Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 274: Chapter 279: The Turbulent Rise of Li City’s 9 Secrets

Li City’s streets were lined on both sides with Divine Blue Trees. Their branches were lush, and their sky-blue leaves presented a dreamlike hue; even the tree trunks shimmered like blue crystals.

Ahead, on the ancient street, stood a young girl in purple, appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen. She had gracefully curved dark eyebrows and eyes brimming with Spiritual Qi. She was exceptionally beautiful, as captivating as a spirit beneath the night moon.

"Ji Ziyue..." Ye Fan recognized her from afar but didn’t approach. He had also spotted Ji Haoyue, the renowned Eastern Wastelands’ divine body and one of the strongest cultivators of the younger generation.

Their family’s grievances with him ran too deep. In the southern region, Ye Fan had once burned their Grand Elders to death. More recently, in Quzhou, he had killed four young disciples of the Ji Family, an act that had caused a significant stir. If Ji Haoyue were to discover him now, he would undoubtedly strike mercilessly.

Look at his dragon-like gait and tiger-like stride; he’s brimming with Essence, Qi, and Spirit. The latent injuries he sustained from being pursued by the Peacock King’s eldest disciple must have fully healed, Ye Fan observed.

Ye Fan possessed the Heaven and Earth Changing Technique, which could alter his appearance and disposition, yet he still felt apprehensive. The mutual resonance between a divine body and a sacred body was intense, and they had clashed instinctively back at the Taixuan Sect.

What are they doing in Li City? he wondered. He knew the two had come to the northern region, undoubtedly to attend the Yaochi Grand Gathering, but he was unsure why they had stopped in Li City.

At this moment, Ye Fan had already altered his appearance. Dressed in a Daoist robe, he was once again disguised as a young Daoist, though his appearance was entirely different from his previous Daoist disguises.

Now, my cultivation base has advanced greatly; I’m immeasurably stronger than before. I should be able to control my body better. Perhaps it won’t react to the divine body, Ye Fan thought, wanting to test this.

He was going to attend the Yaochi Grand Gathering, where he would inevitably encounter Ji Haoyue and possibly even the Jiang Family’s divine body. If any mutual resonance occurred between them, the consequences would be disastrous.

Ye Fan restrained his aura and suppressed his cultivation base, making himself appear like an ordinary person before walking forward along the ancient street.

As he drew nearer, he once again employed the Heaven and Earth Changing Technique recorded in the Origin Heavenly Book, suppressing his own true origin.

Finally, as he gradually approached Ji Haoyue, his body showed no particular reaction, and Ji Haoyue didn’t notice anything amiss.

The streets were bustling with a constant, vibrant flow of people. Ye Fan brushed past them quietly without stopping and calmly walked away, disappearing into the distance.

He sensed that Ji Haoyue had become even more formidable. His divine body was like an unfathomable abyss, akin to a lurking deity ready to erupt with earth-shattering combat power at any moment.

As for Ji Ziyue, she had grown even more beautiful. Dimples appeared when she smiled, and her small, glinting canine teeth made her look witty and mischievous.

"Ziyue, what are you looking at?" Ji Haoyue asked, his eyes full of affection, clearly doting on his younger sister.

"That little Daoist just now seemed a bit special..." Ji Ziyue remarked thoughtfully.

"Just a little Daoist, what’s so special about him? If there were anything unusual, my body would have sensed it," Ji Haoyue replied, shaking his head.

Ye Fan drifted away lightly, not lingering, and continued down the ancient street.

Li City was like a giant garden metropolis. Although the streets were bustling with activity, the scenery was exquisite, with springs and gardens frequently visible.

Suddenly, Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat; he saw another acquaintance—Wu Zhongtian.

He was tall, with a leopard’s head and round eyes, a full beard covering his face, and the build of a mighty lion, making him exceedingly imposing and robust. He was the grandson of Wu Dao, the fifth great bandit, and a sworn brother of Tu Fei, Li Heishui, Jiang Huairen, and Liu Kao.

Why is he here too? Could something significant have happened in Li City? Ye Fan wondered silently.

Wu Zhongtian was an outstanding young powerhouse. Tu Fei and the others, unable to contend with the Flickering Light Saint Heir, had once wanted to ask him to intervene. Although Wu Zhongtian claimed he wasn’t a match for the Flickering Light Saint Heir, one could imagine that his combat power was extremely strong.

SWOOSH.

Wu Zhongtian flashed away, disappearing without a trace. On the other side of the street, a splendid figure appeared. Yao Xi, like a divine lotus in its first bloom, swayed gracefully, approaching with light, ethereal steps.

She was tall and enchanting, like a peerless enchantress. Her allure was captivating, yet she also possessed a sacred aura. Her skin was translucent and radiant, exuding an inviolable, otherworldly divine charm—beauty taken to its extreme.

No, something must have happened. Otherwise, why would they all appear in the same city? Ye Fan thought, sidestepping her.

He then stopped some passersby, asking if any major events had occurred, but they all shook their heads, claiming to know nothing.

It was nearing noon. He found a place to eat, filling his stomach while paying attention to the conversations around him, but unfortunately, he still learned nothing of value.

The city seemed very peaceful, with nothing peculiar happening.

Eventually, well-fed and content, Ye Fan wandered the city and discovered that the Sacred Lands and Ancient Nobilities all had Gambling Stone Workshops within the city.

Why not try my luck in a Gambling Stone Workshop? Perhaps I can gather some information, he mused. Currently, he only had five thousand jin of Source, and he needed ten thousand jin to break through to the Third Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace realm.

Source was what he needed most. He had been diligently studying the Heavenly Source Book, and once he had a sufficient grasp of it, he planned to enter the sacred city of the northern region.

Cultivation is a huge problem... Whenever he thought about the vast amounts of Source required, he felt a headache coming on.

He had acquired divine arts for cultivating the Single Secret Realm from the remains of ancient sages and had been trying to cultivate them these past days. However, the progress of this cultivation method was too slow.

Initially, his pursuit of Source hadn’t been so urgent, but seeing this result, he had to reconsider. He realized he might need to pursue a dual approach: cultivate the Single Secret Realm while also striving for Source. If he could break into the Four Extremes Secret Realm, there might be better options.

The Single Secret Realm is difficult to cultivate and yields slow results, but I urgently need to increase my strength. It seems I must find a way to gather Source and focus on breaking into the Third Layer Heaven of the Dao Palace realm first, Ye Fan resolved.

After considering his options, Ye Fan entered the "Marvelous Stone Workshop" established by the Flickering Light Sacred Land. It was a garden occupying a vast area, filled with Divine Blue Trees, intertwined with ancient vines, and adorned with lush flowers and plants.

The scenery was beautiful, and piles of stone materials, also part of the garden landscape, prevented it from appearing monotonous. It didn’t resemble a place for cutting stones but rather an expansive garden.

Ye Fan decided to maintain a low profile. He didn’t want to gamble on stones with anyone here, choosing instead to purchase stones directly, store them, and then take them back to cut himself, thereby avoiding potential trouble.

The Marvelous Stone Workshop of Flickering Light was truly vast, comprising fully eighteen garden-style courtyards, each with delightful scenery.

Many people were gambling on stones here, but once dispersed into the various courtyards, it didn’t seem crowded. On the contrary, it lent an air of tranquility to the place. Strolling through such beautiful scenery was a genuine pleasure.

Ye Fan was impressed. After making a round, he realized that indeed, there were truly no ’common folk’ among the patrons. Those who dared to enter a Sacred Land’s Gambling Stone Workshop all possessed a certain status.

Before long, he encountered various so-called Elders and sons of Head Elders, among others.

The Sacred City held great allure, attracting even the Royal Family of Central States and the sovereigns of the Northern Plains, who were frequently seen there. Therefore, it was only natural that these lesser Gambling Stone Workshops would attract cultivators from the surrounding areas.

Ye Fan remained silent but acted decisively and repeatedly. In the blink of an eye, he had already passed through seven courtyards, spending five hundred jin of Source and storing a small mountain of stone materials into his pure jade bottle.

Purchasing stone materials in this manner, without cutting them onsite, naturally caught the attention of some people. Some even identified him as a "fat sheep" and approached him to propose a stone gamble.

"Sure, no problem," Ye Fan replied. "But I don’t make small bets. If you want to gamble, the stakes must be at least one thousand jin."

A thousand jin of Source would constitute the entire assets of the smallest sect. Although people from medium-sized sects frequented this place, even they wouldn’t dare to wager a thousand jin in a single bet.

Such gambles could ultimately lead to wins or losses amounting to tens of thousands of jin. After all, this wasn’t the Sacred City; such large-scale bets were rare here.

Undisturbed thereafter, Ye Fan continued selecting materials. He purchased another two thousand jin worth of stone materials, storing them in his pure jade bottle, and then entered the thirteenth courtyard.

This courtyard was overgrown with vines. Many stone materials were buried beneath them, making it very tranquil. Consequently, not many people were selecting stones here.

Ye Fan picked several dozen stones, and then his eyes lit up. He saw a piece of stone, black as ink and riddled with pockmarks, as if gnawed by insects. This strongly resembled an Ink Jade stone, from which extremely precious Exotic Strange Source could sometimes be uncovered.

He quickly walked over, but at that precise moment, another figure appeared, directly beckoning and sweeping the stone away with a flash of Divine Light.

"Why are you snatching my stone?!" Ye Fan exclaimed, slightly angered.

The person appeared to be in his thirties. He was corpulent, appearing quite plump, with rosy cheeks. He wore a Daoist robe and a perpetual smile.

Upon seeing this person clearly, Ye Fan was stunned; it was the shameless Daoist—Daoist Duan De.

He was utterly surprised, never having expected to encounter him here. This further convinced him that something significant must be unfolding in Li City; otherwise, it was too much of a coincidence for so many people to gather here.𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Especially this damned fatty, who was mysterious and elusive; wherever he appeared, there was bound to be a significant opportunity, or else he wouldn’t show up.

"Damned fatty, don’t you understand the first-come, first-served rule? What are you snatching my stone for?" Ye Fan gritted his teeth. Recalling past events, he dearly wished to plant his shoe sole squarely on this damned fatty’s face.

"It was I who picked it up first," Daoist Duan De replied with an innocent-looking smile.

Though Ye Fan wanted to kick him a few times, he had to restrain himself; this damned fatty was anything but ordinary.

Once, in the northern region, he had excavated the ancestral grave of Wu Dao, the fifth great bandit, yet had emerged alive and well, without a scratch. Later, he traversed the void to the southern region and was tossed into the Demon Emperor’s Yin Grave by several prominent figures; yet, he had gone in and out nine times and still hadn’t died.

Now, he had traversed the void back to the northern region, looking plump and well-nourished, evidently living quite comfortably.

"Little brother, didn’t you just say you wouldn’t gamble for less than a thousand jin of Source? How about I gamble a few rounds with you?" Daoist Duan De asked with a grin.

Ye Fan got irritated just looking at him; everything about him seemed to invite a beating. "Alright, I’ll gamble with you," he said. He would love nothing more than to win the pants right off this damned fatty.

"But I don’t have a thousand jin of Source," Daoist Duan De stated.

"But what? If you don’t have a thousand jin of Source, what are you proposing to gamble with me?!" Ye Fan retorted.

"If I lose, I’ll sell you a piece of information worth ten thousand jin of Source." Daoist Duan De finished speaking, recited a Daoist verse, and assumed the air of an enlightened master.

"Damned fatty! I’ve never seen anyone as greedy as you! If you lose, you still want to get ten thousand jin of Source from me? What kind of news? It’s got to be a scam!" Ye Fan wanted to slap him; this unscrupulous Daoist was simply too contemptible.

"Monks do not lie," Daoist Duan De said solemnly. "Those with a keen sense for opportunity have all gathered in Li City because there is a priceless Supreme Treasure here."

"What is it?" Ye Fan asked nonchalantly.

"One of the nine secret arts might be found here. I know an important clue regarding this secret." The shameless Daoist finished speaking, his face beaming, then he smiled and asked, "Do you want to gamble?"

Ye Fan’s heart jolted. He didn’t believe this damned fatty would give him a valuable clue, but it was highly possible that one of the nine secret arts was indeed here.

Otherwise, why would Ji Haoyue, Ji Ziyue, Wu Zhongtian, Yao Xi, and Daoist Duan De all appear? Perhaps others would arrive soon as well.

"You are..." At this moment, Yao Xi appeared. She possessed peerless elegance, like a lustrous pearl, as she walked into the courtyard, her gaze fixed on the shameless Daoist.

"You are Daoist Duan!" Yao Xi exclaimed, slightly surprised, but she quickly regained her composure.

This was the Flickering Light Sacred Land’s Marvelous Stone Workshop, so her presence here was quite normal; Ye Fan wasn’t surprised.

"Infinite Heavenly Venerate, greetings to the Sacred Lady," Daoist Duan De intoned.

"Sister Yao Xi..." Just then, a crisp voice chimed in. From another courtyard, Ji Ziyue, like a purple-clad elfin spirit, came skipping over with a giggle, accompanied by Ji Haoyue, the Divine King Body.