Shrouded Sky

Chapter 200 - Saint & Saintess

Jade Pool’s Grand Elder lightly scolded Tu Fei, demanding silence and no more nonsense. Though Tu Fei muttered under his breath, he complied, and many noticed his deference to Jade Pool, as if avoiding conflict.

The Radiant Light Saint smiled faintly, radiant as sunlight, exuding an otherworldly air, as if he transcended the mortal realm. Standing by the lake, graceful and jade-like, his flowing robes gave him the aura of an immortal among men, instantly distinguishable in the crowd.

As for Yao Xi, beyond her purity, she embodied beauty’s pinnacle, a dreamlike maiden with icy skin and jade bones. Every gesture and smile radiated boundless charm, like a rare gem sparkling. Her beauty left many in the crowd dazed, even Tu Fei, who muttered, “Alas, the greatest pain in life is being one step too late…”

His rogue companions rolled their eyes. None of them were pushovers, all descendants of the Thirteen Warlords.

At that moment, the Jade Pool Saintess appeared, enveloped in ethereal mist, her steps blooming with crystalline petals that released a delicate fragrance. She personally escorted the Radiant Light Saint and Saintess into the lakeside pavilion, clearly old acquaintances, diffusing the tense standoff.

Ye Fan exhaled in relief. He had no desire to face Radiant Light’s Saint and Saintess. Having just acquired the Celestial Source Tome, his priority was to boost his cultivation swiftly. He wasn’t yet ready to challenge them.

Crouching, he examined the nine stones closely, certain they contained something extraordinary. By the lakeside, a crowd gathered, carefully inspecting the stones, their opinions varied and lively.

Suddenly, Ye Fan’s heart jolted. The largest stone, weighing two thousand kilos, unnerved him, whatever was inside was no ordinary thing. He tapped and studied its texture. A “red-white” stone, reddish-brown with white patches, it was deemed waste by experts. If it held something, it would be significant, but as Jade Pool’s property, he couldn’t cut it.

“Today’s an opportunity. Pointing out the stones’ uniqueness could get me invited to Jade Pool, but my Heaven-Swapping Earth-Changing technique isn’t mastered, and with Yao Xi here, I can’t step forward,” Ye Fan sighed.

After examining eight stones, he grasped the smallest, palm-sized one. Staring at its patterns, his mind seemed to sink into it. Suddenly, his vision turned blood-red, the stone was demonic, harboring something extraordinary.

“Stone gambling isn’t just about source. In the Celestial City, they bet on far rarer treasures,” he thought.

Stepping back, he pulled Wang Shu and Er Lengzi aside, asking, “What did you sense?”

“Blood. One stone felt like it had terrifying blood, making my heart race, like it’d leap out,” Wang Shu described.

Er Lengzi, still shaken, said, “The biggest stone… I can’t say what’s inside, but it’s got a wild force, makes me tremble.”

Ye Fan stroked his chin, studying them. Their abnormal bloodlines matched his Celestial Source Tome-aided senses. “Ever felt this before?”

“Never!” they shook their heads.

Ye Fan suspected their sensitivity was limited to extraordinary stones. What were their bloodlines? Fifth Master Zhang had been vague, hinting at secrets. He’d need to press him later. “Jade Pool has dug up something incredible,” he thought.

Nearby, Tu Fei spoke to his group. “These nine stones are demonic, definitely from near the Primordial Mine. They’re bold, so discreet yet daring.”

“You don’t get it. Jade Pool’s not simple. For source knowledge, they rival any Sacred Ground. Rumor has it, long ago, a Celestial Source Master was close to them, passing down techniques.”

“I heard that Master shamed many Sacred Grounds and was tight with Jade Pool’s Saintess.”

“I bet they’re seeking someone with that legendary bloodline.”

Tu Fei’s rugged companions, descendants of the Thirteen Warlords, whispered their extensive knowledge.

“That bloodline? Impossible. It’s deadly. In the Northern Region, only five Celestial Source Masters ever existed, and records say none found it,” one said.

“Who knows? They vanished in their later years. Maybe in their final days, they found that bloodline,” another speculated.

Ye Fan’s keen divine sense, unmatched by most, caught their words, shocking him. “I need to leave now, avoid Tu Fei spotting me.” More crucially, he realized Wang Shu and Er Lengzi likely had that bloodline. No one could know.

“Long ago, a target appeared after ages. Sacred Grounds went all out to capture that bloodline, but failed. Were Celestial Source Masters that powerful?” Tu Fei’s group continued.

“Of course. Unmatched in source arts, only five ever existed. Roaming deep mountains and underground, in desolate places, only they could find such things.”

“I think after leaving this place, the Saintess will take these stones elsewhere, not back to Jade Pool. They urgently need that bloodline for some reason.”

Ye Fan grew alarmed, glancing at Wang Shu and Er Lengzi, seeing nothing special. “We’re leaving now!”

“But the Saintess said special senses could get us to Jade Pool,” they protested.

“Might not be good. We must go,” Ye Fan insisted, wary of Tu Fei, Yao Xi, and anyone noticing the duo’s bloodline.

Since the Saintess would travel elsewhere, he’d have another chance once he mastered ‘Heaven-Swapping Earth-Changing.’ Then, even meeting Yao Xi or the Saint at Jade Pool wouldn’t matter, he’d be free.

“It looks like Yao Xi’s traveling with the Saintess,” someone said.

Crack.

Ye Fan heard his bones shift, his disguise fading, cheekbones returning. Unable to linger, he hurried Wang Shu and Er Lengzi out of the workshop. “I must grow stronger, enter the Dao Palace Realm!” he resolved. His only obstacle was vast essence, but the Fire Red Source and Ancient Insect Source could support his breakthrough. If the Celestial Source Tome’s final pages held a suitable Jade Pool heart technique, nothing would stop him. Even the first Dao Palace realm wouldn’t hold him back, he could gather enough source here.

Suddenly, he sensed trackers. Before leaving the city, Sunset Clouds Sect members trailed them, sneering.

Ye Fan didn’t fly, walking out of Flatrock City into desolate, reddish-brown rocky terrain interspersed with greenery. In a secluded spot, the pursuers closed in, grinning maliciously.

The purple-clad youth, Liu Cheng’en’s brother, had followed, lured by the rare Ancient Insect Source. Even in the source-rich Northern Region, a small sect like Sunset Clouds might have only a thousand kilos of source. The Fire Red and Ancient Insect Sources were worth killing for.

“Mud monkeys stopped running?” one taunted.

“Keep talking tough. Let’s hear it,” another mocked.

From afar, blue robes fluttered, Liu Cheng’en had caught up.

“What’s this about?” Ye Fan sneered.

“Clueless bumpkins, fearless in ignorance!” Seven or eight men laughed, closing in.

“Liu Cheng’en, here to repay the source?” Ye Fan’s lips curled.

“You dare take my source?!” Liu Cheng’en snapped his fan open, sighing. “I wanted to spare you, but no.”

“You’re special?” Ye Fan held the IOU, mocking, “Your own handwriting, calling it a pig’s hoof print now?”

“Dead man talking tough,” Liu Cheng’en sneered, ordering, “Don’t kill them quick. Make them suffer.”

“No time to waste!” Ye Fan’s face darkened, soaring up, sweeping his right leg.

The rushing men screamed. Though cultivators, their physiques couldn’t match Ye Fan’s. Bones snapped, and they collapsed. “You’re no miner, a cultivator! At your age, how…” Liu Cheng’en’s pupils shrank. At fifteen, Ye Fan’s power chilled him. He tried to flee skyward.

Ye Fan’s palm pressed forward like a treasure seal, unleashing the second of the Nine Secrets. Terrifying battle intent surged. Boom. One move turned Liu Cheng’en to ash!

Despite the distance, the attack’s devastating power was unmatched. Liu Cheng’en’s brother, the purple-clad Liu Chengwang, flickered like light, fleeing over ten miles.

But he couldn’t outrun Ye Fan’s steps, which crossed voids as if shrinking space. In a dozen strides, Ye Fan caught up. “A fellow Other Shore cultivator, no courage to fight?” Ye Fan taunted, offering the IOU. “Wanted this for your brother? The one you tore was fake. Here’s the real one.”

Liu Chengwang acted decisively, godpower surging, eyes blazing, summoning four weapons to strike Ye Fan.

Ye Fan used the battle technique, but his gestures shifted, channeling the primal essence of the Nine Secrets, evolving countless forms. Like a phoenix, his arms shimmered, sprouting divine feathers.

Spreading his arms, he moved like a phoenix, stirring celestial winds. Five-colored divine light soared, real radiant wings emerging, striking forward.

Rustle. Liu Chengwang’s four weapons, refined by an Other Shore cultivator, crumbled to dust. “What secret technique is this?” Liu Chengwang gasped, stunned. Even Dao Palace cultivators couldn’t wield such power.

His body chilled, trembling under the overwhelming battle intent and lethal aura, urging him to kneel. “This is the Heavenly Dao’s supreme secret, unfit for you to know. One day, it’ll shake the Eastern Wasteland, spoken of by Saints and Saintesses.”

Ye Fan’s heart raced. The second Nine Secret exceeded expectations, its power unparalleled, the pinnacle of offensive arts. “Spare me… I’ll do anything,” Liu Chengwang pleaded, trembling, his former composure gone.

Ye Fan’s phoenix wings glowed, their five-colored light dazzling, their energy shaking souls. Thud. Liu Chengwang collapsed, kneeling, unable to stand under the battle intent. “How… we’re both Other Shore, why… this technique is unheard of…” he muttered, face to the ground, unable to rise.

“Nine Secrets… if I mastered them all, what power would I wield?” Ye Fan mused, knowing they were scattered, nearly lost, and nearly impossible to collect. “One chance. Use all your godpower,” Ye Fan said, retracting his wings, the oppressive aura lifting.

“Kill!” Liu Chengwang, knowing mercy was unlikely, surged with ferocity, burning his flesh to detonate his Oceanic Wheel, aiming to wound Ye Fan.

Ye Fan’s test was to gauge the secret’s power. He spun, swinging his left leg. A mighty pressure descended, a shimmering scaled dragon coiling around his leg, its tail lashing out.

Liu Chengwang froze, trembling, immobilized by the aura. Bang. The dragon’s tail struck, reducing the Other Shore cultivator to ash, not even blood mist remaining.

Back at the stone village, before retreating to break through, Ye Fan sought Fifth Master Zhang about Wang Shu and Er Lengzi’s bloodlines. “Their blood has a demonic nature,” Fifth Master Zhang said after a long pause.

“What does that mean?” Ye Fan asked, shocked.

“Since you’re studying the Celestial Source Tome, I’ll share the secret,” Fifth Master Zhang sighed. “It starts with their ancestors’ origins.”