Shrouded Sky

Chapter 340 - Immortal Radiance

When the jade cocoon split open, a brilliant burst of nine-colored light shot out. Within lay an object the size of a hen’s egg, perfectly round and smooth, with nine tiny holes upon its surface that sang softly when touched by the wind.

The music it produced was enchanting, almost bewitching, drawing everyone’s heart toward it.

They longed to hold it in their hands, to listen closely. It carried an almost demonic charm.

The object was crystal-clear, radiant with nine hues, so beautiful and dazzling that it seemed like the most precious treasure in the world.

At the center of the island, the elderly man beneath the ancient tree, the one who seemed almost divine, shook his head and murmured, “A pity… born into the mortal world by mistake.”

“Senior, what is this?” many people asked, confused. Even the old cultivators who had spent their lives studying source stones looked to the Ji Clan’s guardian of the Sacred Stone Workshop for answers.

“This is Immortal Radiance,” said the old guardian, shaking his head. “If it were nourished by immortal essence, it could have recorded fragments of the Dao’s imprint, born as a celestial scripture of heaven and earth. But in this mortal realm, without immortal essence to nurture it, it can only serve as a beautiful instrument. It has nothing to do with cultivation.”

“Immortal Radiance! I’ve heard of that!” some of the old men gasped.

It was exactly as the Ji Clan’s elder had said. This thing had been born into the wrong world. If it had appeared in the Immortal Realm, nourished by immortal essence, it would have become a heavenly scripture, inscribed with the runes of creation itself.

But here, it could only sing the sacred music of the Grand Dao once upon its birth, and then fall silent forever. Without immortal essence, it would never awaken again.

“What a pity! Otherwise, it would have been an ancient scripture, an immortal tome that could shake the world!”

“Why must it be so? Born in the mortal world by mistake!”

Everyone felt a deep sense of regret. Had things been different, this would have been a divine scripture, a peerless opportunity bestowed by heaven.

Ye Fan held the Immortal Radiance in his palm. It was smooth and translucent, glowing with nine-colored light. For an ordinary emperor, it would have been a treasure of a kingdom, but for cultivators, it held no true value.

The Immortal Radiance he had cut out was, like the wisp of dragon might within the Dragon Pearl, a curiosity with little practical use, a rare but ultimately ornamental find.

Tuoba Chang had spent one hundred thousand jin of source on the Dragon Head Stone; Ye Fan, eighty thousand on the Immortal Sound Stone. Both had ended up with nothing of real worth.

“Gu Feng,” a soft voice echoed in Ye Fan’s mind, An Miaoyi’s. “Miaoyi is quite fond of that Immortal Radiance. Please don’t give it to anyone else, keep it for me.” Her tone was like a spring breeze, gentle and intoxicating.

That was the nature of stone gambling, nine out of ten times, you’d come up empty. Even with great mastery of the source arts, one could still be deceived by a cunning stone.

Everyone sighed. Even two prodigies of the source arts had been fooled and squandered a fortune, what hope was there for ordinary people?

“The Sacred Grounds’ stone markets always bring them great profit,” one man muttered. “They never lose. If these so-called ‘treasures’ really held something inside, they wouldn’t have sat here unsold for years.”

Others nodded solemnly, warning their companions.

“The Sacred Grounds open their stone shops for profit, not charity. If they had even the slightest confidence in a stone’s contents, it would never be sold here. Those places are full of masters who can read stone better than anyone.”

At that moment, both Ye Fan and Tuoba Chang stayed calm, and suddenly moved again, heading straight toward the other “Treasures of the Garden.”

In just a few steps, Ye Fan stood before the strange stone called Peerless Beauty, while Tuoba Chang rushed toward the Innate Yin-Yang Dao Diagram stone.

“I’ll take this one!” Ye Fan said, throwing down fifteen thousand jin of source to purchase it outright.

“I have no source left,” said Tuoba Chang. “But as the first heir of the Tuoba Clan, I will leave my seal as proof. I’ll deliver the source in a few days.” Having spent one hundred thousand already, he was empty-handed.

Everyone was stunned. The two looked almost as if they were fighting over the stones, racing to seize them before the other could.

The Peerless Beauty stone stood over two meters tall, beside a flowering tree whose petals drifted gently in the breeze, giving it an ethereal aura. It was valued at fifteen thousand jin of source.

The Yin-Yang Dao Diagram stone was as large as a tabletop, simple and natural, as though the runes of the Dao itself were embedded within. It was valued at twelve thousand jin.

“They’ve lost their minds!”

“Why start grabbing stones again after cutting two empty ones?”

Most of the crowd was baffled, but the Ji Clan members remained calm. The more of their priceless stones got cut open for nothing, the more profit they made.

The two men began cutting again, blades flashing like lightning, stone chips flying like snowflakes.

“I’ve lived long enough to see everything,” one old man said with a laugh. “All the Garden’s supreme treasures cut open in my lifetime, my wish is fulfilled.”

Facing the Peerless Beauty, Ye Fan showed no gentleness. His black-gold dragon-rune sword slashed relentlessly, as if he were racing against time.

If there was a treasure within, his technique ensured it would not be harmed, yet the speed was astonishing. In moments, the massive stone was cleaved apart.

But inside, nothing. Completely empty. Not even a curiosity this time.

Meanwhile, Tuoba Chang had also finished with the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram. It too was empty, leaving only a pile of stone dust behind.

In an instant, both men, moving like lightning, darted toward other stones.

Five of the Garden’s supreme treasures remained. Their intent was clear, they each picked one immediately.

Ye Fan chose a stone called Immortal Gourd, over a meter tall, shaped like a calabash. Some speculated that gourd seeds might lie within, an extraordinary treasure. It was worth ten thousand jin of source.

Tuoba Chang picked one shaped like a roaring tiger, seemingly about to take flight. It was called White Tiger Ascending, worth twelve thousand jin.

“Ye Fan, are you insane?!” Blackwater sent him a secret voice transmission, his heart pounding.

It was madness. Between the Immortal Sound Stone and Peerless Beauty, Ye Fan had already spent twenty-three thousand jin of source, all wasted.

And now, as though possessed, he threw out another ten thousand.

“I’m not crazy,” Ye Fan replied calmly. “But there’s one stone here that’s driving people crazy. It contains something extraordinary. If I cut it out, everything will be worth it.”

“Brother Tuoba, what’s gotten into you?” Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian called out.

But Tuoba Chang ignored them. He signed another note of debt on the stone tablet and continued cutting furiously.

The Ji Clan didn’t fear being cheated. No one in the world dared default on a debt to the Ji Clan, not even the ancient source lineages.

“What’s going on?” Blackwater muttered in confusion.

By now, Ye Fan had spent thirty-three thousand jin of source and was cutting the Immortal Gourd at high speed. Everyone thought he’d gone mad.

“It’s hard to explain right now,” Ye Fan murmured. “You’ll understand later.”

Both he and Tuoba Chang sensed something strange, something hidden and powerful on this island.

Their mastery of the source arts had reached near-perfection, close to the level of Celestial Source Masters. Whether it was the Celestial Source Wheel or the Celestial Source Perception, both had achieved extremely high precision.

And yet, they had both been deceived. A mysterious aura had clouded their perception.

At once, they recalled what was written in ancient source texts. When source masters are misled by strange energy, it means something extraordinary is hidden nearby.

An unimaginable treasure must be here.

Both the Tuoba Clan’s manuals and the supreme source scriptures mentioned this, when a sentient, world-shaking treasure is born, it can cloud the senses of source masters to protect itself.

Such a stone was called a King Stone. It harbored unimaginable divine power.

Both men, one wielding the Celestial Source Perception, the other the Celestial Source Wheel, felt the same thing. A living, divine presence was hidden somewhere among these stones.

If they could cut it out, all the losses would be repaid a hundredfold. And so, they continued without hesitation.

Now, it was not only a duel between Ye Fan and Tuoba Chang, it was a battle between two geniuses and the will of a living, sentient stone.

“They’ve gone mad, completely mad!”

Everyone was speechless. Over thirty thousand jin of source had already been spent, and the two seemed ready to spend more.

Even the Crown Prince of Grand Xia and Jiang Yifei, scions of immortal dynasties and eternal families, were shocked. Not even they could afford such extravagance.

An Miaoyi’s eyes sparkled, her smile faint and mesmerizing. “This truly is a source duel worthy of shaking the Celestial City,” she said softly. “Too astonishing to believe.”

Even the quiet little nun’s large eyes flickered in wonder.

“Could there really be a King Stone here?” some old masters whispered, faces turning pale.

“If so… then even an ancient scripture, an emperor’s artifact, or a young true dragon, could appear!”

The elders scattered, searching the grounds, hoping to sense the legendary King Stone themselves.

When the Immortal Gourd and White Tiger Ascending were finally split, they too were empty. Nothing inside.

Everyone felt a chill. The Sacred Grounds’ stone markets were indeed bottomless pits, once you jumped in, you only sank deeper, never finding treasure.

“Ye Fan, stop this madness! You’re… you’re picking another stone?!” Blackwater cried in disbelief.

Ye Fan threw down another twelve thousand jin of source, piling it up like a glittering mountain, and began to choose again.

Three of the Garden’s treasures remained, each priced at twelve thousand. This time, he didn’t rush. He stood silently, scanning each one with utmost care.

Tuoba Chang, equally possessed, carved another debt onto a stone tablet and came running to select his next.

“Unbelievable… utterly insane!”

“It’s been years since anyone gambled like this, tens of thousands of jin in one go! My heart can’t take it!”

Everyone was stunned, breathless from the sheer audacity.

By now, Ye Fan had spent forty-five thousand jin of source, and hadn’t even flinched.

Finally, Tuoba Chang chose first, a priceless stone called Divine Moon.

It resembled a crescent moon, over two meters long, glowing faintly with crystalline light. Its surface was smooth and flawless, made of rare jade-like source material that shimmered under sunlight.

Tuoba Chang began cutting without hesitation. Layers of stone peeled away, the jade-like skin flaking off like silk. The Divine Moon grew smaller and smaller.

Suddenly, a brilliant beam of divine light shot skyward, illuminating the entire island. The pale-blue lake reflected the glow, shimmering like crystal.

The air was filled with holiness. The radiance made everyone’s pores open, their bodies relax, it was as if immortal energy had wrapped around them.

“What is that?!”

“He’s cut out a divine item!”

The island erupted. No one could stay calm. Even a mere ray of light from the crack was enough to shake the heavens, what unimaginable treasure must be inside?

Tuoba Chang’s hands trembled. He slowed down, cutting with infinite care, afraid to harm the divine object.

A head-sized stone sphere emerged, light bursting through its cracks. The thin layer of stone remaining could barely contain the brilliance within.

The orb floated in midair, defying gravity.

“Heavens… Godsource! It’s Godsource!”

“Yes! Godsource, an entire piece the size of a human head!”

Even the elders lost control, shouting in excitement. Such a treasure was almost mythical. Every Sacred Ground in the world coveted it.

“Conservatively, it’s worth at least fifty thousand jin of source!”

When an old cultivator spoke this estimate, the entire crowd gasped in shock.

This was Godsource, pure, condensed essence of heaven and earth. A single head-sized piece was worth more than a mountain of ordinary source stones.

Tuoba Chang dared not strip away the final layer of stone, it was too bright to look upon. Even so, dozens of divine rays burst through, flooding the island in sacred light. The blue lake itself glimmered like liquid crystal.

“Hahaha!” Tuoba Chang burst out laughing uncontrollably.

The Godsource had appeared, the first in the Celestial City in many years. It was a miracle, a discovery that would shake the world.

“Blackwater, let’s see how you recover from this!” Li Chongtian shouted with glee. “Do you really think you can rival a source lineage now?”

“Not in this lifetime!” Wu Ziming added mockingly. “I’ve been waiting for this moment, to see your faces turn green!”

The island was in chaos. Everyone was shouting, marveling, losing their composure.

Blackwater stood frozen, completely speechless. The appearance of Godsource had stunned even him into silence.

Only Ye Fan remained calm. “In this world,” he said quietly, “Godsource is not the most precious thing. There are stones that contain treasures even holier.”

All eyes turned to him, An Miaoyi, the Crown Prince of Grand Xia, Jiang Yifei, the little nun, even the elders.

But most people only shook their heads. Some pitied him, others mocked him. After such a miracle, how could anyone possibly surpass Godsource?

Wu Ziming laughed aloud. “Then go ahead, show me a treasure more sacred than Godsource!”

“Very well,” Ye Fan said evenly. “Today, I’ll try. Perhaps a miracle truly can happen.”

The Stone Workshop fell silent. All eyes fixed on him.

An Miaoyi’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

The white-robed little nun blinked her big eyes, her small mouth forming a perfect “O” of surprise, like a startled swallow.

Even the steadfast ones, Jin Chixiao, Wan Chu Shengzi, Yao Yuekong, looked astonished.

“Hahaha! Still clinging to hope? Even now? You’re dreaming!” Li Chongtian roared with laughter.

“Could he really cut out something greater than Godsource?” someone whispered, half in hope, half in disbelief.

Almost no one believed it possible. Godsource was too rare, too precious.

Meanwhile, word of the discovery spread like wildfire through the Celestial City. Countless people rushed toward the island.

Ye Fan remained calm, tapping thoughtfully on another priceless stone. Even now, his expression did not waver.

“Ye Fan,” Blackwater whispered urgently, “you’d better cut out something unbelievable, or we’re ruined!”

Wu Ziming sneered. “We’ll wait and see, when you finally see the coffin, will you still laugh?”

Ye Fan stood up, his expression steady. “In that case,” he said, “why don’t you join me? Let’s gamble for real.” His gaze swept across the crowd. “And if anyone else dares, feel free to join in.”

“Hah! I don’t believe in miracles. You can’t possibly turn this around now!”