Shrouded Sky

Chapter 178 - Primordial Pyramid

The old woman was dressed plainly, no different from an ordinary village grandmother, unremarkable in appearance.

Yet, this seemingly ordinary elder became the center of attention, drawing all eyes. The cultivators from the Radiant Light Sacred Ground treated her as a formidable threat, not daring to act rashly.

The pyramid, forged from an unknown metal, shimmered with an eerie azure glow. The sun, moon, and stars etched on its surface glimmered, sending waves of radiant light toward the old woman like ripples of water.

But she remained utterly unmoved, unaffected by the light. Muttering to herself, she circled the pyramid.

Buzz!

The azure pyramid trembled, emitting a resonant hum. Then, a cascade of light flooded the area, and an endless expanse of green enveloped the reddish-brown earth.

Everyone was stunned. The barren, desolate land transformed completely. Lush grass spread endlessly, brimming with vitality. Ancient trees, thousands of years old, stretched across the horizon.

A primordial aura surged forth, vast and ancient, as if the boundless cosmos or an infinite starry sky had descended. Myriad creatures appeared, teeming with life.

It was as if an ancient world had been reborn. The deafening roars of massive creatures, as large as mountains, thundered past.

Various strange races flickered into view, thriving in the verdant land, surrounded by dense spiritual energy and powerful beings that dazzled the eyes.

“Is this the Northern Region of the Primordial Era? So full of life, teeming with prosperity, completely unlike today!”

They could clearly see the formation of source stones. The spiritual energy of the heavens and earth was so dense that it crystallized into sources.

When powerful creatures died, they were occasionally encased in droplets of source, sealed within. Now, everyone understood why remnants like severed fingers or heads of ancient creatures were preserved.

“Heavens…”

At that moment, the crowd gasped. They saw an incredibly powerful humanoid creature tear apart a mountain with its bare hands.

There were many types of humanoid creatures, each distinct, some covered in scales, others with beastly fur, some towering and robust, others slender and graceful, and some as radiant as pearls or jade, all extraordinarily powerful.

In the dense ancient forests, massive temples occasionally appeared, grand and awe-inspiring, commanding reverence.

Before each temple stood various humanoid creatures as guardians, solemn and sacred.

The temples varied greatly, some resembled modern Taoist shrines, others like celestial palaces, and some even mirrored the pyramid before them.

“Somewhat interesting…” The old woman’s voice rang out, clear to all.

With a wave of her sleeve, the radiant scene vanished. The vibrant life on the earth faded, the powerful creatures disappeared, and the land returned to its barren, lifeless state. The glowing light flowed back into the pyramid.

Whoosh!

The old woman stepped forward, entering the pyramid. The azure glow dimmed, and silence fell.

The cultivators from the Radiant Light Sacred Ground were shaken. This old woman was unfathomably powerful, beyond their ability to confront or stop.

The Radiant Light Saintess, radiant as a blooming lotus, her body glowing with a crystalline sheen, was visibly shaken. Her beautiful eyes widened at the old woman’s presence.

Many prominent figures quickly surrounded the azure pyramid, waiting for her to reappear.

Among the thousands of mortals, many were overwhelmed with fear. The visions they had just witnessed made them feel as if they had stepped into another world.

The pyramid trembled lightly, and the old woman stepped out, calm and composed, as if she had merely crossed a bridge or climbed a step, unhindered.

“Indeed, somewhat interesting…” she said again.

To the crowd, her words carried a different weight. Such an ancient relic was clearly priceless to cultivators, yet she seemed barely interested.

“Senior, you are…” The Radiant Light Saintess smiled before speaking, her beauty radiant yet refined, like a blossoming immortal flower.

“I’m just an ordinary old woman,” the elder replied, smiling kindly at Yao Xi. “You have good fortune.”

The Saintess’s heart stirred, about to speak, but the old woman turned to look at the others, her gaze sweeping over the prominent figures of the Radiant Light Sacred Ground.

“I’ll take it with me to see what’s special about it. I’ll return it to your Radiant Light Sacred Ground later,” she said.

“Senior, you can’t…” Several prominent figures stepped forward to protest. The Supreme Elder had repeatedly emphasized guarding this pyramid, indicating its immense importance.

But they were powerless to stop her.

The old woman reached out, and the hundred-meter-tall pyramid, its sun, moon, and stars shimmering with faint light, shrank in an instant. With a flash of azure light, it became the size of a baby’s fist, glowing like a pearl in her hand.

With a casual gesture, she held the pyramid in her palm. The prominent figures swallowed their words, knowing they could do nothing to stop her.

Ye Fan already knew the old woman was unfathomably powerful, but he was still shocked. His heart skipped a beat when she glanced in his direction, whether intentionally or not.

The old woman slowly walked into the distance, her figure blurring rapidly. In an instant, she vanished without a trace.

After her departure, the fifteenth Mining Zone erupted into chaos. The cultivators of the Radiant Light Sacred Ground debated fervently. Such a significant event required immediate reporting.

“Get out of this cursed place!” Ye Fan thought urgently.

The Northern Region was rich in sources. He didn’t believe he couldn’t find sources elsewhere. Staying here, who knew what other ghostly things they’d unearth? He might end up losing his life.

Moreover, with Yao Xi here and the Radiant Light Sacred Lord soon to arrive, both of whom had seen him, this place was too dangerous.

Some time ago, Ye Fan had already planned his escape. Periodically, miners were sent to procure supplies like rice and flour, as the disciples of the Radiant Light Sacred Ground disdained dealing with the mundane world. Each trip included a few miners, and he intended to blend into such a group. Once outside, the world would be his to roam freely, unbound.

If not for the restrictive patterns isolating this place from the outside world, he would have fled long ago.

“Find a place to cultivate to the third or fourth realm, then come back to auction off the Radiant Light Saintess’s panties…” Ye Fan’s wicked thoughts were merely to motivate himself.

After being poisoned with the Immortal-Sealing Powder, it took over a month for a trickle of godpower to flow again in his body. His Oceanic Wheel Realm was slowly reviving.

In recent days, while digging in the deepest parts of the mine, he had found a few walnut-sized source stones and refined them all.

Finally, the azure lotus in his golden Bitter Sea trembled, and with a muffled sound, his godpower fully circulated again.

Ye Fan didn’t know the full extent of the ordeal he’d endured. The dose of Immortal-Sealing Powder was potent enough to dry up even a mighty cultivator’s godpower. If not for his unique physique, he would have been reduced to a mortal.

With his Oceanic Wheel unsealed and his cultivation restored, Ye Fan prepared to escape.

Of course, before leaving, he wanted to gather more sources. But such spiritual treasures were rare, and even an entire mine yielded only a few pounds. Encased in strange stone skins, sources were undetectable even by cultivators’ spiritual senses, making it impossible to find more.

“I really want to raid the Radiant Light Sacred Ground’s source vault,” Ye Fan mused, though he knew his strength was far too weak. Even if it was unguarded, he likely couldn’t break in.

Two days later, Ye Fan prepared to leave, blending into a supply procurement team. That same day, news arrived that the Radiant Light Sacred Lord was about to arrive, and no one was allowed to enter or exit.

“Damn it, what a mess. Please, don’t let anything go wrong,” Ye Fan thought, alarmed.

Half an hour later, a deafening roar came from outside the Mining Zone. The void shattered!

As the Radiant Light Sacred Lord arrived with his entourage, the void had barely opened when unparalleled experts attacked together, collapsing the space.

“Kill!”

War cries shook the heavens. Outside the Mining Zone, beams of light soared, magical treasures flew, and countless figures charged in with shouts and the sound of galloping horses.

“Peacock Monarch!” The Radiant Light Sacred Lord’s voice was cold, surrounded by one hundred and eight beams of light, with countless worlds orbiting around him, like a God King descending.

“Radiant Light Sacred Lord!” Opposite him, the Peacock Monarch appeared as youthful as ever, like a graceful young man, but his eyes were sharp, his roar shaking the mountains and rivers.

“You demon, you dare show yourself? If I slay you, will you die?” An elder behind the Sacred Lord shouted.

“Indeed, it would be extremely painful, for you!” The Azure Flood Dragon Monarch appeared, standing side by side with the Peacock Monarch.

Boom!

The heavens and earth shook as a fierce battle erupted. The restrictive patterns around the Mining Zone were torn apart, and many cultivators rushed in.

“The Fourth Warlord and the Seventh Warlord are here!” The cultivators of the Radiant Light Sacred Ground were thrown into disarray.

The entire Mining Zone boiled over, descending into chaos.

Ye Fan was shocked. From the shouts, he learned that the Azure Flood Dragon Monarch was the Fourth Warlord of the Northern Region, while the Seventh Warlord was a powerful figure named Heaven-Slayer. Together with the Peacock Monarch, they were ambushing the Radiant Light Sacred Lord.

The bandits’ forces had already stormed in, clashing with the Radiant Light cultivators inside.

If he didn’t take advantage of this chaos, Ye Fan would feel he was letting himself down.

The source vault was out of the question, he couldn’t breach it, and it was surely the bandits’ primary target. Instead, he rushed toward a stone tower in the Fifteenth Mining Zone, where recently collected sources were stored.

Amid the deafening war cries, no one paid attention to this place. Compared to the source vault, it was insignificant.

The stone tower, only ten meters tall, was incredibly sturdy. Ye Fan pushed the stone door, but it didn’t budge.

“There’s a restriction here too…” Without hesitation, he swung his fist.

Boom!

The stone tower shook. On the fifth punch, the door finally gave way. Fortunately, the restriction wasn’t too complex.

Inside, a dazzling light greeted him, and Ye Fan squinted. Source stones were neatly arranged on jade racks, shimmering with vibrant colors, totaling dozens of pounds.

All the sources collected over these days were here, yet to be transported. Radiant and multicolored, they were stunning.

“So many… the total yield of over twenty mines!” Ye Fan’s heart raced. This amount of source stones meant he could enhance his strength, a priceless treasure for him.

He summoned his Jade Purification Vase and collected them all.

“Brother, who are you? You’re quick on your feet, beating me here,” a voice came from outside the tower. A young man, about twenty years old, looked at him in surprise.

“I’m just picking up scraps. The real professionals are out there fighting the Radiant Light Sacred Ground,” Ye Fan replied casually.

“I’m one of those professionals, and you still got here before me. You’re quick!”

Ye Fan was speechless. The young man, of average build and not particularly handsome, had strikingly bright eyes, almost like the legendary “thief’s glint.”

“I heard the Fifteenth Mining Zone was haunted and might yield some good sources, so I came here instead of hitting the source vault,” the young man said, his eyes gleaming even brighter. “By the rules of our trade, since I caught up, you should give me a quarter.”

Motherfucker, I’m not in your trade! Ye Fan wanted to say, but sensing the man was no ordinary figure, he avoided a fight.

“There’s nothing special here. See for yourself.” He summoned the Jade Purification Vase, revealing a few source stones.

“Fine, if there’s nothing, forget it.” The young man looked disappointed and waved his hand.

They exited the tower, and Ye Fan prepared to leave. Suddenly, the young man grabbed him. “Wait, there’s something on you. I sense a familiar aura.”

“I’m really not a professional. There’s nothing special on me.”

“No, it’s… the Radiant Light Saintess’s aura!” The young man’s eyes shone like pearls, staring at Ye Fan. “Brother, you’re something else. Quicker than me, and you even stole something from the Saintess.”

“I… I’m really not a professional. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ye Fan said, shaking off his hand.

“I’ve been close to the Radiant Light Saintess before. In our trade, the best of us never forget a scent. It’s definitely hers,” the young man said, showing no hostility, acting overly familiar. “Show it to me, let me have a look.”

Ye Fan guessed it was the Saintess’ panties. He quickly stored it in the Jade Purification Vase.

“Heavens, my immortal eyes!” The young man saw it clearly and exclaimed, “Brother, you’re incredible! When did our trade produce someone like you? I’m in awe. Stealing something like that is my lifelong dream!”

“Haha... It was just a coincidence. I’m not in your trade,” Ye Fan said, feeling that staying with this guy was dangerous. If Yao Xi caught wind of this, he’d be in big trouble. He wanted to ditch him.

“I’m so impressed. In our trade, we value lucky finds, not forced grabs,” the young man said, full of admiration.

“Even this counts as a lucky find?!” Ye Fan was nearly speechless.

“Something this difficult isn’t something just anyone can pull off,” the young man sighed. “My grandfather, a hero his whole life, died with regrets.”

“Who are you? Who’s your grandfather, and what regrets?” Ye Fan sensed this man’s identity was extraordinary.

“My grandfather is Heaven-Slayer, the Seventh Warlord, who roamed the Northern Region and could steal anything. His greatest regret was never stealing a Saintess as a wife.”

Ye Fan was stunned. The grandson of the Seventh Warlord, quite a background.

“I’m Tu Fei, and to fulfill my grandfather’s wish, I’ve vowed to steal a Saintess as my wife.”

Ye Fan was at a loss for words. Stealing a Saintess from a major sacred ground as a wife? Only they could dream up something like that.

“The Radiant Light Saintess is over there. Let’s go take a look and find a chance to make a move,” Tu Fei said, his eyes shooting beams of light toward the horizon.

The war cries were deafening, with battles raging everywhere.

Ahead, Yao Xi’s immortal-like figure, ethereal as a veiled moon or a pearl caressed by the sea, was breathtakingly beautiful. Her long dress fluttered, stirring the winds as she fought numerous bandits.

Ye Fan broke free, certain that sticking with this guy would lead to disaster. With the chaos around, now was the perfect time to escape.

Tu Fei leaped into the air, shouting, “Yao Xi, did you lose something? It was taken by a genius of our trade!”

Ye Fan stumbled, nearly falling. This reckless fool had no filter, saying whatever came to mind. Wasn’t this just begging for trouble?