had divine eyes, it would certainly bring a great karmic retribution. The holy maidens would likely chase him across the entire world to kill him.
"Bald-headed brother, old Daoist brother..." Ye Fan randomly chanted a few Buddhist and Daoist titles, finally calming his mind completely.
The Immortal Tomb was like an abyss. Though not large, it was unfathomably deep. He furrowed his brows deeply, observing for a long time before standing up.
"How is it, Little Brother Gu? Will you choose this stone?" A group of old men were very attentive. One of them said, "Maybe there really is an immortal treasure sealed inside."
"If this stone were truly an Immortal Tomb sealed by the heavens, would Yaoguang still wait for someone to cut it?" Ye Fan shook his head. He couldn't make a definite judgment in his heart.
Before long, he came to a spring pool and fixed his gaze on a stone the size of a human head. He couldn't see anything special about it. But his heart stirred, and he used his Source Heaven Divine Sense to penetrate it.
"Divine Source!"
This strange stone wasn't large, but it contained a piece of Divine Source bigger than a fist. This surprised him greatly.
His divine eyes were like lightning, purple light penetrating three inches into the stone. He clearly caught a small sun sealed within. It couldn't be a fake Divine Source made by Nan Gongqi.
This piece of Divine Source was worth a full seventy thousand jin of Pure Source. It was golden-yellow, like an eternal divine light fixed inside the stone.
Ye Fan weighed the head-sized stone in his hand a few times, planning to buy it separately, not counting it among the three stones he had to select.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. He hurled the stone into the air and dove into a crowd of old men.
"Boom!"
It was as if a great star had fallen from the universe, annihilating itself in midair. Blinding golden power erupted like endless magma spewing forth.
"The aura of Divine Source!"
Everyone was shocked, and at the same time felt a wave of fear. Such a sudden burst of divine power was enough to blast apart senior figures.
If Ye Fan had been even a step slower just now, he would have definitely turned into bloody mud. This force was incalculable.
"That old bastard is too vicious, not hesitating to waste a piece of Divine Source!" Ye Fan gritted his teeth.
Everyone present felt their hearts race. The source art duel had truly escalated to life and death. Even the process of selecting stones was a trap; one misstep and there would be no redemption.
Only the Divine Silkworm was excited, flying into the sky and gulping down the Divine Source energy like a whale or an ox, smacking its little lips in a state of ecstasy.
One must return a favor!
Ye Fan strolled through the bamboo grove, moving casually, turning the Yaoguang Stone Workshop into a battlefield. He used the Dragon Transformation Art, Earth Vein Art, and Life-Slaying Art to activate the strange stones.
In this process, he discovered several more traps. The slightest misstep could cost a life, or at least cause severe injury. It was truly a case of one shock per step.
"Boom!"
Purple light shot into the sky as a piece of purple crystal variant source exploded. Although Nan Gongqi reacted quickly, half of his sleeve still turned to ash.
Beside him, a disciple screamed in agony, his flesh and blood mangled, his abdomen nearly pierced through front to back.
Nan Gongqi's face darkened as he commanded, "You all stand aside. Don't follow." The several young men from the Source Art Aristocratic Clan all retreated upon hearing this and stopped following.
The smell of gunpowder grew stronger. The two sides were locked in a stalemate; the slightest carelessness could mean death.
Ye Fan walked through the entire stone garden and finally found a stone he rather liked. It was shaped like a stone roller, not very large, priced at eighty thousand jin of source, and named Wind Cave Stone.
"This stone is almost weathered. It has many small holes on it, like rotten wood bored through by insects. Why choose it?" Li Heishui didn't understand.
The surrounding old men were also puzzled. Someone said, "This stone has been sitting here for several hundred years, and no one has ever shown interest in it."
Unexpectedly, Ye Fan firmly decided to buy this Wind Cave Stone without much explanation.
From the other side of the bamboo grove came exclamations. Nan Gongqi had also selected his first stone, causing a stir.
"Grandmaster Nan has chosen the Blood Sacrifice Altar!"
"Legend has it that this stone material was transported from the Primordial Forbidden Zone."
"It's worth three hundred thousand jin of Pure Source, the most expensive precious stone in the Yaoguang Stone Workshop, and it can rank in the top five among all the major stone workshops."
"What a shocking move! Three hundred thousand jin of source could pile up into a mountain, yet he uses it to buy a stone!"
...
People couldn't help but be stunned. The stone garden was filled with noise.
Ye Fan frowned. The other party's decisiveness was beyond his expectations. He had also examined the "Blood Sacrifice Altar." Like the Immortal Tomb, it was hard to see through. He hadn't expected the other party to buy it.
"I want the Immortal Tomb!" He spoke these four words to the people of Yaoguang.
Upon hearing this, the crowd gasped, then burst into another round of exclamations. The second most expensive strange stone had been bought. Today was destined to be a good show.
"The Immortal Tomb is worth two hundred and fifty thousand jin of Pure Source!"
"Both sides have gone mad, spending hundreds of thousands of jin of source on a stone!"
Inside the stone garden, there was a hubbub of discussion, and outside, it was even more chaotic.
Too many people had come today. The vast majority couldn't enter and could only gather outside the bamboo grove to watch from afar.
"A shocking gamble, throwing down hundreds of thousands of jin of source at once, even more lavish than a Saint Lord."
"Both the Immortal Tomb and the Blood Sacrifice Altar have been chosen. Today, we're sure to have our eyes opened. I've always wanted to know what's inside."
Almost everyone was excited. Even the holy sons were deeply shaken. After all, hundreds of thousands of jin of source made even them gasp.
The old men were the most unsettled. Some had stared at the Immortal Tomb and the Blood Sacrifice Altar for who knows how many years, but after being dismissed by source art grandmasters, no one had dared to make a move.
"Grandmaster Nan has selected his second strange stone!"
Exclamations came from the other side of the bamboo grove. Nan Gongqi's second stone was worth one hundred and eighty thousand jin of source. It wasn't the most expensive, but it was the largest, about the size of a room.
Big Dumb Elephant!
This stone had an inelegant name. It was huge in size and high in price, and no one had ever shown interest in it. Nan Gongqi decisively bought it.
Ye Fan felt a bit of pressure. The other party had great boldness, precise stone selection, and decisive action.
Li Heishui was indignant. "In name, it's Nan Gongqi selecting stones, but in reality, the four grandmasters of the Source Art Aristocratic Clan are examining stones together. It's four against one, very unfair."
"I choose the Demon Fetus!" Ye Fan selected his third stone.
It was that perfectly round, spherical strange stone. It was worth one hundred and twenty thousand jin of source, named the Demon Fetus, and felt warm and smooth to the touch.
"Have you made your selections, young friend?" Nan Gongqi walked over. He had also chosen his third stone material.
"Yes, I have," Ye Fan replied.
"Since that's the case, let's cut the stones," Nan Gongqi said calmly, as if everything was under control.
The three strange stones Ye Fan had chosen were: Wind Cave Stone, Demon Fetus, and Immortal Tomb, worth eighty thousand jin, one hundred and twenty thousand jin, and two hundred and fifty thousand jin of source respectively, totaling four hundred and fifty thousand jin of source.
The three strange stones Nan Gongqi had chosen were: Blazing Sun Stone, Big Dumb Elephant, and Blood Sacrifice Altar, worth eighty thousand jin, one hundred and eighty thousand jin, and three hundred thousand jin of source respectively, totaling five hundred and sixty thousand jin of source.
The venue fell silent. Everyone was stunned. The two had spent over a million jin of source in total, leaving people dumbfounded.
Whether it was the senior figures, the holy sons, or the other cultivators who couldn't enter the Heaven-ranked stone garden, everyone's hearts were pounding.
"Cut the stones!"
"Hurry up and cut them open to see what's inside!"
...
The first to break the silence and shout these words were a group of old men, their faces red and necks thick, waving their fists and yelling loudly.
"That's right, hurry up and cut open the strange stones!"
"I really want to see what kind of shocking immortal treasures are hidden inside the stones!"
The others were infected and all started shouting loudly. Inside and outside the stone garden, it was a boiling frenzy.
"Cut the Immortal Tomb first! Open the naturally formed ancient tomb and see what's buried inside!"
"Cutting the Blood Sacrifice Altar first is fine too. This stone material was transported from a collapsed temple in the Primordial Forbidden Zone. Its origin is astonishing!"
Nan Gongqi immediately smiled and said, "Since everyone is eager to know, let us first give you a treat for your eyes."
He stated that he needed the help of a few old friends. As powerful as he was, he couldn't see through this stone with his own strength alone.
The Blood Sacrifice Altar had an astonishing origin. It came from the Primordial Forbidden Zone and was part of an altar from an ancient temple. The entire stone was blood-red and possessed a demonic nature.
It was said that the altar was composed of nine blood stones. The Yaoguang Holy Land had cut six of them but gained nothing, sending the smallest one to the stone workshop.
At this moment, Nan Gongqi and the other three grandmasters had divine light blooming in their palms, each manifesting a brilliant divine wheel.
"Source Heaven Treasure Wheel!"
"Wrong, it's the Source Heaven Divine Wheel!"
"Heavens, it really is the Source Heaven Divine Wheel, perfected to the ultimate realm!"
The four divine wheels merged into one, crystalline and dazzling, shining upon the Blood Sacrifice Altar. Its interior suddenly seemed to become clear.
"Heavens, there's a person in the stone!"
"There's a young girl!"
"A stunningly beautiful woman of peerless grace!"
The stone garden instantly erupted. Ye Fan's heart sank. This was too unbelievable!
"Hurry and invite a Great Power!"
"Invite the several Saint Lord-rank figures in Divine City. Engrave unparalleled array patterns to seal this stone!"
Some old antiques shouted one after another, sending people to invite the several Great Powers in Divine City.