Chapter 191: There Is a Girl in the Source

For a full half month, God King Jiang remained completely silent, as if he had meditated himself into the rock wall.

Ye Fan had already fully grasped the initial move, finding it increasingly profound, and its sheer offensive power repeatedly astonished him. He had a faint premonition that if it were the complete secret art, its power would surpass the Void Handprint. This was a technique of pure, unadulterated offense, a true Saint Battle Art.

On the seventeenth day, God King Jiang Taixu awoke, and a weak voice emerged, saying, "Have you... comprehended it...?"

"Senior, you've finally awoken," Ye Fan said, letting out a long breath. He noted that the other party's condition was very poor, on the verge of fading away. "I have gained a preliminary mastery," he added.

"Show... me..." Jiang Taixu prompted, wanting to see the results.

Ye Fan held nothing back; his body moved with the wondrous technique as he executed the initial move. At that moment, a powerful battle intent involuntarily surged within him, as if he could punch through the sky. All of this was due to this supreme secret art, which transformed one's demeanor. As if a War God possessed him, a powerful combat force instantly surged forth.

"Very... good..." Jiang Taixu uttered with satisfaction, seeing that Ye Fan could contain the power and rein in such a terrifying offensive secret art.

"Senior, how can I help you?" Ye Fan asked, assuming the other party had a request for teaching him the secret art.

Jiang Taixu seemed to harbor some regret, saying, "You... are too weak..."

Ye Fan said nothing more, quietly waiting for the other party to speak.

*Whoosh.*

On the rough rock wall, a withered figure appeared again, gaunt and skeletal, with ribs clearly visible and legs as thin as kindling. That shadow had no flesh or blood whatsoever. The shadow continuously struck various poses, while a series of incantations entered Ye Fan's mind. The swiftness of those poses was dazzling. Although there were no divine power fluctuations, Ye Fan still felt a terrifying pressure. Jiang Taixu was truly like a deity; even when it was just a shadow moving, countless halos appeared on the stone wall, enveloping him.

At this moment, everything else was ignored; even the demonic summons from deep within Purple Mountain seemed to weaken to an extreme degree. Jiang Taixu's shadow projected on the stone wall possessed an aura of supreme dominance, as if declaring unmatched supremacy across heaven and earth. That battle intent made one tremble; it was simply the embodiment of a Battle Saint.

Ye Fan had never been so astonished. He was completely awestruck by this secret art. Had his spiritual consciousness not been strong enough, or had he not been holding the Bodhi seed, he wouldn't have been able to fully grasp it at all. This supreme secret art was extremely complex; its offensive techniques had endless variations, and every inch of the entire body became the most powerful weapon.

Finally, Jiang Taixu's body moved slower and slower. The complex variations suddenly simplified; all myriad changes converged into one, embodying the principle that the great path is the simplest. All attacks consolidated into a single technique! The body, like dry kindling, simplified from complexity, the entire being becoming like the singular origin of the Great Dao, eternally unchanging, solidified there.

"All variations are merely means; ultimately, returning to unity is the true origin!" Ye Fan exclaimed. As he looked at the solidified figure, his physical body surprisingly felt as if it would shatter, and his soul also felt unstable, as if it would dissipate. "This is too terrifying," he thought. "Without even releasing divine power, merely showing its form was already unbearable. It truly is a Holy Battle Art; it's probably hard to find another offensive technique like this in heaven and earth!"

"This supreme secret art, in fact, has only one stance," Ye Fan mused, holding the Bodhi seed. "Returning to the origin, it can manifest myriad techniques..."

*Boom.*

As if hearing Ye Fan's thoughts, the rough stone wall shook for a moment, and the solidified shadow on it suddenly collapsed. Ye Fan silently recited the incantations of this secret art in his mind. Overall, they weren't long, but they were extremely abstruse. Scenes appeared before his eyes, and every movement of Jiang Taixu replayed in his mind.

"A supreme secret art of offense..." Ye Fan formed seals with his body, exhibiting myriad changes. Initially imitating Jiang Taixu, he eventually grasped the fundamental essence, evolving only the profound state of returning to unity. By grasping its core essence, its form naturally manifested, capable of transforming into myriad variations. Once the fundamental was mastered, all other stances could be presented.

Ye Fan was in a peculiar state. A full ten days passed, during which he remained immersed, his body moving as if in a dream or illusion. He was forming seals with his entire body, not just with hand seals; every inch of his flesh and blood was part of the Dao seal. His entire being resembled the Great Void, appearing like the manifestation of the Dao, seemingly seeking to express the formless Great Dao in a tangible posture.

Finally, his heart was greatly shaken, and an eternally unchanging figure emerged in his mind, myriad changes returning to unity, forming the sole posture! A single posture encapsulated the entirety of this secret art: this was the Holy Battle Art!

It was only then that Ye Fan fully awoke. He immediately understood that this secret art focused solely on attack, disregarding all else, and possessed unparalleled offensive power. It wasn't that he had completely mastered this secret art, but rather that he had discerned its essence, knowing how to practice and how to make progress. A God King personally demonstrated it for him, which was of immense help, allowing him to see the secret art's origin, grasp its essence, and firmly imprint the posture of returning to unity. Sooner or later, he would be able to completely master it and derive his own offensive techniques.

The Nine Secrets were mysterious and powerful, each secret art capable of shaking heaven and earth and making ghosts and gods weep. The secret art obtained at Taixuan's Clumsy Peak could stack combat power by several to ten times, truly a peerless miraculous art. If fully unleashed, any opponent would tremble. As for this secret art passed down by God King Jiang, its offensive power was extremely terrifying; it was difficult for any other secret art to surpass it. Ye Fan believed that even the Void Handprint could not compare to it.

"In that case," Ye Fan mused, "the nine secret arts contained within the Nine Secrets are likely the ultimate combination. If all of them were mastered, how powerful would that be?" Ye Fan cultivated in the ancient mine for many days, but God King Jiang Taixu did not wake up. His heart sank, feeling that the other party might truly be at the end of his rope. "What does it mean to have endured for four thousand years?" he wondered. "On the other side of the starry sky, two thousand years is enough to reach back to the Qin and Han dynasties." Four thousand years—easy to say, but upon careful thought, what transformations the world undergoes! As time flows by, countless dynasties on Earth must have risen and fallen.

Ye Fan had always been wary of the other party; after all, he had experienced too many dangers since coming to this world. At this moment, God King Jiang was completely silent. Ye Fan could only sigh and silently bowed to the rock wall. He had no time to waste. Purple Mountain was full of unknowns, a place of great danger, not suitable for long stays.

Ye Fan exited the ancient mine, arriving in a vast cavern. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should leave now. He was truly a bit unwilling, as he hadn't obtained the *Source Heavenly Book*, which he needed most. Deep within Purple Mountain, the summoning power was growing stronger, making him feel intensely uneasy. "Why didn't the Great Emperor from over a hundred thousand years ago annihilate them?" he pondered. "What exactly did he intend to do? Zhang Jiye called this place Emperor Mountain, while everyone else called it Devil Mountain. Could there be another hidden reason?"

After a moment of thought, Ye Fan did not immediately retreat. According to what Jiang Taixu had said, the danger had not truly arrived yet, so perhaps he could advance a certain distance. He decided to make one last attempt.

Advancing several hundred feet deeper into Purple Mountain, the stone garment on his body began to emit faint gleams of light. His heart stirred instantly: *Could there be divine source?* The rock cave was deep and secluded, leading to a vast ancient mine. Upon reaching this point, his stone garment continuously radiated light, and his stone knife and stone star compass also glowed with unusual colors.

"This is... such dense source energy!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise. There must be a large amount of source deep within this ancient mine. The power of the demonic summons was in another direction, not within this ancient mine, so he proceeded boldly and confidently.

This time, he walked for more than a couple of miles before reaching the depths of the mine shaft. From ahead, faint points of light appeared, and a sacred aura wafted towards him. Ye Fan was instantly dumbfounded. He actually saw an exceptionally beautiful woman, like a lotus emerging from water, flawless and pure, exquisitely graceful and ethereal. Ahead, there was a massive source block, standing two meters tall, sparkling with light, and sealing her within it. The woman's beautiful eyes were tightly closed; she lay motionless, like a sleeping beauty, utterly peaceful.

Ye Fan's scalp tingled. He was truly uneasy to have actually encountered a creature sealed within source material like this! His first thought was to retreat, to quickly leave while the other party hadn't awakened. But why didn't he feel any dangerous fluctuations? The powerful demonic energy originated from deep within Purple Mountain, not from here.

Ye Fan adjusted his body to its optimal state, ready to summon the Mother Qi Cauldron of All Things at any moment, and two of the Nine Secret divine arts began to operate. He looked at the jade-like body within the massive source block, focusing first on her slender, jade-like hands. He wouldn't forget the stone carvings he had seen in the mine tunnel. Over a hundred thousand years ago, when the Great Emperor fought against the primeval creatures, a slender, jade-like hand, very soft and beautiful, once reached out from that divine source.

"It's too similar," Ye Fan thought, a headache coming on. "This jade hand, with its slender, crystal-clear fingers, like water onions..."

"Am I really that unlucky, to have encountered her so directly...?" Ye Fan wondered as he slowly retreated. It was impossible to say he wasn't nervous. One must know that even that Great Emperor had to use an ultimate weapon to seal the divine source, so one could imagine how terrifying the creature inside was.

Ye Fan retreated a dozen steps, but the massive source block remained utterly silent, showing no reaction whatsoever. The woman remained motionless. "No, this isn't right," he thought, his heart filled with puzzlement. "Someone as powerful as her, how could there be no fluctuations at all?"

In the ancient mine, source energy surged, very peaceful, with no ominous aura or hint of killing intent. "This doesn't seem like a primeval creature. How is it no different from a human?" Ye Fan thought in surprise. The woman in the source had no monstrous features; she was a stunning beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. "Could she have been completely sealed by the Great Emperor from over a hundred thousand years ago?" By now, Ye Fan had long since lost his fear. Being so close to this massive source block, if the other party were conscious, he wouldn't have been able to escape anyway. If the other party was unconscious, then it was very likely his great opportunity had arrived. Such a large source block was absolutely priceless and rare in the world.

Ye Fan stopped retreating and instead walked forward, coming closer to observe carefully. Colorful mist surged, and source energy diffused, making the area around the massive source block hazy. He murmured to himself, "This doesn't seem like the legendary divine source..."

*Crack.*

He stepped on a bone knife, which didn't surprise Ye Fan. What truly made his expression change, however, was a humanoid creature lying prone next to the massive source block. "Damn it," he cursed, "I hit the jackpot!"

Ye Fan's heart pounded. This was definitely a primeval creature: its entire body covered in silver scales, with two wings on its back, a horn growing from its brow, and six arms.