Chapter 384: The Sacred Body Shocks the Divine City
The night was like water, pouring down, as blood qi that pierced through heaven and earth rose into the sky like great dragons ascending.
"When will I ever have such cultivation?" Ye Fan walked along the street, muttering softly to himself.
Li Heishui sighed, "This is a group of ruthless individuals. I'm certain at least a few of them are Saint Lords. They really want to kill Jiang Taixu, the old Divine King. They're truly bold enough to defy heaven."
"Logically speaking, with the Eternal Universe Divine Furnace guarding him, the old Divine King should be safe. But I can't shake this feeling that something's off." Ye Fan frowned.
"Could it be that those people are carrying an Extreme Weapon?" Li Heishui's heart trembled. If that were the case, the Divine City might be razed to the ground, ceasing to exist.
Ye Fan shook his head, "No one would bring an Extreme Dao Sacred Weapon here. That would expose their identity. In the coming days, the Divine City will face a shocking upheaval. There's no way it will pass peacefully."
They hadn't been out long before someone spotted them. The two quickly soared into the air, heading toward the Water Moon Pavilion, afraid of being surrounded.
The Great Xia Prince had invited him, and Ye Fan couldn't refuse. When Nangong Qi had made things difficult for him, both Xia Yiming and Yao Yuekong had spoken up to help.
The Water Moon Pavilion hung in the night sky, its scenery elegant but vastly different from other places. There were no jade towers or magnificent palaces.
This place was a separate realm, a small space unto itself, close to nature. There were dense bamboo groves and verdant pine forests, with moonlight spilling down and secluded springs babbling.
Alongside the Temple of Subtle Desires and the Guanghan Tower, the Water Moon Pavilion was one of the three great refined establishments in the Divine City—a gentle nest that could erode a hero's ambition.
But its style was entirely different. Many regarded it as a pure land, where one could find peace of mind, far from the clamor of the mundane world.
Indeed, it was so. The silver moon hung high, the pine forest was picturesque, clear springs flowed over stones, and wooden pavilions dotted the landscape, returning to nature.
It truly felt transcendent, with a serene clarity as if existing outside the Three Realms—faint, hazy, quiet, and exquisitely beautiful.
"Could the Great Xia Prince be planning to invite us for a night of romance?" Li Heishui asked.
"How could that be? He has a little tail behind him; he wouldn't dare step out of line." Ye Fan laughed.
"Speaking of which, that White-Robed Little Nun is really clingy, following her brother around all day. The siblings have a pretty good relationship."
Ye Fan smiled too. "That little nun is cultivating in the secular world. She's even let her hair grow out."
They entered the forest of clear springs and were led by the Water Moon Pavilion's attendants to a wooden pavilion, where they soon met several familiar faces.
Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly turned around and left. The Ji Family's Divine King Physique was here. If he sensed Ye Fan's presence, it would be a huge disaster.
In addition, there was the Ji Family's Little Moon, the little nun, the Great Xia Prince, and Yao Yuekong. They weren't inside the wooden pavilion but on a high platform, drinking wine under the moon.
"You're late. You should be punished." Yao Yuekong laughed, signaling someone to pour wine.
"We'll punish ourselves with three cups." Ye Fan and Li Heishui climbed the platform and downed three cups of fine wine in quick succession.
"Three cups aren't enough. That's barely enough to wet your throats. Three jars would be more fitting." The Great Xia Prince chuckled.
"You two should go easy on us."
Moonlight fell like large patches of white fur across the pine forest. The high platform and the trees... what else was there?
"I'm telling the truth. An Miaoyi might be making her decision soon. Every generation of the Temple of Subtle Desires' inheritors does this. Let me think about who she'll choose. It'll definitely be a powerful Holy Son." Li Heishui pondered carefully.
"Such a woman is too utilitarian. What's there to ponder?" Ye Fan shook his head.
"Although you might become a Source Heaven Master in the future, there are too many variables. Most importantly, you have no background and can't compare to the Holy Sons." Li Heishui judged, "If the Holy Son Yao Guang hadn't been suppressed, I think An Miaoyi would have chosen him. Now it's hard to guess who it'll be, but I think she's already made up her mind."
"You really have nothing better to do..." Ye Fan shook his head.
The next day, Ye Fan began hosting banquets for the various Holy Sons and Holy Maidens. Since he couldn't attend all their invitations, he had to reciprocate. He wondered what expressions they would have when they learned he was the Sacred Body.
Now, many in the Divine City called him the Little Source Heaven Master and tried hard to win him over. When his true identity was eventually exposed, the situation would likely be very different.
Ye Fan never expected that day to come so quickly.
That afternoon, while he was visiting a Holy Land's stone gambling establishment, a white-haired old man appeared in the same stone garden, accompanied by several Source Art masters like Nangong Qi.
"You've changed your appearance?" The old man leaned on a cane, decrepit and ancient, impossibly old. He was as thin as a skeleton, like a walking corpse.
"Who are you?" Ye Fan's heart pounded violently. He was shocked to discover that the old man had almost cultivated a Heavenly Eye. His murky old eyes shot out two bolts of lightning, piercing through Ye Fan's disguise.
Nangong Qi scolded, "Show some respect! This is Senior Ouyang Ye of the Source Art world. In all these endless ages, he is the only one to have come infinitely close to the realm of an Earth Master."
An Earth Master was far from a Heaven Master. This terrifying old man of Source Art had cultivated for who knows how many years, yet he was only infinitely close to being an Earth Master. This showed just how lofty the realm of a Source Heaven Master was!
"You know the Heaven-Shifting Earth-Transforming Art. You must have obtained the Source Heaven Scroll!" Ouyang Ye was skin and bones, as old as one could get, but at this moment, his eyes shot out two terrifying beams of light, burning with intense heat.
"What do you want by stopping me?" Ye Fan's heart shook. The only thing that slightly reassured him was that this old man had been in seclusion for many years and had long since stopped appearing in the world. He wouldn't recognize the portrait of the Primordial Saint Body.
"We invited Grandmaster Ouyang out of retirement to give you, a junior, some guidance." Nangong Qi smiled meaningfully.
"Fine, no problem. Tomorrow, at the Dayan Stone Gambling Establishment, don't be late!" Ye Fan agreed readily, then turned and left. He couldn't stay a moment longer. His identity was exposed.
He pulled Li Heishui to a secluded spot, summoned a Dark Jade Platform, and prepared to teleport through the void. But he failed. He was shocked to find that he couldn't traverse the void at all!
Inside the Dayan Stone Gambling Establishment, Nangong Qi asked, "Grandmaster Ouyang, you said he changed his appearance. What does his true face look like?"
Ouyang Ye pressed his right hand into the void, and a true form materialized—it was Ye Fan's original appearance.
"It's him, the Primordial Saint Body!"
"How is that possible? It's him!"
The young members of the ancient Source Art aristocratic clan, along with several masters like Nangong Qi, were all stunned, utterly shocked. They never imagined it would be Ye Fan!
The Primordial Saint Body had caused a huge uproar in the Northern Domain, stirring up endless trouble and killing many young experts from the Holy Lands. Even they had seen his portrait.
"Chase him! Don't let him escape!"
"Gu Feng is Ye Fan! He's the Primordial Saint Body!"
Nangong Qi roared, his voice carrying for dozens of miles. The other party had a sacred artifact and the Source Heaven Scroll on him. He was a living treasure trove that had to be captured!
Such a loud shout was heard by many cultivators in the Divine City, all of whom were shocked and uncertain.
The disciples of the ancient Source Art aristocratic clan shouted, explaining to the crowd what had just happened.
The area immediately erupted into chaos. All the cultivators gave chase.
"He can't escape! The Jiang Family has sealed the Divine City with the Extreme Weapon, the Eternal Universe Divine Furnace. He has no way to leave!"
"Chase him! We must find him!"
The streets were in complete disarray. Many cultivators shouted as they searched everywhere.
An hour later, many had heard the news. The Divine City was shaken.
"Gu Feng is Ye Fan!"
"Heavens! The Gu Feng who shook the Divine City is actually that Primordial Saint Body! This is too shocking!"
When the various Holy Sons and Holy Maidens heard the news, they were dumbfounded. The person they had been hunting had come right under their noses and even shared a table with them, drinking together.