Chapter 1524: Empire Shadow Divine Child

As Ye Fan was about to act, the Stone King trembled and retreated several steps, emitting even more primordial chaos energy.

Divine chains of order, like phoenix feathers, hung from Ye Fan's golden fingers, pinning the Stone King in place, rendering it unable to move.

Boom! The surging primordial chaos suddenly exploded, as if a world had been split open, causing the stone shop to tremble violently. Everyone was astonished, realizing the Stone King was far more powerful than they had imagined.

“What is this thing? The primordial chaos energy is incredibly dense; such a concentration usually only appears in newly formed minor worlds or the distant edges of the universe. How can it be this intense here?”

Ye Fan used his finger like a knife, carving into the stone to peel away layers, careful not to damage what was inside.

Crack! A layer of earthy grey stone skin peeled away, and instantly, a burst of nine-colored divine light erupted, so brilliant it made people squint. The phenomenon was truly astonishing.

The crowd retreated, watching from a distance, their hearts filled with doubt and wonder. They had never witnessed such a sight before — first the primordial chaos, then this dazzling immortal glow.

Ye Fan resumed his work, and stone chips began to fall, a large section of the stone's outer layer broke off, causing the stone to tremble violently.

Rumble! Streams of clear energy surged upwards, transforming into dazzling wisps of light, like ascending immortals. Numerous miraculous sights appeared in the garden, as if successive Great Emperors were roaring, or as if the gates of an immortal realm had been thrown open, revealing a vast, fantastical world.

Immortals ascending from the stone! This scene reappeared, a wondrous sight that typically only occurs when a rare and precious item emerges.

What was different was that the accompanying phenomena varied based on the immortal material. This "Immortals Ascending from the Stone" was exceptionally shocking, as people distinctly felt as if Great Emperors were roaring and struggling.

“What is that?” A shiver ran through the crowd. Although it was merely an illusion, not real figures, it made everyone tremble. When had such a thing ever occurred during stone cutting?

They truly seemed to be successive imperial figures, standing side by side, gazing down through the ages. Facing all living beings, they exuded an aura of unparalleled dominance that compelled people to almost fall to their knees.

There were no power fluctuations, nor any oppressive aura. Yet, it was overwhelmingly intimidating; an unparalleled supreme aura instilled reverence in everyone.

What exactly was inside this stone? This question stunned everyone, making them murmur amongst themselves. This "Immortals Ascending from the Stone" phenomenon was unlike any seen in legends, utterly captivating all the powerful figures present.

The illusory immortal realm slowly faded within the light and shadows. All the shadows of the Great Emperors vanished, gradually dispersing into the heavens and earth.

Crack! Ye Fan continued to cut the stone, pulling people's thoughts back to reality. The various phenomena of "Immortals Ascending from the Stone" had vanished, concluding the extraordinary display.

Yet, the crowd remained deeply affected, as if they had truly experienced an era where all emperors coexisted, feeling an immense, ancient aura. They were left speechless for a long time.

As the cracking sounds continued, more of the dilapidated stone's outer layer was chipped away, and it began to struggle again, quite ferociously.

Even Ye Fan, confident in his innate divine strength, was momentarily astonished. The stone's energy was immense, far exceeding that of an ordinary saint; had he not held it down, it would surely have flown away.

Simultaneously, a primordial aura suddenly erupted, and an entire world seemed to hurtle towards Ye Fan!

Indeed, it was an immense and unparalleled world: majestic mountains, vast divine waterfalls, towering ancient trees, like a primordial divine land where myriad races coexisted, pressing down upon him.

A world suddenly materialized in the void, pressing down on Ye Fan. Anyone would be astounded. It was a manifestation of a powerful will, intended to assault his sea of consciousness and suppress his immortal platform.

Powerful as Ye Fan was, he naturally wouldn't let the Stone King succeed. The golden miniature figure meditating between his eyebrows directly repelled the assault. However, he didn't shatter it, because it looked somewhat familiar, causing him a moment of distraction.

“This is…” Ye Fan was quite alarmed. Upon closer inspection, it was a vast landscape of mountains and rivers, many scenes of which seemed familiar.

“The other side of the starry sky — Earth!” He finally recognized it: this was the land of his homeland, not as it appeared now, but the grand world accessible only to cultivators.

He had once returned to Earth and, after careful observation, discovered that the true land was incredibly vast, many times larger than the currently visible portions, yet it was entirely enveloped and sealed by powerful formations.

The current mortal world was only a small fraction of it. He had visited Kunlun, Longhu Mountain, Zaojiao Mountain, Maoshan, and even Changbai Ancestral Mountain; all were sealed by grand formations, with only a tiny portion exposed to the outside.

“This is the ancient, unsealed land of Earth…” Ye Fan was truly shocked. When he first returned to Earth, descending from beyond the domain, he had glimpsed mountains towering like the sky, tens of thousands of feet high, almost identical to what he had just seen.

What was happening? How could this Stone King project the world of the past from the other side of the starry sky? Could the creature sealed within the stone be from Earth?

This was simply too astonishing, truly a challenge to one's perception.

Powerful figures such as Fuxi, the Yellow Emperor, Rongcheng, Laozi, and Buddha had vanished after entering the cosmos, never to be seen again. He never imagined he would encounter a trace of one here today.

Ye Fan's heart grew heavy, and his expression became very serious. He dared not be careless and resumed cutting the stone, determined to extract the creature within.

The grand world scene vanished, but those images were imprinted upon Ye Fan's heart, making him feel the aura of his homeland, as if it were calling him back.

He had many questions. If it was sealed within the stone, it felt like a creature from at least the Primordial Era, predating figures like Emperor Yan, the Yellow Emperor, and Rongcheng by a significant margin.

If not a being both human and divine like Fuxi or the Yellow Emperor, then who could it be? And how much further back into antiquity would this discovery push the timeline?

“Could it be the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains? That’s ancient. That cataclysm swept through all heavens and myriad domains, ultimately landing on Earth.”

Ye Fan's fingers continued their work, slowly revealing the stone's contents. He sensed that the being suppressed within could not be any of the revered ancients mentioned; it simply had to be incredibly ancient.

By now, Ye Fan found Earth increasingly mysterious. Aside from Kunlun's eventual descent, there seemed to be many other unknown secrets.

Crack! With a soft sound, the stone was fully opened, emitting a dazzling light, like a miniature sun bursting forth. Many people immediately closed their eyes, unable to look directly at it.

Is this some kind of immortal material?

The most powerful cultivators, enduring the sharp pain in their eyes, fixated on the spot, eager to see clearly.

Ye Fan's heart trembled. His Heavenly Eye emitted astonishing light, and he could barely believe what he was seeing. This was a type of origin source, theoretically described in the "Origin Heaven Book." It was speculated to exist, yet no Origin Heaven Master throughout history had ever truly encountered it.

In the past, Ye Fan had only heard discussions about this material during his time at Saint Cliff.

The primordial spirit of the Undying Daoist was sealed within an Immortal Source, which was likely this very substance.

Based on his knowledge, even this type of origin source couldn't seal a Great Emperor and grant immortality; it was simply insufficient, unless they paid an unimaginably huge price. For Supremes, these materials were only marginally stronger than divine sources.

Sealed within the divine source was a creature, emanating a vigorous life force that evoked the vibrant energy of creation's dawn.

As the remaining stone skin fell away, this ancient and rare Immortal Source gradually revealed most of its contents. Inside, a small creature was staring directly at Ye Fan!

“O mia la e du na…” A mumbling sound came from the Immortal Source. The creature was speaking to Ye Fan, appearing to express both apprehension and a hint of dissatisfaction.

“What are you saying?” Ye Fan stabilized the stone, releasing his golden battle qi in preparation for a response.

“A li ruo ma ya la gu na…” The small creature continued to speak, its words clearly reaching Ye Fan’s ears.

Primordial chaos energy permeated the air, and a mysterious, inscrutable mist swirled around the Immortal Source, like an ethereal fairy fog, obscuring it from others’ view. Yet, Ye Fan, standing close by, could clearly see what was inside: the Immortal Source contained a child!

This struck him as unbelievable. He had distinctly felt saint-like power, yet upon cutting it open, it revealed a chubby, plump child with an endearingly innocent appearance.

It was a child, appearing to be three or four years old, completely naked. His eyes were like black gemstones, and his body was pristine white and clean, looking utterly harmless, even endearing.

Ye Fan was momentarily dazed. He had pondered for a long time, but never imagined that a chubby, fair-skinned, utterly harmless child would emerge.

“Sa de le fa si di dan fu fen…” Seeing that Ye Fan made no move, the child grew bolder, shedding its fearful and startled expression, and began to speak loudly to him.

The Immortal Source had a peculiar shape, resembling both a small coffin and a crystal bed, within which the child lay quite comfortably.

However, now that Ye Fan had lifted and stabilized it, the child's apprehension had not entirely dispersed, and it cautiously regarded Ye Fan.

Around the Immortal Source, primordial chaos energy perpetually swirled, making it appear even more extraordinary. It was well known that any being capable of naturally accumulating primordial chaos energy was truly extraordinary!

Ye Fan’s expression was uncertain. He stabilized the Immortal Source and pondered deeply. This matter was too peculiar, appearing uncanny from every angle.

Just a tiny child, yet possessing the strength of a saint? This was not merely defying the heavens; it was utterly unprecedented, illogical, and truly groundbreaking.

Unless it wasn't truly a child but merely had the appearance of one, otherwise it simply didn't make sense; its natural aptitude was far more aberrant than anyone he had ever encountered.

“He awakened over a hundred years ago, sealed within this Immortal Source. If he had cultivated during that time, the Immortal Source should have cracked open, much like it did for the Saint Prince previously.”

Clearly, the child had not cultivated; the Immortal Source showed no cracks and remained in its original sealed state, which greatly puzzled Ye Fan.

He carefully examined the child’s body, then fixed his gaze on its immortal platform, preparing to investigate thoroughly. The emergence of this child was simply too extraordinary.

“Most crucially, he might be from the other side of the starry sky—Earth, a place of profound mystery. I must uncover the truth!”