# Chapter 852: Divine Material
Yuan Gu's aura grew even stronger, suffocating those around him. Bronze-colored skin flickered with dao patterns, and his thick black hair merged with the void, exuding a pervasive dao aura.
"Yuan Gu!" Before Ye Fan could react, the Monkey nearly swung his wolf fang great club at him. They had crossed paths several years ago.
"It's you!" Yuan Gu's eyes also sharpened. His hair danced like an inverted waterfall, and his towering body pressed down like a demonic mountain, making it hard to breathe.
Ye Fan stopped the Monkey, stepping forward to confront the formidable enemy ahead. Between them, a dense web of dao patterns appeared, forming a field.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, a dao sword materialized in the void, slashing down to cleave apart the nascent field between them, defusing an impending eruption of violence.
Heavenly Market had forbidden formations that prohibited conflict. Initially, it would only issue warnings, but if fighting continued, divine punishment would descend, often resulting in the destruction of both spirit and body.
Ye Fan and Yuan Gu each stepped back, ceasing their confrontation. They couldn't fight here, but their battle intent had already soared.
"Yuan Gu, how long will you hide?" the Monkey asked.
"So it's the Holy Prince. I've already severed the Dao. After I kill the Human Clan's Sacred Body, I'll come to face you, suppressing your father's legacy in the name of my ancestor!" Yuan Gu declared domineeringly. This wasn't just aggression but confidence. Having entered Immortal Three, his entire demeanor had changed, establishing an invincible belief that he could sweep away all opponents.
Ye Fan spoke, "I've been waiting for you. Too afraid to fight, you hid away consolidating your realm until now. Finally daring to come out?"
"All psychological attacks are useless against me. I am invincible right now. Nothing you say matters. This time, the time is yours to decide. I'll be ready whenever!" Yuan Gu's words rang like metal striking metal.
Their encounter in Heavenly Market immediately drew attention from all directions. Countless eyes watched—the strongest battle was about to begin.
"Half a month from now, life or death!" Ye Fan declared.
"Fine. At the ancient battlefield of Qixia Plain," Yuan Gu responded.
After their exchange, Heavenly Market erupted in chaos. People buzzed with discussion, all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the great era. The first battle on the blood-soaked imperial path was about to begin.
That day, news spread like wings to every corner, drawing attention from major powers. The Human Clan's Sacred Body would battle the Ancient Emperor's bloodline—a war of profound significance.
"I want this immortal flower. What do you need in exchange?" Yuan Gu asked the stall owner, clearly intending to gift it to the Fire Qilin Cave's imperial daughter.
By now, the stone table was completely surrounded. People from all walks of life watched. The owner of the miraculous flower looked very uncomfortable.
Both Fire Qilin Child and Yuan Gu were not to be offended. The forces behind them were imperial clans, making him tremble with fear.
"First come, first served. I've claimed this rare flower," Ye Fan said.
"Brother Ye, long time no see. Let's compete fairly for this divine flower." Fire Qilin Child smiled, her water-blue hair shining like silk. Her smile could topple cities, stunning everyone around.
"Fine, fair competition." Ji Ziyue smiled, stepping forward lightly. Her big eyes curved into crescent moons, and her jade-white oval face beamed with a bright smile.
"This flower..." The stall owner hesitated. People from Fire Qilin Cave and Primordial Lake had taken an interest in the rare flower, filling him with fear.
"Don't be afraid. No one will force a sale. What exactly do you want in exchange?" An elder from Fire Qilin Cave spoke from behind, a strong guardian assigned to protect the imperial daughter.
"He said earlier he wanted a Jade King from the Nine Heavens Divine Jade series, or Great Luo Silver Essence, etc.," someone nearby explained.
"What? Isn't that asking too much?" Yuan Gu muttered, and even the elderly imperial clan guardians behind him raised their eyebrows.
Nine Heavens Divine Jade Kings were all treasures capable of forging legendary saint weapons—priceless and impossible to find in the world. Great Luo Silver Essence was the same, encountered only by chance, hard even for ancestral kings to obtain.
"Somewhat excessive!" said the elder behind Fire Qilin Child. Even someone of his status had no hope of possessing such materials. Trading a mediocre rare flower for them was truly unreasonable.
Despite the outrageous demand, many female cultivators lingered, all hoping to obtain the rare flower.
Ye Fan sighed softly. Getting this flower would be difficult. He had Mother Qi of All Things and Phoenix Blood Red Gold, but no Great Luo Silver Essence.
He didn't want to disappoint Ji Ziyue. "Let's look around first. I'll definitely get you an immortal flower."
Years ago, he had cut out a pair of twin divine flowers at Jade Pool. He hoped to find something on the strange stone street ahead—perhaps luck would favor him again.
Clearly, Yuan Gu, Fire Qilin Child, and their guardians didn't carry such divine materials either. They had no choice but to turn away.
"Keep it safe. I'll bring a piece of Divine Jade King soon!" Yuan Gu said as he left.
Heavenly Market was a place where dragons and tigers lurked. They planned to use their connections to borrow a small piece of divine material in exchange for the flower.
Yuan Gu naturally thought it wasn't worth it, and the guardians were one hundred twenty percent opposed, but Fire Qilin Child was determined.
Now that Primordial Lake was seeking marriage with Fire Qilin Cave, they had to obtain this flower no matter how precious.
"Ah, memories. Those days roaming Divine City are truly nostalgic," Li Heishui sighed.
Back then, he and Ye Fan had dominated the Holy Land stone gambling halls, cutting out countless precious materials, causing one sensation after another.
"Speaking of which, when I become an Origin Heavenly Master, I must capture that stone king in Divine City and see what it really is," Ye Fan laughed.
They entered the strange stone street. Stones filled their vision, piled into small mountains, occupying a full fifth of Heavenly Market's territory.
Clearly, this was also an important area. Many people came and went, including heroes of their generation and clan leaders—all with significant backgrounds.
"In ancient times, the earth contained more various precious materials, many raw ores mined and sold directly..." the Monkey explained.
Ye Fan and the others were intrigued. These stones had been sealed for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, far more valuable than those in Divine City. This wasn't just gambling on source but also various divine materials.
Many had cultivated heavenly eyes, but only Ye Fan in the current world had achieved Origin Heaven Eyes. Coming here, his heart was far from calm.
"This is too much of a rip-off." After walking several hundred meters, Ye Fan found mostly waste stones. Occasionally, they contained precious materials, but pitifully little. Buying them would be a loss.
"Any stone with even a slight chance wouldn't be brought here for sale. These have all been screened," the Monkey said.
Moreover, these sellers rarely wanted source. They demanded materials they needed in exchange because they truly didn't lack source.
After walking half the street, Ye Fan finally found some good things. Unfortunately, either the owner's exchange demands were impossible to meet, or the price was outrageously higher than actual value.
Finally, they found an area where source could be exchanged for strange stones, but the required divine source was jaw-dropping—often needing a piece as big as a human head.
Arriving here, Ye Fan remained calm. He selected a meter-square bluish-brown stone, bargained a few times, paid half a head-sized piece of divine source, and began cutting.
First, as he scraped away the stone skin, blinding divine light immediately flew out. The interior contained divine source—no matter what, this wasn't a loss.
Then Ye Fan continued cutting. The stone skin fell away, and the divine source was split open. The interior didn't emit more blinding light but instead sacred and gentle radiance that calmed the heart.
"Heavens! Such a large piece of Great Luo Silver Essence! How many rare treasures is that worth?!" As the stone was split, exclamations erupted, and the area nearly boiled over.
Many rushed over, their emotions running high, almost wanting to snatch it immediately. Inside a thin layer of divine source was more than half a cubic meter of silver metal, flowing with dao patterns, mysterious and unfathomable.
The stone pile's owner was dumbfounded, then wailed in despair, "Damn divine source..."
Divine source was a mysterious substance. It could float, fly, and alter the weight of stone materials. The items sealed inside were hard to judge by weight.
More than half a cubic meter of Great Luo Silver Essence—without that layer of divine source, it would have crushed the ground. The stone owner beat his chest and stamped his feet, cursing divine source for misleading him and causing him to miss such a treasure.
"Brother Heishui, here's material for your weapon refinement," Ye Fan laughed.
Most people had a primary weapon, something they personally refined, growing alongside them—the master king controlling other weapons.
Of course, some didn't choose this path. For example, Duan De only focused on assimilating others' weapons. If he had half an imperial weapon and still wanted to forge a primary weapon, his brain would have to be squeezed by a door. No primary weapon could control the Devouring Demon Jar.
Last time in the Ancient Purgatory, when everyone refined their weapons, Li Heishui's weapon shattered due to poor material.
Ye Fan wanted to give him the Vajra Ring, but Li Heishui found it awkward to use, feeling it was better to forge his own primary weapon.
"This emperor also lacks primary weapon materials!" the Big Black Dog barked.
"This poor Daoist is the same!" Duan De rubbed his hands.
Everyone scorned them. One had followed Emperor Wu Shi—how could he lack primary weapon divine materials? The other had half an imperial weapon and still pretended to be poor—deserving a lightning strike.
"Speaking of which, how many weapons can half a cubic meter of Great Luo Silver Essence forge? Even saints would be envious!" the Monkey sighed.
"Brother Heishui, any leftover divine materials can be taken back to forge divine robes for Little Sparrow and Tongtong," Ye Fan said.
"Damn—extravagant!" Even Duan De was jealous and resentful.
"This emperor also feels the need for a set of imperial battle robes," the Big Black Dog said, his face thicker than pigskin.
"Hurry and exchange for the immortal flower." Ye Fan put away the half cubic meter of Great Luo Silver Essence and left.
Ji Ziyue's face was full of happy smiles. The small dimples that had been missing for days reappeared. She ran ahead like a joyful sprite.
"Did my eyes just deceive me? Was that really half a cubic meter of Great Luo Silver Essence? Damn it, no justice!"
Before the stone pile, a crowd was stunned, unable to recover for a long time. This strange stone street caused a huge sensation, with many people flooding in.
When Ye Fan and the others returned, the immortal flower was still there, growing in a clay pot, crystal clear and dripping, surrounded by streaks of light, its bud about to bloom.
As requested, Ye Fan took out a piece of silver essence the size of a baby's fist to exchange for the flower.
"This..." The stall owner was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected someone to bring divine material so quickly. He was in a difficult position—though he wanted to trade, he greatly feared the ancient imperial clan.
"According to Heavenly Market's rules, once I put down the Great Luo Silver Essence, I can take this potted flower. It's useless for you to back out." Ye Fan dropped the Great Luo Silver Essence, directly picked up the immortal flower, and gave it to Ji Ziyue.
"So fragrant! It's like ascending to immortality." Ji Ziyue held the flowerpot, incredibly happy. She smelled the fragrance, looking intoxicated, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, beautiful and moving.
"Wait!" Yuan Gu and his group returned.
"Too bad. You're too late. We've already completed the exchange," Ye Fan said.
"Not yet. According to the rules, as long as we bring more Great Luo Silver Essence than you, this flower belongs to us," Yuan Gu said arrogantly.
He took out a piece of Great Luo Silver Essence, a circle larger than Ye Fan's. Streaks of dao patterns rippled out, peaceful and brilliant, captivating everyone's attention.
"Truly troublesome," Ye Fan said.
"Put down the flowerpot and leave immediately. In half a month, I'll take your life," Yuan Gu sneered.
"I mean, why make things so complicated?" Ye Fan casually opened a magical artifact space and took out another piece of Great Luo Silver Essence, placing it on the ground.
"What?! This is..." Not just Yuan Gu, but even the elders behind him widened their eyes, filled with shock.
In a brief glance, they saw such a large piece of Great Luo Silver Essence. Their breathing quickened, and they felt dizzy.
Not just those present—even if an ancestral king came, they'd be dumbfounded. How much was such a treasure worth? Absolutely heaven-defying!
Remember, most saints died without leaving behind legendary saint weapons. One reason was the difficulty of refinement, but the most crucial factor was the lack of divine materials.
Such a large piece wasn't cabbage, wasn't scrap metal—it was Great Luo Silver Essence! Even the imperial clan treasuries had less silver essence reserve than this.
No one would take it out for use. Only those who hadn't reached Saint King level were unqualified to refine it. It was a weapon-refining treasure reserved for peerless experts.
"Put away your silver essence and leave immediately. In half a month, I'll take your life," Ye Fan said with a smile, returning the original words.
"You..." Yuan Gu changed color for the first time since severing the Dao. This was too humiliating, especially in front of Fire Qilin Child.
He had just been looking down on his opponent, and now the Human Clan's Sacred Body had revealed half a cubic meter of Great Luo Silver Essence. His small piece looked utterly pathetic in comparison.
"Is there no justice? Carrying this much around—trying to crush people to death?!" He cursed inwardly, furious. He felt he had lost face completely in front of Fire Qilin Child.
"Brother Ye..." The Fire Qilin Cave imperial daughter looked pitiful, staring at the rare flower, wanting him to part with it, hesitating to speak.
No woman was indifferent to her appearance, even an ancient emperor's daughter. The immortal flower was priceless to them.
"I've already given it away," Ye Fan said.
"Sister, if you truly want eternal youth, you can visit my home later. This immortal flower might bloom again," Ji Ziyue smiled, hugging the flowerpot, refusing to let go no matter what.
"Really?" Fire Qilin Child said, her big eyes darting around.
"Of course it's true. But don't try to take this flower from me," Ji Ziyue said with a clever look.
"And where does little sister live?" Fire Qilin Child also smiled slyly, stepping forward to ask.
Those nearby were a bit stunned. The two women had actually struck up a relationship, inviting each other. The most furious was Yuan Gu, who stared coldly at Ye Fan.
"This battle decides life and death. Only one survives!"
"Good. That's exactly what I want!"
Yuan Gu and Ye Fan spoke in turn, confronting each other. A cold killing intent spread, making Heavenly Market feel icy and bleak.
*Helping someone advertise: "Emblem of Wrath" — a magical mecha with a warcraft style, aiming for a super-divine mecha pilot, a firefighting captain reversing the battle's tide.*