Chapter 617: The God-Converting Art
"Uncle Master, it will soon be time to select disciples for the inner sect. My master asked me to inform you to make preparations." Li Xiaoman bowed. She was pure and ethereal, her black hair fluttering, her white robes spotless, untouched by dust.
"I understand." The master of the Eastern Branch nodded.
Ye Fan's heart stirred. Would entering the inner sect bring him closer to the Nine Secrets? He had to seize this opportunity. No doubt others harbored the same thoughts.
Recently, he had been keeping an eye on Li Xiaoman, but he hadn't seen her contact anyone in particular, nor could he find any trace of Hua Yunfei.
He felt that Hua Yunfei must be in the Qin Sect, but he just didn't know who he was. He tried to find him through Li Xiaoman, but there were no clues or leads.
"Uncle Master, I'll take my leave." Li Xiaoman bowed again, her sleeves fluttering as she flew into the distance like a banished immortal.
The dust in the underground chamber settled, revealing a large vermilion coffin lying horizontally. Three snot-nosed children were wailing loudly below, while chickens and ducks ran and flew about in chaos.
Seeing the three crying brats below, the branch master was both amused and exasperated. "Look at you, you little wretches! All you do all day is steal chickens and dogs. If you don't behave, I'll lock you in this underground chamber!"
"Branch master, save us! This is the first time we've ever stolen anything. We'll never do it again!" The three snot-nosed children cried and sobbed, huddled against the large coffin, terrified out of their wits.
The expert at the Immortal Platform Secret Realm flicked his sleeve, rolling them and the coffin up together. With a loud clang, the coffin landed on the ground, carrying a damp aura.
This coffin had been buried underground for over ten thousand years, yet it showed no signs of decay. It remained as pristine as ever, carved from red-thread dragon wood, an extremely precious material.
"Bang"
The moment the coffin lid was opened, a green light shot out. It was a centipede, two meters long, as crystalline as jade, spitting out emerald mist from its mouth. The chickens and geese it touched all dissolved into pus and blood.
The branch master, at the peak of the first level of the Immortal Platform realm and a Half-Step Great Power, was naturally incredibly strong. He swept his sleeve, taking all the children away.
"A Heavenly Demon Centipede!"
Many people cried out. This was a centipede that had clearly cultivated into a formidable creature. Though not terrifyingly huge, it was still quite frightening.
"Bang!"
The branch master personally engaged it in battle, unleashing boundless magical power to continuously refine it. The emerald centipede tore through the void and actually escaped.
Everyone was shocked. This was an exotic insect that had cultivated for over eight hundred years. Although it hadn't transformed into human form, it possessed the strength of a Half-Step Great Power.
It followed the path of an insect king, choosing not to evolve into a human but to forcefully cultivate in its insect form, making it even more fearsome.
"Pfft"
A spray of green light shot out. Its venom pierced straight through the small mountain, leaving it transparent from front to back. One could imagine how devastating its power was.
The branch master let out a long roar, spitting out a small green gourd from his mouth. An endless stream of golden water vapor surged out, purifying the venom and flooding toward the emerald centipede.
"True Sun Water!"
Many people exclaimed. Even Ye Fan was surprised. True Sun Water was the counterpart to True Yin Water. Though it was water, it contained pure yang energy, specifically effective against dark insects and beasts.
"Pfft"
The emerald centipede opened its mouth and spat out a beam of green mist, which transformed into a centipede-shaped emerald short sword. It sliced through the void, charging toward the True Sun Water and the gourd.
"Not good! This centipede has deep cultivation. Retreat quickly!" the branch master shouted.
He clashed repeatedly with the emerald centipede in the sky. Below, an elder transformed into a beam of light and rushed toward the main sect to report the crisis.
At this moment, everyone was both tense and terrified. Inside the large vermilion coffin lay a corpse. Its flesh hadn't rotted, but it was pitch black like ink.
"This is red-thread dragon wood. It can preserve a body from decay for up to twenty thousand years. It's an unparalleled treasure. This person must have been a Lord-level figure in life. Otherwise, they couldn't have had such a coffin."
"Terrifying. This centipede has devoured the residual essence of the corpse's origin. No wonder it's so powerful."
Seeing everything in the coffin, everyone felt uneasy. A Lord, after death, had become food for a poisonous insect, unable to rest in peace.
The snot-nosed children turned pale, trembling in fear. They had just brushed past death. If the centipede hadn't looked down on their flesh and blood, they would have died long ago.
"Boom"
In the sky, the centipede's body shook violently. Green light blazed, and it suddenly expanded to over ten zhang in length, like a flood dragon. Its massive body, segment after segment, moved with a hundred legs, tearing through the void.
"A Heavenly Centipede at the peak of the first level of the Immortal Platform realm. Only a Great Power can subdue it. Its venom is too potent."
"Pfft"
The ten-zhang-long emerald centipede spat out a stream of green water, completely dissolving the peak of a small mountain, making it vanish into thin air. This extreme toxicity made everyone's hearts race.
"Demon insect, your life is forfeit!"
A long roar came from the distant sky. A Great Power descended on a cloud. From far away, he reached out a massive hand that covered the sky, grabbing toward the emerald centipede.
"A top-tier Great Power!" Ye Fan was shocked. So the main peak indeed had a super heavyweight figure stationed there. A Lord-level figure had arrived in an instant.
"Pfft"
The Heavenly Centipede soared through the air, its green light like a ribbon. Venom spewed from its mouth, and in one breath, it dissolved five small mountains into dust, erasing them from existence. It charged left and right, trying to escape.
However, the top-tier Great Power's methods were heaven-reaching. He completely sealed the space, reaching down to grab it. With a "smack," he caught it, then a burst of radiant light began to refine it.
"So this is a top-tier Saint Lord-level figure. Suppressing a Half-Step Great Power-level Heavenly Centipede King is really no different from pinching an ordinary bug." Ye Fan felt a chill.
The emerald centipede was extremely venomous, continuously spitting out green mist, but it couldn't break through the light barrier. It was refined by the magical power and rapidly shrank. Finally, it became only a palm's length long, as green as jade, lying motionless in the Great Power's palm.
"Wretched beast. As one of the five elemental poisonous insects, you're just right for cultivating a Gu King." This important figure from the main sect snorted coldly, placed it into a small cauldron, and then departed.
This was a top-tier Great Power. In an age without Saints or Greatly Accomplished King Bodies, they represented the strongest combat power in the world, the true rulers of the land.
"That insect was no ordinary creature. It had devoured the residual origin of the corpse."
"It's almost no longer a centipede. It has already transformed into a Gu. By devouring its own kind and other living beings, it will only grow stronger."
Gu was a method of locking various insect kings together, letting them devour each other until only one remained, cultivating it into a divine insect. This practice originated from the Southern Ridge among the Five Great Domains, where people were skilled in raising Gu.
At this moment, hearing their words, Ye Fan shuddered. He thought of the Devouring Demon Art. Wasn't it exactly the same? Those who cultivated this heavenly art devoured the King Bodies of the human race, strengthening themselves until they became the Gu King among humans. It was almost identical!
"When the Ancient Heavenly Emperor created this supreme demonic art, he was most likely inspired by the Gu King." Thinking this, Ye Fan's heart trembled. "This is bad!"
The Qinling Mountains were a mysterious ancient land, filled with ancient tombs. In the distant past, even figures from the Divine Dynasties came here to bury their dead. Who knew how many ancient burials lay within these mountains?
For Hua Yunfei to come here was like a fish in water. If he discovered some undecayed bodies, it would be a veritable "feast"!
The bodies of top-tier figures preserved intact would still retain residual origin essence. If they fell into Hua Yunfei's hands, just thinking about it was terrifying.
"In less than ten years, he could dominate the world!"
For the first time, Ye Fan felt that Hua Yunfei's future was even more terrifying than he had imagined. If he couldn't be stopped now, once he matured, he might be unstoppable.
A few days later, the master of the Eastern Branch announced a piece of news: in two months, disciples would be selected for the inner sect. Everyone in the branch was stirred.
"The four branches will compete. The first-place winner can enter the inner sect. Only one spot." the branch master said.
Everyone was stunned. Only the top person from the four branches could enter the main peak. The conditions were too harsh. After a great battle, everyone else's efforts would be in vain.
Ye Fan's heart tightened. As far as he knew, among the disciples of this branch alone, there were three or four who had reached the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. They all definitely had significant backgrounds.
The other three branches were no weaker. To compete for first place would surely be a fierce struggle. This was definitely intentional by the Qin Sect. They had long known that their disciples had ulterior motives.
"They came for the Nine Secrets. I came only for you, Princess Yueling. Who have you transformed into, and which branch are you in?" The scholar Qin Yue from the Eastern Branch muttered to himself.
This was the only information Ye Fan had obtained recently by keeping an eye on the scholar and the sick old man. He had used his Source Heaven Divine Art to connect with the earth's veins and overheard this remark.
"The second most beautiful woman in the Central Province, Princess Yueling of the Jiuli Divine Dynasty, is also in the Qin Sect?!" Ye Fan was quite surprised. In this tiny place, a small sect of just over a hundred people, hidden dragons and crouching phoenixes abounded. Who knew how many other formidable figures were here?
Now, there was no need to guess. That refined scholar was definitely a Prince-level figure from a Divine Dynasty. Otherwise, how would he dare to pursue the Heavenly Maiden Yueling? He was a hidden dragon.
"Among the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern branches, how many Princess Yuelings and Hua Yunfeis are there? How did they all find this place?" Ye Fan was puzzled. Clearly, some had already been here for a year or two, or even longer.
Two days later, the master of the Eastern Branch announced another piece of news: if one made a great contribution to the Qin Sect, they could also enter the main peak and cultivate the highest secret scriptures.
"What counts as a great contribution?" a disciple asked.
"Finding Dragon Marrow to extend the life of the main peak's elders, or presenting rare materials that can be used to forge a King-level divine weapon..."
Everyone was stunned. Each of these treasures was worth millions of catties of Source. This was truly a "great contribution" on a super scale!
Ye Fan felt that the Qin Sect must have long seen through the purposes of these disciples. Now they were asking for a huge price, collecting tuition from major powers like the Divine Dynasties.
"Old brother, do you plan to enter the main peak?" Ye Fan asked the sick old man after the crowd dispersed.
"It's better not to enter the inner sect." The sick old man shook his head.
"Why?" Ye Fan was puzzled.
"Some exceptionally talented figures who go in can never leave for their entire lives." The sick old man said.
"Who, for example?" Ye Fan was moved.
"For example, the King of the Azure Fall."
"What?!" Ye Fan was startled. He immediately thought of the Nine Heavens Azure Fall Bell, left behind by an invincible King twenty thousand years ago.
This King of the Azure Fall naturally couldn't be the same person from twenty thousand years ago. The sick old man spoke without restraint, revealing some secrets.
Thirty years ago, someone had found this place. The King of the Azure Fall was still in his prime at the time. Within a year, he entered the main peak, and from then on, he settled there, never leaving.
"It's not that he didn't want to leave, but..." The sick old man shook his head.
"Is there some hidden truth?" Ye Fan asked.
"Naturally." The sick old man recounted a shocking secret.
The main peak of the Qin Sect hid an extraordinary expert, no weaker than the Holy Lands. And most terrifying of all, they possessed a secret art called the God-Converting Art.
This art could convert a King. If Buddhism could save all living beings, then this art could convert all the Kings of the world. The higher one's talent, the greater the influence.
The King of the Azure Fall, within less than three years of entering the main peak, became a mountain gate protector. One could imagine his mental journey. Now, he had even become the Supreme Protector of the Qin Sect.
Thirty years had passed. He had never taken a single step away, taking root in the Qin Sect and officially becoming a member.
The God-Converting Art did not control the mind. Instead, it worked from the very origin, making a person sincerely submit to the sect. This was almost demonic.
"The Qin Sect may have few people, but the main peak is by no means lacking in experts. The King of the Azure Fall is just one of them. Thirty years have passed, and he can at least fight on par with a top-tier Saint Lord."
"The main peak is so unfathomable..." Ye Fan was stunned.
"Naturally. The origin of the God-Converting Art is terrifying. Legend has it that it was a supreme divine art left behind by the Southern Ridge Heavenly Emperor, capable of converting all the Kings of the world."
"This..." Ye Fan was dumbfounded. There were rumors in the world that the Southern Ridge Heavenly Emperor was the Ruthless Person. And here, there was actually one of his unparalleled sacred arts!