Shrouded Sky

Chapter 190 - God King Imparts Dharma

For half a month, God King Jiang Taixu remained silent, as if he had passed into the stone wall. Ye Fan had already mastered the opening stance of the technique, finding it increasingly profound. Its attack power astonished him.

He vaguely felt that, if complete, this secret technique’s might would surpass the Void Hand Seal. It was a supreme offensive method, a holy technique for battle.

On the seventeenth day, Jiang Taixu stirred, his weak voice transmitting, “Have you mastered it?”

“Senior, you’re finally awake!” Ye Fan exhaled in relief. The other’s condition was dire, teetering on the edge of extinction. “I’ve gained an initial grasp of it.”

“Show… me,” Jiang Taixu urged, wanting to see the results.

Ye Fan held nothing back. His body moved with the technique, executing the stance. In that moment, an overwhelming battle intent surged within him, as if he could pierce the heavens. The technique transformed his very demeanor, like a war god possessing him, unleashing a torrent of formidable combat power.

“Very… good,” Jiang Taixu said, satisfied that Ye Fan could restrain the terrifying offensive technique without unleashing it fully.

“Senior, how can I help you?” Ye Fan asked, sensing Jiang Taixu had a purpose in teaching him this technique.

Jiang Taixu, with a hint of regret, replied, “You… are too weak.”

Ye Fan said nothing, waiting quietly for him to continue.

Swish.

On the rough stone wall, a withered figure reappeared, ribs protruding, legs thin as twigs, a skeletal shadow devoid of flesh. The figure struck various poses, and a set of incantations flowed into Ye Fan’s mind. The movements were dizzyingly fast.

Though no godpower emanated, Ye Fan felt an immense pressure. Jiang Taixu was truly godlike; even his shadow’s actions were surrounded by countless halos, enveloping him. At that moment, everything else faded, even the demonic summoning from Purple Mountain’s depths weakened to its lowest point.

The shadow on the wall exuded an aura of unparalleled dominance, as if proclaiming supremacy over heaven and earth. Its battle intent was chilling, the embodiment of a sacred warlord. Ye Fan was stunned for the first time, completely awed by the technique. Without a strong divine sense and the Bodhi Seed in hand, he couldn’t have grasped it fully.

This supreme technique was intricate, its offensive forms endlessly varied, turning every inch of flesh into a powerful weapon. Eventually, Jiang Taixu’s movements slowed, simplifying the complexity. Thousands of variations converged into one, the ultimate simplicity of the Grand Grand Dao. His withered form became still, embodying the eternal, unchanging essence of the Grand Grand Dao.

“All variations are mere means; returning to one is the source of all power!” Ye Fan gazed at the frozen figure, feeling his body on the verge of collapse, his soul unsteady, as if it might dissipate. “This is too terrifying. Without expending godpower, just showing its form is unbearable. Truly a godly technique for battle, unmatched in the world!”

“This supreme technique has only one stance, returning to its source, yet it can manifest countless forms,” Ye Fan realized, clutching the Bodhi seed.

Boom.

As if hearing Ye Fan’s thoughts, the stone wall trembled, and the shadow collapsed. Ye Fan silently recited the technique’s incantation, short but abstruse. Images of Jiang Taixu’s movements replayed in his mind.

“A supreme offensive technique,” he murmured, forming seals with his body, mimicking Jiang Taixu’s complex variations before grasping the core, focusing on the singular, original stance.

Capturing its essence, the form naturally emerged, capable of endless transformations. Mastering the core allowed all other stances to manifest. Ye Fan entered a wondrous state, immersed for ten days, his body moving dreamlike.

He wasn’t just forming hand seals; every inch of his flesh became part of the Grand Dao, his entire being like the ethereal void, expressing the intangible Grand Dao in tangible form. Finally, a thunderous realization struck his mind, conjuring an eternal, unchanging figure. Thousands of variations merged into one stance, the essence of this sacred battle technique!

Only then did Ye Fan fully awaken, understanding that this technique was purely for offense, unmatched in its destructive power. He hadn’t mastered it completely but had grasped its essence, knowing how to practice and refine it.

The personal demonstration by a God King was invaluable, revealing the technique’s source and imprinting its core stance in his mind. One day, he could fully master it, developing his own offensive methods.

The Nine Secrets were mysterious and powerful, each technique earth-shaking. The one from Supeme Mystery’s Dull Peak could amplify combat strength several to tenfold, a peerless art that made enemies tremble. Jiang Taixu’s technique, however, was unmatched in raw attack power, nearly unsurpassable.

“If the Nine Secrets form a perfect combination, how powerful would mastering all of them be?” Ye Fan wondered.

After days of practice in the mine, Jiang Taixu remained silent. Ye Fan’s heart sank, fearing the God King had truly burned out. Surviving four thousand years was unimaginable, on the other side of the starry sky, two thousand years reached back to the Qin and Han dynasties. Four thousand years saw countless dynasties rise and fall.

Ye Fan had been wary of Jiang Taixu, having faced many dangers in this world. Now, with the God King silent, he could only sigh and bow silently to the stone wall. Time was short; Purple Mountain was filled with unknowns, a deadly place not to linger in.

He retreated from the mine into a vast cavern, hesitating. Should he leave? He was unwilling, having not found the Celestial Source Tome. The demonic summoning from Purple Mountain’s depths grew stronger, heightening his unease.

“Why didn’t the Grand Emperor from a hundred thousand years ago slay those creatures? What was he doing? Zhang Jiye called this Imperial Mountain, while others named it Demon Mountain. Is there a hidden truth?” Ye Fan pondered but didn’t retreat immediately. Jiang Taixu had said the danger hadn’t fully arrived, so he decided to press forward for one last attempt.

Hundreds of meters deeper, his stone clothing began to glow faintly. Could there be a Godsource? The cave led to an open ancient mine, where his stone clothing, knife, and star disk shimmered with radiant light.

“Such dense source energy!” Ye Fan was astonished. The mine’s depths must hold vast sources. The demonic summoning came from another direction, not here, so he advanced boldly.

After two to three miles, faint light appeared ahead, carrying a holy aura. Ye Fan was stunned to see a breathtakingly beautiful woman, flawless as a lotus, pure and ethereal, sealed within a massive two-meter-tall source, glowing radiantly. Her eyes were closed, serene like a sleeping beauty.

Ye Fan’s scalp tingled. Encountering a creature sealed in a source filled him with dread! His first instinct was to flee before she awoke. Yet, he felt no dangerous fluctuations; the demonic force came from deeper within, not here.

Adjusting to peak condition, he readied the Godrune Cauldron and activated two of the Nine Secrets. He focused on the woman’s slender hand, recalling the mine’s carvings where a Grand Emperor suppressed an ancient creature, and a similar jade-like hand emerged from a Godsource.

“It’s too similar, those crystalline fingers, delicate as scallions,” Ye Fan thought, his head spinning. “Am I so unlucky to encounter her right away?” He retreated slowly, tense despite his efforts to stay calm. The Grand Emperor had needed a Paragon Artifact to suppress that source’s creature, hinting at its terror.

After a dozen steps, the source remained silent, the woman motionless.

“Strange, someone as powerful as her should emit some fluctuation,” Ye Fan puzzled. The mine was serene, filled with surging source energy, free of killing intent.

“She doesn’t look like an ancient creature, she’s indistinguishable from a human,” Ye Fan noted, surprised. The woman lacked monstrous traits, a peerless beauty. “Could the Grand Emperor have sealed her dead?”

By now, fear had faded. So close to the source, if she were conscious, escape would be impossible. If she was unaware, this could be his great fortune, a source this large was priceless, a rare treasure.

Ye Fan stopped retreating and approached, examining closely. Colorful mist swirled, source energy overflowing, the massive source shrouded in haze.

“This doesn’t seem like a legendary Godsource,” he muttered.

Crunch.

He stepped on a bone knife, but what truly shocked him was a humanoid creature lying beside the source.

“Damn it, I’ve hit the jackpot!” Ye Fan’s heart raced. It was unmistakably an ancient creature, covered in silver scales, with wings, a horn on its forehead, and six arms.