Chapter 182: Source Master Yuan

For the first seven days, Ye Fan glowed with dazzling light, his vitality as vast as an ocean, and various phenomena emerged within his Wheel Sea, emitting all sorts of sounds.

After seven days of this, the radiant glow gradually receded. The entire cave dwelling became somewhat dim, and Ye Fan's body lost its luster, appearing like withered wood. His vitality was now contained within, no longer emanating outwards.

On the eighth day, his flesh shriveled, resembling a ragged cloth compared to its previous sparkling and translucent state. On the ninth day, his internal organs ceased functioning; in contrast to his former vibrant vitality, he was now lifeless.

By the tenth day, his bones had turned dull gray, no longer pristine white, appearing as if they were about to decay and could not last. This was the metamorphosis of the Other Shore realm.

Upon reaching the Other Shore, a cultivator's flesh, internal organs, and bones would all wither. Subsequently, an alternative form of rebirth would occur, involving nine consecutive transformations of blood and bone to complete the metamorphosis.

However, Ye Fan's situation was clearly different. His transformation was a gradual progression, not something that began only after reaching the peak of the Other Shore realm.

His nine transformations were occurring separately; this was merely the first, without the continuous cycles of decay and rebirth. Ye Fan seemed to be returning to dust, almost decaying completely, as if his vitality had reached its end.

It was not until the eleventh day that he, like vegetation enduring a harsh winter, regained vitality, erupting with surging life force.

Inside the cave dwelling, a brilliant light burst forth, and vital essence permeated the air. Ye Fan's blood and essence regenerated, flowing like a rushing river, making a sound so loud it could be heard from a great distance.

His heart beat powerfully, like a drum reverberating, making thumping sounds that would surely astound any ordinary person witnessing it. His internal organs vibrated in unison, like clanging music. His bones continuously rattled, shedding their dull grayness to become pristine white and translucent like jade, while also constantly shimmering.

Old hidden injuries, whether to his skin, internal organs, or bones, though long healed, underwent another baptism during this physical rebirth.

His entire body was cleansed of impurities and completely reborn. This transformation lasted several days before Ye Fan fully awoke, divine power surging within him. This time, it wasn't a complete bone and marrow transformation, but his physique was significantly enhanced, and his body became much stronger. "There are still eight more transformations. If they all add up, they should be equivalent to one complete bone and marrow transformation."

He had previously undergone three complete bone and marrow transformations: twice by consuming sacred fruits and once by refining his body with the sacred heart essence blood of a Great Demon Emperor. He felt that the nine transformations of the Other Shore realm, combined, might be comparable to one such complete bone and marrow transformation.

Ye Fan discovered he had refined a total of nine jin of Source, which greatly surprised him. Such immense consumption was beyond his expectation. He had originally thought that this much Source would be enough for him to reach the Great Perfection of the Other Shore realm and enter the Dao Palace Secret Realm.

"By this reckoning, even tens of jin of Source blocks won't be enough to support my nine transformations; I still need to find more Source."

While greater Source consumption indicated a more thorough transformation and a significant increase in physical quality, it was still astonishing, far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators. "This is a lavish expenditure..." he mused, lamenting that if he hadn't come to the Northern Region, it would have been difficult to solve this problem.

In the following days, Ye Fan remained in seclusion for arduous cultivation, not venturing outside. His Jade Pure Bottle contained ample food and water, so he had no worries.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed. Ye Fan had undergone six transformations, consuming all of his Source. These six transformations made him even stronger, and his Wheel Sea also changed. Inside the cave dwelling, Ye Fan sat motionless, surrounded by coiling electric light, accompanied by a green lotus, with a clear sky above his head, seated in a golden sea.

This was not a true phenomenon, but merely a further evolution of his Wheel Sea, breaking through the confines of his physical body and manifesting tangibly.

The green lotus, like the Dao giving birth to one, still had only three leaves, resembling the three giving birth to all things. It swayed gently, enveloped in a hazy chaotic mist, engulfing Ye Fan.

The clear blue sky was as pure as a gemstone, with electric dragons swimming beneath, weaving countless lightning bolts, resembling the tribulation lightning that created heaven and earth, now manifesting here. The golden sea undulated, but Ye Fan remained motionless like a steadfast rock, allowing the ebb and flow to ripple around him.

This was a peculiar sight. Initially, the roar of the waves and the brilliance of the lightning were deafening, but eventually, everything calmed down, becoming a serene and harmonious scene.

Though not a true phenomenon, it was comparable to one, surrounding him and making him feel as if he stood in a wondrous world. At this moment, Ye Fan was calm and unperturbed, merged with the pulse of heaven and earth, imbued with strange and mighty power in his tranquility. After a long while, he opened his eyes, and the green lotus, clear sky, lightning, golden sea, and other manifestations all receded within him, disappearing from sight.

Ye Fan now faced the situation of having to find more Source; his body was like a bottomless pit, no amount of Source seemed sufficient.

By now, he greatly envied the disciples of the Sacred Lands, who possessed the most powerful ancient scriptures and endless natural treasures, needing only to cultivate diligently.

As for him, he not only had to find ways to obtain cultivation methods but also had to mine for Source blocks himself. He had been pursued to the Northern Region, barely escaping death, all for the sake of a secret technique. *Boom!*

Ye Fan used the golden book to cleave the earth, searching for Source veins, almost turning the entire area upside down. There were large fissures and shattered earth and rocks everywhere.

It wasn't until the fourth day that he finally found a rock vein, a type of rock that encased Source. However, after fully extracting it, he was greatly disappointed, having only collected less than half a jin of Source in total, which was far too little.

Half a month later, Ye Fan had accumulated a little over one jin of Source in total, which made him fully realize that the Source regions controlled by the Sacred Lands were indeed the best, while other areas were relatively barren. This approach wouldn't work; he had to find another way.

When Ye Fan returned to his dwelling, a cave in the stone mountain, he suddenly noticed a group of about a dozen people, including an old man and several young and middle-aged men, observing the stone mountain. "Alas, Chen the Big Beard is too brazen, utterly going too far. If we can't hand over five jin of Source, he'll wipe out all the old and young in our village." "There's nothing we can do; the strongest person in our village is only at the Life Spring realm. How can we fight them? They are a band of powerful bandits." "The deadline is approaching. If we can't find Source, our village will truly be in danger." "Grandpa Zhang, you've circled the stone mountain. Is there Source here?" a simple and honest young man asked. "There must be Source inside this stone mountain, and it's definitely a rich mine. Unfortunately, it's a three-hundred-meter-high stone mountain, too difficult for us to mine with our strength," sighed Grandpa Zhang, whose hair was streaked with gray.

Ye Fan had lived here for over two months and had no idea there was Source nearby, yet this group had circled it once and determined its presence, which piqued his interest.

"Let's go, we'll try somewhere else," Grandpa Zhang sighed. "After years of mining Source, all accessible places have been depleted. It seems we'll have to go further, and I don't know if we'll make it in time."

The dozen or so people turned their horses around and rode off into the distance.

Shortly after, Ye Fan flew out and stood on the stone mountain, unleashing the golden book to cleave through it horizontally and vertically.

Earth and rocks flew everywhere. He quickly carved away more than ten meters from the mountaintop and indeed found a Source vein.

He began to dig and extracted a full two jin of Source, which was indeed considered a rich deposit in this area. "That old man's eyes are like lightning; he saw it perfectly!" Ye Fan was somewhat surprised.

Hoofbeats sounded as Grandpa Zhang and the dozen or so young men returned. They had heard the commotion behind them and came back. Seeing the top of the stone mountain carved away and a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy standing atop it, everyone was startled. "Young man, no, young immortal, this old man greets you respectfully!" Grandpa Zhang, whose hair was streaked with gray, bowed. Seeing this, the other young men also dismounted and bowed in respect. "Venerable Elder, there's no need for such formality," Ye Fan replied from above.

Among the dozen or so people, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth was the most quick-witted. Seeing Grandpa Zhang's demeanor, he immediately understood something and quickly knelt, saying, "Young immortal, please save us, please help us. We truly have no way out."

The others also came to their senses and knelt one after another, pleading, "Chen the Big Beard wants to kill everyone in our village, young immortal, please save us!"

A young man named Er Lengzi (Simpleton) even kowtowed so hard that his forehead bled, crying, "Young man, please save us! My sister was taken by them, and she'll surely suffer. Now, for the sake of Source, they're going to kill everyone in our village..." He wept bitterly.

Grandpa Zhang also knelt, his white-haired head thudding against the ground, sighing, "Young immortal, please save us! We truly have no way out. We can't gather five jin of Source in such a short time. Those beasts threatened that if we don't, they'll kill all the men in our village and abduct the women."

Ye Fan didn't want to get involved in trouble, but he couldn't stand by and watch the weak be bullied. It was his nature, and he found it difficult to leave indifferently.

"Venerable Elder, please rise." He landed on the ground and helped the old man, whose forehead was bleeding, to his feet. He then asked, "Are they a group of bandits who commit all sorts of evil, without the integrity of the Thirteen Great Bandits, preying only on the weak?" "There are many such bandits," replied the old man, "but villains like them are rare." The group then spoke over each other, explaining the whole story.

These bandits had no fixed abode, plundering Source everywhere, frequently killing people, harassing young women, and committing all sorts of atrocities.

According to their description, among these bandits were cultivators at the Divine Bridge realm. Although there were practitioners in the village, they couldn't stand against them.

Ye Fan's mind spun. This group of bandits plundered everywhere, so they must have Source in their possession. He could very well become a lone bandit, specializing in robbing these very brigands.

"Venerable Elder, let me ask you, are there many bandits like these?" "Many, like locusts. One group leaves, and another arrives. It's the same everywhere in the Northern Region; it's very chaotic," Grandpa Zhang shook his head. This was also why there were cultivators in the village; without martial protection, their situation would be dire.

Ye Fan's eyes brightened; he felt his current predicament was completely resolved. He nodded first and said, "Grandpa Zhang, I will go back with you." "Thank you, young immortal!" These people were incredibly excited and bowed deeply again. "There's no need for this, you don't have to do that," Ye Fan quickly intervened.

On the way, Ye Fan consulted Grandpa Zhang, asking him how he was able to tell that there was Source within the stone mountain.

"That stone mountain had a dignified aura. Its peak resembled a whale. The mountainside seemed entwined with stone vines. Furthermore..." Grandpa Zhang listed many points, finally concluding, "All signs indicate that this is a contained stone-heart Source."

Ye Fan was dumbfounded. Finding Source was surprisingly complex. According to the old man, even the changes in ground color when the sun, moon, and stars moved had to be taken into account. "So intricate..." Ye Fan was astonished.

"This is merely the most superficial method," Grandpa Zhang shook his head. "Finding Source is indeed profoundly intricate. One needs to observe the terrain of mountains and rivers, understand the trends of underground hidden veins, and sometimes even align them with the stars in the sky..." Ye Fan was truly amazed. There were so many principles involved in guiding Source; it was simply profound. "Are all these things you mentioned true?" he asked. "Naturally, they are true," replied one of the young men. "Grandpa Zhang is the most famous Source-guiding master in our region. His judgment of Source is precise; he rarely makes mistakes."

Grandpa Zhang, however, shook his head and said, "What my ancestors passed down, I've only learned the superficial aspects. This knowledge is almost completely lost." "Grandpa Zhang's ancestors were Source Heavenly Masters, capable of finding Source Dragon Veins and fixing peerless Divine Source, preventing it from escaping," the young man Er Lengzi interjected. "Source Heavenly Master... a peerless Divine Source can escape?" Ye Fan was greatly surprised. "Divine Source is alive; it's nurtured within Source Dragon Veins. Even if people stumble upon it, it's difficult to capture," a middle-aged man beside them added.

Grandpa Zhang shook his head and said, "According to my ancestors, it's not that Divine Source itself is alive, but rather the creatures sealed within it that are still alive." "What?!" Ye Fan was even more astonished that an ordinary person knew so much about Divine Source.

"According to my ancestors' estimations, those creatures are extremely powerful; even today's strong cultivators would likely not be their match." Grandpa Zhang spoke of the past without reservation, "My ancestor once personally witnessed an ancient being emerge from a peerless Divine Source. With a horrifying wail, an entire mountain range collapsed."

Ye Fan's heart was awestruck, and his imagination ran wild. The Northern Region was truly too mysterious; this land held too many "past events." Although life on the surface was extinguished, the "past events" underground had not ended; they were sealed away. "How much did your ancestor know about 'ancient creatures'?" Ye Fan asked.

"Not much," Grandpa Zhang shook his head. "According to what my ancestors left behind, those mysterious creatures are a taboo existence in the Northern Region. It's best not to constantly talk about them, or ominous things might happen." "Your ancestor was a Source Heavenly Master; his identity seems extraordinary, to know such secrets..." A middle-aged man beside them seemed to sigh with emotion, interjecting, "Source Heavenly Master is a title. In the distant past of the Northern Region, there were only a few such individuals, and now there are none." *Hiss!*

Ye Fan gasped. He didn't know much about the Northern Region, but it seemed the Source Heavenly Masters had a profound background, likely far from ordinary mortals. "In the Northern Region, there's an immortal land called the Jade Lake. They even respectfully invited Grandpa Zhang's ancestor to do something..." "What?!" Ye Fan was shocked.

To be invited to a banquet at the Jade Lake Sacred Land, it seemed that Source Heavenly Masters were absolutely transcendent, saintly figures. To be able to find dragon veins and fix Divine Source was truly unimaginable. "Later, did people from the Jade Lake ever visit your village again?" Ye Fan asked.

"They came once five hundred years ago, but unfortunately, the 'Source Guiding Heavenly Book' had already been lost for over a thousand years. Our descendants only learned the superficial aspects and couldn't help them much," Grandpa Zhang shook his head. "I imagine your ancestor must have been an extraordinary and remarkable individual. Did he later settle down in this village and enjoy his twilight years?" Ye Fan asked, feeling that a Source Heavenly Master was transcendent and unpredictable.

For your convenience on future visits, please remember that your support is our greatest motivation.