Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 290 - 291 Chapter 296 Dissecting the Stone Tools Left by the Heavenly Source Master

291: Chapter 296: Dissecting the Stone Tools Left by the Heavenly Source Master 291: Chapter 296: Dissecting the Stone Tools Left by the Heavenly Source Master Ye Fan’s golden fist surged with power.

With a light swing, the void itself hummed and trembled.

He had the illusion that he could take down a True Dragon.

A thousand-meter waterfall cascaded down, its white mist thundering.

Ye Fan stood in the pool below and punched upward.

The long torrent reversed its flow, hanging inverted like a bolt of white silk.

“A month of seclusion and his cultivation base has broken through; the sacred body is truly terrifying!” Tu Fei clicked his tongue in awe.

Ye Fan raised a massive stone weighing tens of thousands of pounds with one hand, then turned sideways and hurled it forcefully.

The huge stone rapidly diminished in size as it soared into the sky.

At the horizon, a flock of wild geese flew past, only to be struck down by the stone.

Tu Fei was dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed for a long moment before shouting, “You monster!

You threw a stone weighing tens of thousands of pounds and knocked down a whole flock of wild geese!

I’ve never seen anyone as freakish as you!” Ye Fan’s physique was too strong, possessing the strength to uproot mountains and displace peaks.

Who could withstand such a blow to their physical body?

“WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF…” From some twenty-odd miles away came the frantic yelps of a dog, followed by the Black Emperor’s agonized howl, “Damn it, is there no justice?

Even when I’m sleeping, stones fall from the sky and nearly kill me!” After his initial shock, hearing the big black dog’s wail made Tu Fei burst into laughter.

“WOOF!

Tu, you just wait!

This Emperor knows you’re behind this!” the Black Emperor howled from afar.

“Damn it, what does that have to do with me?!” Tu Fei cursed.

Ye Fan stood at the foot of the thousand-meter-high stone mountain.

He swung his golden fists, and with continuous PUFF!

PUFF!

sounds, each blow sank into the mountain as if it were mud, effortlessly penetrating deep.

Finally, he swung his golden fist with all his might, punching clean through to the mountain’s core!

Truly a monster!

Tu Fei’s jaw almost dropped.

He summoned an Eight Diagrams Copper Mirror.

A hazy purple aura emanated from it as it shot forward.

“Let me test your current cultivation base,” Tu Fei said.

This was a Purple Copper Treasure Mirror, a Weapon that only cultivators from the Four Extremes secret boundary could wield.

It was solid and powerful, pressing down like a descending purple mountain.

CLANG!

Ye Fan flicked his finger.

His golden digit struck the purple copper mirror, producing a sharp CRACK!

The Four Extremes Treasure Mirror actually spiderwebbed with cracks and then, like a dazzling firework, shattered in mid-air.

Purple light surged skyward as potent energy ravaged the surroundings.

The waterfall recoiled, and the stone mountain trembled, yet Ye Fan stood firm, unmoved.

Tu Fei screamed miserably, “Is your body forged from holy divine relics?

My treasure!” He was heartbroken; although he had plenty of Weapons, having one shattered so easily left him smarting with pain.

Ye Fan’s Qi and blood surged like mighty rivers; he could feel his own formidable strength.

Cultivating the West Emperor Scripture, he had finally entered the Third Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace and successfully cultivated the Liver’s Divine Treasury, which corresponded to Wood in the Five Elements.

However, he still hadn’t cultivated a god to protect him, unlike others who had divine guardians.

Meanwhile, he discovered he was cultivating according to the Reverse Five Elements.

His heart was Fire, his lungs Metal, and his liver Wood.

He had first cultivated the Heart’s Divine Treasure, then the Lungs’ Divine Treasury, and now the Liver’s Divine Treasury.

This corresponded to the sequence of Fire Overcomes Metal, and Metal Overcomes Wood, a progression in reverse of the Five Elements’ generative cycle.

Barring any accidents, the next Divine Treasure he would cultivate would undoubtedly be that of the Spleen.

The Spleen corresponded to Earth in the Five Elements, and Wood Overcomes Earth.

“You hardly need Weapons; your physique is stronger than any spiritual treasures,” Tu Fei said, envious.

“I lack Source and need a massive amount of it.” Tu Fei displayed a complex expression, then sighed.

“As long as you have Source, you’ll face no bottlenecks in the Dao Palace secret realm and can advance by leaps and bounds.” “Therefore, I want to borrow Source.

Lend me however much Source you have, and I’ll repay you tenfold in the future.” Ye Fan spoke earnestly, feeling an urgency, an eagerness to enter the Four Extremes secret boundary.

“The little Source I have wouldn’t even be enough for you to pick your teeth with.

You know, to enter the Fourth Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace requires 100,000 pounds of Source.

That’s a truly dizzying figure.” “How much Source do you have?” Ye Fan was eager for a breakthrough.

“I have a bit more than one ‘fang’, probably around 4,000 pounds.” “That’s still less than 10,000 pounds!

And you’re the descendant of a great bandit!” Tu Fei rolled his eyes.

“If great bandits had access to many divine sources mines, they wouldn’t be great bandits.

Besides, how would I dare touch my grandpa’s treasure vault?” Ye Fan murmured, “Source is a big problem.” “You don’t need to worry.

I’ll go out for a bit; gathering 20,000 pounds of Source for you won’t be a problem.” Tu Fei planned to find Li Heishui, Liu Kao, Jiang Huairen, and Wu Zhongtian.

“I have a crippled constitution; it’s not worth you helping me like this.” “I, Tu Fei, am not one for pretense.

To be honest, I have a hunch that you might break the curse of the sacred body.

Imagine, if one day you become a Great Success Holy Body, I won’t need to cultivate for the rest of my life and can still dominate the Eastern Wastelands and Central States!

As long as you are alive, my descendants can roam the world unhindered.

Surely, a Great Success Holy Body can live for tens of thousands of years!” “What if I’m destined to remain stuck in the Dao Palace secret realm for my entire life?” Ye Fan asked.

“If you can’t break through, then give me the Origin Qi Cauldron.

It’ll be just what I need to complete the lid of my Heaven-devouring Jar,” Tu Fei replied, half-serious, half-joking.

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF…

The Black Emperor appeared on the horizon, emanating killing intent.

It had been sleeping peacefully, yet someone had dropped a stone on it, leaving its nose bruised and face swollen.

It was utterly disgruntled.

“I’ll leave now.

I’ll be back in a month at most, perhaps as little as half a month.

Securing seven units of Source will be no problem at all.” Saying this, Tu Fei soared into the sky.

The Black Emperor came running over, its face dark, glaring at Ye Fan with an unfriendly expression.

“Why do I suddenly get the feeling you were behind this?” it growled.

“What have I done?” Ye Fan feigned ignorance.

“Quit pretending!

Damn it!

A massive stone weighing tens of thousands of pounds fell from the sky and flattened me!

That’s not something an ordinary person could do!” The Black Emperor’s stubby tail was practically standing on end.

Ye Fan steadfastly denied it and managed to muddle through, thus avoiding a man-dog brawl.

The stone village had been completely rebuilt, nestled amidst Green Mountains and clear waters.

The houses were exquisite, far better than before.

The most significant change was to the environment.

The young girls and children were overjoyed; they could play in the clear springs daily, no longer having to face the wind and sand all day as they had in the past.

Outside the village, stones were piled into small mounds.

Most were foundation stones and the like.

Ye Fan had moved all the stones from the original stone village here, afraid of overlooking anything.

Ye Fan and Fifth Grandpa Zhang were busy selecting stone rollers, stone plinths, and grinding stones from the jumbled pile of rocks.

In total, there were more than fifty Stone Tools.

The Black Emperor watched from the side, ‘eyeing them like a tiger watching its prey,’ afraid of missing out on any benefits.

“Old man, are you sure you want to cut them open?” Ye Fan asked.

“Go ahead.

I want to see what our ancestors left for us,” Fifth Grandpa Zhang replied calmly.

Ye Fan set to work.

He cut through three stone plinths, but they were all worthless rock, containing nothing.

Fifth Grandpa Zhang also tried his hand, opening four stone locks, but he too found nothing.

The two exchanged puzzled looks.

Could we have been mistaken?

Did that old Daoist err in his judgment?

“Why are you being so cautious?

Just smash them all in one go!

Be more decisive!” the Black Emperor urged.

“Stay out of it!” Ye Fan glared at it.

Suddenly, a fragrance wafted out, like orchids and musk, captivating the senses and intoxicating to the core.

“What’s that smell?” Sure enough, a dog’s nose was sharpest.

The Black Emperor nearly pounced on a stone roller, its saliva almost dripping.

“Something’s been cut open!” Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s expression turned grave.

He was in the process of cutting a stone roller, and the fragrance was seeping from a crack in the stone.

Ye Fan’s heart jolted.

He dropped the Grinding Disc in his hand and hurried over to take a closer look.

This was truly bizarre.

How could cutting stone release a fragrance?

Could it be that some Ancient creature was sealed inside?

His fingers glowed with golden light as he signaled Fifth Grandpa Zhang to step back.

He took the stone roller in his hands.

The Black Emperor craned its large head over, also staring intently.

CHINK!

CHINK!

CHINK!

Stone fragments flew.

Soon, most of the stone skin of the roller was peeled away.

Ye Fan noticed moisture seeping out.

Fifth Grandpa Zhang had applied a bit too much force earlier.

The stone roller was quite brittle and a crack had appeared.

Moisture was seeping from this fissure, and the fragrance originated from it as well.

“A treasure has been cut out!” The Black Emperor, with its blocky head, large ears, and eyes like bronze bells, stared intently.

Ye Fan carefully peeled away the stone skin.

Finally, from the center of the roller, he extracted a fleshy fruit.

It was pink and somewhat resembled a peach.

This…

it’s fleshy!

The Black Emperor was somewhat flabbergasted.

What is this thing?

Ye Fan was puzzled.

He had read the Heavenly Source Book but had never come across any record of such a thing.

Fifth Grandpa Zhang was also rather dumbfounded, finding it incredible.

The fragrance was indeed emanating from this fleshy fruit.

Its skin was already broken, and a translucent liquid, about half of its volume, had spilled onto the stone roller.

The aroma was so enticing it made one want to gulp it down in a single bite.

“It smells so fragrant!

Could it be a Longevity Fruit?” The Black Emperor’s eyes glowed with a green light.

Hearing this, Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s heart stirred.

“Our ancestors used to say that the things sealed within stones are not limited to Source.” These…

these must be exceptionally rare strange black stones!

The things sealed inside them are unpredictable!

Ye Fan gazed at these Stone Tools.

There were no such records in the Heavenly Source Book.

This fleshy fruit was beyond the category of ordinary stone materials and could only be classified as strange black stones.

It seemed that these items left by the Heavenly Source Master held some extraordinary significance.

“The fruit’s color is changing, and the fragrance is fading!

What’s happening?” Fifth Grandpa Zhang’s expression changed.

The pink, fleshy fruit was gradually turning a greenish-blue, and its fragrance had indeed faded considerably.

“Eat it quickly, or its enormous Qi will dissipate!” the Black Emperor urged anxiously.

Ye Fan was somewhat uncertain.

Was this thing edible?

He dipped his finger in a drop of the liquid and put it in his mouth.

Instantly, he felt an overwhelming bitterness, so intense he nearly howled at the sky.

The bitterness was so extreme that his tongue instantly went numb.

This was followed by a wave of dizziness that nearly sent him sprawling to the ground.

“Let me try!” The Black Emperor eagerly snatched it, bit off a chunk, and swallowed it—liquid, rind and all.

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF…

The next moment, the Black Emperor began to convulse.

It barked madly, spat vigorously, then started foaming at the mouth and twitching on the ground.

Fifth Grandpa Zhang was utterly terrified.

He had originally wanted to try it, thinking it was some kind of flesh-like Immortal Fruit, but now he avoided it as if it were a snake or scorpion.

After an unknown period, Ye Fan finally recovered.

The dizziness subsided, and he exclaimed in shock, “What kind of fruit is this?” By now, the Black Emperor was almost like a dead dog; only its limbs still twitched, and it continuously foamed at the mouth.

Ye Fan examined it and determined that its life wasn’t in danger, though its condition was terrible.

He had no idea when it would recover.

He scanned the remaining Stone Tools, feeling the gravity of the situation for the first time.

“These are rare treasures left by the Heavenly Source Master.

We have no idea what they’re used for.

We shouldn’t cut any more.

Let’s wait until we understand them better before proceeding.” Ye Fan vaguely felt that these might be extraordinary items.

What Old Daoist Crimson Dragon was searching for could very well be such fleshy fruits!

These were most likely priceless treasures.

Without understanding them at this stage, they absolutely mustn’t be rashly disturbed any further.

“This Grinding Disc has already been partially cut,” Fifth Grandpa Zhang said.

“Let’s open it completely and see.

The other Stone Tools should be kept aside for now.” Ye Fan nodded.

He had already cut several Stone Tools but had only found one fleshy fruit.

It seemed unlikely this Grinding Disc would yield anything.

However, when he peeled away the stone skin and cut to the center of the Grinding Disc, myriad rays of Divine Radiance burst forth.

They were so brilliant and dazzling that it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.