Shrouded Sky

Chapter 332 - Revisiting Tathagata

An Miaoyi sat down gracefully, carrying with her a natural fragrance, faint and elegant like orchids and musk. She sipped her wine occasionally, her words flowing like pearls, easily joining in their conversation. Her presence blended in so naturally that it seemed as if she had always been there.

The Grand Xia prince and Yao Yuekong were both extraordinary figures, not easily moved by mere beauty. Yet An Miaoyi possessed a strange allure that made one instinctively feel goodwill toward her.

“Little Brother Gu Feng,” she said with a sweet smile, “Miaoyi toasts to you. You won’t refuse me this time, will you?”

Ye Fan took a light sip of wine and smiled. “Next time, I’ll invite Fairy An to admire the flowers beneath the moon as an apology.”

Yao Yuekong laughed loudly. “Beneath the moon and among the flowers, eh?”

“Little Brother Gu, you’re still young. Don’t go learning bad things so early,” An Miaoyi teased, giving him a graceful sideways glance.

Though she came from the Exquisite Desire Temple, she was known for her purity, like a snow lotus blooming on a frozen peak, sacred and untainted. Yet at this moment, with her smiling face and soft laughter, she exuded a charm that could stir hearts.

Ye Fan smiled. “How would I dare? Brother Yuekong is twisting my words. Fairy An, a woman like you is as ethereal as the Moon Goddess herself. The last time you played your zither under the moonlight left a lasting impression on me. If I could apologize under the same moon, perhaps I might also see your dance again.”

The Grand Xia prince chuckled. “Why wait? Why not let Fairy An show us her immortal dance right now?”

“Snow is falling all around. Would you really have me dance in the cold wind?” An Miaoyi smiled faintly, but in the end, she stood and stepped out among the plum trees.

She danced like a drifting cloud, her robes whiter than snow. Like an elf amid the swirling flakes, she moved with grace and softness, her every motion a picture of ethereal beauty.

Plum blossoms fluttered, scattering red among the white, circling around her as if drawn to her spirit, adding a dreamlike contrast.

“Beautiful!”

“Marvelous!”

Cheers echoed from the surrounding pavilions, many could see the silhouette of a celestial maiden dancing amidst the snow.

After a short while, An Miaoyi glided back into the hall, her gentle aura filling the room. Even the white-clad little nun was affected, now looking at her with admiration.

“Little Brother Gu,” An Miaoyi asked with a curious smile, “your source technique is truly astonishing. How did you come to master it?”

As they continued drinking, the question everyone had been wondering finally came out.

“It’s just an old family method, hardly worth mentioning,” Ye Fan replied.

Yao Yuekong said, “You’re too modest, Brother Gu. Though you’ve only shown it two or three times, one glimpse is enough to know the depth of your mastery.”

Prince Xia Yiming nodded. “So your technique comes from a lineage of source masters? May I ask which family?”

Ye Fan already knew that several source clans existed in the Northern Region, ancient and powerful, with ties to major holy lands.

“Just a humble household,” he said lightly. “A few old techniques handed down from my ancestors. Nothing worth boasting about.”

Yao Yuekong smiled knowingly. “A true expert hides his strength. You must be from the lineage of the Primordial Source Masters, the strongest in the world when it comes to source art.”

“Not at all,” Ye Fan shook his head. “My techniques can’t compare with theirs.”

“Too modest,” said Prince Xia. “Your methods carry an ancient air, perhaps not far behind the Source Masters themselves.”

“In my opinion,” Yao Yuekong added, “your source techniques surpass those of most great families. I’ve met heirs from two such clans, they’re certainly no match for you.”

An Miaoyi laughed softly. “That goes without saying. I’ve heard a few came here to study the Nine-Aperture Stone Man, but in the end, they gave up. How could they compare with our Little Brother Gu?”

Ye Fan smiled. “Truthfully, I just got lucky. Once the godly medicine appeared, I took a gamble.” Then, not wishing to stay on the topic, he smoothly changed the subject.

Blackwater asked, “Your Highness, your royal family always keeps people stationed here in the Celestial City. Are you truly that focused on source stones?”

“We have great need of them,” said the Grand Xia prince.

Ye Fan swirled the wine in his jade cup. “I’ve heard rumors. I wonder if they’re true.”

Yao Yuekong leaned forward. “I’ve also heard tales. Perhaps Prince Xia can enlighten us?”

Prince Xia Yiming set down his cup. “You must have heard the story that our ancestor cut a source stone and found within it a Heavenly Scripture, allowing our family to rise and found the Grand Xia Dynasty, is that it?”

“Exactly,” Blackwater said.

An Miaoyi smiled. “Then, Your Highness, tell us the truth. We want to know the real story.”

“It’s all nonsense,” the prince replied. “The Supreme Emperor Scripture was not cut from stone. It was created by our ancestor, the Supreme Emperor himself, a symbol of ultimate power.”

The Supreme Emperor Scripture was one of the four great scriptures of the Middle Continent, unmatched in offensive might, said to rival even the “Battle” secret of the Nine Secrets, an ancient divine technique so rare that its transmission had nearly vanished from the world.

The two ultimate arts had never clashed, leaving the world to endlessly debate which was stronger.

Yao Yuekong nodded. “Indeed. Such a mighty scripture could only have originated from the Supreme Emperor himself.”

The Supreme Emperor was a legend, almost divine. It was said that he could challenge immortals, a peerless being whose power once made all under heaven tremble. His imperial aura alone was enough to suppress the world.

Prince Xia Yiming continued, “Our royal family remains in the Northern Celestial City merely to seek rare sources and treasures within them. Nothing more.”

Of course, none of them truly believed that. Rumors said the Grand Xia family gathered divine materials to refine an immortal pill, or perhaps to repair a broken Paragon Artifact.

Yao Yuekong said, “Ancient texts of the North record that hundreds of thousands of years ago, in the Desolate Era, someone cut from a source stone a peerless beauty. Could that be similar to the Nine-Aperture Stone Man?”

Blackwater shook his head. “Hard to say. Maybe it was an ancient being sealed within the stone.”

“They say,” An Miaoyi added, “that even the great holy lands failed to stop her, she fled and vanished.”

“Clearly, source stones hold more than fortune,” said Blackwater. “They hide priceless things.”

Naturally, they turned to discussing the divine treasures Ye Fan had cut, his finds had shocked the city.

“The humanoid godly medicine you uncovered is too damaged,” said the prince. “Only two medicine roots remain. It’s worth, at most, around a hundred thousand catties of source.”

Yao Yuekong nodded. “About fifteen hundred thousand. Ancient godly medicine is rarer than godsource, but too incomplete to fetch a full price.”

He spoke with authority, after all, his Godfiend Palace was one of the seven great auction houses of Celestial City.

“But if someone desperately needed it,” Ye Fan smiled, “the price could rise at auction.”

An Miaoyi instantly caught on. “The holy lands have just finished attacking Purple Mountain. If great figures are injured and return to find that an ancient godly medicine has surfaced, they’ll fight over it.”

“Exactly,” Ye Fan nodded.

“Schemer,” the little nun muttered under her breath.

“Now, now, little sister,” Ye Fan grinned, “I’m saving lives, not cheating people.”

“Who’s your little sister!” she pouted, wrinkling her nose and rolling her eyes.

“If that’s the case,” Yao Yuekong calculated aloud, “it could reach thirty thousand catties of source.”

Blackwater swallowed hard. “That much for a damaged plant?”

“And the Dragon-Rune Black Gold sword?” he asked eagerly.

Prince Xia looked at him sincerely. “Brothers, would you sell me that sword? I’ll pay a price that satisfies you.”

The little nun’s eyes sparkled, she clearly liked that tiny sword, less than an inch long.

“Miaoyi, too, seeks an indestructible weapon,” said An Miaoyi with a soft smile. “I’d also like to purchase it.”

Ye Fan turned his hand and let the small sword float above his palm, showing it to them.

“Recently,” said Yao Yuekong, “a fingernail-sized piece of Dragon-Rune Black Gold was auctioned at my Godfiend Palace, for eighty thousand catties of source.”

“What!”

Everyone gasped. Indeed, material used by ancient Grand Emperors for their Paragon Artifacts was unimaginably precious, far beyond godsource.

A single Paragon Artifact required massive amounts of such materials, far more than anyone could easily measure.

“No wonder the ancient emperors searched the world for materials, they’re beyond priceless.”

After examining it, Prince Xia said, “This sword has only begun to gestate its Dao and Laws. It’s far from fully awakened.”

An Miaoyi nodded. “If melted down, it’d equal that fingernail-sized piece, but since it already contains part of its own law, we can add seventy thousand catties more.”

“Only that much?” Blackwater exclaimed.

An Miaoyi smiled. “If we consider it was born from the Nine-Aperture Stone Man, an artifact of heaven and earth itself, then add another hundred thousand catties.”

“Two hundred fifty thousand catties of source?” Blackwater’s heart thumped wildly.

“In truth,” said Yao Yuekong, “it could fetch up to three hundred fifty thousand at auction.”

Even Prince Xia was stunned. Despite his powerful background, such numbers made him uneasy, none of them could spend so freely.

“Three hundred thousand for the sword, thirty thousand for the medicine, that’s six hundred fifty thousand catties of source,” Blackwater murmured, dizzy with awe.

Ye Fan thought for a moment. “If I auction them, I’d rather take exotic source instead of common refined source. Is that possible?”

Yao Yuekong frowned. “That’ll be difficult. Exotic source is precious, no one trades it easily. If you insist, you’ll lose about two-thirds of the value.”

“What? That much?” Ye Fan was shocked.

“Pure source has little effect on higher cultivators,” explained the prince. “Its energy density is too low. Exotic source, however, is pure essence, useless for cultivation, perhaps, but perfect for restoring godpower.”

“So six hundred fifty thousand catties of pure source would only equal about two hundred thousand in exotic source?” Ye Fan was speechless.

“Roughly,” said Prince Xia.

Ye Fan sighed. He had no choice. To advance, he’d need a million catties of source, an entire mountain of it. Refining that much would bury him alive.

Luckily, his mastery of source arts meant he could gamble more stones in other holy lands. Gathering enough wouldn’t be impossible.

Then...

Dooong…!

A deep, resonant bell echoed through heaven and earth. The entire Celestial City trembled as though the world itself shuddered.

“This sound…” Ye Fan’s heart froze. The Beginningless Bell of Purple Mountain has rung again.

“The same as last time…”

Everyone rose to their feet, faces pale, feeling that overwhelming, boundless might.

Without a doubt, the Sacred Lords’ second assault on Purple Mountain had ended in failure. They had fled once more, but what had they encountered this time?

“Brother Yuekong,” Ye Fan said calmly, “let’s begin the auction for the ancient godly medicine.”

Blackwater leaned close, speaking through divine sense: “And don’t forget that half-eaten Ginseng Fruit. Might as well auction that too!”

He couldn’t help but laugh.