Chapter 610: Crossing Tribulation, Obtaining Marrow
Ye Fan stood silently for a long time, thinking of many things. This old Daoist had ultimately pointed out the whereabouts of the Nine Secrets; perhaps they could be found.
The Cai Family was a key clue, one that could surely be unearthed. Moreover, before passing away, the old Daoist had circled the small Daoist temple three times, ultimately gazing westward, implying something.
"Just drinking in the hall at home, I look back and see eight thousand years..."
All these threads connected, pointing to a vaguely visible path. As long as one sought diligently, they could surely learn where the Nine Secrets lay.
A Saint lay buried here, dying with detachment. Every word and action contained profound principles, yet remained unknown to others. This was perhaps a truly lofty figure.
Ye Fan resided here permanently. Half a month later, he completely refined all the Dragon Marrow, comprehending the law fragments within. A great dragon surged from his spine, and a breakthrough was imminent, its roar shaking the Nine Heavens.
"No, I cannot undergo tribulation here. When the lightning descends, the low mountain will cease to exist. This place of Dao dissolution could one day make a great sect flourish; it cannot be destroyed because of me."
Ye Fan rushed into the distant sky, seeking a desolate, uninhabited region. He did not want anyone to witness his tribulation, crossing endless mountains and rivers along the way.
Finally, after flying three thousand li, he arrived at an uninhabited area—a vast wilderness with many lakes and swamps, shrouded in mist.
Like an Azure Dragon, he let out a whistling cry, leaping across the sky and entering this vast lake and marshland, his speed inconceivably fast.
"Flying so fast, are you rushing to reincarnate?!" someone shouted in reprimand.
"How dare you! What reckless madman dares to collide with the Dragon-Seeking Master?!"
The stretch of swamps and large lakes, veiled in watery mist, had been uninhabited for countless years, untouched by human feet.
Today, besides Ye Fan flying overhead, a group of cultivators was also riding the wind. Seeing Ye Fan leap over them, many shouted.
"Capture him! How dare he fly over our heads, not knowing life from death!"
Ye Fan was surprised. Glancing down, he said, "Such bold words! If an Immortal were to fly past, would you try to blast them down too?"
The people below acted ruthlessly, saying nothing more. Each offered up their magical artifacts, which shimmered with light as they struck toward the sky.
Ye Fan sneered. He was about to break through and had no time to tangle with these people. Transforming into a streak of light, he vanished at the horizon, disappearing from sight.
These people were stunned. Such speed astonished them; they could never catch up, and a hint of worry appeared on their faces.
"Could that person be heading for the ancestral vein? Has news leaked? Is someone coming to vie for the immortal treasure?"
"Not necessarily. We can't yet confirm whether rare Dragon Marrow has been born in the underground ancestral vein. Perhaps he was just passing through."
"Dragon-Seeking Master, do you think dragon qi here could transform into divine marrow?" someone respectfully asked a person in a dragon-drawn carriage.
...
Ye Fan flew another five hundred li before stopping in the uninhabited area, standing among the lakes and swamps. He did not immediately undergo tribulation but first observed the terrain.
If he underwent tribulation, it would shake heaven and earth, impossible to hide. It might even attract enemies. He muttered to himself, "I'd better make some preparations."
Using Source Art forbidden techniques, he carefully carved on several Divine Source blocks, exhausting his energy for a full day and night. Then he thoroughly inspected the Dark Jade Platform.
"During tribulation, the God-Slaying Whip probably can't conceal the heavenly secrets anymore. Someone might deduce my location then."
Ye Fan considered undergoing tribulation at the Yin Yang Sect but decided against it. Acting so conspicuously in the Central Province might invite deadly disaster.
Relying solely on lightning tribulation likely couldn't destroy a top-tier sect; at most, it would cause chaos. The world had more than just the Heaven-Deceiving Array left by Emperor Wu Shi.
According to Black Emperor, there were four similar divine patterns, two of which had already spread, mastered by many great sects. If the Yin Yang Sect possessed such a formation, going there to undergo tribulation would likely end in tragedy.
Ye Fan spent three days preparing thoroughly, ensuring nothing went wrong. Then he flew into the high sky, chose the only mountain range in the swamp, stood at its peak, and began his tribulation to break through.
"Boom!"
Ten-thousand-zhang lightning descended from beyond the sky, soon flooding the area, turning it into a sea of lightning that covered the entire mountain range.
The vast heavenly tribulation, though not as exaggerated as breaking through a major secret realm—which would summon eighty-one heavenly dragons—was still extremely terrifying. Chaotic lightning struck down from time to time.
Ye Fan offered up the Primordial Qi Cauldron, letting it absorb the lightning sea's attacks and inscribe the Dao's imprints. It was now beginning to evolve the laws of heaven and earth.
At the same time, a golden figure rushed out from the golden lake in his brow, opening its mouth to swallow lightning, tempering his powerful divine sense.
Few dared to do this—using such a fierce heavenly tribulation to baptize their divine sense. One misstep could lead to eternal damnation. Divine sense was the foundation of a person's existence; any damage was fatal.
Physical injuries could be repaired, but if divine sense shattered, it could mean losing memories or part of one's personality—extremely deadly.
However, Ye Fan was not afraid. Having experienced this several times, he had some experience. He advanced step by step, not trying to shake the entire lightning sea at once.
At this moment, he stood in the void. The endless sea of lightning surged. His body, the cauldron, and his divine sense moved together, accepting the baptism, drawing infinite thunderous light.
Endless lightning, deafening roars, chaotic qi swirling. The Primordial Qi Cauldron floated and sank at the center of the tribulation, struck flying back and forth, inscribed with countless heavenly patterns.
Ye Fan's physical body was the same, bathed in the most terrifying tribulation lightning. Every inch of his flesh was translucent. The tribulation lightning struck his crown, pierced through, and exited from the soles of his feet.
This was a terrifying scene. Countless lightning bolts, each capable of shattering a mountain peak, all struck one point. Ye Fan became a sun.
An unknown amount of lightning entered through his crown, blindingly bright. The lightning exiting his feet was like a waterfall, leveling the mountains below.
The golden figure originally sitting in his brow now rushed ten thousand zhang into the sky, arriving at the most intense part of the tribulation. It opened its mouth to swallow, drawing down even stronger lightning.
Various electric bolts rushed into its mouth, drowning it. The golden figure, formed from divine sense, continuously tempered itself, transforming toward an indestructible divine thought.
Ye Fan let out a long roar. Twin beams of divine light, several li long, shot from his eyes, piercing through the lightning, shaking mountains and rivers.
The Primordial Qi Cauldron resonated with him, together shattering the heavenly tribulation. Floating and sinking in the sky, it was imprinted with complex Dao marks, growing ever more mysterious.
The golden figure of divine sense also roared, its sound waves fiercer than the physical body's, collapsing the void and boiling the lightning sea!
He succeeded in breaking through, finally entering the fourth transformation of the Dragon Transformation realm. His strength surged greatly. Stretching his arms and legs, he felt powerful enough to shatter a mountain peak with one punch.
"Fourth transformation of Dragon Transformation—I feel this immense power!"
Ye Fan opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing back the cauldron. The golden figure automatically flew back, sitting in his brow. The three merged, using the lightning for final tempering.
The mountain range below had vanished. Even the earth was blasted down over a hundred zhang, forming a vast, terrifying canyon.
"Cough... what happened?"
"Has the sky collapsed and the earth sunk? How could this be? We were almost buried alive!"
Underground, someone was furious, coughing and roaring.
"Dammit, what's going on? Someone... is undergoing tribulation!"
"Damn it! The heavenly tribulation shattered the mountains and sank the earth. We were searching for Dragon Marrow and suffered this undeserved disaster!"
A group of people was furious, having suffered such calamity for no reason.
Ye Fan was surprised. Sensing all this amid the endless lightning, he was amused. It was the same group he'd seen three days ago, who had threatened to kill him.
"It's him..."
Someone recognized Ye Fan. Three days ago, he'd flown over their heads. Now, even worse, he was undergoing tribulation right above them.
"Get out of the lightning sea! Bring the Dragon-Seeking Master out! Don't touch the heavenly punishment!" someone shouted, transmitting to the group.
They hid underground, afraid to come up, lest they touch the lightning and be forced to undergo tribulation themselves, which would likely mean no way out.
"Are you searching for Dragon Marrow?" Ye Fan's heart stirred. He descended, bringing endless lightning with him.
"Damn it! Run!"
The people panicked. The earth was immediately blasted down, the canyon collapsing again, unable to withstand the lightning sea's bombardment, turning to ash in an instant.
They fled quickly, escaping through underground veins into the distance, as if fleeing from demons.
"Who are you? Do you dare to oppose the Earth Master lineage and steal the Dragon Marrow we discovered?"
"This old man is the Dragon-Seeking Master. This grudge is recorded."
"Earlier, you offended us, and now you steal the divine marrow mine we found. One day, you'll pay with your life!"
Those people were extremely unwilling, escaping through underground passages in all directions.
"Shut up! Earlier, you arrogantly threatened to kill me. Now you're reaping the karma." Ye Fan descended.
The lightning sea struck into the earth, clearing a path for him. Ye Fan followed the mineral vein they had dug, traveling deep underground.
"This terrain resembles a dragon vein containing Divine Source. They are connected and can be cross-referenced."
Ye Fan was surprised. The Central Province's marrow-seekers' unique arts likely shared common ground with the Eastern Wasteland's Source Art.
Ahead, the path was cut off. They had only dug this far, not yet finding any rare marrow.
"If I speculate using Source Art, there should be a divine object here, but it's also a dangerous place with unknown creatures!" Ye Fan was startled.
However, he did not retreat. With the heavenly tribulation upon him, he could use it to dig open this marrow vein and obtain the treasure.
"Boom!"
Ten-thousand-zhang lightning continued to strike. Though it was nearly over, just the final remnants, it was still terrifying, blasting the earth veins into constant collapse.
After advancing another thousand zhang, deep in the earth, a pair of massive stone doors blocked the way, lying horizontally ahead.
"Oh? An ancient door underground? Clearly, some creature lives here."
Ye Fan did not stop. Carrying endless lightning, he reached the stone doors. In moments, dust flew everywhere. After being struck hundreds of times by the heavenly tribulation, the ancient stone doors shattered.
This was an ancient mine. Someone had come here countless tens of thousands of years ago. The cave held many dry bones. Ye Fan followed the ancient tunnel for several hundred paces before reaching the end.
"Treasure marrow!"
Ahead was a marrow pool, about one meter square, emitting endless dragon qi. Within were thirty-six drops of crystalline liquid, each seeming to contain a small dragon swimming back and forth, dazzling and fragrant enough to intoxicate.
"Ooooh..."
A hair-raising cry came. Beside the marrow pool appeared three silver creatures, their sacred light flickering like three Sacred Spirits, staring fixedly at Ye Fan.