# Chapter 753: A Priceless Dragon
"Half a month from now, at Qixia Plain, I look forward to the moment your head flies and your golden blood spills!" Yuangu cast one last glance at Ye Fan before turning and leaving.
"Not being able to fight the young Emperor Yuan in his prime is truly a great regret in life. I suppose cutting down his bloodline will have to console me." Ye Fan said casually.
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into dead silence. Even Huo Qizi and the others were stunned. Everyone was shocked, the stillness absolute.
What kind of domineering spirit was this? The ancient emperors were regarded as deities in their hearts, and no one had ever dared to compare themselves to them. Yet now, the Human Clan's Sacred Body spoke in such a tone.
Yuangu whirled around and said, "How arrogant! On the fifteenth day, when the eastern sun rises, we meet at Qixia Plain without fail. I will wash my hands with your sacred blood!"
The crowd erupted into clamor, everyone discussing animatedly, filled with anticipation for this battle. It would be the strongest confrontation.
No gimmicks, just a true blood-soaked battle on the Imperial Path—the Human Clan's Sacred Body against the Ancient Emperor's bloodline, igniting a series of conflicts.
"This is too much! Dare to compare himself to Emperor Yuan? Does he really think he can attain the Dao!?"
"I want to watch that battle, to see with my own eyes the descendant of Emperor Yuan cut down the Human Clan's Sacred Body, to proclaim the supreme divine might of our Ancient Emperor!"
In the Heavenly Marketplace, many living beings were discussing. Since the ancient tribes dominated here, they naturally favored the Ancient Emperor's descendant, believing Ye Fan was too disrespectful.
Of course, there were also a few Human Clan cultivators who were stirred up, hoping Ye Fan would succeed in battle, slay Yuangu, and raise Human Clan prestige.
The storm was coming!
People knew that in fifteen days, the world would boil. The eyes of the world would focus on the Northern Domain. A shocking battle would stir the winds and clouds of the Five Domains, officially raising the curtain on the Great Era.
"Sister, it's settled then. Soon I will visit the Ji Family in the Southern Domain. You must take good care of this rare flower." Huo Qizi smiled, turning to bid farewell to Ji Ziyue, while also inviting her to visit the Fire Qilin Cave during her stay in the Northern Domain.
"Let's go too. Our identities have been recognized. An innocent man may have wealth but it invites disaster. There will likely be big trouble when we leave." Duan De said. He had many enemies, having dug up many ancestral graves, and was always cautious out of habit.
Ye Fan nodded. This unexpected acquisition of such a large piece of divine material made them all uneasy. They walked away along the Strange Stone Street.
"Hmm, that stone contains a piece of mutton-fat divine iron, but the price tag is too high."
"Wait, that stone ahead contains Divine Source, with refined gold sealed inside. Ah, what a pity, it's just a piece of purple copper, not divine material."
...Ye Fan walked and observed, hoping to cut out a few more precious materials before leaving. This place had waste stones piled like mountains, but there were truly good things, though the prices were outrageous.
"Oh? This area's stones are quite unusual—almost all have something inside, though not very precious." Ye Fan was surprised.
Ahead, this area of stones covered a wide expanse, all top-quality strange stones with an unusual aura, divine beauty and spiritual energy swirling around.
"This place has produced many good things, but the owner's requirements are extremely strict..."
Although stones were sold here, if divine materials were cut out, they had the right to buy them back at a fair price, with no cheating.
"So many rules, who would want to come?" Li Tian muttered.
However, Ye Fan stopped. There was something extraordinary here, especially a stone he had his eye on that contained Divine Source, sealing a living creature.
"Can we negotiate with them to buy the stone directly without cutting it here?"
The monkey shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "That definitely won't work. I've heard the owner of this stone area has a huge background—it's the Nine Phoenix King, who might become a Great Sage in the future. He won't be easy to deal with."
The group sucked in cold air. The Nine Phoenix King had appeared at the Yao Chi Grand Gathering. In ancient times, the Battle Saint Emperor once commented that his talent was not bad, making him famous across the world.
"What do we do..." Ye Fan was troubled, because he had truly discovered something unusual.
"Kid, did you find a treasure? If not, let's just rob them and run." The big black dog offered a bad idea. It had seen too many treasures here and was already red-eyed, having muttered several times about pulling off a big heist and then fleeing.
"Go cool off somewhere. There are definitely people in the shadows waiting for us to make a mistake. If you want to rob, come back another day yourself." Ye Fan grabbed its neck, warning it not to cause trouble.
"Kid, did you really see something good? I wonder if their buyback here is truly fair." Duan De's eyes gleamed with a thief's light.
The monkey said, "Don't worry. The Nine Phoenix King was famous in ancient times, one of the few top experts in the world. His stone business won't cause trouble—he can't afford to lose face."
"Alright, I'll cut it open. I just wonder what they can offer in exchange this time. I've really found a treasure." Ye Fan said.
Having seen so many good things, for him to evaluate something like this meant it was truly extraordinary. This immediately excited the people around him.
"Little Leaf, what did you find?" Even Ji Ziyue was curious, tilting her head to ask, her lips curved in a gentle smile, her whole being ethereal and divine.
"A dragon!" Ye Fan replied.
"What?" Everyone was dumbfounded. They could tell he wasn't joking—he looked very serious.
The price tag on this stone wasn't outrageous; it was completely affordable. Ye Fan bought it and began cutting on the spot. Many people had been watching, and when they saw him making another move, they all gathered around.
"I really look forward to seeing what a dormant dragon is..." Black Emperor drooled, lying in front of this green stone, refusing to leave even half a step.
This was a one-meter-long green stone, very inconspicuous, placed in a corner. Clearly, few people paid attention to it, and even the few guards in charge of the stones didn't care.
The stone skin was scraped off, and dazzling light shot out. Regardless, cutting out Divine Source meant no loss.
"There's a living creature sealed inside!" Someone with sharp eyes exclaimed in surprise.
"Crack"
Ye Fan worked quickly, almost instantly opening the stone, revealing a basin-sized piece of Divine Source. Inside was a coiled dragon, its body golden, dazzling and brilliant.
"Could it be another Divine Silkworm was cut out?" Li Heishui was uncertain.
However, others were dumbfounded. This couldn't be a Divine Silkworm—the features were obvious, completely different from that clan's form.
"Is this a true dragon? Why do I smell medicinal fragrance, rich and sweet, making me want to take a bite!"
Many exclaimed, all with mouths wide open, staring incredulously at the coiled dragon in the source. If stretched out, it would be nearly a meter long, with a very special aura—sacred without being imposing.
"It's dead, not alive, but this is definitely a heaven-defying treasure!"
Many had witnessed Ye Fan cutting out Great Luo Silver Essence, and now seeing him produce such a divine object again, they were all shocked, the place immediately buzzing.
"What exactly is this? It smells so good. Could it be a dragon-shaped divine medicine?"
"A heaven-defying treasure! These people truly have long-lasting heavenly fortune, cutting out rare treasures twice. How enviable!"
A large crowd surged in, all marveling, unable to identify what it was. Some suspected it might be a true dragon corpse.
"Damn it, dead dog, you've soaked my shoes." Ye Fan kicked it.
At this moment, the big black dog's drool was flowing like a small river, its big paws hugging the Divine Source block, shouting, "Mine! None of you dare snatch it!"
Duan De also seemed possessed by a ferocious god, shoving Ye Fan aside and climbing onto the big black dog to fight for this Divine Source, wanting to claim it for himself.
For the two most shameless and greedy bastards to get so excited, it was clearly a heaven-defying treasure. Obviously, both recognized it and were desperately fighting, brawling in public.
"Could it be..." Ye Fan looked closely and suddenly understood.
Just then, several powerful guards in charge of the stones appeared, saying, "We need to buy back this heaven-defying treasure."
"Buy back my ass! What are you going to trade for it?" Black Emperor was anxious, immediately whispering with Fatty Duan, actually discussing a robbery on the spot.
"A rare dragon loach, and one this big, almost like a true dragon, is even more priceless—beyond value in this world." An old man said.
"It really is a dragon loach! How can it be this big? Truly heaven-defying, a rare divine medicine!" Many exclaimed.
In the current world, there were no more than ten dragon loaches, the longest being about a foot. Three were at Yao Chi, one was in the Immortal Mansion World, and Ye Fan had been fortunate enough to see them.
A one-foot dragon loach could almost rival a Medicine King. One this size needed no explanation—nearly a meter long, its fragrance penetrating through the Divine Source.
"What a pity, it's dead, its blood congealed, its medicinal properties sharply reduced. Otherwise, such a millennial rare dragon loach would be worth nearly half an Immortal Pill." A knowledgeable old man sighed.
Even so, this dragon loach was worth a fortune, with few things comparable. If used as the main ingredient for refining medicine, it could extend life by six hundred to a thousand years.
What did that mean? It would make even ancient sages bow and beg. In this world, nothing was more precious than lifespan, especially when it was nearly exhausted.
A one-meter-long dragon loach, golden all over, coiled in the source, looked more like a true dragon than the three seen at Yao Chi's mud pond. Lifelike, its golden dragon body dazzling, spiritual energy overflowing, every drop of essence blood within was precious "life."
In the end, Black Emperor and Duan De's robbery plan failed. A large number of powerful figures appeared around them, each with blood energy soaring to the heavens, terrifyingly strong. If a real fight broke out, they definitely couldn't break through.
"What are you going to trade for this dragon?" Ye Fan asked, very calm, sitting on a precious chair specially brought for him.
Ji Ziyue also smiled and spoke, "This is a priceless immortal treasure. Do you have an Immortal Pill? Do you have precious materials exclusive to a Great Emperor? Aside from these, I can't think of what could be exchanged for it."
"This..." Several subordinates of the Nine Phoenix King were troubled. They truly had no precious items of equivalent value.
"Could you gentlemen step aside for a moment?" Just then, a black-robed powerful figure appeared. Everyone involuntarily made way for him as he approached the Nine Phoenix King's men.
"He is the eldest grandson of Chaos Expansion Great Sage, with one foot already stepped into the Ancestral King realm!" People exclaimed, knowing why he had come. He had Nine Orifices Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid, which could be exchanged for this dragon loach.
The Nine Phoenix King's men dared not be negligent. Chaos Expansion Great Sage—what kind of terrifying existence was that? One person could annihilate the living beings of half an ancient star. Offending him meant no way to survive under heaven or earth, including the Nine Phoenix King himself!
"This matter requires us to immediately report to the Nine Phoenix King. This dragon loach is far too precious; we cannot make the decision." After the two sides conversed, the Nine Phoenix King's men said with difficulty.
"Very well, I will await the Nine Phoenix King's reply." Chaos Expansion Great Sage's eldest grandson said.
Ye Fan sighed inwardly. He knew this situation would arise, but even if he hadn't cut this stone, someone else would have discovered it sooner or later.
The stone already had a crack on it. With just a slight touch, it might split open, and the fragrance within would inevitably diffuse. Any mortal passing by could detect it, let alone these powerful ancient clans.
Better for him to cut it open and exchange it for some immortal treasures to use.
Two hours later, a powerful figure returned, saying, "The Nine Phoenix King has immense respect for Chaos Expansion Great Sage. Learning that he wants to borrow eight hundred years of life to contend with heaven, he greatly admires him and is willing to part with this immortal treasure!"
"Thank you. There will be generous repayment in the future!" Chaos Expansion Great Sage's eldest grandson said, then walked over and spoke to Ye Fan and the others, "I am willing to exchange Nine Orifices Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid for your dragon loach. Is that acceptable?"
(To be continued)