Chapter 374: Cutting Out a Qilin Seed
The four grandmasters merged their divine wheels, illuminating the blood sacrifice altar. Within it, the visage of a young girl emerged, lifelike, as if she were peacefully asleep.
"Swish"
The Source Heaven Divine Wheel vanished, the strange stone dimmed, and everything became blurry, no longer visible.
"Why withdraw the divine wheel? We haven't seen clearly yet. Continue, esteemed seniors, let us have a good look."
"Yes, too mysterious. We only glimpsed it once, and it disappeared..."
Nangong Qi shook his head and said, "The four of us are not Origin Heavenly Masters; we can only persist this far."
Inside and outside the Stone Garden, it was in an uproar. People could not contain themselves. The scene just now was shocking—a person within the strange stone, like something out of a fairy tale.
Although such rumors had existed before, they were too ancient, and people had almost stopped believing them. Now, witnessing it with their own eyes, no one could remain calm.
"Hundreds of thousands of years ago, someone cut a peerless beauty from stone. All the Holy Lands struck together but couldn't stop her—she escaped."
The past was too distant, almost illusory. Nothing was more convincing or shocking than seeing it firsthand.
None of the people from the Yaoguang Stone Workshop could smile. This dealt them a heavy blow. Everything was simply terrible. Even those present would suffer heavy casualties.
Worth five hundred thousand catties of pure Source, the divine power contained within was unimaginable, enough to level the Yaoguang Stone Workshop and annihilate countless cultivators in both body and spirit.
The four acted simultaneously, severing the great dragon and protecting that piece of Divine Source.
"Youngster, are you so blatant, trying to harm everyone?" Nangong Qi growled.
"Though I am young, I am open and aboveboard. This is a passive counterattack. Though you are older, you are too dark and underhanded, repeatedly trying to take my life. What face do you have to speak to me?" Ye Fan was quite merciless, speaking such words in public.
"Source art duels involve life and death—that's the rule of our ancestors. There's nothing dark or bright about it. If your skill is inferior, death is the only outcome!" Nangong Qi sneered.
"Then don't blame me for being so-called 'blatant'!" Ye Fan scoffed.
"Ding!"
At that moment, he sheathed his knife and stood still. Stone shavings fell like flower petals, scattering in all directions. Beams of divine light shot out, vying with the sun.
He had cut open the Wind Cave Stone, revealing a fist-sized piece of Divine Source, extremely dazzling. The crowd gasped.
Many senior figures were stunned, exclaiming, "Ancient Insect Divine Source!"
"That's right, it's the rare spiritual medicine—Ancient Insect Divine Source!"
Within the fist-sized Divine Source were over forty small insects, each no larger than a fingernail, all golden and radiating divine radiance.
"These ancient insects feed exclusively on Source and can spit out Source essence. They are the finest ingredients for refining various ancient pills!"
So-called ancient pills refer to ancient formulas with miraculous effects but whose ingredients can no longer be gathered, as many spiritual items have long vanished from the world.
"Heavens, they eat Divine Source! These are all Ancient Insect Kings—their value is incalculable."
When these ancient insects feed on Divine Source, they become Insect Kings, capable of substituting for almost any ingredient required in ancient pill formulas. They are the rarest spiritual items below divine medicine.
Not far away, the Divine Silkworm struggled desperately, trying to rush over. Ji Ziyue grabbed its small dragon-shaped tail, refusing to let it go, while the White-Robed Little Nun gently calmed it.
"Little one, don't move. That's not ours."
They dared not release the Divine Silkworm. If this golden little spirit swallowed tens of thousands of catties of pure Source in one gulp, they wouldn't be able to compensate.
The golden little spirit was very aggrieved, tears in its eyes. It silently pointed at Ye Fan's Divine Source, then at itself, complaining to the little nun and Little Moon, still remembering how Ye Fan had taken its Divine Source before.
"Though this Divine Source is only fist-sized, with these dozens of Ancient Insect Kings, it's worth at least six hundred thousand catties of pure Source!" said a Supreme Elder from one of the Holy Lands.
"Boom!"
Inside and outside the Stone Garden, it erupted again. They had truly cut out a priceless treasure, and this was only the first stone from each side.
Many had originally lost faith in Ye Fan. After all, the blood sacrifice altar might yield a divine maiden, and almost everyone thought he would surely lose.
But now, people were changing their minds. Anything was possible! Ye Fan's Source art was astonishing. His first stone had suppressed a grandmaster-level figure. Perhaps the Immortal Tomb contained a world-shaking immortal treasure, comparable to an ancient divine maiden.
The people from the Yaoguang Stone Workshop were completely green-faced. They couldn't accept this result. Today's losses were severe.
After this battle, there would likely be no rare treasures left in the Heaven-ranked Stone Garden! The rest were probably all waste stones.
"This Ancient Insect Divine Source is incredibly valuable. It can be used to refine Life-Prolonging Pills according to ancient formulas!"
A group of old men rushed forward with red eyes, nearly coming to blows. Many of them had nearly exhausted lifespans, and this spiritual item was what they most desired.
"Esteemed seniors, don't rush. After the stone gambling battle is over, we can consider the Ancient Insect Divine Source," Ye Fan said with a smile.
"That's true. Now is not the time to fight."
"Let's not harm our goodwill. We'll discuss it when the Source art battle ends."
The group of old men with little time left gradually calmed down.
The Holy Sons and Holy Maidens were shaken. Source art masters seemed to have even more prospects than them, with even powerful seniors seeking their favor.
"Younger Brother Gu Feng, so young and already comparable to a grandmaster. You will surely become an Origin Heavenly Master in the future," An Miaoyi transmitted secretly.
Ye Fan didn't know if she was also flattering the Source art aristocratic family members. He smiled and nodded in response, but as he turned, his expression froze for a moment.
Several Holy Maidens were nearby, and he saw "heavenly secrets" again. What was more moving than one peerless beauty was definitely two or more.
Several Holy Maidens stood before him, a expanse of snow-white crystal. He felt overwhelmed by the sight and, out of politeness, couldn't turn away immediately.
The Holy Sons and Holy Maidens were all smiling at him, conveying goodwill. They had a feeling that this youth might truly become an Origin Heavenly Master.
Such extraordinary individuals were treated with courtesy by all Holy Lands, as they might need to seek his help in many matters in the future.
Ye Fan could accept the smiles of the Holy Sons, but the smiles of the Holy Maidens made his heart pound. No normal man could remain calm seeing several peerless beauties.
He unexpectedly noticed that the Holy Maiden of Yao Chi was quite special. This time, he couldn't see through her, which surprised him. Her close-fitting silk garment was hazy and indistinct, clearly a divine object.
A cold snort sounded in his ear. He keenly sensed it was the Holy Maiden of Yao Chi, who seemed displeased, as if recalling what had happened three days ago.
Ye Fan turned around, facing Nangong Qi and the others again, not looking back.
"So what if the Ancient Insect Divine Source is precious? Even if you cut it out, it can only be left for the victor," sneered a young disciple from the Ancient Source Art Aristocratic Clan.
"That's right, just making a wedding dress for others. We can use it to refine a furnace of ancient pills to enhance our cultivation," laughed another young disciple.
"Wait until you actually win before you show off," Li Heishui scoffed, but he was very uncertain inside. The blood sacrifice altar containing a peerless divine maiden still made him find it hard to believe.
"Enough talk. Let's continue cutting stones!" Ye Fan said.
"Yes, hurry up and cut. Decide the victor!"
"We want to see what's in the Immortal Tomb!"
The onlookers all shouted, eagerly awaiting the appearance of an immortal treasure.
Nangong Qi once again displayed his exquisite knife technique. The silver knife moved like a dragon flying or a phoenix dancing. In just a few breaths, he cut open the second stone, which was the size of a house.
He flicked his sleeve, and stone shavings flew everywhere, falling in a shower. Only a piece of Divine Source remained suspended in the air, its divine light dazzling.
It was slightly larger than a human head, and within it was a skull, barely wrapped by the Divine Source.
"Heavens, a human head!" Everyone exclaimed.
"It's exactly like a human's. It must be from an ancient royal clan!" Many people cried out, their faces changing color completely.
Rumors of corpses contained within Divine Source had always existed, but aside from Ye Fan, who had seen them in Purple Mountain and the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest, few in this world had witnessed such a thing, so naturally, they were shocked.
"The value of an ancient royal clan's head is immense, incalculable!" exclaimed a Supreme Elder from a Holy Land.
Even the Ji Family Great Power, the Third Great Bandit Xu Tianxiong, and the Great Xia Imperial Uncle—three Saint Lord-rank figures who were inscribing dao patterns nearby—were startled. They stopped and strode over.
"Indeed, it's the head of an ancient royal clan!"
The head was that of a middle-aged man. His thick purple hair was very dense, his skin bronze-colored, his face sharp as if carved by a knife, his eyes closed. The neck had been severed cleanly by a sharp blade—definitely not a natural death.
"This is extremely useful for studying ancient races and their weaknesses!"
"Too rare. Throughout history, we've obtained very few upper royal clan corpses. Truly precious!"
With Saint Lord-rank figures evaluating it like this, everyone was shaken. Clearly, this head was extraordinarily valuable.
"Crack!"
At that moment, Ye Fan cut open his second strange stone—the Demon Fetus.
This "Demon Fetus," rumored to absorb the essence of the sun and moon and contain a sacred spirit within, had once been a highly sought-after strange stone. But since a Source art grandmaster had dismissed it, its value had plummeted, and its price had dropped several times.
Now it was worth one hundred and twenty thousand catties of Source. If no one showed interest, it might continue to drop. Finally, it was cut open.
"Bang"
Ye Fan gently shook it. Stone shavings flew off. Purple divine light shot into the sky, and astonishing spiritual energy overflowed. This time, even the Red Dragon Daoist was startled and immediately came close.
As soon as he approached, the group of old men who had been about to rush over abruptly stopped in their tracks. Even the other three Saint Lord-rank figures kept a certain distance.
They seemed to be avoiding a primordial fierce beast, fearing the Red Dragon Daoist might attack. His terrifying might was evident.
This was a bowl-sized piece of Divine Source. It should have been golden, but the rare treasure within had dyed it purple, a brilliant spectacle.
It emitted wisps of purple mist, dense with spiritual energy, carrying a sacred aura as if it could purify one's body and mind, cleansing the soul and flesh.
Many people felt this and were all stunned. Their eyes shone with divine light as they stared at this Divine Source, trying to see through to what lay within.
"Powerful life fluctuations!"
"That's right, there's an incomparable sacred aura. What is this? There's a living creature inside!"
The crowd grew anxious, finding it hard to truly see through. Purple radiance flickered within, light shooting into the sky. Only a blurry shadow could be discerned.
"This is a... Qilin!" The Great Xia Imperial Uncle was filled with shock. He had seen the life form within the Divine Source.
The Ji Family Great Power was also dumbfounded. "That's right, a purple Qilin!"
The Red Dragon Daoist was exceptionally excited. He appeared beside Ye Fan, staring fixedly at the bowl-sized Divine Source.
At that moment, the Divine Source's radiance converged inward, beginning to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, the sun and moon. Others finally saw the life form within, all of them shocked.
"Heavens, it really is a Qilin!"
"This is too heaven-defying. How can such a creature exist? It's on par with true dragons and immortals!"
"But it's too small, less than the size of an infant's fist."
The Stone Garden was in an uproar. No one could remain calm.
Since ancient times, no one could clearly explain immortals, and the same went for immortal creatures. Many speculated that true dragons didn't exist, only dragon-like flood dragons, and the same could be inferred for Qilins.
"It's too small. Could this be a true infant Qilin born from heaven and earth in the primordial era?!"
The sacred aura was extremely intense, making those in the Stone Garden feel as if they had been baptized and purified.
"This is not a Qilin. This is a seed!" the Red Dragon Daoist suddenly spoke, but there was no disappointment in his expression. On the contrary, he was even more excited.