Shrouded Sky

Chapter 342 - The Divine Pit

Inside and outside the Heavenly-Rank Stone Workshop, everyone turned to look. Ye Fan and Li Yishui instantly became the center of attention.

People were astonished. At this moment, it should have been Li Yishui who was proud and satisfied, yet his face was dark and gloomy, obviously in a foul mood.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan, who had just had his stone seized, looked bright and sunny, his white teeth gleaming. He actually seemed happy.

Beside him, the dark-skinned youth could barely contain his laughter. His grin nearly reached his ears, he looked like a wolf wagging its tail, suppressing a wild laugh.

“It’s over. Li Yishui must have been tricked.”

“No way. Didn’t you see how ruthless and cunning he was just now? How could he have been played?”

“Didn’t you notice the way those two boys are smiling? It’s like a pair of weasels staring at baby chicks.”

Everyone’s attention gathered at the center of the scene, eyes fixed on the two men and the Heavenly-Rank stone before them.

Li Yishui could no longer stay calm. Gone was his previous air of composure; his face darkened as he glared at the stone on the ground. Beside him, Yang Kun’s expression was equally grim as he stared down at the piece of ore.

The stone was called Feathered Ascension. It was about a meter long and irregularly shaped, but covered in lines resembling feathers.

The Feathered Ascension Stone lay beneath a thousand-year-old ancient tree. Many cultivators had seen it before, but no one had dared to cut it open. Its estimated value was twelve thousand catties of source essence.

“This is a rare treasure stone,” Ye Fan said with a bright smile. “It carries traces of the Primordial aura, definitely from an ancient pit.”

Li Yishui’s face darkened even more. Without a word, he took out a silver knife and began cutting carefully. After all, this was a priceless stone, he didn’t dare to be careless.

“You’re cutting it wrong, Senior Li,” Ye Fan said seriously. “This kind of Feathered Stone has to be cut against the grain, like carving scales, bit by bit upward.”

Veins bulged on Li Yishui’s forehead.

“I don’t need you to tell me,” he snapped.

Yang Kun snorted heavily beside him, his face full of impatience.

But just then, crack!, Li Yishui’s force was too strong, and the Feathered Ascension Stone split apart.

Yang Kun jumped in fright. “Careful!”

They had paid twelve thousand catties of source essence for this gamble. Even if they suspected a trap, the value alone made them handle it with extreme caution.

“You have to cut along the lines, don’t force it. Follow the flow,” Ye Fan continued to “advise.”

Li Yishui’s veins throbbed again, but he stayed silent. He had never cut this type of Feathered Stone before, and if handled poorly, it could crumble completely.

“Yes, lighter strokes now, the knife should float.”

Ye Fan kept smiling as he “guided,” but to Li Yishui and Yang Kun, it felt like being slapped in the face over and over.

Their expressions grew darker than the Black Emperor’s fur. They wanted nothing more than to slash at Ye Fan himself, but the angrier they got, the worse their cutting became.

Crack!

The stone split again, another large chunk breaking off, still revealing nothing inside.

Sweat trickled down their faces. Their twelve thousand catties of source essence, money borrowed from others as well as their own savings, were now on the line. The thought of losing it all made their stomachs churn.

Crack! Crack!

More stone dust fell as the Feathered Ascension Stone shrank smaller and smaller, still revealing nothing. Sweat soaked through Li Yishui’s back.

Yang Kun wasn’t even cutting, yet he felt just as anxious, as if ants were crawling over his heart.

The dark-skinned youth’s grin widened silently. Even Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian, who weren’t involved, looked uncomfortable watching it.

Crack!

When only a palm-sized piece of the Feathered Ascension Stone remained, Li Yishui and Yang Kun’s faces went completely pale. Clearly, this stone held no hidden treasure.

When they looked up, they saw the dark youth leisurely trimming his nails with a dragon-rune black-gold spirit sword, utterly relaxed.

Their faces went from white to blue, then to purple. It was infuriating beyond words. If they weren’t standing in the Ji Clan’s Stone Workshop, they might have killed someone on the spot.

Smash!

Li Yishui hurled the remaining stone to the ground. It shattered into pieces, nothing inside. His face iron-blue, he nearly vomited blood.

Twelve thousand catties of source essence, gone. Nothing gained. He had been utterly swindled, truly self-inflicted misfortune.

“You…” Li Yishui trembled with rage, pointing a shaking finger at Ye Fan and the others, his hair bristling.

“What do you mean you?” the dark youth laughed. “You robbed our stone, cut out nothing, and now you want to blame us?”

Li Yishui and Yang Kun saw stars. They nearly fainted. The loss was too huge, the humiliation unbearable. They had schemed so cleverly, only to fall straight into the pit they’d dug themselves.

“Those two old fools are miserable,” someone muttered. “They walked right into that trap, and they can’t even complain.”

The crowd erupted into laughter.

“They asked for it. They acted like a bunch of smartasses a moment ago, grabbing someone else’s source, and now look at them.”

“That young man’s no ordinary player, he dug a pit so deep those two just had to fall in. Who could’ve seen that coming?”

“Greed leads to ruin!”

“This is an art form,” the dark youth said, smirking. His words carried a double meaning.

“Ha ha ha!” The laughter spread even louder.

Li Yishui and Yang Kun looked like they’d swallowed poison. To be tricked so “artistically” and then mocked, it was unbearable.

Ye Fan walked to another priceless stone and patted it lightly. “Actually, this one isn’t bad either. I rather like it.”

Everyone burst into another round of laughter.

Li Yishui wanted to punch him. Yang Kun flung his sleeve angrily and stormed out of the Stone Workshop.

“Have you chosen your stone yet?” Tuoba Chang asked coldly.

Floating beside him was a head-sized Godsource, radiating with divine brilliance even through its rough outer shell.

“I’ve chosen,” Ye Fan replied.

To everyone’s surprise, he didn’t choose the last Heavenly-Rank stone. Instead, he picked up a much smaller one that had been lying beside the Feathered Ascension Stone.

It was an ordinary stone, about the size of a grinding stone, dark green in color, shaped like a squat pillar.

Though located in the Heavenly-Rank Garden, where every stone was valuable, this one was only worth three thousand catties of source essence, far from being a treasure of the collection.

Earlier, when Ye Fan examined the Feathered Ascension Stone, his divine sense had brushed over this one, and he had sensed something mysterious within it, something that made his heart tremble.

He didn’t know if it was a King Stone, but he was sure it was extraordinary.

“Please, seniors, seal off this area,” Ye Fan said solemnly.

Everyone looked surprised. Could there really be another priceless treasure inside? Tuoba Chang had already uncovered a Godsource, it seemed impossible to surpass.

“You really think you’ll find something rarer than Godsource?” Wu Ziming sneered.

Li Chongtian also smirked.

The elder from Illusion Destruction Palace, Li Yishui, stood silently, his face dark as charcoal. Having already lost twelve thousand catties, he was now about to lose eight thousand more.

A crowd of gray-haired elders gathered around. Though they admired Ye Fan’s skill in stone-cutting, few believed he could find anything surpassing a Godsource.

Still, they worked together to raise a glowing barrier, sealing the space.

Even the silver-haired guardian of the Ji Clan’s Stone Workshop came forward to oversee, in case something went wrong.

The dark youth whispered, “Didn’t you say there was a King Stone? Don’t let it mess with your judgment again.”

“Relax,” Ye Fan said confidently. “I used the secret arts of Celestial Source Masters this time. There’s definitely something incredible inside.”

Still, a flicker of doubt remained in his mind.

Maybe this is just a substitute for the real King Stone, he thought. If both Tuoba Chang’s and mine are decoys, then the true King Stone must hold something terrifying beyond imagination.

Ye Fan began cutting carefully. Holding the dragon-rune black-gold dagger between his fingers, he sliced away thin layers of stone.

From afar, the spectators held their breath. His posture was strange, poised as if ready to dodge at any moment.

The Grand Xia Prince, standing nearby, said, “Gu Feng’s skill with source stones is astonishing. Could it be he’s about to uncover another peerless treasure?”

Yao Yuekong, dressed in purple, his eyes glowing faintly violet with demonic aura, said, “Perhaps another surprise awaits.”

An Miaoyi smiled faintly without speaking, her eyes drifting between Ye Fan and Tuoba Chang.

The elders all looked solemn, divine light flickering at their fingertips, ready to act at any moment.

After all, Ye Fan had once cut open stones containing ancient godly medicines and paragon spirits. No one dared underestimate his words.

His blade moved fast, the green stone shrinking quickly as the outer layers fell away.

When only a half-head-sized piece remained, Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian couldn’t help but sneer.

“How can such a small stone compare to a head-sized Godsource?” they thought.

Even Li Yishui’s tense expression finally eased. A mocking smile crept onto his face.

Many shook their heads. Even the dark youth beside Ye Fan looked a bit nervous.

Clang!

Ye Fan’s dagger struck again, and suddenly, a dazzling burst of divine light shot out, blinding everyone.

Gasps filled the air. Eyes widened in shock.

Ye Fan quickly sliced away the last bits of stone. When he was done, a half-head-sized stone sphere emerged, radiating beams of divine light in all directions.

The area glowed brilliantly. Ancient trees shimmered green, and flowers sparkled as though sanctified by the brilliance.

“Godsource!”

The crowd erupted in astonishment.

“No way, another Godsource?!”

“A half-head-sized piece! Even conservatively, that’s worth twenty-five thousand catties of refined source!” cried an old man.

“Two Godsources in one day, that’s unheard of!”

“Unbelievable! Priceless! Why are these heavenly treasures appearing one after another?”

Excitement surged through the crowd. Even the young nun in white pushed forward, blinking curiously at the dazzling light.

“My eyes can’t take it! It’s too bright, I can’t even look directly!” someone cried.

“Hahaha!” Wu Ziming, after recovering from his shock, laughed loudly. “So what if it’s Godsource? It’s only half the size of Brother Tuoba’s!”

“Exactly. You lose. This one belongs to us,” Li Chongtian added gleefully.

Li Yishui exhaled deeply, letting out a cold, sinister laugh.

Suddenly, the stone sphere moved. It shot upward, trying to escape into the sky!

Bang!

It slammed against the barrier. If not for the seal, it would have flown away.

“What’s happening?! The stone is flying?!”

“Heavens! Something inside the Godsource is alive, it’s trying to flee!”

“A flying stone? Impossible!”

Everyone was stunned. It defied all logic.

A Godsource might hover suspended in the air, but it could never fly. This meant something unimaginably rare was sealed within.

Bang! Bang!

The sphere kept crashing into the light barrier, trying desperately to break free, but it couldn’t.

The elders quickly acted, not to attack, but to subdue it gently with divine light, sealing it in place. They dared not use brute force for fear of damaging the treasure inside.

Even through the cracks in the stone, divine radiance poured out in streams, dazzling and magnificent.

The elders’ eyes blazed with excitement as they restrained it in midair.

“Young man,” one elder said, voice trembling, “you’ve truly done it again. You’ve cut open another peerless treasure. Sell it to us, we’ll pay any price.”

“Yes! We’ll buy it for a sky-high sum!”

Representatives of every great power spoke up, their voices thick with greed and desire.

“This treasure,” said the silver-haired guardian of the Ji Clan’s workshop, “is more precious than the previous Godsource.”

“Yes, far more valuable,” others agreed.

Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian looked as if struck by lightning, their faces drained of color. A moment ago they’d been jubilant; now despair consumed them.

Li Yishui’s face darkened again, veins bulging as his body swayed, nearly collapsing from shock.

He and Yang Kun had already fallen into one pit, and now they had to surrender another eight thousand catties of source. It was like being clubbed in the head.

“Brother Gu Feng, sell us this treasure,” the Grand Xia Prince sent through divine voice. “We’ll give you any price you wish.”

“Brother Gu,” An Miaoyi also transmitted sweetly, “I’ll buy it as well. Whatever conditions you have, I’ll do my best to fulfill them.”

“Brother,” said Jiang Yifei, “consider selling it to us instead.”

In an instant, Ye Fan was flooded with divine voices, offers, temptations, promises of fortune.

“Everyone,” Ye Fan said aloud, “let’s first open the remaining stone shell and see what’s truly inside.”

“Yes! Open it! We want to see what’s hidden within!” the crowd outside the barrier shouted in unison.

The news spread like wildfire. A treasure even rarer than Godsource had been found. The entire Celestial City was thrown into uproar.

Inside the Heavenly-Rank Stone Workshop, the elders didn’t stop him, they too wanted to see what was hidden.

“Please, seniors,” Ye Fan said, “if you would do the honors.”

At last, the Ji Clan’s silver-haired guardian stepped forward. Light gleamed from his fingertip as he carefully split open the stone sphere.

Instantly, blinding radiance flooded the garden, like a miniature sun had appeared.

Those of weaker cultivation couldn’t even open their eyes. Only the strongest could see clearly.

“What is that? There’s something alive inside the Godsource!”

“There’s a living creature!”

“A golden serpent? No, it has horns! Is it a dragon?!”

“It’s too bright, I can’t see clearly, but it’s definitely not just a snake!”

The entire crowd was shaken, voices rising in awe and disbelief.

Inside the Godsource, there was life.