Shrouded Sky

Chapter 248 - A Cauldron Presses Down On Ten Directions

The great battle had come to an end, with eight true disciples of the Ji Clan and the Radiant Light Sacred Ground killed. This was bound to cause a massive uproar!

Ye Fan landed on Broken Mountain, and the young cultivators of Cloud Marsh retreated one after another. Though this youth with flowing hair appeared refined, the crowd had already branded him as a young demon king.

Many whispered among themselves: when this matter spread throughout the Northern Region, how could this youth survive?

The Ji Clan and the Radiant Light Sacred Ground possessed eternal legacies, standing supreme in the Eastern Wilderness. Provoking them likely meant there would be no place left in the world for him to hide.

"Everyone, you should disperse," Ye Fan said with a smile.

"Let's go. The gathering of Cloud Marsh's young cultivators can't continue, but witnessing such a battle wasn't a wasted trip."

"Shh, keep it down. If the Ji Clan hears you, you're in for trouble."

"What's the big deal? The Ji Clan doesn't necessarily have that much influence in the Northern Region, do they? What's wrong with me saying a few words?"

Many discussed fervently, flying off into the distance and leaving the scene.

Though Cloud Marsh was small, it had no shortage of young experts, and naturally, many were envious of Ye Fan's cauldron, a true holy artifact.

Many wanted to seize it, but none dared act recklessly. The cauldron, forged from the Motherly Energy of All Things, hovered above Ye Fan's head, emanating strands of mysterious golden energy, shielding him so thoroughly it was nearly impenetrable.

Ye Fan paid no mind and walked forward. No one blocked his path as he approached a jade boat, a spirit treasure used by the Ji Clan and Radiant Light Sacred Ground disciples for air travel.

The boat was over ten meters long, capable of shrinking or expanding, and could carry dozens of people. It required no godpower to operate, just a bit of source energy to enable high-speed flight, far faster than most cultivators could manage.

Such a spirit treasure was beyond the crafting ability of ordinary people. It required intricate and profound inscriptions of the Grand Dao, undoubtedly forged by an elder expert, making it a rare and valuable means of transport.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Ye Fan took the jade boat, shrinking it to the size of his palm. It shimmered with vibrant colors, flawless and exquisite.

"Why are you all following me? Are you trying to announce to the world that you helped me kill the core disciples of the holy lands?" Ye Fan said with a laugh.

At these words, many backed away. This joke was no laughing matter, if they were implicated in this incident, the consequences would be dire.

"I get it. You want to gain fame through this. Don't worry, I'll make sure to tell everyone that you helped me kill the heirs of the Ancient Desolate Ji Clan," Ye Fan said, his smile radiant.

Many faces turned green. If this accusation stuck, it would bring catastrophic trouble. Immediately, many took to the skies and fled.

The cauldron forged from the source root of the Motherly Energy of All Things was a peerless treasure, but they knew their limits, it was beyond their reach.

Of course, there were still arrogant individuals who didn’t leave, their eyes fixed on the cauldron above Ye Fan’s head. Such a rare and coveted treasure would make even holy lands envious, let alone them.

Ye Fan said nothing more. Employing the mad old man's footwork, he left a fleeting shadow and dashed deep into the mountain range.

Figures rose from Broken Mountain, chasing after him. As expected, the allure of a supreme treasure drove some to risk their lives, like moths to a flame.

Suddenly, Ye Fan turned back. His cauldron, like a towering mountain, pressed down. The few leading pursuers were instantly reduced to ash, scattering into the air.

"A godly artifact stirs the heart, but before acting, you might want to weigh your own strength. Don’t throw your lives away for nothing," Ye Fan said coldly.

With those words, he vanished into the mountains in a few swift movements, pushing the mad old man’s footwork to its limit.

Not long after, Ye Fan changed his appearance, donning purple robes to become a graceful young man, leading a large black dog out of the mountain range.

"Kid, you actually have a cauldron forged from Motherly Energy of All Things? Let me see it!"

Along the way, the black dog’s eyes gleamed green, practically drooling.

"I’ve told you a hundred times, you saw it wrong!" Ye Fan said, exasperated. This damned dog was too persistent, always eyeing his treasures.

"Just let me take one look!" Black Emperor pressed relentlessly.

With no other choice, Ye Fan summoned the cauldron for it to inspect. The black dog lunged forward several times.

Ye Fan sternly warned, "Stop drooling. This cauldron will never be yours. Try to steal it, and don’t blame me for being ruthless."

The black dog’s heart itched with desire, but it knew the cauldron forged from Motherly Energy of All Things wasn’t easy to take. One misstep, and it could end up half-dead itself.

"Black Emperor, you said that Broken Mountain was the training ground of a ruthless figure. Why didn’t I notice anything special?" Ye Fan asked, stowing the cauldron and quickly changing the subject.

"Back then, that figure was so formidable it was suffocating. His training ground naturally isn’t something you’d easily discern."

"Can’t we dig it up with our current abilities?" Ye Fan asked.

The black dog instantly grew wary, baring its teeth. "Kid, I’m warning you, don’t get any funny ideas. The treasures here have nothing to do with you, they’re mine!"

Suddenly, a warship flew in, radiant with auspicious colors, slicing through the sky and plunging deep into the Cloud Severing Mountains at incredible speed.

On the warship, forged from colorful jade, a large flag fluttered noisily, bearing a massive "Ji" character.

Ye Fan frowned. He hadn’t expected the Ji Clan to act so quickly, less than half an hour had passed, and their experts had already arrived.

Soon, figures rushed out from the mountains, searching in all directions. Many cultivators who hadn’t managed to leave were intercepted and brought back by the Ji Clan.

Ye Fan moved unhurriedly, already dozens of miles away, but he was still stopped by someone pursuing in his direction. He didn’t want to go back, if his cover was blown, it would spell disaster.

"Stop!" a Ji Clan expert shouted.

Ye Fan furrowed his brow. This was a powerhouse at the fourth stage of the Dao Palace, his godpower fluctuations intimidating. Ye Fan felt the threat.

Black Emperor scoffed, "This Emperor could bite him to death in one chomp!"

"Are you sure?"

"I mean, in the past…" It faltered, a bit guilty.

"We have to deal with him, or we’ll be exposed. Black Emperor, I’m counting on you," Ye Fan said.

"He’s not my enemy. If you want me to act, fine, hand over the seed with the bald head carved on it, or give me the mysterious turtle."

"At a time like this, you’re still trying to haggle? Do it or don’t, I can escape, change my appearance, and blend into the crowd. They’ll never find me in this lifetime. But you’re different. Your features are obvious, and that bald tail of yours…"

"Bring that up again, and I’ll lose it!" The black dog’s face darkened.

The Ji Clan expert landed, looking only twenty-three or twenty-four but already a master at the fourth stage of the Dao Palace. His face grim, he said, "Come back to the mountains with me. I have questions for you."

Ye Fan took a few steps forward. "Can’t we talk here?"

"Cut the nonsense and move!" the Ji Clan expert barked.

He was in a foul mood. A youth they were supposed to capture had turned the tables, brazenly killing Ji Clan disciples. If this got out, the Ji Clan would lose face.

It was easy to imagine, the news would soon spread across the Northern Region, impossible to suppress.

"If you don’t want to die, turn back to Cloud Severing Mountains now!" the Ji Clan expert shouted.

"Fine," Ye Fan nodded.

Suddenly, the black dog charged, like a bolt of black lightning, pouncing on the Ji Clan expert.

The sneak attack succeeded!

The Ji Clan cultivator was wary of Ye Fan but hadn’t given the black dog a second thought. He was knocked down by the sly, vicious dog in an instant.

By the time he tried to resist, it was too late. Black Emperor’s body was like iron, immovable.

Boom!

Fearing complications, Ye Fan summoned his Godrune Cauldron, pressing it down. The Ji Clan expert let out a scream and was crushed to death.

...

Two days later, Ye Fan met Tu Fei in a stone gambling house in Cloud Marsh’s Sun Dawn City.

"Little Brother Ye, you’ve gone too far this time, haven’t you? I told you to make some noise and then come to this stone gambling house so I’d show up. But you went and slaughtered eight core disciples from the holy lands like chopping melons, bringing the fire right to my doorstep. I’m freaking out here!"

"Is it that serious?"

"How is it not serious? The Ji Clan has sent a ton of experts, and even the God Physique has shown up. Ji Haoyue was supposed to attend the Jade Pool Stone Festival with his sister, but because of this, he came here to Sun Dawn City. Looks like I can’t stay in this hideout anymore."

Ye Fan frowned. Ji Haoyue, the God Physique, could kill powerhouses of the fourth realm with his Celestial Phenomena. Peerless among his generation, Ye Fan was no match for him now.

At the same time, a thought struck him. "The Jade Pool Stone Appreciation Festival hasn’t started yet?"

"Not yet, but it’s soon. We’ll go together," Tu Fei replied.

"By the way, you said Ji Haoyue came to the Northern Region with his sister for the Jade Pool event. Is his sister named Ji Ziyue or Ji Biyue?" Ye Fan asked.

"Little Brother Ye, we in this line of work need to have some loyalty. You’ve already got Fairy Yao Xi, and now you’re planning to make a move on the Ji Clan’s pearl?!"

"You shithead, don’t talk nonsense! I’m just asking..."

"I don’t know which ‘moon’ it is. We’re going to Jade Pool anyway, so you’ll see for yourself," Tu Fei said, then grumbled, "Man, you’ve really caused me a heap of trouble. I heard the Radiant Light Saint has shown up too. I can’t stay here anymore."

"The Radiant Light Saint…" Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

This man was an absolute genius, capable of rivaling a God Monarch, with unfathomable cultivation. Among the younger generation of the Eastern Wilderness, he had few equals!

Ye Fan knew he was likely after his Cauldron. The Radiant Light Saint, a prodigy with ambitions to become a Grand Emperor, couldn’t obtain Phoenix Blood Red Gold and was undoubtedly targeting the Motherly Energy of All Things.

Big Mouth Tu glanced at Black Emperor and couldn’t help but say, "Where’d you find this black dog? Its tail’s all bald, looks like it’s got some years on it. That’s some prime tonic right there. No need to be so polite coming to my place. Tonight, I’ll find a good chef to stew some black dog meat."

Ye Fan knew things were about to go south.

Sure enough, Black Emperor shot forward, biting Tu Fei’s right hand, snarling, "Punk, I think you’re the real tonic!"

"Holy shit, how’s this mangy dog talking?!" Tu Fei was startled, then cried out in pain, "Fuck, that hurts like hell!"

"Black Emperor, let go!" Ye Fan hurriedly intervened.

"This damn dog’s a demon or something, but its tail’s all bald…" Tu Fei wailed, still running his mouth.

"Big Mouth Tu, shut up already, or you’ll lose that hand!" Ye Fan quickly stopped him, prying at the black dog’s mouth, worried it might actually bite it off.

"I #@%￥…" Tu Fei screamed in pain, cursing, "Damn it, dog, let go! You’re a demon now, don’t you know who I am?!"

"I don’t care who you are. Insult this Emperor, and I’ll swallow you whole!" Black Emperor growled, refusing to let go.

Tu Fei channeled his godpower, shaking his hand fiercely, but he couldn’t break free, only screaming, "Damn it, I’ve never been bitten by a dog in my life!"

"Big Mouth Tu, shut your trap. It’s not just you, I bet even if it saw your grandpa, it’d take a couple of bites," Ye Fan urged, threatening Black Emperor to release him.

"What’s the deal with this bald-tailed dog?!" Tu Fei, still oblivious to danger, kept yapping while screaming.

Ye Fan secretly transmitted a threat to Black Emperor, telling it only Tu Fei knew the hiding place of the demon race’s Supreme Giant. If it wanted the ancient scriptures, it’d better let go.

But the dog was dead set, refusing to release, making Tu Fei howl in agony.

In the end, Big Mouth Tu exhausted his sweet talk, painfully handing over over a hundred pounds of source stones. Only then did Black Emperor let go, swallowing all the source stones in one gulp.

"Damn it, I’m not done with this dog!" Tu Fei, freed at last, was ready to fight with his treasures.

But Black Emperor struck first, sneakily biting his ankle.

"I @#￥r$#… Damn it, it bit me again!" Big Mouth Tu was so angry he was steaming, finally handing over another hundred pounds of source stones to escape, still screaming.

This time, Ye Fan quickly stopped him. "Don’t stir up trouble. Wait till you get some treasure armor, then settle the score. Otherwise, even a realm higher, it’ll still bite you."

"What’re you staring at? Never seen a majestic emperor like me?" Black Emperor shot Tu Fei a sidelong glance.

"Damn it, I’ve never taken such a loss in my life," Big Mouth Tu fumed, glaring at the black dog.

"Stop looking at this Emperor like that. I won’t take you as a human pet. Bringing someone like you out for a walk would shame me," Black Emperor said, raising its head and ignoring him.

"Little Ye, don’t stop me. Damn it, I’ll skin it alive!" Big Mouth Tu was livid, smoke practically pouring from his ears.

Tu Fei was truly provoked, humiliated by a black dog’s bites, which infuriated him.

Ye Fan was at a loss for words. This damned dog really needed a lesson. He secretly transmitted to Tu Fei, "Don’t rush. We’ll find a time to deal with it together."

It took a long time to calm Tu Fei down. He asked, "What do you want with me? Planning to head to Jade Pool early?"

"The Jade Pool event is a must, but that’s not why I’m here. I want to ask about the hiding place of the Fourth Warlord, Azure Flood Dragon Monarch."

"Why’re you asking about Azure Flood Dragon Monarch’s lair? What’s up?"

"The Peacock Monarch and the descendants of the demon race’s Grand Emperor should be there, right? I want to visit an old friend," Ye Fan replied, careful not to mention Pang Bo.

Black Emperor’s ears perked up instantly. It went completely quiet, listening intently.

"You’re not after Yan Ruyu, are you?" Big Mouth Tu’s imagination ran wild again.

"Do you know or not?" Ye Fan pressed.

"Of course I know. Speaking of which, a demoness asked about you last time," Tu Fei said with a sly grin.

"Who?"

"Forgot to ask her name. She was very seductive, though."

"Hurry up and take us to Azure Flood Dragon Monarch’s hiding place," Black Emperor interjected.

Big Mouth Tu, face dark, ignored it and said to Ye Fan, "We need to leave Sun Dawn City immediately. You’ve caused such a mess, all sorts of monsters are showing up, especially that bastard Radiant Light Saint. He’s here, and it’s got me on edge."

He grinned again. "Don’t you want to know what’s going on out there? Let’s head to another oasis and see just what kind of storm you’ve stirred up."