Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 318 - An Miaoyi

By the great lake, lush trees and strange rocks surrounded the shore. Music drifted softly through the air. Many travelers passing by would stop to take in the view.

Suddenly, a jade boat cut through the sky and arrived over the lake. Mist and clouds swirled around it, colorful light shining faintly, ethereal and pure.

Gentle melodies descended from the heavens, elegant and haunting, like celestial music, intoxicating the soul and stirring the heart.

“The successor of Exquisite Desire Temple has arrived!”

“An Miaoyi, it must be her! I’ve long heard that the female disciple of Exquisite Desire Temple is about to emerge. Some heirs of the Ancient Desolate Clans have come to the Celestial City just for her.”

“She’s the future master of Exquisite Desire Temple. If she’s really here, disciples of the Sacred Grounds and the Ancient Desolate Clans will surely be competing openly and secretly again.”

The jade boat shimmered with five-colored light. Upon it stood a young woman in a snow-white dress, her garments fluttering gently, outlining her perfect figure in breathtaking grace.

By the lakeside, most were cultivators, their sight keen enough to see her clearly.

She shone like a pearl exhaling radiance, graceful and pure, extraordinarily beautiful, her spirit refined, her bones like jade, her face flawless, beyond criticism.

Even Ye Fan felt his heart stir. The girl named An Miaoyi was truly stunning, comparable to Yan Ruyu, without the slightest imperfection.

She appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen, slender and delicate, as if sculpted from celestial jade, her temperament cold and elegant, her snow-like skin seeming to carry a faint frost.

“That must be An Miaoyi. It’s said she’s a peerless beauty, unmatched in the Eastern Wilderness. What a pity she belongs to that sect, a pearl buried in dust,” someone sighed in regret.

Exquisite Desire Temple had a notoriously bad reputation; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been established in such a place. Its cultivation practices were closely tied to its name.

Yet, the stunning An Miaoyi showed not the slightest trace of vulgarity. She was radiant but cold, like a body of ice and jade, pure and sacred.

The contrast was striking. Many speculated she was a seductive enchantress, born of spring water, but the truth was she was icy and untouchable.

Bathed in colored light, An Miaoyi stood alone upon the jade boat, her dark hair dancing, white robes fluttering. She seemed untouched by the mortal world, like a celestial maiden from the moon palace, purer than even the saintesses of the Sacred Grounds.

Ye Fan’s expression remained calm. He did not believe her air of purity was natural.

To him, Exquisite Desire Temple understood human desire well, a sect with a bad name, yet skillful at crafting the illusion of holiness.

Their cultivation path inevitably led to defilement; none could remain pure forever. This image of purity was only a stronger lure, creating an untouchable goddess to entice hearts all the more deeply.

“You’re smiling wickedly, what bad idea are you thinking of?” asked the man beside Ye Fan who had told him news before.

Ye Fan smiled faintly. “Nothing. I just think Exquisite Desire Temple is clever, wrapping their bait in such a beautiful package to fish for immortals.”

“What are you talking about?”

Ye Fan smiled slightly. “The unattainable is always the most desirable. They create the illusion of a heavenly fairy, and those who can’t reach her will dream of pulling her down to earth. Just as you said, the Sacred Grounds and Ancient Desolate Clans’ disciples will take the bait.”

The man protested, “You’re speaking nonsense. An Miaoyi was born with divine light, pure and sacred by nature, not an illusion.”

“Oh? So I’m mistaken then?” Ye Fan still refused to believe it.

“Exquisite Desire Temple’s reputation may be bad, but An Miaoyi truly is a lotus unstained by the mud,” the man insisted.

Ye Fan smiled faintly. “You’ve only just seen her, and already you defend her. Truly, Exquisite Desire Temple’s skill lies not in the body, but in the heart.”

With a flash of light, the five-colored jade boat vanished into the mists above the lake, disappearing into the floating palaces beyond.

A soft voice drifted through the clouds: “I, An Miaoyi, shall play the Moon Serenade tonight...”

The voice was clear and elegant, yet when one listened closely, it seemed to touch the very bones, pure yet stirring.

The news of An Miaoyi’s arrival spread quickly. At moonrise, she would perform by the lake, causing an uproar across the city.

Without doubt, tonight the shores of Exquisite Desire Lake would be packed with people.

An Miaoyi’s emergence had long been rumored. She was said to be one of the most beautiful women in all the Eastern Wilderness, her name famed throughout the land.

Now, the pure jade lotus had not yet been stained by dust, so the disciples of the Sacred Grounds and the Ancient Desolate Clans would surely be drawn to her.

Ye Fan left Exquisite Desire Lake and continued walking. Even after over an hour, he had only explored a small corner of the Celestial City.

Beyond the lake, he entered an ancient alley, its paving stones worn smooth by countless years of footsteps.

Grand palaces and continuous halls were everywhere. Curious about what might be found in these forgotten corners, Ye Fan wandered through the narrow alleys, turning here and there, until he emerged into a bustling open market.

He was surprised. Though the stalls here were simple compared to the grand palaces, many sold remarkable treasures, green copper essence, crimson jade marrow, divine blood crystals, star stones, rare materials of every kind.

Many were the same materials the black dog had once sought for carving Dao Runes, nearly impossible to find elsewhere, yet here, even a street corner held them.

Ye Fan couldn’t help but marvel, the Celestial City truly was the center of the Northern Region, a place where the treasures of the world gathered.

And if such goods could be found in backstreet markets, one could only imagine what priceless wonders lay within the grand buildings and palaces.

He wandered half the marketplace and found many rare herbs too, jade serpent orchids, nine-leaf phoenix grass, crimson moon fruit, obsidian lotus, all fragrant and precious.

“As long as you have source stones, you can buy anything,” he sighed. Source stones weren’t everything, but without them, nothing was possible.

He came to a row of stalls selling raw stones. Each vendor displayed only a few, seemingly ordinary rocks, yet Ye Fan sensed faint traces of primordial energy within them. When he asked the price, they were outrageously expensive.

“Young man, buy a piece of stone. I guarantee my goods, old pit material from Primordial Mine itself. Sometimes a priceless treasure is hidden within,” said an old man crouched beside his stall.

Crowds bustled past. Ye Fan glanced up and was startled, above the market floated a magnificent heavenly palace, grand and imposing.

“What’s that place? Another sect’s hall?”

“Young man, that’s the Treasure Palace of the Godfiend Palace, one of the seven great auction houses of the Celestial City. They often sell priceless relics there,” the old man said.

“A floating auction house… how extravagant,” Ye Fan murmured, stunned. After a while, he asked, “Do they ever auction Godsource?”

“Yes, they have before,” the old man nodded seriously.

Ye Fan drew in a sharp breath. Coming to the Celestial City had truly been the right choice.

The old man continued, “That’s nothing. Half a year ago, the Treasure Palace even displayed a fragment of an ancient scripture.”

“What?!” Ye Fan was shocked. Supreme scriptures were exclusive to the Sacred Grounds.

“It wasn’t complete, just a fragment, covering only one secret realm,” the old man explained.

Even so, Ye Fan was deeply impressed. The Celestial City was truly extraordinary, even Godsource and ancient scriptures could be auctioned there.

The old man chuckled. “First time in the Celestial City, eh? Just days ago, the Treasure Palace even auctioned off a piece of Dragon-Rune Black Gold.”

“You’re kidding! That’s the sacred metal of ancient Grand Emperors! Impossible!” Ye Fan’s heart pounded, Radiant Light’s Paragon Artifact was forged from that very material.

“It was only a fingernail-sized piece, far too small. Even if an ancient emperor returned, it wouldn’t be enough to forge a weapon.”

Ye Fan relaxed slightly. He thought of his own fist-sized piece of Phoenix-Blood Red-Gold, enough to forge a Diamond Bracelet for himself.

Perhaps, if he was ever desperate, he could sell it to buy Godsource. But unless things became dire, he would never part with it. Phoenix Blood Red Gold was a treasure of countless generations, he meant to keep it to forge his own Paragon Artifact.

At last, he left the market.

The Celestial City was a realm of abundance, it had everything. There were places that inspired ambition, like the Monster King Tower and Saint Lord Mountain, and others of indulgence and decadence, gambling houses, pleasure courts, and wine towers. A city where one could rise or ruin.

After half a day of wandering, Ye Fan realized he had seen only a small part, less than a corner of the Celestial City. It was immense, nearly a hundred miles from one end to the other.

“No, I need to find Blackwater. He can guide me,” Ye Fan decided. He recalled that Tu Fei had told him how to locate Blackwater before coming.

Before sunset, Ye Fan entered an old alley and stepped into a small source stone shop, finally finding Blackwater.

Blackwater was dark-skinned, strong, around twenty-three or twenty-four, the grandson of the eighth Warlord, Li Heng.

Tu Fei had told him before, Blackwater was cunning and calculating, his mind as dark as his name suggested. Tu Fei had joked that while he only talked big, Blackwater would actually act.

“Little bro, you’re a celebrity now. Everyone in the Northern Region knows you. Don’t worry, you came to the right person,” Blackwater said, patting his chest after reading Tu Fei’s letter. “I’ll take you to relax first.”

“You’re the host, I’ll follow your lead,” Ye Fan smiled.

“The Celestial City has ten great places. Exquisite Desire Temple, Water Moon Pavilion, and the Cold Radiance Hall are the best three. You choose,” Blackwater said confidently. His thick eyebrows and honest-looking face hid a shrewd and daring nature.

Ye Fan was taken aback, then laughed. “Let’s just find somewhere to drink. I mainly want you to tell me about the Celestial City, give me a proper introduction.”

Blackwater waved him off boldly. “Business tomorrow, tonight, we enjoy ourselves. You came here, how could I not treat you properly?”

Night fell, and the Celestial City was brilliant with light. Starlight streamed down like mist, and moonlight poured like water.

“The Celestial City can absorb the power of the stars,” Blackwater explained.

“This city really is extraordinary,” Ye Fan sighed.

“Tonight, we go to Exquisite Desire Lake. Who’d have thought An Miaoyi would appear? The most beautiful woman of the Eastern Wilderness has come to the Celestial City, for our generation, that’s a major event. The disciples of all the Sacred Grounds and Ancient Desolate Clans will be there. It’s going to be lively tonight,” Blackwater said with a sly grin.

He laughed, and Ye Fan could only smile helplessly, knowing that the night ahead would indeed be unforgettable.