Shrouded Sky

Chapter 112 - Dao Palace Realm

Ye Fan’s divine sense was incredibly powerful. It had formed a golden lake at the center of his brow, and with just a casual sweep, he had already sensed Elder Wu Qingfeng’s cultivation level, Celestial Bridge Realm.

“Elder, I have something to give you,” Ye Fan said seriously. His expression grew solemn as he lowered his voice. “You must keep it safe and tell no one. If others find out, it could endanger you.”

Elder Wu Qingfeng was surprised, not understanding why he was being so secretive. He looked puzzled.

“Please find a clean jade bottle,” Ye Fan said.

When Ye Fan took out the Jade Purification Vase and poured out a single drop of divine spring water, a rich essence of life instantly manifested. The elder was stunned on the spot.

“This is... such powerful life energy!”

“Although this spring water can’t bring the dead back to life or regrow flesh and bones, it’s more than enough to heal injuries and save lives,” Ye Fan said seriously. The elder had helped him greatly before. Ye Fan was someone who knew how to repay kindness. Since he was about to leave the Yan region with no idea when he might return, he naturally wanted to express his gratitude.

“This water is too precious. I can’t accept it. You should put it away,” Wu Qingfeng said, shaking his head.

“Please don’t say anything more, I truly mean this,” Ye Fan insisted.

In the end, he filled a jade gourd with divine spring water and handed it to the elder, repeatedly reminding him, “Whatever you do, don’t let anyone else know about this.”

Wu Qingfeng carefully examined the divine springwater and sensed an endless aura of life from it. He realized it must have an extraordinary origin. Looking at Ye Fan with confusion, he asked, “This is...?”

“Please don’t ask,” Ye Fan replied.

There was no way the elder could have guessed that this water came from the sacred spring of a holy mountain in the Forbidden Ancient Realm. If he knew, he would be utterly shocked.

“Everything here is done. It’s time for me to leave the State of Yan. Take care, Elder,” Ye Fan said, bowing deeply.

“Child, where are you going? You’re not actually planning to go to Jade Pool Sacred Ground, are you?” Elder Wu Qingfeng asked, concerned. “Jade Pool is separated from Yan by endless mountains and rivers. The journey is far too dangerous. Ordinary people wouldn’t reach it in a lifetime. Don’t take such a risk. Even if you make it, I’m afraid...”

“Don’t worry. I have my own plans. Even if I don’t go there, I want to travel the world. The Eastern Wilderness is so vast, if I don’t explore it, I’ll have wasted my youth.”

Ye Fan then asked if the items he had left behind in Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven were still there. He intended to take them with him.

“I’ll need to send someone to check. After you and Pang Bo disappeared, the sect gave that valley to someone else. Most likely, the items were collected and stored, but I’m not sure if they’ve been preserved.”

“Alright. I’ll go take a walk outside first,” Ye Fan replied. Before leaving, he wanted to visit the ancient ruins again.

The ruins bordered Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven, they were originally one and the same. In the distance, the mountain peaks had collapsed, vegetation had withered, and the scene was bleak and lifeless.

Lush green valleys had turned to scorched earth. Everything had lost its vitality. The place had become barren, a stark contrast to its once-thriving state.

Towering ancient trees and flourishing plants had all been destroyed, nothing was left but a chilling stillness.

“Countless cultivators from the Eastern Wilderness came here, fighting to open the Demon Emperor’s tomb. Three years of bloodshed and death utterly ruined this place,” Ye Fan said with a sigh.

He felt fortunate to have withdrawn decisively at the time, otherwise, he might not be alive now. In the distance, the shattered mountains stood as monuments to the terrifying events of the past three years. The sheer destructive power they had witnessed was enough to strike fear into the heart.

“Pang Bo disappeared here... I wonder where he is now?” Ye Fan stood before the former Five Finger Mountain. Sadly, he found nothing. The perfect woman and the powerful demon race members were long gone.

Then he arrived at the Demon Emperor’s tomb. The dark pool was pitch black, emitting a chilling aura that reached the sky and made even the blazing sun feel cold. Only the ridge where the cold pool sat had survived, surrounding mountains had all collapsed. The ground was stained dark red, not with natural minerals, but with the blood of cultivators. The piles of corpses had been cleared away, but the dried blood remained, bearing silent witness to the horror.

“Pang Bo... once I’m strong enough, I’ll find you and bring you back,” Ye Fan vowed as he turned and returned to Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven.

Ahead, a waterfall cascaded from a picturesque mountain like a silver ribbon hanging down the cliff.

Several young men and women stood nearby. One of the women, around twenty years old, wore a light yellow dress with a jade belt around her slim waist, highlighting her graceful figure. She was strikingly beautiful, with a beauty mark on her face that gave her an alluring charm.

As Ye Fan passed by, the woman gave him a suspicious look. Then, as if recalling something, her expression changed and she sneered, “So it’s you!”

Ye Fan recognized her instantly. She was Li Lin, a prodigy of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven and a close friend of Han Feiyu. Three years ago, she had stood against him and Pang Bo in the ruins to defend Han Feiyu.

Also by the waterfall were others. One young man around twenty turned to look. Upon seeing Ye Fan, his eyes first showed surprise, then murderous intent.

“You actually came back to Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven? After barely escaping last time?” he said coldly.

Ye Fan recognized him too, Li Yun. Exceptionally gifted, not inferior to Li Lin, and always moving in tandem with her. Ye Fan smiled calmly and pretended not to know them. “Who are you? Why are you blocking my path?”

“Playing dumb won’t help you,” Li Lin said coldly, her eyes flashing with hostility. “I’ve wanted to see you again for three years. I can’t believe you actually came back.”

“Am I really that charming, that you’ve been thinking of me all this time? I must be better than the guy next to you,” Ye Fan said with a smirk.

Li Yun’s expression darkened. “You worthless piece of trash. Facing death, and still joking? Is that all you’re good for?”

“Come now, do we really have such deep hatred?” Ye Fan asked lightly.

“Even ignoring your feud with Junior Brother Han, you led that Jade Horned Snake to attack us in the ruins. That alone is unforgivable. I swore I’d kill you if I ever saw you again!” Li Yun said, his voice filled with ice.

Li Lin was also trembling with anger. The events of that day had resurfaced. If not for Elder Han suddenly appearing and slaying the Jade Horned Snake, she and Li Yun would’ve been devoured. She had sworn to grind Ye Fan’s bones to dust. Seeing him now, her body trembled with fury.

“I never thought I’d get this chance. You couldn’t even cultivate, and yet you dared to defy us, almost getting us killed. Today, I’ll end you!” she shouted.

Li Yun snarled, “No more words. I’m going to personally torture you to death.” He stepped forward. The other disciples watched like it was a show.

“I remember him, he was with that prodigy Pang Bo. Both disappeared later.”

“That’s right. They once beat Han Feiyu half to death and threw people into a mud pit,” others whispered.

Li Lin and Li Yun moved forward, grinning coldly. They still believed Ye Fan was a powerless nobody. They had no idea he was now a Celestial Bridge Realm cultivator.

“I want to see him beg for mercy,” Li Lin said. Only through humiliation could she feel revenge was complete.

“Kneel!” Li Yun shouted, striding up with a menacing glare.

“No one in this world deserves my kneel, not the likes of you,” Ye Fan replied coldly, glancing at them.

Li Lin was a prodigy. Li Yun was also extremely gifted. Both had reached the Life Spring Realm. Few dared to challenge them. Now, being mocked by someone they thought worthless made their faces turn dark.

“I told you to kneel, you must kneel!” Li Yun roared and kicked at Ye Fan’s knees. At Life Spring level, such a strike could shatter a mortal’s legs.

“You’re not even worth my time,” Ye Fan said, lightly stepping back, effortlessly dodging the attack.

“You dare call me trash?!” Li Yun exploded. As a so-called genius, he was furious at being mocked. He swung a heavy kick at Ye Fan’s face.

Though Ye Fan hadn’t wanted to bother with them, he had no reason to endure it either. With a bang, he grabbed Li Yun’s ankle, spun him around, and slammed him into the ground.

It was smooth and clean, like flowing water. The crowd barely saw what happened, Li Yun was now groaning on the ground like a dead dog, unable to get up.

Li Lin sensed danger and prepared to summon her weapon. But Ye Fan moved before she could act. Leaving a faint afterimage behind, he appeared before her in a flash and chopped her neck with a hand strike, knocking her out. Then, grabbing her like a ragdoll, he flung her into the deep pool beneath the waterfall.

“Glug glug...” Half-conscious, she began gulping water, her stomach swelling.

“You... trash...” Li Yun groaned, trying to sit up, rage flashing in his eyes as godlight flickered, he was activating his Bitter Sea.

Bang!

Ye Fan didn’t let him. One stomp dispersed the glow. Another step pinned him down.

Everything looked too simple, two Life Spring cultivators were subdued in seconds, making the onlookers think it was sheer luck.

“Trash...” Li Yun lost it. He too believed it was luck, unaware that Ye Fan’s simple moves carried deep mastery. He was about to explode from rage.

“What good is being a genius if you’re meant to be stepped on?” Ye Fan said. Then, with incredible disrespect, he pressed the sole of his shoes onto Li Yun’s face, again and again, up and down, left and right.

“You... I’ll... kill... you!” Li Yun screamed, face swollen, eyes blazing.

Bang!

Ye Fan kicked him into the pool and walked off without looking back. He had no interest in the two of them.

The onlookers were stunned, speechless, as they watched Ye Fan casually leave and saw the two half-drowned in the water. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

Ye Fan returned to Elder Wu Qingfeng’s residence and waited for a while until the elder returned.

“Elder, are my belongings still here?”

Wu Qingfeng frowned. “They are, but...”

“What’s wrong?” Ye Fan asked.

“I went to ask for them, but...” The elder looked embarrassed, opening his mouth but saying nothing.

“Someone wants to keep them?” Ye Fan asked.

That was indeed the case. As a senior of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven, Wu Qingfeng felt humiliated.

“Let’s go together,” he said, taking Ye Fan’s hand. “I’ll help you get them back.”

“Who wants to keep my things? Those broken bronze relics had little value.”

“It’s Elder Han Yishui. He’s obsessed with refining weapons. He’s been studying the copper lamp, vajra scepter, and Grand Thunderclap Temple plaque for a long time.”

“Elder Han?” Ye Fan was shocked and asked for more details. As he suspected, Han Yishui was Han Feiyu’s grandfather. The other elder who made pills was Han Feiyu’s granduncle.

Han Yishui’s valley was serene and elegant, lush trees, arranged rocks, flowing streams, and pavilions.

In one pavilion, three elders sat sipping tea. When they saw Wu Qingfeng bringing Ye Fan, the thin, pale-skinned elder in the middle frowned.

“Elder Han, I brought this child. Please return his bronze items,” Wu Qingfeng said.

Han Yishui looked Ye Fan over, then turned to Wu Qingfeng and said coolly, “Weren’t those bronze items left behind by my disciple Pang Bo? What do they have to do with him?”

“You, ” Wu Qingfeng’s face darkened.

Ye Fan was also upset. “Elder Han Yishui, how can you say that? Some of those items belonged to me, others to Pang Bo. Now that he’s missing, I’ve come as his closest friend to retrieve them. How can you say they’re unrelated?”

Han Yishui’s face hardened. “Who are you? This place is full of Desolate Spirit elders, all at the Celestial Bridge Realm. Our discussions are about profound cultivation secrets. What place is this for a mere mortal? Leave immediately!”

Wu Qingfeng was furious. “Han Yishui, what is the meaning of this?”

Ye Fan was also angry. He didn’t expect Han Yishui to behave so self-righteously, stealing his Buddhist relics while acting morally superior.

Han Yishui remained calm, smiling at Wu Qingfeng. “What I mean is this valley is a sacred area. This idle mortal has no right to be here.”

“I’m only here to retrieve my own belongings,” Ye Fan said, staring calmly at Han Yishui. “Please return the bronze items.”

“What do those have to do with you?” Han Yishui said coldly. “I’ve already explained, those belonged to my disciple Pang Bo. He’s missing now, so naturally his things belong to Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven. You’re an outsider. Why are you interfering? You never joined our sect. What right do you have to speak here? You dare intrude on our sacred grounds? Leave now, or face death.”